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Visibility & connection for Portland
neighborhoods & small businesses

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ABOUT

Hello from my little corner of Portland.

I'm Stephanie.

I've built a career around communications and community, and what that looks like continues to evolve. Lately, it's brought me deep into Portland's neighborhood ecosystem. With ninety-five distinct neighborhoods, Portland is one of the most neighborhood-identified cities in the country. That's what makes this city so vibrant.

When these neighborhoods are strong, the small businesses within thrive. Neighborhood organizations are the engine behind that strength, and they're most effective when they collaborate. I work to make that happen by connecting the associations, identifying shared challenges, and making sure the small businesses inside them stay visible.

Neighborhood-First Communications Approach: A shared communications layer for neighborhood & business associations

For small businesses

Drawing on over twenty years of experience, I work with small businesses as a consultant, advocate, and advisor. I've founded two communications-focused businesses, one in San Francisco and one here in Portland. On the nonprofit side, I co-founded Bike Zambia, a 300-mile fundraising ride through Zambia that ran for eight years before merging with World Bicycle Relief. As VP of the board, I oversaw many of the projects the organization funded: a school kitchen, an HIV testing center, annual bike donations to schools across the region, and a clinic expansion.

As a volunteer mentor with SCORE, I provide pro-bono advisory services to entrepreneurs and business owners. On the Leadership Team, I'm focused on expanding the organization's community presence, creating connections between volunteers, and recruiting mentors who are still active in the workforce. The pairing of seasoned entrepreneurial wisdom with current workforce thinking is what contributes to SCORE's strength.

SmallBiz

Neighborhoods

For neighborhoods

The SE Portland Communications Roundup grew out of a noticeable gap: the neighborhood and business associations across SE Portland weren't talking to each other. So I rounded up a growing group of communications leads from across the neighborhood and business associations to collaborate, share resources, and work smarter. We are building a shared infrastructure beyond our monthly meetings: a community calendar, a Google Group, and an accessible way to communicate and connect across the associations.

This thinking has its roots within a single neighborhood. As Communications Chair for both the Woodstock Neighborhood Association (WNA) and Community Business Association (WCBA), I have been part of an effort to increase collaboration between these groups. They have distinct missions but overlapping audiences, and can increase one another's neighborhood visiblity. New ideas have emerged from this opportunity, including the Communications Roundup.