Enterprise Magazine Summer 2021 by MAP Publications

Economic Development in Oregon’s Mid-Willamette Valley

Building

A Better

Workforce

Summer 2021

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Summer 2021

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Features 8 Building a Better Workforce

In this Issue 2

SEDCOR Board and Staff

Workforce Matters President’s Message by Erik Andersson

Quick Hits Allied Video Productions Acquires KTVA Productions Green Acres Landscape one of the 100 Best Companies to Work for in Oregon Monmouth-Independence Chamber 56th Annual Community Awards

12 Overcome the Challenge of Finding and Keeping Employees by Jacob Espinoza

13 Insights from Chemeketa Community College Chemeketa Small Business Development Center Offers Guidance and Data

14 Insights from the BBSI Finding Your Business's Compensation Equation by Eric Nelson

15 Interview Kim Parker-Llerenas, Willamette Workforce Partnership’s Executive Director

20 County News POLK - Commissioner Craig Pope YAMHILL - Commissioner Casey Kulla MARION - Comissioner Danielle Bethell Cover photo taken at Ulven Company. This year, Ulven celebrates their 50th year in business!

Chemeketa College..........................................Back Cover Chemeketa Truck Driving...............................................26 Cherriots.............................................................................21 Citizens Bank ��19 City of Salem ��11 Coldwell Banker Commercial.........................................23 Covanta Marion................................................................25 Datavision...........................................................................25 Dalke Construction Co. �� 5 EnergyTrust of Oregon ��27 Freres Lumber...................................................................... 7 GK Machine.......................................................................11 Grand Hotel of Salem........................................................ 6 Green Acres Landscape ��13 Huggins Insurance............................................................21 LS Networks......................................................................... 4 MAPS Credit Union..........................................................20 Multi/Tech Engineering Services..................................16 Oregon Cascade Plumbing & Heating.........................25 Pfeifer Roofing..................................................................18 PNM Construction...........................................................23 Powell Banz Valuation.....................................................17 Power Fleet Commercial Sales......................................26 Print Specialties �� 1 Rich Duncan Construction ��19 Salem Convention Center..................Inside Front Cover Santiam Hospital.................................. Inisde Back Cover Select Impressions ��10 Sherman Sherman Johnnie & Hoyt, LLP ��21 Sign Crafters......................................................................11 SVN Commercial Advisors..............................................19 SwiftCare Medical Clinic.................................................24 Thomas Kay Flooring & Interiors..................................23 White Oak Construction �� 3 Willamette Community Bank........................................28

Mt. Angel Publishing, Inc.

Mt. Angel Publishing is proud to work with SEDCOR to produce Enterprise. To advertise in the next issue, contact Jerry Stevens: 541-944-2820 SEDCOR@mtangelpub.com www.sedcor.com

Enterprise Summer 2021 1

SEDCOR Staff Erik Andersson

Executive Council Chair Daryl Knox

Members at Large Rich Duncan

Partner, The Aldrich Group, CPA

President, Rich Duncan Construction Inc.

Past Chair

Nathan Levin

Mark Hoyt

N. Levin Industrial Real Estate

Secretary/Treasurer & Chair Elect

City Manager, City of Salem

Michael Fowler

Colm Willis

Partner, Sherman Sherman Johnnie & Hoyt, LLP

CEO, Cabinet Door Service

President 503-837-1800 eandersson@sedcor.com

Steve Powers

Marion County Commissioner

Jenni Kistler Director of Operations 503-588-6225

Board of Directors Curt Arthur

Owner, SVN Commercial Advisors

Ricardo Baez

jkistler@sedcor.com Michael Keane

Attorney/Shareholder Garrett Hemann Robertson, P.C.

Diana Knous

President, Don Pancho Authentic Mexican Foods, Inc.

Regional Business Manager, Pacific Power

Chuck Bennett

Jennifer Larsen Morrow

Mayor of Salem

Lindsay Berschauer Yamhill County Commissioner

Alan Blood

General Manager, Garmin AT, Inc.

David Briggs

Trial Lawyer, Partner, Saalfeld Griggs PC

Patricia Callihan-Bowman

President, Creative Company, Inc.

Rod Lucas

Owner, Turner Lumber, Inc.

Kim Parker-Lleranas

Executive Director Willamette Workforce Partnership

James Parr

Cathy Clark

Craig Pope

Polk County Commissioner

Jim Rasmussen

President, AC+Co. Architecture

President/CEO, Modern Building Systems, Inc.

Brent DeHart

Conner Reiten

Amy Doerfler

Secretary/Treasurer, Doerfler Farms, Inc.

James Dooley

President, Larsen Flynn Insurance

Theresa Haskins

Business Market Manager Portland General Electric

Byron Hendricks Jessica Howard

President, Chemeketa Community College

George Jennings

Counsel to the President, Mountain West Investment Corporation

Jamie Johnk

Economic Development Director, City of Woodburn

Ken Jundt

Regional Manager, Columbia Bank

503-837-1804 nharville@sedcor.com

Store Manager, Umpqua Bank

CFO, Salem Health

Alan Costic AIA

Marion County Business Retention & Expansion Manager

David Mercer

Owner/Career Coach Express Employment Professionals Mayor of Keizer

Nick Harville

Government Affairs, NW Natural

Alex Paraskevas Rural Innovation Catalyst Polk County Business Retention & Expansion Manager 503-837-1803 alexp@sedcor.com

Tony Schacher

General Manager, Salem Electric

Scott Snyder

Regional Manager, The Grand Hotel in Salem

Jenna Steward

Agritourism Manager, Crosby Hop Farm

Randy Stockdale

Foundation Director, Legacy Silverton Medical Center

Dave Takata

Abisha Stone Yamhill County Business Retention and Expansion Manager 503-507-4175 astone@sedcor.com

