Business help from seasoned pros

The organization is SCORE, the Service Corps of Retired Executives, a group of retired executives who volunteer their time and share their expertise in how to run businesses.

The SCORE office in Lacey can be found at 665 Woodland Square Loop, the same address for the Thurston County Economic Development Council and its Business Resource Center.

SCORE here has 12 counselors – nine currently are active – who have a variety of business backgrounds, including marketing and finance, real estate, the buying and selling of businesses, manufacturing and general business practices.

Dick Wadley and Gary Combs are two longtime counselors for SCORE.

Before SCORE, Wadley spent 34 years at State Farm insurance, and Combs worked in several industries before finally winding up in health services administration.

Wadley, whose expertise is in marketing and finance, said SCORE clients typically fall into one of three areas: the person who has an idea and is thinking about going into business; the existing business owner who needs advice with a problem; or the existing business owner looking for advice on how to reach that next stage of growth.

Both Wadley and Combs said counseling sessions generally result in to-do lists for the client, either a list of things they need to reflect on about their business or idea, or some goals to meet.

Not every idea is business worthy, said Combs, whose expertise is in the patent process. Combs holds U.S. Patent 7891055 for a replacement hinge pin.

“We don’t encourage every client,” Combs said, adding that prospective business owners need to have a clear idea about what it is “that is going to make their phone ring.”

“We have an obligation to be realistic,” Wadley added.

SCORE also has recently added a new counselor.

Kathy Perciful, who spent 35 years in business, including starting several businesses, has counseled four business owners since joining a couple of months ago.

Perciful’s expertise is in the startup phase of a business.

She said new business owners should think critically about their businesses, asking questions about the idea, the amount of money, the time, the expertise and the competition their business might face. One detail they should never overlook is cash flow: the amount of money they hope to immediately get out of the business.

“I understand the excitement when you come across an idea, but I’m trying to help them through that excitement phase,” Perciful said.

SCORE: Service CORPS of Retired Executives

Location: 665 Woodland Square Loop, Lacey, first floor of Business Resource Center.

Service: Nonprofit organization of retired executives who volunteer time to counsel new and existing business owners. The service is free and completely confidential.

Number of counselors: 12 (nine currently active).

Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call SCORE at 360-754-6320 to schedule appointment. Counseling sessions typically take an hour.

Did you know? Retired executive Dick Wadley has volunteered with SCORE for 13 years. He has an MBA and spent 34 years with State Farm insurance, including overseeing construction of its operations in DuPont. Gary Combs, another retired executive, has been with SCORE for eight years. He began his career as a computer programmer, followed by a stint in the oil service business and then he went back to school to get his master’s degree in health services administration. He was an administrator at several clinics, including a clinic in Cle Elum.