September 4, 2005
Page 3
Tribal business ioerislies m hard times
Spilyay Tymoo. Warm Springs, Oregon
"Big changes bring
big profits to a
small business.
' By Shannon Keavcity
Spilyay Tymoo
When the lunch bell
rings, employees at
Warm Springs
Composite Products don't waste
' any time filing back onto the pro
" duction floor.
"' Punctuality is important here
and excuses for being late aren't
taken lightly.
Production must go on.
" "A person being even one
''minute late can hold up an en
"'tire crew," explains Jake
Coochise, sales marketing man
"' ager at the enterprise.
'' A generous incentive fee
' tacked on each hour for punc
' tuality keeps employees coming
in on time. Eighty percent take
- advantage of this incentive.
But it wasn't always that way.
CEO Duane Darnell remcm
"' bers when only 25 percent of
the employees were utilizing the
incentive program. Darnell's
communication with the employ
ees revealed some reasons the
incentive program might not
" work for them.
Some changes were made
' and success soon became evi-
dent in the numbers of employ
ees taking advantage of the pay
incentive.
"You can encourage respon
sibility and that's what will ulti
mately change things," explains
. Darnell.
It's this type of approach that
has been largely responsible for
" the financial success Composite
V Products has seen in recent
'years. '' 1 1
Darnell believes a good work
environment will reflect itself in
the success of the company.
The company, a manufac
turer of the composite boards
Warm
t -( By Shannon Kearenj
, Spilyqy Tymoo
Residents of the Warm
' Springs Reservation live 30
'" years less than the average U.S.
"'citizen.
'"' 1 With an average life expect
ancy of about 47 years, a tribal
''member faces a thirty percent
"'chance of dying in an accident.
Chances are it will be a mo
' tor vehicle accident.
Chances arc it will involve
' ''alcohol.
' And chances are a seatbelt
''will not be worn.
' Between 1991 and 2000
' accidental death was the lead
ing cause of death in patients
'at the Warm Springs Health
and Wellness Outer.
' Of all accidental deaths
' nearly 63 percent of the cases
" were documented as being re
lated to alcohol use.
Local Chamber
i ')) Shannon KMirny
' Spilyay Tjmoo
,
. Recently a group of local in-
dividuals finalized and adopted
' a charter for an official Warm
Springs Chamber of Com
merce. Now plans are being made to
open by Sept. 4, as new mem
bers and the board wait for 501
(c) (6) non profit status for the
organization to be approved by
both the Tribal Council and the
state.
The seven members ami the
board will meet ai the museum
1 . . " T """"""" " y
J j
Hi) ,-iV a m
j mM - "" t m
- t ic3rirt
rr. "SKkVfl
'2' '-. : A'7.
used as a component in com
mercial fire doors, is a niche
market, said Darnell. The com
pany needs reliable people who
are trained and ready to go, he
said.
Not long ago, high turnover
among employees inhibited this
need.
"I remember when I started
working here seven years ago,
we must of went through one
hundred employees a year," says
Coochise. With a staff of 30,'
that was an average of about
four and a half months per
employee.
But now, employees are stick
ing around.
Springs tackles its Eraimber one Idler
A- ui Rue 9i fparpA rpsidrnts in About 22 nercent of the lo
A
A
" . (" " -'
A majority of the accidents
were car accidents. Of the car
accidents, a shocking 72 per
"Otrgoal is to
support all businesses
that are conducting
themselves on the
reservation. "
Gerald Danzuka
President WSCC
the second Wednesday of every
month.
The first meeting is scheduled
for Sept. 10, 6 p.m.-8 p.m. The
chamber will also have a small
office in the future tourist in
Marlon LeClair, an employee
at the company for the last six
years, doesn't plan on leaving
anytime soon. He likes the ver
satility of the job, the good pay,
and the hours. Employees at the
enterprise work four-day weeks
and 10-hour days.
Employees also multi-task
and never stay in one position
for too long.
This takes the monotony
away, from the; job ajid gives
employee a deeper understand-
ing and investment in the final
product, explains Coochise.
Evan Cochran, an employee
for the last year, thrives on the
many options offered on the
cent involved use of alcohol,
Only four cases in a 10-year
period clearly did not involve
of Commerce to
formation center that will open
up on Wasco Street, off of
I lighway 26.
Pamphlets and other promo
tional materials for local busi
nesses will be provided to pass
ing visitors.
A location for another office
to address other matters is be
ing sought.
"Our goal is to support all
businesses that are conducting
themselves on the reservation,"
explained Gerald Danzuka, the
newly elected presidc-nt of the
Chamber of Commerce.
Danzuka estimates tribal
Evan
Cochran,
a floater
and an
employee
at
Composite
Products
for the
last
year,
cuts the
fire-proof
boards
that the
company
in.
Happy
with his
job,
Cochran
hopes to
stick
around
for a ,
while.
Shannon KeavenySpilyay
production floor.
He says he doesn't get bored.
He also likes the pay, his fellow
employees and the work envi
ronment. "Everything has been opened
up and our horizons for the
business have expanded," he
says.
Coochise feels the best thing
about working at the company
is the unique industry and its
high demand.
-l i He says having employees
cross-ttain helps them learn ev-
erything about the product, cre-
ate responsibility for a good
product, and ultimately gives the
employee more satisfaction.
alcohol.
Only two cases were docu
mented as having worn a
seatbelt at the time of death.
When this information was
released in a 2002 mortality re
port put together by IHS,
Warm Springs had already be
gun to tackle its number one
killer.
Montell Elliott, a Warm
Springs Health and Wellness
Center medical secretary who
focuses on health prevention,
is using a one year fellowship
for community outreach and
education on key issues involv
ing auto accidents.
