8 A
SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2017
BUSINESS BEAT
541-997-3128
290 Highway 101, Florence, OR 97439
www.FlorenceChamber.com
www.facebook.com/fl orenceoregon
www.twitter.com/FlorenceOrCoast
October 7, 2017
From the Director’s Desk
Welcome to the Chamber!
By Bettina Hannigan
Chamber Executive Director
NEW PREMIER MEMBER
Angle & Square, General Contractor
Florence Area
541-991-8044
angleandsquare.com
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Chamber Noon Forum – NOW AT THREE
RIVERS CASINO & RESORT!
October 12
Come discover new ways to GET FUNDED
and expand, update, and grow your business.
Th is useful forum will be presented by
Maia Hardy, Loan Offi cer with Community
LendingWorks (associated with NEDCO in
Springfi eld and serving all of Lane County),
and Jesse Dolin, Economic Development
Catalyst for the City of Florence. Learn
how local business can access funding and
services from our government partners. Get
the help you need to grow your business. Join
the Chamber at Th ree Rivers Casino October
12th at 11:45am for lunch and learning. Th is
forum is open to the public and lunch is
available for $11.99.
PASSPORT
q
ART
FLORENCE | OREGON
Get yours today
G
d at the
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Visitors Center!
Chamber = Resources.
Florence, like most small
rural communities is
challenged with limited
housing and skilled work-
force. How do we get the
right people to come, stay
and build their lives here?
It seems obvious - we at-
tract people that want
this lifestyle. It is shock-
ing, but not everyone wants to live in a small
rural community – they’re not the people we
should be marketing. Let’s go aft er people that
want what we have; fi shing, wildcraft ing, hik-
ing, beaches, lakes, and my favorite, community.
Last month’s topic, at the Chamber Noon Forum,
Cookie Branding?
By Bobby Jensen Jr.
Chamber Board Member
Whether we like
it or not, when we’re
in business we have
a brand. Th e brand is
the overall feeling cre-
ated when people think
about your business.
We as humans have a
brand as well, but it’s
referred to as our char-
Small business has a voice in Salem. Th e
OSCC has been actively representing small
business interests. Until a few years ago there
was no representation specifi cally for small
business. Th e vacuum left legislators with
little to no resistance for unfriendly business
legislation. Th ings are diff erent now, thanks to
the Oregon State Chamber’s advocacy small
business is being heard. Here is a recent OSCC
update for what is coming up very soon.
“Th ere are a variety items we want to bring
to your attention. Initiative Petitions are in full
swing as the deadline for gathering signatures
is October 5th for the November 2018 Ballot.
Additionally, the Governor’s PERS Task Force is
running and up to full speed.
Initiative Petitions -Th e Business Coalition has
launched two proactive Initiatives.
Th e fi rst Initiative is to slow state spending
g rowth and to pay off the state’s PERS debt.
Th e second Initiative clarifi es the state
Constitution on tax and fee increases in order to
2017-2018
Corporate
Underwriters
(held the second Th ursday of the month at Th ree
Rivers Casino) was on “Hope for Housing”. Wen-
dy Farley-Campbell presented for the City of
Florence and she made a very interesting point,
if we’re bringing in employees from outside the
Florence Area, it’s very diffi cult for them to be-
come a part of our community. When they go
home aft er work, they’re not going to drive back
for the 7pm local event or come back for week-
end events. It’s not new news, Florence needs
more skilled workforce; technical, manufactur-
ing, skilled trades, and health care professionals
are all in demand. Th e City is collaborating with
Travel Lane County and the Chamber to develop
a new marketing video that will tell our story and
invite people that want what Florence has. Th is
video will be used for recruiting through mar-
keting, social media, and shared with commu-
nity organizations. Sometimes, we as employers
need to think out of the box. Like work sharing
– where two people do one person’s job. How
about two semi-retired people job sharing? Flor-
ence is a popular retirement community but not
all of us are quite ready for full time retirement.
Two mom’s sharing one position, two students
sharing one position and so forth. Opportunities
abound when we are willing to change things up.
Which brings me to my question, can you
push a string? Are you trying without even re-
alizing it? Are you feeling frustration, exaspera-
tion, apathy, burn out? It happens sometimes
without even knowing it. What strings are you
trying to push? Staffi ng, technology, marketing,
relationships, stagnation? Th e list goes on and
they can be business killers. If you’re coasting,
you’re going downhill. Let’s work together to
look at your string and how Chamber resources
can help you grow. Making connections will help
you leverage other’s experience and knowledge,
learning the easy way. Th e Chamber is here to
help, we can help fi nd the answers your business
needs. Call me and let’s talk.
acter. So this spot is for you regardless of your
position.
Your brand is made up of thousands of
diff erent interactions between you and your
customers. Every detail of every interaction
will aff ect the way people feel about your busi-
ness. What we need to do is make a plan of
how our brand will look, sound, feel, taste and
smell! People will associate all of these senses
with your business no matter what, so we want
to look at all of them and make sure we are
communicating the brand we want to repre-
sent our organization.
A few years ago I helped install an oven
in a family business which was odd because it
was a fi nancial planning fi rm. I immediately
asked, “Why do you need an oven here”? “To
bake cookies of course!” So what does baking
cookies have to do with fi nancial planning?
Sensory experience translates to trust, that’s
what it has to do with it.
Th eir brand was traditional and what’s
more traditional than the smell and taste of
fresh baked cookies? Associations like this
are a way to connect your brand to people’s
positive emotions. So you can see that you’re
the choreographer, orchestrator and director!
Build the experience all the way through with
attention to all the details that will delight
your favorite customers!
address the three-fi ft hs requirement on revenue
raising legislation
Oregon PERS Task Force
Th e Oregon PERS Task Force is now in full
swing. Governor Brown has directed the panel
to come up with $5 billion in funds to pay down
part of Oregon’s $24.5 billion in unfunded
liability. Th e task force IS NOT charged with
reducing the cost of PERS.
