Secretary of State Brings Business Services to Yuma County

On November 17, 2025 Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes visited Yuma to unveil the Mobile Businesses Services Outreach Program, a state effort to bring essential business services directly to communities across Arizona. The Business Service Division is teaming up with the Arizona Chamber of Commerce to deliver services that otherwise often require travel to Phoenix or Tucson, a logistical burden for many small business owners.

The outreach program will offer a range of administrative services including notary services, partnership applications, and trademark applications. Those services are intended to help entrepreneurs complete legal steps that underpin business operations and growth. “Small business are the heartbeat of every smaller community,” says Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes. The announcement made clear that reducing the time and cost of accessing basic filings could make it easier for proprietors to formalize operations and protect intellectual property.

The program has immediate practical benefits for Yuma County residents. Local business owners who must currently travel to larger cities to file documents face direct costs in fuel and time, plus indirect costs from lost work hours. By providing services locally the state aims to lower these administrative barriers, which can be especially consequential for sole proprietors and family run enterprises. “If the business grows, it could become very valuable to have that registered,” says Fontes, highlighting how filings such as trademarks can help preserve a business asset that contributes to future valuation.

Beyond individual firms the outreach program has broader economic implications. Administrative simplification tends to increase formal business registrations, which improves firms access to banking, government programs, and state level economic supports. That in turn can strengthen local tax bases and labor markets over time. The state partnership with the Arizona Chamber of Commerce suggests a model that combines public authority with business community networks to reach diverse neighborhoods.

Officials framed the effort as part of a wider push to support small enterprises across Arizona. “It’s tough out there sometimes, having owned a business or two myself in the past, and they don’t always succeed, but you know what, hard work, grit, good opportunity, and good access to services put together can really make somebody’s business thrive,” explained Fontes. For Yuma entrepreneurs the program represents a tangible step to reduce red tape and increase access to legal protections that matter for growth.

Local residents and business groups will be watching how often mobile clinics are scheduled and which services are prioritized. If the program reduces travel and increases filings, it could offer a measurable boost to business formation rates and long term economic resilience in Yuma County.