This month the Oregon Small Business Development Center Network will launch the Grow Oregon pilot program created by the 2011 Legislature’s Economic Gardening initiative.
Economic Gardening focuses on assisting second-stage, traded sector companies that demonstrate potential for fast growth. Targeted Oregon businesses can receive assistance consisting of market research and professional consulting. Business Oregon was tasked with identifying a contractor to implement and deliver the Grow Oregon services and will continue to act as the program administrator.
Oregon’s pilot Economic Gardening program—Grow Oregon—will run until June 30, 2013. At the end of this period, an economic impact analysis of the program will be conducted, the results of which will be presented to the Legislature.
Assistance under the program may include market research, Web site and search engine optimization, social media development, geographical information systems (GIS), strategic consulting and CEO peer networking. Clients will receive one-on-one counseling subject to a non-refundable application fee of $250. The Oregon Legislature provided $300,000 to help implement the Grow Oregon program with a goal to serve at least 40 companies.
Services will be provided to businesses that are: traded sector companies with between 10 and 100 employees; have had between $1 million and $50 million in annual gross sales in the previous year; have demonstrated growth in three of the last five years prior to application to the Grow Oregon pilot program based upon gross sales, net profitability and/or net employment.
Intake, assessment and implementation of the Grow Oregon pilot program will be provided by employees of the Oregon Small Business Development Center Network in partnership with consultants affiliated with Southern Oregon University, Oregon State University, University of Oregon, Oregon Manufacturing Extension Partnership, Oregon Microenterprise Network, Oregon Entrepreneurs Network and other non-profit technical service providers.
The Oregon Small Business Development Center Network will begin accepting applications this month.
