OAME History and Mission
Formed in 1987, the Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs (OAME) is a non-profit, tax-exempt membership organization with a mission to promote and develop entrepreneurship and economic development for ethnic minorities in the State of Oregon & SW Washington.
Jorge Guerra, Diana Delgado, Sam Brooks, Herb Yamamoto, Aiden Gronauer, Summer Fowler, and Ozzie Gonzalez at the 34th Annual OAME Trade Show & Luncheon
We are an all-inclusive organization and encourage everyone to live by our motto:
EVERYBODY’S IN, NOBODY’S OUT!
The 850 member association is a collection of entrepreneurs, public agencies, partner non-profits, and large businesses. The mission is directed toward eliminating discrimination and racism.
From its Delta Park campus, OAME provides the following services to help businesses:
- Free Technical Assistance and business counseling
- Access to Capital, including SBA microloans
- Incubator office spaces at below market rates
- Large bi-monthly networking meetings to promote business growth
A Message From the Chairman
From 1986 to 1989, while serving on and chairing the National Advisory Board for Small Business Development Center, I noted that minority businesses nationwide were not working together across ethnic lines. Armed with that information, a small group of businesspeople in Oregon began to build an organization that would cross ethnic boundaries, be statewide, and have a mission to promote and develop entrepreneurship and economic development for ethnic minorities in the State of Oregon and work to reduce discrimination and racism.
We named the organization the Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs (OAME). In 1987, OAME started with 8 members. Today, the membership is over 850 members and includes African-American, Asian-American, Native-American, Hispanic-American, and European-American businesses. Our motto is:
If you are in business and you are not making a profit, you are going out of business.
Welcome to our Website. We hope you enjoy your visit.