FRIDAY'S FISHFRY

The Small Business Week in Review

For Oregon's Small Business Conditions Improved in February

Conditions improved in February for Oregon’s small businesses, but merchants aren’t expected to bask long in last month’s glow.
Retail spending is expected to decrease throughout 2008, due to projections of slowing growth in new jobs and in total personal income, according to the monthly Oregon Small Business Index compiled by Eugene-based LibertyBank.
“Total personal income is the primary contributor to overall consumer spending, so retail spending will naturally be lower this year,” Jeff Thredgold, a Utah-based economist who compiles the index for LibertyBank, wrote in his monthly report.

Read more in last Wednesday’s Register-Guard.

Economic gardening helps businesses grow:
City program nurtures companies to stimulate growth, develop jobs

When Ron May hired a second business development officer for Pinnacle Bank, he was interested in developing a list of businesses for that person to call on for prospecting purposes.

Pinnacle’s president and chief executive officer decided to give Beaverton’s new Economic Gardening Program a try.

“The price was right,” May said.

The free program is designed to nurture existing businesses and provide them with specialized services to help them flourish.

“Our goal is to help our Beaverton-based businesses become more competitive, help them expand their operations and see if we can provide resources that would enable them to become more successful,” said Rob Pochert, Beaverton’s economic development manager.

Columbia Community Bank Hires New Business Specialist

Joshua Adams has been named Business Specialist at the Tanasbourne office of Columbia Community Bank (OTCBB: CLBC). Adams joins Columbia Community Bank after serving as a small business specialist in his previous position at another local financial institution. Throughout his banking career, Joshua has been responsible for maintaining and developing new business relationships. His successes were evidenced through the connection and rapport that he developed with local businesses and professionals.

Small business: Make time management a priority

Feeling stressed -- like there aren't enough hours in the day to get your work done?

It's possible you're not making the most of your time.

Many entrepreneurs wind up behind the eight ball because they aren't very good at managing time effectively, experts say.

"Entrepreneurs are often wearing many hats," explains Andrea Feinberg, president of Coaching Insight Llc, a small-business and marketing consultancy in Port Jefferson Station. "They become accustomed to doing everything, and that becomes a growing monster."

So it's important to understand you can't do everything yourself, and the key to effective time management is distinguishing between what's important and what's not.

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