a . ‘ » -'.’ »•• j ■ •< ?;.-< -£ tA*+r ¿■JrL ]_m-. P ortland O bserver v ¿ærÿ- 3 & Æ A » '- ,* i» '.5 k -;* >%»&, .¿A tvt - \ • - n ’ Z •-.;. ■ V, r ■ • J une 11, 1997 P age A 7 u sin e ss& I ndustry EZ^ *1 “1 BUSINESS B R IE F S Costco wholesale to host area businesses Don’t miss a great opportu­ nity to start the day off with some valuable contacts! Up to 100 lo­ cal businesses will gather for the Portland metro area’s premier networking event. Networking begins at 8 a.m. on Friday, June 20, at Costco Wholesale, 15901 SW Jenkins Road, Beaverton. Hosted by C ostco w holesale and the Beaverton Area Chamber o f Commerce, the event is open to all area businesses, and admis­ sion is free. Call the chamber at 644-0123 for more information about the weekly networking or the other professional develop­ ment opportunities available to the business community. The Beaverton Area Cham­ ber of Commerce is a non-profit organization o f 800 members representing ap proxim ately 26,000 employees in the Port­ land metropolitan area. Learn how to remember customers’ names at Chamber Roundtable Customers are pleased when you remember their names, but how do you keep track of all of them? Learn how to do just that at the June 18 B usiness Roundtable, featuring Marilyn Sangmeister of Customer Ser­ vice from the H eart. The rou n d tab le is held at McMenamins Pub & Restaurant, 2927 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., Beaverton, from 7 to 8:30 a.m. In this week’s topic, “The Name Game,” Sangmeister will teach you how to remember your customers’ names so they will remember yours when they are ready to buy. The roundtable, hosted by the Beaverton Area Chamber o f Commerce, is a discussion group designed to help business people learn from their peers or local experts. There is a $2 charge for coffee and a muffin. Call the chamber at 644-0123 for more information. The Beaverton Area Cham­ ber of Commerce is a non-profit organization o f 800 members representing ap p roxim ately 26,000 employees in the Port­ land metropolitan area. Neighborhood Capital, Concluded by those gains in social and cultural skills We’re speaking My final comment last week was, “I didn’t get my of those cross-cultural school and playground activities accounting clients with newspaper ads - it was through and especially those formal and informal high school conversations wherever I met people, many o f us ’know’ groups at a later state (from science to debating). but can’t articulate.” One needs to be comfortable, articulate and perceived And I should have added, “and no matter how odd the at ease in that latter venue for it is the defining threshold, circumstance.” I recall a particular instance in point. entrance into the university community and then the While trying to survive on a three- economic realities of a career. Last client practice-and paying the late year around this time, I emphasized Bill McClendon $10 a month office how important it is to talk with your rent-I held down a three-nights-a- children, to draw them out, extend week bread and butter job waiting them, convince them that their words tables at a fashionable local night and ideas are important. This was club. A somewhat tipsy used car dealer vm tr r h ilH r a n July 17, 1996 in my Observer col­ requested “something more substan- umn, ‘Perspectives’, “Children, Lan­ tial than this napkin" on which to guage And Norma Loquendi” (Norma write a ladies phone number. ’ Loquendi actually is not a girl’s name, I obliged him by offering the blank but is Latin for “the common speech side of one of my new professional of the people”). And for an example business cards, “Accountant & Audi­ of how successful such language ex­ tor.” Three weeks later I got a call perience can be, I described the plea­ from the gentleman, “I’ve had it with sure of meeting a number o f secure this bookkeeper o f mine’. I don’t and accomplished young adults who know where I got your card but I’d had been students in the early grades sure like to ' talk ’ to you. ” And talk we at the local Black Educational Cen­ did-over the phone a lot, while he ter. Their neighborhoods work! checked out my meager three references before inviting And then one might wonder if I had some sort of me out to make a personal presentation. prescience at the time, for it was this January 8 when 1 A talkative and gregarious man who could convert a wrote a special article for the Observer attacking comment about the weather into an extended colloquial “Ebonics.” discourse, he never blinked any eye on discovering that The media informs us that this educational travesty I was an African American. And given that his inquiries has died a natural death, and we can only hope that the had confirmed my reputation for competency he was educationists have returned to teaching a decent level of quite sure he had a winner, introducing me to other the “Norma Loquendi.” dealers who became my clients. Many o f whom it turned A reader makes an interesting point. “We had a out had never experienced an “audit” conversation with Million-Man-March, the million returned home but a black person in their lifetime. nothing much has happened. Where are the economic That’s all well and good, using your ‘conversational benefits that should have resulted from the investment of capital at that level, advancing professional careers, but this much social capital? Is it to late for us to develop the back at the neighborhood-where it all has to happen, communication skills that are prerequisite to successful beginning with the child-please continue and accerate group action, neighborhoods that work? I emphasized how important it is to talk with UllllUrUn, LU dTdW them OUt extend them, convince them that their words and ideas are important. NationsBank has been named corporation o f the year for 1997 by the National Association of Urban Bankers’ (NAUB). NationsBank Dealer Financial Services president Milton Jones accepted the ward in Detroit, MI. The NAUB Corporate Award is presented to a corporation or finan­ cial institution for its demonstration o f outstanding performance in sup­ port o f the NAUB mission, goals and objectives. The Award is granted to institutions nominated by a NAUB Chapter or any individual member of an associate or affiliate Chapter. NationsBank joins past recipients including Fannie Mae, Bank o f Bos­ ton and Bank of America. NationsBank is looked upon as a model for business throughout the country for its commitment to diver­ sity. This commitment is evident in m any form s: Since 1990, the NationsBank M inority Business Development Department has led corporate efforts to increase minor­ ity - and women-owned business bidding for procurement and profes­ sional service contracts awarded by NationsBank. In 1996, NationsBank spent $100 million with minority- owned business. NaitonsBank was Christopher Proprietor THE ESSENCE OF MIND, BODY & SOUL Quincy Crawford Curtis Smith Eddie Summers Renee Barber (Pair (Designs by piety SUM M TRSTVCIALS Jrom June 11, 97 To Sept. 1 1 ,97 Curbs $55.00, 'Touduips $30.00, Virgin peiayer $35.00, 'Wrap $20.00, PpUerSet $20.00 -HtAC 503-282-5809 Or 503-286-3126 please feel free to m ake suggestions!!! Your Continued Patronage is Greatly Appreciated!!! “ T all oaks From Little Acorns David Everett • 1797 The Portland Development Commission knows that healthy and growing small businesses ere beneficial to the local economy. Community-based businesses keep jobs and the wealth generated right in the communities that support them. We also know that small and emerging businesses can have trouble finding financing. PDC has been assisting new and expanding businesses for many yeafs and we may be able to help yours too. We offer loan programs that can help with building or equip­ ment purchases, renovations, tenant improvements, working capital and more. We may have just what you need to help your business sprout and grow. Business Finance sta ff at 823-3321 or 823-3347 to see if your business qualifies for one of our loan programs. named Corporation of the Year in 1996 by the National Minority De­ velopment Council. In addition, NaitonsBank offers innovative programs to develop mi­ nority and women-owned businesses. NationsBank hosts an annual Mi- nority supplier showcase providing minority suppliers with the opportu­ nity to attend educational seminars, learn how to do more business with NationsBank and meet with pro­ curement representatives from other large corporations. TO A PPLY FOR A $ 5 0 ,0 0 0 SM A LL B U S IN E S S LOAN PLEASE F IL L OUT THE pager: 237-6777 W.S. 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