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Oct.6, 1999
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R IS E
R e f u g e e /lm m ig r a n t
S e l f - E m p lo y m e n t
R IS E is M e rc y C o r p s ’ first
m a jo r in itia tiv e in th e U S a fte r
tw o d e c a d e s w o rk in g in c o u n ­
trie s a ro u n d th e w o rld c re a tin g
an d ru n n in g s u c c e s s fu l m ic ro ­
e n te rp ris e p ro g ra m s.
E a rly th is y e a r, M e rc y
C o r p s ’ g ra d u a te d its f irs t c la ss
o f re fu g e e s w ho had co m ­
p l e t e d th e R IS E p r o g r a m ,
w h ic h is d e s i g n e d to h e lp
P o r tla n d ’s g ro w in g n u m b e r o f
re fu g e e s an d im m ig ra n ts c r e ­
a te s e lf-e m p lo y m e n t o p p o r tu ­
n itie s . R I S E ’S f ir s t 50 p a r tic i­
p a n ts c o m p le te d a b a sic b u s i­
n e ss tra in in g c o u rs e th a t p ro -
tio n an d te c h n ic a l a s s is ta n c e
to h e lp s tu d e n ts in c re a s e th e ir
e c o n o m ic s e l f - s u f f i c i e n c y .
C la sse s a re ta u g h t b y v o lu n ­
te e r
p a rtic ip a n ts
f ro m
P o rtla n d ’s b u s in e s s c o m m u n ity
in a d d itio n to R IS E sta ff.
S ix R IS E p a r tic ip a n ts h av e
s ta r te d th e ir o w n b u s in e s s e s
as a re s u lt o f R IS E tra in in g : a
ta ilo r, a b u tc h e r, a c o m p u te r
c o n s u ltin g c o m p a n y , a h o u se
c le a n in g b u s in e s s th a t p re p a re s
h o m e s fo r r e - s a le , a c a r e x p o rt
b u s i n e s s to s e n d c a r s to
R w an d a, an d a m u ffle r sh o p . In
a d d itio n , tw o g r a d u a te s a re
n ow w o rk in g on lo a n a p p lic a ­
tio n s. R IS E o f f e r s lo a n s from
$100 t o $ 5 0 0 0 .
RISE Graduate Profile:
•A p p ro x im a te ly 1/3 su p p o rt
fa m ilie s w ith 5 o r m o re d e p e n -
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<£he ÿ o rtla n ù (Dbeeruer
MI
♦ PACIFIC POWER
Pacific Power a Division
of Pacificorp
Joins with
(The ^Jortlanh ffihseruer
in Celebrating
Mohammad Onakoy (far left) la an Immigrant from Rwanda received
his graduation certificate for completing the RISE training program.
He plans on starting his own business exporting autos to his home
country.
d e n ts a n d so m e c o n tin u e to
s u p p o rt fa m ily in th e ir hom e
c o u n trie s .
•C o u n trie s o f o rig in in c lu d e :
S o m a lia , th e f o r m e r S o v ie t
U n io n
(R u s s ia , U k ra in e ,
K a z a k h s ta n , an d U z b e k is ta n ),
C u b a , E th io p ia , L a o s, B o sn ia ,
Iraq , Iran , D em o cratic R epublic
o f C o n g o and R w an d a.
•The m a jo rity o f p a rtic ip a n ts
are b e tw e e n 21 a n d 50 y e a rs
old.
A ll h ave c o m p le te d at le a st
12 y e a rs o f sc h o o lin g a lth o u g h
th ere is no sc h o o lin g re q u ir e ­
m ent fo r the p ro g ra m .
•14 h av e p ro fe s s io n a l le v e l
d e g re e s and som e w o rk e d in
high le v e l g o v e rn m e n t o ffic e s
in th e ir hom e c o u n trie s.
•B usiness e x p e rie n c e ra n g e s
from those who ow ned very large
c o m p a n ie s to o th e rs w ho w ere
sm all m erch an ts w hile som e had
no p rio r b u sin e ss e x p e rie n c e .
