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Jones &Wilder llp
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• Civil Rights
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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
.
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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.
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