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Minority & Small Business Week
State Farm R
Affordable Leasing
C ontinueD froM p age 9
Michael E Harper
Agent
Providing Insurance
and Financial Services
Home Office, Bloomingon, Illinois 61710
We are located at:
9713 S.W. Capitol, Portland, OR
503-221-3050 • Fax 503-227-8757
michael.harper.cuik@statefarm.com
tion, a black-owned contractor
from northeast Portland.
Natural Grocers is the “anchor
tenant,” and they plan on having
a grand opening around Febru-
ary.
Prosper Portland hopes to fill
the remaining spaces in Alberta
Commons by spring.
Wicks said tenant applications
Equity and Inclusion
C ontinueD froM p age 3
C annon ’ s
r ib e xpress
5410 NE 33rd Ave,
Portland, Or
Call to Order:
503-288-3836
Open (hours)
Sun-Thurs: 11a-8p
Fri-Sat:
11a- 9p
Cannon’s, tasty food and
friendly neighborhood atmosphere.
are currently being screened
based on four criteria: Business
owners who are underrepresent-
ed in the business community,
like women or people of color;
businesses that will be “active
destination uses” that bring a lot
of foot traffic to the area; busi-
nesses that have a solid business
plan; and business owners who
have multiple years of experi-
ence in their field.
Once the hotel is built, a First
Opportunity Target Area program
for residents in selected zip codes
of north and northeast Portland
will allow for economically dis-
advantaged people to apply first
for eligible jobs at the Oregon
Convention Center and other
public facilities Metro operates
in the city. Hyatt has agreed to re-
cruit from within the same target
area.
The convention hotel project
is almost 30 years in the making.
Equity has become an import-
ant piece of the puzzle for both
October 4, 2017
“Tenanting is more of an art
than a science. So a lot of this [is]
finding the tenants, finding the
synergy, where it fits for them,”
Campbell said. “We really want
to be conscientious of curating
space that provides some unique
amenities for the community or
ones that have been sorely miss-
ing.”
To learn more and fill out an
application on the Alberta Com-
mons Affordable Commercial
Tenanting Program, visit pros-
perportland/us.
Mortenson and Hyatt, especially
as they build in a Rose Quarter
and Lloyd District neighborhood
that was gentrified.
“Homes were taken and that
wealth does not get easily re-
placed, if replaced at all, so we
have to be strong in our commit-
ment to make sure that econom-
ically diverse communities get a
chance to have a crack at work,”
Collymore said.
Mike Clifford, construction
executive at Mortenson, echoed
that sentiment. “We want this to
be a project for the community,
by the community,” he said.
Because the hotel is both a pub-
lic and private project, it makes
for an opportunity to be beneficial
for everyone involved, according
to the supporters. On the private
side, Hyatt has a chance to oper-
ate a successful hotel, and on the
public side, the Convention Cen-
ter has a chance to generate more
business and thus enhance the lo-
cal economy.
“This project should be the
tide that raises all boats,” Clifford
said. “It’s going to be a catalyst
for the Lloyd District, and we
look at this as being something
that should be a big boon for just
about everybody.”
Added Collymore, “The eco-
nomic success of people of color,
or low-income folks, or women,
is the economic success of the en-
tire community.”