T he lo c a l R ISE h e a d q u a rte rs
is lo c a te d at 3030 SW 1st A ve. in
P o rtlan d . F or m ore in fo rm a tio n ,
call 503/796-6800.
Minority Business
Development week.
Let us take time to honor the energy,
determination, and optimism of our state’s
minority entrepreneurs.
Pacificorp believes that support of the Enterprise
Zone can be an integral part of the development of
an economically strong and livable community.
Show Me the Money!
B y M argaret E berle of B usi ­
ness E dge ------------------------
S ix y e a rs a g o H o o d R iv e r
te a c h e r R o b e rt W illia m s had an
id e a o f “ h o w to b u ild a b e tte r
m o u s e tr a p ” o r r a th e r “ b o o k ­
m a r k .” H e d i d n ’t lik e p e r m a ­
n e n tly m a rk in g th e f a v o r ite
p a s s a g e s o f h is b o o k s w ith
p e n s a n d p a p e r c lip s w hich is a
b it c u m b e rs o m e . So he w e n t a
b it f u r th e r a n d d e v e lo p e d a
lig h tw e ig h t b r o n z e b o o k m a rk
to m a rk h is f a v o r ite lite r a r y
w o rk s. A g r e a t id e a , b u t he
n e e d e d th e c a p ita l to m a n u ­
fa c tu re an d m a r k e t th e p r o d ­
u c t. It w as d if f ic u lt to fin d
f in a n c in g a n d h is a lte r n a tiv e
w as ru n n in g u p th e lim it on
h is p e r s o n a l c r e d it c a rd s .
T h e n he a p p lie d fo r $ 1 5 ,0 0 0
in fu n d s th ro u g h th e O re g o n
E n tr e p r e n e u r ia l D e v e lo p m e n t
L oan F u n d a d m in is te r e d by the
O reg o n E c o n o m ic an d C o m m u ­
n ity D e v e lo p m e n t D e p a rtm e n t.
W ith in a y e a r , h is fle d g in g
b u s i n e s s , B o o k D A r ts w a s
g r o s s in g m o re th a n $ 3 5 0 ,0 0 0
a n n u a lly a n d w ith in fo u r y e a rs
he p a id o f f th e lo a n . In 1996
W illia m s a n d h is w ife J e a n e tte
r e c e iv e d th e “ b e s t s t a r t up
b u s in e s s a w a r d ,’ fro m th e O r­
e g o n S m a ll B u s in e s s D e v e lo p ­
m e n t C e n te r.
T o d a y th e y h a v e a h e a lth y
y o u n g b u s in e s s th a t e m p lo y s
so m e 10 lo c a l w o rk e rs d u rin g
th e h o lid a y s e a s o n d i s t r i b u t ­
in g m illio n s o f “ B o o k D a r ts ,”
th r o u g h o u t th e c o u n try . T he
O re g o n E n tr e p r e n e u ria l L o a n
F u n d p ro v id e s a m a x im u m in i­
tia l lo a n o f $ 2 5 ,0 0 0 to s ta r t- u p
b u s in e s s e s th a t a re h a v in g d i f ­
f ic u lty f in d in g c o n v e n tio n a l
fu n d in g . A fo llo w -u p lo a n c a n
be m a d e , b u t th e to ta l c a n ’t
ex c e e d $40,000.
T h e fu n d w as s c h e d u le d to
s u n s e t th is su m m e r on Ju n e 30,
b u t th e O re g o n L e g is la tu re e x ­
te n d e d th e p ro g ra m u n d e r S e n ­
ate B ill 4 02. T h is le g is la tio n is
p r im a r ily d e s ig n e d to p ro v id e
e n h a n c e d h e lp to b u s in e s s e s
in d is tr e s s e d a re a s o f th e s ta te
h a v e b e tte r a c c e s s to b u s in e s s
lo a n s .
