Contents
Nature in the Neighborhoods Grant
Business Recycling rules
From The Director
Notes from the Seminar
Self-Employed or Employee?
BDA Events
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Nature in the Neighborhoods Grant
 Metro is announcing the 2009 Nature in Neighborhoods Restoration and Enhancement Grants. Attached is the pre-application. Pre-applications are due on January 7, 2009. Up to $250,000 is available to eligible and selected projects.
This program has awarded over 1 million dollars throughout the region in the past three years, supporting watershed restoration and education. Grantees have engaged their partners and communities and have been able to leverage additional funds to support their projects.
Organizations and individuals are eligible to apply. Contact Janelle Geddes at Metro, 503-797-1550 or janelle.geddes@oregonmetro.gov with questions or to sign up for grant workshops. Grant workshops are conducted Saturday November 1st and Saturday November 15th.
Business Recycling Rules
The Office of Sustainable Development (OSD) has completed the rules for business recycling. The hearing is October 30th and they will be formally adopted on November 13th.
Businesses are required to recycle as follows:
75% of total waste.
All paper and containers.
Food scraps for largest food generators.
75% of construction waste at job sites valued at or above $50,000.
Businesses are also required to:
Adopt OSD's set of seven universal best management practices (BMPs).
Report on their implementation of the required BMPs.
Allow OSD to inspect their premises.
Containers in the right of way
OSD adopted interim rules earlier this summer. They will become permanent November 13th with the rest of the recycling changes. Those rules define storage and prohibit storing containers in the right of way.
The entire process is complaint driven. When OSD receives a complaint about recycling or containers in the right of way, they may investigate and send a letter giving the miscreant 30 days to come into compliance. They may grant another 30 days for good faith efforts or they may send a letter announcing a fine ranging from $200 for a first offense to $1500 for a third offense. Fines must be paid within 14 days of the announcement's mailing date.
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From the Desk of the Executive Director
Well! What a month October has been. Stock market swings of several hundred points – up and down – on a daily basis. Drastic losses in the values of stock, mutual fund and retirement portfolios. Drastically reduced consumer spending, primarily based on fear. What is a person to do?
Prudence suggests husbanding cash in these uncertain times. Businesses are experiencing a credit crunch brought on by tightened underwriting requirements tied more to the sub-prime mortgage market than to actual business performance – although many businesses are indeed struggling or going under.
Now is probably the most critical time for us to support our local businesses. Those owned by the people we know, by the people who have contributed to our community through participation in community and business district association projects. If you feel you have at least some money to spend, please spend it with them.
On the good news side, our Portland City Council has embarked on an effort to mitigate some of the effects of the current economic crisis. They are working to develop programs to retain and create local jobs, to “skill up” unemployed and dislocated workers, to keep and expand local businesses, and to attract new employers. Some of the ideas include obtaining federal economic stimulus package funds and fast-tracking locally-funded public projects to provide job creation, improve local supplier opportunities, and entice foreign companies to invest and locate here.
While none of these are quick fixes, we are encouraged to see our elected leaders take a proactive stance to lessen the impact of the current crisis on citizens and businesses. If we let fear drive our actions, we will indeed create a self-fulfilling prophecy of doom. If we ask what we can do to help and help each other, we can weather this crisis and perhaps emerge stronger for it.
One final note of good news: The political ads will stop next Tuesday! But so will your chance to make your voice heard. Please drop your ballot off at one of the ballot collection stations before the deadline on the 4th of November. Your vote is important. VOTE!
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Self-Employed or Employee?
It is nearing the end of the year and it is critical that you know whether the people working for you are employees or independent contractors. To determine this, the government looks at three areas of your relationship with the possible employee:
Behavior Control Does the company control or have the right to control what the worker does and how the worker does his or her job?
If you give extensive instruction about what to do and how and when to do it, you have an employee.
If you give instructions about what should be done but not how to do it, you have a contractor.
