Kevin Leahy

Kevin Leahy, executive director of Clatsop Community College’s Small Business Development Center, has received America’s Small Business Development Center State Star Award for  Oregon. He will receive the honor at the national Small Business Development Center annual conference in September — an event that draws more than 600 business development professionals from across the country each year.

Leahy, a fourth-generation Clatsop County resident, started as a part-time advisor with the Clatsop Community College Small Business Development Center in 2011 and quickly was promoted director. Since then, he said he’s watched the organization grow from just a couple of people to a team full of talented advisers he’s honored to share the award with. 

“This is a ‘we’ award, not an ‘I’ award,” Leahy said. “I’ve been part of this network for 14 years, so I know the state star, what it means and how important it is across the entire state.”

In a small, rural community like Clatsop County, Leahy said people can face a range of barriers to starting a business — from navigating the permitting process to finding housing and childcare. The center provides confidential, no-cost advising, small business boot camps and a range of other classes and trainings. Most of its clients, he said, have fewer than five employees. 

“We’re small but mighty,” Leahy said. “I always say that we always punch above our weight in our center, and we have a great business community who supports us so much with taking advantage of our services.”

In addition to his work with the Small Business Development Center, Leahy is also vice president for business, community and workforce development at Clatsop Community College and the executive director of Clatsop Economic Development Resources (CEDR). Through his role with CEDR, he also serves as an advisory member on the Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce and the Astoria Downtown Historic District Association business development committee. 

“There is no one more deserving of this recognition than Kevin,” Mark Gregory, state director of the Oregon SBDC Network, said in a statement. “His leadership, local knowledge, and deep-rooted commitment to Oregon’s coastal communities have created tangible results for local small businesses. This award highlights not just Kevin’s impact, but also the vital role rural Small Business Development Centers play in building resilient economies across our state.”

Leahy said he’s excited to bring the award home and see the community’s work acknowledged.

“I’m just so proud to represent not just Clatsop County but the state of Oregon in Orlando in September, when all the other states will have their state stars are also in attendance, to really be highlighting the great work that’s done,” he said.