From boardrooms to brainstorming sessions, Gloria Coleman seamlessly blends expertise with empathy. She is the Founder of Exit Bliss, a consulting firm focused on streamlining administrative operations to protect your organizational legacy despite transitions. Creator of Posh Plug ®, she and her dynamic team at Exit Bliss empower growth-focused organizations to architect streamlined operations and transformative strategies. With a foundation in facilitating corporate methodologies for small businesses, Gloria ensures sustainable development and success through the art of effective succession planning and operational excellence, enabling them to elevate their influence and efficiency with unparalleled ease.

Starting as a hobby in his garage, making cutouts from reclaimed wood and house paint, Mike’s silly characters and offbeat drawing style have brightened the days of people from all around the globe, earning him over 1.5 million TikTok followers and bringing over 500k visitors to his immersive art experiences.

Mike Bennett Studios is where Mike and his team brainstorm, build, and bring his wacky worlds to life. Captained by Mike’s endless imagination and childlike spirit, we are the absurd artisans behind the Bennett Buddies universe of over-the-top creatures folks can’t get enough of. From lawn signs, arts & craft supplies, holiday decor, plushies and more, our Bennett Buddies show that a little bit of silly can bring a whole lot of joy.

Rose Kaz is a social entrepreneur who walks the talk & uses creative tech tools of digital media production to connect audiences to resources by building #tequity. Rose has never met a stranger & sees the key to moving the needle on progress to be a group project. That is, architecting authentically bold networks both digitally and IRL with people who give a damn only strengthens the bridges we are building towards a better, more equitable world. LBI Digital is the boldest brand Rose has built yet & whose main focus is building #techforgood by producing & amplifying big events both online and in person that changes the world with tech aka #tequity.

Caroline Selia is a Content Strategy and Partnerships Manager at SMBX, a leading FinTech start-up platform connecting investors and small businesses in a two-sided marketplace. With over 15 years of experience in marketing, digital media, and content strategy, she helps to create and deliver compelling narratives that showcase the value and potential of new opportunities in the B2B and B2C space.

Mark Mohammadpour is the Founder and Chief Well-being Officer at Chasing the Sun. After spending his public relations career as an executive at Edelman and Weber Shandwick, and after losing and keeping off 150 pounds over the last decade, Mark founded Chasing the Sun to empower businesses and their employees to prioritize their well-being so they can shine in the family room and the board room. Chasing the Sun’s employee well-being programs deliver relatable, practical, and actionable solutions.

Colin Crader is the Executive Director of Willamette Valley Development Officers (WVDO), soon to be The People’s Nonprofit Accelerator, a nonprofit membership organization that provides affordable educational opportunities for nonprofit professionals on philanthropy, fund development, and executive leadership by linking them with others within the nonprofit and government sector. For over 10 years, his nonprofit and civic engagement leadership ebbed and flowed between philanthropy and nonprofit fund development focused on social justice, while concurrently working on political campaigns that centered the aspirations and struggles faced by communities of color and the LGBTQ community.

From the spreadsheets to the bedsheets, Veronica Yanhs is completely open about who she is: CEO, kinky, feminist, foodie, and a lover of puns. Creator of Orgasmic Operations®, she and her team at Business Laid Bare help purpose-driven organizations create immensely peaceful and profitable businesses through the magic of pleasurable processes so that they can amplify their income and impact even more ease.

With over 1000 hours of ADHD coaching, Jess DuBose specializes in creating safe spaces where authenticity thrives. As an educator, Jess blends unwavering support with "loving kicks in the ass" to empower individuals on their journey of self-discovery. Welcome to a space where all parts of you are celebrated.

Human engagement is at the center of all of Sarah’s work. Sarah founded and operated various retail concepts over 3 decades. In 2020 Sarah launched Small Shops Big Hearts as a consumer facing platform amplifying Portland’s brick and mortar small business community. In 2020 Sarah also launched Bricks Need Mortar to foster Community and Collaboration with Visibility, Advocacy and Coaching.

Joanna Harrison, is a Native American Commercial Real Estate Broker with a strong focus on community, diversity, and equity within the industry. With an impressive track record in the industry, Joanna has not only excelled in closing deals but has also made a significant impact by fostering inclusive and equitable practices within the Commercial Real Estate sector. Driven by a passion for creating thriving communities, Joanna understands that successful Real Estate ventures extend beyond mere transactions. By actively engaging with community stakeholders, Joanna seeks to identify opportunities that uplift and empower diverse groups of people and owners.

Phil Chun is the founder of Polaris Leadership Consulting. He is a Leadership Consultant & Executive Coach who works with founders, entrepreneurs, and leaders who are about to turn the corner of growing their team and business. Phil's expertise covers critical areas of focus for business leaders, including organizational health, teamwork, leadership, team effectiveness, communication, and executive presence.

