SJ Makers Guild News

 We are pleased to announce that the Makers Guild is the beneficiary of a new USDA-funded Rural Business Development Grant (RBDG) that invests in a project to conduct three valuable research and development activities in San Juan County, 2020-2021.

• The first activity is an Asset Mapping project to learn who the Island Makers are, what they produce - in all fields - and the materials and facilities they use.
• Next, the project will conduct a county-wide Needs Assessment to learn what services, tools, facilities, materials, training, marketing and business development activities can help foster Maker enterprises.
• This $40,000 grant is the first step towards developing a robust Guild that serves all Makers in San Juan County and gives our Makers a voice in developing a sustainable economy.
• The culmination of the RBDG project is a San Juan Makers Market Plan to identify and forecast opportunities to expand into regional or national markets, and to leverage services and resources at reduced costs when provided to Guild members as a group.

The Guild team will be working with farm, food, arts, design, economic, manufacturing and technology businesses and organizations in the coming months. 

We look forward to many fascinating conversations as we gather the information needed to capture a picture of current and future Maker enterprise needs and opportunities.