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Bend Chamber
Weekly
May 15, 2009
By Courtney Linville, Communications Coordinator
This Week's
Highlights
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Taffy Gleason named Citizen of the Year at Bend
Chamber 2009 Excellence Awards Dinner, Pepsi
Bottling Company of Bend, Jake’s Diner, and CORIL also
receive honors
Taffy Gleason, Executive Director of Bend’s
Community Center, was named Citizen of the Year
by the Bend Chamber of Commerce at the Chamber’s
2009 Excellence Awards Dinner on Tuesday evening.
Taffy embodies the concept of community and truly
believes in providing a voice to those who are less
fortunate.
Taffy has helped to develop many services for the
homeless, raised awareness about poverty in the
community, and has provided outlets for people to
volunteer or donate to make a difference. She is
known as the driving force behind many programs in
the community including Feed the Hungry, Thriftstore,
Job Training, and Keep Them Warm.
A patient and incredibly selfless person, Taffy works
six days a week, acts as a role model with
volunteers of all ages, and is working on
diversifying the funding sources for the Bend
Community Center. She is also known for leading by
example, and isn’t afraid to roll up her sleeves to
help a worthy cause.
The award was presented by Les and Judy Alford who won
the award last year.
The Bend Chamber also presented a Lifetime
Achievement Award to the family of Pete Moore, who
passed away in December. Many knew Pete through his
dedication to his family’s company, Pepsi-Cola
Bottling Company, and his strong beliefs in his
family, faith and the local community.
Pete was known by many throughout the business
community as a man with a giving spirit. One of his
biggest passions was education and he was often at
the forefront of organizing support for various
bonds for Central Oregon Community College and Bend-La Pine Public Schools.
Pete was also a founding director for the High Desert
Museum and served for a term as the President of the
Bend Chamber of Commerce.
Connie Druliner, who presented the award, said Pete
“exemplified all that is good about business and its
owners living in and being part of the community. His
legacy lives on.”
This award is the first of its kind for the Bend
Chamber and will not be given annually, but will be
given to those who show a lifetime of commitment to
their community.
Chamber Members also voted Pepsi Bottling Company of
Bend as Large Distinguished Business of the Year,
Jake’s Diner as Small Distinguished Business of the
Year, and Central Oregon Resources for Independent
Living (CORIL) as Outstanding Organization of the
Year.
It’s a brand known around the world, but in Central
Oregon, Pepsi Bottling Company of Bend is locally
owned and operated. For several generations, the
company has been taking care of customers’ needs and
prides itself on going the extra mile. Pepsi
Bottling Company of Bend also looks for ways to help
enrich the local community by contributing to
various organizations throughout Central Oregon. The
company’s employees also have community spirit and
volunteer their time by serving on nonprofit boards,
coaching local sports teams, and so much more.
One of Bend’s favorite restaurants, Jake’s Diner
combines great customer service, great food, and a
love of the community. With a menu full of favorites
and old fashioned comfort food, those who visit the
diner know they can get everything from an old
fashioned hard ice cream milk shake and burger to
such delicacies as prime rib or ribeye steak. Jake’s
Diner always looks for opportunities where it can
give back to the local community by hosting events
and clothing drives throughout the year. The diner
is also known as a place where customers are treated
like family.
Central Oregon Resources for Independent Living (CORIL)
is an organization that believes all people offer
strengths to the business community and the
community as a whole whether or not a person has a
developmental or physical disability. The
organization has continued to grow its commitment of
quality partnerships with local businesses and
provides customized employment solutions for
businesses of all sizes. As part of the 2008
Iditarod, CORIL partnered with Rachael Scdoris on a
Pledge-a-thon. This program raised $15,000 for CORIL.
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Proposed tax cut for
businesses helps to create jobs
On Tuesday, Oregon Legislature Senate President Peter
Courtney introduced legislation that would provide a
direct credit to businesses that create jobs.
Under Senate Bill 4, companies that add new employees
to their payroll would receive a tax credit. The
credit would be capped at $10 million, but the per
employee credit is $2,000. According to a press
release, the Job Creation Tax Incentive Plan could
potentially generate 5,000 new jobs in Oregon.
“Create a job, get a tax cut. It’s just that simple,”
said Courtney (D-Salem/Gervais/Woodburn) “My goal is
to give Oregon companies – especially our invaluable
small businesses – the opportunity to build the
momentum that will grow our economy out of the hole
created by the national recession.”
Qualifications for the credit include the hiring of new
workers between July 1 and December 31, 2009 and
employing the new hires for a minimum of 12 months.
According to Courtney, the amount of the per employee
credit will be determined when the measure goes to
committee where he will also seek to add a provision
to the bill requiring that qualifying employees be
paid a living wage.
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Leadership Bend to
participate in United Way Days of Caring
Are you part of the Leadership Bend alumni network?
Have you been looking for a project that will help
the local community?
Join the Leadership Bend Class of 2009 and fellow
alumni as they participate in the United Way Days of
Caring and roll up their sleeves to help give the
Rosie Bareis Campus a fresh coat of paint on May 29.
