Blog

June 4, 2018

Trainer: Bobbie Stewart

  The pursuit of happiness is doing what you love even when it puts the spot light on someone else. Bobbie Stewart is a serial entrepreneur whose passion is engaging with and building start-ups. As ...

Trainer: Karen Y. Spencer

Karen consults and works hands-on with start-ups, non-profits and established businesses on business strategy, business development, marketing and legal strategy.  Karen also has over 25 years of experience counseling clients on patent strategy, patent portfolio ...

April 23, 2018

Aspiring Robin Hood of Business Education Caitlin Campbell Talks Mascots, LIFE and Business Plans

Caitlin Campbell volunteers as a coach with our LIFE program and our Business Plan Study Halls. Her day job is with Mercy Corps Northwest partner Propeller. We’d heard she’s a crowd favorite and decided we ...

April 16, 2018

Mercy Corps Northwest Supports a Yoga Refuge for East Portland

Melinda was afraid of yoga. “I’m now a ‘senior’ in age,” she explained, “morbidly obese by western medical measures, and labeled ‘disabled.’” She’d decided yoga was no longer for her — until she met Kate ...

March 21, 2018

MCNW Seminars Fuel Environmentally Minded GO Box

Laura Weiss has been on a seven year mission to get us Portlanders to ditch disposable food containers. She’s done it with GO Box, and so far she’s kept 120,000 disposable food containers from the trash cans of Portland. That’s a stack twice as tall as Mt. Hood.

February 7, 2018

INCREASING ACCESS TO HEALTHY FOOD: A YEAR AT MARION-POLK FOOD SHARE

AmeriCorps VISTA Story of Service February 2018 During her year of service as the Community Food Access Coordinator at the Marion-Polk Food Share in Salem, Emily Vincent helped members of Marion and Polk Counties gain ...

February 6, 2018

#MCNWFunded: Margalaxy

Margalaxy is a line of raw vegan superfood snacks made with busy people in mind. Margaux Muller wants to ‘bring your taste buds into orbit’ with her plant-based protein snacks made without refined sugar. Mercy ...

September 1, 2017

Getting to Yes – Becoming Loan Ready

Having trouble getting approved for financing?  Declined by a lender and confused as to why?  New to loans and want to know what it takes?   You are not alone.  It can be tough to ...

August 30, 2017

Credit 101 – How to Repair & Build Your Credit

Credit can be confusing.  Today, more than ever, it is critical to know what your score is and where you stand.  Having poor credit can mean limited financing opportunities and paying more in interest due ...

August 29, 2017

How Credit Affects Your Budget

Ever wonder how your credit score can affect your monthly loan payments?   For better or worse, your credit can have a direct impact on your budget.  We all know that lower credit scores mean ...

June 23, 2017

Building the Foundation: A New Volunteer Program at Bienestar

AmeriCorps VISTA-Story of Service Building the Foundation: A New Volunteer Program at Bienestar June  2017 Alyssa Vitale, Volunteer Coordinator, at Bienestar has built a volunteer program which will influence the future of their programs that ...

June 20, 2017

With Love, From PDX

Inger McDowell-Hartye is the curator behind With Love, From PDX. She’s combined both her passion for community and locally-made goods to grow With Love, From PDX into a successful company. Launched in 2015, her company curates ...

June 2, 2017

AmeriCorps VISTA Story of Service: Surabhi Mahajan

While it may be obvious to say that if you are hungry you can’t think of anything other than your lack of sustenance, the fact is, thousands of people go hungry on a daily basis. ...

May 11, 2017

The Sugar Mama

The Sugar Mama 1722 NW Raleigh Street, Suite 111 Portland, OR 97209 United States lesugarmama@gmail.com Krystal is a badass business woman and no stranger to hard work. The entrepreneurial bug bit her young. She never ...

April 5, 2017

Snackrilege

Rosalind and her husband Clayton came to Mercy Corps NW in 2013. Together they attended a business class offered by the Women’s Business Center . They went on to get a small business loan and ...

