From: Kate Gibson
Sent: Monday, February 01, 2010 8:33 AM
To: 'abc@123.org'
Subject: News from MERIT- spotlight on Diane Bishop
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News of MERIT- Spotlight on Ladies of Liberty |
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Dear Kate, If you know people who are considering self- employment, please
forward this newsletter to them. We start up a new group of training classes
in February in Salem and McMinnville. For more information about MERIT,
please visit http://merit.chemeketa.edu.
Thanks for your support of MERIT! Forrest Peck
MERIT provides business planning services through our
MicroEnterprise Training course, which uses the nationally recognized
FastTrac® curriculum developed by the Kauffman Foundation. Orientation Sessions will be held in English and Spanish in Salem
on February 8th from 6-9 pm at the SBDC at 626 High Street NE. The
orientation session in McMinnville will be held on February 10th from 6-9 pm
in the Housing Authority of Yamhill County at 135 Dunn Place. Find out more about what MERIT has to offer by calling Forrest
at (503) 399-5088 or by visiting MERIT online.
Ladies of Liberty Mercantile, owned by MERIT client Diane
Bishop, is a gathering place to hone your quilting and sewing skills, to
learn the history of the craft, and to connect with like-minded people. The
shop specializes in reproductions of nineteenth century fabric. At block of
the month club meetings, participants complete a quilt and learn about the
history of quilts in the Civil War era or the Underground Railroad. A new workshop
this month will teach participants how to build Heirloom Dolls. Beginning
sewing or quilting classes are also offered. Visit
her website and learn more. Diane loves her shop because, "In this business, customers
want to know you, care about you, be a part of your life in a way that they
don't with other businesses. I have struggled with finding a balance between
being social with customers and getting work done in the shop. I talk too
much!" She had always dreamed of opening up a fabric and quilting shop.
When she heard about MERIT it seemed "that might be just what I need. I
already knew how to sew and knew how to work with people. What I didn't know
was how to apply for financing, how to keep my books, how to run a
business.The MERIT class was my first time telling my dream to someone other
than my closest friends. And I started to think; maybe this is really going
to happen." Next month Diane will be celebrating the one year
anniversary of her grand opening! From now through December 19th, you are entered into a raffle to
win a prize when you make purchases from participating businesses in
Independence - including MERIT client Ladies of Liberty Mercantile! The
prizes range in value from $50 to $100 and include: movie tickets, a hair cut
and color, a catered party and more!
Got a business idea? Not sure how to get started? If this
describes you or someone you know we have good news. MERIT has a class where you can test your business idea in an
informal, confidential setting. We call this Entrepreneurs 101, and we now
offer it monthly in two locations. Best of all it's free!
The class is held the second Thursday of every month in each of
these locations. In January, the classes will be held on Thursday January 14th
at 12 pm in Dallas and at 2pm in McMinnville. To register for the next
Entrepreneurs 101 class, please call the Chemeketa Small Business Development
Center at 503- 399-5088.
We are seeking volunteers to translate our marketing materials
into Spanish. This includes our brochures and fliers, as well as the content
of our website. We are also seeking established business owners to serve as
mentors to Spanish-speaking clients who have completed the MERIT class and
are in the early stages of starting their businesses. If you know someone who speaks Spanish as their first language
and would like to start a business, please refer them to our upcoming Spanish
MERIT class this February. For more information, contact Kate Gibson: kgibso17@chemeketa.edu. Thank you to
the volunteers who have already contacted us and begun to translate our
materials. We couldn't do it without your support!
The MERIT program is in the process of applying for funding
through the City of Salem's Community Development Block Grant. One of the
objectives of the CDBG program is to provide expanded economic opportunities
for people of low or moderate income. We will be applying for a
MicroEnterprise Grant to fund our classes in Salem for fiscal year 2010-2011.
Last year, the block grant funded three MicroEnterprise Training
classes in Salem. Twenty-five Salem city residents completed the training and
thirteen of them are already in business. Written comments are welcome and must be received by 4:30 p.m.,
December 15, 2009, at the Small Business Development Center, 626 High Street
NE, Salem.
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email: forrest.peck@chemeketa.edu phone: (503) 399-5088 |
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