Welcome to the BizNet Forum!

[BizNet Forum Administrator]

Hello, my name is Mike Abriola. I am the Vice President of Business Development & Marketing for Eureka Bank. I am also the creator of the Oakland Business Network (BizNet) web site and this forum.

I welcome you and encourage you to take full advantage of the opportunities that this forum will provide for unlimited communication with other business operators in the Oakland community.

A forum such as this can only be successful if all the members of the community use it to its fullest potential.

If you are reading this message, then you have just taken the first step toward making this forum successful.

The next step is to respond to this post or to create a new post of your own under one (or more) of the categories (i.e. finance, marketing, taxes, etc.) listed in our forum.

[johnburke]

Hello, my name is John Burke.
I am a Business Development Specialist with the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh. My job is two-fold: assist business owners with financing for their businesses, and; coordinate the City's Mainstreet Pittsburgh program which provide financial and technical resources in 10 business districts throughout the City.
I attended the February Oakland Business Network meeting and was excited to hear about your ideas on joint marketing and promotions. Through Mainstreets Pittsburgh, the OBID received funding for promoting the Oakland Farmers Market and the Oakland Restaurant guide.

I hope to be of assistance to OBID, the Biz Network and to individual business owners. Please call me at 412*255-6556 if you have any questions or visit www.ura.org for information on our Business Financing programs. Thank you!