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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 28, 2011)
MBE 2011 micro Enterprise Services of oregon It is a good time to be in business if you’ve done research and have community support T Business Administration has desig- he economy is on life support. nated MESO as its micro-lender. Jobs are hard to come by. Yet Maggie Reilly, program manager despite this, or perhaps from the development nonprofit because of it, now may not be a bad Community and Shelter time to start a business. That’s Assistance, based in Sherwood, according to Nita Shah, executive Or., said MESO got that job director of Micro Enterprise because its clients have been so Services of Oregon, the nonprofit successful. that helps small businesses grow. “Their statistics are the best of “Our statistics are still the same: any of our partners,” Reilly said. 96 percent of our clients are still in “MESO has the highest retention business,” Shah says. “So I think it rate of all our partners and we have is a good time to be in business, if 60 across the state.” they have done their research, and if they have community support. “Right now the way to win is to Business Trend: Services for get the community involved from Baby Boomers the beginning. And in Portland in Nita Shah, executive director of micro Enterprise Shah sees a trend in businesses particular, the community is so will- Services of oregon and Felicia Wells Thomas, who ing to support local businesses. runs mESo’s savings program, work with small that cater to the aging baby boom generation. For example, trans- Portland people buy local and they businesses to help them expand. portation and shopping services like local products. that help seniors, could be in “So, if you have done your home- demand. Health care too will be a work, and have investment from growing industry, she said. community members you still have a “Young people should be asking very good shot at having a livable themselves: What kind of businesses income.” will be needed to support that gener- Shah said many financial experts ation and what education can you get say today’s economic climate has so you can take advantage of these become, the ‘new normal.’ Maybe, opportunities?” she said, instead of trying to do Another trend she sees is creative things the way they’ve been done in In fact, Shah says the Alberta Street non- the past, “it’s time to embrace the new nor- profit has a little more money for loans than collaboration among business owners. mal, and see what we can do with the new in previous years, because the Small Three businesses on N. Williams St. – Inside Source, Screw Loose Studios and normal.” ‘Right now the way to win is to get the community involved from the beginning’ Page 2 • Minority Business Enterprise • the Portland Skanner • September 28, 2011s MICRO ENTERPRISE SERVICES OF OREGON 2828 NE Alberta St. Portland, Oregon 97211 Monday-Friday 9 am - 5 pm (503) 841-3351 meso@mesopdx.org Total Loans made: $254,000 Number of Loans: 52 Individual Development Account alloca- tions: $384,000T Soap Box Theory, decided to share space, saving on rent, and expanding their cus- tomer networks. “All three businesses are doing well because they have used great , very creative, strategies,” Shah said. Working with a diverse and growing group of clients such as Jimmy’s Dry Cleaners, Williams St. Market, Origami Catering, Imagination Station Daycare and Screw Loose Studios, Shah says the non- profit aims is to increase client income by at least 25 percent over three years. Many businesses that work with MESO historical- ly have done even better, some increasing See MESO on page 8
