OEN PubTalk: How to Get Your Product on the Shelf and Keep It There

**Online registration is currently closed for tonight’s PubTalk. We will take walk-ins, but prices will be $15 for OEN members and $35 for non-members at the door.

You have a great product, but how do you get it in front of your customers and into the right retail setting? How do you select and work with the agents, manufacturers’ representatives, distributors, retail buying groups, and who-knows-what-else that stands between you and your customers?

Come and hear our panel of four entrepreneurs give their thoughts, strategies, insights and war stories of how they have successfully “been there, done that” with minimal resources. Get a leg up on crucial part of your go-to-market strategy at our May PubTalk!

Details

The OEN PubTalk™ is our flagship monthly happy hour — a perfect starting point for new community members and a great place for established members to make new connections. As always, the program will be preceded by time for casual networking and will include free appetizers and pizza. Registration begins at 5:15 p.m.

Hashtag: #oenpubtalk

Cost: $10 for OEN members; $25 for non-members. We take walk-ins if space allows, but prices will be $15 for OEN members and $35 for non-members at the door.

*Sorry, no refunds.*

Not yet an OEN member? Join today and you can get a free pass to our May PubTalk!

Moderator

Terry St. Marie

Terry “Starbucker” St. Marie is a writer, entrepreneur and startup investor living in Portland, Oregon. Before moving to the Rose City in 2010, he had a successful 23 year tenure as an executive in the cable television industry. Terry has extensive experience in business operations, customer care, strategy and financial management. He’s also the co-founder of the non-profit organization focused on Oregon entrepreneurs, BuiltOregon.org, and is the COO/CFO for Portland handmade goods and music retailer Tender Loving Empire. Terry is also an investor in the Oregon Venture Fund, and is board chair of Social Venture Partners Portland.

Panelists

Sam Stewart

Sam is an avid surfer and snowboarder and originally grew up in Portland, Maine. After graduating from the University of Colorado in Boulder, he moved to Nicaragua for 5 years where he eventually ran the largest real estate brokerage in the small Central American country. Sam is the Co-Founder of Mad Hippie, a natural skin care brand dedicated to healthy skin and a healthy planet. Nowadays, he resides in PDX with his wife and 8 year old daughter and currently sits on the entrepreneurial advisory board at Lewis & Clark.

Sophie Rahman

Sophie Rahman owner and founder of Cardamom Hills Trading Co, based in Portland, is known as the “chutney Queen”. In a highly competitive and over-saturated shelf-stable category, Cardamom Hills has developed a successful line of condiments which highlight the core values of major retail stores and their customers. Cardamom Hills’ chutneys are hand-crafted, to the highest of standards, using locally sourced ingredients with five flavors to choose from. A focus on “in-person” advertising is aimed at engendering a personal relationship with the owner and the brand. Within four years she has established a strong presence in three major retail stores, as well as a number of specialty stores in and around Portland, Vancouver and Seattle.

Sarah Pool

Sarah Pool is the Co-Founder & CEO of Canvas, a company committed to improving individual and global health through functional nutrition, innovative technology applications, and better food systems. Canvas is on a mission to upcycle as much spent grain as possible (8 billion pounds go to waste annually) into high fiber, plant protein food and beverage products, starting with a prebiotic fiber and protein shake. Prior to launching Canvas, Sarah was the Founder & CEO of Pacific Superfood Snacks, a Certified B Corporation acquired by Made In Nature in 2014. She has won numerous awards such as Entrepreneur of the Year and Top Women Run B Corps. Sarah is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley (M.A., B.A.) and Oregon native.

Carrie Atkinson

Carrie is the founder of Sock It to Me, a novelty sock and underwear brand, which started in a small tent at the Portland Saturday Market in 2014. Since then she has grown the company with her team into a globally distributed brand that employs over 50 full time staff and has surpassed $10 million in yearly sales. Sock It to Me’s core brand values are self expression and inclusivity.

Sponsors

Our May PubTalk is presented by: