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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2021
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APPEAL TRIBUNE
Meet Em Chan, new food reporter
for the Statesman Journal
Address: P.O. Box 13009, Salem, OR 97309
Phone: 503-399-6773
Don Currie
Fax: 503-399-6706
Salem Statesman Journal
Email: sanews@salem.gannett.com
USA TODAY NETWORK
Web site: www.SilvertonAppeal.com
The Statesman Journal has a new
food reporter. Em Chan joined the paper
a few weeks ago and has started sam-
pling the Salem food scene.
Em is a graduate of the University of
Oregon, where she earned a bachelor's
degree in public relations and created
an Instagram called “Sik Fan Mei, Ah?”
which is Cantonese for “have you eaten
yet?” Yes, she is conversationally fluent
in Cantonese and business fluent in
Mandarin.
Em says she's excited to "eat my way
through Salem, sharing hole in the walls
and informing folks about foods they
may have not explored before just as I
learn along with them in my reporting."
She's interested in bringing new per-
soecc to the Salem community.
Looking for a Mexican market
nearby?: Popular El Torito expands to
second location in Salem
Don Currie is an editor at the States-
man Journal. You may reach him at
dcurrie@statesmanjournal.com
Staff
News Director
Don Currie
503-399-6655
dcurrie@statesmanjournal.com
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Westsmb@gannett.com
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News Tips
Statesman Journal food and drink
reporter Em Chan. BRIAN HAYES /
STATESMAN JOURNAL
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Published every Wednesday by the Statesman Journal, P.O. Box 13009, Salem, OR 97309.
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Continued from Page 1A
He initially answered questions via
email on his way out of town the night of
the announcement. But when transac-
tion minutiae brought him back to Sa-
lem the next day, he discussed what he
could in a more than hour-long phone
interview.
Roth couldn't — or wouldn't — say
who approached who first, describing it
as mutual interest. The Food Partners,
an investment banking firm in the food
industry, served as a strategic and fi-
nancial advisor to Roth's during negoti-
ations.
In other words, The Food Partners
acted as matchmaker.
An instant connection
The courtship was in full swing by
August, when Pattison came to town for
two days to visit each Roth's store and
the company's headquarters.
Michael Roth wanted to be sure each
of his market directors — Roth's title for
BR I
OM
H
G
N
store managers — could meet the legend
in the grocery industry, whether or not
the deal ever happened. To maintain
confidentiality of the real reason for the
visit, he introduced Pattison and his
group as a "share group," or a group of
non-competing industry partners who
meet regularly to problem solve and
share ideas.
The first stop on the tour was West
Salem, which Orville Roth called his
dream store when it opened in 1989.
Next up were the other four Salem
stores, followed by Silverton, Stayton,
McMinnville and Monmouth.
Roth could tell Pattison was im-
pressed with what he saw.
"He walked around our stores and
you could just see a big smile on his face.
He just loves businesses that work,"
Roth said. "We'd have to go track him
down, and he'd be looking at the milk
display or talking to people."
'A perfect match'
Once Roth realized a business rela-
tionship might happen, he was com-
pelled to do some reconnaissance of his
own. He'd heard good things about Pat-
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self.
"I wanted to make sure that I was
handing the keys to somebody that has
the same quality standards that we
have," he said.
He and his wife, Leslie, drove their
2010 Ford Explorer to British Columbia
in late August. They spent two days vis-
iting eight grocery stores Pattison Food
Group owns in Vancouver and sur-
rounding communities.
On the itinerary was a brand new
Save-On-Foods that had just opened,
five other Save-On-Foods, an Urban
Fare store and a Nesters Market. Roth
said Nesters is a chain that operates as
a completely independent grocery
company, similar to how Roth's will.
They shopped at each store, purchas-
ing a variety of items at the check stands,
taking note of how friendly and well-
trained the checkers were. They ate at
each store, sampling muffins in the bak-
ery and vegan burritos at the grill.
And then they went back again, mul-
tiple times to some locations.
They couldn't help but notice the
stores had a familiar feel.
"What we saw and experienced with
their people and fresh foods, we knew
this was a perfect match of cultures and
store expectations," Roth said.
Ready to let go
Inquiries and offers have been made
to buy the family-owned and operated
company over the years, although Roth
wouldn't say how many.
His dad rejected one offer from a chain
in the early 1980s and told guests at his
50th birthday party: "This will remain an
independent organization forever."
But Roth said Orville also had private
conversations on the subject with his
son, who became the company’s presi-
dent in 1997, knowing that someday cir-
cumstances might dictate he, using Or-
ville's words, "go to market."
So why now, customers and employ-
ees may be wondering, and why Patti-
son?
