BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//CalDiscovery//caldiscovery//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH DESCRIPTION:Discovered and maintained by CalDiscovery (https://caldiscover y.com). Event details belong to their publishers. Contains information fro m CalDiscovery\, which is made available under the ODbL 1.0. SOURCE:https://caldiscovery.com/olympia-wa/src-16434.ics X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H X-WR-CALDESC:Discovered and maintained by CalDiscovery (https://caldiscove ry.com). Event details belong to their publishers. Contains information fr om CalDiscovery\, which is made available under the ODbL 1.0. X-WR-CALNAME:CalDiscovery - olympia-wa BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Buy\, Build\, or Franchise: Three Paths to Business Ownership-Webi nar DTSTART:20260909T170000Z DTEND:20260909T180000Z DTSTAMP:20260819T002309Z UID:14849-1788948000-1788951600@thurstonedc.com CATEGORIES:education DESCRIPTION:Most people who want to own a business start with the wrong qu estion. They ask what business to start\, when the first question is which path fits them: buy an existing business\, build one from scratch\, or bu y a franchise. \nEvery path has a real cost. Buying an existing business g ets you cash flow on day one plus whatever problems the seller did not men tion. Starting from scratch gives you total control and the longest\, most expensive learning curve. A franchise hands you a proven playbook\, a set of rules you have to follow\, and fees you keep paying. \nIn this session he walks through all three honestly\, then goes deeper on franchising: ho w much wider the field is than the food brands everyone pictures\, what it costs to get in\, how people fund it\, and what the search actually looks like from the first conversation to signing. \nBring your questions. Live Q&A is built into the hour. \n\n\n\nKey takeaways\nAttendees will leave k nowing: \n\nWhich of the three paths fits their money\, their timeline\, a nd their tolerance for risk\nWhat franchising actually is\, and how far th e field goes past the food brands most people picture\, into trades\, seni or care\, pets\, fitness\, and business services\nWhat it costs to get int o a franchise and the common ways people fund one\, including using retire ment savings without an early withdrawal penalty\nWhat you give up inside a franchise\, what stays yours\, and why there is no such thing as a turn- key business\n\nSign up today: https://form.typeform.com/to/HFNC9bcc LAST-MODIFIED:20260819T002309Z LOCATION:Webinar URL:https://thurstonedc.com/event/buy-build-or-franchise-three-paths-to-bu siness-ownership-webinar/ X-SOURCE-NAME:Thurston EDC X-SOURCE-URL:https://thurstonedc.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Real Estate Forum DTSTART:20260924T180000Z DTEND:20260924T203000Z DTSTAMP:20260815T053948Z UID:14808-1790247600-1790256600@thurstonedc.com CATEGORIES:community DESCRIPTION:The Thurston Economic Development Council in partnership with  the Commercial Real Estate Development Association\, Washington State Ch apter (CREDAWA) will be hosting the annual Real Estate Forum and Luncheon on September 24\, 2026.  The Forum will be held at the South Puget Sound Community College’s conference center in Lacey\, WA  (4220 6th Ave SE\ , Lacey) from 11:00 to 1:30.  Registration can be found here: Registratio n open now!    The theme of this year’s Forum will be based upon the r esearch paper commissioned by CREDAWA\, “Industrial Real Estate is Econo mic Infrastructure – and Washington Can’t Afford to Ignore It.”  Th e paper\, its research\, and conclusions will be the subject of a facilita ted panel featuring: \n\n\n\nCarter Nelson\, CREDAWA Director of Governm ent Affairs\nDrew Zaborowski\, 2028 CREDAWA President\, Panattoni Develo pment Company\nMorgan Shook\, EcoNW\, the main researcher for the document LAST-MODIFIED:20260815T053948Z LOCATION:SPSCC Lacey Campus Event Center\, 4220 6th Ave SE\, Lacey\, WA\, 98503\, United States URL:https://thurstonedc.com/event/real-estate-forum/ X-SOURCE-NAME:Thurston EDC X-SOURCE-URL:https://thurstonedc.