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News of MERIT
Greetings!
It's the holiday season already and we hope that everyone will remember to shop at locally-owned businesses in our community for their holiday shopping needs. Shopping locally has three times as much impact on our local economy than shopping at big box stores. While you're supporting small local businesses don't forget about MERIT's amazing clients, like Can-B-Clean, LLC who was mentioned in the Statesman Journal.
MERIT is currently wrapping up a Launch Your Business series in Salem and recently had several participants complete the Explore and Define Your Business series in Salem, Independence, and McMinnville. We have some exciting news in this month's newsletter, including our newly printed Guide to Small Business Financial Resources brochure, cheese tastings, artist studio space for rent, a grant we received from the Spirit Mountain Community Fund, and some really useful information on free income-tax filing (yes, it's almost that time of year again!).
From all of us at MERIT, have a wonderful holiday season! And don't forget to register for an information session if starting a business or growing your own personal vitality is one of your new year's resolutions this year!
Forrest Peck
Program Director
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Resource Brochure
MERIT's Guide to Small Business Financial Resources - the labors of our hard-working Resource Developer - has been printed and is now ready for distribution. This brochure is a handy directory of loans, microloans, grants, Individual Development Accounts (IDA), tax incentives, venture capital, alternative funding sources, and credit-building products available for existing and start-up businesses. The brochure focuses on resources available in Marion, Polk, and Yamhill counties. If interested, the guide is available at our office at 626 High St NE in downtown Salem and economic development agencies in the three counties.
Many thanks to the sponsors of this project: McMinnville Economic Development Partnership, Yamhill County, SEDCOR, Greater Independence Business Incubator, Dallas Area Chamber Of Commerce, The City of Dallas, Chemeketa Center for Business and Industry, and Crazy Fuego, the marketing company responsible for the layout and design.
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Spirit Mountain Community Fund
MERIT was honored to receive a grant from the Spirit Mountain Community Fund in an award ceremony held at Grand Ronde on September 14th. The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde fulfill their Native tradition of potlatch, a ceremony at which good fortune is distributed, through this fund. The fund's focus is to improve the quality of life in Northwest Oregon through community investments that provide lasting benefits consistent with the Tribe's culture and values.
Over the past three years, MERIT has grown by over 200% in the number of clients it serves creating the need to refine the way the program delivers services. Forrest Peck, the director of MERIT, explained, "in keeping with trends seen nationally, we have experienced a significant increase in the number of people exploring self-employment. Funding from this award will help us serve our clients more effectively." To read the full press release, click here.
We want to express our appreciation to the Spirit Mountain Community Fund for making this possible.
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MERIT Client Success Story
Aurora Moreno took MERIT's microenterprise training in February 2010. Since then, she and her husband have been able to grow their janitorial and maintenance service business, M&S Resources Maintenance and Cleaning LLC. Read the full success story here.
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Artist Studio Space for Rent 
There are artist work studios available for rent on River Rd. This is Salem's first space dedicated for artists to work near other artists, share ideas and generally support each other. Click here for more information, or contact Laura Mack at laura.mack@chemeketa.edu. |
Register for an Information Session!
Information sessions for the next Explore and Define Your Business series are coming up in Salem in both English and Spanish. Information sessions are happening in Independence and McMinnville, as well. Register for an information session on our website.
Independence:
Tuesday, March 6, 2012, 6-7:30pm, Independence Civic Center, 555 South Main St., Heritage Room
McMinnville:
Wednesday, March 7, 2012, 6-7:30pm, Chemeketa Community College Yamhill Campus 306 NE Norton Lane, Building 2, Room 125
Salem (in English & Spanish):
Wednesday, February 1, 2012, 6-7:30pm, Chemeketa Center for Business & Industry, 626 High St NE
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Financial Literacy Classes at Salem-Keizer CDC
It's a great time to get your financial house in order. The Salem/Keizer Community Development Corporation (SKCDC) has financial literacy trainings coming up after the start of the New Year that can help. There are sessions on Saturday, January 21 and Saturday, January 28 in the North Neighborhood Resource Center, 945 Columbia St NE. Contact Araceli for more information at (503)-856-7077, ext. 619 or by email.
Salem/Keizer CDC is also holding a Free Income-Tax Filing for individuals who make less than $57,000 per year. The workshops will be held through January 23-26 so come with all of your tax documents in hand to take advantage of this opportunity! Contact Araceli for more information or questions.
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Looking back at Expo Negocio 2011
Expo Negocio is an event that the Latino Business Alliance and MERIT co-host annually to encourage our community to support and provide resources for Latinos while also providing some of those much-needed resources.
The event was a great success this year! With over 150 people in attendance on the first day to hear from our Keynote Speaker, Jose Ibarra, and Cecilia Munoz from the White House, and over 90 people attending workshops on the second day of the event. Several entrepreneurs were able to utilize the business workshops in Spanish, that included topics such as taxes, legal formation, and business insurance.
The kitchen demonstrations and the kids area (put on by A.C. Gilbert Discovery Village and Cwerks Interactive Theatre) were a hit too! Participants learned how to make tamales, sweet Mexican bread, molle, and more in the kitchen demonstrations while kids in the Discovery Zone finger-painted and played fun learning-games. We're hoping to grow this event even bigger next year so we can build a greater and stronger bridge between the Latino business community and the community at large.
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When MERIT and Dairy Collide
Full Circle Creamery provides fresh cheese to local markets. The owners, Brian and Kate, benefited from OSU's Dairy Pilot Plant for start-up creameries and Kate attending MERIT's business start-up training in Independence. Check out their website for upcoming cheese tastings!
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Indianpreneurship in Grand Ronde
MERIT also offers business start-up training in Grand Ronde to tribal and community members. To learn more about this, click here.
A Native American Journey Into Business - This intensive 10-week class guides students through a cultural experience providing the framework for successful business start-up and culminating in a written business plan.
Culturally relevant coursework over ten sessions.
- Story-based illustrations of business principles.
- Hands-on exercises and exercise pull-outs.
- Photos of Native American entrepreneurs and their businesses.
- Native-inspired graphics.
- Used by Tribal Economic Development departments, Vocational Rehabilitation programs and Tribal Colleges alike.
This course is fun, interactive and challenging. There are 11 chapters of coursework including 2 work sessions. The work sessions are an integral part of the program and although they include very little instruction are important opportunities for students to get individual assistance from the instructor.
The course begins Thursday, January 19, 2012, 6-7:30pm, Education Center, 9615 Grand Ronde Road
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Consider investing in a Donation to MERIT
Your donations to MERIT allow us to better serve our clients. MERIT is a 501c3 organization. Thank you for your support!
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