Archive for the 'Corporation' Category

SCAM ALERT: Deceptive Business Mailing

Published on February 7, 2013 in business fraud, business scam, Corporation, Headlines, Press Releases, Secretary Brown and Uncategorized. 2 Comments Tags: , , , .

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Feb. 7, 2013

SALEM – Secretary of State Kate Brown is warning Oregon companies to be on the alert for a mailing that deceptively looks like it is from the Oregon Corporation Division.

A number of businesses have reported receiving an official-looking invoice entitled, “Compliance Filings Center – Annual Minutes Compliance Notice.” The mailing requests detailed information about the business and a $150 “Certificate of Minutes” preparation fee. The invoice lists a return address of 4676 Commercial Street SE, #169, Salem, OR 97302.

An example of the scam is posted on the Secretary of State website.

Despite its appearance, this invoice was NOT sent by the Secretary of State’s Corporation Division and is not authorized by the State of Oregon. While the invoice contains references to Oregon business law, businesses receiving this mailing are advised that they can prepare annual minutes and corporate records themselves without paying this fee.

Secretary of State Brown recommends carefully reading solicitations to determine if they are actually from a government agency and require a response. Some deceptive solicitations from private organizations are difficult to distinguish from government correspondence at first glance. Only a careful reading reveals a disclaimer noting that the organization is not government affiliated.

The Oregon Business Corporations Act requirements for Annual Meetings and Corporate Records are available on the Corporation Division’s website at: www.FilingInOregon.com. Corporations needing legal advice on corporate records requirements should contact a licensed attorney.

For more information, contact:

Tony Green
Director of Communications
Oregon Secretary of State
503-507-0082
tony.green@state.or.us

Oregon Governor Sustainability Winners Honored at Northwest Environmental Conference

Published on December 4, 2012 in Corporation, Headlines, Press Releases, Secretary Brown and Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

PORTLAND – Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown and the Oregon Sustainability Board will honor five Oregon companies for their commitment to sustainable business practices at the NEBC/AOI Northwest Environmental Conference & Tradeshow on December 4.

This year’s winners of the Governor’s Sustainability Awards are: Grand Champions – Mountain Rose Herbs and Hopworks Urban Brewery; Technology Award – EasyStreet Online Services; Manufacturing Award – Oregon Iron Works; and Rising Star – Bridgetown Natural Foods.

“The winners truly represent the best Oregon has to offer in sustainable business practices,” said Secretary of State Kate Brown. “We can all learn so much from these companies, as we continue to rebuild Oregon’s economy.”

The 24th NEBC/AOI annual conference is the Northwest’s largest and most comprehensive environmentally focused conference and trade show and will highlight such issues as: environmental protection and compliance; resource and operational efficiencies; health and safety practices; sustainability programs; product standards; and environmental economics.

In 2006, then Governor Ted Kulongoski issued an Executive Order directed the then Oregon Economic and Community Development Department (OECDD) [now known as Business Oregon] to establish an awards program to promote and advance the inclusion of sustainable practices in government and the private sector.

More on the 2012 Oregon Sustainability Award Winners:

Mountain Rose Herbs

Mountain Rose Herbs has been known for its uncompromising commitment to organic agriculture, sustainable business practices, and a steadfast focus on the pure aesthetics and freshness of botanical products. Their wide range of certified organic product offerings includes bulk herbs and spices, aromatherapy and essential oils, tea and tea supplies, and natural health and body care. Every aspect of product creation is carried out in accordance with strict quality control and organic handling procedures by employees who care. The company employs numerous energy efficiency measures including a lighting program that has reduced electricity usage for lighting by more than 40%. It is also enrolled in EWEB’s Greenpower program to cover all electricity use, and purchases carbon offsets for all aspects of company operations including shipping, travel and operations.

Hopworks Urban Brewery

Hopworks Urban Brewery and Hopworks BikeBar are Portland’s first Eco-Brewpubs. Its stated mission is to “produce world-class beer and food as sustainably as possible. The brewery offers handcrafted organic beers and fresh, local ingredients, all served in sustainably-built and operated buildings with a relaxed, casual atmosphere. Hopworks incorporates many aspects of sustainability: from composting to rain barrels, and from pervious pavers to hand dryers. Hopworks brewery is 100% renewably powered and “cradle to gate” carbon neutral. The company has purchased BEF Water Restoration Credits for more water than their facilities use and is working towards a zero landfill goal. Currently, less than 10% of waste is sent to landfills.

EasyStreet Online Services

EasyStreet is Oregon’s locally-headquartered enterprise-class IT Services provider. EasyStreet helps its customers integrate Cloud, colocation, Internet connectivity and related services to create the flexible computing infrastructure that meets their needs. The company buys offsets for 100% of the electricity, water and natural gas it consumes in its data centers — resulting in zero carbon footprint operations. Its innovative cooling systems that significantly reduce energy consumption that allow data center to save over 1.5 million kWh per year.

Oregon Iron Works

Oregon Iron Works, Inc. (OIW) is a world-class metal fabricator headquartered in Clackamas, Oregon with factories in Oregon and Washington. Founded in 1944, we have an exceptional history and success in both commercial and government contract work. OIW specializes in mechanical and electrical integration and complex fabrication across diverse industries. The company implemented significant energy efficiency upgrades to lighting, HVAC and process machinery. EE upgrades have saved them over 1.6 million kWh and over $100,000 per year. It also installed a 30.8 kWh solar PV array and is planning to add 300% more solar within the next year.

Bridgetown Natural Foods

Bridgetown Natural Foods is an emerging, fast-growing contract manufacturer of all-natural, organic, kosher and gluten-free healthy snack products. The company has an 110,000-square-foot facility in Portland’s Lents neighborhood. Bridgetown currently is working toward becoming a zero-waste-to-landfill operation. The company sells unusable food product/waste to local hog farmers, refurbishes used equipment in-house and has implemented energy efficiency measures in lighting, process machinery and facility cooling.

For more information, please refer to http://www.sustainableoregon.net or contact Andrea Cantu-Schomus (503) 986-2368 or Mark Brady (503) 689-5638.

 

Oregon’s “one stop” business portal is up and running

Published on July 24, 2012 in Corporation, Headlines and Press Releases. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

We are so pleased to announce that Business Xpress, Oregon’s “one stop” business portal is now available at business.oregon.gov/ or oregon.gov/business. This project has been a very collaborative effort among nine state agencies, many Oregon business associations and dozens of Oregonians who provided invaluable feedback throughout the process. The end result is a usable and easy to understand website built specifically for business.

The goal of Business Xpress is to help entrepreneurs and business owners quickly find the information and services they need and complete tasks online without having to understand state agency jargon. Reducing red tape and the time it takes to get answers will ultimately serve Oregon business better than ever before. The business portal is one of many ways we are using technology to connect Oregonians with their government.

As we continue to introduce the website to the public we are careful to gather feedback. On Wednesday, July 25 at 10 am I will be visiting with a great, small business right in my neighborhood of southeast Portland. The Joinery, locally owned, custom handcrafted solid wood furniture shop and retail store is opening its doors to us and offering some expertise on what small businesses in Oregon need. The owner and the employees have established a business that is committed to quality jobs, environmentally sensitive materials and practices and community outreach. I want to thank everyone at The Joinery for having us and I look forward to getting your ideas on Business Xpress. Thanks to everyone that made this extraordinary tool possible.

All UCC filings in Oregon can now be done online

Published on July 19, 2012 in Corporation. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

SALEM – The Secretary of State, Corporation Division is the central filing office for financing statements and other documents provided under the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC). The purpose of the UCC program is to create a public notice of records of debt, to establish priority of claim for the secured party in the event of a bankruptcy by the debtor.

Online UCC filing is available 24-hours a day, 7 days a week, which is important in a service where the first to file may lend a significant business advantage. Filing is immediate as compared to the 2-3 day processing time of a traditional paper filing.

“Making it easier to file UCC’s will benefit small business,” said Secretary of State Kate Brown. “Most UCC’s are filed to secure a loan made to a small business to reduce the risk for creditors. With lower risk small business can access credit more easily. This is just another example of how we are using technology to connect our customers with better services making life and doing business in Oregon easier.”

The availability of UCC records reduces the risk of creditors by establishing a security interest incurred by a debtor, so that priority of claim may be proved in case of bankruptcy or default; and by providing information on financing statements and liens to interested parties.

For more information on e-filing please visit: https://secure.sos.state.or.us/ucc/efiling/new

Secretary Brown on 100 Best Companies to Work For

Published on March 2, 2012 in Corporation, Secretary Brown, Social Media and Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

100 Best Companies to Work For

Congratulations to Perkins Coie, Slalom Consulting and Rose City Mortgage for winning top honors at

Secretary Brown and Linda Baker

Secretary Brown and Linda Baker

Thursday night’s awards ceremony honoring the 100 Best Companies to Work For in Oregon.

For 19 years Oregon Business has conducted a comprehensive annual ranking of the state’s best employers. This year more than 14,000 employees participated in ranking the companies they work for. The winners were broken down into three categories by size – large, medium and small.

Hearing about all the innovative ways employers are making work fun, safe and challenging was very inspiring. These companies embody the best Oregon has to offer. Want to learn about what these companies are doing right? Visit Oregon Business 2012.

Thanks so much to Oregon Business for inviting me to attend. I also want to thank my Corporation Division Director Peter Threlkel for joining me. Our Corporation Division is the first stop for doing business in Oregon. We work hard every day to make it easier for businesses like Perkins Coie, Slalom Consulting and Rose City Mortgage to  make a home in Oregon.

It was truly a pleasure to meet representatives of these companies in person.

- Kate Brown, Oregon Secretary of State

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Spread the word – Beware of business registration scams!

