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.
B ill of R ights
— Bill Dickey
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