Reform needed over wood product certification  By Oregon Small Business Association Oregon’s federal lawmakers have taken a strong stand against China’s unfair and manipulative trade practices that have made its government-subsidized wood and paper products artificially cheap in the U.S. market. Chinese firms are also reaping huge profits from illegal logging. “American manufacturers can’t compete […]

By Oregon Small Business Association Ordering a double-shot latte is easier and faster these days using Starbucks’ mobile payment program. Even before its recent $25 million investment in Square, the San Francisco mobile payments startup, Starbucks had been processing a million mobile-phone transactions per week. The Seattle-based coffee chain released its first mobile app in […]

By OSBA Consumer Cellular opens 650 jobs When T-Mobile closed its call center earlier this year, 359 workers lost their jobs. Those employees were offered positions at other T-Mobile locations. But now they have another option. Consumer Cellular, a Portland-based wireless and cellphone service provider, leased the 77,000 square-foot call center and plans to eventually […]

OSBA President TJ Reilly speaking at a dinner event in Portland this week while detailing important business ballot measures on the November ballot. By Oregon Small Business Association, TJ emphasized Measure 79 the ban on real estate transfer taxes which if local real estate transfer taxes spread to other counties would greatly increase the cost […]

Consumer rating shows nation’s favorite businesses By Oregon Small Business Association Red Lobster is more satisfactory to American consumers than any other restaurant this year; in fact, it earned the highest score in the 18th annual ratings of the American Customer Satisfaction Index. Americans love their pizza, too; Papa John’s also earned an 83% satisfaction […]

By Oregon Small Business Association, The Oregon Small Business Association supports common sense efforts to add public input into important and expensive decisions on public transit rail projects.   OSBA supports the Clackamas County measure 3-401 to require public approval of light rail projects which is set for a September 18th vote. We see this issue […]

By TJ Reilly President Oregon Small Business Association Small businesses today rely upon mobile connectivity more than ever before. Just as consumer demand for smartphones and tablets has skyrocketed, small businesses also increasingly depend on mobile devices for everything from daily operations to connecting with their customers and clients.

By Oregon Small Business Association The 787 Dreamliner, an all-new airplane design with advanced features increasing efficiency and improving air travel experience, stopped in Portland for two days at Boeing’s Paint Hangar at Portland International Airport. The Dreamliner is uses 20% less fuel than previous models and with already over 800 orders represents a giant […]

By Oregon Small Business Association One of the NW’s largest employers, Microsoft, is laying off employees in its marketing division. About 25,000 of the company’s 90,000 full-time employees work in sales and marketing, and CEO Steve Ballmer apparently doesn’t think that the software giant’s sales justify the nearly $14 billion it spent on sales and […]

By Oregon Small Business Association A smart phone App called MailStop and a new Dish Network DVR dubbed “The Hopper” give consumers the power to eliminate junk mail and commercials. Junk Mail-Blocking Apps The United States Postal Service, plagued by financial woes, now must deal with a new smart phone App called MailStop that notifies […]