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I uh P ortland O bserver • J anuary 10, 1996
P age A5
u ” A T I V n M u V r h l l W O l f V P l l C a l O c O e ”
1996 “BEST Business” Applications Open
The
Busi
T
he fourth annual "B
“ B E S T Busi-
ness aw ards will be unveiled during
Earth W eek in A pril.
A p p lic a tio n s a re b e in g a c c e p t­
ed now T o be c o n s id e r e d , lo c a l
b u s in e s s e s m u st a p p ly by F e b r u ­
a ry 28. T h e " B E S T B u s in e s s ”
a w a rd s a re is s u e d a n n u a lly to
P o rtla n d a re a b u s in e s s e s w ith n o ­
ta b le e n e rg y a n d e n v iro n m e n ta l
a c c o m p lis h m e n ts .
BEST stands for B usiness for an
Environm entally Sustainable T om or­
row. It is an assistance program of­
fered by the C ity o f P ortland Energy
O ffice; a no-cost service for busi­
nesses that w ant to:
• use energy efficiently,
• conserve
conserve water.
water.
• reduce (and recycle) w aste, and
• use efficient transportation o p ­
tions.
B E S T services have been offered
since early 1992. "B E S T B usiness”
aw ards - issued in all four categories
-- have been issued annually since
1993.
B est aw ard s over the past three
years have gone to successful local
businesses such as Blue C ross &
Blue Shield. M arco ’s C afe, the Mill
End S tore, R ed Lion H otels, and the
Port o f Portland building (for energy
e f f ic ie n c y ); E lf A to c h e m , F red
M e y er’s G atew ay store, H ercules
In co rp o ra ted , the R iv ersid e G o lf
r« « ,
course, and T ektronix, Inc (for water
co n serv atio n ); co n tin en tal Brass,
D av is W rig h t T rem ain e, K aiser
Pem ianente, M entor G raphics Corp,
Nike, Inc., O regon A rena C orpora­
tion, O regon Soil C orporation, and
O regon Steel M ills (for waste reduc­
tion); and N ike Town, United States
Bakery (Franz), and US B ancorp) for
efficient transportation)
I he Best aw ards are co-sponsored
by the A sso c iatio n for P ortland
Progress (A P P) and The Business
Journal.
A pplications are available from
the Portland Energy Office. For an
A pplication or m ore details call 823-
7222.
Portland Company Unveils Unsecured Second
Chance VISA Card Program
The American EairCredit Associa­
tion is a unique company that is dedi­
cated to helping financially troubled
Americans regain the social status of
credit worthiness. Millions of gixxl
people have suffered severe financial
setbacks due to circumstances beyond
their control such as divorce, layoff,
recession, and medical expenses. Un­
fortunate ly, the cred i t industry does not
take into consideration individual cir­
cumstances, when looking at credit
reports. In todays world, credit is the
key to the American Dream. Without
credit, you cannot own a home, get a
college education, or afford safe, reli­
able transportation.
Clients turn to AFCA after being
repeatedly turned down for credit by
other companies. AFCA offers a vari­
ety o f benefits including credit educa­
tion, money saving discounts, and an
Unsecured VISA Credit Card with No
Security deposit. This not only gives
members the advantages of a major
credit card in an almost cashless soci­
ety, but the benefit of having one of the
nation’s know creditors give a good
credit report monthly to the nation’s
major credit bureaus. This has led to
many of A FCA ’s clients being able to
purchase their own homes. According
to office owner Steven Conner, there
are many programs out there to help
people purchase theirown homes even
with a moderate income, The most
common thing that holds people Kick
is their credit report. AFCA s program
is the quickest and easiest way to get
back into the mainstream credit world.
I o qualify lor the AIT? A program
you have to be currently entployed for
at last 3 months with a gross income of
S9(X) per month before taxes, have a
pictured ID, and haveeitherachecking
or savings account. AFCA is located at
S H E . Burnside, Suite 219. They see
people by appointment only by call-
ing249-O483. AFCA is proud of the
role it plays in helping people achieve
their American Dream.
Senior
Meals
Promised
OREGON ASSOCIATION OF
AMERICAN MOTHERS, INC.
