Chamber Calendar
Speed Networking AM meeting, 7-9 a.m. Friday, Feb. 15, Persimmon Country Club, 500 S.E. Butler Road, Gresham.
Connect with Success AM meeting, 7-9 a.m. Friday, Feb. 22, hosted by Positive Life Insurance Services at Oregonians Credit Union, 247 E. Powell Blvd., Gresham.
Ribbon cutting, 9 a.m. following the AM meeting. Positive Life Insurance Services, 222 N.E. Second St., Suite 225, Gresham.
Learn at Lunch, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 19, Greater Gresham Baptist Church, Building A, the Rock Room, 3848 N.E. Division St. Scheduled speaker Constant Contact Regional Director Dana Pethia will provide tips on ways to Grow Your Business with Email and Social Media. Cost is $15 for non-members. To register, call the chamber office at 503-665-1131.
Business Forum, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, Persimmon Country Club, 500 S.E. Butler Road, Gresham. Scheduled discussion will be Lessons on Profitable Sustainability, with speaker Jeff Harvey, president and CEO of Burgerville. Cost is $35 for chamber members and $50 for future members. To register, call 503-665-1131.
Bakery launches romance evenings
Its not too late to plan a special treat for your sweetie on Valentines Day.
Banaka & Browns Bakery in downtown Gresham is kicking off a new service Thursday, Feb. 14, by offering a special menu of plated desserts in a romantic atmosphere.
Well have tablecloths, candlelight and live music and all our fancy goblets and dishes, said Cindy Wich, owner of Banaka & Browns. The menu will feature some of (pastry chef Monica Neffendorfs) specialties, as well as our coffees and teas, and we will be serving customers at the tables instead of the counter. Weve been talking about it with our customers for about a month and theyre really excited.
The bakery will close at 5 p.m. to prepare for the event and reopen at 6 p.m., with table service until 9 p.m. The Valentines Day menu will offer sweet treats including individual apple crisp, vanilla bean pot de creme or tiramisu, from $4 to $6 per plate.
But the special menu and atmosphere isnt limited to Valentines Day, Wich said. Beginning Friday, March 1, Banaka & Browns will host the event every Friday and Saturday night, offering different dessert selections each week and live entertainment. The bakery is following the lead of other downtown merchants, who are extending their business hours for the after-dinner crowd.
We want customers to have a place to go for a date night or when theyre out enjoying the evening, Wich said. I like to think were transforming from a bakery to an after-hours dessert destination.
Reservations are not required for Valentines Day, although Wich suggested large groups should call ahead to reserve space. Banaka & Browns is at 835 N. Main Ave.
For more information, call the bakery at 503-492-6100.
Local bank posts continued growth
Riverview Bancorp Inc., parent company of Riverview Community Bank in Gresham and Wood Village, reported earnings of $1 million for the third fiscal quarter ending Dec. 31, 2012, marking positive improvement for the second consecutive quarter.
The banks steady profitability was attributed to continued decrease in nonperforming assets and loans, as well as a decline in net charge-offs for the quarter.
Riverviews turnaround plan is on schedule, said Pat Sheaffer, chairman and CEO for the corporation. Credit quality improved for the third consecutive quarter and our capital ratios improved as we continued to manager our balance sheet growth.
Riverview Bancorp, with headquarters in Vancouver, Wash., operates 18 branches in the metro area, including the two local branches of the 89-year-old Riverview Community Bank.