2016
CEDR
Awards
Ten businesses were honored during the fourth
annual Outstanding Businesses awards, presented by
Clatsop Economic Development Resources.
Kevin Leahy, executive director of CEDR and the
Small Business Development Center, announced the
winners at the March 16 event. Businesses were
chosen from a pool of nominees put forward by other
businesses. The 2016 event had the most nominations
ever, Leahy said, with more than 40.
“You could feel the excitement in the room,
everybody speaks from the heart, that’s the key to this
whole thing. To me it’s the best day of my day job in
the whole year is to be awarding these,” Leahy said.
2016 Award winners:
Entrepreneurship — Small Business:
La Luna Loca
Customer Service — Small Business:
Frite & Scoop
Business Service to the Community — Small Business:
Bruce’s Candy Kitchen
Technology/Manufacturing Advancement:
Airport Crabpot Company
Entrepreneurship — Medium Business:
Street 14 Café
Customer Service — Large Business:
The Ocean Lodge in Cannon Beach
Business Service to the Community — Large Business:
Astoria-Warrenton KOA
Entrepreneurship — Large Business:
Hampton Lumber Mill
Job Creation:
P&L Johnson Mechanical Inc.
Economic Impact:
Bornstein Seafoods
Co-founder of CEDR, Skip Hauke
CEDR FOUNDER HONORED
Before the awards were handed out to business owners, a
surprise award was given to Skip Hauke, co-founder of CEDR
and a previous CEDR president, honoring his service to CEDR
and Clatsop County as a whole.
A representative of Gov. Kate Brown read a statement from
the governor congratulating Hauke on his years of service and
wishing him well.
State Sen. Betsy Johnson was at the event, and read her
own praise of Hauke, hailing Hauke’s efforts in starting CEDR
to include both private and public sector representatives in the
group. That model has been adopted statewide, she said.
“Early on, Skip saw the need for a combined countywide
economic development effort. At that point in time ... there
were 20 independent economic development organizations
accomplishing not a whole lot,” Johnson said.
To remedy that, Hauke garnered funds from Clatsop
County and partnered with the community college to start
CEDR, she said.
Upon accepting the award, Hauke pointed out its
importance in identifying the accomplishments of CEDR as a
whole.
“I think the best thing about it is it recognizes CEDR and
what CEDR has accomplished, and we have ... become a
model for the state... and our numbers prove that we’re doing
the right thing,” he said.
AWARD WINNERS
The first award of the night, for Entrepreneurship in a small
business, went to La Luna Loca.
“This award is also a representation of the people behind
our success, the people that work with me and the people that
spend their hard-earned dollars in our store for things that may
not be the cheapest, but are made the best way possible,”
owner Kathy Kleczek said.
Following Kleczek, the award for Outstanding Customer
Service for a small business was given to Kevin and Lisa
Malcom, owners of ice cream and french fry shop Frite &
Scoop.
Kelly Truax, owner of Bruce’s Candy Kitchen, took the
award for Business Service to the Community for a small
business. The more than 50-year-old Cannon Beach and
Seaside staple was granted the award for its efforts in the
community, including donating candy for events like Easter
egg hunts.
“We just give because we can, and it’s a blessing that we’re
able to do that,” Truax said.
Owners of Airport Crabpot Company, Vern and Lisa
Lamping, accepted the award for Technological and Manufac-
turing advancement. The Lampings’ use a patented method to
weave the crab pots, and saw a jump in orders from 50 a year
to more than 800 from Costco and other businesses. That jump
in demand led them to develop a new, more efficient method
for protecting the pots from corrosion that allowed more
equipment to be shipped.
The award for Entrepreneurship in a medium business went
to Micha and Jennifer Cameron-Lattek, owners of Street 14
Café in Astoria. The business has expanded both in space and
offerings, growing to include a neighboring storefront and
adding lunch and dinner offerings to its menu.
General manager Wendy Higgins accepted the award for
Outstanding Customer Service in a large business on behalf of
The Ocean Lodge in Cannon Beach. Higgins described
working with her staff to foster an endeavor to go beyond
expectations for customer service.
“One of my goals is, when we have employees, that when
they leave us, they leave better than they came to us,” Higgins
said.
The Astoria-Warrenton KOA was awarded the Business
Service to the Community for a large business, in part thanks
to the site’s keeping its pool open for seniors through the
winter months and the community events it hosts throughout
the year. Dale Brechlin, manager of the Astoria-Warrenton site,
commented on the community focus he finds important. That
focus includes offering free camping or lodging to local Scout
groups, he said.
Cliff Tuttle, manager of the Warrenton Hampton Lumber
Mill, accepted the award for Entrepreneurship in a large
business on behalf of the mill. The business employees nearly
150 full-time employees, and has a focus on keeping their
workers involved in the community, Tuttle said.
P&L Johnson Mechanical won the award for Job Creation
— during 2015 the company saw a 20 percent increase in
number of employees. Paul Radu accepted the award and,
during his speech, emphasized the company’s dedication to
educating its employees. That dedication helps to attract
workers to the area, Radu said.
The final award of the night, Economic Impact, went to
Bornstein Seafoods. The seafood business has an estimated
local impact of at least $105 million, Leahy said. Andrew
Bornstein accepted the award for the business.
“The fish industry is about peaks and valleys and we’re in it
for the long haul,” Bornstein said. “We’re growing and we
love being a part of this community, and we love to try to find
ways to do it in a different way.”
Continued on page 16
Who’s Who 2016: The North Coast’s Business Guide • 15