Michael Roth turns 64 in December
and said he just doesn't have the same
energy he did 20 years ago. In some ways,
he's been preparing for this since his dad
died in 2013, surrounding himself with
talented people.
"I needed to build a team to lead
Roth's, in case of my untimely death," he
said. "There is a phenomenal group that
will take over when the transaction
closes."
Long-time employee Tim Jennings
will become the new company president.
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Roth said Pattison was appealing be-
cause of its commitment to integrity,
growth, customer satisfaction and qual-
ity products and services, and because it
will allow Roth's to be independent and
operate under its current name and
structure.
Roth said security for his company’s
650 employees, plus the fact that the Pat-
tison Food Group will maintain the office
in Salem and use the same buyers who
currently stock store shelves, also fac-
tored into the decision.
"We have friends in the industry
who've sold their business and the entire
HQ team gets let go and they centralize
everything," Roth said. "This is the oppo-
site of that. They want to grow Roth's."
For customers, it should be business
as usual when the transaction is final-
ized, or perhaps they'll discover an even
better Roth's.
"That won't hurt my feelings, it really
won't," Roth said.
He offered assurance for customers
who might be worried some of their fa-
vorite brands carried by their neighbor-
hood Roth's will be replaced by other
brands.
"Roth's will keep our current house
brands and continue to have a great se-
lection of both national and house
brands," he said.
He's counting on Roth’s to incorporate
some of what Pattison stores do well, such
as pre-made, shelf-stable gift baskets.
While Roth's provides fresh food gift bas-
kets during the holidays, he said it's strug-
gled to offer pre-made baskets the rest of
the year.
"I challenged them to teach us how
they do that program," Roth said. "They're
going to come down and I would say with-
in no time, you'll be able to walk into your
local Roth's, see a nice selection of shelf-
stable gift baskets that you can take to the
hospital, or a birthday or retirement par-
ty."
On the flip side, he said Pattison repre-
sentatives were enamored with the order-
ing system Roth's uses at its grills and are
likely to incorporate them into its Canadi-
an stores.
Status quo for beloved employees
Leadership from the Pattison Food
Group met with about 35 members of
Roth's leadership team and assured them
that employee pay rates, accrued vaca-
tion, health benefits and holiday pay
would remain the same.
"Honestly, by the time they were done,
the Roth's people were so enthusiastic, I
almost feel like half of them wanted me to
retire that afternoon," Roth said.
Market directors took letters back to
their stores to distribute to team mem-
bers, hoping to assure everyone that the
transition would be transparent and busi-
ness as usual.
Roth said he and his father have been
fortunate to have many long-term team
members who have worked for the com-
pany for 20, 30 or 40 years.
$1 million local donation, and more
The company's generous support of lo-
cal charities also is expected to continue.
"Giving back to the community has al-
ways been a priority for the Roth family,"
Roth said. "Like Roth's, every company in
the Pattison Food Group shares a culture
that values philanthropy and being an ac-
tive member of every community served
— which was something that was very
important to me."
That culture starts at the top with Jim
Pattison. Many of his recent charitable
donations have been directed to medical
care, including $50 million to a children's
hospital in Saskatchewan and $75 million
for the construction of a new hospital in
Vancouver.
Michael Roth vows to continue to be a
community partner in retirement, al-
though he and Leslie do plan to give the
snowbird lifestyle a try. They'll spend
winters in Mesa, Arizona, and summers in
a small cabin in the woods in the Salem
area.
"It's important to my wife and I that we
stay connected to Salem and the Mid-Wil-
lamette Valley," he said.
One way they'll do that is through his
charitable fund. He announced that he
will donate $1 million to be allocated be-
tween three local organizations: Salem
Foundation, Silverton Area Community
Aid and Oregon Garden.
Salem Foundation manages numerous
charitable sub-funds through Pioneer
Trust Bank, including one in his name and
one in his father's. His fund recently gave
$220,000 to Elsinore Theatre for the in-
stallation of a new air conditioner. His fa-
ther's recently contributed $50,000 to the
Gerry Frank Salem Rotary Amphitheater
project.
Silverton Area Community Aid and
Oregon Garden were chosen as beneficia-
ries in honor of the city where the first
Roth's store opened. One provides food,
financial assistance and other services
to about 1,000 people in need each
month, and the other provides a youth
education program that Orville Roth
long supported.
Capi Lynn is a 33-year veteran report-
er and columnist at the Statesman Jour-
nal. She can be reached at 503-399-6710
or clynn@StatesmanJournal.com, or
follow her on Twitter @CapiLynn and
Facebook @CapiLynnSJ.