open for business magazine dec 14/ jan 15

FOR BUSINESS VOLUME 13, ISSUE 5

USA $3.95 CANADA $6.95

The eugene AreA ChAmber Of COmmerCe: CelebrATing…PrOmOTing…infOrming business

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Leaning togetherEugene-area business find success through collaboration and cost cutting

features

10A look at the many economic development organizations with whom the Chamber partners to advance a

healthy local economy.

18Café Yumm!, Essex General Construction and Thermo Fisher Scientific have been named

finalists for the 2015 Bold Steps Award. The award recognizes Eugene-based sustainable businesses.

Columns/Departments

5Chamber @ Work. What the Chamber is doing to support and promote businesses in the Eugene area.

6Four Questions. Three professionals answer four questions that give insight into their lives and work

22Business News. Promotions, new hires, and new members

26Last Call. Dave Hauser on Chamber partnerships

ADVERTISER INDEX

Publisher & eDitOr

David Hauser, CCE

eugene Chamber exeCutive COmmittee

Sheryl Balthrop, Chair Gaydos, Churnside & Balthrop PC

Craig Wanichek Chair-elect Summit Bank

Tom Herrmann Vice Chair Gleaves Swearingen LLP

Nigel Francisco Vice Chair Ninkasi Brewing Company

Cathy Worthington, Treasurer Worthington Business Services

Marvin Re’Voal Past Chair PBP Insurance

aDvertising

Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce 541.484.1314

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Asbury Design 541.344.1633 www.asburydesign.net

Printing

Shelton Turnbull 541.687.1214

eugene area Chamber Of COmmerCe

1401 Willamette St. Eugene, OR 97401

541.484.1314

www.Facebook.com /EugeneChamber

Open for Business: A publication of the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce (USPS-978-480).

Open for Business is published bimonthly by the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce in February, April, June, August, October and December. Circulation: 3,800.

Open For Business © 2014

The subscription price is $25, included in membership. Periodicals Postage Paid at Eugene, OR.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 1107, Eugene, OR 97440-1107

Cover story

8During the recession, it was easier to cut expenses than add revenue. But as the economy continues to improve, lean

principles, which focus on creating more value with fewer resources, continue to thrive. We look at why.Pictured: Oregon Community Credit Union’s Toni Gyatso, Willamette Valley Company’s Bob Halligan, and PacificSource Health Plans’ Matt Hockley.

Photography by David Loveall, art direction by Asbury Design

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15 Asbury Design23 Chambers Productions27 Eugene Airport 24 Evergreen Roofing 11 Harrang Long Gary Rudnick PC

5 Hershner Hunter LLP24 Kernutt Stokes17 Lane Transit District25 McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center

8 Moss Adams2 Pacific Continental Bank 9 The Register-Guard14 Summit Bank

2, 21 Trillium Community Health Care24 University of Oregon

FOR BUSINESS VOLUME 13, ISSUE 5

USA $3.95 CANADA $6.95

The eugene AreA ChAmber Of COmmerCe: CelebrATing…PrOmOTing…infOrming business

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Lean aheadThe recession is over, so why are these businesses still cutting costs?

Peterson Pacific, Corp. President Larry Cumming shares his best customer story. Page 7.

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4 OPEN FOR BUSINESS | EUGENE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

training future leaders for 29 years running

This October marked the kick-off of the 29th Leadership Eugene-Springfield (LES) class sponsored by the Eugene and Springfield chambers of commerce. Twenty-six applicants from a wide variety of public, private, and non-profit organizations were selected to participate in this year’s prestigious program.

More than fifty applications were received and members of the LES steering committee and past participants of the program selected this year’s cohort. The LES program was created in 1986 with visions of creating knowledgeable, networked, skilled and passionate leaders to advocate and represent our community.

This year’s class will hear from speakers in local government, economic development, land use and planning, public safety, health and human services, education, and the arts. In November our class was hosted by the Eugene Police Department. Participants enjoyed a tour of the facility and heard from the mayors and city managers of Eugene and Springfield, the Lane County Administrator, two state representatives, and a past city council member on the issues relevant to our local government.

eugene Chamber supports local entrepreneurs

The Chamber hosted SmartUps Forums and sponsored StartUp Weekend.

The Business-to-Business EXPO had nearly 1,400 attendees.

CHAMBER@WORK

The Chamber encourages collaboration that drives productivity among startups. That’s why the Chamber works to connect early-stage entrepreneurs to the networking and educational resources they need to launch high-growth businesses. Over the past two months the Chamber has hosted a SmartUps Workshop Class Series focused on the entrepreneurial fundamentals, hosted two SmartUps Forums and sponsored the 2014 StartUp Weekend.

After months of planning and preparation, more than 150 exhibitors finally saw all of their handiwork pay off at the 2014 Eugene Business-to-Business Expo. Nearly 1400 attendees visited exhibitors’ booths to learn more about local businesses. The Expo showcased many long-time, returning exhibitors as well as dozens of new exhibitors and new companies. The event is one of forty business-to-business connecting events that are produced by the Chamber during the course of the year. The 2014 Business-to-Business Expo was sponsored by Saif Corporation.

Chamber eXPO connects hundreds of businesses

In today’s business environment, some of your most valuable property may not have a physical address or sit in a warehouse. Whether it’s an idea, a trademark, a strategic partnership, or a licensing agreement, it has material value, and should be protected.

With intellectual property (IP) skills honed at one of Silicon Valley’s top law firms, there’s probably not a software or patent license or a manufacturing agreement Carrie Hellwig Christopher can’t master. And as a general business and transactions attorney who has worked in-house for technology companies, she melds the high-level thinking of IP law with the day-to-day practicalities of business, enabling clients to effectively manage risk and accomplish their business objectives.

Whether your business is global or homegrown, on-line or in development, it’s reassuring to know you don’t have to go to Portland to unlock expert IP advice and protection.

Focus on your business and leave the legal issues to us.

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D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 /J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 5 | O P E N F O R B U S I N E S S 76 OPEN FOR BUSINESS | EUGENE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Tom fosterOwner, Strapworks

Strapworks is best known for the production of pet leashes and harnesses. Originally started as a web business out of Tom’s home, they currently occupy 30,000 square feet of industrial space on 1st and are hoping to soon double in size. Strapworks is practicing LEAN prin-ciples, which were suggested voluntarily by their own employees.

Tell us something about your business not everyone knows.

Strapworks owns the licensing to the images of the Three Stooges and Grizzly Adams. Our straps are in every Cirque du Soleil production. We make guitar straps designed for musical personalities. Right now, we are hoping to obtain licensing rights for straps made for Dolly Parton and her fans. We respond to the micro-demands of our customers, meaning we will make a strap of any design, and will make a single strap for a customer. We drive the market by being the manu-facturer with no purchase minimums. Although our largest is the pet industry, we manufacture straps for every imagin-able purpose, including lanyards for col-leges, pitcher pads and matching coasters, mouse pads, and key loops. By January 2015, all of our products will be sourced and made strictly in America, something which offers the employees and vendors great pride and satisfaction.

What is your best customer story?National Geographic hired us to

design and manufacture a strap to be har-nessed to a manatee which then attached above to a video camera pod in order to

videotape the manatee’s movements. NASA is a client. We like to say we

have straps on every continent and in outer space.

What would you tell a new business owner in Eugene why joining the Chamber of Commerce is important?

The help and benefits from the Chamber taking a direct stand on certain issues has directly impacted our business positively. The Chamber was instrumental in negotiating with the city to make our building plans functional and finalized without added costs. We have had tours from Oregon State Senator Ron Wyden and Representative DeFazio because of

the Chamber offering business exposure. Chamber membership has increased our viability, credibility, and our visibility, giving us a better local presence. There are no advantages to satellite distribution, so establishing a local presence helps the business deliver the product quickly.

What is the best part about your job?I like the creative end-developing new

products, or taking every day products and being able to reinvent them. It is great to have a tie down strap for your motorcycle, but it is infinitely cooler to have your motorcycle club logo on the tie down strap.

FOUR qUESTIONSWe asked three professionals to respond to four questions that give insight into their lives and their work.

mike litten & sam DobrowskiWestern Shelter Systems

Western Shelter & Crew Boss are operated within the same industrial building. Mike and Sam are part of the leadership team. LEAN principles are part of their business culture through daily management, value stream mapping, KANBAN systems, and work instruction of 130 employees. Crew Boss manufac-tures protective clothing for land and wild fire fighters, and Western Shelter manufactures search and rescue systems, and responds to hospital isolation needs for infectious disease and chemical contamination.

Continued on page 8

larry CummingPresident, Peterson Pacific, Corp.

Peterson Pacific manufactures industry-safe horizontal grinders, wood chippers, blowers, screens and conveyors sold in 26 countries around the globe. Peterson operates with 270 employees in 110,000 square feet of factory space by the Eugene Airport. Their grinders and chippers (they have 23 patents) take any-where from 8-12 weeks to build and their wood chippers can last as long as 50,000 hours. Peterson recently celebrated the manufacturing and sale of their 2,000th machine — a celebration the Eugene Chamber was proud to participate in.

Tell us something about your company not everyone knows.

A lot of the products we make work in renewable energies. Peterson chippers make wood pellets used for renewable and fossil fuels. Our grinders move material out of landfills and put the organic mate-rial back into the soil. Our products are focused on renewable energies that help climate change and the climate in general.

What is your best customer story? A big logging contractor in Australia,

who was not yet a customer, was awarded a large contract to harvest eucalyptus. Not really thinking they would end up a customer, we nevertheless brought this family company here to Eugene to tour the factory and speak to our engineers. They ended up giving us an order for a new machine, which we are currently designing. They gave us their trust to design a new machine which is critical to their future. We listened to what they wanted, put a full engineering crew on it, will video conference every morning with

them to ensure its perfection, and then ship the machine to Australia in February.

What would you tell a new business owner about why joining the Eugene Chamber is important?

We are probably not a typical Chamber member. We don’t network in the same way that other businesses in Eugene might; we have our two local customers in Rexius and Lane Forest Products, but the Chamber is important to us for other reasons. Peterson is part of a public company (Astec) but is run locally. For us, the Chamber is the voice of business. This presence keeps Eugene a competitive place for manufacturing. If something comes up locally that may not be friendly to business, the Chamber is our voice for these issues.

What is the best part of your job? When the customer visits. Our cus-

tomers are typically entrepreneurs, and are heavily engaged in their own prod-ucts. When customers come and visit, we get to know them. They are here all day. We take them on tours of our factory, and our factory shows very well. We learn from our customers, and they help us see the future. Customer visits can be very rewarding, educational, and interesting.

Mike Litten and Sam Dobrowski have used LEAN principles, including value-stream mapping, to help their business.

Larry Cumming of Peterson Pacific says a lot of products they make are focused on renewable energies.

Tom Foster’s company, Strapworks, has a client list that includes NASA.

8 OPEN FOR BUSINESS | EUGENE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Eugene AreaChamber ofCommerce

Continued from page 7

Tell us something about your business not everyone knows.

Western Shelter Systems are two busi-nesses operated as allied businesses under the same roof. We have separate business strategies with some overlap, but sell to different markets through different sales channels and different corporate anchors.

Western Shelter manufactured the isolation shelter used in the recent New Jersey Ebola crisis, and manufactured full isolation systems used in the 1988 swine flu infections. Crew Boss develops and custom tailors their equipment for the differing land and wildfire team needs based on what their customers describe as their challenges.

What is your best customer story?Mike: After Hurricane Katrina, the

response teams brought back video showing our full shelter systems in use, this was a tear jerker deal. We also created an entire mobile camp to protect the sifting environment for a team of historians and archaeologists.

Within their sort, they found a wedding ring with an inscription on it and were able to return it to the very aging widow.

Sam: We developed the gear and packs for a smoke jumper crew up in Washington, better than anything made in the market.

They strapped 80 pounds of Crew Boss gear on and had to jump from aircraft into the fire. The gear kept them from getting hung up on the trees, and was so effective we turned it into another product line.

What would you tell a new business owner in Eugene about why joining the Eugene Chamber of Commerce is important?

For our businesses, being a part of the Chamber Manufacturers Round-table helped to create a strong local presence. The Chamber has offered plenty of support, and has helped us work with the city on permit-ting issues. A new business owner should know that the Chamber helps to sustain and build your business.

What is the best part of your job?Mike: I think it is knowing that we at

Western Shelter are building a product that aids and assists in saving lives.

Sam: Similarly, Crew Boss creates products that keeps our heroes safe. We directly help keep them from being hurt out there.

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We are thrilled with our new

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“We developed the gear and packs for a smoke jumper crew up in Washington, better than anything made in the market. They strapped 80 pounds of Crew Boss gear on and had to jump from aircraft into the fire.”

– Sam Dobrowski Western Shelter Systems

1 0 OPEN FOR BUSINESS | EUGENE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Our Deep Oregon RootsHelp Businesses Prosper

We have been helping Oregon businesses meet today’s challenges and tomorrow’s opportunities for over 50 years.

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Partnerships for prosperity

Arts and Business Alliance of Eugene: The Chamber is a founding partner of ABAE, an organization dedicated to enriching the cultural life of the community by acting as a catalyst for creating dynamic partnerships between the arts, culture and business sectors. www.artsbusinessalliance.org

Business Oregon: The Chamber works closely with Business Oregon, the state’s economic development agency, to help companies connect with state financing programs and other state resources to help businesses grow and thrive in the region. www.oregon4biz.com

City of Eugene: The Chamber works with the city on a number of economic development policy issues and public tools available to assist private enterprise. The Chamber helps businesses access the City’s resources and navigate City processes. www.eugene-or.gov

Downtown Eugene Inc.: The Chamber manages Downtown Eugene, Inc. (DEI), a nonprofit association of property and business owners whose primary interest is the long-term economic health and vibrancy of downtown Eugene. www.downtowneugene.com

Lane Community College Small Business Development Center & Customized Employee Training: The Chamber partners with the Business Development Center to provide mentoring and training for business owners and employees. www.lanesbdc.com/home/lbd/cpage_7/home.html

Lane County: The Chamber works with the Lane County Community and Economic Development Division to help companies in urban and rural areas stay and grow by providing access to financial and other County resources. www.lanecounty.org/Departments/CAO/EconDev/Pages/default.aspx

Lane Workforce Partnership: Lane Workforce Partnership (LWP) is the local Workforce Investment Board for Lane County. The Chamber partners with LWP to connect businesses with available workforce training/ funding programs, to help find qualified employees to fill key roles within businesses, and to continuously identify opportunities to bolster the local workforce. www.laneworkforce.org

NEDCO (Neighborhood Economic Development Corp.): NEDCO and the Eugene Chamber work together to help start-up and existing businesses gain access to NEDCO’s micro-enterprise loans, educational opportunities, one-on-one business assistance, and Sprout! Food Hub incubator. http://nedcocdc.org/

