Chamber Charge Newsletter

Featured Article- Business Insights

2012-01-18T12:32:00.000-08:00

Greg Smith, Economic Development Director

BUSINESS INSIGHTS FOR JANUARY 2012

Just imagine the difference it would make if every business in Baker County were able to hire just one more employee! It's in our community's best interest that your business is successful. There are many components involved in building a strong, vibrant business and often a big change can result from making simple adjustments. Following are three articles that may offer you valuable information in some very important areas:

Willing to Do What Others Aren’t

Customer Complaints & Your Attitude

What's Hot and What's Not in Content Marketing for 2012

Baker County Economic Development stands ready to assist. Whether you are considering starting a new business, needing resources to grow an existing company, or are seeking financing, we are here to help. Our services are free and completely confidential.

We invite you to contact Baker County Economic Development today!
Look for us on Facebook, too!
1705 Main Street, Suite 500 A, Baker City, Oregon 97814
Phone: 541-523-5460 | Email: bakercountyedc@gmail.com

Going Local with Baker Buck and Small Business Saturday

2011-11-29T10:11:00.000-08:00

First there was Black Friday, then Cyber Monday. Now, there's the 2nd annual Small Business Saturday, the day people support small businesses. Pledge to Shop Small^SM on Nov 26. If millions of Americans shop small, it will be huge.

Pledge your support for Small Business Saturday® The 2nd annual Small Business Saturday® is a day dedicated to supporting small businesses on one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year. On November 26, we’re asking millions of Americans to Shop Small^sm at their favorite local stores and help fuel the economy. When we all shop small, it will be huge.

Pledge to shop small on Nov 26 For more information and business toolkit: http://smallbusinesssaturday.com/

October 2011 Chamber Charge Feature Article

2011-10-05T10:42:00.000-07:00

Outdoor Safety in the Wallowa Whitman National Forest

Each year people visit national forests and see their first bighorn sheep, take their first horse pack trip or are reunited with friends and family by meeting together at a forest campground. Still, most of us live in urban environments that exclude wild animals, shelter us from extreme weather conditions and provide for quick emergency medical responses.

With this in mind the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest has developed a new outdoor safety webpage. “Visitor safety is our first priority in recreation on the Wallowa-Whitman,” said Forest Supervisor Monica Schwalbach. “Education is central to safety,” continued Schwalbach, “The more you know about the environment you visit, the more prepared you will be for changing weather conditions, wildlife and the risks associated with various recreational activities.”

The new outdoor safety page is available at www.fs.usda.gov/goto/Wallowa-Whitman/OutdoorSafety or by visiting the Wallowa-Whitman homepage and clicking on the Outdoor Safety link on the right hand side. Each link on the outdoor safety page brings up a PDF file that lists the risks and mitigation strategies for a particular hazard. Safety topics currently include general outdoor safety, water, weather and wildlife.

It is the hope of the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest that all visitors will take advantage of this webpage and will enjoy a safe and memorable adventure to their national forests.

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Feature Article for September 2011

2011-07-21T09:35:00.000-07:00

Community Events equal economic commerce for the entire community.

Miners Jubilee comes and goes every year along with its critics and offered words of appreciation. In an effort to really listen to both sides of the argument; “should Miners Jubilee continue” I figure one of the best ways to do so are transparency of our financial s and an open discussion about what is good, and what needs some improvement.

The Chamber Board of Directors asked questions like; are we charging too much for a Jubilee Button? Or how do we find more volunteers to help with events like the Family Fun Area? The community always makes the same comment: “Miners Jubilee isn’t what it used to be, we miss the Porcupine races”. I, being the Executive Director of the Chamber Commerce want to know; have we sufficiently impacted the economy of Baker County with this event? After all, an event that brings more than 5,000 people to the community for multiple nights that fills hotel rooms, restaurants, gift stores, gas stations and grocery stores certainly makes money for more than just those businesses as the money spent trickles down to every resident in Baker County. Hotel employees and restaurant staff now have more money to pay for Doctors visits for wellness care, a new refrigerator with greater capacity at Sears, get that air-conditioner fixed that you’ve been living without all summer, a new addition on the house is within your reach now, or you can afford that leaf blower that you have always wanted, but couldn’t afford it before.

To make Miners Jubilee sustainable, we need those businesses that benefit from Jubilee in the long run, but aren’t adversely affected by the crowds the week of the event to step up to the plate. Sponsor and run an event like the bed races, help pay for the Bounce houses in the Family Fun Area, offer your paid employees for a two hour stint to help with the tattoo booth for the kids, or dream up a new event to replace the beloved Porcupine races. When we all put our heads together, and get the job done, we all benefit;, those that are trying to figure out how to squeeze one more room rental in, and those that see the customers at the counter 3 months later.

