By Oregon Small Business Association, The latest national newspaper circulation numbers show that only newspaper out of 25 largest to increase readership was the Wall Street Journal. The Oregonian performed the best out of the other top 20 newspapers. Biggest circulation drops among top 20 newspapers ranked by drop size (1) Los Angeles Times —14.7% […]

Portland pain #6 in bankruptcies, loses 37,00 jobs, key store By Oregon Small Business Association Business wrap-up It has been a string of bad news for Portland in the past 30 days.   Nationwide bankruptcies have increased by 52% according to Equifax.    Among the bankruptcy leaders is Portland, ranked at sixth highest, and Oregon ranked as […]

Case study on how Pixetell changes Office Phone Pixetell has dramatically changed the way Mark Friel does business.  The vice president of Pacific Real Estate Partners in Portland, OR, says Pixetell has replaced the telephone for many of his transactional communications. “Sending someone a Pixetell is, in many cases, much better than a phone conversation,” […]

Growth in Green Energy Sector Pushes Expansion of Vancouver, WA Vocational School NW Renewable Energy Institute: Due to the high demand for qualified wind turbine technicians, Northwest Renewable Energy Institute (NW-REI) of Vancouver, Washington has expanded its available classroom space from 9,026 square feet to 14,526 square feet. NW-REI offers a six-month Wind Turbine Technician […]

Oregon Small Business Association Update: (1) Jobs: The Oregon Employment Department reported this week that the state unemployment rate fell form 11% to 10.5%.  Economist are talking about Oregon passing the turning point in the economy. (2) Metro Recovery: The Portland Metro Business Index rose 1.8% with great news on housing.   The chart below shows […]

By Oregon Small Business Association, William Poundstone’s bottom line: consumers don’t really know what anything should cost. In his book “Priceless,” Poundstone zestfully and entertainingly explains the economics, psychology, and intellectual reasoning surrounding the ways in which producers and sellers take advantage of buyers’ lack of knowledge. Cost and price are two different notions; the […]

PC Repair shops fail hidden tests By Oregon Small Business Association, Two different studies this year exposed serious problems in the computer repair industry which often goes unquestioned by many businesses.   The Wall Street Journal did a secret study with in-store computer repair being offered by big box chain stores.   Sky News did a hidden […]

Black Friday & Cyber Monday: Some Quick Facts •    Black Friday spending rose 0.5%, ($54 million), to $10.7 billion, this year from last year. •    Online sales up 17% (Thurs. to  Sun.)  over the same period last year. •    Cyber Monday up 11%, more than they did a year ago.

Polls show recession not over, and publis wants business to help not government 82% of Americans think the recession is not over 62% said business will play a larger role in helping the economy recovery than government 45% rated the economy as the most important issue 62% believe economic growth should take priority over environment

FLIR Hopes to Bring Military Technology into the Home By Oregon Small Business Association, Little-known Flir Systems (FLIR), the world leading provider of infrared technology used by militaries across the globe, hopes to bring its technology to motor vehicles.  FLIR’s success booms despite the recession because of the need for infrared technology, especially during a […]