RAIN Eugene: The Regional Accelerator & Innovation Network is an Oregon consortium of government, higher education, and the business community. The Chamber is a managing partner in RAIN Eugene, which connects the local innovation ecosystem with the entrepreneurial community to create high-impact, innovative, traded-sector companies that can grow and thrive in our community. raineugene.org

SCORE: The Chamber provides free office space and staff support to the Willamette SCORE Chapter. SCORE offers free, unlimited, private and confidential face-to-face counseling for small business owners and entrepreneurs provided by seasoned volunteers with business backgrounds. https://willamette.score.org

Southern Willamette Economic Development Corp: The Chamber is a partner in the creation of SWEDCO a new regional economic development organization committed to bringing people and resources together to market the region in order to attract traded-sector investment and jobs while supporting local business retention and expansion and enhancing the region’s business environment

Travel Lane County: Travel Lane County is the destination marketing organization for Lane County. It is a private, nonprofit association — funded by member support and a visitor-room tax generated at lodging facilities and campgrounds — with a mission to increase overnight stays within the county. The Chamber partners with TLC on a host of travel-related economic development initiatives. www.eugenecascadescoast.org

University Small Business Association: The Chamber manages the business affairs of the University Small Business Association. USBA represents the interests of property and business owners within the West University Services District and provides support for public safety, security, maintenance and marketing programs that improve the business climate of the District.

yOur Chamber WOrKing fOr yOu

The eugene Area Chamber of Commerce partners with a host of economic development organizations to advance a healthy local economy through job creation, business retention, and generating new wealth for our community


Keeping it lean

COver stOry

Despite an improving economy, the lean principles of creating more value

with fewer resources remain popular

By MATT HOLLANDER PHOTO By DAVID LOVEALL

In wake of the Great Recession, it’s not difficult to understand why so many businesses were attracted to lean practices. For many years it was easier to cut expenses than add revenue.

But as the economy continues to improve post-recession, the lean principles, which focus on creating more value with fewer resources, continue to thrive. Why?

Perhaps there is a misconception that lean is about preserving a company, especially during difficult financial times.

At the core of lean is the customer, and Bob Halligan, who is the director of manufacturing for the Willamette Valley Company, and also serves as president of the Emerald Valley High Performance Enterprise Consortium (EV-HPEC), would say that the core idea is maximizing customer value while minimizing waste.

Since 2006, Halligan and the consortium have been beacons of the southern Willamette Valley’s lean movement.

But Halligan can recall when his company, a privately-owned multinational corporation that manufactures and distributes a wide variety of custom products and services throughout the world, began its own lean journey.

After reaching out to Lane Workforce Partnership and the North-west High Enterprise Consortium, Halligan was connected with a handful of local companies that had made similar inquiries.

Originally, Halligan could only assume that his company was unique in its newfound direction. But when an EV-HPEC steering

Oregon Community Credit Union’s Toni Gyatso, Willamette Valley Company’s Bob Halligan, and PacificSource Health Plans’ Matt Hockley have made their companies leaner in recent years.

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COver stOry COver stOrycommittee formed out of those connections, Halligan could see that the Willamette Val-ley Company was not alone.

“It was truly an eye-opening experience to meet with all those companies, many of which I was previously unaware, and find out they were moving down a similar path,” Halligan said.

Additional companies involved at outset included Bike Friday, Country Coach, Pierce Fittings, States Industries and others.

“Although at the time the consortium consisted exclusively of manufacturing-based companies, it was remarkable to see the different sizes and variety of businesses,” Halligan said.

Eight years later, the consortium has evolved into an equal split of manufacturing and service-based companies.

One of the leading spokespeople for that latter group is board member and process improvement specialist for Oregon Community Credit Union (OCCU), Toni Gyatso.

As her title might suggest, Gyatso was tasked with leading OCCU down a lean path.

Beginning in 2012, Gyatso attended oc-casional EV-HPEC training sessions, but the intermittent exposure made for a dis-jointed learning experience. When OCCU became a member the following year, she started to see immediate benefits of lean.

“The most difficult process is overcom-ing the initial learning curve, and that takes a dedicated effort,” Gyatso said. “Once I started going to training sessions every other month, I was able to create that road map to lean for OCCU.”

In the beginning, Gyatso felt like a “translator” of the lean principles to fellow employees. However, as more colleagues attended the training sessions, Gyatso says she recognized a more collaborative, and less skeptical working environment.

“The goal for lean is full-involvement from a member-organization,” she said. “We initially felt some resistance to change;

people can get stuck in their ways, and ‘lean’ is often misconstrued for cutting jobs, which it’s not. Lean is about creating more value for an organization.”

The value for members of the EV-HPEC is broad and diverse.

During those early years, the consortium offered occasional training sessions with help from Oregon Manufacturing Exten-sion Partnership (OMEP). And once a year it hosted a membership social.

While Halligan and the other board members understood the value of the consortium, they experienced difficulties in expanding the membership.