Now for some transparency: Click here to view the profit and loss from the Chamber of Commerce Miners Jubilee 2011. Bottom line- we made just under $2,000.00 after all the bills are paid. Now you might think that is a lot of money. But Miners Jubilee was designed to be a fund raiser for the Chamber of Commerce. Our membership dues are ½ of what our neighboring chambers charge. To keep Chamber membership dues low and affordable, events like this need to make money, $10,000-20,000 dollars. That is how we will keep our membership dues affordable and the chamber helping local residents start new businesses and assisting existing businesses to find the resources they need to grow and be profitable.

One more bit of transparency: The Family Fun Area was championed by the Chamber as a healthy family fun area for kids and families in our community that wouldn’t sell shiny trinkets that break before the kids make home to show mom or dad. We have partnered with Blue Mountain Baptist Church, Prevention Coalition, and Juvenile detention to provide a safe environment for kids to play and families to prosper and grow. The Family Fun Area started out with about $700.00 this year and the event ended with $80.00 left in the bank. Businesses like Country Financial sponsored the family fun area with a financial donation this year, and without it we would have ended up in the red. But we obviously need additional sponsors to keep offering valuable opportunities for wholesome family fun during Miners Jubilee.

Please call the Chamber to be part of the solution, to keep Jubilee prosperous and fun for the entire community. I know we can do it, it is important for our future! 541-523-5855 or debi@visitbaker.com. Monthly Miners Jubilee meetings are held the third Thursday of the month from 10am-11am in the Chamber of Commerce conference room.

A note from

Baker County Economic Development

Dear Entrepreneur:

Spring greetings! I am pleased to share with you that we have scheduled ten free business classes beginning in July. We are working with local professionals, the Chamber, Timothy Bishop, BMCC, EOU, and local and state agencies to provide you with a team of experts on a variety of topics. Classes will include:

· The 5-C’s of Borrowing

· Personal Finance and Managing Business Cash Flow

· Government Contracting

· Oregon Department of Revenue: The Most Common Errors Business Owners Make

· Navigating Local Regulations

· Marketing and Customer Service

· Attorney General, John Kroger (TBA)

· BOLI (TBA)

· Hiring Your First Employee

· Limiting Your Liability

Please watch for press releases for more information.

We are here to serve entrepreneurs and want to remind everyone that our services are completely confidential and free of charge.

Services include:

· free, confidential one-on-one advising

· loan assistance;

· financial analysis;

· government contract procurement assistance;

· social media assistance; and

· business trainings and seminars.

By working together we can make a positive difference in our local economy.

Best Regards,

Greg Smith

Economic Development Director

Baker County Economic Development

1705 Main Street 500-A

Baker City, Oregon 97814

Phone: (541) 523-5460

Email: bakercountyedc@gmail.com

Back to Baby Boomers- They can't work forever!

2011-05-26T11:32:00.000-07:00

Click here to read the entire article by Nick Beleiciks published May 25, 2011 for Worksource Oregon

Feature Article for May

2011-04-21T11:07:00.001-07:00

Tourism- is it an economic driver for Baker County?

The Anthony Lakes Gift that Baker County received last year may be considered a success at the end of the first season as a County asset. Anthony Lakes Ski Area received a Travel Oregon Tourism and Hospitality Industry Achievement Award at the Governors Conference on Tourism in April. In fact, Eastern Oregon came away with two of the eight awards this year.

Travel Oregon Announces Recipients of 2010 Tourism And Hospitality Industry Achievement Awards

Travel Oregon is proud to announce the recipients of the 2010 Tourism and Hospitality Industry Achievement Awards, presented at the 2011 Governor's Conference on Tourism.
The annual awards recognize people and organizations across the state that go the extra mile to promote the tourism and hospitality industry in Oregon. Nominated by their peers, the award recipients are outstanding examples of professionals who, by virtue of their vision, perseverance and dedication, are a credit to Oregon's tourism and hospitality industry.
The state's most prized recognition is the Governor's Tourism Award. This year's award was presented to Kari Westlund, President and CEO of Travel Lane County. The Award is a tribute to Westlund's 30 years of service in the visitor industry. She is the past chair to the Oregon Tourism Commission, and is completing her eighth and final year as a commissioner in 2011. She is a former president of the Oregon Association of Convention & Visitor Bureaus (now the Oregon Destination Marketing Organization) and the Western Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus, which awarded her the Spirit of Leadership Award for 2009. Westlund is the current president of the Oregon Track Club and is committed to the continued resurgence of Tracktown USA as a positive brand for Oregon. Westlund played a key role planning Eugene '08 and the upcoming Olympic Trials.
The 2010 Tourism and Hospitality Industry Achievement Awards were announced in these categories:
• The Gene Leo Memorial Award - Baker County - Anthony Lakes Ski Area
• The Oregon Tourism & Hospitality Tourism Development Award - Visit Bend - The Bend Ale Trail
• The Outstanding Oregon Tourism Volunteer Award - Del Stephens and Jim Pex of the Oregon Tuna Classic
• The Oregon Tourism & Hospitality Industry Exceptional Partnership Award - Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area 25th Anniversary Committee
• The Oregon Sustainable Tourism Leadership Award - Kevin Graham, Executive Chef at the Embassy Suites, Portland - Downtown
• The Oregon Heritage Tourism Award - The Pendleton Round-Up Association
• The International Marketing Development Award - International Air Service Committee
Click here for more information on all of the awards and a complete copy of the press release

