Readers Poll

Would you switch from your current out-of-town supplier to a local vendor if the two were of equal quality? Send your answer to Ec Dev Readers’ Poll.

Airport Way business holds open house, thanks PDC

Pacific Signs held an open house May 23 with the East Portland Chamber of Commerce to celebrate the company's new leased space in the Airport Way urban renewal area.  A printer of specialty signs, banners and dimensional letters, Pacific Signs worked with PDC to secure financing through a Quality Jobs Program/Economic Opportunity Fund package.  The company invested in new equipment requiring more space and temperature controls, and projects the addition of four employees to its current seven. Company president Doug Miller said, "We thank the PDC for all the help we received in our tenant improvements and getting our business the lift we needed to move in.  We are very grateful and could not have done it without PDC's help."  If you’d like to meet with a member of PDC’s Business Services team to find out more about PDC assistance, contact Melanie Rund.

Get help from the Portland Small Business Loan Fund

Are you a small business that lacks access to traditional loans?
Are you located in a distressed Portland neighborhood?
The Portland Small Business Loan Fund is specially designed to help qualified neighborhood businesses get the loans you need, in amounts you can manage, at rates you can afford, PLUS provide technical assistance.

The Portland Small Business Loan Fund provides:

• Small business loans of as little as $1,000 and up to $50,000
• Below market interest rates
• Flexible repayment terms
• Small business technical assistance

PDC has partnered with the Portland Family of Funds and the PSU Business Outreach Program to create the Portland Small Business Loan Fund, using New Markets Tax Credits. For more information email info@psblf.com or call 503.280.0884.

PDC connects people and resources to create more jobs for Portland

Expansion of existing companies is the number one source of new jobs in the economy. At PDC, we prioritize our efforts to retain businesses and help them to expand. The following statistics reflect the economic development staff's business retention and expansion (BRE) work with both local and new-to-Portland companies through the end of May 2007.

Meet PDC’s new director of economic development: Erin Flynn

Erin started in her new position on May 21. Ms. Flynn comes to PDC from Boston, Massachusetts where she is a recognized consultant with 15 years of experience in state and regional economic, workforce and civic development programs. Her areas of expertise include market-based urban and regional development, strategic planning for national, state and regional development organizations, policy analysis and evaluation research. Her clients have included national and community foundations, public and private, non-profit economic and workforce development agencies, chambers of commerce and regional planning councils.

Erin was the lead consultant on Portland's Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy in 2005. She led a coordinated public-private effort to form Portland’s Economic Development District—a designation that is necessary for Portland to receive grant dollars through the federal Economic Development Administration. She has also been a keynote speaker at annual meetings of the Portland Business Alliance and Portland Regional Partners for Business.

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