Portland, Oregón – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley teamed up with Google today as they put on a free small business workshop in Portland focused on how Oregon small businesses and entrepreneurs can maximize their online economic opportunities. At today’s Oregon Get Your Business Online event, Google experts helped small business owners create their own websites and trained the business owners on how to reach more customers online.
“Oregon’s success depends on successful small businesses, and increasingly that means being able to compete online,” said Merkley. “I’m always looking for ways to help entrepreneurs grow their companies and create jobs in Oregon, and am glad to join Google in making today’s opportunity available.”
While 97 percent of internet users look online for local products and services, according to a Google/IPSOS survey, 57 percent of Oregon small businesses do not have a website or online presence.
Google’s Oregon Get Your Business Online event provided an easy and fast way for Oregon businesses to launch a website and become more visible online, where the majority of people are now looking for goods and services. At the event, businesses also received a customized domain name, free web hosting for one year, a local business listing on Google Maps, free tools, training, and resources.
“It’s amazing what’s possible with the Internet,” said Ron Berrett, CEO of Portland-based www.linentablecloth.com. “The year I brought my business online, we saw 228% growth. As we look to expand further, Google data helps us know what markets to move into.”
Google partnered with the following organizations to make today’s conference a reality: Intuit, who provided their website tools to attendees for free, Oregon Small Business Development Centers, Governor’s Office of Economic & Business Equity, Portland Business Alliance, MercyCorps NW, Women Construction Owners & Executives USA, Oregon Micro Enterprise Network, Asian Pacific American Chamber of Commerce, and Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber.
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