Dopo Owner Jon Smulewitz

In 2006, Jon Smulewitz seized the opportunity to double the seating of his small 20 seat Italian eatery to 49 (plus 20 outside) with help from OBDC’s Neighborhood Economic Development Fund (NEDF). In response, the restaurant has become extremely popular with its patrons. It made SF Chronicle Magazine’s acclaimed list of Top 100 Bay Area Restaurants. Dopo is quickly putting Oakland on the map as having one of the best gourmet pizzas at reasonable prices around the Bay Area.

The intimate little spot spouts good country Italian food, good service and a very nice wine list is located at:
4293 Piedmont Ave.
Oakland, CA  94611
(510) 652-3676

2507 Broadway Oakland, CA http://www.shashamanebarandgrill.com/ (510) 868-4318

Located in Oakland’s vibrant “Uptown”, the bar & grill style restaurant Shashamame will now be open every evening from 5pm to 12 Midnight, to offer its growing clientele access to its affordable menu which  offers a nouveau approach to Mediterranean and North African cuisine with homage to Asian and Latin flavors.
“Besides the excellent food and service,” said owner Tesfaye Beyene, “we will have live performances on Wednesdays and Fridays, and a DJ on Saturdays for our patrons to enjoy along with their eating experience between 8pm and Midnight.”
After experimenting with different options to better service its clientele, Shashamane is now available for private events before its doors open for as many as 80 guests and has promotional Happy Hour from Monday through Friday from 5 to 7pm.
Visit http://www.shashamanebarandgrill.com/ to see the diverse menu and call (510) 868-4318 to get more detailed information.

In March, OBDC welcomed William Ong to serve as its Director of Finance. William has 23 years of experience in mixed-use real estate development, program services, property management, and taxation. Before joining OBDC Small Business Finance, William was controller of the East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation (EBALDC), an Oakland-based community economic development organization.

Throughout his career, William has fostered partnerships with community-based organizations, banking institutions, and local and national equity foundations to accomplish lasting economic gains in the communities where he has worked.

He graduated Cum Laude with an Accounting Degree from San Beda College and took masters’ coursework in business management at De La Salle University.

William is responsible for all financial oversight and control for OBDC, and also serves as a member of the underwriting and loan evaluation team but most importantly, William's hearty laugh can be heard ringing throughout OBDC 's offices.

E-mail: william@obdc.com
Phone: 510-763-4297 x 106

East Bay SBDC

Wednesday April 11th,2007 from 2pm - 5:30pm

OBDC will be participating in the panel sponsored by East Bay SBDC. The Workshop is a must for any small business owner interested in securing a bank loan, leasing equipment or refinancing existing debt. You will learn how a wide range of banks and other lending organizations evaluate your loan applications, and the types of funding they can provide. You will have the opportunity to meet and discuss your own financing issues with representatives from banks and other lending organizations, including Citibank, Wells Fargo, OBDC Small Business Finance, Lenders for Community Development, Bay Area Development Company, New Resource Bank, and SBA.

Please contact (510) 208-0410 to register or to learn more about the event http://www.eastbaysbdc.org/banking/index.html

Arthur “Art” Washington is the Senior Vice President of Nor-Cal FDC, a state-chartered small business financial development corporation providing direct loans and loan guaranties to businesses thorughout the Bay Area counties.

Arthur is the author of  Finding Money for Your Business and Business Plans for Financing. Arthur is also the Executive Director of the Business Resource Center (BRC), a Northern California-based financial publisher and seminar provider. BRC’s publications are used by professional business advisors and business owners as a source of up-to-date information on: loans, venture capital and grants available to businesses; developing business plans for financing and loan requests; and protecting credit histories or improving credit ratings.

Arthur brings extensive revolving loan experience which includes program development, underwriting, technical consultant, loan committee membership and consulting.

Jason Jack has been a Small Business Manager at Wells Fargo Bank since December 2004. He collaborates with District Managers and Business Bankers to ensure success for businesses within the Oakland/East Bay area.  Jason analyzes market information, coordinates community presentations on financial management for nonprofits assisting small businesses and micro-enterprises, and is the lead in the delegation of team member participation for small business expos, conferences and symposiums. Jason is a graduate of University of California, Berkeley.

Jose Corona became Executive Director of  Inner City Advisors (ICA) in January 2005.  Under Jose’s supervision, Inner City Advisors’ expert volunteers provide strategic consulting, referrals, technical assistance and mentoring to inner city client companies that are striving to grow their businesses; which, in turn, stimulates economic and job growth.

Prior to Inner City, Jose worked at a San Francisco-based nonprofit (Mission Economic Development Association) for five years. During that time, he became interested in finding a community organization that was able to blend the community, public and private sectors to create positive economic development.

Under Jose’s tenure, the Inner City Advisors program has creatively assisted emerging businesses to be economically successful, by combining the talents and high-quality strategic advice of ICA's board members and volunteer advisers with those of the inner city entrepreneurs.