4B COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL Nov. 2, 2016
CHAMBER
NEWSLETTER
Our Mission: Th e Cottage Grove Area Chamber of Commerce is organized to promote the economy and business environment of the Cottage Grove area so its citizens and businesses will prosper.
Director’s Note
No on 97, Yes on 98
One of the goals the Chamber’s Board of
Directors set for this year was to “Increase
communication with our members about
legislative issues that aff ect business.” To achieve
that goal we formed a Legislative Committee
which has been following many of the proposals
being discussed by our representatives in Salem.
Th ere are two particular issues that our members
asked us to take a much closer look at and if
warranted, take a position to either support or
oppose.
Th e Legislative Committee fi rst examined
Measure 98, which aims to improve vocational
and career-technical education for all Oregon
Students. Deep budget cuts over the last two
decades have eliminated may of the career and
technical education programs that would help
students who may not be planning to go to college
but instead want to pursue skilled labor or trades
such as welding, fabricating, etc. Measure 98 will
bring back many of these lost programs and will
add much needed technology to make Oregon
students more competitive in the workplace
aft er graduation. Because Measure 98 “does
not create any new taxes or take away money
from other programs,” our board of Directors
voted to SUPPORT Measure 98. It “directs new
state revenue to three things: career-technical
education, college-level classes and high school
dropout prevention.” Regular audits and strong
accountability procedures give us confi dence that
in this case the money will actually go where it is
intended.
Measure 97 was also examined in depth by the
Chamber’s Legislative Committee but in this case,
their recommendation was to oppose the measure
and aft er discussion by our Board of Directors,
the Chamber indeed voted to take a position to
VOTE AGAINST Measure 97. While the issues
surrounding this measure are quite complicated
and the information circulating on both sides
are very contradictory to each other, there are a
few simple reasons why we oppose 97. First, this
would be the largest single tax increase in Oregon’s
history at a staggering 33% approximate increase.
Second, because of the way this proposed tax is
structured, it does not fairly asses the tax to all
“big corporations” equally. It depends on what
classifi cation of corporation they are, so two
similarly sized companies could be taxed very
diff erently.
Finally, multiple sources of legal
counsel agree that there are no guarantees that the
money will be used for Education, Healthcare, and
Senior Services as the measure suggests. It should
be noted that everyone on our board would like
to see more funding for the three aforementioned
categories, but Measure 97 is simply the wrong
tool for the job.
We at the Cottage Grove Chamber of
Commerce hope you will take the time to
personally study these and all other legislative
matters before you vote. For those who haven’t
been able to do the research yourselves, we off er
these two positions as a collection of opinions from
representatives of the local business community.
We hope you’ll join us in voting No on Measure
97 and Yes on Measure 98.
Board Member Election Results
Reaching out to our members seeking those
who will serve on the board for a two year term
begins in July each year. A slate of candidates
is presented to the board by the nomination
committee. Because we are a membership
organization, our members have the right to
petition additional names of candidates to
serve on the Chamber Board. As there were no
petitions fi led, board nominations are closed and
the nominated slate of candidates was declared
elected by the Board of Directors at the October
board meeting. Th ose who will serve for the
2017/2018 term are:
Danny Solesbee – 5 Flying Monkeys
Don Williams – Retired, Past President
Gary Manly – Cottage Grove Sentinel
Judd Van Gorder – Carousel Delicatessen &
Ice Cream Shoppe
A special thanks to you for your commitment
to our community and assisting in our goal to
make Cottage Grove a better place to live and do
business!
Be seen and be safe this fall with
FREE lights!
With shorter days upon us, more children
and parents may fi nd themselves traveling home
in the dark or stormy weather. Point2point at
Lane Transit District and Oregon Department
of Transportation wants to help pedestrians and
cyclists stay safe during the darker winter hours.
Staff will be distributing FREE bike and walking
lights, in Cottage Grove during a “Be Seen Be Safe
Light Giveaway” event on Th ursday, November
17, 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm at the Bohemia Park
Shelter. Whether you walk, bike, or skate, you
need to be seen to be safe. While supplies last.
