March 2017

March, 2017

IN THIS ISSUE: 

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Reedsport Commerce Park—Planning and Development is Underway

5 Generations —Creating Growth in Productivity Analyzing Josephine County Employment Sausage—Old World meet New World

A few words from Greg There’s an explosion of activity going on in every county of Southwest Oregon. The frequent encouragement to “don’t just sit there, do something” apparently has been heard. There have been times when we worried that no one was listening. They have been.

Klamath County has a serious push for development and economic growth underway. The “Choose Klamath” campaign touts the 300 days of sunshine, central location between Portland and San Francisco (if there’s a reason to leave Klamath County), nationally recognized education at Oregon Tech and outdoor activities that make one wonder why you would ever want to stay inside. The next 5-10 years are going to be impressive with the team of leaders and community members who are now at the helm.

The Oregon coast from Astoria to Brookings Harbor is another region vibrating with economic development excitement. Gardiner and Reedsport at the mouth of the Umpqua River expects the recent purchase of the 427-acre International Paper property to become a haven of business and employment opportunity. Coos County, from North Bend to Coos Bay and Coquille seems to be in competition to grow every aspect of the area as soon as possible. Port of Coos Bay groups are updating plans for development and including the educational community with those discussions.

Whether you visit Medford or Coos Bay you know the “do something” bug is spreading like wildfire. Dropping in for coffee in Coquille or Roseburg will leave you with a sense of cheerful neighborliness. The desire to make a difference has been building over the years of slow growth and changing demographics for twenty years. Expect the spring to bring with it an enthusiasm that has been incubating for quite a while.

Interviews with higher education leaders in the Community Colleges and Universities yields a welcomed attitude of inclusion and responsibility to the 500,000 people who live in SW Oregon and supply the students in whom they are dependent. The health community is as active as the educational community in each county recognizing that the retiring baby boomers are an asset in numerous ways. Generational diversity helps to strengthen the quality of talent that will be part of the success to the region for decades to come.

Have a sip of world class wine or ride the white waters of the Rogue River and feel free to visit small businesses and large to see what they’re up to. You will discover they are up to quite a lot.

Greg Henderson Greg Henderson, Publisher greg@southernoregonbusiness.com

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A JOURNAL FOR THE ECONOMICALLY CURIOUS, PROFESSIONALLY INSPIRED AND ACUTELY MOTIVATED

Table of Contents PUBLISHERS NOTE

Featured Articles

2 A Few Words From Greg

10 Generational Diversity 18 Reedsport Commerce Park

ECONOMICS 4 Oregon Economic Indicators

8 Josephine County Employment

26 Down to Business

FINAL WORD 28 Mt Ashland

SMALL TOWNS & COUNTIES 5

A Person on a Bike

16 Brock’s Rack

24 Old World Tradition

27 Port of Coos Bay Travel Lift

703 Divot Loop Sutherlin, Oregon 97479 www.southernoregonbusiness.com 541-315-6127

Southern Oregon Business Journal

Photo attributions: Pg 11—www.canstockphoto.com #csp14014104 Pg 12—www.canstockphoto.com #csp26937724 Pg 12—canstockphoto.com #csp7867755

Pg 13—canstockphoto.com #csp16206299, #csp8783989 Pg 13—canstockphoto.com #csp5909755 Pg 14— canstockphoto.com #csp39372912

Cover Reedsport Commerce Park to take shape on former International Paper property 3

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HOW TO THINK LIKE A PERSON ON A BIKE (AND NOT LIKE A CYCLIST)

BY KEA WILSON

When

I wrote last week about why I resist the term “cyclist” and prefer to call myself a “Person on a Bike,” I received some good responses from some truly amazing people including a self-described “57 year old non-athlete who rides mostly when it’s not icy or too icky”; an actual “grandmother with groceries on her rear rack”; and several fellow twenty-something women who have fashioned ingenious ways to bike to work in skirts. The People on Bikes who dropped me a line were as diverse as the people I see in my own city every day, and they all had fascinating things to say about what they needed from their streets and roads.

But a few people who reached out weren’t so happy: 

One email insisted that I wasn’t a person on a bike; I was a cyclist. Insisting that I wasn’t one was exactly the thing creating division in the cycling community, and that was the real problem.

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Someone else retweeted my article with a picture of a woman riding a road bike on the beach in sneakers. “Many #cyclists have carbon #bikes+Lycra+wear normal clothes+ride city bikes. #NotEitherOr.”

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A commenter was annoyed. “Do I really have to move 6 miles closer to my job so I can do my ride on a 60 pound Mary Poppins bike and a 3-piece suit in order to be a proper bike commuter?”

Every one of them made good points. All of them were thoughtful and articulate people, and I’m grateful that they read my piece, even if they didn’t particularly like it. And when I read what they had to say, I realized I probably had to make a confession: I’m a Cyclist sometimes, too.

I got my first bike jersey over the summer. I had just finished the first leg of a bike camping trip, and I was woozy and sore from riding 50 miles in jean shorts up a long false flat. My lower back ached, and I was lolling on the grass with a beer, procrastinating on setting up the tent. My boyfriend nodded sympathetically as he dug around in his Chrome bag, and that’s when he found it: an old race giveaway jersey he’d bought at Salvation Army for a few bucks because it was a good deal, and then promptly forgotten about. The race had been sponsored by Build-A-Bear Workshop. Even if the jersey hadn’t been way too small for him, the teddy bears printed all over it weren’t really his look.

“You should wear this,” he said. “Put some ice in your water bottle tomorrow and ride with it in the jersey pocket. It’ll help your back.”

I’ve worn the jersey a handful of times since, and it has helped. I’ve experimented with Lycra, too (gasp!), and while I don’t think it’s terribly necessary for my style of riding, I can see the appeal of a pair of padded shorts. I even bought a pair of those cool clippy shoes for myself, though I’m still a little petrified I’d fall over at a stoplight if I wore them out on the road. I’m not lying when I say I’m more comfortable being called A Person On a Bike, but—don’t tell—every now and then, I sure as hell could pass for a cyclist.

And more to the point: in the rare moments that I find myself in my full-on cyclist get-up, I still care deeply about how the streets I ride through are built. And for the most part, so do all my cross-racing, Chamois-Butt’r-needing, mega-athletic friends who would call themselves cyclists proudly and without a moment’s hesitation.

Cyclists are People on Bikes. And the kind of People on Bikes who will never touch a fiber of Lycra a day in their life still need Cyclists in the fight to create better streets. They also need sympathetic drivers, and transit riders, and people on hoverboards, if those infernal things somehow manage to stick around. We need every single person we can get.

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But here’s where I may disagree with some of the commenters: I do think there’s a difference between People on Bikes and Cyclists. And I think that difference is about empowerment.

I don’t believe that the average Person on a Bike who catches a wheel on a poorly designed trolley rail and flips his handlebars is likely to think that anyone will care what he has to say if he complains (much less feel empowered to write a great editorial and make some concrete suggestions on how to make the street better, like this Cyclist did.)

He might think, I’m not a city planner; I want this street to be safer, but I don’t even know how to ask for a better design.

He might think, I’m not a real cyclist; maybe I don’t know how to ride well, and it’s my fault that I wiped out.

He might not think anything all. He might just walk his bike home on the sidewalk and decide to never ride again.

“I don’t believe our culture does a good enough job of letting plain-old People on Bikes know that their voices matter just as much—if not more—than the person with the expansive urban planning vocabulary.”

Because he’s not a capital-C Cyclist. He’s not someone who considers his mode of transportation a part of his identity. He’s a person who tried to ride a bike, and he got hurt. He probably won’t take to the cycling rights message boards or the city council meeting to demand that we all do better. Nothing has suggested to him that he would be heard if he did.

I believe that’s the single biggest problem facing cycling in America.

I don’t believe our culture—not just aggressive cycle-bro sub-cultures, not even cycling culture in general, but our entire culture, in cities and towns across this country—does a good enough job of letting plain-old People on Bikes know that their unique needs are valid, and that their voices matter just as much—if not more—than the person with the expansive urban planning vocabulary.

If our cities aren’t built in a way that keeps all people safe on the roads, then they’re not built well enough. If our cities are built from the top down by experts rather than from the bottom up in response to the real needs of many different kinds of real people, then they’ll never be truly strong communities. This means that People on Bikes need to be invited into the conversation about how our streets are built, and given center stage. But it also means that Cyclists—and planners— need to think like People on Bikes, and like People in Crosswalks, and People in Wheelchairs, and on and on and on. And don’t get me wrong—a lot of you already do.

Speak up, if you haven’t. Keep it up, if you have. And let’s all try harder to listen.

Kea Wilson serves as Director of Community Engagement for Strong Towns. She's based in the great city of St. Louis, Missouri, but she's lived everywhere from Santa Fe, New Mexico to coastal Maryland to far northern Michigan. She became passionate about the question of what it means to build a better world when she was in college.

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Josephine County Employment

by Firm Size and Age

Quality Information, Informed Choices

by Guy Tauer Have you ever heard statements such as “small businesses create the most jobs”? You might agree, but how would you know if this is a fact? One source for this information comes from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Local Employment Dynamics program. Data from the Local Employment Dynamics program is very detailed, as it is administrative data rather than survey-based information. Data by specific industry as well as other criteria such as employment by race and ethnicity are also available.

Information regarding firm size and age is a fairly new addition to this warehouse of job data. This allows questions such as pay difference among different age and size firms to be answered, along with employment change and growth rates among firms with those different attributes.

Part of the challenge in affirming or refuting claims such as small businesses create the most jobs is the definition used in describing what a “small” business is. Even within the U.S. Small Business Administration, the definition of a small business varies widely depending on the industry the business is in.

In Josephine County in 2015, there were about 6,600 private-sector jobs in the largest size category (500+), which represented 31 percent of payroll employment. The next category, 250 to 499 employees, had about 1,500 workers, or 7 percent of the total. Firms with 50 to 249 employees comprised about 19 percent of total private employment. Firms with zero to 19 employees had almost 6,600 workers and represented 31 percent of total private employment in Josephine County. The next larger category was firms that have between 20 and 49 workers. Those firms had 2,424 workers or 12 percent of the total in 2015.

Now let’s look at job change from the bottom of the employment recession in 2011 through 2015 to contrast net job change in different size firms in Josephine County. Over that time firms in the largest size class added the most jobs, up by 969, a 17 percent increase. Employment at firms in the next size class, 250 to 499 employees, roughly doubled from 2011 to 2015, adding 750 jobs. On the other end of the firm size spectrum, firms with zero to 19 workers added 635 jobs, an 11 percent increase. Employment at firms with 20 to 49 workers declined by 135, or a loss of 5 percent. Firms with between 50 and 249 workers saw a slight 2 percent gain, with about Southern Oregon Business Journal

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60 jobs gained from 2011 to 2015. This data dispels the often-repeated slogan that small businesses create the most jobs, at least for Josephine County coming out of the Great Recession through 2015.

Wages by Size of Firm Wages by size of firm are also published from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Local Employment Dynamics program. Data are available going back to about 1991, allowing a longer look at wage and employment trends.

From 2011 to 2015, average wages rose faster at firms with 250 to 499 employees (22.8%) than other firm size categories. Wages rose about 11 percent for the largest firms. Average monthly pay rose by 17 percent at firms with zero to 19 workers. Wages declined slightly at firms with 20 to 29 workers.

In 2015, employees at the largest firms had average monthly earnings of $3,258. Those with 50 to 249 employees had the next highest average pay at $3,091. Workers at the smallest firm size category also had the smallest average monthly pay.

Employment by Age of Firm in Josephine County Despite the notoriety and excitement surrounding start-ups, new firms and innovative new industries and businesses, by far most private-sector employees (78%) in Josephine County work at firms 11 years old and older. Just 10 percent of all employees in the private sector work at firms between six and 10 years old. Less than 5 percent of all employees work at firms in other groups that are less than five years old.

One trend that this recovery from the past recession is noted for is the low numbers of new businesses compared with other recoveries. We can see this trend locally by looking at total employees in the newest firms – those zero to one year old.

These fledgling firms had 1,063 workers in 2011. By 2015, employees at the youngest firms totaled 702, a decline of 34 percent. On the other end of the firm-age spectrum, employment at firms age 11+ rose by about 2,865, a 21.1 percent rise.

Employment at firms six to 10 years old also declined between 2011 and 2015, down by about 400. Firms between two and five years old added about 200 employees over that time.

Older firms tend to have higher wages. Some things get better with age, apparently including average monthly pay at oldest firms. The average monthly wage in firms 11 years old or older was $3,000 in 2015. Firms age four to five years had an average wage of $2,787.

Wages were slightly lower among firms that are less than four years old. Wage growth was fastest in the firms ages four to five years from 2011 to 2015, increasing 57 percent. Wages rose about 33 percent at firms ages two to three years. Average monthly wages increased by 10 percent for the oldest firms.

Wages declined slightly at firms ages six to 10 years, falling by 2.5 percent from 2011 to 2015.

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Generational Diversity – Five Generations Learning to Work Together A few years ago, almost 2500 in fact, Socrates might have said, “The children now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise.” It might have been Plato, who studied under the Greek philosopher, who said it.

Regardless, the conversation about generational differences is not a new one. Of primary importance is that in 2017 we are beginning to have a better understanding of why these differences exist. Finally.

Recent studies reveal that the primary difference in generations is age.

We are born into life with incredible energy and insatiable hunger for understanding and knowledge. As we grow and learn our wisdom does as well. Knowledge might come quickly but wisdom comes with time, something we might call “aging”.

Generational conflict – or understanding – is more likely a result of our comfort levels in our own generation with a tendency to forget or fail to appreciate the experience of generations not our own. A Baby-boomer has an advantage of wisdom due to personal experiences already lived over a Millennial who is confronted with thoughts and opinions for the first time. Every generation will have experiences the other generations have never met. Since education can be a cumulative thing it only makes sense that a person with more time to accumulate information may have more wisdom. The subject matter to which a generation is exposed will affect the value and accuracy of that information. Time has a way of cleansing information by filtering inaccuracies or adding valuable ingredients that improve the content.

The value of a workplace shared by multiple generations is undeniable. A mindset that welcomes the diversity of individual education, energy and curiosity serves to expand the possibilities of the entire organization. Rebecca Pomering, Vice President and Chief Practice Officer of Moss Adams CPA Business Consultants, Seattle shared her presentation with an audience of about 250 business people at the January 26th SOREDI Business Conference.

“The New Workforce: Managing a Multigenerational Workplace” provided new thoughts and insights to a theme many have heard before. Rebecca gave her presentation in an enthusiastic and entertaining way. Following is a compilation of the information she provided.

“The children now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise.”

Socrates

A MULTI-GENERATIONAL WORKPLACE The Millennial: “Tell me what’s on your mind.

You have 8 seconds… GO”

The Baby Boomer: “Let’s talk over a cup of coffee. Want to see my trophies?”

Rebecca Pomering, Chief Practice Officer, Moss-Adams LLP

Greg Henderson, Southern Oregon Business Journal Southern Oregon Business Journal

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What influenced their perspective?

Politics World affairs Economy Relationships with adults/parents Inventions and technology Common experiences

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How does that influence their perspective?

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How does that influence how you work with them?

By: Rebecca Pomering, Chief Practice Officer, Moss-Adams LLP

THE TRADITIONALISTS (1900-1945, 72 YRS+)         

Great Depression World War II Duty, honor, country, national pride Dedication, sacrifice, discipline, patience Conformity, blending, unity – “We First” Hard, hard times then prosperity Doing a good job was most important Workplace loyalty Age = Seniority

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THE BABY BOOMERS (1946-1964, 53-71 YRS)     

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Vietnam Moon landing Civil/women’s rights “Workaholic”; competitive Success is largely visible – trophies, plaques, lifestyle elements Optimistic Consumers Defined by their job

GENERATION X (1965-1976, 41-52 YRS) Layoffs – end of lifelong employment.

“This company never promised you anything.”

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Suspicious of Boomers values Raised as their parent’s “friends” Had to learn to fend for themselves;

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Fall of Berlin Wall Gulf War Came of age when our national institutions under fire Free agents Cynical and pessimistic

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MILLENNIALS (1977-1997, 20-40 YRS) Ambitious yet appear aimless          

9/11 Optimistic & self-confident Individualistic yet group oriented Difficulty focusing on “non-stimulating stuff” Busy Helicopter parented Like “X”, raised as their parent’s friends Race and gender neutral Geography neutral Community/service oriented

GEN Z (AFTER 1995, UNDER 22 YEARS) Conscientious, hard-working, somewhat anxious and mindful of the future 

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Shaped by a decade of war & economic uncertainty Dubious & fearful of short-term safety & long-term prospects

Pragmatic; Lower expectations & modest demands Thinking of their future more like children of the 30’s Technology revolution is complete – completely connected

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Most access 5+ screens daily; 41% of time is spent with computers; 40% say working wi-fi is more important than working bathrooms Yet human connection more important than ever (highly engaged parents, teachers, counselors) Social media use is more anonymous than Millennials; privacy concerns

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GEN Z DATA      

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60 million Gen Z-ers (even more than millennials) 75% believe there are good ways to get an education other than going to college 76% are willing to start at the bottom of the ladder and work their way up 91% say technological sophistication impacts where they want to work 82% prefer face-to-face communication Hyper-customization: 56% want to write their own job description; 62% want to design their own career path Average attention span: 8 seconds 32% have a parent that started their own business; entrepreneurship is in their DNA 75% wish their current hobby could become their fulltime job

"Stop worrying about what you think other people think you can't do, and just show them that you can do it. You build credibility just by getting it done."

— Rebecca Pomering

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Local Knowledge Regional Leader

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Escrow Service Loyalty Barry Robinson, General Manager barry@ameri-title.com Let AmeriTitle Earn Yours

OUR MISSION “To provide a reliable business information tool for the economically curious, professionally inspired, and acutely motivated.”

PROVIDING IMPORTANT INFORMATION TO BUSINESSES IN THE SIX COUNTIES OF SOUTHWEST OREGON www.southernoregonbusiness.com

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684 S. Main St. Myrtle Creek, Oregon 97457 541-860-7049

They moved from Coos County to Myrtle Creek to be closer to family. Now Carrie and Kevin are sharing their love of barbeque with us. Anyone who stops in will be pleasantly surprised. The Brock’s are open Tuesday through Thursday from 7am to 8pm and Friday & Saturday from 7am to 9pm.

After years of serving their excellent meals from a mobile unit at concerts and other public events, they thought settling down a little in a “brick and mortar” restaurant would be less hectic and better for the family. So, “Brock’s Rack” moved indoors at 684 S. Main Street in Myrtle Creek opening their doors on June 10, 2016.

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Home of The Texas Cardiac, Slow-Smoked Meats and Homemade Sauces! “They're awesome and the ribs are amazing!�

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Reedsport Commerce Park begins to take shape The closure of the International Paper mill in Gardiner twenty years ago caused local financial uncertainty for the region’s future. The loss of family wage incomes immediately saw the departure of employees and their families resulting in a drop in average age of nearly ten years. The domino effect made a negative impact on schools, grocery stores and nearly every business in the Reedsport area. That appears to be changing with the sale of the International Paper property late last year.

Investor, Industrial Harbor USA of Tacoma, WA purchased the 427 acre property with the intent to create a multi-tenant facility that could employ hundreds of people. Executive Director of Development, Tom Vaughn, says some of the projects should be completed in the next six months with everything in development or under construction by 2019.

Concept drawings and photos of similar projects help to explain the extent of development that will occur in the next few years. Vaughn says, “Paper mill sites like this one are attractive because they offer large pieces of property, plenty of power and great water rights.”

- Greg Henderson “I’m excited as a Douglas County Commissioner to finally see an improvement on the old International Paper site in Gardiner. The Reedsport/Gardiner area is very important to Douglas County and provides many opportunities that we don’t have elsewhere.

The project is called the Reedsport Commerce Park; I’ve already been in contact with a possible developer who can work with the owners of the properties to provide one of their goals. As this project moves forward I see hundreds of potential jobs that could be provided to our coastal communities, in Douglas County.

The Douglas County Commissioners are very aware of the problems facing our County and providing jobs is one of our number one goals. This project will be created from partnerships from the State, Lottery, County, Cities and investors who will help make this happen. I am proud to be a part of this.”

Gary Leif - Douglas County Commissioner

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DOWN TO BUSINESS A look at small business questions from the Southwestern Oregon Community College Small Business Development Center (SBDC).

I have a small manufacturing company and I would like to export my products to Europe, how do I proceed?

Exporting is a way for many businesses, even small ones to grow and profit by expanding sales potential. According to Ken Hyatt, Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, “Our manufacturing sector produces the best and most innovative goods in the world. That is why our manufacturers shipped out more than $1.5 trillion in goods in 2015 to meet demand around the world…” There are, however, several issues to address prior to deciding to export.

Any business that wants to succeed in international trade should first establish an export strategy. It is important to know the export potential of your product or service. An export business plan can help address the strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats, costs and revenue potential. Many resources are available to show you how to write an export plan. Contact the Oregon Small Business Development Center Network (OSBDCN) Global Trade Center to get an idea of where to begin by going to http://www.bizcenter.org/services/global-trade/help-me-go-global.

It is important to analyze the capabilities of your business. Are all managers (and owners) in the business supportive of the export idea? Who in the company has contacts or experience in foreign markets and which markets are they familiar with?

Are any employees comfortable with foreign cultures either through travel abroad or family connections? Also, will export sales use excess capacity or will the business need to expand? Expansion will cost money; does the business have the financial resources to move into foreign markets? A good export readiness assessment is available online at https:// citd.org/welcome/export-readiness-assessment/.

