Wednesday, March 4, 2015 The Observer & Baker City Herald
HEALTH CARE
HAPPENINGS
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Taxman adds three tax preparers to staff Adiana Hammond, Patricia Lee and Michelle Ritchey have satisfied all the requirements to be li censed taxpreparersin Oregonand areadding to the professi onalstaffatTaxman, 2106 Cove Ave., La Grande. The Oregon licensing Hammond programisrecognized nationwide as the premier training fortaxreturn preparers.After successfully completing a comprehensive 80-hour taxreturn preparation course and passing a rigorous tax preparer Lee exam, the IRS automatically recognizesthelicensureand lists the successfiil candidates on a national registry. With the sponsorship of Blue Mountain Community College and instructed by Ritchey Taxman's Cathleen King, an enrolledagent,"allofour studentspassed the exam and are now working with us which comes at an opportune time as we are experiencing a 13 percentincrease in business because ofthisyear'sincreased complexity and lack of IRS support," said Manager Stuart Martin.
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Cherise KaecheleNVesComNews Sennce
BiEWhitaker and Jim Kreider are garnering support from small businesses in La Grande to petition for a single-payer health care system in Oregon.
Baker City's Turn the Page bookstorestarting new chapter BAKER CITY — Turn the Page used bookstore is beginrmg a new chapter in Baker City. The new owner of the store, at 2009 First St., says he11 offer customers more than befoie. Steve Golieb recently bought the business fiom Shane Vozar. "Ipurchased thestoreto getinvolved in the community and provide it a great resource, "Golieb said. Turn the Page willhave agrand opening fiom 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday. Free chili and chips will be served. Golieb has renovated the store with new paint and carpet. The thousands ofbooks havebeenreorganized,andoutdoorseating has beenadded aswellasan insidecafe bar and couches. Coffee and tea will be served (except during the grand opening). Books will be half off the cover price and 75 percent off when exchanging books. Golieb said he will purchase used books as well ,basedon theircondition andresale value. He is especially interested in college textbooks that are new enough that they are still used in a current curriculum. — I/i/esComNews Service
About thiscolumn Small Business Happenings covers Northeast Oregon's small-business community. The column carries news about business events, startupsand owners and employees who earn awards and recognition or make significant gains in their careers. There is no charge for inclusion in the column, which is editorial in nature and is not ad space or a marketing tool. Products and services will be discussed only in general terms. Email items to biz@lagrandeobserver.com or call them in to 541-963-3161. Baker County residents can submit items to news@bakercityherald.com or call them in to 541-523-3673.
• Organization promoting universal health care gaining followers By Cherise Kaechele Wescom News Service
A grassrootsorganization focused on implementing singlepayerhealth carefor the state is gaining some followers in La Grande small business owners. Oregon Rural Action board members Bill Whitaker and Jim Kreider are on the Health care Reform Action Team, which is hoping the state will eventually implement a universal health care system. Through the Affordable Care Act, states can launch their own health care programs beginning in 2017. Whitaker said this single-payer health care system may not be ready by then, but the support is growing. "Small businesses are not requiredto offerhealth care under Obamacare,"Whitaker said, noting that the law requires any businesses with 50 or more employeesto providea health care plan."Most of the small businesses can't afford to do it. The owners themselves don't have adequate health care. With the high payments and premiums, unless you have a major medical emergency you'rebasically notcovered." Most of the businesses in Union County have farfewer than 50 employees. It's not as if the business owners don't want to ofFer insurance, Whitaker said. It's simply the amount of money requiredto doitistoosubstantial. Charles Gillis, a La Grande attorney, has one employee and wishes he could offer her health
Permittotals The following is the most recent permit figures available for La Grande and Union County for August: CITY OF LA GRANDE PERMITS FEBRUARY 2015 Building permit fees (total) $12,494.50 Building permits valuation $2,715,823.20 M anufactured home permit fees $ 0 Mechanical permits $385 Plumbing permits $375 Electrical permits $1,423.52 Demolition permits $0 Total permits issued 35 UNION COUNTY PERMITS FEBRUARY 2015 Building permit fees (total) $ 3 ,390 Building permits valuation $379944.15 Manufactured home permits fees $0 Mechanical permits $450 Plumbing permits $854.50 Electrical permits $4,213.16 Demolition permits $0 Farm exempt permits 1 Total permits issued 42 Source: Union County Chamber of Commerce
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t's only been eight weeks since the start of the new year, but it feels as if it has been an eternity. Most owners I know work very hard. They rise early, are busy all day with meetings and calls, make many decisions throughout the day and leave work long after everyone else has already arrived home. Even after a long day,the brain of an owner can't be turned ofF; they spend most evenings thinking about what didn't get done, what else needs to get done and most importantly, how they will shoulder the burden of getting it all done with an already over-subscribed calendar. Over a period of time, withoutsome sortofreset,this leads to burnout. If an owner is paying attention, it may be easy for him or her to head ofF stafF burnout. But can the owner feel, see or hear themselves as they approachthe red line ofbeing so stressed out, mentally and otherwise, that they are becoming a danger to themselves and the company
they lead?
