94 Portland Small Business Owners Awarded Grants Through Comcast RISE

Comcast RISE, which aims to help businesses and their communities thrive through economic growth, will begin distributing comprehensive grant packages to 100 small businesses in Multnomah County. The grant packages will include business consultation services, educational resources, a $5,000 monetary grant, creative production, media schedule, and a technology makeover.

The distribution of these grants is part of Comcast’s ongoing commitment to supporting the growth of all small businesses while advancing the objectives of diversity, equity, inclusion, and community investment. Recipients in Portland will include the following small businesses:

1. Books with Pictures
2. Laurel Johnson Consulting
3. Vitalidad Movement Arts Center
4. Emisha
5. Higher Self
6. Horizon Driver Education
7. Hip Chicks do Wine
8. Escuela Viva
9. Unicorn Jiu Jitsu
10. Silk & Stone
11. Eyestrong - Pediatric Eye Care
12. Central Oasis
13. Flourish Plant Based Kitchen
14. Bull in China
15. The Ruff House
16. GiGi's Cafe
17. Bucket Brigade Cafe & Ale House
18. GMS Media and Advertising
19. Espacio Flamenco
20. Anwar Bjyrd
21. yogaRIOT
22. DB Dessert Company
23. Parallel PDX
24. CertaPro Painters of Portland
25. Bold Reuse
26. Artistic Portland
27. Green Loop Management
28. HOTLIPS Pizza
29. Blackthorn Mercantile
30. Hot Eatz Cold Treatz
31. Misty Fall Body Works
32. Bar Carlo
33. Prefer Health
34. Retro Game Bar
35. Mr. Chen’s Chinese kitchen
36. Dwell PM
37. Simple Sundries
38. NW Womens Fitness
39. Paperjam Press
40. Mister OK's Essentials
41. BERGERAC
42. SPARKLY GOWNS
43. M Haydon Inc
44. Baby Ketten Klub
45. Egyptian Bros
46. Aluma
47. Bridgetown Acupuncture & Herbal
48. Abbott & Associates
49. The Lion's Eye
50. oblation papers and press
51. The Barreled Bee
52. One Stripe Chai Company
53. Ticket Tomato
54. Foster Foosball
55. NEW FARM MONTESSORI
56. Gone West PDX
57. N'KOSSI Boutique
58. Pulse Wellness Cooperative
59. Grasshopper Boutique
60. Adornment Events
61. Pacific Pie Company
62. Personal beast
63. WORKSHOP VINTAGE
64. Office Retreat
65. ParWest Golf
66. Moonlight Therapies
67. Just Because Boutique
68. Two Rivers Bookstore
69. Yancy Handmade
70. Abbey Creek Vineyard
71. Mimi's Fresh Tees
72. Aspire Dental
73. Portland Chinese Times
74. Chill N Fill
75. Birds & Bees Nursery
76. Rainbow City
77. Cloudforest
78. Nick Mendez Photography
79. Rugged Heart
80. Fisticuts Barbershop
81. Double J Motorwerks
82. BlaqPaks
83. Fat Cupcake
84. Krishna Avalon Acupuncture
85. Hands On Medicine
86. Cargo Inc
87. Wyrd Leatherworks and Meadery
88. Willow Tree Acupuncture Clinic
89. Yoga Playgrounds
90. Poley Creative
91. 7VISION
92. Mandos Mundo Entertainment
93. CardCraft
94. Conscia

Comcast is particularly focused on uplifting small businesses, as they make up 95% of all companies in Portland. Nearly 600 small businesses in Multnomah County submitted applications for the Comcast RISE grants. Still recovering from the pandemic-related economic downturn, many small businesses need external support to navigate the ever-changing commercial landscape. Small businesses are a dynamic element in Portland and part of what makes the city unique. SmartAssets reports that approximately 24% of Multnomah County locals have small business incomes.

“I started Sparkly Gowns as an online store and opened the brick-and-mortar location in 2022. This grant from Comcast Rise will help me grow my business. I want to improve my online presence, increase my marketing and add technology to my retail store. I am from Colombia, and as an immigrant business owner, it makes such a difference to get support,” said Fabiola Cardenas Castellanos.

Nearly 60% of the Multnomah County small business owners who applied identify as a person of color, and 65% report being a female-owned company. This is notable, as small businesses, especially those owned by historically marginalized identities, were hit particularly hard during the pandemic. A study from the National Bureau of Economic Research noted that Black-owned small businesses were hardest hit, suffering the steepest decline (41%), followed by Hispanic and Asian American-owned small businesses. In addition, according to a study by the National Association of Women Business Owners, women-owned businesses have been growing at only half the rate of those run by men, namely because women struggle to access capital and other resources to help them succeed.

“This grant means a lot for Fisticuts Barbershop, and it comes at the perfect time. As a small-business owner, I had to be incredibly nimble to make it through the pandemic. Now I’m looking to promote and grow Fisticuts. The Comcast RISE grant gives me professional resources to tell my story,” said Roberto Martinez, founder, Fisticuts Barbershop.

“I bought Pacific Pie Company in July 2021 with the hope to breathe new life into the space and the community by expanding it into a coffee shop, but over the last couple of years I've run into roadblocks for growth,” said Brook Ramirez, Owner of Pacific Pie Company. “The Comcast RISE grant comes at a great time and will allow me to move forward with my vision. It finally feels like all the pieces are falling into place.”

Comcast RISE stands for Representation, Investment, Strength and Empowerment. It was created in November 2020 to help small businesses hit hardest by COVID-19, from bakeries and barber shops to childcare centers and cleaning services, by providing the grants needed to survive and recover. The program has evolved from helping businesses survive the pandemic to helping businesses and their communities achieve stronger economic growth. Comcast RISE is part of Project UP, the company’s comprehensive initiative to advance digital equity and help build a future of unlimited possibilities. Since its inception, Comcast RISE has awarded more than $125 million in monetary, marketing and technology grants to small businesses in multiple cities across the U.S.

The grant packages include:

CONSULTATION

Assessment of business and tactical planning; business to business coaching; and mentorship to advise on how to grow business.

EDUCATION RESOURCES

Educational content and resources tailored specifically for entrepreneurs.

MONETARY GRANT

$5,000 monetary grant to invest in growth and sustainability.

CREATIVE PRODUCTION & MEDIA

Production of a 30-second TV commercial, plus a media strategy consultation and a 180-day media placement schedule.

TECHNOLOGY MAKEOVER

Computer equipment and Internet, Voice and Cybersecurity services for 12 months.

In addition, any small business owner can visit the Comcast RISE destination on the X1 platform featuring aggregated small business news, tips, insights, and more. Just say “Comcast RISE” into the X1 voice remote.

More information is available at www.ComcastRISE.com.