Business AgLife
B
Thursday, October 8, 2020
The Observer & Baker City Herald
Small-business & Ag
HAPPENINGS
The Observer
Apply now to obtain chain-up
helper permits
LA GRANDE — The Oregon Depart-
ment of Transportation will issue per-
mits for individuals interested in chaining
up commercial vehicles during the winter
months along specifi c sections of Interstate
84 in Eastern Oregon.
ODOT in a press release announced this
year the department’s in the District 13
offi ce in La Grande will issue six permits for
the I-84 Ladd Canyon area in Union County;
District 12 offi ce in Pendleton will issue
about six permits (depending on number of
qualifying applicants) for I-84 in the Uma-
tilla County area, primarily between La
Grande and Pendleton; and the District 14
offi ce in Ontario will issue two permits for
I-84 west of Ontario in Malheur County.
Interested parties have until Oct. 31 to
contact the appropriate ODOT district offi ce
for details and application requirements
(such as appropriate safety vests, training
and more). Each ODOT offi ce will hold
random drawings Nov. 1 to determine who
will have an opportunity to get a permit.
Tom Lapp, ODOT permit specialist, said
drawing winners will have one week to
complete the permit application and return
it to the district offi ce.”
Only persons who have the chain-up
permits can provide this service to truck
drivers in designated chain-up areas.
“This is a safety issue,” Lapp said. “Lim-
iting the permits for each district is neces-
sary to help control the number of people
working along state highways during winter
weather conditions.”
The permits will be valid between Nov.
1, 2020 and April 1, 2021.
For more information, contact Lynn
Elliot at the ODOT District 13 Offi ce, La
Grande. at 541-963-8407.
Study of farmworkers shows
diffi culties of avoiding COVID-19
Wildfires make social
distancing impossible for
people who lost homes
COVID-19,” survey organizer Jennifer
Martinez said during a news conference
in September. “These are all what farm-
workers told us, that they were changing
their practices. But still, 39% of farm-
workers reported moments during the day
where they could not maintain 6 feet of
distance in the workplace.”
Of the 214 workers surveyed so far,
77% reported their co-workers wear
masks at all times on the job, 57%
reported washing their hands at least
fi ve times during the work day and
68% reported they or their foreman had
received training on how to stay safe from
INSIDE
Graphic shows what parts of the state the
study surveyed and how many farmworkers
were interviewed, Page 2B.
By Jade McDowell
East Oregonian
UMATILLA COUNTY — A survey
of Oregon farmworkers indicates a
majority of farms are taking precau-
tions for COVID-19, but conditions in the
fi elds and at home can make it diffi cult for
workers to avoid exposure to the virus.
The Oregon Farmworker COVID-19
Study team, a partnership of researchers
at Oregon universities and organiza-
tions that serve farmworkers, released
preliminary fi ndings after conducting
214 in-depth interviews of Oregon farm-
workers, including some in Northeastern
Oregon. The team plans to interview 300
in total before releasing the fi nal report.
“When PPE and masks are available,
farmworkers take necessary precautions
and safety procedures at home and in
the workplace to minimize exposure to
See, Study/Page 2B
‘Business Foundations’ video
conference coming up
ENTERPRISE — Northeast Oregon Eco-
nomic Development District announced
it is offering a free, six-week workshop
series to help entrepreneurs and small-busi-
ness owners build the basis for a successful
business.
“Business Foundations” takes place
6-9 p.m. Tuesdays, Oct. 13 through Nov. 17,
according to the announcements on the dis-
trict’s website. An afternoon class also is
under consideration. Classes are conducted
via videoconference. Register at https://
tinyurl.com/y6noozkl.
Lisa Dawson has taught Business Foun-
dations for more than 10 years, and her stu-
dents include existing and aspiring entre-
preneurs in Baker, Union and Wallowa
counties. This hands-on class covers the
basics of running a successful business,
from overhead and inventory costs to mar-
keting and taxes, and brings it all together
in a business plan.
The classes are free thanks to a Com-
munity Development Block Grant through
the city of La Grande. The program gives
preference to people with low-to-moderate
incomes and requires income verifi cation.
The workshops last six weeks, with the
following topics:
• Gaining Perspective: Consider your
business concept.
• Laying the Foundation: Defi ne line of
business and analyze fi nancial essentials,
from overhead costs to break-even point.
• Getting into the Flow: Cover the fi nan-
cial essentials of cash fl ow, sales fore-
casting, and fi nancial documents.
• Mission & Markets: Revisit mis-
sion, discuss market research, and identify
competitors in order to align with target
markets.