Additional Information: Contact Cammie Harris
at 541.682.6206 or E-mail: cammie.harris@ltd.
org.
Christmas in Cottage Grove –
December 3rd
Bundle up and join us for some family fun! To
kick of the day, have breakfast with Santa at the
Fire Station, take advantage of various merchant
discounts, participate in a scavenger hunt, have
your picture taken with Santa aft er the tree lighting
ceremony, tour Dr. Snapp’s House on River Road
and fi nd that special gift for someone on your
shopping list at their annual bazaar. Th is year the
downtown Christmas tree will be located at the
All-America Square on the corner of 7th & Main.
What a great way to start the Christmas season!
A Special Th anks!
During this season of Th anksgiving we
want to off er a special thanks to the following
businesses for their expression of confi dence over
the years through continuous support with their
membership of 25 years or more!
Chamber Awards & Installation
Banquet – January 21, 2017
Plan to attend the 2017 Chamber Awards and
Installation Banquet - “A Red Carpet Event”. Th e
event will be held at the Cottage Grove Armory
and will prove to be an evening to remember!
Awards for Business of the Year, Non Profi t of the
Year, and First Citizen are among the recognitions
presented and we need your help. Please be
thinking about who you will nominate. Deadline
for nominations is November 14th. Nomination
forms are available on the Chamber Programs
tab at www.cgchamber.com, pick one up at the
Chamber Offi ce, 700 E. Gibbs, or request one by
email to beth@cgchamber.com.
S MITH -L UND -M ILLS
F UNERAL C HAPEL & C REMATORIUM
Celebrating 50 Years as a Chamber Member!
Dot’s Trophy Shop ................................................................................................................35 years
Banner Bank ..........................................................................................................................34 years
Birch Avenue Dental, Inc. .....................................................................................................34 years
Buller, Wuite, Olsson & Rosenberg PC, CPAs .....................................................................34 years
Cottage Grove Sentinel .........................................................................................................34 years
First American Title Insurance Company .............................................................................34 years
Les Schwab Tire Centers .......................................................................................................34 years
Northwest Community Credit Union ....................................................................................34 years
Northwest Natural .................................................................................................................34 years
Pacifi c Yurts, Inc. ..................................................................................................................34 years
PayneWest Insurance ............................................................................................................34 years
RG Media Company .............................................................................................................34 years
Safeway .................................................................................................................................34 years
South Lane School District ...................................................................................................34 years
Umpqua Bank .......................................................................................................................34 years
Weyerhaeuser Company ........................................................................................................34 years
Emerald People’s Utility District ..........................................................................................32 years
Starfi re Lumber Company .....................................................................................................32 years
The Flower Basket & Gift Boutique .....................................................................................32 years
Jim’s Point S Tire and Auto Service ......................................................................................31 years
McDonald’s Restaurant .........................................................................................................31 years
Charter Spectrum ..................................................................................................................30 years
Cottage Grove Ranger Station ..............................................................................................30 years
Lane Community College Cottage Grove Center .................................................................30 years
PeaceHealth Cottage Grove Community Medical Center ....................................................30 years
KNND 1400AM ....................................................................................................................29 years
Pacifi c Power .........................................................................................................................29 years
Coast Fork Nursing Center, Inc.............................................................................................28 years
South Lane Wheels, Inc. .......................................................................................................28 years
Hoyer Accounting .................................................................................................................27 years
Auto Art Body & Paint, Inc. .................................................................................................26 years
Gifford & Gifford LLP, Attorneys at Law.............................................................................26 years
Carl’s Jr. ................................................................................................................................25 years
Farmers Insurance Group ......................................................................................................25 years
“Th ink Local Shop Cottage
Grove” – Th e Gift Certifi cate
Program is a Member Benefi t
Highlight
As a chamber we strive to educate the com-
munity of the value of supporting our local mer-
chants the Gift Certifi cate Program is one way we
encourage shopping local. Purpose: 1. Promote
shopping at CG Chamber Member businesses. 2.
Support chamber members with dollars spent in
Cottage Grove.
Th is program makes gift giving easy while
supporting local merchants and it promotes
“Shop Chamber Members First.” To become a
participating business, contact the Chamber at
541-942-2411.
Participating businesses to date are:
Apothecaria
Books on Main
Boyce & Sons, Inc.
Buster’s Main Street Café
Carousel Delicatessen & Ice Cream Shoppe
Cascade Home Center
CG Habitat for Humanity
D & D Automotive
Dirtcheapcopies.com
Earthclick.net
El Tapatio
Lavender Field Embroidery
Pinocchio’s Pizza
Safeway
South Lane Wheels
Territorial Seed Company
Th e Bookmine
Th e Espresso Bar’n
Th e Flower Basket
Wal-Mart
Residential Lighting Contest
Organized by the Cottage Grove Chamber of
Commerce and sponsored by: Pacifi c Power, Lane
Electric Cooperative, and Emerald People’s Utility
District
*Open to any residence within 5 miles (by
road) of Cottage Grove’ City Limits
*Decorations must be visible from the street
*1st 2nd and 3rd place prizes will be awarded
Nominations must be submitted by 5:00pm,
Monday December 19, 2016 to the Cottage Grove
Chamber of Commerce, by mail 700 E. Gibbs,
phone (541) 942-2411, or email to info@cgcham-
ber.com.
Cottage Grove Residential Lighting Contest
Nomination Form
Address: _________________________________
Phone: _________________________________
Submitted By: _________________ Date: _______
Contestants may self-nominate
Return to 700 E. Gibbs Avenue Cottage Grove, OR 97424
541-942-2411 or info@cgchamber.com
2016 Chamber Board of Directors,
Advisors and Staff
Cottage Grove Area Chamber of Commerce
700 E. Gibbs • Cottage Grove, OR
info@cgchamber.com • www.cgchamber.com
P. (541) 942-2411
2016 Chamber Board of Directors: Thank you for your hours upon hours of volunteer time,
commitment, and service!
Offi cers
Joe Raade, President
South Lane County Fire & Rescue
Candace Solesbee, Vice President Shampoo Dolls Salon
Rhonda Worley, Secretary
CJW, LLC
Amanda Akers, Treasurer
Commonwealth Financial Network
Directors
Chloe Bekes
Dean Kruschke
Lindsay Laycock
Gary Manly
Cameron Reiten
Danny Solesbee
Don Williams
Lloyd Williams
Judd Van Gorder
Jack Sprats
Cascade Home Center
Lindsay Laycock – Keller Williams Realty
Cottage Grove Sentinel
KNND
Five Flying Monkeys
Retired, Past Board President
South Lane Television
Carousel Delicatessen & Ice Cream Shoppe
Advisors
Diana Knous
Garrett Bridgens
Mayor Tom Munroe
Richard Meyers
Shauna Neigh
Tim Herrmann
Pacifi c Power
South Lane School District
City of Cottage Grove
City of Cottage Grove
Cottage Grove Main Street Program
PeaceHealth Cottage Grove Community Medical Center
Visitor Center Volunteers:
Heidi Abbott, Dotti Bittner, Tara Sue Hughart, Susan Jeppesen, Suzy Kanich,
Marie Longfellow, Jennifer Robinson,
2016 Chamber Goals
Sharon Van Gorder, Jim Vander Plaat,
• Increase membership by 25/year
Sherry Wendt , Penny Westling,
• Increase networking opportunities by one/
Nolene Wheeler.
month
Staff:
Travis Palmer
Beth Martin
Mavis Bradsby
Executive Director
Offi ce Manager
Bookkeeper
• Increase advertising eff orts outside Cottage
Grove
• Organize and be viewed as a business
conduit and resource for businesses
• Improve communication about legislative
issues aff ecting business