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Saint Martin's University Fall Job & Internship Fair DTSTART:20261008T170000Z DTEND:20261008T210000Z DTSTAMP:20260819T002309Z UID:14855-1791453600-1791468000@thurstonedc.com CATEGORIES:community DESCRIPTION:Employer registration is now open for the SMU Job & Internshi p Fair! \nJoin us at this event to meet SMU students from a variety of bac kgrounds and academic programs who are seeking job info\, company info\, j obs\, and internships. \nPreview and Register Here! \nOctober 8th\, 10AM-2 PM \nSaint Martin’s University in Lacey\, WA \nThis year we’re managin g all employer registrations through Handshake\, our local career services platform. You may even receive another message there if you already have an account. \nTo register for the fair\, you need a Handshake account\, bu t it’s really easy and free to set up. This will allow you to connect to your company if they’re already in there\, post jobs on Handshake for a ll the colleges you are connected to\, and see all of our upcoming events. \nAfter registration\, you’ll receive a link/invoice to pay the registr ation fee. You’ll receive more information as the event gets closer. \nP LEASE RESPOND if you have any issues registering for the job fair on Hand shake. We don’t want anything to get in your way. \nThank you! We hope t o see you soon! LAST-MODIFIED:20260819T002309Z LOCATION:Saint Martin's University\, 5000 Abbey Way SE\, Lacey\, WA\, 9850 3 URL:https://thurstonedc.com/event/saint-martins-university-fall-job-intern ship-fair/ X-SOURCE-NAME:Thurston EDC X-SOURCE-URL:https://thurstonedc.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Regional Economic Forecast & Innovation EXPO DTSTART:20261209T160000Z DTEND:20261210T010000Z DTSTAMP:20260815T053948Z UID:14831-1796803200-1796835600@thurstonedc.com CATEGORIES:community,market DESCRIPTION:The Regional Economic Forecast & Innovation Expo has become So uthwest Washington's premier economic development gathering\, bringing tog ether public and private sector leaders who help shape investment\, workfo rce\, infrastructure\, innovation and long-term economic growth throughout the region. \nJoin CEOs\, business owners\, elected officials\, county co mmissioners\, city managers\, tribal leaders\, developers\, manufacturers\ , healthcare executives\, educators\, investors\, nonprofit leaders\, entr epreneurs and economic development professionals from across this 5 county region and beyond. LAST-MODIFIED:20260815T053948Z LOCATION:Great Wolf Lodge\, 20500 Old Highway 99 Southwest\, Centralia\, W A\, 98531\, United States URL:https://thurstonedc.com/event/regional-economic-forecast-innovation-ex po/ X-SOURCE-NAME:Thurston EDC X-SOURCE-URL:https://thurstonedc.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Alliance Northwest DTSTART:20270325T150000Z DTEND:20270325T230000Z DTSTAMP:20260815T053948Z UID:14715-1805961600-1805990400@thurstonedc.com CATEGORIES:community,education DESCRIPTION:The Premier Business to Government Event in the Pacific Northw est \nThe 40th Annual Alliance Northwest is the largest business-to-gove rnment conference in the Pacific Northwest. This event features an exhibit hall\, high-quality workshops and pre-scheduled one-on-one meetings betwe en government representatives\, primes\, and businesses. Hosted by Thursto n Economic Development Council\, home of APEX ACCELERATORS\, Alliance Nort hwest has a strong history of providing quality outreach events for govern ment representatives to connect with small and diverse businesses. \nMarch 25th 2027 \n*Full Agenda is currently in development. \nFor more informat ion\, contact: alliance@thurstonedc.com LAST-MODIFIED:20260815T053948Z LOCATION:Greater Tacoma Convention Center\, 500 Commerce Street\, Tacoma\, Washington\, 98402\, United States URL:https://thurstonedc.com/event/alliance-northwest/ X-SOURCE-NAME:Thurston EDC X-SOURCE-URL:https://thurstonedc.com END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR