2 SIUSLAW NEWS | BUSINESS QUARTERLY | SATURDAY, JANUARY 6, 2018
Your business as a destination
Th e recent visit of the Small
Business Revolution Main
Street team to our fair city has
in many ways clarifi ed and crys-
tallized an economic truth that
is never truer than when it is
uncovered in a rural area like
ours — our small businesses re-
ally do need each other, even as
we compete for our piece of the
proverbial pie.
Especially in an area like the
Siuslaw region, we will do better
if we understand we are not just
marketing our individual busi-
nesses, we need to be part of
marketing a destination —mak-
ing Florence and the surround-
ing communities a great place to
visit, to shop, to play, to work,
to live.
Our business community is a
complex economic ecosystem,
and in rural America we tru-
ly are more collaborators than
competitors, and we do best
when we remember that.
Have you ever noticed how
fast food chain restaurants tend
to cluster? Where there’s a Burg-
er King, a McDonald’s will sure-
ly follow … along with a Sub-
way, a Pizza Hut, etc.
How does this make sense?
Macroeconomics and game
theory provide an answer, and
validate the decisions these
huge chains make. As a small
business, it is a temptation to
focus only on profi t (and clear-
ly, we need to make a profi t to
survive in the long-term), but
these chains are playing a longer
game, focused on market share
and — most importantly — on
increasing the size of the overall
market. Th ey may have a small-
er piece of the pie, but they’ve
managed to bake a much larger
pie as customers begin to think
of these clusters of restaurants
as a meal-time destination.
President John F. Kennedy,
in an address in Frankfurt,
Germany, on June 25, 1963,
noted, “As they say on my own
Cape Cod, a rising tide lifts
all the boats. And a partner-
ship, by definition, serves both
partners, without domination
or unfair advantage. Together
we have been partners in ad-
versity — let us also be part-
ners in prosperity.”
Th ose words still ring true,
here in Florence, Ore., in 2018.
Our Florence Area Chamber
of Commerce operates on this
essential economic truth. Th e
chamber works, not only for
its individual members (and it
certainly does that well), but
also for the entire community,
slowly but surely building our
reputation as a destination, with
ripples of economic benefi t that
touch every sector of our com-
mon life here in the Siuslaw re-
gion.
— Submitted by Russ Pierson,
Dean of Lane Community Col-
lege Florence Center and Presi-
dent-Elect of the Florence Area
Chamber of Commerce
Waterfront Depot rated in top 10 seafood eateries
Another nationally-read blog-
ger has discovered Florence and
boasts to readers about one of
the area’s iconic restaurants.
Writing for the widely-read
website, OnlyInYourState.com,
a listicle (list-article) site that
ranks select “best-of ” expe-
riences, author Tessa Metcalf
reports on Oregon’s famous
seafood scene. In “Th ese 13
Restaurants In Oregon Have the
Best Seafood EVER” (OnlyIn-
YourState.com/Oregon/or-sea-
food), Metcalf enthuses over her
discovery.
“Boy oh boy, Oregon truly has
some of the best seafood in the
country. From wild salmon and
halibut to crabs and oysters, Or-
egonians are lucky to have such
a plethora of local, amazingly
fresh seafood,” writes Metcalf.
She found 13 Oregon sea-
food-oriented restaurants wor-
thy of mention, stating they are
the “best of the best, serving up
mouthwatering plates heaped
with fresh-caught perfection,”
and that “Th e coast is especially
renowned for its amazing sea-
food, so it’s no surprise that the
majority of these eateries are
ocean-side.”
Coming in at number nine
on the list is Florence’s own Wa-
terfront Depot in Historic Old
Town.
Metcalf reports that Water-
front Depot “is a lovely restau-
rant in Florence with amazing
dishes such as Crab Encrusted
Alaskan Halibut, Dungeness
Crab Caesar Salad, Seafood Lin-
guine and more.”
“We’re always thrilled to see
national recognition for our
chamber members,” says Betti-
na Hannigan, executive director
of the Florence Area Chamber
of Commerce. “Marianne Bris-
bane is a world-class restaura-
teur and Waterfront Depot is
such a highly regarded desti-
nation for locals and visitors to
our area.”
For more information on
where to dine, shop, play, or
stay in Florence, visit Florence
Chamber.com/Adventures.
Oregon Pacifi c Bank adds new talent to corporate team
Oregon Pacifi c Bank is proud
to announce the addition of
Amber White and Kate Salyers
to the bank’s corporate team.
White will be assuming the
role of executive vice president
and chief fi nancial offi cer as
the bank’s current CFO Joanne
Forsberg retired at the end of
December aft er 19 years of ser-
vice. Salyers will be fi lling the
position of senior vice president
and credit administrator to as-
sist with the bank’s growing
lending needs.
“We consider ourselves very
lucky to add such talent to our
local banking team,” says Ron
Green, President and CEO of
Oregon Pacifi c Bank. “Amber
and Kate join us with many
years of experience and great
enthusiasm. Both are looking
forward to continuing their
careers with a local communi-
ty-based bank, to deliver excel-
lence to their clients through
relationship banking and local
decision making.”
White is a proud Oregonian,
graduating from Oregon State
University with a B.S. in busi-
ness administration in 2006.
She joins Oregon Pacifi c Bank
aft er seven years of experience
with Pacifi c Continental Bank,
where she recently worked as
vice president and controller,
overseeing the company’s fi nan-
cial and regulatory reporting.
White has previous experience
as the controller for Citizens
Bank in Corvallis and as staff
accountant for the Eugene offi ce
of Moss Adams, LLP, where she
earned her CPA license in 2008.
White is passionately in-
volved in the banking industry,
and has been a member of the
Oregon Bankers Association
(OBA) Financial Offi cer and
Accounting Roundtable Com-
mittees since 2008. She enjoys
spending time with her family
and actively volunteers for the
Food for Lane County’s snack
pack program.
Salyers earned a B.S. in busi-
ness administration and eco-
nomics from the University of
Oregon. Prior to joining Ore-
gon Pacifi c Bank, she enjoyed
an extensive career at Pacifi c
Continental Bank where she
was employed in various po-
sitions since 2004, including
commercial banking offi cer,
and most recently senior vice
president and special assets
manager. Salyers completed the
OBA Executive Development
Program in 2016 and has been
on the OBA’s Lending Commit-
tee since 2012.
Salyers enjoys spending time
with her family and helping the
local community. She has been
on the board of directors for
Eugene Active 20/30 since 2009
and is an MBA Student Mentor
and Guest Speaker for the Uni-
versity of Oregon. She has also
been a Meals on Wheels deliv-
ery driver since 2015.
You can learn more about
Oregon Pacifi c Bank and its lo-
cal employees by visiting www.
opbc.com or calling 800-997-
7121.
Group’s support and contri-
butions to the Florence Area
Chamber of Commerce.”
The Florence Chamber of-
fers its membership various
networking opportunities with
peers, government officials
and business leaders. Mem-
bers receive timely, relevant
information so that they may
be kept informed; professional
development workshops and
seminars so that they may gain
valuable knowledge and skills
to help them succeed; and
policy and communications
expertise to assist them in ad-
vocating their positions and
business interests.
“The chamber is part of pro-
viding the resources for busi-
nesses to grow. And the busi-
nesses support the chamber. It’s
a circle,” Hannigan said.
For more information about
joining the chamber, visit
f l o r e n c e c h a m b e r. c o m /
chamber/join/.
Executive Vice
President
and
Chief
Financial
Officer
Joanne
Forsberg retired
on Dec. 22, 2017,
after 19 years with
Oregon
Pacific
Bank.
Forsberg
was
hired on May 17,
1999, by Tom
Grove as control-
ler for the bank’s
accounting
de-
partment.
She
came to the bank
with an extensive
career in finance,
having 14 years
of experience as a
Certified Public Accountant
prior to working in the bank-
ing industry.
She completed her B.S. de-
gree in business with an em-
phasis on accounting from
Portland State University. Her
career path before joining
Oregon Pacific Bank covered
accounting and auditing expe-
rience in both public practice
and the private sector.
In 2001, Forsberg was pro-
moted to the position of EVP,
Chief Financial Officer at
Oregon Pacific Bank, which
she would hold for the next
16 years until her retirement.
In December 2007, she was
the recipient of the bank’s
very first Annual Chairman’s
Award, in recognition of many
years of outstanding dedica-
tion and commitment to Ore-
gon Pacific Bank.
Always supportive of the
Florence community, Forsberg
has served as a member of the
governing board of Peace-
COURTESY PHOTO
Joanne Forsberg
Health Siuslaw Region, and is
an active member of the phil-
anthropic organization Delta
Gamma.
“Joanne has been a great
friend and mentor to myself
and her colleagues,” says Ron
Green, President and CEO
of Oregon Pacific Bank. “On
behalf of all of us at Oregon
Pacific Bank, we want to pass
on a heartfelt thank you to
Joanne, for your 19-year com-
mitment to Oregon Pacific
Bank. You have left behind a
legacy that will be with us for-
ever.”
Forsberg’s vacancy will be
filled by Amber White, who
comes to Oregon Pacific Bank
after seven years of experience
at Pacific Continental Bank,
where she previously worked
as vice president and control-
ler, overseeing the company’s
financial and regulatory re-
porting.
For more information about
Oregon Pacific Bank, member
FDIC, visit www.opbc.com.
BOYS & GIRLS CLUB
of Western Lane County
1601 15th Street • Florence, OR 97439
541-902-0304
Great Futures Start Here
Volunteer
Get
involved
Florence Food Share provides food to those
who are hungry in our community. If you have
four hours a week available, we are in need of
volunteers to staff our Front Desk and also act
as Guides as clients walk through the pantry.
Please call our volunteer coordinator, Ivy Medow,
@ 541-997-9110 (Monday – Friday, before noon)
to learn more about volunteering. info@lorence-
foodshare.org 2190 Spruce Street.
Chamber gains new distinguished sponsor
Florence Area Chamber of
Commerce has gained a new
distinguished sponsor, Turell
Group.
Turell Group is a marketing,
public relations and digital
strategy company located in
Eugene, Ore. The company de-
signed and maintain the cham-
ber’s website, florencechamber.
com.
Chamber Executive Direc-
tor Bettina Hannigan said, “I
am thrilled to welcome Turell
Group to our prestigious group
of distinguished sponsors. Dis-
tinguished sponsors are just
that, their generous support
contributes to chamber events
and operations.”
She added, “The purpose
of the chamber is to help our
members develop their busi-
ness.”
In this case, a partnership
with Turell Group helps the
chamber in its efforts to con-
nect with members and people
outside of the area.
Florence Area Chamber of
chamber offers memberships
from $125 for associate mem-
bers to $2,500 for distinguished
partners, with tiered member-
ship advantages. Corporate un-
derwriters contribute $10,000
per year.
“Being a sponsor comes with
a plethora of benefits includ-
ing premier placement on the
website and inside the Visitors
Center with video presentation
and materials, weekly e-blasts,
printed directory recognition,
promotional material place-
ment in relocation and visitor
information packets distrib-
uted over 500 times per year,
and newspaper and radio ad-
vertising, just to name a few,”
Hannigan said. “The chamber
is honored to receive Turell
Joanne Forsberg retires
aft er 19 years with
Oregon Pacifi c Bank
Donate
Do your part and
volunteer today
to help support
these local non-proft
organizations in
our community!
Volunteers needed for new home construction, home repairs, general
offi ce work, public relations and program administration. Join an
operating committee and help Habitat help others!
Call 541-902-9227 or e-mail to fl orencehabitat@gmail.com
Offi ce located at 2004 HWY 101, Florence
Assisting those in need in our Community.
Free Hot Meals Mon-Wed-Fri
12:30 AM - 1:30 PM
HELPING HANDS COALITION
Volunteer
OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK
88493 Hwy 101, 3 miles north of Florence
(541) 997-5973
Plants • Flowers
Soil • Rock • Bark
Pavers • Gravel
Shrubs • Compost
Florence Tech Solutions
• Smart TV Setup
• Virus Malware
• Cloud/iCloud
• Email Setup
• Tutoring
• iPad, iPhone, MAC
• Universal TV Remote
• Sound Bar Setup
• Smart Phone | Tablet
• Monthly Computer Tune-Up
• Streaming Setup
(Roku, Firestick)
• Printer Scanner
• Social Media Eduation
• Website Design
541-991-3705
Owner | Technician
info@Florencetechsolutions.com
Mon-Fri 9am-4pm • Closed Sat & Sun
1431 Bay Street (Old Town)
New Life Lutheran Church,
2100 Spruce St, next to Foodshare,
Call 541-997-5057 to Volunteer
Get
involved
Donate
Do your part and
volunteer today
to help support
these local non-proft
organizations in
our community!
Meals on Wheels are available to people over the
age of 60 who cannot get out much due to illness
or advanced age and who are not eating properly,
regardless of income. Cafe 60 is available for those
who prefer to make new friends in a dining room
setting.
1570 Kingwood • PO Box 2313, Florence
541-997-5673
laneseniormeals.org
Operating Monday, Wednesday and Friday
Saving men one
PSA test at a time.
541-997-6626
maribob@oregonfast.net
Someone to talk to...
who understands!
To include your organization
in this directory, please call us
@ 541-997-3441