17

Age of Paresh Patel in 1992, when he started Courtesy Vending with one machine; today the company has 1,500 machines

26

Percent of small businesses owned by women in Oregon

73

Percent of small businesses in Oregon with no employees other than the owner (in other words, sole proprietorships)

95

Percent of businesses in ?the metro area with less than 50 employees

500

Maximum number of employees a magazine publisher can hire and still qualify ?as a small business

1,000

Maximum number ?of employees a cereal manufacturer can hire and still qualify as a small business

1,239

Number of loans (totaling $273 million) the Small Business Administration granted to Portland businesses in 2008

259,023

Number of Oregonians employed by small businesses in Portland