Cherise KaecheleNVesComNews Sennce
La Grande attorney Charles Gillis supports a single-payer health care system. Gillis said he wishes he could afford health insurance for his only employee, but it's too expensive.
"The knowledge that there are millions out there with illnesses without health careis scary. People require medication every month or they die. It's a terrible choice to make when you can
buy food or buyyour medicine." — Charies Gillis, La Grande attomey
insurance, but he can't afford it. "I work with them for so long, you know their personal situations," Gillis said."It's just inappropriate forpeople to bedenied health insurance. Unfortunately, I can'tpay a ton ofm oney." Gillis said for the small businessowners,being ableto offer health insurance to an employee helps them attract better employees, too. "It makes the job more attractive," he said.c You're attracting a
higher quality of employee." Gillis said he used to be a nurse practiti oner and isvery aware of the health concerns across the country. "The knowledge that there are millions out there with illnesses without health care is scary," Gillis said."People require medication every month or they die. It's a terrible choice to make when you can buy food or buy your medicine." SeeHealth / Page 3B
What I've witnessed is that the owner can essentially become out of control with their actions and words. Left unchecked, it may result in serious harm in the relationships with employees, vendors and clients. Having observed many leaders at various ages and stages oflife and business, I've identified some key triggersthatshould beviewed as warning signs. The first is weight gain. My theory is that for many people, eating and drinking to excess is a crutch to deal with stress. Is that shirt collar a little tight? Are you letting your belt out or maybe need a new, larger one? Does the skirt no longer fit? Are you out ofbreath after a short walk of a flight of stairs? Peopledo tend to gain weight over the holidays, but it's now March. Any pounds gained should have disappeared by now. If they haven't and the total on the scaleislargerthan before Thanksgiving, the unwanted SeeKeller / Page 3B
OREGON
StartugsemhraceinvestmeN'crswdfundini' • State rules allow Oregon-based companies to hold"community public off'erings" to raise up to$250,000 run out this week. The company, which has been expanding its wholesaling PORTLAND — For Eugene ice cream makers and working to get its ice Stuart and Emily Phillips, creams into more grocery a slew of new investment stores, would have been couldn't have come at a back to stickers and handlabeling. bettertime. Their first order of But the company 10,000pintcontainers became one of the first in with Red Wagon CreamOregon to take advanery on the side — which tage of new investment only come in batches of crowdfunding rules. They quickly met their 10,000 — was about to By Elliot Njus
The Oregonian
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minimum raise of $10,000 — the first firm in the stateto do so— and put in a bulk order for new packaging. Now they've
registered securities allowed previously, they can publicly advertise the ofFerings, usually through online portals modeled after the donation crowdpassed $50,000 of their funding site Kickstarter. $120,000 goal. cWe're floored by the Eleven companies have response," Stuart Phillips filed paperwork for the Only Red Wagon said.ewe had no idea we'd ofFering. Creamery has so far be where we are after a month." reached its minimum, and only one other company Staterules enacted late in January allow has raised more than oneOregon-based companies tenth of its goal. to hold"community public But the companies that offerings" in which they have launched their camcan raise up to $250,000 paigns say the money and by selling debt or equity the interest is out there — if only they can spread to state residents. Unlike
the word about this new frontier of investment. 'If we have to borrow...' The rules are designed to unlock capital for small, growing companies for whom traditional sources of capital — like bank loans or VC fundingmight be out of reach. For Red Wagon Creamery, raising the full
$120,000 would let it buy ingredients in bulk and invest in new equipment, like a walk-in &eezer, a new churning machine and another pasteurizer.
They had talked SeeStartups / Page 3B
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