Being creative and exploring out-of-the-box thinking is a life-long pursuit. I have seen and worked nearly every angle of the design world; working with companies in-house, freelancing, and within full service advertising agencies in Hollywood, San Diego, Austin, and now across the Pacific Northwest. I have worked my way up to Creative Director and added business management skills over the last decade, with a thirst for career advancement and a passion to work on exciting projects that make a difference in the world. This is the core of Good Creative, the design agency I founded to work with good people and organizations and do meaningful work in the world. Our time is limited and I want to connect awesome people and big ideas, making every moment and collaboration a Good experience.

Jen Coyne is the CEO & Co-Founder of The PEAK Fleet, a values-driven organizational development company with a mission to Create Engaged Teams that Thrive Together. Jen brings over 25 years experience as a leadership and management expert, IT Professional as well as business background as a CPA and credentialed Project Management

Professional to leading The PEAK Fleet. Her experience creating and delivering organizational and leadership training and development spans two decades, which she now leverages to create the unique, provocative, and thought-leading products and services to inspire purpose-driven, motivated, and engaged employees.

Nedra brings over 20 years of collective business experience to the table, including working with hundreds of businesses on their websites and marketing decisions. She is a marketing strategist and coach who helps service based businesses create a 90 day custom marketing roadmap. In addition, Nedra coaches her clients on how to build confidence, consistently market their business and how to hire experts to help them succeed at marketing.

Oscar Novelo is a loan officer for Prosper Portland and has previously worked with small business owners as a lender and SBDC Advisor. Previously, he has worked as a project manager on affordable housing and commercial redevelopment projects. Oscar earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Southern California, and a certificate from the National Development Council as an Economic Development Finance Professional.

Derek Foote is a CPA with 15 years of experience in accounting and tax, specializing in tax planning for small business owners. He believes the best thing a person can do is be proactive and enjoys opportunities to provide client education and support. Taxes shouldn’t be a surprise or uncertainty, and good bookkeeping helps business owners make informed decisions.

Tom Hering - Co-Founder; Managing Partner, Benefit Corporations for Good. Tom’s work is focused on growing the Benefit Company (Benefit Corporation) movement in Oregon. When he launched Benefit Corporations for Good (BCFG) in 2018, he realized the positive impact small businesses could have on their employees, their communities and their planet through commitment to a triple bottom line of People, Planet and Profit. Currently, BCFG has certified 80 businesses in 8 different states and one Canadian province with the majority of businesses headquartered in Oregon.

Michelle Lagos MBA, has been a decisive TECH & DIGITAL Strategist for the last 15 years in the Pacific NW. She has a BS in Social Science/Business from Linfield University and an MBA with a focus in Marketing from Marylhurst University, as well as completed apprenticing programs in Southern Japan and in Portland, Oregon early in her career. During the last 13 years Michelle has had the pleasure of being the CEO/Founder of Get Lagos Now, which is a digital and website design/development team based in PDX, which places a strong emphasis on the quality service, innovation, strategic growth with client, team, and community collaboration as a certified Better Corps. for Good and BCorp.

Alexis Cozart is a cybersecurity professional at Edge Networks, a cyber firm located in Vancouver, WA. She has experience in developing cybersecurity programs and responding to cybersecurity incidents for businesses big and small. Alexis comes from a family of small business owners and is passionate about educating and advising business owners on how best to improve resiliency and protect themselves against preventable cyberattacks. Alexis went to school at the Central Washington University, achieving her BS in Information Technology & Administrative Management with specializations in Cyber Security and Digital Forensics.

Dan Bramske is an architect located in Portland but serving clients throughout Oregon and Washington. His work focuses on appropriate context-driven solutions for both small commercial and institutional projects as well as a range of residential projects. His main quest is to serve first-time clients, connect inhabitants to the landscape round them, and provide approachable, reasonable, and timely solutions for clients. He lives in east Portland with his husband Andrew and their two sons.

Marina Martinez-Bateman is the CEO of New Coyote Consulting, a person-first consulting firm born of many years’ experience applying equity and human-centered systems to communications strategy. They are a serial entrepreneur and a grassroots communicator with more than 20 years’ experience motivating people to take action on behalf of political, cultural, and commercial interests. Their ongoing equity and workers’ rights practice has made them a popular speaker, trainer, and peer mentor in the industry. Marina has successfully created, consulted on, planned, and launched multiple businesses and projects that make money without sacrificing principles or values.

Through The Small Biz Pathfinders, Spencer Crandall is dedicated to empowering business owners with targeted business strategy, comprehensive e-commerce support, and small business education. By focusing on innovative and practical solutions, his ultimate goal is to guide owners toward not just survival but thriving—building durable companies that can withstand challenges, address core weaknesses, and seize growth opportunities when the time is right.

As a key member of the Commercial Credit Underwriting team, Amori asks some pesky questions – but with those answers, she creates a compelling story about our client’s goals and dreams. The direct line between Craft3’s small business lending and the impact it can have on individuals is Amori’s call-to-action. Amori joined Craft3 in 2022, having previously worked as a Credit Analyst at U.S. Bank and various other companies. She supports IDD and disabled populations to achieve meaningful employment, provides financial coaching, and is on the Advisory Board of the Hollywood Farmer’s Market. Amori is excited about diversity in agriculture, transparent and sustainable food chains, and the legacy we build through feeding each other.

