BUSINESS & AG LIFE
THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2021
THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD — 3B
WAGES
in Wallowa County, you’d
have to go to Lewiston or
La Grande,” he said, adding
Continued from Page 1B
them trained at his Forest
Grove shop.
“If a guy can weld, we
can teach him the rest,” he
said. “We can make welders
better welders.”
He also plans to hire a
salesman who is familiar
with the county and its res-
idents — who has the “gift
of gab.”
“I’m looking for
someone who grew up
around here, knows all the
farmers, the fi sh and wild-
life,” he said.
LaFave is already eyeing
expansion. At present, he’s
leasing the building where
he’ll soon open, but he’s in
discussion with the owner
about buying it. He’s also
talking about purchasing an
adjoining building to house
expanded operations.
He’s also considering
expanding into Idaho.
“I’m contemplating
Boise next,” he said. “I have
customers there who’d like
Imnaha Hotel,” LaFave
said. “They’re good people
down there. If one couple or
“My wages are going to be based
on what my company does as
a whole. So if I have a welder/
fabricator making, say, $22 an
hour over in Forest Grove doing
the same job, he’s going to be
making $22 an hour here.”
— Rick LaFave, owner of Renaissance Design
Fabrication & Powder Coating
Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain
Rick LaFave stands by the control computer for the sheet metal shear that cuts metal at his Renaissance Design,
Fabrication and Powder Coating business just outside Joseph on Wednesday, May 5, 2021. He plans to open the
shop about May 20.
me to open up something.”
The company’s name —
RDF&P — fully describes
what it’s about, LaFave
said. The R, for Renais-
sance, evokes a prestigious
quality. Also, his prior com-
pany — Rick’s Fasteners
SETTLED
MASKS
Continued from Page 1B
Continued from Page 1B
seriously and thanked the
industry for their support
and cooperation.
“Together with our agri-
cultural partners, ODA is
committed to keeping our
industry reputable, strong,
forward-thinking, and in
compliance with state, fed-
eral, and international
requirements,” Taylor said.
Oregon is the largest
producer of cool-season
forage and turf grasses in
the U.S., producing nearly
591 million pounds in 2017.
The Willamette Valley, and
in particular Linn County,
is aff ectionately referred to
as the “Grass Seed Capital
of the World.”
Grass seed is the fi fth-
largest agricultural com-
modity in Oregon, worth
more than $517 million and
driving more than $1 billion
in economic activity.
metric for when the rule
would automatically be
repealed. As a result, Wood
said the fi nal rule includes
considerably more detail
about the process and cri-
teria that will be used to
make the decision to repeal
the rule.
The rule requires
employers make sure that
under most circumstances
people wear masks while
working inside and use
face coverings outside if
they have to be within 6
feet of people. It also man-
dates businesses make
sure people aren’t within 6
feet of each other – unless
that’s not practical for cer-
tain activities.
The agency said it
would be considered if
the rule can be repealed,
starting no later than July.
Besides mask and dis-
— had a prominent R in
the logo. Design is about
designing whatever the
customer wants. Fabrica-
tion is what they do with
the design. Powder coating
is electrostatic fi nishing
process using a powdered
acrylic-type paint applied in
a paint booth. The steel gets
a negative charge and the
paint powder gets positive
charge, which makes them
stick together. Then, they’re
baked in an oven.
“To get powder coating
he believes RDF&P may
be the only company in
Oregon that does an entire
project from start to fi nish.
As for the Imnaha River
B&B, the LaFaves plan that
as a “destination location,”
handling group events that
will book the entire place
and it will otherwise be
closed.
“I don’t want to take
business away from the
Mark Ylen/Albany Democrat-Herald via AP, File
In this Wednesday, May 27, 2020, photo, Oregon National Guard members stack boxes of face masks to be
given to Willamette Valley farmers at a distribution event at the Oregon State University Extension Ser-
vice-Linn County offi ce in Tangent. Oregon adopted a controversial rule on Tuesday, May 4, 2021, that indefi -
nitely extends coronavirus mask and social distancing requirements in all businesses in the state.
tancing requirements, the
rule — which also includes
requirements and guide-
lines regarding air fl ow,
ventilation, employee noti-
fi cation in case of an out-
break, and sanitation pro-
tocols — dovetails with
separate actions and restric-
tions by Gov. Kate Brown,
the latest being increased
county risk levels.
Oregon two weeks
ago recorded the fast-
est-growing COVID-19
infection rate in the nation,
and as a result Brown
implemented further
two couples are coming to
town, I’d rather they stay at
the hotel.”
Overall, he’s hoping his
business ventures in the
county will be seen as a
plus.
“It’ll be good for Wal-
lowa County. Like I said,
I’m going to be hiring
local,” he said. “I like
Joseph and Enterprise, the
small-town feel.”
restrictions in 15 coun-
ties, including banning
indoor dining at restau-
rants and bars and signifi -
cantly decreasing capacity
in gyms and indoor enter-
tainment spaces.
Business owners and
Republican lawmakers
criticized the restrictions.
On Tuesday, May 4,
those counties were moved
back a level, eff ective May
7, because the statewide
seven-day average increase
for hospitalized COVID-19
positive patients dropped
below 15 percent. This
means indoor dining and
other activities will be
allowed.
“With Oregonians con-
tinuing to get vaccinated
each week, my expectation
is that we will not return to
Extreme Risk again for the
duration of this pandemic,”
Brown said.
So far, about one-third
of Oregon’s population has
been fully vaccinated.
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Hospice & Pallative Care, LLC
“Affirming life......every day, every time”
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NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS
541-805-2229
neo-na.org
AA MEETINGS
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of McAlister & Gekeler Lanes.
For more info, call 541-786-1222
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at 8pm. Episcopal Church
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Drug Problem? We can
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Phone: 541-805-2229
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Meets every Tuesday Morning
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LDS Church in Island City.
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