February 1, 2017

Eatin’ Alive

Paige Common – Eatin’ Alive  Paige started Eatin’ Alive seven years ago hauling produce around town on her bike to the King Farmers Market, whipping up fresh, local, raw, grab-and-go snacks and meals. She has ...

December 13, 2016

Trainer: Wendy Kotila

Wendy is an experienced business coach, mentor and teacher with a great love for education, technology, and empowering women and girls. Her experience is a combination of formal education and years of practical experience.  After ...

Trainer: MaryAnn McNulty

MaryAnn McNulty, MBA is a sought-after speaker, trainer and coach, and founder of SuperPowers for Solopreneurs. Combining her coaching experience and business expertise, MaryAnn’s speciality is demystifying business strategy for heart-centered solopreneurs. She empowers her ...

December 2, 2016

#HolidayNightMarket Q&A with Ground Up PDX

Julie (left) is the co-founder of Ground Up PDX, a delicious nut butter company which also aims to empower women by teaching them life and business skills.     What inspired you to start your ...

November 30, 2016

#HolidayNightMarket Q&A with Yellow Scope

Kelly and Marcie are the co-founders of Yellow Scope, a company that makes rigorous, creative, and fun science kits to get girls excited about STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math)!  What inspired you to start ...

November 29, 2016

#GivingTuesday Series: Meet Matthew

The final story in our #GivingTuesday Series comes from Matthew, our AmeriCorps VISTA Coordinator, who believes Mercy Corps Northwest’s innovative approaches helps improve Oregon’s most disadvantaged communities. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, Matthew has ...

November 15, 2016

#GivingTuesday Series: Meet Jackie

Each week as part of our MCNW Giving Series leading up to #GivingTuesday, we will share with you personal stories from donors and volunteers highlighting why they give to and believe in Mercy Corps Northwest. ...

November 8, 2016

#GivingTuesday Series: Oregonians Building Thriving Communities

Each week as part of our MCNW Giving Series leading up to #GivingTuesday, we will share with you personal stories from donors and volunteers highlighting why they give to and believe in Mercy Corps Northwest. ...

September 2, 2016

Trainer: Bill Horton

Bill believes that by clearing the chaos and facing tough truths, business owners can transform the way they think about their business and move forward with clarity, confidence, and calm.

June 28, 2016

Free to low cost activities in Summer

French festival July 9, 2016 0.9 miles north The Bastille Festival features French food, music, street performers, art projects, and an outdoor market in Jamison Square. Mississippi Street Fair July 9, 2016 3 miles north Mississippi Street ...

May 31, 2016

Foundations I Now Available in Russian

Mercy Corps Northwest is proud to offer our Foundations I class entirely in Russian. Check out a short video below featuring our staff and community partners discussing this exciting offering:   Our Russian Language Foundations ...

May 2, 2016

Business Foundations II: Next Level Workshop – Mondays 4-7pm

Are you ready to grow your business, become more efficient and generate additional revenue?  If so, our Business Foundations ll:Next Level Workshop is designed for you.  This engaging, effective four-week course provides the opportunity you need ...

April 27, 2016

Mercy Corps NW VISTA Team Serves on Chavez Day

In celebration of the Cesar Chavez Day of Service, the Mercy Corps Northwest VISTA Team jumped at the chance to change our surroundings for the day and honor Cesar Chavez’s legacy of advocacy for farm ...

April 26, 2016

Seattle Makers Speed Coaching

Mercy Corps Northwest event connects Seattle makers & producers to business mentors. This past week Mercy Corps Northwest hosted a Speed Coaching Event for Seattle makers & producers at Hale’s Ales Brewery & Pub in ...

March 28, 2016

RTC staff present testimony at Legislative Housing Emergency Forum

On January 9th, RTC’s Housing Navigator, Jeremy Nichols, presented testimony at the Legislative Housing Emergency Forum.  Hosted at Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization in Northeast Portland, the event was held in response to the rising ...

