The PCC SBDC Capital Access Team helped Oliver Alexander launch his dream business (Remote.ly) in the trendy N. Mississippi Avenue district of Portland. Oliver was finding it difficult to secure and finance a Class A commercial lease until he started working with Tammy Marquez-Oldham (PCC SBDC Director) and Noah Brockman (CAT Team Lead) who were able to connect him with the right people to help get his business off the ground in Portland, Oregon

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. 

Hot Mama Salsa's Chilly Oils won a Good Food award in January 2019.

Nikki Guerrero started the Hot Mama Salsa business when she moved to Portland and realized she could not find the fresh Mexican flavors she had grown up with. Nikki participated in the PCC SBDC Advanced Small Business Management program in 2017.  This is her story. 

Sasha Scamarone is a board-certified acupuncturist licensed in the state of Oregon and is a graduate of the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon. Sasha runs an acupuncture practice out of the Therapeutic Associates Physical Therapy office in Lake Oswego, Oregon.  In 2017 she participated in the PCC SBDC Small Business Builders Program.

What inspired you to start your business? I have a strong desire to make a professional living doing what I love – helping people overcome health challenges and achieve optimal health with acupuncture and other Chinese medicine therapies. I had already gained significant clinical experience working in a variety of clinical settings as an intern, employee and independent contractor, but I increasingly wanted to create a business that was uniquely my own. My business coach at the SBDC has been a steadfast and encouraging inspiration in helping me to realize this dream.

Courtney Freed runs a production company in the Portland area and is a graduate of the PCC SBDC Solo Business Builders program. She is launching a production company that helps solo performers take their show on the road. Her current project is a one-woman show called Mercury Rising.

What is Mercury Rising? It’s a Freddie Mercury jazz tribute show and it celebrates his music. It’s a 1930s cabaret event, and it's super fun! We're doing a tour in the fall of 2018, going to Chicago in October and hopefully Los Angeles in the winter and we'll hopefully do another run of it here in Portland.

There is little that is more "iconic Portland" than owning a coffee shop, but even with all of the competition, Susan Thomas is operating a successful business . . . with a little help from her friends at the PCC SBDC. 

Business description: Coffee Shop
Business start-date: 1994 (Susan purchased the business in May 2014)

What inspired you to start your business?  I’ve always enjoyed working hard and seeing a business grow and evolve. At the time I bought Coffee Time I had been managing for Starbucks and realized that as much as I enjoyed working for a great company, I would rather be putting that energy into building my own business. Coffee Time was only 2 blocks from my house and it was a shop that I had frequented for 2-3 years. I began dreaming of ways to keep its unique vibe but re-build it into something that could sustain Portland’s changing customer base. With the help of a great staff and business partner, we have been able to do that.

After 3 years of planning and preparing, Capital Access Team (CAT Team) client Float North can say, "we did it!"

Float North registered as an LLC in 2015, but it took 3 years to get funding, find a location, design the interior, complete the build out, and install float tanks. On July 21st, 2018 they opened their doors to the public for the first time. Owner, Dana Highfil, says that couldn't have done it without help from the Small Business Development Center's Capital Access Team. Here is their story.

Taking a holistic approach to improving pollinator health, Emily Parker, Rebekah Golden and Emma Egstad promote sustainable, bee-centric beekeeping and native bee awareness in the Portland area.

Garnish apparel is the brain child of chief designer and store owner Erica Lurie. They are located in the Pearl District of NW Portland, OR and feature "designed in house, made in Portland" fashion apparel for women. 

Matthew Micetic opened his new storefront in FoPo JUST IN TIME for the 2017 holiday gift giving season. Matthew is a graduate of PCC's Small Business Development Center Retail Small Business Management Class. Matthew shares his story below.