Multnomah County Commissioner Judy Shiprack, who represents residents in much of East Portland (District 3), will address the East Portland Chamber of Commerce (EPCC) at 7:30 am, Wednesday, February 15, in the lower level Education Center B of the Adventist Medical Center, 10123 SE Market St.

The event is complimentary and open to the public with time designated for business networking.

Shiprack was elected to the county’s governing body in 2008 and helped lead the implementation of the Multnomah Food Initiative, a countywide food action plan, and a county program to divert mentally ill from jail into treatment. She leads a drive to encourage healthier families and reduce children’s exposure to violence, crime and abuse.

A former instructor at Portland’s Jefferson and Madison high schools, Shiprack studied at Reed College and earned a law degree from the Lewis and Clark Law School. In the early 1980s she served as a Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney.

In 1986, she was elected as a state representative from her southeast Portland neighborhood. She made her mark in the legislature with the Oregon Youth Conservation Corps. After leaving the legislature she created a not-for-profit affordable housing development corporation and has made low-income family assistance a focus ever since.

As a county commissioner, Shiprack co-chairs with Portland Mayor Sam Adams the Local Public Safety Coordinating Council (LPSCC), a partnership of public safety agencies designed to foster cooperation among the many law enforcement and public safety departments within the boundaries of Multnomah County.

If you run a brick and mortar business here in Portland, and you want customers to find your business online, then this evening shouldn’t be missed.

Come yourself, bring your employees, but you can leave your web designer because this is a totally non-technical class that will teach you exactly what you need to do to get visibility in the local search engine results.

Scott Hendison, the CEO of Search Commander, Inc. is presenting this hour-long session with plenty of time for questions and answers afterward.  There will be 20 – 30 minutes of networking, then an hour long presentation, followed by all the Q&A time anyone needs.

Everyone attending will leave with actionable steps that can be accomplished by themselves or any employee that can follow your directions.  The plan will outline in detail exactly what you need to do in order to get your business claimed and visible by the big three search engines and at the data providers for the rest of the internet.

No technical expertise or programming skills are required, and no changes to your website may even be necessary.

When:
February 16th, 2012 – 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm

Where:
Red Lion Inn – Portland Convention Center

Find out more here  –  or register to attend here

As members of the east Portland Chamber of Commerce for four years now,  SEMpdx is happy to have this chance to remind other EPCC members that our sixth annual SearchFest is coming up fast, February 24th 2012, returning to the Governor hotel in Portland for the third straight year.

Last year we had nearly 400 attendees in the all day event, with speakers from all over the United States. If you’ve been thinking of attending a SES show, SMX or even Pubcon, you’ll see the same speakers here for a fraction of what those conferences cost.

The full day agenda is here,  you can read interviews with almost all of the speakers here, or find out more about SearchFest here. There’s an early bird discount too, saving at least $50 if you buy your tickets before midnight this Saturday.

On January 17th the LivingWell Bistro at Adventist Medical Center was featured on KATU channel 2 news. Reporter Brian Wood visited the vegan bistro and was very impressed with the food. Take a look at the video.

You can lean more at the LivingWell Bistro website or on the Adventist Medical Center Facebook page.

I wrote this article on my own blog and thought it was worth sharing here.  I get asked what the importance of social media is and why any time should be invested in it.  The article below addresses both of those questions.

Why do I need Social Media?

As Jeffery Gitomer says – social media is the new cold call!  We are all in business to make money and unless you have enough money to hire a sales person, you are in sales. We all know the traditional way of the cold call – door to door, business to business, pounding the pavement, dialing for dollars.

Snow Cap Charities is having their Valentine’s Dinner and Auction February 4th at the Holiday Inn Conference Center, and tickets are $50.00 each.

For every order of $500.00 or more placed with Home Run Graphics by January 31st, 2012 We will purchase a ticket for the event in your name and deliver it to your office before the event.

Orders over $1,000.00 receive 2 tickets and orders over $5,000.00 will receive a table for 8. Please help Snow Cap help others. For more information call 503-504-2273 or go to the Snow Cap website.

Rose Community Development will host a free forum next month to present to potential home buyers accurate and relevant information about homeownership opportunities specifically in East Portland.

The first forum, conducted in the Lents neighborhood last fall, yielded three finalists for the downpayment assistance grant drawing.

The next forum will be at David Douglas High School on Wednesday, February 15, from 6 to 8:30 pm. A third forum is scheduled for April.

The forums are open to the public, and is considered an equal housing opportunity. We have heard positive feedback from our community of potential homebuyers, realtors, and lenders alike for these events and are prepared to bring another round of education and resources to our second installment of the forums.

Exhibitors are also being invited to participate in both the February and April forums. Fees range from $100 to  $200 with some complimentary tables for cultural programs and neighborhood associations. Space is limited; tables will be allocated on a first-to-register basis.

For more information, email vivian@rosecdc.org or call 503-788-8052 extension 14.

How can businesses impact political policy?

Oregonians Credit Union Vice President Charlotte Shinn will answer that question and more at the East Portland Chamber of Commerce (EPCC) weekly networking meeting on Wednesday, January 18, at 7:30 am in the lower level Education Center B of the Adventist Medical Center, 10123 SE Market St.

The event is complimentary and open to the public with time designated for business networking.

Shinn, who is chair of the Oregon-Washington Credit Union Executive Society and serves on the Northwest Credit Union Association’s Legislative Advocacy Committee, has extensive experience explaining to state legislators and congressional leaders the unique role of credit unions in the financial industry.

Her insights into how to navigate the political process will be shared at the chamber meeting.

Shinn heads up Oregonians’ Business and Community Development division and has more than 20 years in the credit union industry.

In her personal life, she is a writer, golfer, wife and mother of a college student with the goal of running a half-marathon this year. She earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Oregon and an MBA from the University of Phoenix.

The East Portland Chamber’s Government and Economic Affairs Committee is sponsoring this event. For more information about the East Portland Chamber, visit www.eastportlandchamberofcommerce.com.