Mercy Corps NW Recruiting AmeriCorps VISTAs

Do you dream about making a real impact in the fight against poverty? Have you thought about a career in the nonprofit sector but aren’t sure where to start? Consider joining our AmeriCorps VISTA team ...

March 17, 2016

The RTC Advocates for New Career Paths Through Deconstruction.

Deconstructing buildings, the careful removal of building materials in order to upcycle or re-use valuable materials (lumber, hardware, etc.) rather than demolish and load up the landfill, has been in use for centuries. But now, ...

Free to low cost activities in Spring 2016

Oregon Rail Heritage Center Portland is home to more working steam locomotives than any other city in the country, and you’ll find them at the volunteer-run Oregon Rail Heritage Center, opened in 2012. Guided interpretation, presentations, ...

RTC Participants benefit from the Generosity of the Lions Club

We want to thank the Lions Club of Oregon and the Oregon Lions Sight and Hearing Foundation. The Lions have been generously providing RTC participants with vision care. We are so grateful! Many of our participants have ...

Toast Masters comes to the RTC

The RTC is proud to introduce Toast Masters! Toast Masters is a training and educational organization which teaches its members communication, leadership, training and management skills, and builds self-confidence through enhancing public speaking skills. It is ...

Looking for a career? Are you between the ages of 16 and 24 or know someone who is?

 Check out Job Corps! A vocational training program which offers young people vocational training and job placement in a wide range of careers.  Some Oregon sites are residential. If you know a young person or ...

Have no Fear: Job Application & Resume Help is Here at RTC!

Reentering the job market can be daunting, and we want to help our job seekers get their job applications and resumes into the employers’ YES pile. That’s why the RTC is happy to offer extra ...

What’s old is new again – the Art of Deconstruction offers new Career Paths

Deconstructing buildings, the careful removal of building materials in order to upcycle or re-use valuable material (lumber, hardware, etc.) rather than demolish and load up the landfill, has been in use for centuries. But now, ...

March 14, 2016

Marketing Mentor Event: Connecting Clients and Experts

On Wednesday, Feb. 24, 31 small business owners gathered at Mercy Corps Northwest for a new event, an evening of “speed mentoring.”  In speed dating format, the event paired 30 entrepreneurs with 15 mentors in ...

March 11, 2016

Red Sauce Pizza

Congratulations to Shardell Dues of Red Sauce Pizza for finishing in the top 3 of the Oregonian’s People’s Choice vote for Portland’s Best Pizza Place. Red Sauce Pizza 4935 NE 42nd Avenue Portland Oregon 503-288-4899 ...

March 2, 2016

Women-Owned Small Businesses have Record Year

In 1996 the federal government implemented a goal: At least 5% of all federal contracts must be awarded to women-0wned small businesses (WOSB’s). Finally, after 20 years of active pursuit, the goal has been achieved. ...

February 24, 2016

New Class of AmeriCorps VISTA Members Begins Service

On February 22, Mercy Corps NW welcomed its sixth class of AmeriCorps VISTAs into service. As part of a national initiative sponsored by the Corporation for National and Community Service, VISTAs serve at nonprofits where ...

February 12, 2016

Thriving Local Business Finds Office Space at Plaza 122

John Haines of Mercy Corps Northwest says “This is a great startup of Somali cab drivers, PDX Yellow Cab, who work out of Plaza 122, a commercial property Mercy Corps Northwest purchased and revitalized to sell ...

January 27, 2016

VISTA Team Serves on MLK Day

On Monday, January 18 MCNW’s AmeriCorps VISTA team joined of thousands of people nationwide in celebrating the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by volunteering in their communities as part of a national ...

January 26, 2016

Former IDA client wins Pitch Competition

Just announced on Specialtyfood.com! (article and photo by Deanna Ting): Last evening, Jan. 16, at San Francisco’s Moscone Center, the Specialty Food Association hosted its inaugural Shelf Showdown: A Specialty Food Pitch Competition, and declared ...

