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Wednesday, November 6, 2019
The Observer & Baker City Herald
Small-business & Ag
HAPPENINGS
Get your holiday
marketing plan in order
LA GRANDE — Local business owners
and managers are invited to attend “Spruce
Up Your Holiday Marketing Plan,” a free
Google webinar, from noon to 1 p.m. Nov.
12 at the Ignite E-Center, 104 Depot St.,
La Grande. Topics will include: Google My
Business listings, online advertising and
email marketing. According to organizers,
the workshop will be “jam-packed with good
information. Come ready to take notes.”
The holiday marketing workshop is
hosted by La Grande Main Street Down-
town, Ignite and the Northeast Oregon
Economic Development District. There is
no cost to attend, but reservations are ap-
preciated. For more information, go to www.
ignitemybusiness.org.
Oregon Farm Bureau comments
on Walden’s retirement
SALEM — The Oregon Farm Bureau
released a statement on Oct. 28 follow-
ing the announcement that Congressman
Greg Walden will not seek a new term in
Congress in the 2020 election.
“It goes without saying, and as many
in the Farm Bureau family already know,
Greg has been a stalwart champion for
Oregon agriculture,” the OFB statement
said. “For us, Congressman Walden will be
forever synonymous with Congressional
District 2. We applaud and thank Greg for
his tireless years in public service and wish
him the very best in his next chapter.”
Holiday open house includes
snow safety and snowshoe
clinic
LA GRANDE — Blue Mountain
Outfi tters, 1124 Adams Ave., La Grande,
is having holiday open house beginning
at 6 p.m. Nov. 13. The event will include
drinks from Side A Brewing, food from
JaxDog Cafe, special deals and giveaways.
In addition, the Wallowa Avalanche
Center will give a free a snow safety and
snowshoe clinic.
Northwest Farm Credit Services
reports third-quarter earnings
SPOKANE, Washington — Northwest
Farm Credit Services, an agricultural
lending cooperative, announced 2019 third-
quarter earnings of $73.4 million, compared
to $76.0 million for the same quarter of
2018. Total capital increased 4.1% during
the fi rst nine months of the year to $2.6
billion.
“Our fi nancial performance in 2019
remains strong and on track with our ex-
pectations,” said Phil DiPofi , president and
CEO. “The majority of our customers across
the Pacifi c Northwest are experiencing a
reasonable year despite pockets of continu-
ing trade, political and weather-related
challenges.”
Earnings for the nine months ended
Sept. 30, 2019, were $206.7 million
compared to $220.5 million for the same
period of the prior year. The nine months
ended Sept. 30, 2018, included an ad-
ditional patronage distribution from
CoBank and a larger refund of premiums
previously paid to the Farm Credit Sys-
tem Insurance Corporation, which were
the primary contributors to the change in
net income.
Northwest FCS is a $12 billion fi nancial
cooperative providing fi nancing and related
services to farmers, ranchers, agribusiness-
es, commercial fi shermen, timber produc-
ers, rural homeowners and crop insurance
customers in Montana, Idaho, Oregon,
Washington and Alaska. Northwest FCS is
a member of the nationwide Farm Credit
System that supports agriculture and rural
communities with reliable, consistent credit
and fi nancial services. For more informa-
tion, go to www.northwestfcs.com.
List of Oregon’s top 20
agricultural commodities
released
SALEM — The Oregon Department of
Agriculture announced a list of the state’s
top 20 agricultural commodities in 2018.
Greenhouse and nursery products remain
Oregon’s leading agricultural commodity
with an annual value of nearly $1 billion
based on data collected by ODA. Sources of
data include USDA National Agricultural
Statistic Service, Oregon State University,
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
and the Oregon Wine Board. This is an
increase for Oregon’s greenhouse and
nursery industry up from $94.7 million last
See Happenings / Page 3B
Sabrina Thompson/EO Media Group
The La Grande Growing Wise storefront is open for business on the corner of Adams Avenue and Chestnut Street while
construction continues in the back to build a workshop for people to create their own bath and soap products.
Where’s Growing Wise?
By Sabrina Thompson
EO Media Group
Growing Wise has had several
homes since it opened nearly
six years ago. What was once a
home-based business now has
two locations, one in Union and
in a new storefront on the corner
of Adams Avenue and Chestnut
Street in La Grande at 1019
Adams Ave. Owned and oper-
ated by husband and wife duo
Aaron and Jennifer Wise, the
business specializes in natural
handcrafted soap and skin care
products.
