Portland Business Alliance

Hear from Experts, Share Best Practices, Grow Your Business The Portland Business Alliance is taking a fresh approach to its Cornerstones events and putting a new emphasis on discussion and sharing of ideas between members. Experts from various fields will present information about timely and relevant topics to medium and small companies. Attendees will be encouraged to not only ask questions but to also share their own thoughts, experiences and best practices. Cornerstones Conversations will be part educational, part networking a(EUR)" all in an effort to help your business grow. The first Cornerstones Conversation is Thursday, December 4 at 7:30 a.m. and will focus on the many resources a(EUR)" legal, marketing, financial and strategic planning a(EUR)" available to businesses. Location: Lobby Conference Room Cost: Members: $20, Non-Members $30.

The Existing Business Resource Team of Portland SCORE invites you to a workshop to help existing business owners survive and grow profitably in a down economy.

What to expect:

• Planning ? A planning process is a necessity for an existing business.


• Customers ? Do you understand what drives your customer?


• Products and Services ? You need to think value not feature or benefit.


• Financial Plan ? The financial landscape helps you raise the capital necessary for growth.


• Competition ? Pay attention to your competitors and how they deliver value to their customers.


• Technology ? Deploying this vital lifeline can be the difference between success or failure.


• Advisory Board ? Do you have a support network in place?


• In Summary ? Sustaining your business is a continuing process and establishing a mentoring relationship helps to keep it going.


Guest speakers:
Jim Smith, Chairman of the Portland Chapter of SCORE.
Bridget Bayer, Opportunity Knocks Program Coordinator,

Cost: $25.00 ? includes workshop materials.

Location:
Portland Business Alliance
Lobby Conference Room
200 Market Street
Portland, OR
Phone: 503-224-8484

Banner on the Portland Spirit, thanks to supporter Dan Yates

Photograph by Robert Wilson

Thank you also to the members of the Portland Business Alliance - I heard today their organization has endorsed me. I am very happy that such a broad range of individuals and advocacy groups supports my priorities and values my experience in preparation for serving on the Portland City Council. Please add your name to my Supporters list, if it isn't there already.

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One of the many tax measures on the ballot this November is the proposed renewal of the five-year levy that created the Portland Children's Investment Fund (PCIF) in 2002. If passed by Portland voters, it would add 40 cents per thousand dollars in assessed value of each home, or about $120 a year for owners of a $300,000 home.

The PCIF takes in about $12 million per year and spends it on three categories of youth-related grant programs: early childhood development, after school activities and mentoring, and child abuse prevention and intervention. Funding decisions are made by a five-person allocation committee, comprised of two politicians (City Commissioner Dan Saltzman and Multnomah County Executive Ted Wheeler), a representative of the Portland Business Alliance, and two citizens appointed by the city and the county, respectively.


Continue reading "Portland Children's Investment Fund: Taxation Is Not the Same As Charity"

Just a reminder for those in the Portland area — the Portland Business Alliance Cornerstones for Success event is this coming Thursday, August 7 from 4-6pm. It's at the Portland Business Alliance, 200 SW Market Street.  You can find out more, and register online, here. Once a month, the Portland Business Alliance puts on an educational forum [...]

Once a month, the Portland Business Alliance puts on an educational forum for small and medium-sized businesses called Cornerstones for Success. The topics change each month, but each one is chosen for its relevance to the challenges faced by local merchants. On Thursday, August 7, the subject is "Advertising Avenues". I'll be [...]

The Portland Business Alliance will hold its Business Leads Exchange @ The Rose Quarter from 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the Rose Quarter, in Portland.

The marriage of private and public security forces and the Portland Business Alliance is threatening the organic infrastructure of the inner Eastside of Portland. Recent events point to gradual takeover... it's almost nostalgic, thinking of the days when PPI and Clean and Safe patrol and harassment were limited to Portland's Corporate Livingroom: Pioneer Courthouse Square and Pioneer Place. Then the Portland Business Alliance took advantage of unconstitutional, racist and fascist 'laws' like the Sit-Lie and Anti-Camping ordinances and Drug Free Zones in order to expand their control over most of downtown. In cooperation with the Sheriff, the Portland Police, Tri-met Security, Portland Patrol Services, Blackwater and others, they have even set up a fusion center (go see it yourself: the logos cover the windows) at the Old Town/Chinatown MAX stop, right next to the TopOff3 dirty bomb target: the Steel Bridge.

Now they're on the Central Eastside Industrial and Commercial area. With spreading gentrification, real-estate grabs and looming MLK/Grand Streetcar plans (where Blumenauer's business buddies are padding his PAC coffers and re-election plans), it appears that the PBA and their rent-a-cop thugs are reaching their tentacles into our dear neighbourhood. We stopped the big box development plans on the Burnside Bridge, but that wasn't a big enough hint. The other day they were seen rounding up ruffkins and later came into our shop to tell us we had nothing to be afraid of: we were safe now. What I want to know is whi...