Shifts are available in the morning or afternoon. If
you are interested in this great opportunity, make
sure to sign up by May 20 by emailing 2009 Class
President Dayna Ralston at
ralstondayna@msn.com.
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In the News:
Mt. Bachelor to host town
hall meeting: Mt. Bachelor President and
General Manger Dave Rathbun plans to host an open
town hall to discuss the past season and to create
an open dialogue with the public. The event will
take place on May 19 at the Boys and Girls Club of
Bend located at 500 NW Wall St. The event is open to
the public and is free. “There’s no better time to
review the season with our guests than when it is
fresh in all of our minds,” said Rathbun in a recent
press release. “I look forward to offering insights
into our operation and continuing the dialogue with
our local alpine and nordic skiers and
riders.”Topics that will be covered during the town
hall include a review of effectiveness in achieving
this season’s internal goals, a review of
effectiveness in addressing the action items laid
out by last summer’s focus group sessions, a general
overview of the regional ski industry as it pertains
to Mt. Bachelor’s performance, and a briefing on Mt.
Bachelor’s planning and implementation process for
next season. More information is available at the
“in the community” page on
www.mtbachelor.com.
Deschutes
County Road Maintenance Update:
Deschutes County Road Department Maintenance
crews are placing thin lift overlays on local roads.
On May 20 through May 26, the department plans to
focus on Navajo Road in the Deschutes River Woods
subdivision. The road maintenance is dependent on
good weather conditions. Drivers should expect a
minimum delay of 5 to 15 minutes.
Some state representatives
look at “back to basics” approach to budget:
On Tuesday, House and Senate Republicans announced
their Back to Basics Budget plan. The plan calls for
the funding of a full school year, protection of
prioritized services areas like public safety and
human services at the same funding levels for the
previous two-year budget, and the creation of a
$1.374 billion surplus targeting legislative
add-backs and contingency reserves. “This budget
protects our most important priorities: Quality
education for our kids, safe neighborhoods and
services for the most needy and vulnerable,” said
Senator Chris Telfer (R-Bend) in a recent release.
“Republicans applied the same philosophy that Oregon
families and small businesses are applying to their
budgets, funding what is most important with what we
have, tightening our belt and being fiscally
responsible. If we do those things, we don’t have to
talk about raising taxes on Oregon families and
small businesses in these tough times.” Some other
highlights of the “basics” budget include the
assumption that Oregon government doesn’t need to
increase taxes to provide needed services, funding
K-12 education with $6.245 billion (which allows for
zero budget cuts), and leaving $457 million of state
reserves intact.
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Upcoming Events
May 19 – Professional
Development Series – Leading for Growth –
Bend Golf & Country Club, 61045 Country Club Dr. – 11:00 a.m. In this month’s
Professional Development Series Luncheon session,
Ray Davis, President & CEO of Umpqua Holdings
Company and co-author of “Leading for Growth,” will
look at ways businesses can become competitive in
the marketplace, develop employees, and more. Some
of the topics of discussion will include the
following: Discover what business you are really in
and create your competitive advantage; build an
organization with committed employees; connect
marketing strategy and execution on the ground;
create learning opportunities for all managers and
staff; fight the syndrome that often pulls people
back into old routines; and rise above the
day-to-day conflicts to achieve a strategic
perspective on your company and where it’s going.
May 20 – Young
Professionals Network – The Athletic Club of Bend
Established in 1991, The Athletic Club of
Bend has continued to provide the community with the
best in health and wellness facilities and
activities. Conveniently located on the way to Mt.
Bachelor and nearby river trail system, the club is
a great place to start or end your daily fitness
routine. This event will have a slight twist.
Attendees should come with their sneakers and
semi-casual clothes to participate in some outside
networking games from their childhood that focus on
fun and teamwork. There will also be an opportunity
to sign up for The Athletic Club of Bend's new Young
Professionals club membership! This membership is
designed for individuals 18-30 years of age. For
those members who want to continue to network after
the event ends at 7 p.m., the Athletic Club of Bend
will offer Happy Hour food and drink pricing until
closing in the lounge for all YPN members! If you
would like to attend this event please RSVP by
Monday, May 18 at
www.bendchamber.org.
May
21 – Risk Management – What’s With Today’s Banking?
– Speaker: Kevin M. Blakely, President & CEO
The Risk Management Association - Kevin Blakely has
given congressional and international testimony on
banking matters and is often quoted in financial
periodicals. He was with the Office of the
Comptroller of the Currency for 17 years, serving as
Deputy Comptroller for Special Supervision, where he
provided oversight for problem and failing national
banks across the U.S. Whether you’re in financial
services, or an individual who uses banking
services, plan to attend this presentation and hear
from a national expert. What are banks really doing
to protect my money? Can bankers learn from their
mistakes and actually change? Could banks be
nationalized? RSVP by noon on Wed., May 20 at
www.bendchamber.org.
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