MID-VALLEY InBusiness
A6
DAT E B O O K
B US I N ES S P R O F I L E
AMANDA COWAN | MID-VALLEY INBUSINESS
Corvallis entrepreneur Patti McCarthy pours a glass of wine in an original Wine Bra outside her home Friday afternoon.
Hands-free party glasses Wine Bras offer support for tipsy glassware By MARIA L. KIRKPATRICK rash — Oops. Pop — There goes another one. The sound of shattering glass punctuates many a wine walk as people attempt to balance glasses and finger foods while browsing shelves. Corvallis resident Patti McCarthy is on a mission to put an end to these party fouls and to outfit revelers with their own handsfree wine glass holders. McCarthy reconfigures bras — yes, lacy, satiny lingerie — to create her wine glass holders. Working with bra cups and straps, she decorates the underwear into colorful art pieces that can accommodate everything from a champagne glass to a double D margarita goblet. She makes a feminine version with the lacy back strap and uses the plain shoulder straps for a more masculine option. McCarthy has been creating her glass holders for about eight years. She attends many events that involve wine, including outdoor concerts and wine and food festivals, and said that without fail someone knocks over their glass or it spills on uneven ground. “Either people are trying to set down their glass on the grass, and it falls over or they are trying to hold their glass and a purse and get to the food and they drop the glass,” she said. “It can become a big deal to not spill.” Her glass holder acts as a sling and hangs freely from a person’s neck. The padded, underwire bra she uses in the creation is slit to allow for a glass stem to pass through and the glass to nestle inside. McCarthy has sold several wine cups from around her own neck at events when people see them in operation. The idea came to her one day while she was bored and looking at a pile of her bras. While spending time with her mother, who was in a nursing home, McCarthy played with her idea and crafted a cup holder for her wheelchair-bound mother. “This way she didn’t have to hold her water or worry about it falling from her lap,” McCarthy said. The contraption caught on and soon McCarthy was making holders for other residents and employees at the nursing home. A single mother to three young men, McCarthy always is a bit surprised at what men will wear – but she says many men find it fun to wear the wine cup. Her own sons do
September 2012
KEYS TO SUCCESS
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A wine glass rests in an original Wine Bra with a Beavers theme Friday afternoon. not wear the device, although they do support her venture. “It’s the only time a man can wear a bra out in public, and it’s OK,” McCarthy said. McCarthy has a patent on her idea and sells the glass holders as fast as she can make them. Holiday themed holders sell the best, she said. Christmas is a big seller with cups adorned with lights and bells. Pink bras sporting the breast cancer ribbon are popular. Beavers and Ducks fans also purchase the slings in their favorite colors. McCarthy purchases the pretty bras she uses from local retailers. It takes her about an hour to craft a basic design and she sells them for $20 and up. Rhinestones, ribbons, bows and flowers take longer and go for more. One customer was so intent to have a specific wine cup holder that she paid $75 to buy it on the spot from McCarthy’s neck. It is her hope to one day just make the wine cups but for now McCarthy also works as a traveling dental assistant and sells Mary Kay. Two of her sons are grown up and on their own and the third is completing high school. Before she can focus on the wine cup, she has to find a better bulk source for the bras. She also needs a seamstress that can sew faster than she can before she increases production. For now, she handles business on a small scale and sells at events she attends.
Patti McCarthy measures success by the cupful and has these five keys to success to share from her own experience: 1. Product. Find a product that is unique and something people can use.“I always hear that this is such a unique idea,” McCarthy said.“It’s not for everyone but there are several groups that really go for what the wine cup can do.“ 2. Get a patent. “I tried not to sell a lot of these until I had a patent in place,” McCarthy said. 3. Promotion. How much will you have to do to promote your product. Look at the product and see if it will sell itself without explanation. 4. Set the price. Don’t charge too little. It’s your own time and effort going into making something that is important to you. 5. Know the place where you will sell your product. McCarthy knows she can sell her wine cups at wine tastings and outdoor venues that serve beverages. Next, she aims to get them into vineyard gift shops.
