Stanislav Moukhtarov, a political refugee from Uzbekistan, feels reborn as one of the more than 60,000 Russian-speaking immigrants who have settled in the Portland-metro area in recent years.

Moukhtarov came to Portland two and a half years ago eager to start living the American Dream. "When I left Russia five and half years ago, people didn't work for themselves, only for the government," he said. "I'm always looking for ways to use the opportunity that America gives people to improve my business skills."

The 43-year-old former piano teacher and his wife found lots of support. They quickly discovered the Refugee and Immigrant Self Employment Project (RISE), a program sponsored by Mercy Corp. and administered by the International Refugee Center of Oregon. The seven-week class helps refugees and immigrants learn the basics of running a business, offering tutelage on everything from business plans to financing.

In the year and a half since the couple graduated from the RISE class, Moukhtarov has started his own translating service and his wife has opened a cleaning business.

"Everything was excellent," said Moukhtarov, who was forced to leave Uzbekistan because of his family's involvement in politics. "RISE taught me how to register for a license, buy insurance and helped with (my understanding of) taxes."

According to Portland's four refugee-resettlement agencies, Russian-speaking immigrants and refugees from the many republics of the former Soviet Union constitute one of the largest group of "New Americans" now entering the area--a wave of immigration that began in the late 1980s.

A 1999 report, created by the Center for Population Research and Census at Portland State University, estimates there are 40,000 Russian-speaking people living in Multnomah County alone. According to the Portland-Khabarovsk Sister City Association, another 20,000 Russian-speaking people have settled in Vancouver, Wash.

"Before Gorbachev and perestroika, no one was allowed out, it was like a prison," said Yelena Sergeyeva, program coordinator of Russian Oregon Social Services (ROSS), a program of Ecumenical Ministries. "Now that people can leave, they do."

Other U.S. centers for Russian immigration, such as those in New York or California, are resettling large numbers of Russian Jews. There are approximately 2,500 Russian Jews who have relocated to the Portland area, but Portland has primarily become a destination for Evangelical Christians; an estimated 85 percent of the Russian-speaking population in Portland is Russian Pentecostal or Baptist. (The majority of the Russian-speaking newcomers in Portland qualify for refugee status on the basis of religious persecution).

The Evangelical Christians were drawn here primarily by the Old Believers, a group of about 1,000 practitioners of the faith who immigrated here from Russia in the 1960s and settled in the Woodburn area.

The Old Believers "are playing host to the current flow of Pentecostals," said Victoria Libov, an official with the International Refugee Center of Oregon. "They established themselves here long ago," and eventually attracted the latest wave of Evangelical Christians to the Portland area.

According to resettlement experts, the preponderance of Russian Evangelical Christians poses unique challenges for social-service agencies and employers. Traditionally, the Russian Evangelical population is isolated socially, has limited education and believes in large families--it's not uncommon to see Russian Pentecostal families in Southeast Portland with six or seven children. With restricted English skills and little or no formal education, the Evangelical population is making inroads primarily in the blue-collar sector.

"The most popular occupations for Russians here are welder, painter, car shop worker and cleaners," said Natasha Pennington, a case manager at ROSS.

In a tight labor market, many manufacturing and janitorial companies have benefited from the large pool of Russian workers. Gunderson Inc., for example, recruits extensively from the Russian- speaking population; the rail-car company has hired a Russian interpreter and now offers special in-house English classes for Russian workers.

"We have a very large Russian-speaking population and have had very good luck with them," said Carol McCaulley, manager of employee services at Gunderson. "I think in part it's because they're a very strong community and support one another."

In Vancouver, there are at least two employers that like to recruit Russian-speaking immigrants: Royal Manufacturers, a sewing contractor that has hired about 50; and Vanalco, an aluminum manufacturer that employs about 40.

There are two large apartment complexes in Vancouver, one off Fourth Plain Road and the other on Rossiter Lane, that are filled primarily with Russian-speaking immigrants, according to Alex Hagush, an employment specialist with Vancouver's Private Industry Council. Appropriately, the units are called Little Moscow and Little Leningrad.

Why Vancouver? He said Southwest Washington is attractive because of low unemployment and the availability of construction jobs.

There also are many immigrants, like Moukhtarov, who are eager to take advantage of the free market and start up their own business. As the Russian-speaking population continues to grow, local agencies are increasing the services they provide.

The International Refugee Center of Oregon, for example, recently offered a special RISE class taught in Russian; the organization has plans to offer more. In Vancouver, the Private Industry Council has partnered with Clark College to offer special classes for the Russian-speaking population.
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