MOSES LAKE — Allan Peterson is hanging it up after more than two decades of helping the little guy find success. 

“(We) really appreciate all that he has done for Grant County,” Grant County Economic Development Council Director Brant Mayo said. “He’s been an unsung hero of the growth in this area.” 

Peterson, who retires at the end of the year, has been an advisor for the Washington State University Small Business Development Center since 2004, he said. The SBDC is a network of expert business advisors who help small business owners grow their businesses, according to its website. Which, as anyone who has owned a small business knows, makes those advisors worth their weight in gold. 

“(Peterson) has helped clients and small businesses, through his career here, access more than $63 million in capital,” said SDBC Marketing Director Stacey Dacar. 

Peterson helped several small businesses in Grant County get their start, including Langley Equine Studies, a horse massage therapy school in Soap Lake, and Southgate Pharmacy in Moses Lake. 

“When I started out (in business) … the managers were always talking about starting their own business and using the skills they got working for the chain,” Peterson said. “So that was always in the back of my mind (looking for) an opportunity to work with other people that wanted to start a business or transfer my skills from running a drugstore to helping people start or run their businesses. My dad was an insurance salesman, so he had his own small business (and) that's how I grew up.” 

Besides mentoring locally, Peterson has led overseas trade missions for Grant County small businesses, exposing them to markets on the other side of the globe. 

“He has been instrumental in spearheading several trips overseas and coordinating things with small business owners who haven't been exposed to that process,” said Ron Nielsen, SBDC regional manager for Eastern Washington. “Working with them to understand what they need to do to prepare for a trip, helping facilitate the meetings with export folks in other countries and connecting them with businesses for one-on-one meetings. And then Allan helped with the follow-up with those businesses as well. Once they've met the businesses overseas, he begins to work with them in developing that all-important ongoing relationship with them, which leads to orders.” 

Christy Mastin was the international sales manager for Eckenberg Farms, a Mattawa-based hay grower, in 2016 when Peterson invited her to go with a group to South Korea and Japan. 

“I made a sale to a current client there, and they purchased the last of my inventory,” she said. “We (also) ended up with two additional contacts that were new.”

Mastin is with the SBDC herself, as an international business trade advisor based in Kennewick since 2022. Peterson served as a mentor for her, she said. 

“Allan had much more experience in the SBDC realm and advising for all types of industries,” Mastin said. “My background was a little bit more limited to mostly the agribusiness side of things, and his client list was pretty vast. And always, he always tried to remember clients that would need assistance or could benefit from a contact that he met (and) he would always pass along name and phone number and information. He was a great people connector.” 

The overseas trips continued, including a virtual trade mission to Mexico in 2021 to help Washington’s wine, beer and spirits industry forge past the slump caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Peterson didn’t start out as a small business guru. A graduate of the University of North Dakota, he worked in management at drugstore chains, coming to Moses Lake in 1988 to manage the Pay ’n Save store. That company went through a turbulent period, he said, going through 11 or 12 owners. During that time, Peterson decided to take a different route. 

“I had known about (the SBDC) program for several years, and I always thought ‘Boy, that would be a really, really good job.’ So, (when) it became open again, I applied.” 

The SBDC was housed at Big Bend Community College when Peterson came on and moved to the Grant County Economic Development Council in 2011.  

Mayo met Peterson at Mayo’s job interview for the position of EDC director nine years ago.  

“(We) had a really nice, easy conversation,” Mayo said. “I liked his demeanor. (The first day) at the office … I was drinking though a fire hose and wasn’t sure where the restroom was, let alone how to do economic development. But he was very complimentary of the work and the direction we were going … Allan was the rock that kept assuring me we’re on the right path and doing the right stuff here at the EDC.”

Peterson hasn’t made any particular plans for retirement, he said, but looks forward to time with his grandchildren, who also live locally. He’ll be staying on in Moses Lake, he said. 

“Grant County has some really, really smart people running around,” he said. “Working in stores with four walls, you don't really see that. But once I realized what kind of talent is running around, that's really amazing. It's been a lot of fun working with people with lots of good ideas (who) want to make a difference for Grant County. That's been really refreshing for me.” 

    Allan Peterson, right, and Ancient Lake Winery Liaison Stephan Devery after a business meeting in Hong Kong. Peterson has been instrumental in exposing Grant County businesses to international markets.
  

    Allan Peterson, second from right, on a trade mission too introduce Grant County spirits to Asian markets in 2021.