“We explored all the marketing avenues we could think of,” Halligan recalled. “We mined data-bases of local companies, lever-aged our community partnerships and made a lot of cold calls.”

Although there was fairly ubiquitous interest in the consortium, Halligan said that many were not in a position to pay the annual dues.

“Either organizations were already engaged with full-time consultants, or they were smaller and simply couldn’t afford to join,” he said.

EV-HPEC membership dues are calcu-lated from a sliding scale based on the size of the organization. Currently, those fees can range from $800-$1800. Members have access to training for employees and other consortium events.

But as the Willamette Valley Company saw its cycle times and work cells reduced by 35-67 percent, Halligan could see that the potential value of lean practices to an organization far exceeded the membership fee.

“At the Willamette Valley Company, when raw material prices go up, we don’t necessarily have to pass those costs to our customers; we are frequently able to absorb those fluctuations internally,” he said. “And the lean process, which is focused on short-ening lead times, minimizing defects and reducing waste, allows us to do that.”

Gyatso also cautioned on relying too heavily on outside consultants.

“Consultants are great, but it’s difficult for them to teach the different methods of adopting and applying lean tools to a unique culture,” she said “In the end, being able to learn the tools for your self is what will sustain lean in any organization.”

While the value metric may be more dif-ficult for OCCU and other service compa-nies to quantify, Gyatso said that the value

is very apparent in the quality of employees.“It’s hard to measure but I’ve certainly

grown as a professional, and our employees have as well,” she said. “When an employee is leaving, no matter what the reason, we hear consistently good feedback on the lean training during the exit interview.”

Halligan also said that lean has benefit-ted Willamette Valley Company’s culture.

“The leaders had to give reasons for the employees to buy in to the lean concept,

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“When raw material prices go up, we don’t necessarily have to pass those costs to our customers. ...The lean process, which is focused on shortening lead times, minimizing defects and reducing waste, allows us to do that.”

– Bob Halligan

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COver stOryand it challenged them to share more,” Hal-ligan said “And since we’ve developed more transparent communication, there is more sharing and participation from both sides.”

Of course, the consortium has not always traveled a linear path since its inception.

“We’ve gone through peaks and valleys of attention and energy,” Halligan said. “Sometimes the day-to-day and week-to-week get in the way. But when that happens, it’s usually a sign that we need to re-form and refocus.”

Some of the latest initiatives to invigo-rate the consortium have been academic, as it has worked to bridge the gap between manufacturing and service-based members.

“It was challenging to figure out that common language,” Halligan said. “Manu-facturing is about moving materials, and the service industry is largely about moving information. We’ve had to adapt our cur-riculum and choose our facilitators based on those different needs.”

Gyatso said that a more tailored curricu-lum has been helpful for service industry members, but process improvement is still considered “cutting edge.” However, she certainly doesn’t believe that lean is more valuable in manufacturing.

“Nothing about lean is a secret,” she said. “The challenge is making it match your own culture. And one of the many benefits of EV-HPEC is that you can learn and see how others are using the tools; how one member uses a lean tool can be very differ-ent from another, even though it’s the same tool.”

New for this year, members can at-tain a Lean Enterprise certificate through Lane Community College. To earn this distinction, one must complete the required courses and present a capstone project at Lean World Café, a regular networking event for EV-HPEC members.

“The consortium really likes the certifi-cate program,” Halligan said. “On one hand, it’s a great marketing tool, but on the other hand we also think that it has a lot of value. In the spirit of lean, we wouldn’t promote it if we didn’t feel that it brought some value.”

The consortium has also brought in

notable speakers for its annual leadership conferences. Keynotes have included Mike Martyn, author of Own the Gap, and Mike Wroblewski, Director of the Kaizen Insti-tute, U.S.A.

In another relatively recent develop-ment, the consortium has come under the umbrella of the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce, which provides administrative services and program support.

“Working with the Chamber has been great,” Halligan said. “Their support, orga-nization and professionalism have allowed us to spend more time and more resources focused on the big picture.”

Gyatso added that the Chamber has been an invaluable partner in helping the consortium to achieve greater visibility in the community through the Chamber’s many communication platforms.

Leigh Anne Hogue, who was recently named Director of Economic Development for the Chamber said, “Bringing EV-HPEC into the Chamber provides yet an-other opportunity for our Chamber to play a role in strengthening existing businesses throughout the region. We view our efforts in support of the consortium as a logical extension of our economic development efforts.”

Emerald Valley High Performance Enterprise Consortium (EV-HPEC) is a Lane County learning network increasing business competitiveness by sharing and ap-plying lean principles, practices, and tools.

EV-HPEC supports organizations to:• Instill learning in the principles of lean

and high performance;• Provide education and training for

the implementation of lean methods, lean culture, and workforce development;

• Collaborate in solving common prob-lems for improving lean practices;

• Promote continuous improvement and reduction of waste; and

• Promote the health and sustainability of member businesses.

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“Nothing about lean is a secret. The challenge is making it match your own culture.”

