PCC Small Business Development Center (SBDC)

11/01/2026

🎃 No tricks, just treats! This Halloween, we're shining a spotlight on another one of the amazing people working behind the scenes to help small businesses thrive at PCC Small Business Development Center (SBDC)!

Meet Sharon Quillen, Client Services Coordinator and one of the friendly faces helping small business owners take the next step in their business journey. As a go-to resource for new and existing clients, Sharon helps connect business owners with the right advisors, programs and resources to turn their goals into reality. From answering questions and guiding clients through available services to keeping day-to-day processes running smoothly, Sharon plays an important role in making sure entrepreneurs feel supported every step of the way.

As she puts it, her work is all about ensuring entrepreneurs have access to "the resources, guidance, and support they need to start, grow, and strengthen their businesses."

And when she's not helping small businesses, Sharon is busy making memories with her family! With twin boys, a dog named Comet and two cats, there's never a dull moment. Whether they're exploring the great outdoors, spending time on the water or trying something new, adventure is always on the agenda.

"I'm always up for a new adventure," Sharon shares, and that same welcoming, helpful spirit is part of what makes her such a valued member of the PCC SBDC team.

This Halloween and always, we're grateful for the people like Sharon who make supporting small businesses such a treat!

10/26/2026

What could your business accomplish in the next year?

The PCC Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and Portland Metro Chamber are offering 15 scholarships for the 2027 Advanced Small Business Management Program, bringing the cost down to just $500 thanks to Bank of America.

From February through November, you'll gain practical strategies to grow revenue, improve operations, strengthen your team, and scale your business through expert instruction, peer learning, and monthly one-on-one advising.

🎉 Applications are due October 31. Apply now: https://portlandmetrochamber.com/events-programs/programs/small-business-management-scholarship-program

10/13/2026

🚀 Ready to grow your small business? Scholarships are now open!

Every year, the PCC Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and Portland Metro Chamber team up to help small businesses thrive. Thanks to Bank of America, 15 small businesses can join the February–November 2027 Small Business Management Program for just $500. The program helps small business owners learn how to grow revenue, strengthen operations, build their teams and so much more.

🎉 Applications are due October 31st. Apply now: https://portlandmetrochamber.com/events-programs/programs/small-business-management-scholarship-program/

Scholarship applications are open for the Small Business Management Program!

The Portland Metro Chamber, in partnership with Portland Community College Small Business Development Center, is offering scholarships for its 10-month Small Business Management Program.

The program runs February–November 2027 and helps small business owners grow revenue, improve operations, build their teams, and strengthen their businesses.

Thanks to support from Bank of America, 15 small businesses can participate at a reduced cost of $500.

Scholarship recipients will also receive a complimentary two-year Portland Metro Chamber membership.

Apply by Oct. 31: https://bit.ly/4xTtNgC

09/30/2026

As summer winds down and another fall rolls in, we’re continuing to highlight some of the people who keep the PCC Small Business Development Center (SBDC) moving forward.

Meet Yevette Johnson, PCC SBDC Program Specialist and an important part of the administrative team powering the day-to-day work behind the scenes. Yevette wears many hats, from helping manage daily operations to leading New Client Orientation, where she welcomes new small business owners, learns where they are in their business journey and helps connect them with the SBDC resources that best fit their needs.

She also works alongside program teams to maintain the quality and consistency of trainings while exploring new ways to meet the ever-changing needs of small business owners. In other words, Yevette helps make sure both the people and the programs at PCC SBDC are set up for success.

And when she’s not helping entrepreneurs find their way, you can probably find Yevette finding the fish. She and her partner are avid anglers who spend plenty of weekends on the beautiful waterways of the Pacific Northwest. In fact, Yevette and her team reeled in a pretty impressive accomplishment: winning the 2025 Lipstick Salmon Tournament, an all-women fishing tournament out of Astoria!

Whether she’s helping a new client navigate PCC SBDC or navigating PNW waters with a fishing pole in hand, Yevette knows a thing or two about finding the right path forward.

