With the overwhelming heatwave we've been experiencing the past week or so, you may have noticed that summer has officially arrived in Portland! Along with summer comes time for reflection and expanding our knowledge – which means summer reading (and/or listening) lists. We’ve asked some PCC SBDC Advisors to share what’s on their reading list this summer and thought we would share it with you. Some of these books are specifically focused on business, while some of them are more for personal pleasure and/or professional development. Here's what's on our reading lists this summer:

With his personal experience creating videos over the years, Bryan Cargill understands the value and impact video can make for helping build a brand. In August of 2019 he started Tactus Media to help elevate brand awareness and quality of digital assets in the community for small and mid size businesses. This is his story.

In February 2020 Jeff Inskeep started Hand Made Home. Hand Made Home remodels classic Portland homes with an eye toward historical details. His goal is to make homes more practical for the way we live today, but look like the new work could be original to the home.

In January 2019 Julie Wilson launched her dream business -- Department of Work. She rescues vintage and contemporary, unloved, cast iron cookware. She then cleans it up and re-seasons it so it can get back to work. She also offers restoration services for those cherished family heirlooms. This is their story.

It’s been one year since we highlighted Business Builders alumni Aluma Aesthetic Medicine, a Portland-based, physician-owned aesthetic medicine practice, and in that time they’ve seen exceptional growth worth celebrating! Co-owner Aimee Brigham shared some of their inspirational achievements saying, “We’ve doubled our revenue every month since January, last month 4,909 people viewed our website, and we’ve grown our Google Reviews to fifty-eight all five-stars reviews!” With the support of the PCC SBDC, Aimee and her partner Nate have done an incredible job working through some serious growth in a small amount of time. “I know 100% that we wouldn’t have seen this growth without my PCC SBDC advisors, because they’ve been with us every step of the way.”

After working through the Business Builders class and growth planning with the PCC SBDC team, Aluma Aesthetic Medicine decided to purchase a permanent place to call home and will be opening their new location this September! Aimee and Nate met with Bruce Melzer, an advisor with the Capital Access Team ("CAT team"), to help prepare for the financing process. Aimee notes that her work with Bruce is “really the only reason why we got financing.” With the CAT Team’s support, the Aluma owners worked through business planning documentation, sales forecasting, developing a fitting background statement and more. Aimee says that “When we made it to the table with the bank, we had everything in line and ready.” Due to the complexity of the deal, Aimee and Nate had time to revisit the information they learned during Business Builders to develop a marketing plan that would best prepare them for September’s grand opening.

As they await the opening, Aimee and Nate continue to serve their five-hundred+ clients while preparing for the operational changes that come with a growing team. Aimee is excited to take the PCC SBDC’s Small Business Management course to help Aluma work through new growth challenges and opportunities. Congratulations to Aimee and Nate Brigham and the whole Aluma Aesthetic Medicine team on your successes!

Read Aluma’s 2021 success story below to learn more about their entrepreneurial journey.

Original Post: Published April 21, 2021

Aimee and Nathaniel Brigham own Aluma Aesthetic Medicine in NE Portland -- a physician-owned aesthetic medicine practice specializing in FDA-approved prescription injectables to smooth wrinkles, volumize depleted facial areas, enhance features, and smooth skin texture. Aimee attended the PCC SBDC Business Builders program in the fall of 2019. She believes that the program has helped their business thrive, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is their story.

by Warren Banks

U.S. ports are slammed. 

Why? Because of COVID-19, and stimulus payments, which have led to (among other things) a big spike in online orders. 8% of consumer disposable income used to go for air travel, hotels, movie theaters, plus other theater and entertainment in general. Much of this money is now going to buy goods from overseas and causing a shortage of supply, in addition to congestion.

Noah Brockman has been working for the PCC Small Business Development Center for 14 years. His specialty these days is in the area of finance -- assisting small business owners in accessing capital to grow their business. He leads the Oregons SBDC statewide Capital Access Team (CAT). This is his story.

Serving more than half a million small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs in Fiscal Year 2020, America’s Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) rose to the occasion during a time of unprecedented challenges. From the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, America’s SBDCs were on the job. Providing free, one-to-one business consulting and free or at-cost business training, SBDC consultants, trainers and staff helped America’s small businesses (and the communities they serve) adapt and survive.

By Noah Brockman - Capital Access Team Lead, Oregon SBDC Network 

On January 29th 2021, the Oregon Housing Stability Council (OHSC) hosted a Youtube informational webinar to share details about the Oregon (residential) Landlord Compensation Fund. During 2020, the Oregon Legislature enacted an eviction moratorium and established the Landlord Compensation Fund (HB 4401). The Legislature allocated $200 million in rent assistance to support tenants and landlords, which includes $150 million for the residential Landlord Compensation Fund. OHCS has developed program materials and is preparing to launch the Fund in the coming days.

Lisa Tran and her family have been in the restaurant business for at least 3 generations. When she

became a mother to twins a few years ago she realized she was going to have to do things differently. That's when she found the Small Business Development Center's "Getting Your Recipe to Market" program and began bottling the family sauces. This is her story.