F o r th e p a s t 16 y e a r s , th e
O re g o n B u sin e ss D e v e lo p m e n t
F u n d h a s h e lp e d b u s in e s s e s
w ith lo a n p a c k a g e s th a t “ f ill a
g a p ,” in th e ir f in a n c in g n e e d s.
It o f te n p r o v id e s h ig h ris k f i ­
n a n c in g an d m o re th a n 60 p e r ­
c e n t o f th e lo a n s h a v e b e e n fo r
$ 5 0 ,0 0 0 o r le ss. T h e m a x im u m
lo a n is $ 5 0 0 ,0 0 0 o r 40 p e r c e n t
o f th e p r o je c t. T h e fu n d has
m a d e m o re th a n 2 5 0 lo a n s
p a rtn e rin g w ith sc o re s o f b a n k s
a n d is a v a ila b le to b u s in e s s e s
in v o lv e d in m a n u f a c tu r in g ,
p r o c e s s in g , to u ris m an d h ig h
te c h n o lo g y in a ll a re a s o f the
s ta te .
U n d e r th e new le g is la tio n a
T a r g e te d D e v e lo p m e n t A c ­
c o u n t h a s b e e n e s ta b lis h e d
th a t tr a n s f e r s fu n d s fro m the
re g u la r a c c o u n t to a re a s th a t
h a v e b e e n d e s ig n a te d as d is ­
tre s s e d at a lo w e r in te r e s t ra te .
“ T h e se p ro g ra m c h a n g e s a re
in re s p o n s e to b o th th e O re g o n
L e g is la tu r e ’s an d O re g o n E c o ­
n o m ic an d C o m m u n ity D e v e l­
o p m e n t C o m m is io n ’s d ire c tio n
to fo c u s e f f o r ts on d is tr e s s e d
a re a s o f th e s ta te . It s h o u ld be
an in c e n tiv e fo r c o m p a n ie s to
lo c a te o r in v e s t in th e s e a r ­
e a s ,” s a id M a rk H u s to n , B u s i­
n e ss F in a n c e M a n a g e r fo r th e
d e p a r tm e n t.
E a r lie r in A u g u s t th e O r ­
e g o n E c o n o m ic a n d C o m m u ­
n ity D e v e lo p m e n t C o m m is ­
sio n a u th o r iz e d $5 m illio n in
fu n d s a t i n t e r e s t r a te fo u r
p e r c e n t b e lo w p r im e to be
lo a n e d to O re g o n c o m p a n ie s
d u r in g th e n e x t tw o y e a rs .
H u s to n , d is tr e s s e d a r e a s to
q u a lif y O re g o n b u s in e s s e s .
C o u n tie s th a t a re c la s s if ie d
as d is tr e s s e d in c lu d e : B a k e r,
C oos,
C ro o k ,
D o u g la s ,
G illia m , G ra n t, H a rn e y , H ood
R iv e r , J e f f e r s o n , J o s e p h in e ,
L a k e , L a n e (a p o r tio n )
M a lh e u r, M o rro w , S h e rm a n ,
W a llo w a , an d W h e e le r.
DORIS' CAFE
HONOR'S MINORITY
BUSINESS WEEK
"Together We Will Succeed"
We need to
hear from you
1. If you are a DBE;
2. And can simply supply goods
or services in the following
catagories:
Electrical and Electronics Subcontracting
Architectural Design
Engineering
Asphalt Construction
and associated sub-contracting
BEEF It up
PORK It down
but don't
CHICKEN out if you
want the greatest
BAR-B-Q in town
Mon-Fri. ll:00 -10 :0 0P M
Sat. 7:00AM-10:00PM
Sun. 7:00AM-9:00PM
Bus. 287-9249
Fax (503) 285-2504
Go to
DORIS' CAFE
325 NE Russell Ave.
Portland, OR 97212
Contact: Procurement and Grants Division
P.O. Box 2529
Vancouver, WA 98668-2529
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