FSVP/Commercial Team Lead, Willamette Community Bank

Kathy Tate

CEO, Online NW

Dan Ulven

President, The Ulven Companies

Michael Miller Marketing and Communications Coordinator 503-588-6225

626 High Street NE, Suite 200 • Salem, OR 97301 503-588-6225 • info@sedcor.com • www.sedcor.com

2 Enterprise Summer 2021

mmiller@sedcor.com

Building A Better Workforce

WORKFORCE MATTERS Successful businesses need more that just a valuable product/service to market; they need effective leadership, and a happy, healthy, competent workforce. This is especially true within in the industries we serve at SEDCOR. The businesses and organizations we work with need a workforce with highly specialized skillsets, or as Liam Neeson would say in Taken, “a special set of skills.” Lumber mills in the Santiam Canyon must keep their specialized machines running well to keep up with demand. Construction companies need framers, excavators, plumbers, electricians, engineers, and architects. Growers and processors must have the knowledge to face the challenges presented by weather, insects, and globalized markets to keep operating season after season. And as new technologies continue to infuse these industries, the need for an educated, skilled, and creative workforce will only become more crucial. All this to say: workforce matters. But this is not news to us at SEDCOR. For decades, our organization has been laying the groundwork, so the next generation of workers have what it takes to make our

Erik Andersson SEDCOR President

region continue to thrive. To produce great products. To create new ones. To build innovative solutions to old problems. In this issue of Enterprise, we are going to be exploring issues around our region’s workforce. In it, you will see what businesses are doing to attract, train and retain their workers. We will show you how educators work with businesses to identify and instill the skills students will need to land great jobs here in the Willamette Valley. We will also hear from our many partners in this work as they offer their expertise to the discussion. As you may remember, we launched our Northwest Ag Innovation Hub earlier this year and recently completed our first design sprint. Innovation has become more than just a buzz word around our office. The State of Oregon recently released its Ten-Year Innovation Plan, and I am proud to report that SEDCOR and our partners are already engaged in several initiatives recommended in the statewide strategy. And it is in that spirit we bring you a new section of the magazine, “A Region of Innovators.” Now, I am probably biased, but I truly believe our region is unique when it comes to innovation. I think we have a tradition of untraditional thinking. In these pages, you will enjoy reading about Surge Kits, fire tables, and biostimulants. And be on the lookout for innovators in your own circles; I guarantee there is one closer than you think, doing something remarkable. It is impossible to guarantee what skillsets and knowledge the next generation of workers will need. A recently published report by the Institute for The Future (IFTF) states that 85 per cent of the jobs that will exist in 2030 haven’t even been invented yet. That is a concept that is somewhat hard to grasp until you consider what “downloading the Zoom app onto your tablet” would have meant a generation ago. But as you see in this issue, SEDCOR, working in collaboration with our partners in education and the businesses we serve, is laying a solid foundation for workforce success for decades to come. — Erik

CCB# 111431

2455 River Rd S, Salem, OR 97302

503.588.3081 WhiteOakConstruction.net www.sedcor.com

FROM CONCEPT TO COMPLETION Enterprise Summer 2021 3

QUICK HITS

Allied Video Productions Acquires KTVA Productions Award-winning video, event, and streaming production company Allied Video Productions announced today the purchase of KTVA Productions in Portland, Oregon. KTVA was founded by Rick Phillips in 1987, and has continually served clients for almost 35 years. Rick is looking forward to retirement and future travel: “I’m pleased that my past and current customers will be treated with the same high-level of service they have come to expect from me.” The announcement promises an exciting future for Allied Video Productions, with expanded clients and capabilities that come with the acquisition. AVP CEO Scott Hossner pointed out that for decades, there has been a friendly relationship between the two companies. “Allied Video Productions will still provide the same stellar services, but with the purchase of KTVA, we have gained equipment and connections that will help us serve even more clients.” CFO Dan Walker adds, “With COVID 19, it might seem like an odd time for an acquisition of this kind, but AVP is determined to be one step ahead as life, and business, slowly return to normal.”

About Allied Video Productions Allied Video Productions was founded by Tom Marks in 1983

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with a single camera and editing system. Over the years, AVP steadily grew from a tiny company with one employee, to the premier choice for companies and organizations needing the full range of video and event production services in Salem, Portland and all over the Pacific Northwest. In 2002, three long-time employees purchased the company and moved into the current facility on Front Street. Allied Video Productions was awarded the "Business of the Year" twice by the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce, the only small business ever recognized with this honor, and the only business ever to receive the award twice.

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Building A Better Workforce

QUICK HITS

Green Acres Landscape Ranks as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work for in Oregon in 2021 Green Acres Landscape (GAL) is recognized by Oregon Business magazine as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work for in Oregon” in 2021. It ranked as #32 for Large Size Companies. It is the first year GAL has been recognized for this honor. Employees know best when judging the best place to work. Results from a confidential survey of employees earned Salem’s Green Acres Landscape recognition for being among the best in Oregon. In the March 2021 edition of Oregon Business, the Oregon Business team wrote, “In this pandemic year, you could argue that the 100 Best Companies list takes on more meaning and importance than ever before. Companies in the list have really had to show their mettle when it comes to maintaining a strong culture and happy workforce while facing extraordinary economic challenges created by the pandemic.” The survey measured employees’ opinions on 20 workforce practices, as well as satisfaction. Employers also answer a questionnaire on benefits. Factors that were measured included work environment, management and communication,

decision-making and trust, career development and learning, and benefits and compensation. “The companies in this year’s list are evidence that there are businesses that care about keeping their workforces happy, whatever the circumstances,” the Oregon Business Team added. The Oregon Business team highlighted the company’s family feel and charitable giving as reasons GAL employees wanted to come to work. One of GAL’s 120 employees was cited in the list, saying, “We support important causes continually throughout the year. We are a green company striving to support its goal in our everyday work practices.”

Continued on page 6

Building for 100 Years Commercial General Contractor New Construction • Tenant Improvement Design/Build • Excavation Site Work Concrete Tilt-ups • Metal Buildings

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Gerry Frank Amphitheater concrete • excavation • carpentry | CCB #63080 www.sedcor.com

Salem, Oregon

www.dalkeconstruction.com Enterprise Summer 2021 5

QUICK HITS

Monmouth-Independence Chamber 56th Annual Community Awards On April 23rd, the communities of Monmouth-Independence Chamber of Commerce came together to celebrate local businesses and community members who encompass the strengths and hopes of this Polk County community through leadership, community involvement, and outreach. The 56th Annual Community Awards event titled “Innovation” honored seven individuals for exemplary service to the MonmouthIndependence community. Also honored were the businesses and talented business owners who managed, even during the pandemic, to “survive and thrive”. “First Citizen Award” recipient was Kate Schwarzler. An entrepreneur and business owner of Indy Commons, based in Independence, Schwarzler was honored for her community leadership and volunteerism as president of Independence Downtown Association and a myriad of activities. “Distinguished Service Award” was given to Community Services Consortium instructor Josh Hjelmberg for his work serving youth and young adults. “Junior Citizen Award” went to Jillian Layton, Central High School senior, for her school and community volunteering efforts. There were two “Educator of the Year” awards given out this

stay here.

