Tigard Chamber Names 2011 Shining Stars Chamber Business of the Year

The Tigard Area Chamber of Commerce (TACC) is pleased to announce that Portland Badge & Sign Company of Tigard, owned by Michael Carlson and Paula Middaugh is the 2011 Shining Stars Chamber Business of the Year.  The Chamber Business of the Year Award is made to a Tigard Chamber business who has made in-depth contributions to the Tigard community through their business. The winner is active, involved, interested, and enthusiastic about continuing to make Tigard a destination of choice for local business. Nominee must be a chamber member in good standing.
Michael Carlson

As the face to the community as the Business Development Director for Portland Badge, Michael attends most if not all Tigard Chamber functions whether networking, open houses, ribbon cuttings, governmental gatherings, etc, representing not only his business, but also the chamber Board of Directors as one of its Directors.  Additionally, Michael has played an important additional role within the chamber, heading up the Fundraising Subcommittee, a new committee focused on finding new ways to create revenue for new chamber programs. Michael is also active in many other volunteer capacities outside the chamber, making an impact on the local community through fundraising and assisting seniors within both the Tigard community and beyond.  Michael is a man of strong Christian faith and has a dedication to serving others. Those traits lay at the root of his motivation to launch the company, along with Paula. That and a passion for helping customers to be seen and watching their businesses and organizations thrive. A veteran of the badge and sign industry, there’s not a lot that Michael hasn’t seen or been able to figure out when it comes to displaying a company’s brand in the best possible way. One thing that his deep experience has provided for him is a vast network of contacts in the industry. As a result, he’s always able to help customers get what they need and remaining flexible and always looking out for the best solution – even if it means working outside of Portland Badge. The customer’s success is his goal, and he just gets the job done – no egos involved.

Paula Middaugh

Michael may be the face for Portland Badge, but the company goes much deeper than that.  Paula Middaugh is Portland Badge Company’s Operations Director, and the person behind the voice you’ll hear when you give them a call. She’s worked in the name badge and sign industry for several years, where she met co-founder Michael Carlson and hatched the plan to launch Portland Badge. A creative type at heart, Paula enjoys the design challenges that clients bring to her and watching their eyes light up when they see the finished product. But more than that she loves hearing about how the badges, banners and signs that she crafts for them help them grow their businesses and get more exposure. The turn-around on their jobs is fast and top notch and their customer service is unparalleled.  Here are some quotes from their customers “I’ve yet to ask something that they couldn’t do or refer out with the same level of commitment to excellence”.  “I called Portland Badge in a panic near a major event – Paula was cool, calm and turned around badges in a flash.  On top of that they were a wonderful value.  Paula and Portland Badge Company are great to work with”.   “I picked up my banner this morning and you have a COMPLETELY satisfied new customer!  I got involved with this opportunity only on Monday and was stressed out about how to create a booth in a short 5 days.  This banner will take my booth from ok to FANTASTIC! …”  Portland Badge gets continuous shout outs from chamber member businesses for the business excellence and customer service and works within their customer’s budget constraints to deliver a quality product. For these and so many more reasons Portland Badge is the Tigard Chamber Business of the Year. The Tigard Chamber Business of the Year award will be formally presented at the 2011 Shining Stars Community Awards Banquet sponsored by Platinum Title Sponsor West Coast Bank and held on Saturday, May 7th, 2011 from 6-9 p.m. at Embassy Suites – Washington Square, event location host. For further details about Shining Stars, please contact the Tigard Area Chamber of Commerce at 503-639-1656 or at info@tigardchamber.org About Tigard Area Chamber of Commerce (TACC) The TACC, established in 1955, is a forward thinking membership organization which provides opportunities for consistent and sustainable long-term business growth!  The TACC is creating a strong, interconnected business community where strength through collaboration and power through partnerships makes Business Soar. We do this by building a strong local economy, providing business networking, being involved in our community and representing the interests of business with government. About Portland Badge & Sign Company Portland Badge Co. was founded by Paula Middaugh and Michael Carlson with the goal of serving customers in a way that enables them to achieve success. Paula and Michael both have years of experience in the name badge and sign industry. In all those years of experience, we’ve come to understand that being seen can make a big difference for people, businesses and organizations. And we’ve also seen it done wrong. When we launched Portland Badge, we didn’t just want to help customers to be seen, we wanted to make being seen an art form.
Serving You is Our Greatest Privilege
At the core of Portland Badge are the values of honesty, integrity, respect, servanthood and a strong Christian faith. Our goal is to do the best job we possibly can by providing the most appropriate products available to serve your needs, rather than those that simply add to our revenue – we respect your budget. When you work with us, we’ll listen to you and follow through because we believe that’s the only way we’ll earn your trust and friendship. Our objective is to go well beyond simply manufacturing name badges, signs and banners for you. We want the privilege of serving you and the opportunity to help you grow your visibility and business.  Find us at www.portlandbadge.com