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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (July 31, 2015)
2015 CEDR Awards Stewardship Award, Creativity in Adaptive Reuse of a Historic Building Astoria Brewing Co. Steve & Karen Allen, Dan Huber, owners The growing company needed a new location in order to enlarge its capacity. The total project took three years from start to finish. With historic preservation in mind, floor beams were used for counters. A local craftsmen restored and repurposed the old growth fir. One wall is backed by old, stained sheet metal from a Boe- ing Field hangar. The company has 12 employees, and its beer is distributed locally, in the Portland area and northwest Washington; the com- pany plans to expand beyond in the near future. Entrepreneurship, Small Company Vintage Hardware Becky Johnson, owner Job Creation Award Buoy Beer CEDR receives Excellence and Innovation Award Clatsop SBDC and Kevin Leahy honored for outstanding service to local small businesses Clatsop Community College’s Small Business Development Center and its director, Kevin Leahy, on May 5 received the “SBDC Excellence and Innovation Award” at Oregon’s premier honors event for small businesses and the organizations that support them. The ballroom at the Portland Art Museum was filled with success stories and 200 guests as the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) recognized star entrepreneurs and key business advocates. Speeches emphasized the over-sized role that small businesses play in sustaining the U.S. economy and job creation. In addition to Leahy and the Clatsop SBDC, Carol McIntyre of the Portland District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was honored for her recent work in the Columbia-Pacific area — overseeing a private contractor who finished the first phase of North Jetty restoration nearly a year ahead of schedule. Johnson’s first entrepreneurial venture was in the Sellwood area of Portland, and two of her clients were Senator Mark Hatfield and Royal and Sarah Nebeker. She has a double degree in legal studies and public relations. She entered the Clatsop Community College SBDC Small Busi- ness Management Program in 2012, and enrolled again in 2013. She learned systems, processes and the critical importance of financial planning and reports. In May 2014, she and business partner Paul Tuter moved her busi- ness to the original home of Englund Marine Supply on the waterfront in Astoria, and her sales have increased by more than 30 percent. She entered the Portland marketplace recently at the Grand Market- place, and her goal is to entice people to rediscover Astoria and Clatsop County. Business Service to the Community Denise Fairweather Fairweather Home & Garden Buoy Beer has been in existence for just over a year, but the company has con- tributed a significant number of jobs to the area. A majority of jobs created have gone to local residents, with the great majority of positions above minimum wage, which translates to local dollars being spent at vari- ous local businesses in the community. This employer is also working towards full benefits for all its more than 50 em- ployees, and has quickly become a sought after place to work due to the family envi- ronment and culture, and other benefits of working there. As this business was being created, approximately 22 local vendors/contractors were used, creating numerous jobs for Clatsop County. During construction, more than $1 million was spent on local contactors alone. In 2014, this business produced 975 barrels of beer and is on track to eclipse 3,000 barrels in 2015, with the majority being distributed outside of Clatsop County. That is called Traded Sector, a very important contributor to economic growth in our county. Kevin Leahy Executive Director of CEDR, Clatsop Economic Development Resources and the Clatsop Community College Small Business Development Center SBDC success Leahy’s award recognizes the local SBDC for providing “exceptional value to small businesses, and advancing program delivery and manage- ment through innovation.” In addition to the statewide award, Clatsop’s SBDC also took home the Center of Excellence and Innovation Award for SBA’s Region X, which includes Oregon, Washington, Alaska and Idaho. The SBA selects SBDC Excellence and Innovation Award-winners at the state and national lev- els. A panel of judges comprised of both SBA employees and non-federal individuals selects the winners. Attending the awards ceremony to show their support for Leahy were CEDR board President Skip Hauke, Executive Committee Member and CCC President Dr. Lawrence Galizio, advisory member Dennie Houle, Dick Powell and Penny Rodgers from the SBDC office in Seaside, Coast River Business Journal publisher Matt Winters, and Leahy family members. “It was a tremendous honor for a center of our size to be recognized with the Regional Award,” Leahy said. “It shows the acknowledgment of the caliber of our center’s remarkable staff, and it’s wonderful to be able to bring the award back to Clatsop County.” “Kevin has been an inspiration to his community, small businesses and the Oregon Small Business Development Center Network,” said Oregon SBDC Network Director Mark Gregory. “His commitment to excellence and a high performing Center are being celebrated through this award.” Fairweather works to promote the arts in her community. She has an an- chor business in the historic Gilbert District and brings customers and visitors to this section of town. For more than a year, she has promoted First Saturday Art Walk in Seaside. The emphasis has been to allow artists and