Th e Governor asked the PERS Task Force
to generate ideas fi rst, and determine their
feasibility and political viability second. Th e
group will meet again on October 13th before
submitting a report to Gov. Brown on November
1st. Th e recommendations of the group will
likely produce legislation for the 2018 session
that could have widespread consequences.
Please fi nd a list of concepts that we compiled
below:
• Maximize marketing, sale and distribution
of liquor, excise taxes on beer and wine.
Th e task force discussed a 50-cent bottle
surcharge on liquor but were less specifi c
with regard to beer and wine.
• OHSU $1 Billion in unrestricted funds: Th e
task force has suggested looking into
using these reserve funds and acting as
backstop for OHSU if needed.
• Rolling back limitations on city taxing
authority with the requirement that a
portion of additional revenues go to the
state for UAL (marijuana tax, cigarette
tax, etc.)
• Tax on foreclosed properties: Counties
currently use foreclosure tax funds to
reimburse themselves for the cost of sale
and any additional funds are disbursed
to all taxing entities. Th e task force is
considering repurposing foreclosure
surpluses.
• Restructuring the way that SAIF is managed.
Ideas have been thrown out about using
a portion of the dividend investment
portfolio and using future dividends
for Oregon’s UAL. Th e task force
acknowledged the harm this would cause
employers.
• Selling or leasing state lands, unclaimed
property and other property: $100
million-500 million.
• Increasing estate taxes: $10 million-50
million.
• Shift ing more fi re suppression costs to forest
land owners: $10 million-50 million per
year.
• Assigning capital gains tax above projections
to PERS fund: $100 million-500 million
per year during economic growth periods.
• Taking interest earned on state funds from
each fund and putting it in common pool:
$50 million-100 million.
• Increase games and introduce mobile
phone games to the state Lottery: $100
million-$1 billion over 10 years.
Drift wood Shores Resort
Th e Korando Dental Group
Supporting Small Business Startups
Th ree Rivers Casino Resort
TR Hunter Real Estate
Distinguished
Sponsors
101 Th ings to Do Magazine
Banner Bank
Bi-Mart
Beachcomber Pub
Burns’s Riverside Chapel
Fred Meyer Stores
Lofy Construction
Oregon Pacifi c Bank
PeaceHealth
Peace Harbor Medical Center
Sea Lion Caves
Spruce Point Assisted Living
Th e Siuslaw News
Be sure to thank these
members for their
investment in our
community!
By Russ
Title, Description here
Business Aft er Hours Hosted by the
Florence Senior Center October 19 th .
Join the Chamber and community at
the Florence Senior Center, mix, mingle and
make new connections. Enjoy appetizers and
refreshments with live music. You’re invited
to Business Aft er Hours on October 19, 2017,
from 5-7 PM. Here’s your chance to tour the
facility and discover new expansion plans.
Business Aft er Hours Hosted by
Heceta Lighthouse Station
Bed & Breakfast November 2 nd .
Don’t miss this rare opportunity to enjoy
the warm hospitality of this historic bed and
breakfast. Misty and her crew will provide
wonderful homemade nibbles from the kitchen
and libations to sip while you stroll through
the beautifully decorated rooms, enjoying
the breath taking ocean views. Making new
business connections has never been such a
wonderful experience!
Business Aft er Hours are FREE to attend
and open to the public. We invite you to
come see for yourself how the Chamber does
business!
Event Committee Meetings –
Come join the fun!
Want to grow your business? Business
by referral is powerful. Participating on a
Chamber Committee is an eff ective way to
build relationships and referrals. Contact us for
upcoming meetings and times at 541-997-3128.
Florence—and indeed the entire Siuslaw
region—is in the business of economic
development. All of us want to ensure a stable,
secure, sustainable quality of life for ourselves,
our families, and our fellow citizens. As
one tribal leader noted at the Oregon Coast
Economic Summit in 2016, “A rising tide lift s
all canoes.”
Coupled with that natural desire, consider
this stunning fact: over the past 30 years, startup
businesses have created nearly 40 million
American jobs—which accounts for all of the
net job creation over that same period.
Of course, a lot of new businesses fail and
large, stable fi rms can continue to grow as
they develop new products and new markets.
But nonetheless, the numbers suggest the real
engine of job creation isn’t just business, but
new businesses. Beyond their own growth, they
play a part to attract new customers that can
grow an entire economic sector, and they keep
existing businesses sharp and focused on their
own health.
But new businesses are a risky venture.
About one-third close within two years, and
fully half are gone within the fi rst fi ve years.
What if we committed as a city, as a region, to
supporting our small businesses—and not just
as customers, but with our hearts and minds,
our time and our attention?
Many of us in the Siuslaw region are doing
exactly that. Th e Florence Area Chamber of
Commerce is all about strengthening all of
our local businesses. Th e City of Florence has
a vibrant interest in economic development in
the area, with an active Economic Development
Committee and our own Economic
Development Catalyst.
We also have two incredibly rich resources
working along the river and up and down the
coast. Th e LaneSBDC, better known as the
Small Business Development Center, works to
provide old and new businesses alike with the
tools they need to focus and grow their business.
Th eir Small Business Management program,
located at LCC’s Florence Center, is about to
start their second cohort—and it’s not too late
to join. And RAIN, the Regional Accelerator
and Innovation Network, is about to launch
their second coastal “pre-accelerator” aimed at
entrepreneurs in traded sector businesses.
Keep your ears to the ground and watch
for announcements and opportunities coming
from RAIN and the SBDC to support job
growth in our area. Let’s work together to secure
a bright future for our region.