Business Voice A Publication of the Alliance of Portland Neighborhood Business Associations, Inc. www.APNBA.com
	September 2008

Contents Marketing Seminar Vitality Grant From The Director Walk & Bike to School Spirit of Portland Awards Small Business Fair Economic Stimulus Business Classes Sidewalk Cafes Brownfield Grants Liquor License Renewal BDA Events The Business Voice is the newsletter for Portland's Business District Associations. To unsubscribe, use the link at the bottom of the page. To forward, use the Send to a Friend Box. Business Marketing Workshop September 16th The APNBA's half-day Small Business Marketing workshop is on Tuesday, September 16th, from 7:30 am to 12:00 noon at the Lloyd Center Doubletree Hotel. Participation is limited to 75 people. BDA member price is $20.00 and non-member is $25.00 in advance. There will be no registration the day of the event. Contact Galadriel Breezy at 503-477-9648 or by email at gbreezy@apnba.com to register. Vitality Grant The $1500 Vitality Grants are available to business district associations and non-profits located in Portland. The next orientation session is September 8th, 6:30 - 8:30 pm at Friendship Center, 57th and NE Sandy. Grant requests must be postmarked by October 1 and funds will be available by November 1st. For more information and a grant application, visit APNBA.com. From the Desk of the Executive Director This is the first in a series of columns that we’re adding to APNBA’s Business Voice. In it, I’ll be informing you about recent happenings that affect the businesses in our business districts and letting you know about APNBA’s current events. I welcome your comments on the column, your suggestions for topics for future columns and items of concern to business that we can look into. Please send them to me at jturino@apnba.com. First, on August 20th the Portland City Council approved changes to the Business License Fee (BLF). New businesses previously had to pay twice their estimated first year's taxes to get started. The City kept the extra money in reserve as an offset to a business’ estimated taxes for its final year. This represented a significant initial hurdle, especially for small business start-ups, and a cumbersome ongoing management issue for the Bureau of Finance. That provision has been eliminated. Existing businesses that paid that fee will it refunded at 20% per year over the next five years.The 'fee" will now be called a tax, which is what it is. In addition, the tax will now apply to previously exempt real estate brokers. We supported these changes as providing the greatest good for the greatest number. The City’s 2009 legislative agenda for Salem includes removing the current exemption for insurance agents as well. The City Council did not address increasing the Owners Compensation Deduction from its current level of $83,000 to the target $125,000. This issue will presumably be taken up either later this year or during 2010. At the request of a City Council member, the Bureau of Development Services (BDS) proposed sweeping changes to Title 29 of the City’s code, which prescribes conditions, remedies and enforcement with regard to residential dwellings. Title 29 is being expanded to include commercial properties. The proposed changes were on a fast track to Council approval when APNBA heard about them. APNBA requested a meeting with the Bureau of Development Services (BDS) on August 19th to express our concerns about the draft language and to suggest changes to it. The original draft went far beyond maintenance issues, containing provisions that could require substantial retrofits, to existing buildings. For example, one paragraph read, “When not otherwise required by original building codes, exterior stairs of more than three risers which are designed and intended to be used as part of the regular access to the unit(s) shall have handrails. When required handrails are installed they shall be installed so that they meet the applicable building code requirements in effect to the time this work is being performed.” We are trying to have that paragraph eliminated along with several other paragraphs that are similarly beyond the scope of building maintenance. On the Portland Recycles! front, the APNBA has been working with the Office of Sustainable Development on proposed code and rule language that will prescribe how commercial concerns achieve the City's mandate to improve recycling rates to 75% by 2015. The initial focus is on food waste, construction and demolition waste, and paper and containers. The emphasis, according to OSD, will be on education and outreach, rather than enforcement. Compliance will be measured via the implementation of required and optional Best Management Practices written by OSD. The APNBA has represented small businesses since the initial meeting in June and we’ve worked hard to minimize the number of mandatory Best Practices, make sure the reporting is as simple as possible, and provide for an exception/appeal process to any eventual proposed enforcement actions. Finally, I urge you to register for APNBA’s Small Business Marketing Workshop on Tuesday, September 16th from 7:30 AM – 12:00 Noon at the Lloyd Center Doubletree Hotel. We’ve pulled together cooperative resources from the Portland Business Alliance, the Portland Development Commission, the Small Business Development Center, and several businesses to offer you a program designed to provide you with practical, immediately implementable advice on surviving and growing you business in this erratic economy. If you participated in APNBA’s Annual BDA Conference in June, you know just how outstanding and useful an APNBA-sponsored event can be. So don’t miss the workshop. Return to top Walk & Bike to School Day October 8th is 2008 International Walk + Bike to School Day and the APNBA invites you to join them in supporting student safety by posting Walk & Bike to School Day signs on every corner where students regularly cross your business street. The signs are provided by PDOT's Lore Wintergreen, The Safer Routes to School Project Manager and must be returned by October 15th. This is a simple, inexpensive way for the business community to support the school system and the well being of its future customers. For more information and to sign up for the project, contact mjeanbaker@apnba.com. Return to top Spirit of Portland Awards Nominations are being solicited for the City of Portland's annual Spirit of Portland Awards, which recognize the importance of citizen involvement in