Feature Article:

2011-03-18T14:12:00.000-07:00

Ways to capitalize on local events:

During all the events that the Chamber and HBC put together each year we encourage businesses to get some action going in front of your store, Wave the flag that says We Are Open for Business, have a Side Walk Sale, if your business is not a Main Street business, contact a building owner on Main Street that has extra side walk space or an owner that has a vacant store front and ask to put your side walk items out front.

Visitors get excited by the opportunity to find great deals, unique items or themed sales. Hells Canyon Motorcycle Rally could be a great time to sell leather goods, skull caps, Baker City patches and more. Miners Jubilee would be an excellent time to pull out the gold jewelry, nugget and dust. Elkhorn Stage Classic participants all want high energy snacks and high protein meals.

We may need to go out of our way a bit to appeal to the crowd at hand, but once we have them in our stores we have a whole lot more we can offer them.

The Chamber has worked up some interesting opportunities for advertising during Miners Jubilee this year, take a look and give us a call if you have some interest. 541-523-5855

Miners Jubilee

Mission: Continue to be a sustainable event that encourages economic commerce in Baker County through visitor attendance that encourages return visits to Baker County.

Advertising and Marketing:

Port-a-Potty advertisers-
Do you own a business downtown or on 10th Street in Baker City? Do you want to get the foot traffic in the vendors in the park down to your business? Do you have a fantastic sidewalk sale going on that you need to advertise?

What: one 8x10 color ad where he looks and one 8x10 color ad where she sits in one port a potty each.
Cost: $50.00 for one port a potty, $75.00 two port a potties, or $175.00 for all Seven port a potties.

Garbage Cans-
Plaster your business name on all 20 of the chamber’s garbage cans in the park during Miners Jubilee- Whether you have a booth in the park, or a business in town, get your name out there where 5,000 visitors can see it all three days of Miners Jubilee for $150.00

Miners Jubilee Program-
Do you want your business, attraction, or event advertised in the Miners Jubilee program? Sponsorship opportunities include: full page $200.00
1/2 page $150.00
1/3 page $100.00
1/4 page $75.00

This will be a Wild Summer in Baker County!

2011-02-26T08:04:00.000-08:00

We have some awesome events planned for the summer of 2011.

These events will give local businesses some needed opportunities to market to visitors from all over the country. Dignitaries are being invited to the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center Gate Dedication on June 4.

Up at the Interpretive Center a new running event call "The Run to the Ruts" will start off National Trails Day, with a formal dedication for the new Iron Gate that is being installed at the base of Flag Staff Hill as you enter the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center. The Trail Tenders organization commissioned local artist Terry Axness and local Business Baker Welding to build a beautiful iron gate at the entrance to one of our most important attractions in Baker County. This will be a great event to remind Baker County that the Interpretive Center was built as a economic driver for our area.

Another addition in 2011 is the Wally Byam Birthday Celebration and Airstream Caravan on the 4th of July holiday weekend .

Baker Heritage Museum is planning a weekend of events celebrating Wally Byam's 115th birthday. Baker born Wally Byam is the inventor of the Airstream Trailer. A season long exhibit "Caravanning and Collecting" features his story along with local rock hounds the Cavin Sisters. This is an Airstream Caravan event, featuring Vintage Airstream trailers on display in Geiser Pollman park.

With the addition of these two events, Baker County stands to have a steady stream of visitors. Lets give them a visit to Baker County they will talk about for years to come.

February is Beef Month

2011-01-25T06:49:00.001-08:00

In the past month, I have driven more than 2,000 miles around the state, and each wet and lonely milepost has shaken my faith that rural Oregon will survive.

How curious, then, that a drive Wednesday morning to the Holiday Inn Airport has me believing again.

