Structured business education paired with personalized, one-on-one business advising helps you BUILD your business with confidence.
The Business Builders training program opens the door to direct interactions with industry experts and subject-matter specialists. These accomplished professionals are dedicated to sharing their wealth of knowledge, unveiling industry insights, and providing personalized guidance to support your entrepreneurial journey. It's time to meet your new group of mentors!
Jim's industry background covers various sectors, such as entertainment, hospitality, restaurants, and trade shows, where he specializes in marketing strategy, business planning, content creation, media, and promotions. His industry experience is shared with his students so they can better understand the marketing basics. Jim is also a Ph.D. candidate in business administration and marketing at the University of the Cumberlands, where he explores my marketing research interests in time-constraint strategy and urgency messaging.
Jill Critchfield is a professional Human Resources Consultant. Through her business, Pacific HR, she has provided HR consulting services to hundreds of small and mid-sized businesses in Oregon & and Washington since 1999. She holds PHR certification (Professional Human Resources) through the Human Resources Certification Institute and SHRM-CP certification through the Society of Human Resources Management.
Shannon Fost works for Multnomah County as a food inspector supervisor and has worked for over 5+ years as a food inspector.
John Holtrop works for the City of Portland in food trucks and cart compliance for "gray" water and with "brick & mortar" for maintenance and compliance of grease traps.
Owner and Principal Attorney of Rational Unicorn Legal Services
"Community business law for everyone in the community"
Co-Owner and Consultant of Narwhal Nonprofit Consulting
"On your team for staff, board, and sea changes"
Co-Producer and Host of All of Your Business Podcast
"These are the vulnerable, authentic, and unfiltered stories of business owners whose currents raise tides that lift all of our businesses, communities, and dreams."
Nedra is a marketing strategist and coach who helps consultants and solo entrepreneurs learn to delegate and outsource to scale their business and do more work in their “zone of genius.” She has over 20 years of direct experience in marketing and online business with expertise in building custom marketing strategies that make marketing easier, more effective, and more outsource-friendly. She also helps coach and train business owners to find and hire trustworthy freelancers to do their work professionally and accountably.
Cory Schreiber founded Wildwood Restaurant and won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Pacific Northwest. Schreiber is a chef consultant for Sysco, the nation's largest food service marketer and distributor. Previously, he worked with the Oregon Department of Agriculture as the Farm-to-School Food Coordinator and taught cooking classes in Portland, Oregon.
Sarah Shaoul has 30+ years of experience in independent retail, from concept and brand development to operations and exit strategy. Sarah is the founder and CEO of Bricks Need Mortar, an organization that centers brick-and-mortar small businesses as the heart of any community’s economic development efforts. Bricks Need Mortar provides advocacy, small business strategy and marketing via Small Shops Big Hearts.
Spencer Crandall blends a diverse career in entrepreneurship and leadership to offer inventive yet practical solutions for small businesses across industries like retail, consumer products, and food companies. With hands-on experience in owning a brick-and-mortar store and expertise in strategy, operations, finance, and tech, Spencer thrives on asking the right questions and executing dynamic strategies to help business owners conquer their most pressing challenges.
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Kim has an extensive background in sales, sales management, sales training and marketing. Her experience also includes entrepreneurship and startup business development across several sectors. For Kim, business acumen is a calling, social enterprise is a passion. She loves to help businesses and founders because ultimately this help strengthen our communities.
Kayla has been helping clients start and grow their businesses for 7 years, focusing on marrying brand and business model, art-based business, jumping the growth chasm, and marketing strategy that works. With a BS in Marketing and an MBA under her belt, she brings structure to business strategy development and implementation. Kayla also co-owns a small creative company that shares the balance of creation through film projects and other creative mediums.
Sean brings together the existential needs and the business challenges of the 21st century. His unique blend of training and experience are from two seemingly different worlds: divinity and business. As a pastor, he walked with people through life’s spiritual events. Returning to school after that career, he received a master's degree in business. He now teaches and advises small business owners on how to start and grow a successful business.
Terry is an instructor for Understanding Your Financial Statements, Inventory Management I & II, and Building a Budget. He assists small business owners with strategic planning. He is also a member of the Capital Access Team. Terry has an MBA from Fairfield University and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Linfield College. He graduated from the America’s Community Bankers National School of Banking.
Bruce Melzer is a Strategic Advisor with Oregon SBDC Network’s Capital Access Team. He specializes in helping small business owners with business planning, finance strategy development, and accessing debt and equity funding.
His diverse career ranges from work with energy efficiency start-ups and established firms to radio, newspaper, and web business journalism to business development at NPR. Bruce holds an MBA and an MS in Journalism, both from Columbia University, and a BS from UC Davis.
Jackie B. Peterson is a CPA and richly experienced business advisor with SBDC. She is known for her business acumen and for helping her clients focus, develop clear and consistent messaging to increase sales, and charge the right price to achieve profitability.