Built Oregon Launches Online Marketplace To Showcase Oregon’s Small Businesses
Built Oregon, a 501c3 nonprofit organization of over 150 business mentors, has developed an online multi-vendor Marketplace that will celebrate Oregon's entrepreneur culture, amplify founder stories, and connect consumers to products from Oregon founded businesses. The Built Oregon Marketplace will leverage Oregon's profound legacy of product craftsmanship and innovation to create broad-based and equitable opportunities throughout the state for consumer product entrepreneurs, companies, communities, and customers. The Marketplace will feature products from the state’s seven regions, elevating storytelling and products from Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), Women, LGBTQIA+, and Rural Founders.
"The Built Oregon Marketplace is a celebration of Oregon made products and the places these products call home, how the regions shape these products, and, most importantly, the people and communities behind them. The importance of the marketplace cannot come at a more critical time.” —Mitch Daugherty, Built Oregon Cofounder and Executive Director
Through a collective effort, Built Oregon Marketplace will become the consumer's guide to discovering Oregon founded products. The Marketplace is an online destination for consumers and trade to connect with Oregon’s established and emerging consumer product entrepreneurs. As a not-for-profit Built Oregon has established a low-cost route to market that showcases local sellers, amplifies products, and enables the larger consumer product eco-system to participate. Built Oregon is working with regional community leaders to create virtual self- guided Farm-To-Table tours that highlight some of the most exciting travel routes throughout Oregon, connecting consumers to the makers and their products along the way. Additionally, the Marketplace is creating dedicated space to elevate retail pop-ups and support community events. One example, the Marketplace is working with Prosper Portland's My People's Market, an annual event that will now be open 24/7/365 in support Portland's diverse and expanding mix of multi-culture vendors.
"There is a humble spirit of uncomplicated generosity and collaboration here in the Northwest. Everyone who has heard of this project has been overwhelmingly supportive, everyone coming together to make the Marketplace a success not just for the short-term need, the long-term vision to create a central hub to elevate Oregon’s diverse collective of creative & innovative entrepreneurs in communities throughout the state.” —Leslie Mullins, Built Oregon Board Vice-Chair, Marketplace Program Director.
Built Oregon has collaborated with Patchmarks, a Portland-based product company, to create a collection of premium line of Built badged products. A portion of the proceeds from the purchase of Built Oregon Gear helps fuel the Built Together Grant fund focused on growing Oregon’s BIPOC —Black, Indigenous, People of Color companies.
Once the Marketplace doors open October 15th, Built Oregon will be focused on business outreach and onboarding of sellers in prep for their Built Together Shopping Days November 19th - 22nd. This will be an integrated campaign and call to action to shop locally and give the gift of Oregon this holiday season. Like the proceeds from Built Gear, proceeds from the event will enable Built Oregon to continue to support growth and scalability of local consumer product companies throughout the state.