‘It’s the only time a man can wear a bra out in public, and it’s OK.’ PATTI MCCARTHY
Monday: Lebanon Area Chamber of Commerce Forum Lunch, Speaker: Oregon State Treasurer Ted Wheeler. Time: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital Training Center, 525 N. Santiam Highway, Lebanon. Cost: $13. Information: call 541258-7164. Tuesday: Hiring event, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., T-Mobile Salem Call Center, 4080 27th Court S.E., Salem. Applicants are encouraged to attend, and will be able to tour the facility, receive information on the application and assessment process and an overview of benefits, and have the opportunity to interview onsite. Information: www.tmobile.jobs/. Tuesday and Wednesday: “Guided Tour of QuickBooks,” 2 to 3:50 p.m., Room F-202, Forum building, Linn-Benton Community College, 6500 Pacific Blvd. S.W., Albany. For those with no previous experience in using a computer-based accounting system. Cost: $69. Registration: LBCC Business, Healthcare and Workforce Division, 541-917-4923. Tuesday: “Pulse of the Market,” 6:30 p.m., Illahe Country Club, 3376 Country Club Drive S., Salem. Sponsored by Haven Financial Group. Oppenheimer Funds Pacific Northwest Region Vice President Jerry Fraustro will speak on conditions in equity and bond markets, and offer viewpoints on the current Eurozone debt crisis. Information: 503-585-0009. Wednesday: Albany Area Chamber of Commerce Membership Forum Luncheon: “From Albany to Mount Everest and Back.” Speaker: Craig Hanneman, former NFL and OSU football player and Willamette Industries employee. Time: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Linn County Fair & Expo Center, 3700 Knox Butte Road S.E., Albany. Cost: $13 members; $20 non-members. Information: Call 541-926-1517. Wednesday: Albany Area Chamber of Commerce Business Extravaganza. Time: 1 to 6:30 p.m., Linn County Fair & Expo Center, 3700 Knox Butte Road S.E., Albany. Free to the public. Vendors should contact the chamber for rate information. Info: 541-812-6076. Wednesday: “Women in Business: Best Practices for Creating a Balanced Life,” noon, 101 at Big River, 101 N.W. Jackson Ave. Business owner Kristina Ender will present a collection of best practices for getting it all done, plus a simple process for discerning what’s working for you, what’s not, and knowing when to let go of a practice because it doesn’t fit you. Sponsored by Central Willamette Credit Union. Cost: $15 for members, including lunch; $20 for nonmembers, including lunch; $5 for members, without lunch. Registration: www.corvallischamber.com. Wednesday: Real estate pre-license examination course, 6 to 9 p.m. on 11 Wednesdays, starting this week, plus 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 15, Linn-Benton Community College, 6500 Pacific Blvd. S.W., Albany. The course is the fastest way to qualify to take the state exam. Cost: $695. Information: 541-917-4927 or barbie.dubois @linnbenton.edu. Wednesday: Solarize MidValley workshop, 6 p.m., Albany Public Library, 2450 14th Ave. S.E. Sponsored by the Salem Creative Network. Education on installing solar energy on residential properties through a bulk purchasing pro-
gram. Information: 503-5512818. Thursday: “Getting Things Done When You’re Not in Charge,” 8 a.m. to noon, Room CC-211, Calapooia Center, LinnBenton Community College, 6500 Pacific Blvd. S.W., Albany. The workshop will focus on how any individual in an organization can get things done, whether or not they are in charge. Topics include networking, using your “reflected glory” and leading from where you are. Cost: $79, or $69 per person for three or more from one company. Registration: LBCC Business and Employer Services, 541-917-4923. Thursday: Solarize Mid-Valley workshop, 6 p.m., boardroom, Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, 645 N.W. Monroe Ave. See Wednesday entry. Saturday: “Gleaning from the Forest: Non-Timber Forest Product Opportunities,” 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Bauman Family Tree Farm, 84289 Territorial Highway, Eugene. Participants will learn how to conduct a nontimber product inventory, encourage growth of species of interest, and