Official Sponsor of “Mother of the year
presents the
“ In response to a possible curtail­
m ent o f governm ent funding, the
L oaves and Fishes board decided at
their m eeting that Loaves and Fishes
is com m itted to the seniors we serve
and w e will m ake every effort to
serve seniors-at-risk even if our gov­
ernm ent funding is reduced or term i­
n ated,” said E xecutive D irector Don
Ballinger.
This may include suspension o f
the w alk -in c o n g re g a te p rogram
w here m eals are served at Loaves &
Fishes sites throughout the m etro
area.
T he board stance is to m onitor the
current situation and to m aintain ex ­
isting service levels for at least ten
days follow ing a change in Loaves &
F ish es’ funding.
It is to be em phasized that Loaves
and Fishes will continue delivery to
at risk M eals-on-W heels and co n ­
gregate seniors.
State Literature Scholarship
Gertrude Fogelson Cultural and Creative Arts Program
A m erican M others, Inc. encourages m others to develop their talents in
the creative arts. The C ultural and C reative Arts program can be a
positive force in helping young m others learn m ore effective ways o f
teaching children through the use o f literature in the home.
E L IG IB ILIT Y & R E Q U IR E M E N T S
A $ 10 entry fee includes a 1 year m em bership to A m erican M others, Inc.
C ontact A udrey K ocam ik, State C hairm an, at
13630 SW Fielding Rd., Lake O sw ego, OR 97034
for entry form with a list o f eligibility and qualifications.
All entry form s M ust be in by February 1, 1996.
C A T E G O R IE S
#1. Poetry; #2. Short Stories; #3. Essays; #4. Articles
A nnouncem ent o f w inners will take place on February 24th 1996,
at the 1996 O regon A ssociation o f A m erican M others, Inc.
M other o f the Y ear Recognition Banquet
(G ala E xtravaganza)
B\ Tom W ashington
The Edw ard W adsw orth Institute
cam e into being on July 1, 1984,
when it purchased the C ollege of
Beauty. Edw ard W adsw orth offers
courses in H airstyling, Barbering,
M anicuring, and Facial Technology.
Each of these courses of study is
designed to present a quality ed u ca­
tion to each deserving student. The
student, upon com pleting the course
o f study, is prepared to take the State
Board, get a license, and becom e jo b
ready.
B J’s Touch o f C lass is thankful
for the W adsw orth In stitu te's recent
graduate M aryam Low e, 23 years
old. M aryam graduated with honors
specializing in H airstyling P repara­
tion and is em ployed by B J’s Touch
o f Class. The d au ghter o f Terry and
Diane Lowe o f Portland She also
graduated from Madison HighSchool
in 1991 M aryam was inspired by her
best friend. D onya Frazier, who is
also an em ployee at B J's Touch o f
Class, basically fam ily owned. The
proprietor, B arbara J. O w ens, has
been in business for six years. Prior
to that B arbara w as em ployed at
Broadway hair W eevers. M aryam is
Maryam Lowe, Sandra Killings, Donya Frazier and Barbara J
Owens, owner of the Touch of Class
a prim e exam ple of a young d eter­
m ined business w om an who has as
her long term goal, is to own her own
b u sin e ss som ed ay . M ary am and
D onya have future plans o f doing
this. M aryam enjoys bow ling, sh o p ­
ping and also loves C hinese food.
D onya and M aryam look forw ard to
traveling to see hair show s, such as
the hair show in New York som etim e
this year. M aryam is a great exam ple
ol how the Edw ard W adsw orth Insti­
tute can really enhance som eone’s
life. It seem s to have really touched
M aryam ’s and her fam ily. Striving
tow ards long term goals is what The
W adsw orth Institute produces, such
as Maryam.
If there are any other potential
hairstylists out there, give The E d­
ward W adsw orth Institute a call. The
P o rtla n d O b s e r v e r c o m m e n d s
M aryam for her achievem ent and
wishes her the very best.
Oregon Economy Expected To Level Off
A lthough O re g o n ’s current in­
dustrial boom is d riving its eco n o ­
my above the national average, the
state's econom y is ex pected to lev­
el o ff by the year 2000, predicts
First Interstate Bank E conom ist and
S en io r V ice P re sid e n t W illiam
Conerly, P h D .
