The Willamette Angel Conference (WAC) will be taking place this Thursday May 10, 2012 8:30am-3pm at the Downtown Athletic Center in Eugene. This is a great opportunity to learn about local startups, see some excellent pitches, and get immersed in the local entrepreneurial and investment communities!
The StartUp Expo will be taking place the day before, May 9th 6-8pm at the Valley River Inn, featuring WAC finalists.
Registration information is here.
The Airport Industrial Park recently gained a rail spur, thanks to the work of City of Corvallis Public Works staff. The rail spur is a boon to area businesses who can use rail to transport their goods. More information in the article here:
The BEC is co-sponsoring a talk by author Charles Eisenstein on his new book Sacred Economics, which will take place Thursday March 8th at 7pm at Kearney Hall Rm 112 on the OSU campus. Admission is on a sliding scale of $5-20, but no one will be turned away due to lack up funds. The Great Recession has made many people stop and think about business as usual, and Sacred Economics offers some possible visions of what could be. Come join us Thursday the 8th, think outside the box, and maybe learn something new!
More information on the event: http://www.unifyingcascadia.net/corvallis.html
The Enterprise Zone welcomed a new resident in January with the arrival of Perpetua Power Source Technologies, Inc. The former BEC client designs and manufactures energy harvesting devices, ideal for powering wireless monitoring sensors in industrial machinery.
Perpetua’s move to the Enterprise Zone entitles the company to tax breaks in exchange for creating jobs and promoting an element of sustainability in its products and/or business practices. In Perpetua’s case, its energy harvesting devices generate power from temperature fluctuations, eliminating the need for batteries, which aids waste reduction.
More information available at Perpetua’s website here and a recent Gazette-Times article here.
The Corvallis City Council approved the new Airport Industrial Park Master Plan in December, which advances Benton County’s goals for the industrial park, and brings Benton County zoning and City of Corvallis master plan uses into agreement. This update means there will be a clearer, simpler development process with fewer regulatory hurdles for prospective companies.
Benton County zoning had previously permitted a different set of uses from those in the former AIP Master Plan, causing a lack of clarity regarding which uses would be acceptable and uncertainty about the approval process. With both sets of uses brought into a alignment, the process will be more straightforward and require fewer steps than at present. The process is not quite yet complete, but the City and County are working together closely to get details harmonized, and the final steps should be completed soon.
Based on the highly successful Small Business Management Program provided by the Small Business Development Center and LBCC, this program is tailored to the specific needs of Veteran Entrepreneurs. Nine valuable classroom sessions and monthly personal advising meetings to work on individual business needs.
Contact number for more information or to register: 541-917-4923
The Linn-Benton MicroBusiness Program is a dynamic series of classes aimed at helping people who are thinking of starting or expanding a small business. Completing the course will give you a good idea whether your business idea will fly and how to go about getting started.
The next series of classes will begin January 10, 2012.
Explore & Commit offers (11) sessions of small business training workshops, counseling and technical assistance, advice on accessing capital and networking opportunities.
Introduction Sessions are scheduled for
Class sessions begin January 10th in Corvallis – Room TBD.
Cost $349 with partial scholarships available based on income.
Before you leap into action and spend your savings starting a business, here is an opportunity to test your theory and see if it has a chance of succeeding.
To register or ask questions call 541-917-4974.
Note: You must attend an orientation to attend the class.
Launch Your Business is aimed at existing businesses that want to grow or expand. This nine-month instructor-led peer support group meets once a month for timely help with typical challenges faced by first-time entrepreneurs. Topics include: market niche, customer base, hiring & managing employees, using technology in your business etc. Included at no extra cost is two hours per month of confidential, one-on-one business advising!
Classes begin Monday, January 23, 2012 and generally meet the third Monday of each month except holidays. Cost $299 with partial scholarships available. Room CC213, 6:30pm-8:30pm.
To register or ask questions call 541-917-4923
Veteran’s Small Business Management Program
Based on the highly successful Small Business Management Program but tailored to the specific needs of Veteran Entrepreneurs. Nine valuable classroom sessions and monthly personal advising meetings to work on individual business needs.
Contact to for more information or to register: 541-917-4923
Starting the first week in December the BEC will sponsor and host (location TBD) the reinstituted SWOT process that former BEC member John Sechrest ran so successfully over at the Chamber-Coalition. Companies can pitch and get feedback from seasoned industry veterans on their business plan, and meet and network with a group of successful business professionals, many who are local investors. This can be an ask for money but usually it is a “pre-ask” tune up that allows the start-ups to improve their business plan and idea to the point when they do ask, they receive.
For a small up-front fee of $50 for the first session, the start-up team gets at least an hour’s audience.
If the company wants a second or third round, the price goes up to $100 for the second session and $250 for the final round.
Will It Fly? Come to the BEC and find the answer.
The Planning Advisory Committee (PAC) held its first meeting Oct. 4th. to kick-off the start of a year long process to update the Corvallis Municipal Airport Master Plan. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recommends that airports update their long term planning documents every seven to ten years. The last Master Plan update for Corvallis was in 2001. So it is that time again!
Corvallis received a grant from the FAA to cover 95% of the cost with the remaining 5% being a city match. Using federal guidelines for consultant selection, Coffman Associates, a national aviation planning firm, was selected to do the update. Airport planner, Patrick Taylor, project manager, led the PAC through the orientation and process requirements. PAC member, Biff Traber (541-766-6498 )is representing the City on the airport commission. The BEC is represented by Bill Ford and Kyle Mason who will take an active role in the process.
Follow the progress on the Corvallis Municipal Airport Web or on the Industrial Lands page of the Business Enterprise Center web site. If you have a good idea for consideration please submit it to one of the PAC members, call 541-758-4009, or email thebec@thebec.com. This is a public process and there will be at least one public general meeting prior to publication of the updated plan.
Stay tuned for updates.