interior designers to show their work and encourage others to join in. In addition to First Saturday Art Walk, she also brings in outside participants to further promote art in Seaside. Virtually alone, but with the support of her prized artists, she has made the First Saturday Art Walk a major presence in the Seaside Community. Leading revitalization Over the past three decades, the Clatsop Community College SBDC has helped our region survive severe economic downturns due to timber and fishery harvest limitations. Many of the CCC SBDC’s successful clientele comprise a “who’s who” in the revitalization efforts underway throughout Clatsop County, including Fort George Brewery, Skipanon Brand Seafood and High Life Adventures. These com- panies and hundreds more have benefited from the counsel and expertise of the center’s business advisors. All have enduring ties to the community they serve. In recent years, Clatsop has emerged as a top performer among Oregon’s 19 SBDCs. In addition to its stellar core services, the CCC SBDC has successfully launched a Virtual Incubation Program in partnership with the Oregon Technology Business Center. This inno- vative program has helped enhance efforts to diversify the local economy with targeted services for early-stage technology endeavors. Outstanding Customer Service Award Main Street Market Mike and Tami Aho, owners This Warrenton company has been in business 25 years and prides itself on cus- tomer service. The owners have always been very engaged in the business, employing many local residents. They understand the importance of teamwork and how important each and every employee is to the success of the business. Most have worked for them more than five years and some for more than 20. The store also carries goods that cater to local residents and supports Made in Oregon suppliers and products. The owners give back to the community, and the store remains profitable year after year in a highly competitive industry. Leahy helps hometown Leahy’s devotion to the clients and communities his center serves is more than remarkable — it’s in his blood. A fourth-generation Clatsop County resident, Leahy attended CCC, where he served as freshman class president. He graduated from Oregon State Uni- versity with a degree in business administration. Leahy went on to serve as vice president of merchandising for May Company (Macy’s), following in the retail footsteps of his grandfather, who owned Astoria Hardware for many years in downtown Astoria. Shortly after his appointment as director of the CCC SBDC in July 2011, Leahy gained additional responsibility when he was named executive director of Clatsop Economic Develop- ment Resources (CEDR). Kevin is co-president of the 2015 Astoria Regatta Festival, an officer of the William J. Leahy (named after Kevin’s father) Knights of Columbus Council at St. Mary’s, Star of the Sea Parish in Astoria, and is president-elect for the Seaside Rotary Club for 2016. Kevin has been married to his wife, Karen, for 33 years, with three adult children: Meaghan, Sean and Kelley. He con- siders his family his greatest accomplishment. Economic Impact Award Warrenton Fiber-Nygaard Logging Martin Nygaard, David Nygaard and John Nygaard, owners Warrenton Fiber-Nygaard Logging has been in business for four generations, starting in 1929. Its founder arrived from Norway and started a log rafting business on the Nehalem River near Wheeler. His son started a local company that has grown to more than 125 employees and is well established in the local community. Key elements include a log sorting and storage yard, deep-water and barge cargo docks, chipping facility and other operations that include timber harvesting, rock crushing, road building, land development and wetland mitigation. Warrenton Fiber-Nygaard Logging adheres to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. This company also believes in giving back. In just the past five years, they have donated more than $250,000 to local charities and organizations in Clatsop County. CEDR Community Partnership Award Columbia Memorial Hospital, Astoria School District, City of Astoria, Recology Western Oregon Over the years, CMH had looked toward expansion and explored alternative sites. The location of John Warren Field stood out above all others. It allows a campus for CMH that will more than double in size. CMH is the second largest employer in Clatsop County. The expansion of the hospital in the future will allow CMH to move forward with a much needed expansion in the future. Enter the partnership with a site that has been sitting dormant for 20 years: the Astoria Landfill property. The four partners sprang into action. CMH invested more than $7 million to build a new athletic complex for the Asto- ria School District. Much of that investment stayed in the community, creating a rip- ple effect for local contractors, businesses and their employees. Entrepreneurship-Large Business Englund Marine & Industrial Supply Over the past five years, this company has grown by 50 percent, with retail sales increasing 36 percent and wholesale more than 80 percent. Some of the company’s major achievements over the past five years include ef- forts to become more digitized and launching a new website. This is also a family-owned business, now in its third generation. The average employee's wage is approximately $45,000-$55,000, with a profit- sharing plan that rewards employees for the performance of the company. The current employee count is around 120, with Clatsop County accounting for roughly half of that. There are a total of 11 locations throughout the Western United States .
