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EVACUATION ALERT: A Level 3 (Go Now) evacuation is in effect near Antioch and East Evans Creek Road. Nearby areas are at Level 2 (Be Set).

Growing the Southern Oregon minority business base at MESO

Discrimination is supposed to be out of the systems of people who can help entrepreneurs start small businesses.

But barriers to small business formation persist in minority-majority communities, including the reluctance of entrepreneurs to trust "the system." It is for these and other reasons that MESO exists, MESO standing for Micro Enterprise Services of Oregon.

We first visited with MESO last winter about setting up an office in the Rogue Valley.

Executive Director Cobi Lewis returns with details of progress in expanding the small business base in Southern Oregon from an office in Talent.

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The Jefferson Exchange is Jefferson Public Radio's daily news program focused on issues, people and events across Southern Oregon and Northern California. Natalie Golay is the program's senior producer and Mike Green hosts the show.