Chamber Calendar
Connect with Success AM meeting, 7-9 a.m. Friday, May 24, US Bank, 300 E. Powell Blvd., Gresham.
Connect with Success AM meeting, 7-9 a.m. Friday, May 31, hosted by the Johnson Creek Watershed Council, Persimmon Country Club, 500 S.E. Butler Road, Gresham.
Board of Directors, 7-9 a.m. Thursday, May 23, Mt. Hood Community College Board Room, 26000 S.E. Stark St., Gresham.
Chamber offices will be closed Monday, May 27, in observance of the Memorial Day holiday.
Chamber to host public affairs forums
The Gresham Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center will conduct two Government Affairs Forums to discuss health care reform and welcome U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore.
Tim Rasch, with the Portland Association of Health Underwriters and Government Affairs director, will address the issue of how health care reform will affect businesses. The luncheon will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, May 28, at Persimmon Country Club, 500 S.E. Butler Road in Gresham. Tickets are $20 for members, $35 for future members, and includes lunch. Registration is required by Friday, May 24.
The chamber and East Metro Economic Alliance will welcome Blumenauer during a luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, May 30, at the East Hill Church Youth Center, 50 N.W. Fifth St., Gresham. Tickets are $20 for members, $35 for future members and includes lunch. Registration is required by Tuesday, May 28.
For more information, or to register for either event, call the chamber at 503-665-1131.
Merchants posts first-quarter profit
Merchants Bancorp, parent company for the Gresham-based MBank, reported a net income of $131,000 in the first quarter of 2013, as compared to a net loss of $328,00 from the same time in 2012.
MBank credits the return to profitability to a first quarter capital raise of $2.5 million and significant improvement in the reduction of non-performing assets. The last time MBank and Merchants Bancorp reported a profit was in 2007, prior to the real estate downtown and economic recession.
The Gresham branch of MBank is at 1290 N.W. Burnside Road.
Record fundraising by Dutch Bros.
Patrons of Dutch Bros. Coffee drank a lot of java Friday, May 3, during the companys annual fundraiser for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Dutch Bros. raised $271,579 for MDA in honor of the companys co-founder, Dane Boersma, who died from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 2009. The total surpassed what was raised in 2012 by nearly $100,000.
All 198 Dutch Bros. Coffee locations in seven states participated in the one-day fund raising drive by donating their proceeds from the day to MDA.
To find a Dutch Bros. location, visit dutchbros.com/locations.