year. Central School District teacher Jenessa Brehm and Western Oregon University’s Dr. Leanne Merrill received community accolades. “Education Support Staff Award” was given to very busy Central High School staffer Ale Cantu. In the “Retail Services” category, Kevin Rogers, store manager, accepted the award on behalf of Roth’s Fresh Markets in Monmouth. Partnerships in Community Living, an organization known for its work with special needs adults, received the “Non-Profit Organization Award. The “Food and Beverages Services Award” honored Crush Wine Bar in Monmouth. MaMere’s Guest House, a popular regional bed and breakfast, received the “Personal Services Award”. Indy Commons, the successful shared workspace in Independence, received the “Professional Services Award”. MAPS Credit Union was honored with the “Financial Services Award”. “New Chamber Member of the Year” and “Best Business of the Year” were both awarded to the Star Duster Café. A new award, the “Innovator of the Year”, was introduced this year by the Monmouth-Independence Chamber to recognize a business owner who introduced new business methods, ideas, or products. This inaugural award was given to John Bracken,

Salem’s only downtown, full-service hotel, restaurant and Convention Center.

We’re here for you when you’re ready!

owner of Crush Wine Bar. Traditionally, Community Award recipients have been honored with a banquet and entertaining program. Because last year’s festivities had to be scrapped, the Chamber’s Community Awards Committee was determined to honor this year’s awardees in a unique way and to honor the 2020 honorees too. A 30 minute video was created through a collaboration with Make It Known Media that also featured tongue-in-cheek appearances by Dr. Albert Einstein and youthful sleuth genius Nancy Drew. It was live-streamed on Western Oregon University’s website. To

201 Liberty St. SE, Salem, OR 97301 • 503-540-7800 www.grandhotelsalem.com 6 Enterprise Summer 2021

view this entertaining video, visit the Monmouth-Independence Chamber of Commerce’s website: micc-or.org.

Building A Better Workforce

INDUSTRY LEADER

Freres Lumber, established in 1922 above the Santiam River, uses sustainable practices to provide high quality wood products. The family owned and operated company offers valuable job opportunities in the North Santiam Canyon.

We manufacture a range of products such as veneer, plywood, lumber, and now our own patented product, the Mass Ply Panel (MPP). MPP is a massive veneer based panel up to 12’ wide and 48’ long and is designed to be an environmentally superior, sustainable alternative to concrete and steel in construction. Visit frereslumber.com to learn more about products, services and job openings. Subscribe to our blog at frereslumber.com/blog.

MAIL: OFFICE: PHONE:

P.O. Box 276, Lyons, OR 97358 141 14th Street, Lyons, OR 97358 503.859.2121 FAX: 503.859.2112

fl4

Freres mills and cogeneration facility are open for tours.

An Equal Opportunity Employer

magine trying to move fresh vegetables from the farm to the processor to the grocery store, but you have no one who can drive a truck. Or imagine trying to create the plywood needed to construct houses but without anyone who can fall trees, load logs, or run mills. What would you do if you wanted to expand your service business, but no potential hires had any of the skills to do the job? Even with all the natural resources, all of the machinery, and all of the technology, no economy can grow without workers. Workforce development is about filling immediate labor needs, as well as looking into the future and building programs so the next generation of workers have the education, skills, and creativity to the jobs that have not even been invented yet. The events of 2020 disrupted many of the ways people in numerous industries do their jobs. Offices cleared out and left many in the information and service industries doing work from their kitchen table or makeshift office/closet. For those whose jobs would not function in a WFH setting, employees needed to find ways to physically distance and employers have had to find creative ways to keep staff and maintain their productivity.

As our friend Cara Turano at the Technology Association of Oregon stated in a previous edition of Enterprise, 2020 caused a lot of businesses to execute five years’ worth of technological upgrades in about five months. The skills workers needed to master and the values they adopted changed rapidly. But thanks to first-principles thinking of local businesses, government, and nonprofits, our

8 Enterprise Summer 2021

region was (and will continue to be) uniquely well positioned to quickly and effectively adapt. Here are three ways those in our region are doing what they can to continually build a better workforce in the Willamette Valley.

SEDCOR Starts With Industry-Driven Questions to Arrive at Industry-Driven Answers Over five years ago, we at SEDCOR asked an important question of our industry partners, “How do we collectively maintain and advance the health and well-being of our region’s economy while transferring our region’s collective expertise before it walks out the door?” At the time (and this has only become increasingly true), Baby Boomers were leaving the workforce for retirement, taking nearly 40% of the workforce and a massive amount of productivity with them. By showing up, listening, and understanding the current and foreseeable problems of our partners, we came with actionable solutions that have and will continue to bear fruit. From our conversations and work with industry, sustainable systems were built and have produced workers with the skills they need to find employment and quickly produce vale for their employers. One of those programs was our Industrial Maintenance Operator/ Mechanic program (IMOM). According to Nick Harville, SEDCOR Business and Retention Manager for Marion County, “IMOM has provided our regional economy with an industry-driven workforce

Building A Better Workforce

training design to advance the talent capabilities of existing employees and effectively transfer the knowledge and expertise of our region’s seasoned workforce to the next generation of workers.” At SEDCOR, we have an unofficial bingo board of our catchphrases. Of the constantly-checked boxes is “Industry-Driven.” We remind ourselves often of the value of not assuming we know what any particular industry needs at any particular time. We show up. We listen. We help come up with industry-driven (BINGO!) solutions. Long before the major disruptions of 2020, SEDCOR was laying a groundwork for continued workforce success. To build a solid foundation for IMOM, Harville and the SEDCOR team interviewed over 350 employees to develop the Skills Pyramid. “We asked employees to send us the employees they wish they could clone to do a particular job,” says Harville. “We first established the Mission Critical skills and then worked up the pyramid for other valuable skills.” Today, Salem-Keizer School District’s Career and Technical Education Center uses a construction and manufacturing curriculum based on the fundamental skills established through the SEDCOR IMOM program. “HR departments use our Skills Pyramid to evaluate their new hires. They want to see how close the pyramid aligns with what we discovered. For instance, Forest River employed it and went from hiring 2 out of 10 people to 9 out of 10. Plus, those employees ended up staying much longer.”