January 25, 2016

Red Sauce Pizza Continues Strong Opening in Cully Neighborhood

Shardell Dues loves pizza.  Always has, and always will. From starting to make pizzas in her teens, to gaining valuable experience as a manager for Apizza Scholls, she knows her stuff.   So, when she decided to open Red Sauce Pizza, ...

January 12, 2016

Seattle Small Business Open House

Calling all Seattle-ites! Join us Jan 21st from 3pm-5pm at our Open House. Find Seattle area resources available for small businesses and meet with a Mercy Corps Northwest lender and representatives from 7+ other community ...

Portland Leads the Country in Female Entrepreneurship

Small business activity is on the rise across the country, according to a recent study by a prominent research foundation, and Portland, Oregon is at the top in two categories. The Kauffman Foundation, which looked ...

December 17, 2015

AmeriCorps VISTA Spotlight

Having completed the first quarter of her VISTA service year with the Mercy Corps Northwest VISTA team, Leah Guliasi has wasted no time demonstrating the impact that VISTA members can bring to their communities. Leah ...

December 4, 2015

SMART Collective Premieres New Skate Video

The SMART Collective is having a release party for their new promo video on December 11th, starting at 5:30pm.  Tickets will be $5 at the door to see the video, and a show will follow ...

November 24, 2015

Three Months of Service with the AmeriCorps VISTA Team

Mercy Corps Northwest’s newest VISTA team has been with us for almost three months. Since August, our VISTAs have assisted their host agencies and MCNW in developing new solutions to cyclical poverty. Members have helped ...

November 23, 2015

Holiday Showcase Success!

Thank you all who participated in our showcase. We had a great time. All goods sold were from local small business’s who are a part of Mercy Corps Northwest business development programs. RELM Studios creates handmade ceramic ...

October 13, 2015

OPB: Tackling Asset Poverty with Innovative New Program

MCNW Executive Director, John Haines, and the team involved in the Community Investment Trust at Plaza 122 in Southeast Portland, were featured on Oregon Public Broadcasting recently for their innovative approach to tackling the issue ...

October 2, 2015

“Best Coffee I’ve Ever Had” – Tov Coffee

Joseph Nazir fell in love with coffee in 2005 while working at a mom and pop cafe. There he learned the importance of a good shot of espresso, how to pour latte art, and the attention to detail that can ...

October 1, 2015

MCNW IDA Client Matt’s BBQ Featured on Oregon Live

Congratulations to Matt Vicedomini on his write-up in Oregon Live, earning high praise on his brisket and ribs from food critic Michael Russell. “But it gets one thing right that eludes nearly every other Portland-area ...

September 29, 2015

Need Capital? Attend Money on a Mission, Oct 7

Looking to grow your small business? Beneficial State Bank and Albina Community Bank — members of the Beneficial State Family — are proud to present Money on a Mission 2015. Money on a Mission is ...

September 25, 2015

Mercy Corps Northwest Welcomes New Class of AmeriCorps VISTAs

Earlier this month, Mercy Corps NW welcomed its fifth class of AmeriCorps VISTAs into service. Our VISTAs serve at nonprofits throughout the state where they develop programs that address the systemic causes of poverty by ...

September 24, 2015

Stories from Reentry

Roughly 30-40% of the people accessing services at the Reentry Transition Center are referred by the North West Regional Reentry Center (NWRRC), the federal halfway house.  This essay was written by Warren Nunn, who was released from ...

September 23, 2015

Supporting Fashion and Apparel Start Ups

Portland Mayor Charlie Hales has declared October 7-10 to be “Portland Fashion Week.”  We are excited to be a sponsor of FashioNXT 2015, in support of its emerging designer accelerator program, Up/NXT. Among other awards, ...

September 18, 2015

IDA Graduate David Lewis Earns Veteran of the Week Honors

IDA graduate David Lewis of Veteran Bicycle Co., LLC, recently received Student Veteran of the Week honors from the Institute for Veterans and Military Families. We are proud of the work David is doing through ...

August 28, 2015

MCNW Graduates Third Class of AmeriCorps VISTA Members

On Friday, August 28 MCNW graduated its third class of AmeriCorps VISTA members. The national service program dedicated to fighting poverty, VISTAs serve at nonprofits and public agencies throughout the US. VISTA was launched with ...

