BIPOC small and underserved businesses in our community have often faced barriers to accessing traditional funding and business development resources. In fact, certain populations within Spokane have experienced systematic exclusion from full participation in many aspects of economic prosperity. Business ownership is an important element in closing the wealth gap.

Downtown Spokane boasts a thriving small business community, a testament to the city’s resilience and entrepreneurial spirit. This vibrant ecosystem owes much to the transformative effects of Expo '74, the World's Fair held in Spokane that revitalized the downtown area.

The spring of 1974 marked a turning point for Spokane, as the small American city pulled off what many considered to be an impossible feat for a community of its size: hosting a World’s Fair. Expo ’74 was exactly what Spokane needed to revitalize its ailing center, spurring investment in downtown and a riverfront park that would generate returns for generations to come.

Expo ’74 was a crowning moment in the revitalization of Spokane and the Inland Empire. The culmination of years of planning and hard work, the World’s Fair was at once a testament to the region’s creativity, fortitude, and entrepreneurial spirit and a showcase for a local business community exemplifying those traits and serving as one of the event’s driving forces.   

I am sometimes asked how the Journal of Business got its start. The answer is the kind you can’t exactly provide in an elevator speech. But I was there, so if you have a few minutes, let me tell you the story.
It’s a yarn I’ve written in various ways for past anniversaries of this cherished newspaper, so my apologies if you’ve heard the punchlines before. It’s also a story of how a new publication beat the odds to survive in a difficult industry, and one that became even more challenging years later.