DCI Attracts and Keeps Talent By Addressing Childcare Deserts According to a report by the Oregon State University College of Public Health and Human Sciences, “Many families with young children live in what experts have defined as a child care desert, a community with more than three children for every regulated child care slot.” In other words, a childcare desert is where 33% or less have access to an open slot. At the beginning of the pandemic, Cleo, a San Francisco-based parenting benefits company performed a survey about the top challenges parents anticipated when returning to in-person work. Cleo reported, “Respondents were nearly equally concerned about health risks (55 percent), burnout from managing work and home (57 percent), and securing child care (53 percent). Notably, about one-third of those surveyed in April had either switched from fulltime to part-time work or had left the workforce entirely by June, the survey found. Most of those who left were women.” At DCI International’s home base of Newberg, Oregon the need for childcare became increasingly clear during the Covid era. As schools shuttered, many workers that could not work from home were forced to leave the workforce. DCI, in partnership with Yamhill County, the City of Newberg, and SEDCOR launched Project Oasis as to be, well, an oasis in their local childcare desert.

www.sedcor.com

Local businesses are gathering partners to find better ways to deliver much-needed childcare to their employees and the community through efforts like Project Oasis.

According to Abisha Stone, SEDCOR’s Business Retention and Expansion Manager for Yamhill County, “True and long-felt economic recovery will only occur once people can safely and securely return to work – childcare is a vital component to that recovery. This type of public-private partnership, aimed at providing the type of support that people need, right as they need it.” Tim Murphy, VP of Operations at DCI, believes Project Oasis will solve an immediate problem for workers at DCI International, but will also become a model that can be used all over Oregon. “Through this journey, we have kept our focus on helping workers who need it most in the present, especially those who have been handcuffed to home because of a myriad of reasons. We believed we could eliminate one major obstacle through providing childcare.” “Plus,” says Murphy, “by finding partners in the local government, business, and nonprofit worlds with similar visions, we could actually leverage our dollars to provide for community members beyond our payroll.” Through initiatives like Project Oasis, businesses can provide quality childcare to not only build a stop-gap solution to the short-term problem of getting people back to work, but can build a lasting workforce development program community by community.

North Marion School District Gives Students Job-Ready Skills According to Forbes, “America is facing an unprecedented skilled labor shortage. According to the Department of Labor, the US economy had 7.6 million unfilled jobs, but only 6.5 million people were looking for work as of January 2019.” This is shortage is especially true in high-skill trades. As trade school champion and Dirty Jobs host Mike Rowe says “I really think the jobs that are available right now - that aren’t getting any press - are available in part because we simply don’t value the kinds of education required to get those jobs, or the jobs themselves.” But leaders in industry and education are tackling this shortage head-on by expanding the imagination of local students and giving Continued next page

Enterprise Summer 2021 9

WORKFORCE continued from page 9 them the skills they need to compete for good-paying jobs in their own backyard. North Marion School District, through the leadership of Superintendent Ginger Redlinger, is providing kids in her district what they need to leave school ready to work.

beyond high school,”

The key? Exposure.

programs by the local

“We found our kids need to be exposed to the world of work,” says Redlinger. “This way, kids can learn the work world is different than their home world and different than their school world. They can begin to imagine the lives they want to lead as adults and start pursuing the skills needed to get there.”

employer partners. But,

Through North Marion School District’s technical education programs, kids as young as fifth grade can be exposed to building, welding, and construction. In high school, students even partner with Habitat for Humanity and local businesses to build a house from the foundation up. “Students work directly alongside trained professionals and are exposed to what these professionals actually do on a daily basis to earn a living and make their communities better.”

they will at least have

Students can be exposed to jobs that relate directly to their interests. Many are surprised they can actually get paid to do something they are passionate about. “Plus,” says Redlinger, “student actually see how things like math, science, and effective writing and communication are applied in the real world.” She says student no longer have to wonder why these subjects matter.

currently being built within the former Toys R’ Us store on

Redlinger seems to distinguish no hierarchy of prestige in post high-school education. “Advanced education is just anything

and more. Whatever their interest or passion, I want to provide

10 Enterprise Summer 2021

she says. “Many times, students are hired directly out of our

if they want to go to a trade program, get their two-year degree, or go for a four-year diploma, the exposure to make the best decision for them and their careers.” North Marion School

North Marion School District Superintendent Ginger Redlinger

District signed on early to participate in the soon-to-open Willamette Career Academy, Lancaster in Salem. “For our students, this is definitely worth the drive,” says Redlinger. Again, it is all about exposure. “My students will get access to programs, knowledge, and professionals in fields like health care that exposure for them.”

Building A Better Workforce

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Enterprise Summer 2021 11

Overcome the Challenge of Finding and Keeping Employees Finding and keeping employees is a challenge.

Jacob Espinoza Local coach who helps leaders deliver results through workshops, strategy sessions and monthly conversations. Certified to facilitate CliftonStrengths and Myers-Briggs. Learn more at jacobespinoza.com

I recently saw a friend post on social media they spent $5000 promoting a position in their restaurant, only received four applications, and THREE of them no-showed their interview. OUCH! Advertising is great, but your current employees will always be your best referral network. More than ever, you need to create a work environment people rave about showing up to every day. Gallup's research has shown that an employee's relationship with their manager has the most significant impact on their job satisfaction. I'm here to help! Here are five things the best managers do to create an engaging work environment. 1. Clarify Expectations To ensure your expectations are clear, take a moment after each meeting to ensure everyone understands "Who will do What by When." In a one-on-one conversation, this can be as simple as taking a moment to have your employee tell you what they need to get done and by when. Reassure them that you are confident in their abilities and ask them what you can do to support them. Success starts with a team that knows what they need to do to be successful. 2. Let Them Do What They Do Best Everyone on your team has unique strengths and abilities. Some can clearly see a vision for the future, great with people, or a good photographer. Whatever their strength is, find ways for your team to use them to help your business. Here are a couple of examples: Let someone spend an hour taking photos for a company newsletter or spending a day helping at a local recruiting event. 3. Give Weekly Recognition If you aren't wired to give praise, put it on your calendar. Make time to seek out the things that are going well. Teams that are doing the worst need the most recognition to build the momentum necessary to carry your ship forward. This recognition will mean the most when it is something you as a boss observed.

