PCC SBDC client Mara McLoughlin built IRL Social Skills to help autistic and other socially struggling teens, adults, and their parents lead successful social lives. When the COVID-pandemic hit, Mara sought professional guidance through PCC SBDC's one-on-one business advising. Her advisor, Jackie B. Peterson, guided Mara in building a foundation on which her new business could grow. Now, IRL Social Skills is serving individuals and families in Oregon and beyond, helping them make and keep friends! This is Mara's story.

As the nation prepares for the 2022 holiday retail season Small Business Saturday (November 26, 2022 - the day AFTER Black Friday)  is a great way to support businesses with the most direct connection to people across the Portland Metro region – your neighborhood small businesses

Past Lives is a 26,000 square foot maker-space located in Eastside Portland. Inspired by a life-changing accident and time spent in prison, founder Brandon Morlock created Past Lives to change the way work is done and provide second-chance employment for people coming out the prison system. Unlike any other maker-space in Portland, Past Lives offers a wood shop, metal shop, machine shop, screen-printing machinery, fabric arts shop, stained glass shop, tech hub, electronics fab bench, art framing area, common work areas and private studio spaces to their members. After working with Bruce Melzer, SBDC Capital Access Team expert, Morlock secured an investment to open Past Lives' new location and grow his business. This is Morlock's story. 

The workplace is constantly evolving, and many find that just keeping the status quo is a way to fall behind. You're gaining experience and skills on the job, but after a few years or even decades, new technology, techniques, or company direction can mean that you need additional training. The good news is that Portland Community College partners with ED2GO, a national online class provider, with busy career professionals in mind. The programs are focused on getting you the best, most helpful information without additional commute time and on your timeline. 

Hi all!

Herbalism, also known as botanical medicine, is a healing system based on the use of plants that are eaten or applied to the skin. Over all of ancient history, herbal medicine has been used worldwide by many diverse cultures to treat illness and to assist bodily functions. Herbal remedies in the form of teas, extracts, tinctures, capsules and tablets may be recommended by healthcare practitioners of many different disciplines as a practical way to address a wide variety of health conditions. 

Careers in real estate don't have to be full-time jobs. Real estate is structured on a commission basis, meaning you can often remain a real estate agent whether you sell one or two houses a year or 100. When you decide you want to learn how to become a real estate agent Portland needs, you may first balk at the idea of leaving your current work or spending a lot of time in school to prepare for a career.

However, there are ways to make your preparation seamless without losing your current income stream before you scale up to your real estate agent goals.

Ayur means life. Veda means knowledge. Together, Ayurveda is the ancient wisdom or knowledge of life that is 5,000 years old. The practice of Ayurveda includes intentionally resetting the digestive system at the junction of seasons. The reset creates health, wellness and balance. There are three body-type constitutions (Doshas) in Ayurveda. Vata is fall and winter; Pitta is summer; and Kapha is early and mid-spring. 

Perhaps you're a little restless with your current work as a healthcare professional, wishing you could find a new focus or add responsibility without leaving your current job. One of the interesting part-time opportunities that you could potentially do on evenings or weekends is working in clinical research trials, helping researchers who need a team to meet with research subjects and administer the protocol accurately to get the best possible data.

Let's look at how to get involved in clinical research and participate in research studies as a healthcare professional.

Nearly every field in the twenty-first century has room to develop, with new techniques, research, or resources becoming constantly available. Many professional organizations require continuing education because industries don't stay the same. Many of the best practitioners are the ones who learned in their initial training or degree, then kept building that knowledge, whether they were required to do formal education or not.

If you need to earn continuing education credits or want to stay at the front edge of your field and the modern aspects of the work, these continuing education opportunities are a great idea.