Trevor Leahy is the Secretary of State’s Small Business Ombudsman. He has 15 years of state service in Oregon with the Office of Small Business Assistance and the Employment Department. Since 2014, he has been working with businesses on understanding compliance, identifying resources, and navigating the requirements for doing business in Oregon successfully. Trevor now manages the office of Small Business Assistance, where he and the rest of the team provide help to businesses with questions, concerns, or problems with state and local government agencies. Trevor thrives on representing the government as approachable and human, eagerly helping entrepreneurs find answers to their questions and making positive connections.

Astrid Castro (she/her/hers) is the founder and CEO of Adoption Mosaic. Adoption Mosaic is a BIPOC woman and adoptee-led business that seeks to build an inviting adoption conscious community by providing innovative adoptee-centered programs and support. Her life-long interest in adoption is rooted in her own adoption at the age of four from Colombia (along with her older sister). Astrid has been in reunion with her birth family in Colombia since December 2011. Astrid has a degree in sociology with an emphasis in adoption. Since 1992, she has traveled the country to lead adoptee youth groups, present workshops on transracial parenting, talking with children about adoption, and various other workshops focusing on adoption. Astrid has also worked in both the private and public sectors of various adoption organizations. Astrid’s personal experiences as an adoptee, a woman of color, and growing up in a white family and community, fuel her professional path to helping others.

Kevin Sabeta has an international background, with over two decades of professional experience in Architectural Design and Construction. He has worked across an extensive range of project types, in non-profit/for-profit and volunteer-based organizations. A common focus in his work has focused on mentorship, development, and professional advancement.

Kat Sklar, CPA runs The Friendly Spreadsheet LLC where they make custom spreadsheets and teach budgeting and cash flow management to small business owners.

Mazarine is an American, multi-hyphenate polycreative - artist, trainer, writer, speaker, human design reader, consultant and facilitator of spaces for radical learning. She is a graduate of Bard College in poetry and gender studies.

In human design, she’s what’s known as a manifesting generator (shoutout to my 3/5 MG’s!). Manifesting generators are those individuals who have multiple interests, careers, talents, skills, and embrace the fluidity of it all. She’s meant to be “both/and” not “either/or” in all aspects and areas of her life.

Some different facets of Mazarine: Trainer, Resource mobilizer, Conference director, Human design reader, Speaker, Writer, Poet, Dancer, Singer, Meditator, Artist, Community builder and so much more that she hasn't even explored yet.

Mitch is the cofounder and Director of Built Oregon, a nonprofit that is focused on supporting consumer product companies in Oregon.

Farhad is the founder and operator of Green Drop Garage, an eco-friendly membership-driven auto repair company. When not working, he can be found doing other things, like skiing, drinking coffee, or telling dad jokes to his wife and two kids.

Kim is an advocate for businesses, helping them be found for their good works and values. MIghty Epiphyte Consulting is ten years in helping companies do better, measure well, report impacts and certify, all with passion and advocacy for clients and community!

Linda Farris is retired from a career that spanned owning and working in a private practice as an internist, working within health insurance companies, and serving on the Oregon Patient Safety Commission.

Adam Helvey graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communications from Trinity Western University in Langley, Canada, in 2005. He then began a career in state government in 2010 at Oregon Housing and Community Services, eventually landing at DAS Procurement Services, where he's worked since 2012.

Today, Adam now serves as the DAS Sustainable Procurement Program Manager. In this role he focuses his skills and passion on collaborating with agencies and suppliers to ensure Oregon contracts save the state time and money, and follow sustainability rules, statutes, and policies.

He constantly strives to improve the state's collective efforts to reduce its carbon footprint and to improve communities and local economies through sustainable contracting and purchasing practices.

Kathryn Latham started a business because self-employment is an empowered way to work. Her consultancy, Latham Business Solutions, helps business owners clarify and execute their vision so they can scale confidently. Before going solo Kathryn studied structural engineering at Duke University and spent a decade beating growth and operational goals - she's led bridge construction on three continents, general managed partnerships for Yahoo/Verizon Media, oversaw client strategy for tech startup Friendemic, and more.

Erik Croswell is the founder and director of Bridge City Media. Founded in 2016, his team has worked with over one hundred local businesses to produce effective video content to uplevel their online presence and grow through ad campaigns. They're a certified B Corp and listed as the top video production company in Oregon on Google. Erik is a serial entrepreneur and has a passion for finding creative ways to tell stories and grow movements.

Dasha Shleyeva is a somatic educator and a therapeutic musician. She is a neurodivergent and queer Russian immigrant. She is currently in a program studying therapeutic harp playing in clinical settings. Dasha has been playing music for over 20 years, harp being the most recent addition to her repertoire. Utilizing the therapeutic harp approach, Dasha offers sound baths, amplified harp instrumentation, ethereal loops, gentle field recordings, sound wave dynamics, and relaxing vocals. She loves to offer embodiment education within physical-therapy based yoga classes woven with a sound bath experience afterwards. Her deepest joy in life is through reciprocally sharing embodiment, autonomy, and joy for & between all beings.