Unite Oregon Launches Its Small Business Program In Rogue Valley

On Saturday, May 20th, Unite Oregon’s Small Business Program team, BRIDGES, held the first training dedicated to BIPOC small business owners in Jackson County. The “Start a Business/Grow your Business” training aims at creating a strong ecosystem that meets the needs of small business owners in Southern Oregon. BIPOC businesses, particularly the Latinx community, represent a substantial portion of the region’s economy. However, they face significant barriers to scaling up and growing their businesses. This lack of growth is a major challenge for our communities to build generational wealth.

Therefore, the training aimed to close the gaps to access and connectivity as foundations for small businesses to thrive. During the one-day training, Unite Oregon’s staff provided the participants with the necessary information to connect them to the resources available in their region and across Oregon and the tools to navigate the support system better .

“Eighteen years ago, I opened my small business, Pine Tree Preschool and Daycare. I went into business blindly. Once open, I have no idea where to find support to run my business successfully. I also thought that as a member of a minority and a woman, I would not succeed. Until this day, I have not found resources available to support our small business in the Rogue Valley” said Anita, a small business owner from Medford.

Eugenie Adamah-Tassah, the small business program manager at Unite Oregon, noted from this experience that “there is an outstanding lack of access to capital and resources for entrepreneurs.” To tackle this issue, Eugenie will work closely with the Unite Oregon Rogue Valley chapter,, to develop partnerships with the local governments and community organizations to coordinate resources and services for small businesses.

Furthermore, the small business team at Unite Oregon is working on increasing their capacity to better serve our community members. The team is adding a bilingual (Spanish/English) advisor manager, who will focus on providing one-on-one free business advising services, and a bilingual outreach coordinator to work on small business and childcare.

The training was delivered in English and Spanish to meet the participants' linguistic needs and ensure they had a clear understanding of the tools and resources received.

Become a sustainer to support Unite Oregon’s Small Business Program BRIDGES and its childcare component, Hope Grove.