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Small Business Central

Eighty percent of Portland Business Alliance members are small businesses and helping these companies prosper is a fundamental part of our mission. As Greater Portland's Chamber of Commerce, the Alliance sponsors a number of programs, committees and networking opportunities to boost your business, save you money, raise your impact and cultivate a business environment that supports business growth and job creation.

• Small Business Council
  • Small Business Education series
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• Small Business Resources

Small Business Management Scholarship Program

Are you looking to take your small business to the next level? Does your small business have one or more employees, at least two years of sales history showing product or service viability and sales/expected sales outside of Oregon? If you answered yes to these questions, the Portland Business Alliance is interested in helping you grow your company!

The Portland Business Alliance and Portland Community College's Small Business Development Center (SBDC) have joined forces to create a unique program to aide established small businesses grow to the next level. The program consists of a one-year training course, conducted by the SBDC, designed to help the experienced business owner grow revenue and employees.

In an effort to promote small business growth, the Portland Business Alliance is offering a scholarship (a $1,300 value) to 12 small businesses for this program. After the scholarship is applied, businesses will be responsible for only $500 for the entire one-year course. In addition, each program participant will receive a one-time Alliance credit, valued at $400 or $700 (the rate for an Entrepreneur- or Business-level membership, depending on the size of business).

The course is designed for owners of small businesses that:

• Currently or potentially sell products or services outside of the Portland region;
• Have been in business at least 2 years;
• Have at least one employee; and
• Are looking to take their business to the next level.

Topics of SBDC classes include:

• Sourcing capital and financing;
• Leadership and growth strategies;
• Adapting to a changing market;
• Marketing and customer relationship management; and
• International markets.

Application process
Participants are selected through a competitive, three-stage application process. After applications are received, selected applicants complete a short essay outlining their reasons for wanting to participate in the program. Finalists are then interviewed and winners are announced before classes begin in March. Selected participants commit to a 3-hour class once a month as well as a one-on-one monthly advisory session for 10 months (March through December).

For more information about the scholarship, contact Erin McDonough at 503.552.6757 or emcdonough@portlandalliance.com.

For more information about the program, contact Jackie Babicky at 503.978.5093 or jackieb@jackiebpeterson.com.