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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (May 30, 2012)
œift glorila nò (Observer Page 4 ¡S u b s c rib e | $45.00 for 3 months • $80.00 for 6 mo. • $ 125.00 for 1 year (please include ch e ck with f o r m ) j 503-288-0033 Attn: Subscriptions, The | Portland Observer, PO Box | 3137, Portland OR 97208. | I N ame : _______________ _____________ T elephone : ----------------------- I A ddress : I ___________________________________ I or em ail subscriptions@portlandobserver.com Haglund, Kelley, Jones &Wilder llp r m | i - n e y s • Civil Rights I I I I | Small Business Success c o n t i n u e d f r o m page 3 “Our mission has always been to help underserved markets, whether that is low income, minority and immigrants or women owned entre- preneurs. So the clientele that we see is in the greatest need for our services,” said Damon. Through one on one consulting and technical assistance support. the program has served more than 180 businesses in the last three years. A ccording to the U.S. D epart- ment o f C om m erce, the so-called “ m i c r o - e n t e r p r i s e s , ” w h ic h com prise fewer than five em ploy- ees, m ake up 86 p ercen t o f all • Personal Injury reg istered businesses in O regon, em p lo y in g 16 p e rc en t o f the • Em ployment entire workforce. About 30 percent o f the PSU program ’s clients are minority indi- • Small Business b y t o ^ n ds Z d D ^ e"n.areowned Jim Francesoni 5 0 3 -2 2 5 -0 7 7 7 www.hk-law.com Westside Trail open houses 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 30 Stoller Middle School, cafeteria 14141 NW Laidlaw Road, Portland 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, May 31 Deer Creek Elementary School, cafeteria 16155 SW 131st Ave.,Tigard There will be a short presentation 30 minutes after the start of each meeting. Both meeting agendas are identical, drop in anytime. Unable to attend? Share your thoughts and ideas in an online questionnaire June 1 to June 15, 2012 at www.oregonm etro.com /westsidetrail. For more information about the project contact Robert Spurlock at robert.spurlock@oregonmetro.gov or 503-813-7560. Join Optln, Metro's online opinion panel, to help shape the future of the region www.oregonmetro.gov/connect O pt in Metro I Making a great May 30. 2012 workshop series, which is open to any entrepreneur within the city, regardless of state, or size. “The training is based on a slid- ing scale and based on household income. It is a nominal fee,” Damon said. Some recent successes include Ruby Jewel Treats, which has grown from an ice cream stand at the Port- land Farmer's Market to a storefront with product distribution in 11 states. People's Yoga, which has a loca- tion on Northeast Killingsworth Street, recently opened a new loca- tion in southeast Portland, and Dig A Pony, known as a ‘popular water- ing hole’, has directly created 26 primarily base our enrollment on folks that are low income with the . i i i • ' intent tO help them lllC teOSC pet SOtial wealth and sustain fo r their families. i She added, however, this is not to say the program doesn’t help men. “We primarily base our enroll ment on folks that are low income with the intent to help them increase personal wealth and sustain for their families, and become a positive con tributor to the community and over all economy,” she said. As part of a long-term commit ment, the program provides services for up to three years. Enrollment is extremely competi tive because there can be only 15 new clients a year in order to pro vide free services, which are made possible from a number of commu- nity partners and PSU. The program also provides addi- tional support through a shot term, five-week business development HMM jobs since opening in 2011. “ [The] BOP helped to e x p e dite the learning process in be- ing a sm all business ow ner, gave me great tools and reso u rces, and saved me a ton o f m oney and tim e,” said Lindsey N ew kirk o f E lysium E vents and Ju n k to Funk, an o th er sm all b u sin ess sup p o rted by the program . Although there are a number of barriers to successful small busi ness success, Damon said every one is different, and thus the ser vices provided are unique to each individual entrepreneur. “We customize our services to each individual we work with,” she said. Sometimes there is a centric fo- ONLINE PANEL look at those statistics, it really dem onstrates how small businesses are such a strong contributor to our overall community and serve as an imperative economic driver in job creation, increasing personal wealth and business taxes,” she said. “And the list goes on.” “It’s about getting individuals to a place where they can self sustain on their own income and off govern ment subsidies,” she said. “We do have an emphasis on minority and women owned, but it is not a re quirement. We help all entrepreneurs in need.” For more information about the Business Outreach Program at Port land State University, visit pdx.edu/ business-outreach. Milwaukie Light Rail Funded sands of PeoPle in the greater Port land area, connect residents in north “The Portland-Milwaukie Light Clackamas County to jobs down- place Rail Project will make a huge differ- town and breathe new life into older ence in the quality of life of thou- neighborhoods like Brooklyn,” said Administrator Rogoff. “This project demonstrates the power of public Free Workshop: transportation to help transform a major American city for the 21st Community-Based Research in the century.” Classroom and on the Streets Federal Transit Administrator Rogoff was joined by Congress- W irb Dr. Michelle F in e - woman Suzanne Bonamici, Portland 2012 commencement speaker for the Graduate School Mayor Sam Adams, TriMet General ot Education and Counseling at Lewis & Clark. Dr. Fine is a professor and researcher who works on social Manager Neil McFarlane and other I cus on financial understanding of their books, which is a common dif- ficulty for small business owners, she said. “Often individuals want to gain an understanding of what their margins are in their goods and ser- vices or how much money they need to break even,” she said. “We help them realize their personal financial goals, as well as their business goals.” Nationally, Damon said 80 per- cent of businesses have fewer than five employees. Within Portland, over6 0 percent of businesses are micro businesses, and nearly 80 percent have fewer than 10 employees. “So when you c o n t i n u e d ^ from page 3 justice projects with youth, women and men in prison, educators, and social movements on the ground. Saturday, June 2 9:30-11:30 a.m. Self Enhancement, Inc. 3920 North Kerby Ave., Portland local officials. According to TriMet, more than 14,500 jobs are expected to be cre ated during construction o f the Portland-M ilw aukie L ight Rail Project, which includes construc tion of 10 new stations and a new transit bridge over the Willamette River to facilitate the 7.3-mile expan sion of light rail service from Port land State University, across the river and into Milwaukie and north Clackamas County. The project also supports pedes trian and bicycle improvements cre ating additional options for people to get around. TriM et’s MAX light rail service is scheduled to begin in 2015. To Place Your Classified Advertisement Contact: Phone: 503-288-0033 Fax: 503-288-0015 e-mail: classifieds@portlandobserver.com Sponsored by Self Enhancement, Inc., the Portland African American Leadership Network, and Lew is 61 Clark Graduate School o f Education and Counseling. • i *