• Get the Word Out: Creative marketing
strategies and give peer feedback on mar-
keting materials.
• Goodbye and Good Luck: Present your
business plan, share fi nal pitch and plan for
next steps.
Wallowa County Chamber of
Commerce board nominations
open
ENTERPRISE — Nominations for the
Wallowa County Chamber of Commerce
2021 Board of Directors remain open until
5 p.m. Oct. 31.
Director positions include: Joseph, Wal-
lowa/Lostine, education, tourism, arts and
culture and heritage.
Anyone interested in serving on the
board can call the chamber offi ce. A nom-
inee must be a member of the chamber in
good standing.
Nomination forms are available at the
chamber offi ce or at https://tinyurl.com/wal-
lowachamberboard. Include the full name
and phone number in a nomination. Nomi-
nators also must be members of the chamber
in good standing.
Submit nominations via mail, email
or directly to the chamber offi ce. For
more information, call the chamber at
541-426-4622.
Dick Mason/The Observer
The Dutch Bros. stand in La Grande supplies early morning drivers with beverages on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020. A recent survey
ranked the Grants Pass-based coffee company as the best mid-sized business in the state.
Dutch Bros. rises to the top
By Dick Mason
The Observer
LA GRANDE — Dutch
Bros. Coffee, which has one
of its many drive-thru stands
in La Grande, is percolating
on the employee satisfaction
front.
The Oregonian/OregonLive
has named Dutch Bros. the
top spot for mid-sized com-
panies in Oregon and south-
west Washington. The award
is based on employee feed-
back that Energage, a Phila-
delphia-based company, gath-
ered through an anonymous
survey, which measured 15
factors critical to the success
of any organization, according
to a written statement to The
Observer from the Dutch
Bros. employee engagement
team.
The team also stated Dutch
“During this time of unknowns,
uncertainty and change we’ve worked to
continue to provide our employees with
support. We’re so happy to see those
efforts recognized.”
— Kelsey Hopper, director of engagement at Dutch Bros.
Bros., which has locations
throughout the west, strives to
be a company employees are
proud to work for, excited to
talk about and makes them feel
like they are a part of a family.
“During this time of
unknowns, uncertainty
and change we’ve worked
to continue to provide our
employees with support.
We’re so happy to see those
efforts recognized. The feed-
back we get from the survey is
essential in creating an atmo-
sphere and culture to help
our employees thrive,” said
Kelsey Hopper, the director of
engagement at Dutch Bros.
Dutch Bros. has its head-
quarters in Grants Pass and
was founded in 1992. It has
172 locations in Oregon and
southwest Washington and
330 employees in the region,
according to The Oregonian.
The survey had 24 ques-
tions, including about how
the company encourages
employee development,
how appreciated it makes
employees feel, retention and
pay and benefi ts.
The Oregonian/OregonLive
has partnered with Energage
to rank the top workplaces in
Oregon and southwest Wash-
ington for the past nine years.
The other category winners
were Comcast Cable in the
large company division and
the private co-ed Delphian
School in Yamhill County in
the small category.
The large category is for
companies with more than
500 employees, the midsize
division is for those with 100
to 499 employees, and the
small category is for those
with 99 or fewer employees.
The results ranked a total of
95 companies.
State projects Oregon’s employment to grow 9% by 2029
Heath care tops
Oregon’s list of
fastest-growing jobs
The Observer
SALEM — Oregon’s total
employment will grow by
181,800 jobs between 2019 and
2029, according to new projec-
tions from the Oregon Employ-
ment Department.
In 2019, there were
2,120,000 jobs in Oregon,
according to a news release
from the department. The
9% increase in employ-
ment between 2019 and 2029
includes private-sector gains of
156,400 jobs, growth of 16,500
jobs in government and an
additional 8,900 self-employed
Oregonians.
Beyond gains from eco-
nomic growth, another 255,300
job openings will result on
average each year through
2029 as workers retire, leave
the labor force for other reason,
or make a major occupational
change. Together, the number
of job openings due to eco-
nomic growth and replace-
ments will total an annual
average of 273,500.
All private sectors in
Oregon are expected to add
jobs by 2029. Private health
care and social assistance will
lead all industries in new job
growth. Heath care will gain
46,300 new jobs (15% growth)
due to the growth and aging of
the Oregon’s population.
Oregon Employment Department/Contributed Graphic
See, Jobs/Page 2B
Health care tops job growth in Oregon from 2019-29, according
to new projections from the Oregon Employment Department.