Waiting for me there were Doc and Connie Hatfield, founders of Country Natural Beef, an extraordinary ranching co-op that -- in the words of Burgerville's Alison Dennis -- "has done more to close the rural/urban divide" than any entity in this state.

Now 120 ranches strong, Country Natural Beef is holding its spring meeting in Portland, members circling up to debate ways to strengthen their commitment to the land, their hormone-and-antibiotics-free cattle, and to each other.

Is this any way for ranchers to act?

You better believe it, says Doc Hatfield: "We're a rural, redneck, conservative group that functions to the left of anything people in Portland can comprehend. We're touchy-feely. Women and kids are important. It's not your standard good ol' boy hierarchy."

Back in 1986, the Hatfields were selling their cattle on the good ol' Chicago commodities market that, Hatfield notes, "is designed to produce a mediocre product at low cost." Their 30,000-acre High Desert Ranch in Brothers was $200,000 in debt and Doc and Connie were at the end of their branding rope.

On a trip to Bend, Connie Hatfield wandered into the town's lone fitness club and asked "this young Jack LaLanne-type" named Ace how he felt about red meat.

"Recommend it three times a week," Ace said. "But we're having the hardest time getting Argentine beef in Oregon."

Why do you need Argentine beef, Connie asked. Because, she was told, cattle in the Pampas weren't stuffed with hormones or antibiotics, or short-fed on a feed lot.

Neither were the 400 mother cows on the Hatfield's spread. When Connie returned to Brothers that night, she told Doc she'd just discovered a new market for their cattle.

"We're in the cattle business, not the meat business," Doc grumped. "We're going to grow meat for a fitness freak in Bend?"

Doc set the idea on the back burner; Connie burned the midnight oil. She invited every rancher within 250 miles over and pitched the plan of pooling cattle. She procured a feed lot in Prineville, lobbied the beef buyer at Fred Meyer's regional headquarters, and arranged to have the co-op's beef slaughtered, packed, labeled and marketed.

Fourteen ranchers formed Country Natural Beef, and their timing couldn't have been better. They began selling a local product to Whole Foods, Nature's and New Seasons before those retailers had their unprecedented growth spurt. The co-op expanded to 26 ranchers in 1997, and now counts 120 members and $50 million in annual sales.

Since 2004, Burgerville has bought 100 percent of its hamburger -- more than 2 million pounds annually -- from Country Natural Beef, inspired by the co-op's stewardship of cattle and community. McMenamin's has signed on. And the wheat farmers with Shepherd's Grain are following the co-op's lead.

"The ranching community in eastern Oregon," notes Doc Hatfield, who is battling pancreatic cancer, "is as strong as it's ever been. We're a community of shared values, rather than a community of place."

This evening, Country Natural Beef will unfurl those values in a benefit for the Oregon Food Bank at Director Park. If you drop by, I hope you'll notice how many Oregon ranchers arrive accompanied by children and the delight that their community has been sustained for another generation.

-- Steve Duin, the Oregonian

Our Baker County Ranches also made the news with Beef for schools- check out the Baker City Herald article by clicking here

Business Brief -Baby Boomers-They Can't Work Forever

2011-01-24T17:16:00.000-08:00

Follow This Link to some very interesting information about the retirement of the Baby Boomers
http://www.qualityinfo.org/olmisj/ArticleReader?itemid=00007585

January 2011 Chamber Charge Newsletter

2010-12-14T16:54:00.000-08:00

Feature Article
Group Tours were a boon in Baker County when the Interpretive Center opened in 1992.

So why don’t we get the group tour buses any more? Well there is probably more than one reason why those tour buses aren’t so regular, but one thing is for sure, we (Baker County) hasn’t done much marketing to the group tour industry of late.

So the Chamber began the process of marketing to those group tours by donating a $2,500.00 gift certificate won at the 2010 Governors Conference to the cause. Debi worked with Timothy Bishop from Baker County Marketing to commit to four 1/12 page ads; one for each quarter of 2011. The magazine has committed to an advertorial about Baker County in one of the magazines in 2011 as well.

Now comes the hard part. Baker County must have some packages/tours that can be presented to the tour agencies when they call in response to our ad. Debi is working with Alice Trindle from Eastern Oregon Visitors Associate to put together a workshop to teach anyone interested in Group Tours the “travel agent language” used when putting together a group tour. Pricing structures, usual discounts, and terminology will be addressed. We need to put this workshop together in early January because a Group Tour Trade show is coming up in February and Baker County Marketing has plans to attend.

Please contact Debi Bainter at the Chamber office at 541-523-5855 if you want to come to the workshop (probably a couple of hours of your time) and/or call Timothy Bishop, our County Marketing Agent to be included in the packages he is putting together for Group Tours, his phone number is 541-523-1589.