President's Message Small business is the hot topic today. It seems that everyone at City Hall has decided that small business plays a critical role in economic development, in the livability of the city, in the future of our home and has a committee, strategy, or initiative that is just what small business needs! I welcome the attention. These folks may be late comers, may not have the wealth of experience, or even a good sense of what business really needs, but they are interested in listening -- which is a critical first step. We all make mistakes, but it is better to learn from our mistakes than to not try. And we do need all the help we can get. But their interest creates a challenge for APNBA. We have been underfunded forever. There has been so little money that many of us have stopped thinking about what a good business district can and should be doing and just spend our time getting along. APNBA needs to break out of this thinking. If ever there was an opportunity, it is now. If we don’t take it, others will. But to capitalize on that opportunity, we need to be engaged, to think strategically, to demonstrate relevancy and to convey an entrepreneurial spirit. So how do I need your help? First of all, I (and we) need to hear from you. It is my hope to get out and meet as many of you as I can. Obviously that is not possible, but an email or telephone call is almost as good. I need to hear what your issues are, what you think of APNBA, and how you think we can do better. Second, I (and we) need you to help us be engaged. I need your participation in the larger arena. APNBA increasingly is called upon to participate in committees and planning efforts. We need to be at the table, but one or two or three people cannot carry the day. We also need you to be responsive when we ask for your testimony and help in our advocacy positions. (And if we are not representing your position, then we definitely need to hear that!) Third, I (and we) need your aggressive input onto APNBA’s business plan and on-going work program. Right now, the keys to our business plan lie with advocacy, association services, and capacity building. It is our intent to use the business plan to seek funding for our operations, and by extension aid you in your efforts. I realize that many of you belong to business associations that face challenges in attendance and funding. At the appropriate time, we will meet to talk about our proposed business plan and to get your feedback. I hope that you will plan to attend and participate fully. In the meantime, if you have thoughts about our focus, give me a call. Finally, I (and we) need you to be entrepreneurial. What do we collectively need to do to move our business districts ahead? What opportunities are out there? What do you need from APNBA? What do you need from your APNBA leadership? I am proud of the leadership and work that APNBA has done in the past. We have persevered in the face of considerable challenge and at times apathy. I applaud these efforts and dedication. We need to leverage these great values in responding the opportunities ahead. Rob Mawson – 503-228-0272 Rmawson@heritage-consulting.com Top of Page Business Association Cenference October 4, 2003 from 9 AM – 3:30 PM, Business District board members, board staff, and interested others are invited to an all-day training session for board members and paid/volunteer staff aboard the Portland Spirit. Special sessions and panel discussions allow you to share your skills and experience with other leaders in business district management and marketing support. "Planning a successful Street Event" and "Growing Your Membership" are two of the day's topics. Every association struggles to keep its business district intact and vibrant. Every association wants a mix of business that brings steady customers. Every association wants to survive the bad times as well as the good, to attract new business as the current ones grow. Most associations are volunteer driven, operate on volunteer dues, and have no paid staff. The leadership conference is geared to provide business association boards and staff with training, tools to simplify their jobs, and the accumulated knowledge and experience of other boards. If you need answers to any of the following questions, the conference is the place to be. Come and talk to someone who has either figured out how to do it, or what not to do. What is a business association What can it do for your district Obtaining operating funds Forming a marketing group Testifying to the City Recruiting members Find and support paid help Communicating with members How much time do we give Surviving bad times How to fund your projects The fee is $50 per person and includes snacks, lunch, and the Business District Manual, a tool kit for managing business associations. Reserve a space by contacting Nancy Chapin at 503-774-2832 or nchapin@tsgpdx.com. If you want to support the conference, sponsors are being accepted for scholarships, space costs, materials, luncheon, etc. Contact Nancy at 503-774-2832 for information. Top of Page Business Districts and ONI Every five years the Office of Neighborhood Involvement (ONI) is required to review its guidelines. The current review session, named GREAT, is beginning its third year. When the ONI Guidelines were revised in 1998, business associations were first mentioned by the added section "Requirements for being acknowledged as a Neighborhood Business Association by the Neighborhood Association System.” The requirements included membership, boundaries, non-discrimination, dues, bylaws, grievances, meetings, and record keeping. Neighborhood Business Associations were to be actively affiliated with their neighborhoods and their district coalition. The benefits of recognition were eligibility for services and support (if available). Currently the services include listing in the ONI Directory and receipt of pertinent information from City bureaus (liquor license, land use). Other benefits like the use of space for meetings and insurance coverage for events vary by coalition. No neighborhood Business Association ever applied for recognition. One proposed change is to rename the Neighborhood Business Association as Business District Association (BDA) so it will include Columbia Corridor and others who do not feel they are connected to neighborhoods. An addition to the code is the relatively straight-forward