About the Alliance

• Advantages of Membership
• Join
• Board of Directors
• Alliance Facts
• Leading Investors
• Staff List
• Certificate of Origin
• Charitable Institute
• Partners and Affiliates
• BizConnect
• Business Directory

Partners and Affiliates

The Alliance is a partnership-oriented organization - we collaborate with public and private partners and affiliates to build a vibrant Central City and region.

BizConnect: We are working together with several workforce development organizations and business associations on BizConnect, a regional pilot project working to build our future workforce. BizConnect is developing a regional database of employers with information about businesses and industries that students, teachers and school counselors can use to facilitate matches between students and businesses for career related learning experiences.

BizConnect is federally funded through a WIRED grant from the U.S. Department of Labor and run in coordination with WorkSystems, Inc.

Regional Business Plan: We are working together with a wide variety of business and community organizations to develop and implement a Regional Business Plan, based on the Oregon Business Plan model.

We are proud to be working with these organizations on that effort: the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce, Westside Economic Alliance, Greater Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce, North Clackamas Chamber of Commerce, East Metro Economic Alliance, Gresham Area Chamber of Commerce, Clackamas County Business Alliance, Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs, Metropolitan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, African-American Chamber of Commerce and Oregon Business Council. Check out the Web site for more on the Regional Business Plan.

Downtown Marketing campaigns: We partner with the City of Portland, SmartPark and downtown retailers on holiday and spring downtown marketing campaigns to promote downtown and the myportlandonline.com website, which features special downtown offers and promotions. Click here for more on our downtown and retail marketing.

Small business: The Alliance works on behalf of small business in partnership with the Alliance of Portland Neighborhood Business Associations, the City of Portland's Small Business Advisory Committee, the City of Portland, and the Portland Development Commission. Click here for more on our Small Business Prosperity Strategy.

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Transportation Study: The Alliance is partnering with Metro, the Portland Development Commission, the Port of Portland and other private and public partners on an Economics of Transportation Study. The study will provide baseline information for the public, business community and government leaders to help formulate strategic transportation policy and funding decisions.

Land use: The Alliance is working on Goal 5 with Metro. Goal 5 is one of 19 statewide planning objectives (adopted in 1973) that establishes standards for protecting natural resources, open spaces and scenic and historic areas. Metro is currently working to address Goal 5 by developing a program to protect the region's significant natural resources, specifically fish and wildlife habitat. Additional partners include: the Associated General Contractors, Central Eastside Industrial Council, Port of Portland, Westside Economic Alliance, Northwest Industrial Neighborhood Association, Realtors Association, Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce, Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce, Beaverton Chamber of Commerce, Westside Economic Alliance and the Commercial Realtors Association of Women. Click here for more on Goal 5.

Downtown livability: We partnered with downtown retailers, government leaders and social service agencies to develop a new city ordinance addressing Sidewalk Obstruction issues. The ordinance was passed by City Council in December 2004.

Panhandling: We partnered with the Portland Department of Transportation and social service agencies to expand the Real Change Not Spare Change [Link to that page] program to include placing out-of-service parking meters for the collection of funds for four social service agencies. A total of 18 meters placed in downtown retail locations, with four of those new locations joining the program in February-March 2005.

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Portland Downtown Services, Inc.
Portland Downtown Services, Inc. (PDSI) is a private, nonprofit organization that contracts with the Portland Business Alliance to provide enhanced Clean & Safe services, marketing and economic development programs to downtown property owners. Programs funded by PDSI include: public policies for the development and growth of downtown Portland, marketing of downtown Portland through events and publications, public space maintenance and security, enhancement of retail businesses, balanced housing, market research, downtown business retention, and other special projects as defined by PDSI. For more information, contact us.

Citizens Crime Commission
Founded in 1988, the Citizens Crime Commission has provided leadership in the fight against crime by working with businesses, citizens, government officials, criminal justice representatives and lawmakers to make Oregon's state and local system more efficient, effective, and accountable. The Citizens Crime Commission brings a unique business perspective to the criminal justice system that focuses on the greatest cost/benefit for public dollars spent. We continue to strive for a balance between prevention, intervention, and incarceration that will lead to the greatest crime reduction in our community.

Leaders Roundtable
The Leaders Roundtable is an informal yet influential coalition of top educational and private sector leaders and elected officials in Multnomah County all working toward one common goal - student success. In existence since 1983, the Leaders Roundtable works to insure that all children complete their schooling with the skills needed to access post-secondary education or work.

Current priorities are:

1. Full-court press on getting all third-graders reading at grade level.
2. Integration of social services with school services.
3. Re-invention of high school.

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