BUSINESS
4A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2015
New events coordinator
at Chamber of Commerce
EDWARD STRATTON — The Daily Astorian
Aza Cody runs Pet Companion, traveling from Sea-
side to service the area’s pet owners.
Making
the
Dollar
INTERVIEWS WITH LOCAL BUSINESSES
BY EDWARD STRATTON
Aza Cody, owner
Pet Companion
Seaside
503-453-2577 or
companioncompany@gmail.com
Aza Cody wants to help your pets. She’s a licensed
and insured pet’s companion, walking, feeding, sitting
and otherwise caring for the animals of locals and visi-
tors since moving to Seaside two years ago from Nevada,
where she provided similar services. She operates by ap-
pointment from Astoria to Manzanita.
What do you do?
“I offer a number of different services involving the
care and feeding of dogs and cats to residents and to vis-
itors. It starts off as simply as dog-walking, exercise and
poop patrol. And it becomes as complicated as develop-
ing diets for animals who can be assisted by change of
diet for some sort of health-related issue. I also do in-fa-
cility sitting, for tourists and so on, in hotels and motels
and other properties. And I do also longer-term pet-sitting
for vacationers and residents.”
How did you get started in this business?
“When I came to Seaside two years ago, I wanted to
involve myself in all aspects of food — food security,
my art is working with animals, I wanted to be able to
include that in some of the things that are going on. I
recognized that there was also a need for the residents
who in the summertime sometimes have two jobs and
cannot always take their babies out for a few minutes,
to have somebody that was reliable and responsible and
a member of the community to assist them in a way that
worked within their budget. And then of course tourists,
almost all of the hotels and motels will not allow animals
in the rooms unattended, unless they’re crated. This real-
ly allows for a custom sitting job, because I take care of
the animals where they feel comfortable, which is in the
room with all their stuff.”
Who is your regular clientele?
“I would say it’s split fairly evenly (between locals
and tourists) right at the moment, because I get a lot of
tourists at the hotels in Cannon Beach, as well. I have
a big area; I do from Astoria to Manzanita. Most of my
dog-walking is in Seaside, because it’s easy, and I do give
discounts for Seaside residents, because it’s here and it’s
easy for me to do that. But the pet-sitting … and so on is
spread all through a 40-mile radius.”
What are some of the quirks of running your busi-
ness?
“I think that there are a lot of people that want to help
in this area. But in order to be a professional, as far as
taking care of somebody’s pet, it’s like taking care of
somebody’s child. You need to be organized; you need to
be legitimate; you need to be a public face, so that people
recognize who you are, because you’re going into peo-
ple’s homes and you’re taking their animals out. For my
business, that’s why I decided to become licensed and
insured. I do a lot of care and caution. I ask my clients
what type of socialization these animals are used to, if
they’re comfortable walking, and peculiarities that I need
to know about so I can be ready. And also, I like to meet
them if possible before we make a decision that we’re a
good mix.”
Kelsey Balensifer joined
the Astoria-Warrenton Area
Chamber of Commerce Dec.
8 as its new events coordina-
tor. She replaces Alana Kuja-
la, who recently became the
new volunteer coordinator at
Providence Seaside Hospital.
Balensifer said Kujala
reached out to her, after which
she applied, was interviewed
by the entire chamber staff
and hired Dec. 5. Balensifer
is married to Warrenton City
Commissioner Henry Balen-
sifer. Her predecessor Kujala
is married to Skipanon Brand
Seafoods co-owner, former
Warrenton City Commis-
sioner and current Warrenton
Mayor Mark Kujala.
Before moving to Warren-
ton in May, Kelsey Balensifer
lived in Washington, D.C.,
working as a reporter and ed-
itor at various publications,
including Red Alert Politics,
The Washington Examin-
er and Street Sense. Before
Washington, she interned at
Presbyterian Homes & Ser-
vices in Roseville, Minn., and
-
cations in Minneapolis. She
graduated magna cum laude
with a degree in journalism
from Biola University in La
Mirada, Calif., and chosen in
-
ism Student of the Year.
“This has been a big
change,” she said of the cross
country move. “But it’s been a
good change.”
Most of her time now, she
said, is spent preparing for
the chamber’s annual meeting
and awards banquet, at which
the George and Richard Ford
awards for community service
in Astoria and Warrenton, re-
EDWARD STRATTON — The Daily Astorian
Kelsey Balensifer recently started as the new events coordinator at the Astoria-Warren-
ton Chamber of Commerce.
spectively, will be announced.
Registration for vendors at
the Crab, Seafood and Wine
Festival starting April 24
ended Dec. 31, she said, and
now it’s panic mode for ven-
dors who missed the deadline
and are still trying to get in.
Also coming this summer is
the 30th anniversary of “The
Goonies,” which she said the
Chamber is going all out for.
“While Kelsey does not
have years of event experi-
ence, we strongly feel that
she has the necessary skills,
desire, talent and commitment
to make this transition very
quickly,” wrote Chamber Ex-
ecutive Director Skip Hauke
in his report late last month
about the change in personnel.
Balensifer works at at the
-
rine Drive in Astoria.
Kujala to Providence
Alana Kujala, also mar-
keting director for her fami-
ly’s business Skipanon Brand
Seafoods, started as events
coordinator at the chamber in
August 2010. Like her replace-
ment, she has a background
in journalism, graduating in
2002 from Miami Universi-
journalism degree. She was a
2010, and at northern Nevada
2005 to 2006.
“As the event coordina-
tor for the Astoria-Warren-
ton Chamber, Alana had no
equal,” said Hauke. “Every
event she was responsible
for seems to be ‘new and im-
proved’ on every level.”