12 Enterprise Summer 2021

Recognition doesn't have to be monetary or in public. Having a CEO regularly take time to personally recognize their team's hard work and accomplishments is a big deal. Make sure you have a plan to reach every level of your organization. 4. Make sure they know their manager cares about them as a person You need leaders in your organization who care about the people. People managers have two roles: • Managing the business • Taking care of the people This comes across most clearly when performance dips and mistakes happen. Let's say you have a salesperson whose performance is suffering. Think about how each of these two questions leads to a different outcome for the employee's relationship with their leader. • "Your sales numbers are down. Get them up, or you're out of here." • "Your sales numbers are down. Is everything okay?" The second question comes from a boss who cares about their team as a person. 5. Encourage Their Development Long term, your team needs to own their career and development. Sometimes the proper conversation with an encouraging boss can be the jump start they need. Taking time to partner them with a mentor, find a resource for them to learn from, or a challenging assignment to help them grow their skillset will show that you are invested in their long-term success. From there, it is up to them to follow through. While this list may seem obvious, executing each point requires a management team that understands how, and an executive team sets an example. What do you see employers doing to create engaged, motivated places to work? Connect with Jacob Espinoza at jacobespinoza.com Building A Better Workforce

INSIGHTS FROM CHEMEKETA COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Chemeketa Small Business Development Center Offers Guidance and Data The Chemeketa Small Business Development Center, hosted by Chemeketa Community College, assists hundreds of businesses each year. The Small Business Development Center helps businesses thrive by providing advising and education to help business owners make smarter decisions. Through the Oregon Small Business Development Center Network, the Chemeketa Small Business Development Center accesses a wide range of specialized services specifically tailored to the needs of Oregon’s businesses. The Market Research Institute is one of the lesser-known but very valuable services that provides actionable intelligence for businesses. The Market Research Institute works with businesses to provide a clearer picture of the market landscape that ultimately helps businesses make more informed decisions. The Institute provides customized reports based on the needs of the business and the questions the business owner seeks to answer, collecting data from a wide range of sources that is compiled by an experienced data analyst. The data is presented to the business with the help of the experts at the Small Business Development Center, providing both the information and a path forward. Businesses that take advantage of this specialized service receive datadriven answers to their questions, such as increased understanding of the competitive landscape, clearer focus for developing new markets, insight into expansion locations, or other areas of strategic market intelligence. What can businesses learn from this service? • Industry trends and statistics • Consumer profiles for products and services www.sedcor.com

• Demographic and psychographic data • Geographic analysis (ranging from global to neighborhood-level data) • Local, regional and national competitors • Manufacturers, distributors and other supply-chain information “I was delighted to find that the Market Research Institute has a wealth of information that would have taken me or my staff weeks to compile and even information that I did not anticipate could impact my company,” said Tara Kramer, owner of MELTAR Supply. “This detailed report helped us develop a plan with our SBDC mentor that would not only help us sustain growth but to pivot if situations arose out of our control and we needed to keep our growth plan in play.” Insights and answers based on more than a gut feeling are invaluable when you are deciding how to allocate your business resources. What burning issues does your business have that can best be solved with verifiable data? A report from the Market research Institute, coupled with the confidential business advising provided by the Chemeketa Small Business Development Center, can improve your business decision-making to achieve prosperity, even in tough times.

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INSIGHTS FROM BBSI

Finding Your Business's Compensation Equation

Eric Nelson BBSI Area Manager – Willamette Valley

14 Enterprise Summer 2021

You’re an employer. You hire people to complete jobs and projects, and then they get paid by for their efforts. But, that’s just the surfacelevel description of the employer-employee relationship. Let’s take a deeper look at this scenario together and discuss, how do you truly know how much to pay your employee? Is it an arbitrary agreed upon rate of pay? Perhaps it’s based on the results of a compensation analysis you’d recently conducted.

sense for employers when they tie performance-

Money, in general, is a subject matter often fraught with discomfort; in the workplace, it’s the topic that often gives employers pause. Employers juggle the equation of paying competitive and fair wages while keeping their business afloat. But, are there other factors to be considered within the compensation equation?

employees. Employees thrive when they are

What is the Compensation Equation?

bonuses based on output and accuracy results

based rewards into overall compensation plans, such as annual raises on a merit based system. Rewards Based on Motivation & Desired Outcome Employers who understand employees’ motivation and recognize their productivity and initiative are then able to establish a reward system that will best resonate with their recognized for outstanding performance. There are numerous means by which an employer may effectively reward exceptional work; accolades and positive performance reviews are beneficial to the employee’s recognition. Financiallybased rewards, such as monthly production

Let’s break down the compensation equation a bit more. As an employer, competitive wages are essential; however, there are additional strategies that should be considered when establishing an overall compensation philosophy for the organization.

are enticing and positively impactful to an

► Are you paying for job performance? If so, is it based on individual, team or company results?

performance in a consistent, equitable manner.

► How do you keep your employees motivated to perform their jobs accurately and efficiently, and are there defined rewards in place?

state or federal laws that could impact their

► How do you communicate your compensation philosophy to your employees, and how does it tie into your workplace culture?

A Strategic Approach is Needed

► Will a rewards program encourage teamwork or will it create a situation of internal competition that could prove detrimental to the overall operation?

regarding the Oregon Equal Pay Act. While

These are all questions to consider when establishing a compensation plan. Some compensation strategies simply make more

Doing what you think is the right thing isn’t as

employee’s livelihood. Ultimately, an employer should assess the desired outcome of a compensation plan to be one that is competitive in its industry as well as a plan that rewards outstanding job Employers should keep in mind as well any compensation plans, such as the Oregon Equal Pay Act.

This is where we come in—to provide you with compensation philosophy tactics as well as facts federal and many state equal pay laws require fair pay for men and women, Oregon’s new act takes the definition of equal pay even further. easy anymore and may unknowingly cause more harm than good.

Building A Better Workforce

Interview

Kim Parker-Llerenas (Willamette Workforce Partnership)

Interview with Kim Parker-Llerenas We sat down with Willamette Workforce Partnership’s Executive Director to talk about workforce development, exciting education programs, and programs every business owner should know about. SEDCOR: Kim ParkerLlerenas:

SEDCOR:

What is workforce development? orkforce development, from where I sit, W is a comprehensive system that works with employers to identify what their workforce needs are and then funds the training for people who need jobs to fill those employment needs. I n an ideal world, our system works with the employers in our region’s targeted sectors, because we know those industries are driving the economy. Although, the last year has challenged us to reconsider what drives the economy. We are looking at investing in hospitality because we’ve seen that it is critical element of the regional economy. hat makes workforce development in W our region different than other parts of the country, or even in different regions of Oregon?

qualified job seeker. The contractors then help the newly trained participant find work as a truck driver. That’s the ideal.

mployers can find employees through E other avenues, through Indeed or Monster or ZipRecruiter. But those other places don't have the same training dollars and resources available, and they aren’t helping job seekers gain the necessary skills and qualifications required to be successful.

e work with the Oregon Employment W Department research unit to identify in-demand positions which helps guide our training investments.

