After years of working as a solo entrepreneur, a CPA, and a strategic adviser at the Portland Community College’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC), Jackie Babicky Peterson realized her clients did not want to hire employees, but rather were interested in making a living doing what they love (especially those over 50),  So she created a program to address their needs.

Patrick and Melodie Ethel-King, owners of New Horizons Wellness Services 

New Horizons Wellness Services, for many years existed as Dr. Patrick Ethel-King’s successful mental health private practice.  Starting in 2012, Melodie began to work within the clinic to expand the services provided with a combination of physical and mental health treatments. They have a unique, multidisciplinary wellness approach that includes occupational therapy, speech therapy, psychology and counseling, psychological evaluations, social skills development groups, and summer camps. This is their story. 

Scott, what drives you towards advising and teaching for the Global Trade Center (GTC)?   I have worked with the GTC and its predecessor for over twenty years as a part of the Oregon trade service providers community.  Oregon has a unique partnership of local (Global Trade Center), state (Business Oregon) and Federal (US Commercial Services) partners who service exporters through training, counseling and other services to support their success in global markets.  I joined the GTC to continue to contribute to that role.

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

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:

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.

How will you drive your retail business growth this year?

That’s a question facing all retail business owners - and a problem we help to solve for small businesses registered in the Retail Small Business Management program.

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.