August 25, 2015

Grounded in Nature: Yurt Therapy

Learn more about how our Key Bank Business Pitch winner Mitch Bacon is breaking ground, literally, with his yurt-based therapy practice. Bridging the gap between the wilderness and the urban environment, Mitch cultivates a garden ...

New Partner: Portland Sewing

We are excited about our new partnership with Portland Sewing, giving us greater opportunities to share our small business expertise with apparel makers and designers across Portland. “It’s a great honor for us to be ...

July 10, 2015

Does mindfulness lead to greater business success?

Guest post by Portland Conscious Women Entrepreneurs   Have you ever wondered if mindfulness leads to greater business success? On June 11, Conscious Living Coach Andrea Leda was a guest speaker for Portland Conscious Women ...

July 1, 2015

U.S. is #1 for Women Entrepreneurs…

The results of the first-ever Global Entrepreneur Leaders Scorecard, offered by tech giant Dell, are in. The good news? The U.S. is tops for women entrepreneurs. The bad news? In ALL countries, there’s a significant ...

June 25, 2015

Navigating the “Female Frontier” for Business Success

With an estimated 3 billion people now online, the opportunity to build a business via the Internet has never been better. For women especially, the online marketplace is a potentially lucrative way to grow. Three ...

May 21, 2015

Acanthus

“Without Mercy Corps Northwest, we wouldn’t have been able to open this business. They had faith in us when a lot of people didn’t.” When Anne Thompson considered expanding her eco-friendly upholstery business in 2011, ...

May 14, 2015

The Increasing Power of Women-owned Businesses

According to a recent CNBC article, women launched 1300 businesses per day in the United States last year. There are now over 9 million women-owned businesses in the US, generating $1.4 trillion annually. Women-owned small ...

May 11, 2015

Women Entrepreneurs: Multi-task Your Way to Success

A woman’s skill at multi-tasking could be the key to her success as an entrepreneur, or so believes Kevin O’Leary, an investor from the popular TV show “Shark Tank.” That’s likely not news to most ...

Greetings from the Women’s Business Center!

Greetings from the Mercy Corps Northwest Women’s Business Center!  We are proud to be part of a strong network of Women’s Business Centers supported by the U.S. Small Business Administration, providing the resources entrepreneurs need ...

April 28, 2015

Mercy Corps NW supports the Ban the Box Initiative

Mercy Corps Northwest supports Ban the Box, an international civil rights campaign advocating for fair treatment of ex-offenders in employment practices. Pictured here, our Reentry Transition Center manager Felton Howard joins a roundtable of local ...

October 8, 2014

Real Engagement – The Fine Art of Building Relationships that Work

The new buzz word in the virtual marketing world is engagement.  But what happens on social media is just one aspect of engagement, and a very narrow one at that.  What engagement really boils down ...

June 13, 2013

The Three F’s Every Successful Entrepreneur Should Master

By Kent Lewis. Kent will be presenting “Learning from a Serial Entrepreneur”on Wednesday, June 5th from 6 to 9 pm. As a long-time entrepreneur, I’ve had the opportunity to found and co-found a variety of ...

May 31, 2013

Countdown to Health Reform

By Adrienne Hutchins, a Portland based insurance broker. Adrienne will present “Obamacare Clarified” on June 19th, 6:00PM – 7:30PM. Understanding your health plan options is a very important part of your budgeting and planning.  Most ...

May 3, 2013

Mobile Marketing in a Multi-Screen World

By Rebecca Whitefield at Anvil Media, a Portland marketing consultancy specializing in integrated marketing and search engine marketing. Mobile marketing is the focus of Mercy Corps Northwest’s upcoming seminar: “Determing Your Mobile Marketing Mix” on ...

April 22, 2013

Mind Your Own Business

By Jennifer de Thomas, a financial adviser in Portland who thrives on organizing people’s financial lives so they are free to concentrate on what they love to do. Financial planning – that’s a subject for ...