Parker-Llerenas: O ur four targeted sectors are construction, healthcare, manufacturing, and transportation/ warehouse/distribution.

ne thing that stands out for our region, as O opposed to many others, is transportation, warehouse, and distribution.

ur region starts just south of Wilsonville O and goes to just north of Eugene. That is the I-5 corridor. You think about the number of warehouses, distributors, and big box stores along that corridor. It is a huge driver of our economy and we need truck drivers, facilities managers, and forklift lift operators. Just think about all the jobs that are required at Amazon, for example. Our region has easy access to the interstate. So, of course, we are going to continue to get those kinds of employers showing up here, and we have got to meet their employment needs.

SEDCOR: Give us an example of how Willamette Workforce Partnership helps fill those jobs. Parker-Llerenas: I n our system, the job seeker would come to the public workforce system through WorkSource. They might say, “I want to be a truck driver.” Our contractors would connect the job seeker with a truck driving school to help them get the necessary lessons. Once trained, they would take (and pass) the test, becoming a newly

SEDCOR:

o how does an organization like yours S predict the future? How do you start preparing workers for the jobs of the future-many jobs that don’t even exist yet?

Parker-Llerenas: Y es, we know there are many jobs that will be created in the future that will be in demand and don’t even currently exist! We can't even imagine what they are. We might be imagining we will need to move materials and products around, but we can’t say for certain they will always be in trucks.

he way I like to talk about that is by saying, T “We need to teach people to learn.” Are people open to learning? Are they nimble? Can they adapt?

e work closely with our training providers, W whether it's Chemeketa or a private business that are also doing training. We look at data, we work with our Employment Department, and Continued on next page

www.sedcor.com

Enterprise Summer 2021 15

Interview

Kim Parker-Llerenas (Willamette Workforce Partnership) workforce. So, if you are talking about a 16-yearold or a 22- year-old and they don't get it, we need to help them get it.

we find the best way to prepare for things like AI and automation.

e must be responsive, and we must be ready. W We need to make sure that people are able to learn.

SEDCOR:

hat are some different ways to instill W those skills and ways of thinking in the next generation of workers?

Parker-Llerenas:

e work on that a lot with our youth programs W because we recognize they are the future

here are many students that learn differently, T who don't want to stay in school, or who don't have the interest in going to college. There are opportunities for those kids.

here are some cool programs in our T community that are addressing this such as the Willamette Career Academy and CTEC. We know graduation rates skyrocket when kids are engaged in programs like that. They might say, “I’m going to get my two-year degree here or maybe try for a four-year degree.” Whatever it might be. But it gives them exposure.

ur programs focus on exposure and work O experience. Whether it's a paid internship or a job-shadow opportunity, the participant gets to see what the job is all about. These programs are also great for the employer because the employer gets to work with somebody for a while. They could say, “Go get this certification, come back and I'll hire you.”

SEDCOR:

hat are some programs and opportunities W employers just don’t know about that you would like them to know about?

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Building A Better Workforce

Interview

Kim Parker-Llerenas (Willamette Workforce Partnership)

Parker-Llerenas: Incumbent worker, or current worker training.

e can grant a business up to $25,000 to train W their current workforce. This is an awesome opportunity that I wish more employers knew about! Employers need to meet the requirements, describe what they’re going to do, how they’re going to do it, and how the employees are going to get skilled and benefit the business. There is a simple application process available on our website – www.willwp.org.

e've got all sorts of amazing success stories W about employers that have done this, and it's just been terrific.

nother successful program is what we call A ‘on-the-job training’. This is an agreement with the employer to hire a participant. While they are training that person, we will reimburse the employer 50% of their wages during the time the employee is being trained.

e also have a transitional job program which W is basically a paid internship. A business can bring somebody in for a while and have specific tasks completed. We will pay for their wages. And then after that, they are either hired, or not. That person still has great experience.

SEDCOR:

hat are things you and your staff are W excited about? What makes you eager to come to work?

Parker-Llerenas:

ne of the most exciting things that has O happened over the last year is the way in which we have responded with virtual service delivery. I have been in workforce off and on for over 10 years and we have been talking about providing virtual services. Now we have Continued on next page

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Enterprise Summer 2021 17

Interview

Kim Parker-Llerenas (Willamette Workforce Partnership) need employees. So being ready and able to respond, I think is really exciting.

We work closely with our training providers to say, “What can we do differently? How can we increase the number of students?” Whether it's funding entire cohorts, or increasing the number of scholarships that we're providing, meeting the needs of employers is our priority.

We have been talking about this for a year, and I mentioned this a little bit earlier, but we recognize that hospitality is not a targeted sector – it’s not a driving economic factor in our region – but what we have learned in the last year is how important it is to the economic health of our region.

We know many restaurants will not be opening back up. We know there are wineries

some awesome virtual tools for job seekers

in our region that need help. How can we

and employers.

figure out the appropriate place for us to invest

We’ve been asking questions like; How do

in and play in that sandbox?

we get our young people engaged through

So, we're starting to have that conversation and I don't know where it's going to lead, but I

engaged through technology? How do we

think it's kind of exciting just because it's really

provide training through technology? How do

different and it is not your typical program

we get outside of the box?

like truck drivers, construction workers,

This has been a tremendous positive that has

manufacturers, or healthcare workers.

come out of the last year, and it is going to

technology? How do we get our job seekers

I think it's challenging our traditional way of

continue.

thinking about workforce and what drives the

When unemployment benefits expire, our

economy. There's a livability conversation. There is also a great appreciation for people

system could be inundated with people who

who are performing those “essential service”

need to go back to work and may not have

jobs.

the right skills. Perhaps they were a server or a host and now they want to go become a

So now that we're emerging from the

certified medical assistant. We will be ready to

pandemic and the lockdown, we’re asking

meet the needs of those new job seekers and,

ourselves how we can get in there and support

in turn, the employers that have been telling

and provide training to help employers get

us for the last five or six months, that they

back to where they need to be.

