Legislative committee takes up 'capital chasm' facing small businesses, women and people of color
An Oregon House committee on Monday started discussing how to make capital more available for small business owners, especially women and people of color.
Portland Business Journal reporting has shown a steep drop in loans to female- and minority-owned small businesses despite an uptick in bank deposits and commercial lending in Oregon.
The House Interim Committee on Economic Development on Monday heard invited testimony from fellow lawmakers, economic developers and entrepreneurs. It's unclear what sort of policy solution lawmakers might propose.
The entrepreneurs who testified included Mara Zepeda, founder and CEO of Switchboard and chair of XXcelerate and Business for a Better Portland.
Read more: https://www.bizjournals.com/portland/news/2019/09/16/egislative-committee-takes-up-capital-chasm-facing.html