REGION
Friday, April 7, 2017
HERMISTON
Mid Columbia Producers
takes over PGG fuel business
By GEORGE PLAVEN
East Oregonian
New name. New building.
Same familiar faces.
Following the dissolution
of Pendleton Grain Growers
last year, fellow agricul-
tural co-op Mid Columbia
Producers has arrived in
Umatilla County to carry on
the former PGG fuel divi-
sion, setting up shop at a new
location in Hermiston.
Based in Moro, Mid
Columbia Producers was
established in 1988 with the
merger of two neighboring
cooperatives. Mid Columbia
purchased PGG Energy last
December, which delivers
gasoline and diesel to
customers as well as bulk and
packaged lubes.
The sale did not include
PGG propane, which went
instead to Morrow County
Grain Growers — effectively
splitting PGG Energy into
two companies.
All 16 PGG Energy
employees did keep their
jobs, including Bryan Bailey,
who spent 27 years with
PGG and oversaw the entire
fuel operation. Bailey now
heads up the eastern fuel
division for Mid Columbia
from their new satellite office
in Hermiston.
“It has been a very smooth
transition,” Bailey said.
“Customer retention has
been very high.”
For years, PGG Energy
was located on Southwest
Dorion Avenue in Pendleton
next to the main co-op offices
and retail store. But that
building was never included
as part of the sale, which left
Mid Columbia looking for a
new venue.
“Initially we wanted to
stay in Pendleton,” Bailey
said. “But we could not find
a building that suited what
we needed.”
After searching around
East Oregonian
Page 3A
Wreck on reservation injures two
East Oregonian
One adult male and one
juvenile male were injured
Wednesday evening in a
single-vehicle crash on
South Market Road, south
of Lloyd Road, on the
Umatilla Indian Reserva-
tion.
The adult was flown via
air ambulance to Kadlec
Regional Medical Center
in the Tri-Cities, while the
juvenile sustained non-life
threatening injuries and
was taken by ambulance
to St. Anthony Hospital in
Pendleton. Neither victim
has been identified.
Both individuals were in
a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee
when the vehicle crossed
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Tribal police secure the scene of a single-vehicle roll-
over Wednesday on Mission Road south of Mission.
The cause of the crash is
currently under investiga-
tion by the Umatilla Tribal
Police Department.
into the northbound lane
and ended up along the east
side of the road, ultimately
crashing into a utility pole.
Staff photo by George Plaven
Mid Columbia Producers has opened its new location
in Hermiston after purchasing the former Pendleton
Grain Growers fuel division.
Pendleton for several weeks,
Bailey said they found the
perfect spot at 345 N. First
Place in Hermiston, which
used to house Stoneway
Electric Supply. Bailey said
the space is plenty big, which
will allow them to expand
their selection and volume.
For one thing, Bailey said
Mid Columbia will introduce
a multitude of new fuel
suppliers, and a larger supply
chain means more competi-
tive prices.
“The fuel business is a
business of pennies,” he said.
“Any advantage you can get
with pricing really helps with
your success.”
Mid Columbia is also part
of the Pacific Pride and CFN
networks, providing addi-
tional options for commercial
fueling.
More than anything,
Bailey said the retention of
employees has allowed Mid
Columbia to retain PGG
customers. A lot of trust goes
into building those relation-
ships, and he said farmers
are pleased to see the same
truck drivers making their
deliveries.
“It was very comforting to
our customers that the faces
they saw out there are the
same,” Bailey said.
Jeff Kaser, Mid Columbia
manager, said the co-op has
steadily built its fuel business
since 2011. Mid Columbia
made a big splash in 2012,
purchasing Bend Oil, and
Kaser said PGG Energy was
another good fit.
“We want to be in markets
where farmers can benefit
from doing business with
us,” Kaser said.
As a fellow farmer-owned
co-op, Kaser said Mid
Columbia also shares the
same values as PGG in terms
of service and community
involvement.
“If we can do that, we’ll
be successful,” he said.
Nobody wanted to see
PGG dissolve, Bailey said,
but he is pleased with the
direction of the business
going forward.
“(PGG)
put
these
businesses in the hands of
people who can run them
and continue to grow them,”
Bailey said. “To me, that’s a
success story.”
———
Contact George Plaven
at gplaven@eastoregonian.
com or 541-966-0825.
BRIEFLY
Marchers host science fair
PENDLETON — The Blue Mountain
Marchers plan to take to the streets again,
this time for science.
Following the Women’s March on
Pendleton in January, the group has
organized a March For Science that will
culminate in a science fair at Roy Raley
Park April 22, Earth Day.
The event is being used to spotlight the
“importance of partnerships formed between
scientists and the broader community.”
The fair will feature science demonstra-
tions from Future Farmers of America, the
Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian
Reservation fisheries program, KBLU radio,
Interpath Laboratory and more.
One of the demonstrations will take place
in the fair beer garden, which will feature
selections from the Great Pacific Wine &
Coffee Co. and Oregon Grain Growers
Brand Distillery.
The fair will also feature food from
vendors Mario’s Basque Barbecue, Rolling
Stone Bakery and Mobile Food Adventures.
Music will be provided by the GP
Jammers and an open mic set.
The march starts at Roy Raley Park at 11
a.m. before returning for the fair, which runs
from noon to 4 p.m.
Meetings to create posters and post cards
will be held on Wednesday, at Sister’s Cafe
11 a.m.-1 p.m. and at Great Pacific 7-9 p.m.
For more information, contact the Blue
Mountain Marchers at BlueMountainOR-
Marchers@gmail.com
Senators’ letter encourages
support for air service
PENDLETON — Oregon Sens. Ron
Wyden and Jeff Merkley continue to
advocate for a federal subsidy that helps
pay for commercial air service at the Pend-
leton airport, which is under threat from
President Donald Trump’s administration.
Writing to the chair and ranking member
of the Appropriations Subcommittee
on Transportation, Housing and Urban
Development, and Related Agencies, Wyden
and Merkley joined 19 other senators in
urging the subcommittee to provide “robust
funding” to Essential Air Service, a Depart-
ment of Transportation program that provides
commercial air service subsidies that connect
more than 170 communities nationwide.
Trump’s office proposed eliminating the
program in March, but Congress has the
ultimate authority in passing the federal
budget.
The letter’s authors are mostly
Democrats, although it also attracted two
Republican senators — Mike Rounds of
South Dakota and Dan Sullivan of Alaska.
Pendleton is the only EAS community in
Oregon. The $2.3 million subsidy from the
program is paid to Boutique Air to provide
daily flights from Pendleton’s Eastern
Oregon Regional Airport to the Portland
International Airport.
———
Briefs are compiled from staff and wire
reports, and press releases. Email press
releases to news@eastoregonian.com
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