Clackamas Community Advantage Magazine February 2023

PACIFIC BATH C U S T O M KO H L E R® CO M FO R T

By Patti Jo Brooks, Contributing Writer

“Let Pacific Bath Create a Custom KOHLER® Bath Solution for Your Bathroom.” Pacific Bath features American-engineered and assembled KOHLER® bath products that promise a lifetime of beauty and quality. Known for its “cuttingedge design and modern comfort,” Kohler® is available through Pacific Bath, the exclusive Kohler-certified installer in Oregon and Washington. Specializing in bathroom remodels, with a focus on LuxStone Shower Systems, Pacific Bath makes the remodel process affordable, quick, and seamless. Their team of expert professionals work closely with the client to design and install “the bathroom of your dreams,” adding value to your home as well as enhanced livability. Pacific Bath also believes in treating every customer with honesty and respect, and they strive to make each client’s experience as stress-free as possible.

Many of today’s homeowners are replacing their traditional bathtubs with walk-in showers which are more practical and much safer for stepping in and out. A KOHLER® LuxStone Walk-in Shower, which features a 3-inch threshold, is as beautiful as it is functional, and can completely transform your bathroom space. Todd Blinn, President of Pacific Bath, points out, “LuxStone is a solid composite that is 70% crushed marble, so you get the gorgeous, sleet look without bacteria-harboring porous

stone or tile, and no grout to clean or crumble.”

KOHLER® LuxStone requires no regular maintenance to keep its watertight seal or protect its appearance. “It’s also non-staining and resists cracks or chips,” Todd adds. “At Pacific Bath, we don’t just rip out a shower and leave the 30-year-old plumbing,” he emphasizes, “We’ll set you up with new fixtures and plumbing. We’re done in about two days or less and you’re using your new shower in about 24 to 48 hours.” Pacific Bath installs various other bath products in the Kohler® line, including Tub Surrounds, Shower Enclosures, Shower Doors, and Accessories. When making the decision to replace your old shower, whirlpool tub, or shower and tub combo, Todd Blinn suggests that you consider the following points: Product Quality, Product Warranty and Manufacturer’s Stability, Installation and Workmanship Warranty. Pacific Bath deals exclusively with Kohler® products, a high-quality manufacturer that’s been around for 150 years. Pacific Bath uses licensed plumbers and contractors on every job, which is crucial in maintaining product and parts warranties and insurance coverages. Pacific Bath uses only Kohler-certified installers backed by a 3-year workmanship warranty. With Pacific Bath, you can’t go wrong. Request your free quote today!

Pacific Bath is located at 17880 NE Airport Way Suite 110, Portland. For additional information visit their website at pacificbath.com.

At The Human Bean

The Origins of the Tater Tot

A Tasty Oregon Invention

By Robert Matsumura, Contributing Writer

The Tater Tot. It’s hard to resist these crunchy golden-brown potato morsels piled high in a basket, or nestled on a plate accompanying our favorite burger or sandwich. For many of us, “Tater Tot” and “comfort food” go hand-in-hand. It’s ingrained in our culture—at least from a food perspective!

But did you know that these world famous potato nuggets were invented in Oregon, and that they were the creative byproduct of potato scraps originally used as cattle feed? The story of the Tater Tot traces back to two young Mormon entrepreneurs named Nephi and Golden Griggs who came of age during the Great Depression. Originally from Idaho, the Griggs brothers were potato farmers like most of their neighbors. Throughout the Great Depression and World War II, the Griggs survived by growing and selling potatoes, but during the postwar years as Americans increasingly turned to convenience foods—frozen foods in particular—the Nephi brothers were certain that their road to riches lay in servicing this growing demand.

Convinced that the future of produce resided in the frozen food section, the two brothers mortgaged their farms to purchase a flash-freezing plant in Northeastern Oregon for $500,000 (approximately $4.5 million today). As the factory was located on the border between Oregon and Idaho, they chose to name their new company Ore-Ida.

Corn and potatoes were Ore-Ida’s mainstay and the company soon became the largest distributor of sweet corn in the country, but the real profit lay in french fries. French fries, though immensely profitable, posed certain production problems. Nephi (the leader of the two brothers) described their challenge as follows: “We had a problem separating the fries from the slivers and small pieces of

potatoes that occurred when slicing the irregular shaped potatoes.” Instead of wasting the scrap pieces, the brothers had been feeding it to their cattle and other livestock.

