Visibility & connection for Portland
neighborhoods & small businesses
Hello from my little corner of Portland.
I'm Stephanie.
I care about the people and stories behind the storefronts and block associations that make up this fine city.
I lean into the fact that Portland is one of the most neighborhood-identified cities in the country. We have ninety-five recognized neighborhoods, each with its own voice. That structure is what holds this city together.
When these neighborhoods are strong, the small businesses within thrive. And neighborhood orgs are stronger when they talk to each other. I work to make that happen by connecting the associations, identifying shared challenges, and making sure the small businesses inside them stay visible.
For small businesses
In the small business arena, I work with the nonprofit group SCORE, providing pro-bono advisory services to small businesses. When federal funding cuts hit in 2025, I stepped into a role on the leadership team. Since then I've been responsible for creating community connections, keeping the mentoring team engaged, and recruiting mentors who are still active in the workforce. The pairing of legacy wisdom with current-day thinking is what makes SCORE's model so powerful, and it costs clients nothing.
For neighborhoods
I started the SE Portland Communications Roundup after noticing a gap: the neighborhood and business associations across SE Portland weren't talking to each other. So I got them in a room: a growing group of communications leads from across the neighborhood and business association landscape, all working toward the same goal.We built a shared infrastructure beyond our monthly meetings: a community calendar, a Google Group, and an accessible way to communicate and connect across the associations.
I also currently serve as Communications Chair for both the Woodstock Neighborhood Association and the Woodstock Community Business Association simultaneously. Two organizations, distinct missions, overlapping audiences. I saw an opportunity to consolidate their communications, a model that's rare across Portland's neighborhood landscape. Many new ideas have resulted from this shared role, including but not limited to the Communications Roundup Group.