visit an area specialty forest products business to learn about marketing, labor and equipment requirements. Cost: $15. Details and registration: 541-344-5859 or http://extension.oregon state.edu/lane/forestry. Saturday: Continuing education workshop for licensed massage therapists, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Room NSH-106, North Santiam Hall, Linn-Benton Community College, 6500 Pacific Blvd. S.W., Albany. A head, neck and jaw workshop. Cost: $125. Registration: LBCC Business and Employer Services, 541-917-4923. October: Linn-Benton Community College Small Business Management Program. For those who have been in business for a year and are looking to increase profits. Learn how to focus your business plan, improve marketing and manage finances more efficiently. Includes one classroom session each month and oneon-one business coaching starting in October. Cost: $695. Registration: LBCC Small Business Development Center, 541-9174929. Friday, Oct. 5: Linn-Benton Community College professional development class: “Difficult Workplace Conversations”. Time: 8 a.m. to noon, LBCC Benton Center, Room 204, 757 N.W. Polk Ave., Corvallis. Cost: $79 per person or $69 each for three or more from one company. Info: Call 541-917-4923. Friday, Oct. 5: Business Luncheon: “Social Media and Your Business.” Speaker: Karen Davis, senior employment attorney, Vigilent. Time: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Central Willamette Community Credit Union, 7101 Supra Drive S.W., Albany. Cost $15, chamber members; $20 non-members. Info: Melanie Place, 541-812-8668. Tuesday, Oct. 9: Lebanon Women In Business Luncheon. Speaker: Former Oregon Gov. Barbara Roberts. Time: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., The River Center, 3000 Santiam Highway, Lebanon. Cost: $14 per person. Info: 541-258-7164. Wednesday, Oct. 10: Albany Area Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals Lunch: “Controlling Workplace Clutter.” Speaker: Kristin Bertilson, Queen B Organizing. Time: 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m., Phoenix Inn Suites, 3410 Spicer Drive S.E., Albany. Cost: $15 chamber members; $20 nonmembers. Info: Call 541-926-1517.
Pascone Continued from page A5
InBusiness:As you look at Corvallis making the move to bring in economic development into the halls of City Hall, does that open up some possibilities for increased regional cooperation on economic issues throughout the mid-valley? Pascone: I think the two mayors of the communities have explored this regional effort. It’s a good idea. We are selling the region. If a company locates in Corvallis or Albany or Lebanon, we all are affected, we all (benefit). People will commute across the valley for jobs. I mean, at one point, HP was the biggest employer in Lebanon. So people will live where they live and commute to the jobs. It is a joint effort. And we’ve always cooperated. I don’t think there’s ever been a project where we’ve really competed (against) one or the other. … InBusiness: Do you have any specific advice for Tom Nelson as he starts his job in Corvallis? Pascone: Well, I think he needs to go back to the basics of economic development because a lot of people don’t know what eco-
nomic development is. It’s job creation and community prosperity through good jobs.You help grow local businesses.You help start local businesses. If you’re going to do recruiting, that’s important, but the community needs to figure out how they’re going to track recruitment. … InBusiness:You’ve got to be open to recruiting opportunities when they arise,but in terms of bang for the buck,recruiting is always going to be a little bit of a long shot. Pascone: In the old days, you’d
spend a lot of time on these (recruiting) proposals, but the biggest bang for the buck comes from working with your local businesses. InBusiness: Is that the most satisfying part of the job? Pascone: Yeah, I think so. You get to know the business owners. These people have really good ideas, they’re hard workers. … So it’s really important to find those business owners who can use a hand, starting up and growing.
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