As my colleague and I waited for Farhad Ghafarzade, the owner and founder of Green Drop Garage, I knew I wasn’t in an ordinary mechanic shop. A disco ball dangles from the ceiling, a pink feather boa drapes over a hook, bicycles hang up on the wall, and a whiteboard has a drawing of a car engine and its components. With friendly staff and comfy couches, it’s a place you wouldn’t mind hanging out in for an oil change. From its atmosphere to its commitment to green practices to even its owner’s journey, Green Drop Garage is different.

Three hours southwest of Portland, along a scenic stretch of the Oregon coast, stands Heceta Head lighthouse. This classic lighthouse offers a spectacular view, towering two hundred feet above the ocean. It’s also a functioning lighthouse, able to project a beam of light more than twenty miles out to sea.  But after more than a century of exposure to the punishing rain and wind, the lighthouse was closed for repairs in 2011. That’s when Amy McAuley, the owner and sole employee of Oculus Fine Carpentry, became part of a small army of subcontractors hired to help restore the lighthouse to its original condition.

An important part of owning a business is finding the right niche for your services. Just ask John Duval, an engineer and business owner based in Portland area. John owns Pavement Services, a business which is exactly what it sounds like: it’s an engineering firm that specializes in pavement.

How would you feel if you could experience a different culture through something as personal as your own taste buds? River Wave Foods strives to provide that intimate experience to their consumers through a wide array of cooking sauces and tapenades. After leaving the stable world of flight attending in 2006, Rebecca Kawanami jumped right into the world of business by incorporating River Wave Foods into an LLC and putting all of her efforts into her sauce and tapenade product lines. She enrolled in the SBDC’s Getting Your Recipe to Market in 2007 with just one product in her repertoire (the Thai sauce) and has expanded since to include two more sauces, one tapenade, and two vinaigrettes.

The PCC Small Business Development Center is proud of the great work all of their clients are accomplishing in their businesses. Our Business Profile feature series highlights businesses at all stages of development and success. 

Company: Summit Wood Creations

Owner: Reyna Badillo

The PCC Small Business Development Center is proud of the great work all of their clients are accomplishing in their businesses. Our Business Profile feature series highlights businesses at all stages of development and success. 

Business: Recherche

The PCC Small Business Development Center is proud of the great work all of their clients are accomplishing in their businesses. Our Business Profile feature series highlights businesses at all stages of development and success. 

Business: Zapata Design

The PCC Small Business Development Center is proud of the great work all of their clients are accomplishing in their businesses. Our Business Profile feature series highlights businesses at all stages of development and success.

Business: GreenDash, LLC

The PCC Small Business Development Center is proud of the great work all of their clients are accomplishing in their businesses. Our Business Profile feature series highlights businesses at all stages of development and success. 

Business: Café de Crepe

The PCC Small Business Development Center is proud of the great work all of their clients are accomplishing in their businesses. Our Business Profile feature series highlights businesses at all stages of development and success.

Business: Salty’s Dog & Cat Shop LLC: DBA Salty’s Pet Supply // DBA Fang & Feather