– Toni Gyatso Oregon Community Credit Union

To contact EV-HPEC, call LeighAnne Hogue at 541-242-2359 or [email protected]


Café Yumm!, essex general Construction and Thermo fisher Scientific vying for the top spot

Three Eugene businesses, Café Yumm!, Essex General Con-struction and Thermo Fisher Scientific have been named finalists for the 2015 Bold Steps Award. The Bold Steps Award recognizes Eugene-based sustainable businesses and represents a partnership between The City of Eugene, Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy, and BRING’s RE:think program.

For the City of Eugene, sustainability means considering and balancing all three aspects of the triple bottom line – people, planet and prosperity – to address the community’s present needs without compromising future generations.

“Eugene is nationally recognized as a leader in sustainability not simply because of our policies, but because of the commit-ment and innovation of businesses and residents who are working to improve environmental quality and grow our green economy,” said Mayor Kitty Piercy. “Working together we are creating a greener, more sustainable, and livable city.”

All Bold Steps finalists receive marketing and PR support and a professionally produced 60-90 second video about their busi-

sustainability aWarDs

Three businesses compete for bold steps


ness and the Bold Steps they have taken. The videos will be shown and a winner announced at the 2015 State of the City address held in January. The winner of the award receives additional marketing and PR support and will take the Bold Steps trophy back to their place of business to display for one year.

Highlights from this year’s finalists include:

Café Yumm! has generated 125,444 kwH of electricity saving 86.5 tons of CO2 emissions and 9,733 gallons of gasoline since installing the solar powered electric vehicle charging station at the Broadway location in Eugene in October, 2011.

Essex General Construction went above and beyond in their work for several local nonprofits including FOOD for Lane County’s headquarters, Willakenzie Cross-ing for Cornerstone Community Housing, and Roosevelt Crossing project for Spon-sors, Inc. These projects incorporate sustain-able designs to maximize energy efficiency.

Thermo Fisher Scientific has achieved

zero waste certification, diverting 95% of nonhazardous waste from the landfill. The company also has a Local Green Com-mittee, an employee-led organization that works to improve the Eugene site’s impact on the environment.

This year, the company worked with lo-cal beekeepers to contain and transfer three swarms of bees to appropriate apiaries from their main campus.

The Mayor’s Bold Steps Award was developed by Mayor Piercy in 2007 to acknowledge Eugene-based businesses op-erating with a triple-bottom-line approach. The award was re-launched in 2014 to be an annual program with three finalists and one winner per year. To be eligible for the award, businesses must be certified by BRING Recycling’s RE:think Business program, be located in Eugene, and complete an applica-tion.

Further information about the Bold Steps Award and a link to the award ap-plication is available on the City of Eugene website at www.eugene-or.gov/boldsteps.

hink well. Be well.™

We have great plans for your business.

541-431-1950 800-910-3906

trilliumchp.com Terry Coplin, CEO & David Cole, CFOTrillium Community

Health Plan

As a true community health plan—started by local doctors—Trillium offers a popular range of comprehensive, low- cost health plans. Dial in the dollars, and choose a plan that’s right for you. We’re 20-plus years old and 100,000 members strong. It’s a smart local call.

Chamber membership has given us the

opportunity to build relationships with

other businesses. We’re committed

in our partnership with the Chamber

in making this region a great place to

live and work. After all, a community

worth living in is a community worth

improving. Wouldn’t you agree?

– Sheryl Balthrop Gaydos, Churnside & Balthrop, P.C.

Join the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce

541-484-1314www.eugenechamber.com


The Mayor’s Bold Steps Award was developed by Mayor Piercy in 2007 to acknowledge Eugene-based businesses operating with a triple-bottom-line approach. The award was re-launched in 2014 to be an annual program.


Promotions/ new hiresPhotos appear left to right from top.

Mark Gregory was named the new State Director of the Oregon Small Business Development Center Network (OSBDCN)

after serving the past six years as the associate state director of the Network. Gregory was selected through a national search. His term began November 1, succeeding director Michael Lainoff. www.LaneSBDC.com

Robertson Sherwood Architects, PC is pleased to announce the promotion of Scott Stolarczyk, AIA, LEED AP to Associate. This

promotion is made in recognition of his superior performance and 15 years of dedication to the firm. Scott’s current projects include: Lone Rock Resources Headquarters Building, Roseburg; Central Kitchen and Wood Shop at University of Oregon, Eugene; Newport Aquatics Center, Newport; and The Shedd - Master Planning, Eugene. www.robertsonsherwood.com

Garrett Ledgerwood has joined the law firm of Hershner Hunter LLP. He graduated from Washington and Lee University School

of Law, summa cum laude, in 2009 and Texas Tech University, cum laude, in 2001. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Ledgerwood practiced at a large Wall Street law firm in New York City and served as law clerk for a bankruptcy judge in Washington, D.C. Mr. Ledgerwood’s practice at Hershner Hunter focuses on bankruptcy, business reorganizations, and creditors’ rights. www.hershnerhunter.com

RE/MAX Integrity is proud to announce six new Real Estate Brokers at their office located at 4710 Village Plaza Loop in Eugene.