April 12, 2013

Female business owners—are you taking advantage of local Accelerator and Mentoring programs?

By Emily Youatt Start-up accelerator programs offering industry-focused programs and support for women are popping up across the country. These programs serve a variety of needs—entrepreneurial, educational, investment opportunities, and networking. Many programs offered are ...

March 15, 2013

Get All the Business You Want: Never Sell Again!

By Veronika (Ronnie) Noize, the Marketing Coach and a successful entrepreneur, author, speaker, and Certified Professional Coach. Ronnie will be presenting “Learning the Secrets of Soft Selling” on March 27th, 6-9pm. Is “selling” a dirty ...

March 10, 2013

Seven Ways to Increase Foot Traffic to Your Small Business

Start from the outside and look in Here are some questions to ask: Who passes by your store? What kind of signage do you have at your store-front? Does your advertising speak to a certain ...

February 1, 2013

Preparedness Starts with a Dialogue

By Francisco Ianni, director of preparedness for the American Red Cross Oregon Region. Francisco will present “Preparing Your Business for a Disaster,” a seminar to introduce small businesses to the world of emergency preparedness, and ...

January 25, 2013

How to Attract More Customers

By Mark Paul, author of “The Entrepreneur’s Survival Guide.” Mark will be presenting “Attracting More Customers” on February 6th from 6 to 9pm. Do you have all the customers you need? Are you looking for ...

November 30, 2012

The New (Old) Way of Networking

By Veronika (Ronnie) Noize, the Marketing Coach. Ronnie will be presenting “Building Your Business with Networking” on Wednesday, December 5th from 6 to 9 pm. It is almost ironic that the very tools we expected ...

November 2, 2012

Not Going International Is Your Biggest Risk

by Valérie Berset-Price.  Valerie will be presenting “Going International for the Small Business Owner” on Thursday, November 8th from 6-9pm. I read an article that talks about Australian companies setting up purchasing offices in the ...

September 21, 2012

Five Things You Need to Know About Networking

by Veronika (Ronnie) Noize, the Marketing Coach and a successful entrepreneur, author, speaker, and Certified Professional Coach. Networking is one of the best business building strategies I have ever used.  As a matter of fact, ...

September 12, 2012

Know What Your Customers Want

by Bill Horton, founder of BizFix.  Bill has developed curriculum and taught at Mercy Corps Northwest for the past four years, preparing entrepreneurs to operate their own businesses. Have you met with a client, bid ...

August 28, 2012

What’s In It for Me?

by Jane Pellicciotto, proprietor of branding and communication design firm Allegro Design.  Re-published with permission from EnoughGood. You sit down to write your marketing copy. Words flow easily about who you are and what your ...

July 30, 2012

Work Smart, Not Hard: Why We Need to Avoid the Busy Trap

by Carmen Voilleque, co-author of Evolutionaries: Transformational Leadership Carmen will be presenting “Work Smart, Not Hard: Make Strategic Decisions That Will Save You Time and Money” on Tuesday, August 7th from 12 PM to 3 ...

July 5, 2012

An Insider’s Guide to Getting Great Customers to Come to You

When I first started my own business and took business-building seminars, I quickly got overwhelmed by the marketing “must do” action steps. Just thinking back on the “drill call” I’d hear still makes me dizzy: ...

May 23, 2012

How to Use Referrals to Build your Business

by Veronika Noize. Ronnie will be presenting “How to build your business with networking” on Thursday, May 31st from 6-9pm Tired of marketing like a maniac but not getting any clients?  Beef up your referral ...

March 19, 2012

Using the Power of Story To Build Your Brand

“Tell me a fact and I’ll learn. Tell me a truth and I’ll believe. But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever.” — Indian proverb by Jen Barth. Jen will ...

June 20, 2011

The Difference Between Passive & Active Marketing

By Elgé Premeau, MCNW Seminar presenter and Guest Contributor Most business owners think the only way to get customers from the internet is to put up a website and get it to show up on ...