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Humboldt Business and Economy Survey 2026

A collaborative of business and nonprofit-serving organizations across Humboldt County is conducting this comprehensive survey to inform our work in the coming years, as well as to track impacts related to policy and program changes at the federal level.

Please respond by Friday, October 16. All who complete the survey by this deadline will be eligible to win one of two locally-sourced gift baskets! Just email a screenshot of the final screen of your completed survey to nancy@eurekachamber.com.

This survey should be completed by only one person per business/organization. Data gathered via this survey will only be reported in aggregate. By completing this survey, you agree to have your responses utilized, in aggregate, for planning and reporting purposes by members of this collaborative, including City of Eureka, Eureka Main Street, Chambers of Commerce throughout Humboldt County, and other organizations that provide services to local businesses/organizations.

Responses will remain confidential unless you choose to provide your name at the end of the survey. We will not reveal a respondent’s identity when quoting data specific to them unless (a) they provide their name at the end of the survey, and (b) they agree in writing to have their specific response(s) shared.

Estimated time required to complete this survey: 10-12 minutes. Please fully complete this survey to the best of your ability. What you share will directly inform the work of multiple business-serving organizations across Humboldt County.

Should you have any questions about this survey, contact Greater Eureka Chamber CEO Nancy Olson (nancy@eurekachamber.com) or Eureka Main Street Executive Director Amanda Kruschke (econdev@eurekaca.gov).

Appreciation to S.K. Lee at Launch Coaching Lab, Nancy Vizenor at Cal Poly Humboldt, City of Eureka, Eureka Main Street, and others for their support designing this survey.

Thank you very much for supporting the economic well-being of our community by completing this survey.

Note: For the purposes of this survey, the word “business” is used for for-profit businesses, nonprofit organizations, and government entities, unless otherwise noted.
1.Where is your business located? (Select all that apply)
2.My business is: (Select all that apply)
3.What industry best describes your business? (Select all that apply)
4.If a nonprofit or government entity, what type(s) of services does your organization provide? (Select all that apply)
5.How many years has your business been operating?
6.How many employees do you have?
7.In the coming 6-12 months, do you expect to:
8.What was your business/organization's annual gross revenue in 2025?
9.What is your business/organization's PROJECTED annual gross revenue in 2026?
10.Is your business a member of your local Chamber of Commerce?
11.How many years has your business/organization been a Chamber member? (If unknown, please approximate.)
12.What are your main reasons for Chamber membership? (Select all that apply)
13.What type of events or initiatives would attract more customers/clients to the area and support your business? (Select all that apply)
14.How would you describe the current financial health of your business?
15.What are the top challenges you are currently facing? (Select all that apply)
16.What are the most substantial opportunities you see for the year ahead? (Select all that apply)
17.How is your business being impacted, or how do you expect to be impacted, by federal policy/program shifts in the next 12-15 months?
18.If you are a for-profit business: how has tourism impacted your business in the past year, and how do you expect it to impact your business in the coming 12-15 months?
19.Who is your primary customer/client base? (Select all that apply)
20.Is your business currently repaying a U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), including 30-year term loans?
21.Please share any details you're willing to provide regarding your EIDL (e.g., approximate remaining balance, how repayment is affecting your operations/cash flow).
22.Does your business have a written business continuity or disaster preparedness plan (e.g., for wildfire, earthquake, tsunami, power outage, flooding)?
23.Which of the following would help you develop or improve a business continuity plan to prepare for disasters/emergencies? (Select all that apply)
24.Please share how healthcare issues impact your business.
Yes
Somewhat
No
Unsure
We provide paid healthcare insurance for all of our employees.
We provide paid healthcare insurance only for our full-time employees.
Our employees miss multiple days of work each year due to travel required to access healthcare.
Our employees are able to access most healthcare services they need locally.
Lack of access to healthcare impacts employee productivity.
Access to healthcare is a major concern for our business.
25.Our business has/had employees who have been unhoused in the past 12 months (e.g. living in their car, on the street, in hotels, couch-surfing).
26.What would most help increase your business's profitability in the next 12 months? (Select all that apply)
27.Are there specific facilities, suppliers, or services missing from our local economy that would help your business or industry? (e.g., a local meat processing facility, cold storage, commercial kitchen space, other)
28.Has your business adopted any AI tools? (e.g., ChatGPT/Claude, AI scheduling, AI marketing tools, automated customer service, other)
29.What are you using AI tools for?
30.What would help you explore AI tools for your business? (Select all that apply)
31.How would you rate the overall appearance of your business's neighborhood?
32.How would you rate the cleanliness of your business's neighborhood?
33.What are the top infrastructure improvements needed in your business's neighborhood? (Select all that apply)
34.Do safety concerns (vandalism, theft, loitering) affect your ability to operate successfully?
35.How often does this criminal behavior impact your business?
36.Please indicate your level of agreement with this statement: Our employees feel safe at and around our workplace.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
37.What types of training/professional development would help your business? (Select all that apply)
38.Which leadership skills would you, personally, like to develop as a business owner/manager? (Select all that apply)
39.What are the most important skills that young adults entering the workforce should have? (Select your top 2)
40.How interested are you in partnering with schools to provide learning opportunities for students (e.g. internships, tours, classroom visits, job shadowing)?
41.What is the top barrier for your business to participate in partnerships with local schools (e.g. internships, tours, classroom visits, job shadowing)?
42.The local K-12 educational system prepares young people to work in emerging industries.
43.College of the Redwoods prepares young people to work in emerging industries.
44.Cal Poly Humboldt prepares young people to work in emerging industries.
45.Please share how your business invests in our community.
46.Organizations that support businesses (e.g. Chambers of Commerce) should focus advocacy efforts on which of the following in the coming 3-5 years? (Select your TOP 5)
47.What is the most important local political issue or challenge facing businesses in Humboldt County?
48.Please indicate how strongly you agree with this statement: As a business working to provide a valued product/service and create employment opportunities, I/we feel valued by the local community.
49.Please indicate how strongly you agree with this statement: As a business/organization working to provide a valued product/service and create employment opportunities, I/we feel valued by local government.
50.Does your business/organization benefit from support provided by other business service organizations (SBDC, North Edge, RREDC, etc.)?
51.Which of the following make you feel optimistic about the local economy right now? (Select all that apply)
52.If you could change one thing about doing business in your area, what would it be?
53.What additional support, resources, or services would help your business thrive in the next 3-5 years?
54.Is there anything else you would like to share?
55.Optional: if you'd like us to know who is completing this survey, or have questions, please provide your name, business/organization name, and contact information. We will not share your responses without your prior written consent.