Page 8A
BUSINESS
East Oregonian
Sign of the times,
LED replacing neon
By WILL DENNER
East Oregonian
Perched above Pendleton
near where Highway 11
meets Court Avenue, Hal’s
Hamburgers has drawn
people in for a half century in
part because of its neon sign.
A local landmark, the sign
has stood in front of Hal’s
since it was built in 1952,
catching the eyes of passersby,
especially during the winter
months when nights are
darkest, owner Cindy Spiess
said.
But over time the sign
became more of a hassle than
help, costing the restaurant
money for repairs nearly
every month.
“It was just becoming too
costly for us to repair over and
over,” Spiess said.
Spiess sought the help of
YESCO, a national sign instal-
lation and repair company,
for a long overdue upgrade.
YESCO replicated the sign’s
design using bendable light
emitting diodes — better
known as LED — tubes on
the cursive “Hal’s” and all
caps “Hamburgers” lettering.
The new-look LED has been
up since early August.
Though neon signs still
mark downtown Pendleton
businesses, such as Rainbow
Cafe, Prodigal Son Brewery,
Hamley’s
and
soon-to-
be-open
Oregon
Grain
Growers, places such as Hal’s
Hamburgers are altering that
traditional aesthetic. Business
owners and lighting experts
are split on whether LED
successfully replicates neon,
but most agree that LED
requires less expertise to
install and maintain.
In the early 1990s,
Japanese engineers Isamu
Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and
Shuji Nakamura successfully
created blue LEDs. Along
with red and green diodes,
their creation paved the way
for white and brighter LED
lights.
“The biggest problem
we’ve had with LEDs is
that they’re too bright,” said
Jeff Young, YESCO’s chief
marketing oficer. “The great
thing is that you can dim them.
You can’t do that with neon.”
Young has also seen an
increasing number of busi-
nesses opt for LED screens,
which give them the freedom
to engage customers with
customizable messages.
Contrary to popular belief,
neon and LED actually
consume similar amounts of
energy. Neon transformers run
on high voltage, meaning they
use fewer amps to do the same
amount of work, according to
Young.
For the older signs such as
Hal’s, however, neon wiring
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
The old neon sign at Hal’s Hamburgers in Pendleton was replaced by a new LED
sign at the beginning of August.
remembers seeing pictures of
1940s downtown Pendleton
draped in neon that reminded
him of the Las Vegas strip.
Since Prodigal Son is a
few blocks from Main Street,
Guenther said he wants
people to know there’s more
businesses down the street.
The sign has helped accom-
plish that goal.
“We ask on comment
cards, ‘how did you hear
about us?’” Guenther said.
“Tons of people say, ‘saw the
sign.’”
Miltenberger
believes
neon signs offer a “traditional
look that’s hard to come
by.” He said LED signs
lack the sharpness of neon,
particularly the lettering. Still,
Miltenberger, who estimates
he’s sold $90,000 worth of
LED signs in the last four
years, thinks the industry is
trending towards the newer
technology.
“(LED) is a good light —
don’t get me wrong — and it
will have its run,” he said.
letter, the part informing
customers that employees
at Milton-Freewater and
Pendleton branches would
be honored to assist Athena
customers. Hansell read the
next line aloud, deadpan.
“I hope you will come in
and meet our friendly staff at
one of these locations just up
the street from you,” Hansell
intoned,
increasing
his
volume on the last six words
of the sentence.
The room exploded in a
group guffaw at the notion
that a 24-mile round trip is
just up the street.
Hansell said he had
called the division manager
in Bend to get details about
the closure. The branch isn’t
losing money, Hansell said he
was told, but has low potential
growth and isn’t meeting
inancial goals. He said the
branch is the only one in
Oregon on the chopping block
and that there was no attempt
by U.S. Bank to market the
branch to another bank.
U.S. Bank wouldn’t
conirm or deny any of that
on the record. Spokeswoman
Jennifer Fredrick gave only
a general reason for closing
branches.
“We review our branch
locations on a regular basis
to make sure we are meeting
the needs of customers in the
BRIEFLY
Old West
proposes merger
Old West Federal
Credit Union could add
a signiicant number of
members and branches
through a merger with
Union Wallowa Baker
Federal Credit Union.
Union Wallowa Baker
Board President Carol Kroll
said the La Grande-based
bank sought a merger with
Old West because it would
keep ownership local.
“Being able to offer
the products and services
that members want while
maintaining a local,
personalized presence is
an expensive proposition
for any credit union and
combining our assets with
Old West will help ensure
that a local, accountable
cooperative is here to serve
our members,” Kroll said in
a statement.
The merger could be
inalized by the end of the
year pending regulatory
and member approval.
The combined credit
union would have assets
of more than $160 million
and serve members in eight
Eastern Oregon counties.
Old West is headquar-
tered in John Day and has
branches in Pendleton,
Hermiston, Baker City and
Prairie City.
Heppner luncheon
provides update
HEPPNER — An all
entities report is planned
during the upcoming
Heppner Chamber of
Commerce meeting.
The no-host luncheon is
Thursday, Sept. 1 at noon at
Heppner City Hall, 111 N.
