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Portland State University’s Business Outreach Program (BOP) will celebrate ten years of successful community partnerships at its Spring Luncheon, Wednesday, April 14, 2004, from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs – Cascade Plaza, 4134 N. Vancouver Avenue, Portland.

In the 2003-2004 academic year, 90 PSU students worked in teams through the BOP to provide business assistance to 29 companies, including A-1 Office Enterprise, BlackStar Digital Media, Hannah Bea’s Poundcake and More, Merkato Ethiopian Store, Onda Arte Latina, Sheba’s House of Elegance, Sports Lab and USA Junk. Through a combination of mentoring by counselors and technical assistance provided by the student teams, BOP consulting services include creating business plans, researching market potential, developing human resource plans, and developing and implementing financial and accounting systems.

“The Business Outreach Program facilitates connection between Portland State and North and Northeast Portland,” said Brad Robertson, program director. “I have seen students’ eyes open up to the realities of small business ownership and I have seen businesses improve because of the help they get from us. Both outcomes are hugely rewarding to witness.”

Since its inception in PSU’s School of Business Administration in 1994, the BOP has worked with 340 companies, 1,000 PSU students and has helped created hundreds of new jobs in North and Northeast Portland. In the 2002-2003 academic year alone, BOP clients helped created 48 new jobs in those communities. The BOP’s mission is to help small and emerging businesses achieve their potential by providing knowledgeable and relevant mentoring and technical assistance, to provide students the opportunity to engage in community-based learning with local small businesses, and to collaborate with other service providers to improve the overall economic well-being of the neighborhoods the BOP serves.

The Spring Luncheon celebrates the progress of participating businesses partners, recognizes the contributions of BOP supporters and advisory board members, and applauds the student consultants’ efforts. The luncheon features Scott Dawson, dean of the School of Business Administration, a brief awards ceremony and a keynote address from Dapo Sobomehin, founder of the Oregon Multicultural Education Association, a non-profit educational organization that seeks to foster understanding and acceptance of other cultures. For more information, call the Business Outreach Program 503-725-3705 or visit www.sba.pdx.edu/outprog.

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Release Number: 04-043