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Local businesses are the lifeblood of our community. The Mid-county MEMO offers this section to our business neighbors for news, advancements, promotions, expansions and other noteworthy events to be shared with the community at large. To ensure publication, please send submissions for each month by the 15th of the previous month. Business MEMO submissions for the August issue are due by Thursday, July 15. For best results, e-mail Darlene Vinson at editor@midcountymemo.com. You may also mail editorial submissions to: 3510 N.E. 134th Ave., Portland, OR, 97230. To call or leave a phone message, dial 503-287-8904. The Mid-county MEMO fax number is 503-249-7672.
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| Rebekah Herriges assumes the helm at Mall 205 branch of Oregon Telco CCU. |
Oregon Telco Community Credit Union, or Oregon Telco CCU recently announced the appointment of new Mall 205 branch manager, Rebekah Herriges.
Herriges has worked in the banking industry for eleven years. Previously, Herriges was a Personal Banker and Banking Center Service Manager at Bank of America. In this capacity, Rebekah has assisted in the opening of two new branches. Additionally, she brings knowledge of training and innovative service programs to her new position. She looks forward to serving the Oregon Telco CCU membership and to getting actively involved in the community the branch serves.
Local students honored
Portland General Electric, or PGE, recently recognized local students who have completed the State of Oregon Department of Education’s Certificate of Initial Mastery, or CIM program and two students who received Certificates of Advanced Mastery, or CAM. These students, whose parents work at PGE, were presented with PGE Awards for Academic Excellence for their outstanding achievement.
Representing David Douglas High School are Storm Beck, who earned the CIM and Christy Beck who earned her CAM in Education and Human Development and Alyson Kraus who was awarded the CAM in Natural Resources.
Shana Odem of Parkrose High School earned the CIM.
Carol Dillin, vice president of public policy at PGE said PGE employees and retirees are committed to helping students succeed in the academic arena. From January 2003 through April 2004, PGE employees and retirees have volunteered more than 25,000 hours to classrooms, educational endeavors, after school programs and athletic teams in Oregon and southwest Washington.
For the past several years PGE has collaborated with E3: Employers for Education Excellence, a statewide organization that works with schools and employers to promote high academic standards and strong community involvement to prepare all Oregon students for college, work and civic life.
René Léger, executive director of E3, commended PGE for its dedication to building understanding and support of student achievement in the state’s public schools system.
“PGE exemplifies the powerful role that businesses can play for students,” Léger said. “Students do better when the community has high expectations of them. PGE’s Awards for Academic Excellence show students that their hard work matters. We hope other employers and community organizations will adopt PGE’s model to reward students for their academic efforts.”
New liability insurance option available to small business owners
Small business in Portland now has a new option for purchasing liability insurance, an often-costly business expense. Thanks to the work of the Small Business Advisory Council, or SBAC, working in cooperation with the Office of Risk Management, Mayor Vera Katz has endorsed a program that would allow businesses to contract for liability insurance through the City. Called SPARTA, Service Providers and Artisan Tradesmen Activities, the program will provide contractors, artisans and tradesmen doing business with the City affordable professional liability, non-owned automobile liability, commercial general liability and excess general liability coverage.
The SBAC is keenly aware it has been difficult and expensive for small businesses to purchase liability insurance especially since 9/11. The SBAC is excited to recommend SPARTA, which has just been recently licensed in Oregon.
André Baugh of Group AGB and member of the SBAC had this to say, “SPARTA is a great start for small business to reduce their cost and increase their competitiveness in doing business with the City, and it’s great to see SBAC and the city collaborating. We realize however, that SPARTA does not address all insurance issues faced by small businesses. The SBAC and the City are continuing to work together to address other insurance issues including Health Care for small businesses.”
Contractors with the City can be endorsed into the policy when they purchase the insurance directly from the City, who will be issued the master liability insurance policy. Each contractor will be issued a separate certificate of insurance.
The Small Business Advisory Council consists of 23 small business owners/representatives from all parts of the city, representing a cross section of industries. SBAC is a public/private partnership with public entities, whose goal is to promote a customer-centered business climate within the City of Portland through well-informed organized advocacy.
For more information about the SBAC’s involvement in SPARTA please contact André Baugh at 503-281-3638. For more information about the SPARTA program call 1-800-420-0555, or on the web at http://www.2sparta.com or contact the Office of Risk Management at 503-823-5277.
For more information about SBAC, please contact Ethan Dunham at 503-225-9633 x107, Simon Tomkinson at 503-731-5909, or Jackie Babicky at 503-978-5093. On the web at: http://www.pdc.us/bus_serv/business_support/small_business.asp
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