The business came about
due to allergies to chemicals
for Jennifer and her children,
she said. To prevent them from
breaking out with rashes and
blisters, Jennifer wanted to fi nd
safe alternatives for lotions and
bath products. As she gathered
recipes from friends and family,
she found she had a passion
and a knack for making these
products.
“It grew into this curiosity of
what I can make and what oth-
ers want me to make,” Jennifer
said.
Jennifer took her products to
the La Grande Farmers Market
for a few years to sell and gain
feedback on the products. When
she saw there was enough of a
local demand, she and her hus-
band opened up the initial loca-
tion for Growing Wise at 1012
Adams Ave. Within a few years,
the store moved to Second and
Adams before relocating to the
Foley Building. After temporar-
Sabrina Thompson/EO Media Group
Wife and husband duo Jennifer and Aaron Wise own and operate Growing Wise.
ily taking over 208 Chestnut St.,
the store moved into its current
location at the corner of Adams
and Chestnut.
In mid-May 2019, Jennifer
and Aaron also opened up a
store in Union, which includes a
restaurant, Union Fountain.
“The good news is (our cus-
tomers) have found us no matter
where we have gone,” Jennifer
said. “We’ve kind of turned into
a joke at this point. It’s like
‘Where’s Waldo?’ but it’s ‘Where’s
Growing Wise?’ But it is a bless-
ing to see that support.”
Having two spaces has been
the biggest challenge, according
to Jennifer. While she tends to
the store in La Grande, Aaron
runs the restaurant in Union.
Both are open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tuesday through Saturday to
allow them to have time to be
with their children and focus on
their family in addition to run-
ning their business. The couple
is adding new members to their
team with the addition of three
employees to help keep things
running smoothly. However, Jen-
nifer said, they are very selective
and the person who joins needs
to be the right fi t.
“We want someone who
understands it is more than just
creating,” Jennifer said. “There
are so many small details that
go into running a business. Like
things with the computer and
customer service. It is like trying
to fi nd a unicorn. But the people
we have now are really great.”
The store in La Grande is
currently open while the back
goes through construction to
build a workshop space. Once
completed, Jennifer said, Grow-
ing Wise will be partnering with
Art Center East to host classes
and house products for people
to make their own soaps, bath
bombs, fragrances and other
items. The couple hopes the
workshop will be completed by
the end of the month.
Growing Wise also works to
support local artists, selling their
handmade items such as cards
and accessories like jewelry and
purses.
“Small-town people appreciate
See Wise / Page 3B
Employers and employees: Be a problem solver
By Greg Smith
Every customer who comes into your busi-
ness has a problem and is looking for you to
help solve it.
Perhaps they need a dress
for their daughter’s wedding
or a special gift. They have a
fl at tire or need a specifi c tool
for a project. Their faucet is
dripping, their pickup’s engine
Smith
light came on, their septic tank
needs pumped, they need a
loan to buy a house, or they are being sued.
What problem does your business solve
and how do you accomplish this more ef-
fectively than your competitors? Have you
thought about this and do you need to make
any adjustments?
Here are some basic things you many
want to consider:
Are you open when your customer needs
you? (I know of a hairstylist who works
only in the evenings and on Saturday and
Sunday because that’s when her clients are
available and it is something her competi-
tors won’t do.)
Do you offer quality products or services
at the right price point?
Is your website complicated? (Remember, if
it takes more than three “clicks” to fi nd the in-
formation customers want to know, they will
leave your site — and likely won’t return.)
When a customer calls is there a complex
automated system they must navigate?
In short, is it a hassle to do business with
you or are you the fi rst business they turn to
when seeking an answer to their problem?
The answers to these questions sound
simple yet are often the root cause for slow
— or no — business.
On the other side of the equation, employ-
ers want employees who are problem solv-
ers, not problem creators. The importance of
“soft skills” cannot be overstated. Employees,
regardless of their skill set, are not employed
long if they create problems. The No. 1
complaint (i.e., problem) I consistently hear
about from employers is they cannot fi nd
people who want to work and who will show
up to work on time — or at all.
Perhaps you don’t consider yourself a
problem creator, but take a moment and ask
yourself these questions:
Are you dependable?
Do you cause strife in the workplace?
Are you busy texting instead of looking
around to see what needs to be done — and
doing it?
Do you complete your work on time? Does
your boss have to come behind you and
double-check to make sure the task has been
done correctly?
Do you access resources to answer the
questions you might have, or do you consis-
tently interrupt the workfl ow of others?
Identifying a need whether as a business
owner or employee and utilizing your unique
skill set is one of the most important keys
to success, profi tability and longevity in the
workplace. Being a creative problem solver
is not just something benefi cial in the work-
place, but in society as well.