18 Enterprise Summer 2021

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COUNTY NEWS

How To Get More People Back in the Labor Pool by Commissioner Craig Pope

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According to the latest report from the Oregon Employment Department, Salem MSA (Marion-Polk Counties) seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.9% in February 2021, as compared to Oregon’s statewide rate of 6.1%. Jobless rates are dropping despite many business categories still being caught up in the restrictions of Covid-19. This report also indicates that the MSA is currently 4.5%, or 7800 jobs below the February 2020 levels where we saw a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 3.5%. These numbers are generally good news. They restore a confidence in our traded sector economy that our local resilience is genuine, and a confidence among our labor force that business’ ability to bounce back are sincere and stable. The question now is, for the nearly 7800 people that these stats point to in the Salem MSA, how can we get them in to careers and valuable trades that are open today? There are so many job opportunities that are available, and employers continue to emphasize throughout a wide cross section of our trades that they are limiting their production based on the limited pool of workers that they have access to. It is reasonable to assume that these 7800 people still live in our region and would be available for work, but for some significant barriers and perhaps some new incentives that allow them to simply stay out of the labor pool. It has been clear to me for the past year that one of those barriers would be sustainable, stable and affordable childcare for working families. Those childcare operators that are still doing their best to make it all work have had

extraordinary cost increases for cleaning supplies, PPE, increased space needs due to requirements to spread the kids out more, and increased staffing costs. It is almost impossible for those operators to forward all of those costs (that are not covered by a Covid relief fund) on to their clients who desperately depend on childcare so they can show up for their essential employment. There is no doubt that closing our schools has had as much impact on our workforce than almost anything else short of the actual virus itself. Parents in every sector of employment have been impacted by this pandemic and have been forced to make decisions to provide in-home school and childcare despite their best intentions for their careers or commitments to their employer. Many people have been blessed with the privilege to keep their active employment and carry on from home digitally, but not so fortunate are those in service sector, manufacturing or ag jobs that cannot be accomplished by online access. Thus, they reach out for financial assistance anywhere they can find it and make decisions that are logically “family first”. I have every reason to believe that families shuttered by Covid will move quickly back into the workforce as soon as they are allowed to get back to systems that are essential in supporting their daily lives and I intend to continue finding resources and opportunities to help those families pursue employment stability.

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COUNTY NEWS

Yamhill County Report by Commissioner Casey Kulla

Identify and Eliminate Barriers to Workforce Re-Entry for Folks Who Left the Workforce

participasuccessfully.

Along with staff affected by mandatory COVID closures, our region saw folks leave the workforce to stay home with school children and to care for elders. As businesses rehire in conjunction with reopening and vaccinations, we absolutely need full tion in the regional workforce in order to emerge

In my view, we have an obligation to seek out and ask people who remain out of the workforce about their barriers to re-entry. To be clear, women are disproportionately impacted by the pandemic in their work lives (https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2020/beyond-bls/ covid-19-recession-is-tougher-on-women.htm). For some, it may be that their jobs are centered in sectors that have not recovered; for others, childcare access is limited or their school-aged children need someone at home still, with school still in hybrid mode. Barriers to re-entry may include lack of training or certification for advancement within their sector, or it could be that these folks want to start a business but lack the capital to purchase supplies or licensure. We might even find that folks at home are doing work that is, right now, traditionally unpaid but valuable to society. Once we know what the barriers are, we can work to eliminate them. We have identified the barriers to childcare access in our community: we need license-able facilities. We know which sectors are hiring; if there is a skill mismatch, we can connect Willamette Workforce Partnership with businesses to do skills training. An essential component is the possibility for advancement and

cross-sector skills; Solid Form Fabrication in McMinnville hires interns and trains them in fabrication and project management. Funding can expand it. What about a career pivot to entrepreneurship? Setting up a micro-loan or micro-grant program in tandem with small business skills training can open the doors to independent, creative, time-flexible work that works for these folks who have to balance online school. Expanding rural broadband can help with launching online businesses. Finally, some work is important to society but has never been compensated, like caring for elders or your own children; I think we owe it to future Oregonians to compensate their families for the work of teaching and caring by adding tax credits. How to fund that? Counties, cities, and the state receive significant direct allocations through the American Rescue Plan over the next two years. Working together, we can identify restricted funds and use our ARP dollars to leverage those restricted funds. It will take talking to each other and working together, to know where there’s funding, who has the interest in expanding training, and which companies and sectors need trained people. Together, we can find the folks who have had to drop out and may struggle to return. We can listen to learn their barriers, and we can use our creativity to help fuel a successful exit from the COVID-19 crisis. We can do it.

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COUNTY NEWS

Ready to Rebuild. But Labor in Short Supply. Danielle Bethell, Marion County Commissioner In the past year we have seen our community devastated by three disasters: COVID-19, fall wildfires, and an ice storm. Not one person or business in Marion County has gone untouched this past year. COVID is on-going and working together is critical to resuming life as we knew it. The recovery from the ice storm is progressing well but there is still work that needs to be accomplished. Each of these disasters carries high demand and requires a lot of work. I am beyond impressed with the resiliency of our county to respond and work so hard to recover from this pandemic and the ice storm.

proceeding; however, building supplies are limited, as is the labor force. Lumber companies are struggling find enough employees to clear damaged trees. Once cleared these trees will provide an excellent local source of lumber for our community. A limited work force is making it difficult for our community to meet the needs and higher demand for locally sourced wood from the fire. The rebuilding of these communities will require strong

Meanwhile, communities within the Santiam Canyon are still working to rebuild and recover following the wildfires. Their recovery will be lengthy. As a commissioner, helping our Santiam Canyon businesses and industries to thrive is a priority.

leadership, dedication and hard work from the county, the

As I meet with local businesses throughout the canyon, common themes arise. People are ready to rebuild, cleanup is

together we can overcome the obstacles in front of us and come

communities and the local businesses. Working together to solve our work force needs is a major step in accomplishing that goal. I look forward to the future and every day I am reminded how strong and ingenious our community is. I know that working out stronger than we were.