Main St. Bucknum’s will
provide chicken fajita salad,
breadsticks and dessert.
The cost is $10.
To ensure there’s
enough food, those
planning to attend are asked
to RSVP by Tuesday, Aug.
30. For more information
or to make a reservation,
contact heppnerchamber@
centurytel.net or 541-676-
5536.
Business luncheon
focuses on civilian
response
HERMISTON — A pair
of upcoming events will
provide the public with
information about safety
and law enforcement.
The Hermiston
Chamber of Commerce
B2B Luncheon will feature
a program on Civilian
Active Shooter Response
Overview and Community
Policing. The event is
Tuesday at 11:45 a.m. at
the Hermiston Conference
Center, 415 S. Highway
395. The meal, provided
by Simply Catering, is $10
for members and $13 for
non-members.
In addition, Coffee with
Terry Rowan is Thursday
at 8:30 a.m. at the
conference center. There
is no charge. People are
welcome to sit down for a
cup of joe and talk with the
Umatilla County sheriff.
For more information or
to RSVP for the luncheon,
contact 541-567-6151 or
kelly@hermistonchamber.
com.
Tax on feminine
hygiene products
repealed in Illinois
SPRINGFIELD, Ill.
(AP) — Illinois Gov. Bruce
Rauner has signed a law
eliminating sales taxes on
feminine hygiene products.
The Republican signed
the law Friday repealing
so-called “pink taxes” on
items such as tampons
and menstrual pads. The
change takes effect Jan. 1.
The Brennan Center
for Justice says Illinois
is the third state this year
to eliminate the taxes
after New York and
Connecticut. California’s
State Assembly is close
to sending a plan to the
governor, and 11 other
states proposed legislation
this year.
Illinois oficials did not
respond when asked how
much it will cost in annual
revenue.
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
The sign at Prodigal Son Brewery uses traditional neon
gas for illumination.
systems are susceptible to
frequent breakdowns. Spiess
said they have wanted to
replace the sign for years, but
held off because they couldn’t
ind a company that was able
to bend LED tubes and it the
letters.
“Technology inally caught
up with us,” she said.
The project cost $14,000,
Spiess said, though Hal’s
wasn’t eligible for grant
money because it is located
outside of Pendleton’s down-
town district. When Spiess
drives by the restaurant now,
she said the sign appears
brighter than it did before the
renovation.
With the correct setup
and upkeep, however, neon
signs remain the preferred
choice for many businesses
interested in a classic look. Ed
Miltenberger, owner of Pend-
leton-based SignMen, said
he’s serviced the Rainbow
Cafe sign, located at 209 S.
Main St., less than 10 times in
his 37 years of work and has
yet to repair the Prodigal Son
sign at 230 S.E. Court Ave.
since installing it in 2010.
Prodigal Son owner Tim
Guenther said they didn’t
consider many other sign
options besides neon. He
BANK: 24-mile round trip to cash a check
Continued from 1A
Saturday, August 20, 2016
“If you’re abandoning my community, my
account isn’t going to stay with U.S. Bank.”
APR for
%
0 60 mos.
on 9 different 2016 models
2016 RAV4
2016 Prius L/B
also includes
2016 Camry Hybrid, 2016 Prius V
2016 Avalon, 2016 Avalon Hybrid,
2016 Sienna
2016 Camry
— Sen. Bill Hansell, Athena resident
2016 Corolla
communities we serve,” Fred-
rick wrote in an email to the
East Oregonian. “Customer
preferences
and
trafic
patterns change, and we
prepare for those changes by
adding, relocating or consoli-
dating locations to maximize
reach and convenience.”
At the town hall, Hansell’s
legislative director Brandon
Persinger explained a possible
avenue of appeal. The regu-
latory agency that oversees
national banks — the federal
Ofice of the Comptroller of
the Currency — cannot stop a
bank closure, but it may help
communities ind alternative
services.
“We have an option
to appeal this to them,”
Persinger said. “The appeal
process allows members of
the community to voice their
concerns about what will
happen to the community if
the bank leaves — in this case
the only bank in town.”
Persinger said the OCC
insures fair and equal access
to inancial services outlined
in the Community Reinvest-
ment Act.
Mayor Shafer will write
the oficial letter to OCC,
buoyed by additional letters
from community members.
Their concern comes in
many forms. Some worry that
the bank’s decision follows on
the heels of the shuttering of
the PGG hardware store — an
empty
9,000-square-foot
storefront located kitty-corner
from the bank — and could
trigger a domino effect.
Others simply don’t like
traveling so far.
“It’s so nice to be able to
walk in and get my check
cashed instead of driving to
Milton-Freewater or Pend-
leton,” said Ellame Kennedy.
“Half your day is gone.”
More than a few in atten-
dance said the closure might
be an opportunity to replace
the national inancial institu-
tion with a local bank. If that
happens, most in attendance
said by show of hands they
would close their U.S. Bank
accounts and support the
new institution. Hansell was
among them.
“If you’re abandoning my
community,” he said, “my
account isn’t going to stay
with U.S. Bank.”
———
Contact Kathy Aney at
kaney@eastoregonian.com
or call 541-966-0810.
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