shaping the livability of Portland. Forms are available from the Office of Neighborhood Involvement and nominations are due back to them by 4:00 pm Friday, October 24th. The Mayor and City Commissioners present the awards sometime in mid-December in the Council chambers. Return to top Small Business Fair Saturday, September 20th, 8:45am - 4:30 pm at the Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE MLK Jr. Blvd. This annual event is a wonderful opportunity for small business owners and those thinking about becoming small business owners to get counseling on topics critical to them. Agency representatives will staff information booths. Return to top Economic Stimulus Package The Small Business Administration (SBA) recently launched a new online resource that connects America's entrepreneurs with tax management tools and strategies to maximize savings from the 2008 Economic Stimulus Act (ESA). The tools include a fact sheet, an 8-minute online briefing and a depreciation calculator, which allows small businesses to obtain an estimate of their first year depreciation under the ESA. For more information, see Economic Stimulus Act on www.sba.gov. Return to top Managing Your Small Business The Small Business Management program SBM1 begins October 6 at the Lloyd Center Small Business Development Center from 6:00 - 9:00 pm. This program is for the younger business- 2 to 5 years old usually. This is for the business owner whose business is growing or because they have been successful in making sales and developing clients, and needs to put some structure and planning in place. The fee is $1,200 for the first person and $600 for the 2nd. The program is classroom combined with one on one confidential counseling from real entrepreneurs who have been there and offer great advice, resources and support. If you have questions, please call Jackie Babicky-Peterson at 503-978-5093. Return to top Reviewing Sidewalk Cafes The APNBA is looking for a businessperson to serve on the a committee to update the sidewalk cafes program. The committee will be composed of representatives from the City, business and neighborhoods, restaurant owners, and advocates for pedestrians and those with disabilities. The Sidewalk cafe permit system was established in 1980 and sidewalk permits have not changed since then. The committee will address fees and concerns raised by the public fees as well as the knowledge that in Portland, one size does not fit all. The APNBA would like to send a representative who has worked with sidewalk cafes who can attend seven meetings downtown in the early afternoon and advise the City about possible unintended consequences of their plans. Contact Jon Turino @ jturino@apnba.com or 503.477.9648. Return to top Brownfield Grants Come and learn about acquiring resources to redevelop brownfield sites! EPA Region 10 will host a workshop Thursday, September 11, 1:00 - 3:00 pm at 805 SW Broadway, Suite 500. This informal gathering will provide useful tips on how to write competitive grant proposals and increase the odds for successful applications. There will also be an opportunity to learn how these EPA grants work and what they can be used for. This year, EPA will be considering Assessment Coalitions, in which three or more eligible entities can team up and request up to $1 million for community-wide assessment activities. The EPA plans to release its FY09 grant guidelines shortly. Grant applications will be due around the middle of November. For more information or to reserve a spot, contact Mike Slater of EPA's Oregon Operations Office, at 503-326-5872. EPA will also be hosting on-line and teleconference grant guideline opportunities over the next several months. Check http://yosemite.epa.gov/R10/CLEANUP.NSF/sites/BF for updates. Return to top Liquor License Renewal All liquor licenses in Portland and North of Burnside will expire on December 31, 2008. The City reviews licenses and makes recommendations to the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC). The annual review provides an opportunity for community members to identify problem locations. Businesses and residents can oppose renewal or provide information on concerns by contacting Liquor Licensing Specialist Theresa Marchetti, Office of Neighborhood Information, 1221 SW 4th Suite 110, Portland OR 97204, or 503-823-3092, or theresa.marchetti@ci.portland.or.us. Return to top Business District Events August 30 - September 1: - Art in the Pearl, NW Park Blocks, Adele Nofield, 503.223.0070. September 4: - 1st Thursdays, Pearl District 5 - 9PM, http://www.firstthursday.org. September 5: - 1st Fridays Milwaukie Avenue, 5:00 - 9:00 PM, Madeline Janovic, 503.231.8346. Multnomah Village, 5:00 - 9:00 PM, Joan Steinbach, 503.245.3936. Division/Clinton, 6:00 - 9:00 PM, Rin Carroll Jackson, rinzart@spiritone.com. Sellwood-Westmoreland - May - October, place varies, Tom Brown, www.sellwoodwestmoreland.com. September 6: - Belmont Street Fair, SE Belmont, John Barker, 503.231.9118. September 7: - Old Town Chintown 1st Sundays, June Schumann, 503.224.1458. September 13: - Foster Street Fair, SE Foster, Nancy Chapin, 503.774.2832. September 13: - Alberta Street Fair, NE Alberta 13 - 33rd, 11am - 6pm, kparnell@keystonepdx.com. September 18: - Hollywood District 3rd Thursdays, Rachelle Markley, sgbooks@qwestoffice.net. September 20: - Fall Fest Northwest, Nob Hill, Wallace Park, Kay Wolfe, 503.227.0898 ex 1. September 25: - Last Thursdays, 13th - 30th NE Alberta, Allan Oliver, 503.493.1909. Tell us about your event - Contact the Editor at info@apnba.com. Fremont Fest Shoppers on Fremont "And the winner is..." Hawthorne Street Fair Dance Costumes Vendors on Hawthorne Magic Sticks Dunk Tank Hollywood Last Thursday A-board Advertising Enticing Customers Open for Business Loose Change Multnomah Days Commissioner Nick Fish Recycling in History < Waiting for the Parade Participating in the Parade Crowds of Happy People Parkrose Cruise In Parkrose Cruise In Commissioner Leonard Gets Dunked For a Good Cause Sellwood- Westmoreland Sellwood/Westmoreland Celebrates Past Grant Projects Photo credits: David Ashton, www.eastpdxnews.com Volume 16 No. 9 The Business Voice is published 12 times a year by the Alliance of Portland Neighborhood Business Associations 107 SE Washington #244 Portland OR 97214 E-mail: info@apnba.com Web site: www.APNBA.com Editor: Jean Baker mjeanbaker@apnba.com Subscribe to the monthly Business Voice Subscribe to the weekly News Source. Support the APNBA - Join your Business Association!