Pasadena Launches Its First Small Business Week

Nearly 75 female high school students will sit across from women who built businesses in beauty, food, e-commerce and floral design — and hear how they did it. The afternoon session is one of three events the City of Pasadena is hosting during its first local Small Business Week, scheduled for May 3 through 9.

The week, organized by the city’s Economic Development Division and sponsored by Logix Federal Credit Union, aligns with the U.S. Small Business Administration’s national observance, which has run for more than 60 years. For Pasadena, it marks the first time the city has staged its own programming around the tradition, according to a city press release.

A procurement webinar on Tuesday, May 5, from noon to 1:30 p.m. will walk participants through how to bid on city contracts, register as a vendor and navigate the city’s procurement system. The Pasadena Small Business Development Center, hosted at Pasadena City College, and the city’s Finance team are co-hosting. Registration is open at Bit.ly/SBW26webinar.

“Whether it’s navigating procurement or inspiring future founders, our goal is to help every local business start, scale, and succeed,” said David Klug, the city’s economic development director, in the press release.

On Wednesday, May 6, an invite-only breakfast hosted with Mayor Victor Gordo will focus on helping small business owners expand their digital presence without a large capital investment, followed by networking, according to the press release.

The Thursday event — “She Builds: From Idea to Empire” — is perhaps the week’s most distinctive offering. Organized in collaboration with the Pasadena Women’s Business Center, a division of Pasadena City College, and Altadena Girls, the nonprofit founded by then-14-year-old Avery Colvert in the days after the January 2025 Eaton Fire, the session will pair six to seven women founders with the students for small-group discussions, according to the press release. The founders represent wellness, beauty, food, consumer product goods, e-commerce and floral design. That event is also invite-only.

“Small businesses are the heart of Pasadena,” said Carlos Alvarado, branch manager for Logix Federal Credit Union’s Pasadena location on South Lake Avenue, in the press release. “We are honored to serve as the presenting sponsor for this inaugural Small Business Week.”

Logix, chartered in 1937, has operated its Pasadena branch at 180 South Lake Avenue since 2002, according to the credit union’s website.

For more information, contact project manager Christopher Page at CPage@CityOfPasadena.net or visit CityOfPasadena.net/EconomicDevelopment/Explore-The-City/Small-Business-Week/.