Next locate foreign markets that are right for your products. Research can be done using the services of the U.S. Department of Commerce http://www.trade.gov/, or the State of Oregon http://www.oregon4biz.com/GlobalConnections/. Choose a limited number of foreign markets to research to reduce costs and complexity. Study the entry strategies for each foreign market chosen, consumer preferences, language preferences and export procedures for those countries. For instance, the European Union (EU) requires CE marking for many products as an indicator of compliance with EU health, safety and environmental protection directives and regulations.

Finally, learn how to finance exporting initiatives and process export invoices to get paid. The U.S. Export-Import Bank http://www.exim.gov/ is a source of financing for export inventory and/or export insurance to help ensure payment on foreign sales. The Small Business Administration https://www.sba.gov/managing-business/exporting has loan programs and training to support exporting.

Many more resources are available to assist with getting started in exporting. It might be helpful to read “A Basic Guide to Exporting”, available at https://www.export.gov/article?id=Why-Companies-should-export

By: Arlene M. Soto CMA, Southwestern SBDC Director Southern Oregon Business Journal

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Port Welcomes New Travel Lift – Celebrates First Step in Major Shipyard Expansion Oregon International Port of Coos Bay

— On January 30th, the Port of Coos Bay’s Shipyard off Troller Road in Charleston received a welcome addition. The Port has purchased a 100-metric ton Travel Lift, laying the groundwork to accommodate significantly larger boats in the Shipyard. The lift was assembled by the manufacturer onsite at the Charleston Shipyard, and was commissioned on February 2nd. The Travel Lift has the capacity to hoist vessels weighing up to 220,000 lbs out of the water, and move them to areas within the yard for upland storage or repair projects. The Lift was purchased utilizing a $600,000 loan from the Oregon Infrastructure Finance Authority.

"Charleston Shipyard Travel Lift"

The purchase of the Travel Lift marks the first in a series of planned improvements to the shipyard. The Travel Lift drives onto the slip to an open-end pier to lift vessels from the water. To realize the full potential of the Lift and accommodate a broader range of vessels, the Port plans to expand its travel lift slip. The existing slip spans 17’ wide, however, the Port is working through permitting processes that would allow the slip to expand to 27’ wide.

Port staff worked

closely with the manufacturer of the Travel Lift to ensure that it can be expanded to 27’ for the future slip expansion project.

The added capacity at the Shipyard will allow significantly larger vessels to be serviced and stored, which is essential for our local fishing and recreational fleets. Larger vessels were previously unable to utilize services in Charleston’s Shipyard because of the lack of lift capacity, having to access other shipyards further up or down the coast. The Shipyard is home to three local marine businesses, Giddings Boat Works, Tarheel Aluminum Inc., and Skallerud Marine Services, all of which specialize in a variety of repair and fabrication services. Charleston Harbor Master John Buckley anticipates an increase in the level of activity at the Shipyard. “We have already been receiving requests to have larger boats pulled out of the water,” stated Buckley.

The Port of Coos Bay’s long range plans for the Charleston Shipyard include expanding the footprint of the property by 4.8 acres, and purchasing a second Travel Lift capable of lifting vessels weighing at least 200 metric tons, doubling the size and volume capabilities of the Yard. The Shipyard is a vital component of Charleston’s economy and a valued resource for local and regional fleets.

The Port of Coos Bay will continue to make investments in key infrastructure and equipment to encourage sustainable economic growth on the South Coast.

For additional information please contact: Margaret Barber, External Affairs Manager, Port of Coos Bay Phone 541.267.7678 / E-mail: mbarber@portofcoosbay.com www.portofcoosbay.com

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Mt Ashland Recreation in Southwest Oregon is an everyday event. Seasons change and the types of popular recreation changes with them. There is always something breathtaking to do. Skiing, hiking, white water rafting, cycling and touring historic towns is just the beginning.

Mt. Ashland Ski Area is located in beautiful Southern Oregon at the highest point in the Siskiyou Mountain Range, offering skiing and snowboarding on 220 acres, with 4 chair lifts and 23 runs. There is a full rental shop (which offers ski and snowboard rentals and tuning), retail shop, and ski school.

The historic Lodge also features a full service Cafe and Bar. With average snowfall over 265″, it’s been the place for Local Mountain Fun since 1964.

Mt. Ashland’s summit elevation is 7,533 feet, with a base area elevation of 6,383 feet. The Main Lodge and parking lot elevation is 6,500 feet. The vertical drop is 1,150 feet.

It truly is a bucket-list experience. Visit Southern Oregon.

Out-of-doors is really what matters. In a region of 19,000 square miles the six counties of SW Oregon can keep you inspired for a lifetime.

Greg Henderson, Publisher

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