vernonia’s
voice
local entrepeneurs
july/aug
2007
09
Photo Solutions Provides Local Jobs
By Scott Laird
Two years ago Brad and Rose Curtis had a decision to make. They needed to ex-
pand their home-based business, Photo Solutions and were in need of a new loca-
tion. They found a great location in North Plains but instead decided to stay and
build in Vernonia. “We took several things into consideration when making our
decision,” said Rose, the corporation’s Treasurer. “Ultimately we want to make
Vernonia a better place to live – and providing local employment weighed heavily
in our decision.”
Photo Solutions, started in 1989 in the Curtis’ garage, now occupies a 4,000
square foot building on California Avenue near the Blue Heron apartments in Ver-
nonia. It is a high tech company that employs 10 local residents, offering competi-
tive wages, convenient location, and a great work atmosphere. “I am so thankful
to work in Vernonia,” said employee Wendy West. “I can have a normal family
life this way.”
Photo Solutions offers additional benefits like a four-day work week, flex-
ible schedules, and a family atmosphere. “We work four, 10-hour days Monday
through Thursday because we know people like a three-day weekend,” said Brad.
“I never would have been able to coach JV basketball,” said David Weller who
started working at Photo Solutions three years ago right out of high school. “I am
able to leave early to coach or I can help out in the family logging business if things
are slow here. It is so convenient.”
Photo Solutions produces encoder discs for various customers in the motion
control industry. Their products are used in robotics, motion control cameras,
opthamology equipment, and ink jet and laser printers. It is very precise work with
tolerances as small as 1/1000th of an inch. “Anytime you need to automate a pro-
cess or control a motor with a computer, that’s what we provide,” said Brad.
“We don’t compete for the big jobs. Our jobs are thousands of pieces, not mil-
lions. We are competing against companies in Southeast Asia, so we have to offer
quick turnarounds to stay competitive, as opposed to the lowest price.” said Brad.
“What we offer is innovation and creativity. We custom make a lot of our equip-
ment from obsolete pieces we buy from eBay for pennies on the dollar,” he added
during a recent tour of their facility. “Almost all our vendors are here in Oregon. It
allows us to keep face-to-face contact and work closely to find creative solutions.
That’s where our name ‘Photo Solutions’ comes from. We say, “That’s a crazy
idea...we’ll try to figure out a way to do it!”
Brad graduated from Beaverton High School and worked as a freelance
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photographer for four years in
places as remote as Nepal and
India before moving to Santa
Barbara where he became in-
volved in the motion control
industry. In 1989 he and Rose
moved to Vernonia and started
Photo Solutions.
“This is not exactly a high
tech hub,” said Brad when
asked about the difficulties of
operating a business from a
small community. “We often
have to drive for supplies that
we can’t get here, although
we always try to buy local
when possible. But with Fe-
dEx service available there
is no reason not to be here.
There are so many positives,
why not do it here?”
“We look for good people
first,” said Brad about his
hiring philosophy. “We have
awesome people working for us. Everyone has to go through training anyway,
so they don’t need high tech experience. All our employees are local residents,
and we took this into consideration when we decided to stay and build here in
Vernonia. We liked our employees and didn’t want to lose any of them.”
“This is such a family atmosphere here. It’s such a better way of life,” said
employee Penny Hill about working at Photo Solutions. “I did the commute
thing before. You just don’t realize the stress everyday. You don’t have to deal
with traffic, weather, or the expense. The air is cleaner. I feel like a weight has
been taken off. I can even go home for lunch.”
Shop supervisor Kelly Busch, a 4th generation Vernonian, enjoys the conve-
nience. “I just had a baby and get help with day care from my family. It is great
to be so close. You get off work and you’re home.”
Beyond their product offerings, Photo Solutions has developed a great work-
ing environment that’s flexible and innovative to become a quality employer
with desirable job opportunities. That they are local is a terrific bonus!
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