By RICHARD MUHLEBACH

What do leaders of a business district do when they learn 240,000 cubic feet of dirt dug for a tunnel will be hauled out through the center of their retail district over three years, followed by two and a half years of construction of a major transit station?

Residents and businesses on Capitol Hill got this news a few years ago.

When Sound Transit announced it would construct a transit tunnel from the University of Washington to Broadway and build a light rail station on Broadway, everyone was excited that Capitol Hill would have a light rail station. The Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce and neighborhood businesses welcomed the news but were concerned what six years of construction would do to retailers and restaurants, especially those on Broadway.

The chamber assembled a team to develop a program that would drive sales and increase profits for businesses during the construction. Team members were selected for their business development expertise. They are Jack Hilovsky, executive director of the Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce; Paul Dwoskin, owner of Broadway Video; Professor Robert Natoli of Seattle Central Community College; and Greg Scully of the Albert School of Business and Economics at Seattle University. I am also on the team because of my experience as a commercial broker involved with marketing and leasing malls and shopping centers.

The program offers businesses throughout Capitol Hill resources, training and one-on-one consultation by many of the top retail, restaurant and business consultants in the country. The program was presented to Sound Transit and after several meetings to finalize the budget and define the service areas, Sound Transit and the chamber entered into an agreement to implement the business growth strategy. Jennifer Lemus, Sound Transit's community outreach specialist, who has extensive experience working with communities where public transportation is being developed, joined the team.

Sound Transit will fund most of the program's costs during construction of the tunnel and light rail station. The chamber and Broadway BIA will fund the remaining costs.

Increase sales and profits

The goal is simple and direct: increase sales and profits of businesses on Broadway and Capitol Hill. There are four components. Retail, restaurant and business consultants will be hired to present seminars and meet with businesses one-on-one to review their operations, discuss challenges they are encountering and offer advice.

During March and April of 2009 Karen Malody, an international restaurant consultant, and Dorothy Frisch, a restaurant consultant and former owner of one of Seattle's best restaurants, Saleh al Largo, jointly presented several seminars and separately met with several restaurant owners. Lisa Hudson, a retail consultant who works with local, national and international retailers and lived in Seattle, also presented seminars and met with several retailers in their stores.

A former executive with national retailers conducted a seminar on selecting and training the best employees. The seminars were attended by people planning to open a business as well as owners and managers of businesses that have been operating for years on Capitol Hill. Feedback was excellent and attendees said they immediately implemented many of the best practices they learned.

A unique component of the program is utilizing the resources of two institutions of higher learning on Broadway. Seattle University and Seattle Central Community College were invited to join the team and each developed a consulting program for Capitol Hill businesses.

Graduate students in Seattle University's evening master of business administration program are professionals who've been working in the business community for several years.

Each quarter teams from SU evaluate the operations of retailers and restaurants and offer a plan for improvements. Students enrolled in Seattle Central Community College's Business Information Technology program, with the guidance of their professor, provide computer and Web site design consultation to businesses.

Services are free to businesses

The four components of the business growth program seminars, one-on-one consulting, Seattle University's business consulting and Seattle Central Community College's IT support services are free to businesses. The seminars are offered to all businesses on Broadway and Capitol Hill. The one-on-one consulting is first offered to businesses on Broadway who are closest to the construction area.

The chamber and Sound Transit are planning this year's business growth program. Tom Shay, a nationally renowned retail consultant from the East Coast will present seminars and one-on-one consulting to retailers and restaurant operators in April. He will be followed by seminars on marketing and increasing sales using social media. A restaurant consulting group will offer seminars and meet one-on-one with restaurant owners.

New components of the program are being finalized and will be launched this year.

Sound Transit and the Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce have formed a public-private partnership to support the business community during construction. They are utilizing resources within the community, the greater Seattle area and around the country to drive sales and increase business profits on Broadway and Capitol Hill.

Richard Muhlebach is a commercial broker, consultant, educator and author.