Auburn Business Town Hall: Community Support and Resources for Entrepreneurs - August 12, 2026
Auburn Business Town Hall: Community Support and Resources for Entrepreneurs
On August 12, 2026, the Auburn Economic Development Commission (EDC) hosted a Business Town Hall at an unspecified venue. The event aimed to connect local business owners, share resources, and foster a supportive community. Keynote speaker Melissa Johnson, a local business owner and EDC member, delivered an inspiring speech using the Western States 100-mile endurance race as a metaphor for business resilience. A panel of four successful local entrepreneurs then shared their experiences, challenges, and advice. The evening concluded with an open audience Q&A and a call to action for mutual support.
Keynote Address
- Melissa Johnson, a member of the Auburn Planning Commission and Economic Development Commission, drew parallels between the Western States 100 race and business ownership. She emphasized the importance of "crew" (community support) and "pacers" (mentors) in helping entrepreneurs overcome obstacles, just as a 70-year-old runner finished the race with only six seconds to spare thanks to the support of volunteers and pacers.
- Johnson highlighted that Auburn businesses are not alone; they have a network of resources including the EDC, Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Business Association, Old Town Business Association, and the newly formed Greater Auburn Collective. She also promoted a free Google Business Profile optimization class and distributed contact information for small business advising, capital, and certification agencies.
Panel Discussion
- Panelists: Reese (Old Town Pizza, Slice Beer Co.), Dimitri (Serg Supply, Rigwell, Placer Innovation), Heather (Dutch Bros Gold Country, 8 locations), and Ken (Tin Lantern, McGuire's Sports Bar & Grill, plus healthcare businesses).
- Key Topics:
- What makes Auburn special?: Panelists cited the strong sense of community, loyalty, and willingness of locals to help each other succeed. Reese noted that involvement in the Chamber led to many business-to-business connections.
- Challenges and failures: Ken shared a $180,000 loss from a healthcare staffing company due to lack of passion and research. Heather emphasized the importance of mental health and investing in oneself. Dimitri identified complacency and procrastination as root causes. Reese described a failed partnership during COVID at the Gold Country Fairgrounds, which taught him the value of alignment.
- Tools and habits: Practical tips included saving cash, using SBA loans, time-blocking, hiring for passion and teachability, and investing in business coaches. Dimitri recently discovered he has ADHD and sought treatment, improving his leadership. Reese highlighted the importance of putting others' interests first and reinvesting profits.
- Gaps in support: Several panelists noted that finding the right person to navigate SEO and digital marketing was a persistent challenge. Heather wished she had known earlier that it never gets cheaper to open a business. Dimitri urged new entrepreneurs to reach out and not isolate.
Audience Engagement
- Audience challenges: Katherine Gonzalez (Dancing Dog Productions, California Club) shared difficulty finding reliable staff. Reese responded with a tech solution: the platform "Landed" (L A N D E D) that uses AI to screen and schedule interviews, yielding 500 applicants in a weekend. Other attendees suggested restructuring interview questions to focus on intangibles.
- Favorite tools: Audience members mentioned Claude AI (Melissa Johnson), Excel, social media (Lily from Moonwalk Threads), and industry-specific software. The panel emphasized the value of business coaches and the importance of self-care.
- Collaboration opportunity: The owner of a new escape room (who distributed invitations) offered to include product placement from other businesses in her escape room boxes, encouraging cross-promotion.
Key Outcomes
- Next Town Hall: Scheduled for October 13, 2026, focusing on social investment and nonprofit organizations. Colleen was announced as a panelist.
- Call to action: Melissa Johnson challenged attendees to write five-star Google reviews for local businesses, mentioning "Auburn" to help with search engine optimization.
- Networking: The event concluded with an invitation to an escape room sneak peek, reinforcing the theme of collaboration.
- Resource sharing: The EDC will distribute the resource slides (with contacts for small business advising, capital, and certification) to attendees after the event.
Meeting Transcript
I say that with such gratitude and such humbleness because there are individuals in here like Mike who have paved the way for us to do what we need to do. So thank you to you and all the folks that came before us to make this happen. So happy to see Michelle Tuggle here. Thank you for being here. The chamber is here representing. We have Yvonne from the Chamber, Sandy, Don, so many great amazing people. Um I'm going to introduce us to our welcoming, and then we'll get this party started. So please welcome. Please welcome Melissa Johnson. Melissa is a deeply woven into our Auburn's business community. She serves on the chamber board, the planning commission, and the economic development commission. Giving her a unique vantage point on how the city grows. She often, she's often the connector behind the scenes, linking local businesses with the resources and relationships they need to thrive. Beyond business, Melissa has been a part of the endurance running community for two decades. A passion that's run alongside her career every step of the way. Please join me in welcoming Miss Melissa Johnson. Thank you. So good to see everybody here. It's kind of oh, it's very exciting. Um I'm going to start this out. First off, thank you. I'm honored to be here for trusting me. It's always kind of a risk when somebody gives me a microphone. Just kidding. Kidding, Jonathan. Don't stress. Um, anyways, um, thank you for being here. Everybody's so busy, especially being business owners. Um, you know, you're working long days, and you're probably sitting here thinking about all the things that you should be doing instead of sitting here. So thanks for being here. Um I want to say special thanks to McGuire Sports Bar and Grill and Auburn Symphony for providing the food and the music. Super nice. I don't know if everybody's Town Hall has Ambiance and Food. Taco Tuesday at the town hall. Hope everyone got their tacos. So why we're here tonight. Um, we're here to learn and hear directly from business owners and to share what we know. Hopefully, you walk out this door a little bit more inspired and maybe feeling a little bit less alone, maybe a little more skip in your step. Um, and knowing that you've got people around you that you're that are here to provide resources and support, maybe more than you thought prior. So that's me. We've already heard. Okay. So welcome to mile 99. Those of you are like, oh, great, another running story from another running. Oh my god, can we ever talk about anything outside of gold rush running or horses? Um, no. So mile 99 and the Western States 100. I'm just gonna tell you real quickly, it's been around for 50 years. It's one of the most prestigious 100-mile races in the world. They call it the Boston Marathon of 100 mile races.
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