May 22, 2024
Page 9
Celebrating Small
Business Month in May
Rose Festival
announces
Grand Marshal
Jenny Nguyen, founder and CEO of The
Sports Bra
CEO of The
Sports Bra to be
in Starlight Parade
Owners of Mercado Latino on Fourth Plain Boulevard in central Vancouver
Supporting the
Growth of Small
Business in the
Community
Vancouver Mayor Anne McEn-
erny-Ogle proclaimed the month of May
“Small Business Month” in Vancouver.
The designation coincides with Nation-
al Small Business Month and National
Small Business Week. Also on May 6,
City Manager Eric Holmes and region-
al staff of the U.S. Small Business Ad-
ministration (SBA) will sign a Strategic
Alliance Memorandum. The document
publicly illustrates the City’s commitment
and partnership with the SBA, working
together to meet the needs of the small
business community.
“Small businesses represent more than
95 percent of our businesses; they are the
heart and soul of our city’s economy,”
said Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle. “Small
Business Month is a time for residents and
visitors to affirm and support those in our
city who are hard at work to both offer us
their exceptional goods and services, as
well as to keep their dream of being busi-
ness owners alive." Throughout May, the
City and its partners will share ways for
the community to support small business-
es and promote opportunities for entrepre-
neurs, startups and existing small busi-
nesses to grow and thrive in Vancouver.
The City is committed to supporting the
growth of its small business community
by removing barriers to success and bol-
stering a thriving local economy through
programs such as business assistance, the
Community Development Block Grant
program provided $485,000 in small
business assistance for culturally specific
workshops, one-on-one specialized busi-
ness consulting and opened a community
commercial kitchen for food-related busi-
nesses in 2023. The City will provide an
estimated $400,000 for additional busi-
ness assistance this year.Doing Business
with the City, A program that publicly
advertises bid opportunities offering busi-
nesses the opportunity to fulfill the City’s
needs for goods, services, construction/
public improvement projects, and profes-
sional/technical assistance.
An interactive website invites busi-
nesses to submit bids, quotes, and pro-
posals competitively. This service offers
businesses a unique solution to filling
their project pipelines, adding to their
expanded growth and sales. A Restaurant
Start-Up Guide that is a simple eight-step
guide detailing what permits, licensing,
plans and inspections are needed before
opening a restaurant within City limits.
The City prioritizes the success and re-
tention of small, local businesses as part
of all key development projects taking
place across Vancouver, including Water-
front Gateway, the Heights District, Main
Street Promise and Fourth Plain for All
investment strategy. Follow the hashtag
#CouveSmallBiz and visit the City of
Vancouver on social media’s
The Portland Rose Festival announced
today the 2024 CareOregon Starlight Pa-
rade Grand Marshal is Jenny Nguyen,
founder and CEO of The Sports Bra.
“When we talked with the communi-
ty about a Starlight Grand Marshal, the
feedback was clear this year,” said Nick
Brodnicki, COO. “We wanted to celebrate
women’s sports or small business. Jenny
represents both of these ideas and so much
we love about the CareOregon Starlight
Parade and Portland; opportunity creation,
representation, and great food and drink.”
Nguyen said, “I have very distinct mem-
ories of both the Grand Floral Parade and
the Starlight Parade from when I was just
a tiny little kid. I remember waving to ev-
eryone at the Grand Floral Parade and then
chasing intricate floats for candy or stick-
ers or to pop bubbles. As I got older, I went
to the Starlight Parade and sat on the side-
walk and watched glow sticks and color-
ful lights accompany the raucous energy.
The Rose Festival has been one of my core
Portland memories. I cannot believe that I
would ever have the opportunity to actual-
ly be a celebrated figure at the center of it.”
Dedicated to Affordable Housing
and Environmental Conservation
Continued from Page 5
Hacienda CDC is Oregon's
largest Latino-led, Latino-serving
housing organization. Since 1992,
it has developed 12 affordable
housing communities and served
2,400 people across Portland,
Gresham, Molalla and Oregon
City. OnPoint has provided fi-
nancial support to Hacienda CDC
since 2015, including donating
$5,000 to the Portland Mercado
Relief Fund to help vendors from
its business development program
affected by a fire. Hacienda CDC’s
$200,000 Member Impact Fund
grant will go toward the develop-
ment of its new 122-unit afford-
able housing project in Hillsboro.
“In Hacienda’s experience, de-
veloping affordable housing is a
community effort that gets us to
the finish line. For example, our
Dolores Affordable Housing Proj-
ect was awarded through a com-
petitive process, which included
land from the City of Hillsboro
and $10.5 million of capital from
Portland, Oregon’s Metro Hous-
ing Bond, among several other
funding sources. Even with all
this support, we still have a fund-
ing gap. This investment from
OnPoint will be instrumental in
bridging that gap and ensuring a
commitment to affordable housing
in Washington County. We are truly
grateful for this community partner-
ship with OnPoint.” said Ernesto
Fonseca, CEO, Hacienda CDC.