Although a seatbelt law was
passed in 1999, Elliott recently
formed a Seatbelt Coalition.
More residents are already
wearing their seatbelts.
In a recent informal survey,
60 percent of Warm Springs
drivers and 35 percent of
Warm Springs passengers wore
their seatbelts during the day.
members own 110 small busi
nesses.
"Many of those businesses
are cottage industries and some
arc off the reservation," he said.
Participants hope to establish
a legitimate voice for private
businesses with a local focus
between businesses and tribal
government, neighboring com
munities and throughout the
state.
Danzuka envisions forming
strong links with the Oregon
Native American Chamber of
Commerce (ON ACC) in Tigard
and the National Native Ameri
At Composite Products ev
eryone is empowered to have an
opinion, explains Darnell.
Before a purchase is made,
operators of the machinery can
take a look and let them know
what they need. Valuing employ
ees and addressing their needs
has played a part in the success
of the company.
"One factor in 'growing' a
business is 'growing' your own
people. If you aren't, you can't
operate," explains Darnell.
Composite Products, an en
terprise since 1991, has worked
itself up from the bottom. In
2002 the company took in
record profits and was able to
give back nearly $500,000 to the
tribe, a thirty percent increase
from the $350,000 the year be
fore. In the last year alone produc
tivity rates have increased by 20
percent with the same amount
of employees.
A large chunk of the
company's growing profits were
invested back into the company
to improve products, existing
processes and to help the com
pany become more efficient,
A key factor in the company's
success has been their openness
to change and their commitment
to protecting jobs while creat
ing more job opportunities for
tribal employees.
Because Composite Products
manufactures a speciality prod
uct, they had only 3 or 4 steady
clients.
"This made us very uncom
fortable," says Darnell.
Efforts to expand that cus
tomer base have increased job
security for employees, an es
pecially difficult feat in light of
the hard economic times on a
national, state and tribal level.
1 'The dbrhpany wVSfff' interna-
tional to expand their customer
base and now has a business in
the United Kingdom. They also
ship to Asia and have done busi
ness with Saudi Arabia.
But, as feared, residents in
rural areas wear their seatbelts
less.
Simnasho was surveyed and
only 35 percent of the drivers
and passengers are wearing
their seatbelts.
"I think we will see less ac
cidents in the next decade be
cause already more people are
wearing their seatbelts," said
Nancy Collins, Warm Springs
sanitarian safety officer.
Still, the numbers need to
go higher.
The coalition's goal is to in
crease seatbelt usage on the
reservation 70 percent by
2007.
Safety Bear is visiting ECE
and the elementary school and
teaching kids the importance
of using their seatbelt.
With the greatest impact of
accidental deaths affecting
children, adolescents and
young adults, individual age
groups are being focused on.
open this
can Chamber of Commerce
(NNACQ.
"Through them we hope to
establish a voice on Capital I lill
and establish additional funding
through legislation," said
Danzuka.
A Chamber of Commerce
would help small businesses es
tablish creditability in the eyes
of officials and address small
business needs in the commu
nity. The Chamber of Commerce
board will address issues that
have a consequence to more
than two businesses, said
"We now have good interna
tional resources and contacts,"
says Darnell.
Also, efforts are being made
to develop a larger variety of
products. One goal for the com
pany is to become a ready to
assemble supplier.
"That means we want to do
all the work for our customer,"
says Darnell.
Currently, the company is
working on three to four other
products. Some examples are a
fire rated door jam system and
fire style rail door components.
The company is flexible on
the size of its product, which
enhances their chances of get
ting into other markets, Specialty
orders are welcomed.
In the last year, a Chief Fi
nancial Officer position was cre
ated. As products and the cus
tomer base expand, more jobs
opportunities are sure to open
' up. A future plan will qffer fur
ther education for employees.
The company will pay for their
books and tuition and offer a
flexible schedule to accommo
date their workers.
"We're not offering a four
year degree but we'd like to wet
their appetites for a further edu
cation," says Darnell.
A four-year degree would
then be covered by the tribe. If
a worker is inspired to pursue a
four-year degree because of
their efforts, Coochise sees it as
a service to the tribe.
"If they return to the reser
vation or not, it will still benefit
the tribes," says Coochise.
Employees used to be a little
bit suspicious of all the change
but now, as they see the positive
results, they embrace the change,
says Darnell.
"You can't compete anymore
" selling' something in your back
yard. If you are afraid of
change, you're going to die," ex
plains Darnell.
"If you build, they are going
to come," he added.
About 22 percent of the lo
cal motor vehicle accidents
deaths involve infants less
than a year old. Twenty per
cent include the ages of one
to 14 year olds.
Based on these figures,
Elliot started a child safety seat
installation clinic in the ECE
parking lot.
Every third Thursday of
the month, parents can receive
car seats, booster seats, and
learn to install them safely.
At one clinic Elliot discov
ered 10 out of 11 car seats
were installed incorrectly. Pre
venting incorrect car seat in
stallation is one way to save
lives.
Elliot sees a national trend
in accident prevention as
health care costs rise.
"With less accidents, we will
need to spend less money on
healthcare," she noted.
Set SEAT BELTS on 7
month
Danzuka.
The organization intends to
educate and involve the public
on key business issues by obtain
ing radio spots on KWSO and
having a column in the Spilyay
Tymoo.
I 'ices for individuals to join the
Chamber of Commerce arc $25
per year.
"I think the chamber has a
good chance and the sooner we
get going, the better," said
Danzuka.
For more information, con
tact the Warm Springs Small
Business Center.