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General Membership meetings

St. Johns Village

On Wednesday, December 16, 2020 Guest Speakers at the Boosters’ General Meeting were Andy Goebel and Chris Aiosa from Do Good Multnomah. They covered the St. Johns Transitional Housing Village. You can learn more about the project here.

The Good Neighbor Agreement was approved at the SJNA General Meeting on December 14, 2020, and you can find the draft below. Updates and communication will be available through St. Johns Neighborhood Association.

Landscape rendering of the St. Johns Village project.

Thank you to Convergence Architecture

Convergence Architecture donated over $80k of services for design and project coordination. Other neighborhood businesses that provided service donations are WCL Engineering, Rachel Hill Landscape Architect, Placecraft, and Gene Darco Painting. See the Convergence website portfolio page for more details and links to local businesses that donated.

  • St. Johns Village, Convergence Architecture, overhead view
  • St. Johns Village, Convergence Architecture, street view
  • St. Johns Village, Convergence Architecture, inside village view

St. Johns Village Good Neighbor Agreement: Revised Draft, 6-page PDF

Media Advisory December 17, 2020: Pods Begin Arriving, 4-page PDF

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General Membership meetings

July Boosters Meeting: Learn On-Site SEO

Abdu Alhoti in his Pizza Nostra kitchen.
Abdu Alhoti, Pizza Nostra owner & Boosters member.

Our July general membership meeting is this week! We are going back to John Street Cafe for this meeting. If you like, you can make their delicious breakfast part of your morning.

The featured speaker will be our own web designer, Mary Ann Aschenbrenner, who will talk about five free ways you can help your company website show up on search engine results. Bring your specific questions. A one-page handout will also be available to attendees.

Please review the June meeting minutes prior to Wednesday’s meeting: General Meeting Minutes, June 15th.

Boosters general membership meeting:

When: Wednesday, July 20th at 7:15 am
Where: John Street Cafe, 8338 N Lombard

Join the Boosters

The Boosters have supported business owners in St. Johns for 90 years. Learn how easy it is to join.

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General Membership meetings

Social Media Expert Scheduled for Boosters’ Meeting

Two Stroke Coffee interior
Two Stroke Coffee at 8926 N Lombard is the location of the June 15th Boosters’ meeting.

Come to the June 15th Boosters’ meeting to learn about using social media for branding and business growth. Guest speakers from Venture Portland, including Jacob Falkinberg, will present how to use Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and more. This is your chance to get your specific questions answered by an expert.

In addition, Karen Urban and Emily Stanfield will talk about Salty Teacup and the ingredients of their success.

Our general membership meeting is on Wednesday, June 15th and begins at 7:15 am. The location this month is Two Stroke Coffee, 8926 N Lombard St.

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General Membership meetings

Portland Business Alliance Networking, Another Benefit for Boosters Members

Matt Brown standing in the entrance to The Great North
Matt Brown, co-owner of The Great North and location of the May meeting.

On Wednesday, May 18th the St. Johns Boosters will host David Thompson, a representative of the Portland Business Alliance. David will give us the details on one of the benefits of Boosters membership … the opportunity to network at PBA events just like a PBA member!

Networking to build connections and referrals

Networking is based on the question, “How can I help?” and not, “What can I get?” It is the opportunity to establish relationships with people who you can help and who can help you.

The PBA offers multiple events each month where members meet, exchange information, socialize, and establish business relationships. While a membership in the PBA can seem expensive, membership in the St. Johns Boosters is affordable, even for a small business. Come to the May meeting to learn how you can use this member benefit.

Please note: Meeting Location Change

The May general meeting will be at a new member business, The Great North, a coffee house at 7373 N Burlington. Meeting begins at 7:15 am.

Agenda:

  • 7:15 am – Introductions
  • April minutes approval
  • Staff Reports
    • Treasurer
    • Communications and IT
    • Business District Relations
    • Events/Promotions
    • Operations
  • Old Business
  • Bylaws vote
  • Guest Speaker: Portland Business Alliance
  • Member business presentations (2)
  • New Business
  • 9:00 am – Adjourn

 

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General Membership meetings

New Laws for Oregon Employers

If you hire employees or are considering hiring in 2016, you should be familiar with the new Oregon employment law. At the March 16th Boosters meeting we welcome Attorney David James Robinson who will speak about new laws for Oregon employers including:

  • Ban the Box (HB 3025B)
  • Non-Compete Agreements (HB 3236)
  • Mandatory Sick Leave (Senate Bill 454 and Portland City Code Title 9)
  • Wage Transparency (HB 2007)
  • Marijuana
  • Changes in the minimum wage

David James Robinson, Attorney at Law
David James Robinson, Attorney at Law

Don’t leave yourself exposed to potential discrimination lawsuits or fines. Come to this meeting to learn and prepare your company for these changes.

Mr. Robinson is a Portland attorney specializing in business solutions including business startups and commercial leases. He helps his clients transact wealth and also offers wealth planning solutions that include estate and retirement planning.

He runs a sustainable and digital practice, bikes to appointments with clients, and gives back to the community by donating his legal expertise to qualified nonprofit organizations. You can learn more about him as his website: DavidJamesRobinson.com.

Meeting Location:

John Street Cafe, 8338 N Lombard St.

Agenda:

  • 7:15 am – Introductions
  • February meeting minutes approval
  • Staff Reports
    • Treasurer
    • Communications and IT
    • Business District Relations
    • Events/Promotions
  • Old Business
  • Guest Speaker – New Laws for Oregon Employers
  • New Business
  • 9:00 am – Adjourn

 

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General Membership meetings

Crime Prevention in St. Johns

We love St Johns mural
We love St. Johns mural on the Tulip Pastry Shop.

General Membership Meeting

Crime continues to be a concern for business owners in St. Johns. Petty thefts, graffiti and, occasional, sometimes violent interactions with alcohol or drug dependent residents and passersby are problems we deal with as part of this urban environment.

On Wednesday, February 17th, we welcome Meg Juarez and Jenna Plank who will speak on crime prevention, contacting the police and other City resources. Juarez is the Crime Prevention Coordinator from the Office of Neighborhood Involvement, and Plank is our Neighborhood Deputy District Attorney from the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office.

Bring your questions, concerns, and suggestions to this General Membership meeting of the St. Johns Boosters. Meeting begins at 7:15 am at the John Street Cafe, 8338 N Lombard.

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General Membership meetings St. Johns Boosters

Oregon’s Small Business Advocate

Introducing Ruth Miles

I run with scissors.

Ruth Miles
Ruth Miles
Oregon’s Small Business Advocate

Oregon scores in the middle of the pack in terms of its business environment. That’s little consolation to a small business owner facing a troubling situation with state government. When every miscommunication with the state can cost your business money, it’s good to know that there’s someone who can step in and help.

What does that kind of help look like and who can get it?

Oregon’s Small Business Advocate, Ruth Miles, will be presenting at the January 20th St. Johns Boosters breakfast meeting and will walk through how she helped one small business and unveil small business data and trends observed in Oregon during 2015.

With 18 years of experience running small businesses to add to her nine years of service in the legislative branch, Ruth Miles understands first-hand the challenges entrepreneurs face. She’s crisscrossed Oregon over the last two years to visit with business leaders and associations, chambers of commerce and community partners to hear their concerns about getting caught in red tape.  And everywhere she goes, she runs with scissors.

The St. Johns Boosters invite you to attend this general membership meeting beginning at 7:15 am at John Street Cafe, 8338 N Lombard.