The BEST Business Center

Meet Marlowe Kulley, sustainability advisor at the BEST Business Center. She’s here to make going green easy -- even for the most cash-strapped businesses in Portland.

The BEST Business Center – an important SBNP community partner -- is featured here in order to help spread the word about some of the free resources, tax incentives, and sustainable business support services offered through the City of Portland and their partners.

The BEST Business Center is your first point of contact for these services. They'll complete an initial assessment, then put you in touch with any partner organization in the city or county that can provide more detailed support and resources, including Metro, Pacific Power, Portland General Electric, and the Portland Development Commission. They'll even help you calculate payback on any sustainable enhancements you make. 

Formerly part of Portland’s Office of Sustainable Development (OSD), the BEST Business Center, along with the other sustainability support services at the city, was re-organized under Portland’s Bureau of Planning and Sustainability in January 2009, after mayor Sam Adams took office. It’s a move that demonstrates the city’s serious commitment to sustainable land use and development practices.

Taking advantage of the BEST Business Center’s free resources starts with a phone call to Marlowe (or one of the other advisors), or with a visit to the BEST Business Center website. She’ll schedule a meeting to complete a walk-through and fill out a sustainability survey at your location. From that meeting comes a baseline report which is used by you and your advisor to track progress on recommendations and improvements going forward. On the second visit, a detailed sustainability guide is presented, which provides recommendations broken down into various sections including energy, water, transportation, recycling, and composting.

Many of the tax incentives available to local businesses center on energy efficiency programs, and these can result in significant savings depending on the size of the project. Incentives come from the state of Oregon, the federal government, and the Energy Trust of Oregon.

Once your sustainable business practices are considered truly exemplary by the BEST Business Center, you’ll have a shot at receiving an award for your hard work.  "The BEST awards recognize businesses that go 'above and beyond' in all the different categories of sustainability including community involvement, energy, water, transportation, employee healthcare, and more." says Kulley. Their ultimate goal is to make every business in Portland a BEST award winner.