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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (July 5, 2002)
My 5. 2002 rTTUrPTn^lnews otential entrepreneurs could learn a prove he hasn’t slowed down. BDC Printing lot from Bill Dickey. The gay Port Solutions is actually more of a brokerage firm in which he and his employees determine their land businessman has been at the top of the game, and he has watched the customers’ needs, then go out and find the com Politically active businessman expands his empire by Tom Stevenson panies to do the actual printing. bottom fall out. He has been praised, Those needs include everything from hun just as he has been criticized. And he always manages to get back up, brush himself dreds of business cards to thousands of forms to millions of labels. Many of off and find another business project Dickey’s clients also use him to han to tackle. dle direct mailing and other services, Dickey was a key figure in the and BD C can help find folks to han Portland restaurant and bar scene dle writing and design if necessary. during the 1980s and '90s, bringing “We don’t have the presses,” he the city popular establishments such says. “Printing brokers focus on one as the Dakota Club and the Caribou facet of the business. People like myself Club. He sold his last bar Jan. 1, are general practitioners. I am a sales 1995, and went into a self-imposed man. That’s what I do best.” exile of sorts, but the man certainly Ironically, Dickey credits one of his didn’t drift away. He went to work contacts from his days in the bar scene for a printing company and then in with giving him his big break in the 1998 decided to go back to work for printing industry. A Portland beer himself again, opening BD C Printing manufacturer gave him “hundreds of Solutions. thousands of dollars” to help produce Since that time, the entrepreneur labels. ial bug has taken over again, and he “They didn’t just give it to me has expanded. This year he and two because they knew me,” he says. “I had partners also opened Big Deal Cre to really work to get the job. But it was ative Marketing, which focuses on the break I needed.” specialty promotional products but Dickey’s business also has benefited offers other services as well. from the many contacts he has made* As if that were not enough, draw through the political arena. “We do a ing on his experience from the days lot of work for campaigns," he says, when he was in the bar scene, Dick noting he is “swamped” with orders ey also operates Bartender Direct Bill Dickey helps Basic Rights Oregon raise money during the Oregonians Against Discrimination Luncheon during the election season. Com pany (yep, another B D C Through his printing business, acronym), which offers alcoholic Dickey found out about advertising promotion Dickey did two things early on that he says juggle all of the pieces of his life with the realities beverage management services to large events al products such as coffee mugs, pens, T-shirts that accompany owning restaurants and bars. had a major effect on his business life. First, such as the Taste of Beaverton. “ I don’t think and thousands of other items. He eventually “ I got caught up in the bar world,” he says. he made the decision that he would be anyone in Oregon pours more beer than we purchased a distributorship but soon found him “ It ruled my life even involved in civic activities. do,” he says. though I didn’t want it to. It self overwhelmed. How does someone like Dickey go from the He served on committees, //if / • ti) hp ** yOU TO yOlHy 10 06 was a nightmare to try and As it turned out, however, Dickey was about restaurant and bar scene to the printing indus boards and panels galore— to get a big break. Another company that try? It wasn’t necessarily easy, nor was it a spe and not just in the queer SUCCBSSwl Ot DUSiflBSS YOU mana8e everything and also t was ir o c c stay t involved in the offered similar products was going out of busi community. He « • . » j cific plan: He just did what he had to do. ness, allowing him to latch onto some of its community.” involved in downtown busi- HOVB TO uB IflVOlVBu “It’s about successes and failures,” he says. employees and gain partners Jon Poteet and Jay After Dickey made the “I’ve just kept trying to save myself from the fail ness and Pioneer C ourt in the community" Howard in the process. move from bars and restau- ures and not feel defeated by them. Early on I house Square groups. He This led to the formation of Big Deal C re became active in gay organi think I did myself a big disservice getting too rants to printing, he simply ative, which Dickey says has been “going great withdrew somewhat and zations such as Basic Rights well known. I put myself on the line and didn’t Oregon. He also is heavily involved in Demo caught his breath. In his mind, his attitude real guns” every since. It offers a plethora of services want to fail, so 1 just kept doing new things...I including copy writing, logo creation and mar ly didn’t change, but the methods he would use cratic political circles. And that is just a small kept trying.” keting plans and works with both huge corpo to accomplish his personal goals would. fraction of the activities. Dickey moved to Portland in the early 1980s rations and small “mom and pop” businesses. “The second time around I wanted to be low- The other thing Dickey did from the begin and went to work as a bartender. In 1986 he “We are always evolving,” Lashua says. “We ning was to be open and honest about his sexu key,” says Dickey, who is single but still works opened the first establishment, the Dakota are looking for ways to grow and expand. I think ality. Matthew Lashua, one of the employees at every day with his former partner. “I didn’t want Club, on his own. we’ve made a big impact in a short period of Big Deal Creative Marketing, says it was impor to make myself a target. But I still wanted to be “Between 1987 and 19891 think we were the time.” tant for people- to realize none of his bars or successful enough that 1 could generously give busiest bar in Portland,” he says. “It was crazy.” Always evolving: That easily could be Bill back to the community. If you’re going to be restaurants were solely gay venues. “He was suc The Dakota Club, which was located on the Dickey’s personal motto. J H cessful running straight establishments successful at business you have to be involved in comer of Southwest Broadway and Oak Street, the community. You have to plow back time, [although they were all gay-friendly], and I think became Hamburger Mary’s after Dickey sold it. T om S tevenson is a Portland free-lance writer energy and money." that says a lot about him.” He later would open the North Dakota, M ax’s and a Portland State University student. Dickey’s latest business endeavors certainly Still, Dickey found himself exhausted trying to and the Caribou Club. 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