Despite the fact that their potato scraps were being utilized as feed for farm animals, Nephi Griggs—always focused on efficiency and profit maximization—was bothered by their inability to derive any revenue from the constant flow of potato byproducts. In a letter to an OreIda colleague, Nephi vented his frustration at not putting to better use “product that has been purchased from the grower, stored for months, gone through the peeling process, gone through the specking lines and trimmed off defects, only to be eliminated into the cattle feed.”

An unexpected visit by a representative from an equipment manufacturing company, however, proved to be serendipitous. Although the company representative was there to demonstrate a prune sorter, Nephi and his plant superintendent envisioned utilizing the equipment in a different manner. Instead of sorting prunes, could the machinery be refashioned to sort irregular potato pieces from french fries? To their delight, it could.

It wasn’t long before the Griggs and their people at Ore-Ida devised a creative use for the supply of potato scraps. By smashing the bits together using new machinery, then blanching, forming the crushed potatoes into nuggets, and cooking them in oil, a completely new product was

created. These potato nuggets could subsequently be frozen, bagged, and distributed. Although the original idea was for the nuggets to be fried, it was soon discovered that baking them produced equally good results. According to Nephi, a man on their research committee who “traveled the markets playing a ukulele and demonstrating our product,” came up with the name. Unfortunately, the man’s name has been lost to history, though his talent for creative alliteration lives on. The name “Tater Tot” is iconic across the world for fun, palate-pleasing, potato goodness.

Nephi remarked in his notes (which are now housed at the J. Willard Marriott

“new product has about a three year

the “Tater Tot” name, purchased additional machinery, and began mass producing their tasty invention.

Despite the success of the Tater Tot, the process to create them was a bit of a sticky mess—literally. New equipment had to be fashioned to deal with the starchy potato product. Steel drums the diameter of a human torso rotated continuously filling tot-sized molds with potato. These molded potatoes would then be ejected onto a conveyor belt and sent down a line for seasoning and subsequent freezing.

Ore-Ida’s commitment to the Tater Tot, in spite of production difficulties, proved a gamble worth taking. The Griggs brothers’ promotion of their new product at the 1954 National Potato Convention was a huge hit, garnering interest in Tater Tots throughout the industry. The media was also quick to embrace Tater Tots as a convenient

new food for snacks and meals that was tasty and easy to prepare. So successful was the Tater Tot that Nephi referred to it as their “hero profit item,” and cited it as responsible for making Ore-Ida a household name. By the end of the 1950s, Ore-Ida had captured 25 percent of the domestic frozen potato market. A second plant was opened in 1960, and by 1961 Ore-Ida had gone public.

In 1964, despite generating an annual profit of $31 million, problems within the family necessitated the sale of Ore-Ida. The Griggs sold the company to H.J. Heinz in 1965 for $30 million. The Heinz purchase of Ore-Ida was the company’s first foray into the frozen food market. By the time Heinz merged with Kraft in 2015, the Tater Tot was so common of a product that few people realized the name was still trademarked to Ore-Ida. An advertising campaign was even created to differentiate OreIda tots from the competition. The campaign warned, “Don’t be fooled by Imi-taters,” because Ore-Ida Tater Tots were the “original and only.”

Today, as one of America’s cherished food items, Tater Tots have been incorporated in multitudes of home recipes and even elevated to culinary feature items at certain restaurants. There is no end of possibilities when it comes to something as versatile as the Tater Tot! So, next time you find yourself reaching for a crispy golden Tater Tot, think of the Griggs brothers and the Oregonian ingenuity that transformed cattle feed into a delectable treat enjoyed by millions.

Nephi Grigg was the inventor of the Tater Tot

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A SHINING EXAMPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY

By Dennis McNabb, Contributing Writer

Mattress stores seem to be a dime a dozen, with locations on virtually every street corner and dozens of online options as well. And you’d think the buying experience would be the same as the next, right? Wrong. For starters, there’s the personability. Sean has been in the business for over 25 years. He started the parent company Furniture Showcase, Inc. in 1995, and has been serving the community as Mattress World Northwest (MWNW) since 2004. He and his team are dedicated to making your mattress buying experience one of a kind. In talking to Sean, it’s obvious he cares deeply about his employees and his customers.

Sean spoke passionately about MWNW’s three-pronged approach to business success. Firstly, they are dedicated to helping their customers get a better night’s sleep. Thorough training and the largest selection in the NW allow them to assist every person to find the most comfortable mattress for a better night’s sleep.