Conerly was one o f the featured
speakers at the 1995 W inter C on­
ference o f the O reg o n Bankers A s­
sociation and the Independent C om ­
munity Banks o f O regon, held re­
cently in Portland.
In his “ Look o f 9 6 ” address,
Conerly singled out the $ 10 billion
that the sem i-conductor industry
has com m itted to the Portland m et­
ropolitan area as on e o f the main
stim uli behind O reg o n ’s recent eco­
nom ic upsw ing.
W hile the current national econo­
my remains fairly stable, the Oregon
boom has seen unemployment levels
drop within the Portland area to about
3.7 percent and to4.7 percent through­
out the rest o f the state, he said.
O re g o n 's low unem ploym ent will
eventually lead to the econom y sta­
bilizing, C onerly predicted. As w ag­
es rise and unem ploym ent rem ains
low, com panies will seek other loca­
tions for their new operations where
m ore w orkers are available at lower
wages, he predicted.
C onerly pointed to rising real es­
tate prices and growing urban co n ­
gestion, both in Portland and through­
out other O regon cities, as two
other factors that will contribute to
the expected econom ic shift by the
year 2000.
These factors will also eventually
lead other workers to decide not to
migrate into Oregon, he predicted.
“O regon has grow n to the point
where it is not going to see that
rapid grow th that w e ’ve seen in the
past couple o f years,” he said.
O regon com panies that depend
on national m arkets should expect
to see som e stability in the short
term , C o n erly said, ad d in g that
O regon com panies that focus solely
on their local m arkets should pre­
pare for an upcom ing shift to a more
m oderate econom y.
Direct Lending Cuts
Would Hurt Students, Colleges
Jeannette G alanis, a senior at the
U niversity o f C olorado, Boulder,
faced a difficult dilem m a upon grad­
uation in the spring o f 1994. She was
offered the jo b o f her dream s as
president o f the U.S. Student A ssoci­
ation, a national non -profit associa­
tion representing college students.
But, as with many non-profit organi­
zations, the pay was low - and
Jeannette faced a w hopping $345
m onthly student loan paym ent.
“ I was in a tough predicam ent,"
G alanis said.’’ o f either giving up a
jo b I had prepared for and w anted for
so long, or facing the very real possi­
bility o f defaulting on my student
loans. Either way I would lose.”
Fortunately, Jeannette d id n ’t have
to ch o o se between h erd re a m jo b a n d
her loan obligations.
She was able to do both thanks to
a new repaym ent option offered un­
der the W illiam D. Ford Federal Di­
rect Loan P rogram , w hich bases
m onthly paym ents on borrow ers’ in­
com e and is adjusted annually as
their income level changes.
D e sig n e d to g iv e b o rro w e rs
m o re c o n tro l o v e r th e ir fin a n c e s
a n d c a re e r c h o ic e s , in c o m e -c o n ­
tin g e n t re p a y m e n t p la n s can be
e s p e c ia ll y h e lp f u l r ig h t a f te r
g ra d u a tio n w h en s a la rie s te n d to
be lo w er.
This is ju st one benefit o f Presi­
dent C linton’s direct lending initia­
tive that would be lost to m illion o f
students nationw ide if Congress pre­
vails in its attem pt to cap direct loans
at 10 percent o f total student loan
volume.
Prices Effective January 10 through January 16,1996 at your nearby Safeway store.
Fresh Cut-Up
Oregon Fryers
• ECONOMY PACK
• W hole Fryers 690-lb
• Cut-Up Fryers or Fryer & Half 790-lb
• SAVE UP TO 390-LB
Washington Thrifty Pack Sold In Washington Stores
Fresh White
Mushrooms
• Northwest Grown
0
59
lb
0
99
lb
Snow’s New England
Clam Chowder
. In < Your Oregonian
{,?ok, f ° ! FOODday
j our. « in the I I ^ jo y Extra Savings With The
• 15 Ounce
SAVE UP TO 810
Portland Metro Area ...And Save
More Shopping At Safeway!
I
I
- ®.a “ in g s taUltlB
Available at your Safeway store.