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REGION OF INNOVATORS

Surge Kits Will Help Localities Prepare for Potential Disasters Russ Monk stands in front of a bright red metal box. About the size of an elevator, this box could be the key for local communities being prepared for disasters. You may have recalled Monk from previous editions of Enterprise. In early 2020, Monk and his team quickly adapted to a shortage in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) by developing his own soft blue material he trademarked as TruBlue™ Protection. The staff at WaterShed in Northeast Salem assembled over 700,000 gowns and caps for local medical providers and filled a crucial gap in the supply chain, simply by localizing the production. When wildfires tore through the Santiam Canyon and caused hundreds of residents to flee to nearby gathering points, Monk asks Emergency Response Teams what the people needed most. “They said most people don’t have the time to grab a toothbrush. So, we went down to the fairgrounds with boxes of dental supplies.” While leaving the fairgrounds, Monk says he began to wonder if there a tool missing in the response. “These rallying points are important, but they do create their own set of problems. I thought there had to be a way to quickly bring valuable supplies closer to the point of the emergency, wherever it is needed most.”

This simple question grew into development of the Surge Kit. A Surge Kit is solid metal container with a slight indent in the back to fit a portable tent. Inside the container, an emergency response team could store food, water, PPE, medical supplies, cots, sleeping bags, even communication equipment. The Kits can be carried on a truck (24 Kits will fit on a moderately-sized flatbed) or one can be attached and flown via helicopter. “In essence, all emergencies are local,” says Monk. “So, the things are necessary to respond to those local emergencies need to be placed and ready locally. The beauty, to me, is how adaptable that these are to unique situations. Some colder areas may need to pack a Kit with sweaters. Some may need rain gear. You might need to bring up generators or radios.” Monk says Surge Kits allow for a decentralized approach to emergency management and gives time for larger resources like FEMA and the Red Cross to arrive. “When an emergency like the wildfires happen, people need supplies quickly. And they need specific supplies. With a Surge Kit, you can adapt to the situation on the ground and bring whatever is needed. Fast!”

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Building A Better Workforce

REGION OF INNOVATORS

BioAg Leads Industry in Biostimulate Development According to the University of Michigan, “global agriculture production has to be increased by about 60-70 percent from the current levels to meet the increased food demand in 2050.” Thankfully, local businesses in our region’s ag supply chain are already starting to innovate and find ways to meet that demand. BioAg, a twenty-one-employee business in Independence has been developing and is launching a new line of biostimulants to meet food demands while reducing growers’ carbon footprint. According to BioAg, “Innovation comes from already exists and is perfect by design—that is, nature—and then replicating that in the best way possible to fit the needs of modern farming. Sometimes that means simply improving on an old idea by making that idea more efficient, effective, available and biologically sound.” The 2018 Farm Bill defines a biostimulant as “a substance or microorganism that, when applied to seeds, plants, or on the rhizosphere, stimulates natural processes to enhance or benefit nutrient uptake, nutrient use efficiency, tolerance to abiotic stress, or crop quality and yield.” In short, biostimulant products stimulate plant growth and optimize plant health; they are not fertilizers. BioAg will be launching upwards of six new products in the spring and summer of 2021, with many more products to come. “The totality of these launches is very exciting. The team, the energy, the passion," says the team at BioAg. BioAg, as it is known today, launched in Oregon in 2006 as a small team in a few buildings and a few bins. “As we continue to expand the company, we are bringing additional talent that can meet the needs of indoor growers but also organic and the conventional agriculture sector. The long-term vision has always been to develop a complete line of products and become a key resource for biological farming.” To BioAg, creating an innovative business starts with building an innovative team. “We have a very high retention rate, with many of our employees working with us for five years, and several over a decade. We will continue to foster that culture of care by expanding it to many areas. We are fostering a culture of self-reliance and independent decision-making…by moving a majority of senior production employees from hourly rate to direct wages, which allows employees to manage their time and take ownership of their skills and goals.” “We are a great fit for organic and conventional growers; we are looking for ways we can help others succeed and fit our products into their programs to reduce costs, increase productivity and profit, while reducing the waste burden on our waterways and soils.” www.sedcor.com

WHAT’S THIS? It’s evidence of new thinking. You may never see it in person, but this big yellow engine is providing clean, renewable electricity and process heat to treat Salem’s wastewater today—and for decades to come. Harnessing energy from organic material isn’t new, but connecting the benefits of environmental stewardship, energy resilience, and real cost savings for the community shows true vision. We’re proud to work with City of Salem to help build the region’s clean energy future.

Learn more at www.energytrust.org/biopower Serving customers of Portland General Electric and Pacific Power

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REGION OF INNOVATORS

John Mead Builds Unique Experiences with Concrete and Fire John Mead knows the wine industry. His former business dreamt up and constructed some of the most beautiful tasting room in the world, the kind wine enthusiasts and tourists travel thousands of miles to see. So, as COVID began shutting down travel and in-person gatherings, he knew the wine industry would need to change. He especially knew wine tasting rooms would need to find ways to create experiences where people could gather outside. “I designed and built the Pompei Fire Table to help local wineries create those experiences. I wanted something that was beautiful to look at and functional…something that could put lots of heat for a lot of people.” The Pompei can fit up to 12 people and will put out over 27,000 BTUs of heat. It is constructed of concrete, giving it a rustic, inviting look, which is perfect for outdoor patios and decks, giving wineries and tasting rooms a chance to extend their outdoor seating season into the chillier months of September and October. It is the first table manufactured under Mead’s brand, Vesuvian Forge. “I do consider myself a creative person,” says Mead from his McMinnville-area workshop. “In order to come up with the design that works, you have to go through a lot of

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28 Enterprise Summer 2021

mistakes. Everything you try will either work or is something you can learn from…either way, you are moving yourself forward.” To Mead, creativity is not only necessary when conceptualizing and designing a product, but also when he is bringing that product to market and scaling. “You are always looking for new ways to innovative and find creative ways to get more efficient in your processes. If you want to be successful, you can never really stop innovating.” Mead's first Pompei fire tables were sold and delivered to wineries in the Willamette Valley. As he continues to grow, he is excited to see how tasting room operators offer their own ideas and help bring even more innovation to the product. “I want to help wineries create a totally unique experience for their customers. That’s a major selling point of any winery. It is how you bring in guests and keep them coming back, telling their friends, and most importantly, buying wine. Because when a winery can sell direct, they keep more of the proceeds from each bottle.” For the small, locally owned wineries that enhance our region, this increased revenue is enormously valuable. John Mead knows the wine industry. He loves it. Now, he keeps it warm.

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