Insitu Holds Operation Outreach in Bingen, WA: Page 4
Camas, WA and the Small Business Revolution: Page 7
OnPoint Credit Union Accepting Educational Nominations: Page 11
THE GORGE BUSINESS NEWS Business, Ar t, Culture, Outdoors, Travel & Enter tainment
Connecting Communities Throughout the Columbia River Gorge Volume 3 - Issue 1 free
Serving Oregon and Washington
free
MAR/APR 2019
Skunk Brothers Spirits Continues to Expand Their Product Line in Stevenson From Son (Scott) to Dad (Skunk), to Grandpa (Archie) the moonshiner; Skunk Brothers Spirits is where blood (I mean booze) flows deep in the family veins
By Lori Roach kunk Brothers Spirits is a disabled veteran owned business that sits on the banks of the Columbia River and brings the craft of distilling to the Washington side of the Gorge. “I’ve always wanted to have a business,” said owner, Scott Donoho, who started the business in 2015. “My granddad was a moonshiner and I’ve heard a lot of stories about that. I watched a lot of Dukes of Hazzard
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when I was young. It [moonshining] always struck me as something fun… it’s in my blood. I guess I’m kind of a modern day hillbilly.” Spirit makers are known to name their ‘stills’ and it isn’t any different at Skunk Brothers. Stills Archie and Earla are named after Skunk’s parents. “My dad like to make moonshine and my mom liked to drink it,” Skunk said. Like the beer brewing industry, craft distilling is highly regulated by each individual state. “One of the big things I’ve noticed about the industry is how much prohibition laws are still in effect, and how they affect the industry today. It’s been a big eye opener,”
Skunk Brothers: Continued on Page 6
Skunk (Dan) Donoho stands beside ‘Archie’, the still named after his dad.
Hampton Inn and Suites by Hilton Hood River Wins Community Service Hotel of the Year T
he Hampton Inn and Suites by Hilton Hood River won Mereté Hotel Management’s (formerly InnSight) “We are Community” Hotel of the Year Award at the company annual conference held in Springfield, OR. The Hood River hotel won the award during Mereté Hotel Management’s Annual Company Meeting and Awards Dinner. The property’s leadership team accepted the award from President Richard Boyles and from the company’s Executive Team. “We are extremely proud of the associates at the Hampton Inn Hood River, and their contributions to their local community,” reflected Mr. Boyles after the awards ceremony. “From their involvement with their local Chamber to volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters, the associates at the Hampton Inn truly reflect Mereté’s commitment to communities where our hotels do business.”
Hampton Inn: Continued on Page 14