Portland appears to be a favorite topic for the New York Times  - in a good way. Starting last fall, NY Times coverage has included:

• Portland’s evolution as a dining and drinking destination: “In the way New York drew artists in the ’50s, this city at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers seems to exert a magnetic lure on talented chefs who come from almost anywhere else and decide to stay right here.”  NY Times, Sept 07

• “As the housing markets in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle remain high, Portland has become one of the few affordable urban options on the West Coast. Couple that with its natural beauty, its activist personality and its creative sensibility and the appeal is clear.” A Small-Town Feel in an Urban Locale.

• A Sunday front-page story on Portland’s cycling industry, which quotes several of the bike-industry leaders who are driving this industry locally.  NY Times, Nov 4 2007

Speaking of cycling.

PDC supported the recent Handmade Bicycle Show held February 8-10 at the Oregon Convention Center – an event that drew more than 7,000 people, including world-renowned cyclist Lance Armstrong and bike aficionado and actor Robin Williams.   PDC Economic Development staff members attend trade shows and work closely with local cycling and activewear companies to help this industry grow in Portland.  To find out more, contact Jennifer Nolfi at PDC.

Storefront dollars available on a broader basis

PDC’s popular storefront program is also available in targeted neighborhoods throughout the city.  In the recent past most PDC storefront funding was limited to urban renewal areas only.

The selected areas now eligible for funding are primarily business districts which have not received help in the past through the program, but where the need is clear for exterior improvements. The Parkrose neighborhood is eligible for the first time, along with specific blocks in Lents and north and northeast Portland.  For more information, contact Dana DeKlyen.

New or newly sustainable, we're here to help

PDC partners with other city agencies to distribute the New Business Welcome Kits, designed to improve customer service and help businesses access the wealth of resources available from the city.  The kit's January distribution reached 900 new business license holders. Contributing city offices and bureaus are the Office of the Mayor, Revenue Bureau, Bureau of Development Services, Office of Neighborhood Involvement, Bureau of Purchasing, Portland Fire and Rescue Prevention Division, Office of Sustainable Development, and the Portland Development Commission. Service information ranges from fire safety to graffiti prevention and removal, to how to do business with the city.  The Kits are mailed every three months to all new city business licensees.

Another partnership effort is the newly-opened BEST Business Center, designed to put green business practices into the hands of smaller Portland companies – for free. Operated by the city Office of Sustainable Development, the BEST Center is also supported by partners PDC, Portland Water Bureau, Pacific Power, Portland General Electric and Metro.  The Center is meant as an all-in-one resource for businesses interested in figuring out how sustainable they are and then connecting with local experts to improve or create practices. It’s aimed at businesses with five to 50 employees, with particular emphasis on professional services and hospitality industry companies. To find out more, contact Marlowe Kulley at OSD or Pam Neal at PDC.

Share the word

Please forward this to a colleague or client who might take advantage of PDC Business Services or who wants to know more about PDC.  If you’d like to receive updates in the future and received this email from someone other than PDC, visit www.pdc.us/signup and choose Business Services/Economic Development News.

Click here to unsubscribe.