PCC offers noncredit courses each term for talented professionals seeking new skills or trainings from a variety of topics to improve performance around the office. Below we've assembled a list of one-day workshops occurring in April, May and June - and selected from both our Professional Development and Training and Institute for Health Professionals programs. 

Restaurant Business Builders is our once-per-year course created specifically for current or aspiring restauranteurs. It doesn't matter if you have a brick and mortar location, or a food truck, or are currently in the planning stage. The program focuses on how to run a restaurant successfully, down to the details.

The fundamental restaurant-centric business practices applied in this program, and curated with the support of Portland foodie experts, will help restauranteurs improve business practices, identify efficiencies and avoid trial and error - while developing support from a network of mentors and peers. Restaurant Business Builders is accepting participants for the next program, beginning in April. To commemorate, we're assembling content from several blogs that our experts have produced over the years:

As society drifts towards a more inclusive understanding of health, seemingly more attention has turned to natural ways to manage it. In fact, two-thirds of Americans state that herbal remedies will take centerstage in the management of their health in the coming year. As these individuals incorporate herbs into their daily diet, they may also be able to reduce their reliance on traditional medications — and potentially leave the side effects behind.

The brain is an important and incredibly complex organ - and only in recent decades have we begun to understand many of its intricacies. It's no surprising that the behaviors and actions of others have been confounding us for most of our lives! The brain plays a critical role in nearly every major body system, and some of its main functions include processing sensory information, regulating blood pressure and breathing and releasing hormones. But beyond regulating physical tasks, our brains also have a role in how we perceive people and our environment, how we remember (and forget), how we may act and think differently than someone else - and how were interact with others in our daily lives.

Clinical research offers rewarding careers for people who want to make a difference in healthcare. Year after year, this field experiences tremendous growth with jobs constantly opening up across the public and private sectors. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that this field will grow by more than 13 percent by 2026, which is nearly double the industry average of seven percent.

DesiPDX is a food cart located in Portland’s Mississippi district serving food inspired by Indian spices and flavors that are blended with cooking styles from the West and other parts of the world. OR as Deepak calls it "Local Fare with Indian Flair!" 

Deepak participated in the PCC Small Business Development Center Restaurant Business Builders program. This is his story...

What inspired you to start your business? I’ve had a passion for cooking for about 20 years and was interested in turning that into a business when I started getting bored [with] my previous career in the tech industry. 

March 20, 2019 is National SBDC Day!

The 62 state and regional Small Business Development Center networks provide free one-on-one consulting to small businesses at nearly 1,000 locations throughout the nation. In 2019:

Updated March 2023

Warren Banks has been with the PCC Small Business Development Center for twelve years. He currently works as a co-facilitator and advisor for the Buying and Selling Outside the U.S. training program. Over the years, he's helped hundreds of small businesses across Oregon take advantage of the global marketplace. Today, he shares his journey and knowledge with us.

Warren, tell us why you love teach & advise? I love to learn about companies and help them get to where they want to be. In general, I’m one of those people who want to help others--I think most people are. By helping others, I feel that I am paying it forward. When I help out these business owners and employees, I get to share some of the many resources I’ve found over the years.

Sometimes finding a fulfilling career doesn't follow a uniform A-to-B trajectory. Such was the case for Cynthia Trinidad, one of our first Clinical Research internship recipients, who initially graduated with a degree in psychology from the University of Oregon, but wasn’t sure where to go once she entered the workforce. Her passion for people led her to a career in the healthcare industry where she started as a CNA. She originally hoped to grow her skillset into nursing, until she realized she had a passion for research.

One of the most beautiful times in a woman's life is the birth of her children, but certain events can impact the birthing experience. This can lead to perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMAD) - affecting nearly 1 million women annually - which can cause women significant stress and even prolong the healing process.