09/20/2026

Got a business idea you've been sitting on — or an existing business you’re ready to take to the next level? Now is a great time to jump in. Registration is closing soon for the PCC Small Business Development Center (SBDC)'s (PCC SBDC) Business Builders training program, and we’d love to have you join us.

You’ll spend 12 weeks learning alongside a supportive community of small business owners, guided by advisors who know the real challenges (and wins!) of entrepreneurship. Many beloved local spots — BearKat Brewing Company, Aspen Audiology, Eggs & Co — started right here. Imagine what you could build! Sign up by September 22: https://www.pcc.edu/small-business/business-builders/

09/16/2026

What happens when a lifelong climber combines his love of adventure, old-growth forests and entrepreneurship? Meet Leo Fisher, owner of Tree Climbing at Silver Falls, where guests can experience Oregon’s forests from hundreds of feet above the ground.

After more than a decade in business, Leo joined the Advanced Small Business Management training program at the PCC Small Business Development Center (SBDC) to keep learning, strengthen his marketing and financial decision-making, and connect with other small business owners navigating similar challenges.

Leo shares how he found his unique niche, pushed beyond his marketing comfort zone, created more sustainable business practices and expanded access to tree climbing through adaptive experiences for people with disabilities, wheelchair users and older adults. His advice to other entrepreneurs?
“Jump out there and just get in…you just have do it and figure things out as you go.”

Learn how the PCC SBDC can help you start or grow your business by signing up for training programs like Business Builders or Getting Your Recipe to Market: https://oregonsbdc.org/center/Portland-SBDC/

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08/19/2026

Small business owners juggle a lot, and the jargon doesn’t always make things easier. So your friends from the PCC SBDC are kicking off a new series breaking down one key business term at a time — short, simple, and actually useful.

This week’s word: Value Proposition.

Follow along as we unpack more terms that help you run smarter, plan better, and grow with confidence.

08/18/2026

ICYMI: PCC Small Business Development Center (SBDC) lit up KGW-TV's Hello, Rose City! with a five‑minute spotlight on our Getting Your Recipe to Market training program and its 20‑year impact. More than 7,600 viewers tuned in as PCC SBDC staff, Jill Beaman, Kayla Banda and Elisa Wickstrom, broke down how local makers turn home recipes into shelf‑ready products — with help from Oregon State's Food Innovation Center, Portland Oregon and New Seasons Market. A big win for Oregon’s small business community!

Jill Beaman, Kayla Banda and Elisa Wickstrom shined on 'Hello, Rose City!,' showcasing PCC's expert support for food entrepreneurs and businesses

08/05/2026

The PCC Small Business Development Center (SBDC) team hit KGW-TV's Hello! Rose City this morning to celebrate 20 years of Getting Your Recipe to Market (GYRM) — and the partnerships powering Portland’s food entrepreneur scene.

Portland Community College SBDC advisor, Kayla Banda, joined GYRM co-facilitators Jill Beaman and Elisa Wickstrom to share how PCC SBDC, OSU's Food Innovation Center, Portland Oregon, and New Seasons Market have helped local makers turn kitchen recipes into retail-ready products. Today, you can spot GYRM alumni on shelves across Oregon and beyond.

Watch the feature and celebrate two decades of building businesses, filling grocery shelves, and strengthening Oregon’s local food economy.

08/04/2026

Dr. Katy Mawson opened Aspen Audiology with one goal: to make hearing healthcare more human. As both an audiologist and a hearing aid user, she knows the challenges firsthand — and she’s built her clinic around accessibility, transparency, and whole‑person care. “Healthcare should be accessible to all people…This is the fundamental foundation of my business.”

Like many new entrepreneurs, she needed support navigating hiring, marketing, funding, and legal steps. Enter the PCC Small Business Development Center (SBDC). With help from the Capital Access Team and the Business Builders training program, she secured funding, built her operational plan, and opened her Beaverton clinic in just five months. “Jackie and Kayla helped answer so many of those questions for me!”

Today, she’s breaking stigmas, connecting with patients through shared experience, and helping people rediscover the sounds that shape their lives. “I love showing patients how technology can improve their health and their life.” Her message to other business owners? You don’t have to figure it out alone. “There is something at the PCC SBDC for everyone.”