Kujala, already working at
Providence, has remained part
time at the chamber, helping
train Balensifer and ensure
the success of the annual ban-
quet Saturday. There, Kujala
‘Intro to Facebook for
Business’ classes set
Clatsop Economic Develop-
ment Resources (CEDR) holds
two workshops at Clatsop Com-
munity College Jan. 20, “Intro to
Facebook for Business,” teaching
business owners how to use social
media to their advantage.
Learn how to create a Face-
book account, set sharing pref-
erences and add friends to your
network. Create a business page
that is entirely separate from your
personal presence. Learn what it
means for customers to “like” a
page and how to engage them.
The instructor is Jane Francis
of Personal Computer Training.
from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Jan. 20 in
CCC South County Campus’ com-
puter lab, located at 1455 N. Roos-
evelt Drive in Seaside. The second
takes place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 20 in Towler Hall Room 105
on CCC’s main campus, 1651
Lexington Ave. in Astoria.
Preregistration is required for
the workshop, and space is limited.
Email SBDC@clatsopcc.edu for a
registration link, or call 503-338-
2402. Each workshop costs $15,
payable at class by check or credit
card. The classes are funded in part
by a cooperative agreement with
the U.S. Small Business Adminis-
tration.
CEDR seeks new members
Clatsop Economic Develop-
ment Resources’ (CEDR’s) sole
purpose is economic development
in Clatsop County, with a mission
of delivering business-driven eco-
nomic development services to
create, grow and retain Clatsop
County businesses, with a focus
on retention and growth of existing
businesses.
Clatsop Community College’s
Small Business Development
Center (SBDC) have:
• Served more than 270 busi-
ness clients over the past year and
-
dential business advising.
• Contributed to more than 67
new and retained jobs, 11 new
business starts, more than $1.4
with local businesses.
• Held 77 workforce training
workshops with more than 780
attendees.
and SBDC Small Business Man-
agement program, serving 29 busi-
nesses in the program that has been
part of CCC since 1979.
New efforts
CEDR is in the midst of a
membership campaign and con-
tinues to focus on the free and
business community; workforce
training; and business develop-
ment and retention. It focuses on
the key employment sectors in
Clatsop County of hospitality;
tourism; retail trade; health care;
forestry and wood products; ma-
-
facturing; entrepreneurs; historic
preservation; and arts and culture
clusters.
Membership levels start at
$50 for an individual and $100
for a business. This membership
investment in CEDR goes di-
rectly to fund the free and con-
business in Clatsop County and
helps to build a stronger econ-
omy, one business at a time. It
the many training workshops and
workforce development projects
CEDR is involved with on an on-
going basis.
Contact Executive Direc-
tor Kevin Leahy at kleahy@
clatsopcc.edu or 503-338-2342
for a membership application,
-
formation. Visit www.clatsoped.
com to learn more about CEDR
and the SBDC.
Clatsop County
Property Transactions
Seller: Fred Meyer Stores
Inc.
Buyer: Kroger Manage-
ment — NMTC Warrenton I,
LLC
Address: 695 U.S. High-
way 101, Warrenton
Price: $29.37 million
Seller: Westlake Ranch, LLC
Buyer: Westlake Acres, LLC
Address: Vacant Land,
Reed Ranch, Warrenton
Price: $900,000
years as Coldwell Banker Ever-
green Realty in Tillamook, the bro-
kerage is relocating to the Bayside
Gardens between Nehalem and
Manzanita and rebranding itself as
Coast Real Estate Professionals.
“The old, canned, cookie-cutter
marketing methods of major fran-
chises don’t take into consideration
Margaret Page
needs,” said Margaret Page, prin-
cipal broker of Coast Real Estate
Professionals. Page, who has been
a broker in Tillamook County for
25 years believes that those needs
are best met by real estate brokers
who have acute knowledge of the
rights, and in having a deep net-
work of professionals for every Adam Schwend
need a buyer or seller may have.
To be more accessible to clients, she’s formed a real
estate team with Tillamook County native and fellow bro-
ker, Adam Schwend.
“The concept of a real estate team is the best possible set-
of us is always accessible, one of us can take a day off know-
ing that our clients have access to us seven days a week. Mar-
garet and I work together for every single one of our clients.”
Coast Real Estate Professionals is located at 36505 N.
U.S. Highway 101 in between Nehalem and Manzanita.
Page has been a broker in Tillamook County since
she began in real estate 25 years ago. She has served in
numerous positions in the Tillamook Board of Realtors
with her career in real estate, she is also a singer and ac-
tress, performing with the Coaster Theater, Tillamook As-
sociation for the Performing Arts and the Cannon Beach
Chorus, among others.
Schwend has been a private real estate investor for
several years. Along with a career in business, he is also
a professional baritone, voice teacher and choral conduc-
tor. He conducts several ensembles in the area and also
regularly travels to perform. In the community, Adam
serves as a member of the Tillamook Planning Com-
mission, the Tillamook Urban Renewal Agency Budget
Committee and the Tillamook County Board of Property
Tax Appeals. He is also a member of the Rotary Club of
Tillamook and is president of the Monday Musical Club
of Tillamook.
Sellers: John C. Navrock
and Laura A. Navrock
Buyer: Karen Y. Tye
Address: 1479 S. Hem-
lock St., Cannon Beach
Price: $433,000
Sellers: Christine L. Ham-
mond and Sylvia A. Zelnys
Buyer: Donn C. Bauske
Address: 810 Broadway,
Seaside
Price: $400,000
Seller: Keith Karanen
Buyer: Ingrid Klaaborg
Address: Vacant Land on
U.S. Highway 26, Seaside
Price: $335,000
Seller: North Coast Clas-
sic Homes Inc.
Buyers: Roger Ray Jaime
and Candace M. Jaime
Address: 1650 Westwind
Circle, Hammond
Price: $259,900