Secondly, MWNW’s business mission is making sure their employees are happy. This is one of those places you hear about but rarely find – a place young folks start working at and never leave! They legitimately treat their employees like family and empower them to live their best lives.

Most impressive and thirdly, MWNW prioritizes giving to the communities they reside in. Sean and the MWNW team incorporate charitable giving and philanthropy into the corporate culture. Walk into any one of their stores throughout the year, and you’ll see they are promoting some sort of fundraising event, whether it’s in support of Polar Plunge For Special Olympics Oregon, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Susan G. Komen’s Race for the Cure, the Senior Citizens Council of Clackamas County, or one of our local schools.

In the month of March, all MWNW stores will be asking for donations to support Polar Plunge

for Special Olympics Oregon. Their main fundraiser, The Polar Plunge, takes place March 11 at Willamette Park in Portland.

SEAN HATHAWAY Owner

According to Special Olympics Oregon, “Polar Plunge is your chance to step out of your comfort zone by jumping into an unforgettable experience that directly impacts the lives of Special Olympics Oregon Athletes. By participating you provide 5,000+ Special Olympics Oregon Athletes access to sports, activities, and community.”

Here is why Special Olympics Oregon is so important: “Special Olympics Oregon believes in the transformative power and pure joy of athletic competition. Every day across the state, we help children and adults with intellectual disabilities become athletes and grow a strong, supportive community of advocates. Through year-round training and serious competition, Special Olympics participants journey along a proven pathway to better health, essential life skills and lifelong friendships.” Please help us raise funds by donating online or visiting one of our local stores. Family-owned and -operated, dedicated to providing their customers the best products at the best prices, all while donating to and participating in their local communities, Mattress World Northwest exemplifies the best of what retail businesses have to offer. This proves that not all mattress stores are created equal. Get a better night’s sleep and help support your community at your local Mattress World Northwest, with 22 locations across Portland, Salem, Vancouver, and more. Order online at mattressworldnorthwest.com.

PROUD TO SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITY

Special

Oregon uses sports training and competition to grow acceptance and inclusion of those with intellectual disabilities. Learn more at: soor.org.

Feeling Is Believing.

Wedding Singer

One of my alltime favorite Adam Sandler movies, this is absolutely drenched in ’80s pop culture–movies, cars, fashion, and music. The story follows a talented, funny, and likable wedding singer (Sandler) living in his brother’s basement and who’s terribly in love with the wrong girl. His heart gets broken (of course) and he plunges into a deep pit of despair but refuses to quit working–singing for couples in love–to much expected comedy. Eventually he meets his dream girl (a very cute Drew Barrymore) who’s in love with the wrong guy. Hilarity, flirting, and crossed signals abound, it also stars Alexis Arquette, Christine Taylor, Allen Covert, and more, plus a cameo by Billy Idol. It’s bright and cute and wacky. Rated a strong PG-13 for language and mature content, save this for the older kiddos.

Trolls

Eternal Sunshine Of The MindSpotless

With pure blissful technicolor and heartthumping pop music by Justin Timberlake, the Trolls movie skywrites in bombastic sparkly letters the message of love, joy, happiness, and positivity. A classic Us vs. Them, the meanie ogre Bergens threaten to capture the Trolls once for all–to eat the Trolls one-by-one and finally feel happy. Surely, there’s a better way to find happiness! And through conflict, trial-and-error, and lesson-learning, the Trolls teach the Bergens how to be happy WITHOUT eating others. On a smaller scale, there’s a classic love story: the untrusting hermit, Branch (Justin Timberlake), meets the happy-go-lucky girl-next-door, Princess Poppy (Anna Kendrick). Their relationship very much parallels the Bergens vs. Trolls in their quest to conquer grumpiness and trust. And shocker, they fall in love. There’s singing, dancing, love, good feelings, and colors you’ve never seen before! Rated PG for mild rude humor and the threat of being eaten (I did tell you). Stream these movies where available, or rent from your local movie store, library, or rental kiosk.

This mindblowingly original sci-fi drama romance came barreling out of the early 2000s with an Academy Award for Best Writing and a slew of other awards. One of Jim Carrey’s earlier dramatic roles, his and Kate Winslet’s characters have a bad breakup and opt to have their relationship erased from memory by an experimental doctor, played by Tom Wilkinson. Also starring Kirsten Dunst and Elijah Wood. It’s surreal, quirky, indie, funny, sad, and far too relatable. As chaotic as it is, it’s utterly human with a heartwarming ending. Rated R for language, drug and mature content

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