Published on January 27, 2012 in Corporation, Headlines and Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , .
Peter Threlkel, Director of Corporation Division

Peter Threlkel, Director of Secretary of State Corporation Division, speaks with KATU about the scam

Thank you to KATU news for helping us get the word out about a possible Business Registration scam in the Salem area.

Our Corporations office received more than 600 calls in the last week. Corporation Director Peter Threlkel spoke with reporter Kerry Tomlinson on Friday about our efforts to educate  the public and our cooperation with the Department of Justice to help shut the down the scam.

For more information about the scam, read about the Corporate Regulatory Committee Annual Report scam and also Business Alert – Possible Deceptive Business Annual Report Notice Mailing on the Oregon Secretary of State site.

Secretary Brown Leads Effort to Create Online One-Stop-Shop for Business

Published on October 7, 2011 in Corporation, Headlines, Press Releases, Secretary Brown and Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , .

Secretary of State Kate Brown is leading the effort to develop Oregon’s Central Business Registry which provides an online one-stop-shop for those looking to do business in our great state. This online system will enable entrepreneurs to create a business and comply with all state and federal regulations. The goal of this online registry is to save time and money as well as create jobs in Oregon.

Addressing members of the Salem City Club today, Secretary Brown described how the Oregon Central Business Registry will enhance the ease of doing business.

The 2011 Session is Here!

Published on February 9, 2011 in Archives, Audits, Corporation, Elections, Secretary Brown and Uncategorized. 0 Comments

The time has come and the Oregon State Legislature is convening to discuss some of the most pressing issues in the history of the State of Oregon. The good news is, the Legislature is wasting no time, introducing a bevy of bills, and keeping our staff plenty busy in the process.

It’s nearly an even split in both chambers of the legislature and while some folks view this as a potential problem, we think it’s an opportunity for the legislature to work together in a truly bipartisan way to get Oregon through these tough economic times.

As for the Secretary of State’s Office, our goal for this session is to continue the work we’ve started on implementing our agency vision, which is to:

  • Engage;
  • Innovate for the Future; and
  • Deliver even better Results for all Oregonians

    • We will be sharing information on some of the bills we’re working on and we hope you will register to leave comments, so that we can get your feedback on our bills and the session in general.

    100,000 Registrations (And Counting)

    Published on June 24, 2010 in Corporation. 0 Comments Tags: .

    Courtesy of German Naruto

    We’ve spoken many times of the Central Business Registry, which allows people wanting to start a business in Oregon start filing online. Well, we have official word that the system has recently cracked the 100,000 registration mark, quite an achievement!

    But that’s not the only good news coming from the CBR front. In fact, filings are up in general, an important ray of optimism in these tough economic times.

    Currently, by logging on to the Filing in Oregon website, you can complete the Corporation Division, Department of Revenue and Department of Employment sections of the registry process entirely online, on one website. In the very near future, we’re bringing the Department of Consumer and Business Services directly into the system as well.

    And the great thing about the Online Business Registry is that it was designed to be expandable. The next phase of the project includes plans to expand the system even further, allowing filers to take care of local government and licensing requirements instantly, online.  Implementing this phase will make our Online Business Registry truly one-stop shopping for everyone looking to file a business in this state.

    Breaking Down Silos

    Published on November 18, 2009 in Corporation. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

    Source: debbieweil.com

    We often hear that government bureaucracy is slow to respond, difficult to deal with and frustratingly opaque. One of the major problems  is that government agencies tend to be like silos; isolated and unable to effectively share information and contribute to improving the function of state government.

    Back in September, we highlighted the Central Business Registry in light of our Corporation and Information Services Divisions being awarded a Digital Government Achievement Award in the Government-to-Business category. But aside from winning awards, we at the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office believe that the CBR is a tremendous example of how government agencies can create frameworks upon which they can build  projects to share information and streamline their processes.

    Currently, customers can log on to the CBR and complete registration with the Oregon Corporation Division, Employment Department, and the Department of Revenue. The next phase of development will bring the Department of Consumer and Business Services into the mix, further streamlining the process.

    There are a couple of state agency functions, which could benefit from a Central Business Registry framework. The licensing process, for instance, could be dramatically improved by an online registry built on the same principles as the CBR. The usefulness of such a system would span across the licensing spectrum, helping construction contractors, health care professionals and especially convenience store , restaurant, taverns owners, all of whom have a vast array of licensing needs.

    Making the process more fluid for customers is just one great benefit the CBR has produced. Another is the tremendous number of hours that are saved when customers use CBR. The Secretary of State saves approximately 400 hours a month, while the Department of Revenue boasts a savings of roughly 135 hours a month in processing time. These savings translate to improved services to the State’s business customers as well as savings to the agencies involved. In looking to future applications of a CBR framework, these kinds of savings could mean huge gains in productivity across State agencies.

    We will be sure to highlight new developments in the CBR as they arrive.