Portland’s governments were open for business – and businesses – at the third annual Small Business Open House at the Oregon Convention Center Feb. 23.

Small business owners, particularly women, minorities and those of businesses just emerging, were invited to meet with Metro and Multnomah County officials to learn how to get their foot in the door in taking on city projects.

Metro procurement manager Gabriele Schuster said diversity in contracting is very important.

“[It] creates a healthy economy and builds capacity," Schuster said. "It also, most importantly, I think, adds different perspectives, because you all come from different background and can all add very valuable things to the table that are important for us as a government when we work on our projects."

According to Schuster, the event helps these small businesses navigate through the complicated government processes.

“We want you to be successful,” she said.

Gabriele Schuster, procurement manager at Metro, and Lee Fleming, supplier diversity officer of Multnomah County, inform small business owners of the importance of becoming COBID certified and using ORPIN.

Lee Fleming, Multnomah County’s supplier diversity officer, said that because projects under $150,000 don’t have to be advertised, he worries that the same companies are getting the county’s business again and again.

To curb such situations, one of the main messages of the evening was of promoting ORPIN, the Oregon Procurement Information Network, as a means of finding the government contracts available in one place.

The event's other message was that businesses that qualify should get certified with the Certification Office for Business Inclusion & Diversity, or COBID. COBID used to be known as the Office of Minority, Women and Emerging Small Business, but has been recently updated to include service disabled veteran certification as well.

“If you’re not certified,” said Fleming, “I implore you to become certified, because we’re looking for you.”

Business owners felt that the open house was an excellent opportunity.

“It’s good that everybody’s here, donating their time to make those connections in the business community,” said photographer Naim Hasan.“It’s great to get the departments together in one place and give folks like me an opportunity to meet some of those important key stakeholders."

Tony Jones is the executive director of Metropolitan Contractor Improvement Partnership, a nonprofit that provides training and support to construction businesses.

The nonprofit’s roots come from its founding organization called the National Association of Minority Contractors of Oregon, which has the primary mission of building the capacity of minority or disadvantaged construction businesses.

Jones said the open house was exactly the kind of thing the partnership looks for.

Small business owners and government officials met at the Small Business Open House Feb. 23 at the Oregon Convention Center.

“It’s cool to get the forecast,” Jones said. “I mean, that’s what contractors always want to know – what projects are coming down the road – that’s what we want to know so that we can plan and let them know the opportunities to pay attention to, be aware of.”

Julia Thompson, president of Aerowelding and Fab, said her and her husband’s company is in its seventh year of business. The company is a welding and fabrication firm that does work on aircrafts, cruise ships, wineries and is now working with structural steel.

She said she was attending the open house because Aerowelding and Fab is ready for more work with the local governments.

“We’ve done some small odd and end jobs, but nothing major,” Thompson said. “Hopefully soon."

Electrical contractor AnneMarie Cheesman and her husband Tracy Cheesman came to the open house because of Tracy’s emerging small businesses, Marble Manor and Cutting Edge Media and Design.

“We're a perfect example of what they advertised,” said AnneMarie Cheesman. “ORPIN threw it up there that they were going to have this free get-to-know-us. You know, ‘We are going to be more accessible to you. Come on in, bring your friends.’”

So, she brought Tracy, who said he has thus far relied on “old-fashioned” word-of-mouth and advertising to bring in business.

The most important thing attendees could learn, AnneMarie Cheesman said, is how to become certified as an eligible business.

“They’re trying to show us that they don’t just use big contractors and big names to get their stuff done,” Tracy Cheesman said. “They use the locals and, ‘We use you guys to build our city and do our things that we need done.’”