Financial Control Are the business aspects of the worker’s job controlled by the company? (This includes how the worker is paid, who provides tools/supplies, etc.)
If you reimburse for some or all business expenses, you have an employee.
If you do not pay expenses, you have a contractor.
If the person has a significant investment in their work or equipment, you have a contractor.
If the worker can realize a profit or incur a loss, you have a contractor.
Relationships Are there written contracts or employee type benefits Will the relationship continue and is the work performed a key aspect of the business?
If you signed a written contract you have a contractor.
If you give employee benefits, you have an employee.
If your check has income, Social Security, and Medicare taxes deducted, you are an employee.
Employees receive W-2s. You are responsible for deducting and forwarding federal, state, and social security taxes to the government as well as providing unemployment taxes. Contractors receive a form 1099-MISC, pay their own federal, state, and social security taxes, and claim expenses on their income tax returns.
More information is available at the government website
Independent Contractor.
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Notes from the Seminar
The September seminar on marketing contained a wealth of ideas, tips and strategies for starting, planning, and expanding your business. Business panelists provided the following ideas.
The panelists were small business owners, retail, wholesale, and services. Their businesses were on neighborhood commercial streets, in town centers, and home-based.
Focus on business
Work with other businesses in the same field to maximize your marketing dollars.
Reconsider your logo so it better reflects your business.
Find a niche in your line and settle there.
Change your 'storefront' frequently so customers see something different each visit.
When customers look at your store, are displays neat, tidy, attractive, eye-catching?
What smell, sound, taste, and touch will customers remember you by?
Partner with businesses whose lines appeal to your type of customer.
If you have a website, think of it as 'storefront' and keep it active and up-to-date.
If you don't have a website, seriously consider getting one.
Focus on customers
Consider a hand-written "Thank you for your business" note with orders of $125.00 or more.
Establish customer service policies and keep your staff trained.
Greet long-standing customers by name.
Build relationships with your customers.
Do customer follow-up - ask if the transaction was satisfactory.
Strive to always exceed your customer's expectations.
Keep track of customer activity
Keep notes when you provide special services
Keep notes on complaints and their outcomes
Keep notes on their tastes - let them know about items that may interest them.
The panel discussions and responses from the audience were very positive and the APNBA plans to hold more such discussions in the spring and summer of 2009.
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Business District Events
November 2: - Old Town Chinatown 1st Sundays, June Schumann, 503.224.1458.
November 6: - 1st Thursdays, Pearl District 5 - 9PM, http://www.firstthursday.org.
November 7: - 1st Fridays
Milwaukie Avenue, 5:00 - 9:00 PM, Madeline Janovic, 503.231.8346.
Multnomah Village, 5:00 - 9:00 PM, Joan Steinbach, 503.245.3936.
Division/Clinton, 6:00 - 9:00 PM, Rin Carroll Jackson, rinzart@spiritone.com.
November 11: - Veteran's Parade, 40th - 48th on NE Sandy in Hollywood, membership@hollywoodboosters.org.
November 27th: - Last Thursdays, 13th - 30th NE Alberta, Allan Oliver, 503.493.1909.
Tell us about your event - Contact the Editor at info@apnba.com.
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Updated Logos
Hillsdale BA
82nd Avenue of Roses
Nob Hill
Portland International
APNBA
Always Entertaining Alberta
Bicycle built for 2
Athletic display
Dancers parade past
Classics on Alberta
Band of individuals
Memorable Images
Dancing in D/CBA
FABA's First Festival
GABA's Keystone Kops
Under the Autumn Moon
Past Grant Projects
Photo credits:
David Ashton, www.eastpdxnews.com
Nancy Chapin, various others
Volume 16 No. 11
The Business Voice is published 12 times a year
by the Alliance of Portland Neighborhood Business Associations
107 SE Washington #244
Portland OR 97214
E-mail: info@apnba.com
Web site: www.APNBA.com
Editor: Jean Baker
mjeanbaker@apnba.com
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