Vino at The Landing

Reality-based business plan helps Vino at The Landing thrive in tough times

RENTON - To say Vino at The Landing has developed a following is an understatement. As one online critic put it, “Insane how good this place is.”

Developing a following during flush times is an achievement, but Vino at The Landing has managed to do so during tough times. According to the Washington Restaurant Association, nearly 7,000 restaurants in Washington closed their doors in 2008, the year before Vino’s opened. Since then, the restaurant industry has continued to struggle.

Vino at The Landing, part of the shopping/dining/entertainment complex off Park Avenue in north Renton, is an exception; it has thrived during the recession.

The wine bar and retail wine shop at The Landing opened in February 2009 with four employees and seating for 52. When an adjacent space became available in 2010, McMaster was able to expand by half, to 2,300 square feet, and increase staffing to 15 employees.

“My plan was developed with a bad economy in mind,” said owner Rick McMaster. “I think it was a blessing in disguise.”

After watching the wine industry in Washington flourish in the past decade, McMaster decided to open a Tuscany-inspired osteria—a lively café where patrons can enjoy small plates of interesting food and good wine, by the glass or by the bottle.

McMaster said he discovered the Washingon SBDC online resources while developing his business plan, but then met with an SBDC advisor located at Highline Community College to go over his SBA loan application. Jim Kallenberg, his SBDC advisor at the time, helped him through five or six iterations of the business plan and financial projections, he said.

Without the SBDC’s assistance, he said, he doubts that he would have gotten the loan.

Working with an SBDC advisor provided “a reality check,” McMaster said. “I knew I had the academic background to know how things should work, but the small business advisor has the life experience to understand how business really works.”

When Kallenberg left the SBDC, McMaster continued working with SBDC business advisor Zev Siegl.

“Zev had contacts that I could never have imagined,” McMasters said. Through the SBDC, he had access to a network of advisors and additional resources. In addition to working with the SBDC, McMaster also worked closely with Suzanne Daly Estey with the City of Renton Economic Development program and the Renton Chamber of Commerce.

“The city has been great,” he said. Estey met with him as soon as she learned he was applying for a business license and has continued to check in with him regularly. Through the chamber, he said, he has been able to network with other business owners and keep up with the business community.

McMaster had worked for Intel for 11 years and then returned to school to earn an MBA at the University of Washington. Although his undergraduate degree had been in industrial engineering, he wanted to use his business education to pursue something he was passionate about.

Special events at Vino at The Landing include Friday “Meet the Winemaker” Tastings and Saturday night Live Music.

McMaster is an entrepreneur, but he considers himself a “type B” personality. He likes to look before he leaps, he said. By working with the SBDC, McMaster said, he felt confident that once he took that leap, he’d be landing in a good spot.

The Landing in Renton has been exactly that for Vino at The Landing.

Vino at The Landing is open Sun.-Wed. 3 to10 p.m. and Thurs.-Sat. 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. For more information go to vinoatthelanding.com or email info@vinoatthelanding.com

The Washington SBDC has been providing one-to-one business advising, at no cost, to entrepreneurs and small business owners across the state for more than 30 years. The WSBDC Network includes 26 certified business advisors working in 24 locations across the state and four international trade specialists working in Spokane and South Seattle. The WSBDC is a partnership between the U.S. Small Business Administration, Washington State University and other institutions of higher education and economic development agencies. For more information, go to www.wsbdc.org

The SBDC services in Renton are funded through Small Business Jobs Act money appropriated through Congress. Office space is provided by Renton Community College and additional support is provided by the Renton Chamber of Commerce and the Renton Economic Development Office.