Megan Dawley who will team with veteran Broker Kim Swenson as a Buyer’s Broker. Shannon Hay, Jude Hill, Melissa Smith, David Odom, and Megan Norman (not pictured) will join RE/MAX Integrity as Real Estate Brokers. www.integrityhomesonline.com

Dr. John Hunts of Aesthetic Surgical Arts would like to welcome Dr. Brett Pariseau (pictured) to his practice as an

Oculofacial Plastic Surgeon. Dr. Pariseau has a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering, attended Stanford Medical School and completed two fellowships in Oculofacial Plastic Surgery. www.

asaskincare.com

QSL Print Communications has recently hired Aaron Bloom as a Commercial Print Account Manager. Aaron has 15 years of

sales experience, most recently in the medical supply industry. www.qslprinting.com

Dex One is excited to welcome Greg Wolf as a Marketing Consultant with Dex Media in Eugene. He has 15 years’ experience in

sales and management, most recently in construction material distribution. www.dexone.com

Systems West Engineers is pleased to announce the addition of four new team members: Jerry Jones, PE (not pictured), with extensive experience

with large and technical mechanical equipment and systems as mechanical engineer; Dennis Stahl as CAD technician to maintain Systems West Engineers’ high document presentation standards; Heather Cooney with more than 11 years of administrative experience in design and construction as office manager; and Stephanie Brathwaite with a decade of broad experience in marketing and public relations. www.systemswestengineers.com

Jayne McLaws has been promoted from senior credit administration analyst to loan review officer at Pacific Continental Bank. McLaws works out of the company’s offices in Springfield.Triva Hazelton has been promoted from records administrator and custodian to information management officer. Hazelton works out of the company’s offices in Eugene. www.therightbank.com

Moss Adams LLP of Eugene congratulates Brad Smith on his admission to the partnership here in Eugene. www.mossadams.com

KudosRoger Borek, principal at My Accounting Team, is pleased to announce My Accounting Team is recently certified as

an Intacct Accounting Provider. As an Intacct IAP partner My Accounting Team brings superior systems and technology to their clients as a component of their outsourced accounting department/bookkeeping services. www.myaccountingteam.com

The Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC) is pleased to announce that Olsson Industrial Electric, located in Springfield, Oregon, received the IEC National Award of Excellence in Electrical Construction in the Industrial category during the 57th Annual IEC National Convention & Electric Expo in Portland, Oregon. www.olssonelec.com

Mark Metzger the general manager of KLSR-TV/Fox and KEVU-TV for nearly 24 years, was recently honored by the Oregon

Association of Broadcasters as the 2014 Broadcaster of the Year.

Waterford Grand, located at 600 Waterford Way on the banks of the Willamette River, officially opened on Tuesday, Oct. 28. Designed by Myhre Group Architects and completed by Chambers Construction, Waterford Grand redefines senior living boasting a community with the highest standards of care and a state-of-the-art fitness facility designed specifically for seniors. www.waterfordgrand.com

Cougill & Hansen, which does business as John L Scott Real Estate Eugene, and Prudential Real Estate Professionals have merged. John L Scott has 26 local brokers, Prudential about 40, according to Jeremy Starr, owner of John L Scott. The combined firm, operating as Prudential

Real Estate Professionals, will be located in the office occupied by John L Scott in Oakway Mall after what Starr said will be an extensive remodel and upgrade of that office. Prudential’s south Eugene office will remain open after the merger. www.oakway.prudentialhomefinder.com

Portland-based Fred Meyer Employees Federal Credit Union has merged into Northwest Community Credit Union. The merger began “as a conversation of mutual interest with both organizations’ boards of directors under the guidance of the National Credit Union Association,” according to Northwest Community CEO John Iglesias. The focus was on improving member services and ensuring regulatory compliance, he said.

businessneWs businessneWs


Willamalane Park & Recreation District www.willamalane.org

Candlewood Suites Eugene-Springfield www.candlewoodsuites.com/Eugene

Harris Painting

Music Masters, LLC www.musicmastersstudio.com

SpringWell Health Center www.springwellhealthcenter.com

Blink www.blink-nw.com

FlyWheel Inc. www.flywheel.sandler.com

Oregon Imaging Centers www.oregonimaging.com

Saraha Children’s School www.sarahaschool.org

Republic Parking Northwest www.rpnw.com

Decision Metrics www.decisionmetrics.org

Mass Mutual Oregon www.massmutual.com

Mac’s Restaurant & Nightclub www.macsatthevets.com

Assistance League of Eugene www.eugene.assistanceleague.org

OH SO JO, LLC www.ohsojo.com

Dock No. 2 Design www.dockno2.com

Crescendo LLC www.organicello.com

Trigger Hotel Marketing www.TriggerHotelMarketing.com

Brad’s Car Tunes www.bradscartune.com

The Pearl Day Spa www.thepearldayspa.com

Cy Media Pros www.cymediapros.com

Connections Publications, LLC www.connectionspublications.com

Membrillo Latin Café www.membrillolatincafe.com

Silvan Ridge Winery www.silvanridge.com

Lyoness www.mylyconect.com

Car2GoNA, LLCwww.car2go.com/en/portland/

Elk Horn Brewery

Willamette Family, Inc.www.wfts.org

Business News covers promotions, hires, awards, business giving and business news. E-mail items to [email protected].