definition of a BDA: "Business District Association: An autonomous organization formed by business people within a defined geographic boundary for the purpose of promoting the general well-being of their business community." ONI wants all the Requirements for Acknowledgement to be studied and revised. Nancy Chapin, Executive Director of APNBA, served on the 1998 review as well as the current session and feels that the APNBA needs to spend line-by-line time on the Requirements in order to decide what's useful now for the BDAs, what could be useful in the future, what could be added, and how the wording could/should be changed. If you are interested in helping define the Business District Association’s relationship with the ONI and the City, contact Nancy Chapin at 503-774-2832. This project should be completed by early fall. Top of Page Public Involvement The Office of Neighborhood Involvement (ONI), responsible for reviewing and developing policy recommendations for public involvement standards, spent June collecting comments from the public at neighborhood and business meetings throughout Portland. The neighbors and businesses agreed public involvement should: Create a minimum citywide standard – every bureau needs a written policy. Simplify access to information – use postcards, ads in local papers, door hangers, letters, web sites, email lists, calendars. Keep the public informed. Publish the project manager’s name and contact number. Make ongoing updates available throughout a project. Do not begin projects that the City is not willing to complete – acknowledge the sense of frustration caused by going to endless meetings with no outcome. Advertise land use issues with a bright red sign containing an identifiable logo similar to the poison green used by the Liquor Control. Address the sense of arrogance of city staff – improve City respect for citizen and staff opinions. Some interesting differences appeared between the neighborhood suggestions and those from those who owned businesses in residential neighborhoods. Businesses said: Budget for mitigation signage on projects that disrupt traffic or businesses on a street – Provide ample warning of traffic diversions to neighboring streets and businesses. Schedule the Christmas moratorium on street-blocking construction across the whole city. Have decision-makers at public meetings. Neighbors wanted: Provide more time for public comments. Hold City Council meetings in the evenings. Provide clear expectations of the roles of citizens, staff, consultants. Improve inter-governmental coordination – talk to each other more. Both groups agreed: Involve the public in problem-solving efforts. Ask the community for help. Top of Page Checking Your Competition Too many people think business is like playing golf: you just play your game as well as possible and don‘t worry about how to outfox your competitors. Business is more like being on a special version of the tennis tour. There are four or five players you have to play every tournament (your direct competitors) and five to ten more you play every third tournament (your indirect competitors). Each of your competitors has different abilities. Some are stronger. Others are more crafty. Some have great forehands but weaker backhands. Others the reverse. Some you need to lob. Others you need to try to overpower. But you won’t know how to compete against each of your competitors unless you’ve studied them very carefully. You need to know exactly who your competitors are. Their strengths and weaknesses. Their plans for the future. Their financial situation. Their goals. Their key personnel. To learn about your competitors: Read the trade publications for your industry or service. Search the Web. Visit your competitors sites. Check out their special deals, their product lines, their prices. Examine their product. Look at how it is made, how it is used. Review their public financial reports Check their ads in general and trade publications. Go through the papers daily and clip out ads for your competitors, mark the dates and where they ran. Summarize the ads and track when your competitor increases or decreases their ad budget. Top of Page Grant Program 2003 - 2004 The Neighborhood Business Association Grant Program provides seed money for business district associations or groups of neighborhood businesses in projects which promise positive long-term impact on the area. A total of $25,000 is available each year with a $5000 maximum amount per applicant. Applications will be available September 1, 2003. They are due October 31st. Decisions are made by December 19th and project funding is available in early February 2004. Past projects include banners, benches, trees, signs, event staff, hanging baskets, and the Hillsdale Cow. For more information, see APNBA Grant Program. Top of Page Prevent Shoplifting Reduce theft opportunities with a plan that addresses store layout and design as well as employee training. Store Layout and Design Avoid rooms containing dividing walls, low ceilings, small windows. Elevate the cashier area. Customers appreciate finding staff easily and shoplifters feel exposed. Position lights so they produce minimal shadow and glare. Light up the dark areas. Arrange displays for maximum observation by clerks. You should be able to see both sides of each aisle from the checkstand. Keep the sales floor uncluttered. Lock small, valuable items in display cases. Arrange counters so there is no direct path to the exit. Employee Education Establish procedures for employees to use against suspected shoplifters. Train employees in Oregon’s theft and trespassing laws, theft prevention, and shoplifter characteristics. Greet all customers as they enter. Do not leave customers unattended. Be attentive to customers but not pushy. Shoplifter Traits Searching eye movement. Look for eyes checking out staff, customers, or cameras, instead of merchandise. Continual head movement. Look for the person who is constantly checking that nobody is looking at him. Quick, jerky body movements. Be particularly suspicious if the person is partially concealed. Wandering or hiding behavior. Watch for persons who wander from item to item without showing any particular interest in anything. Aloof Behavior. Watch customers who resist all sales assistance and seem uncomfortable in your presence. Remember, the best shoplift prevention is Good Customer Service.
