Success Story: The Siskiyou Economic Development Council

From Soil to Startup: Cultivating Rural Entrepreneurs in the Shasta-Cascade

Small Business Center: Siskiyou Economic Development Council (SEDC) – Shasta-Cascade Innovation Hub

Location: Northern California | Siskiyou, Shasta & Trinity Counties

Business Type: Business Support & Rural Innovation

Assistance Provided: Business Coaching, Market Development, Entrepreneur Training, and Innovation Resources

Visit Siskiyou Economic Development Council to learn more

The Siskiyou Economic Development Council (SEDC), through its Shasta-Cascade Innovation Hub (IHub), is empowering the entrepreneurs driving innovation and growth in Northern California’s rural economy. With a growing network of programs that include direct business assistance, regional market-building, and innovation-centered training, SEDC is helping local businesses thrive from the ground up.

This spring, SEDC launched its first Food Venture Bootcamp, a cohort-based program designed to help emerging food entrepreneurs—from cottage producers to small processors—formalize, refine, and scale their businesses. Participants are gaining hands-on support in branding, licensing, financial planning, and route-to-market strategies, with several now exploring new product launches or retail partnerships.

At the heart of this work is the soon-to-be established Carnegie Library Innovation Hub in downtown Yreka—an adaptive reuse of the historic landmark, which will serve as a home for entrepreneurship and innovation. The space will host workshops, cohort working spaces, and 1:1 business advising services as part of SEDC’s Shasta-Cascade IHUB, which is funded in part by CalOSBA’s Accelerate California Inclusive Innovation Hub Initiative.

Whether you’re a rancher launching a value-added line, an outdoor-recreation business exploring online bookings, or a food startup looking to grow, SEDC’s Innovation Hub is ready to help you build what’s next.

The Shasta-Cascade IHUB is where rural innovation takes root.

[June, 2025]