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Sisters, Oregon
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The contents of the on-line edition of The Nugget represent a selection among the stories that appear in the weekly print edition.

Small business group solves problems
By Jim Cornelius

Making a small business prosper in Sisters is a lot tougher than it looks -- ask any small business owner. It helps to benefit from the experience and insight of peers.

Opportunity Knocks (known to members simply as "OK") provides a forum in which business people can lay out their problems and challenges in a confidential atmosphere and get solid, practical advice from other folks who have experienced similar situations.

"There's no agenda other than simply helping each other," said facilitator Bob Grooney.

According to Grooney, the confidential atmosphere enables members to "really lay it on the table" and get creative criticism and suggestions from other members.

Members are expected to implement the suggestions that make sense and report back to the group on effects.

The Sisters OK group consists of Caroline Lucas of Sisters Market; Ken Streater of Destination Wilderness; Matt Cyrus of Aspen Lakes; Phil Rerat of Swiss Mountain Log Homes; Bill Spezza of Ponderosa Heating & Cooling; Barbara Secrest and Toni Landis of Home Help Team; and Rich Greene of Richard's Produce.

The composition of the group represents a range of business types, none of which compete with each other. That helps foster the helpful atmosphere.

It's an eclectic group that brings a wide range of experience to the table to tackle issues.

Those issues can be personnel management, inventory control, purchasing decisions -- "whatever issue is causing problems in that particular business," Grooney said.

"You get all this feedback that in some cases is really invaluable," he said.

Grooney's co-facilitator is Nancy Obymako, who has years of business experience in the Sisters area.

The group is a spinoff from a Bend organization founded by Jim Schell, whom Grooney described as "just a marvelous guy. He really knows how to facilitate and put things together and make them happen."

OK meets once a month. According to Grooney, the group occasionally invites guest speakers to provide some special insight or inspiration.

For more information on Opportunity Knocks, contact Grooney at 549-9841 or Obymako at 389-2141.

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