Multnomah County is dedicated to fostering an equitable business environment by connecting local entrepreneurs with the specialized tools and technical assistance needed to succeed. These resources are free to low-cost programs designed to help small businesses navigate complex regulatory environments, access new capital, and compete for public and private contracts effectively. By leveraging these resources, your firm can overcome technical barriers and scale its operations within our community.
General Business Support
Multnomah County: Library
Discover FREE resources at the newly renovated Multnomah County libraries to empower your entrepreneurial journey.
- What they offer: Free wifi, printing, study rooms, and events that can help you tune up your website, learn new online tools and more.
- Contact: Chat with a librarian, 503-988-5123
Certification Office for Business Inclusion and Diversity (COBID)
COBID is a State office that offers certification for businesses as any combination of: Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), Women Business Enterprise (WBE), Veteran Business Enterprise (VBE), Emerging Small Business (ESB), Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE), and/or Airport Concessions Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (ACDBE).
- What they offer: A certification that adds you to the State COBID directory so other businesses and public agencies can find you and do business with you. Some public agencies give preference to COBID-certified businesses.
- Contact: Biz.cobid@biz.oregon.gov, 503-986-0075
Oregon APEX Accelerator
APEX is essentially your free consulting firm for government sales. They help you navigate the complex world of local, state, and federal procurement.
- What they offer: One-on-one counseling on bid-matching, interpreting solicitations, proposal reviews, COBID-Certification support, and completing your SAM.gov or OregonBuys registrations.
- Unique Value: They can provide you with product and procurement histories, showing you what the government paid for similar services in the past so you can price your bids competitively.
- Direct Contact: Nada Maisse, Procurement Counselor, nmaisse@gcap.org, 503-702-6010
Small Business Legal Clinic (SBLC)
Legal hurdles can be a major "technical" barrier. The SBLC (part of Lewis & Clark Law School) provides pro-bono and low-cost legal services.
- What they offer: They help with contract reviews, intellectual property (trademarks/patents), and business entity formation/governance—services that would normally cost thousands of dollars in billable hours.
- Contact: sblc@lclark.edu, 503-768-6940
Prosper Portland: Inclusive Business Resource Network (IBRN)
IBRN is Prosper Portland’s citywide alliance of community-based partners that create a central hub for small business support in Portland.
- What they offer: IBRN connects entrepreneurs with a network of specialized partner organizations that provide one-on-one advising, legal services, accounting, and credit coaching.
- A few Key Partners in the Network:
- Livelihood NW: Offers in-depth technical assistance, bookkeeping setup, and growth planning. (Home to the Oregon Women’s Business Center).
- MESO (Micro Enterprise Services of Oregon): Provides capital access, business advising, and market research support.
- OAME (Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs): A long-standing resource for networking, technical assistance, and access to capital.
- Professional Business Development Group (PBDG): Focuses specifically on business development for minority and women-owned firms in the construction trades.
- Contact: IBRN@prosperportland.us, 503-823-3200
Office of Small Business Assistance (OSBA)
Housed within the Oregon Secretary of State’s office, the OSBA serves as an independent ombudsman for small businesses and nonprofits with 100 or fewer employees.
- What they offer: They provide a neutral voice for entrepreneurs by investigating complaints about state or local government agencies and helping business owners navigate complex regulatory hurdles.
- Contact: business.sos@sos.oregon.gov, 503-986-2193 (or toll-free at 844-469-5512)
Construction Sector
Multnomah County: Construction Diversity and Equity Fund (CDEF)
If your firm is in the construction or construction-adjacent sector, CDEF provides free, high-level technical assistance. You do not need to have an active contract with the County to apply.
- What they offer: Mentoring, technology selection/training, bid preparation, and business
growth planning. Apply here. - Unique Value: CDEF identifies your unique needs to partner you directly with a
specialized technical provider for individualized, one-on-one support. - Direct Contact: Maggie Chavez, Supplier Diversity Officer, CDEF@Multco.us, Cell 971-917-1976 (Hablo Español)
ODOT: Small Business Development Program (SBDP)
The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has a dedicated office for COBID firms to help them transition into being Prime Contractors.
- What they offer: They offer technical assistance in pre-qualification, business navigators to help you find highway projects, and a Mentor-Protégé program specifically for transportation-related construction.
- Direct Contact: Omar Alvarado, Small Business Programs Navigator, 503-385-6694, omar.alvarado@odot.oregon.gov (Hablo Español)
Port of Portland: Mentor-Protégé Program (MPP)
If you are looking to work on large-scale infrastructure at PDX or the marine terminals, this is the premier development long-term program.
- What they offer: It is a three-year program that pairs COBID-certified "protégés" with two experienced mentors from larger firms. They provide strategic planning, monthly classes, and specialized technical assistance specifically geared toward scaling up for Port-sized projects.
- Direct Contact: Irene Appel, Small Business Technical Assistance Specialist, Irene.Appel@portofportland.com, Cell 503-880-3370
NAMC-Oregon (National Association of Minority Contractors)
NAMC-Oregon is a nonprofit dedicated to advocating for and supporting construction-related businesses owned by People of Color.
- What they offer: They offer NAMC University (CCB continuing education credits), blueprint reading bootcamps, estimating workshops, and "Project Showcases" where you get direct access to bid opportunities on major public and private projects.
- Direct Contact: Kevin Sabeta, Project Coordinator, Kevin@namc-oregon.org, Cell 971-533-7211
Terms of Use for External Resources Multnomah County provides these links as a convenience to small businesses. The inclusion of any link does not imply endorsement by the County. The links provided are for informational purposes only. Multnomah County does not maintain these external websites and is not responsible for their content, accuracy, or availability. Users access these third-party resources at their own discretion and are subject to the terms and privacy policies of those specific sites.