businessneWsAsbury Design won silver at the Telly Awards (their highest honor) for their tv spot for Women’s Care. The commercial featured local mothers and babies. www.asburydesign.net

Dr. Michael D. Cary, DMD Secretary/Treasurer Oregon Academy of General Dentistry (left) and Dr. Shane Samy, DMD, MAGD

Dr. Shane Samy from Eugene has been voted Dentist of the year by his peers at the Oregon Academy of General Dentistry. The Oregon Academy of General Dentistry’s (OAGD) 2014 Dentist of the Year award was presented to Shane Samy, DMD MAGD, of Eugene at the OAGD Annual Meeting on October 4th in Portland. The award recognizes a general practitioner who has made an extraordinary commitment to the community and to the profession. Criteria for the award include service to dentistry; service to the community; clinical skills; and contribution to and participation in continuing education. www.samydmd.com

new membersWhen you join the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce, you become part of a vibrant and prosperous community of creative entrepreneurs, forward-thinking innovators and visionary business leaders. We’re pleased to welcome these new members who have chosen to take advantage of the Chamber’s tools, resources and expansive network to grow their businesses:

Ms. Ladybug Gift Baskets www.msladybuggiftbaskets.com

Salishan Spa & Golf Resort www.salishan.com

businessneWs

THE 30-MINUTES-OR-LESS E.R. SERVICE PLEDGE Emergency medicine is about three things: compassion, skilled care and speed. You’ll find these

at McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center. The experienced E.R. physicians and the entire team are committed to working diligently to have you initially seen by a clinical professional* within 30 minutes of your arrival. For more information, visit McKweb.com.

We know you have better things to do than wait hours in an E.R.

Scan this code with your smartphone to view our current average wait time.

If you’re experiencing a medical emergency, call 911. *Clinical professional is defined as a physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner. McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center is directly or indirectly owned by a partnership that proudly includes physician owners, including certain members of the hospital’s medical staff.

McKweb.com

78582_MWMC_ER_7_735x4_8125c.indd 1 9/5/14 2:51 PM


5 Airlines/10 Nonstop Destinations/Infinite Connections

Across the Eugene/Springfield region, creative economic development collaborations are helping businesses thrive and in the process, sparking new economic vitality and community pride. The Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce is a partner in many of these efforts to help realize the immense potential and achieve regional economic prosperity.

last Call by Dave hauser

eugene Chamber collaborations spark new economic vitality

At the Chamber, we believe manufacturing is a critically important component of our economy. In Oregon manufacturing accounts for a significant share of our states total economic output at nearly 28%. That output totals $55.16 billion for Oregon and it is growing. In fact only one state, Indiana, represents a higher percentage of its economy connected to manufacturing.

We have an economic development emphasis in our Chamber we refer to as the Regional Prosperity Initiative (RPI). A key platform within RPI is to support the growth of local manufacturers. National studies show that 80% of local job creation comes from the companies that are here. We want to do all that we can to support the growth of local manufacturers. That includes outreach to them to understand and assist in addressing challenges and opportunities…we’ve been working with over 400 manufacturing firms over the past 4 years…providing resources, information and inspiration to assist them in their growth. Addressing the needs of these local businesses often involves active support from individuals and agencies across Lane County.

In addition, our Chamber is an active driver, founder and/or ally in a host of collaborative efforts designed to support business and shape a

prosperous regional economy. A partial list includes:

• Emerald Valley High Performance Enterprise Consortium

• Region Accelerator and Innovation Network – Eugene (RAIN)

• Willamette Angel Conference• Lane BusinessLink • Arts and Business Alliance of

Eugene• Southern Willamette Economic

Development Corp.• Lane County Sector Strategy

TeamThe Eugene Chamber has made

the active promotion and coordination of community collaboration in local economic development efforts its top priority. We’re committed to working with local partners to enhance local economic development efforts to produce results that both fit and work for our communities.


PO Box 1107Eugene, OR 97440-1107

Certified Public Accountants & Consultants

1600 Executive Parkway, Suite 110, Eugene, Oregon 97401541.687.1170 | kernuttstokes.com

John Mlynczyk, CPA

John began his career as an accountant in 2006

when he joined Kernutt Stokes. As a partner, he

provides a variety of services, including tax planning

and compliance for businesses and high net worth

individuals. John has experience working with a

variety of clients; however, he specializes in medical

and dental practices as well as manufacturing, timber

and retail businesses.

To learn more about Kernutt Stokes, contact John Mlynczyk

at 541-687-1170

ANOTHER SUCCESS STORY.Say hello to the newest partner at Kernutt Stokes.

open for business magazine dec 14/ jan 15

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