COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL
C H A M B E R
|
JULY 2, 2020 |
9A
N E W S L E T T E R
Th e Cottage Grove Area Chamber of Commerce promotes economic vitality through advocacy and collaboration with its members and the larger community.
Th e Cottage Grove Area Chamber of
Commerce is moving to Main Street! On
June 16 th the Board of Directors approved
the relocation of the Chamber Offi ce and
Visitors Center to the new location on
the corner of 99 and Main Street. We are
excited to start the renovation and plan to
open the fi rst of August. We will provide
information on the Ribbon Cutting
Ceremony in the August newsletter.
Shauna Neigh
CEO/President
Now that the restrictions have started to
ease I have been around town visiting
several of our Chamber of Commerce
businesses. It is so refreshing to see
Cottage Grove has fared well during
this pandemic storm. It is obvious the
businesses have been busy refreshing their
space and renewing their processes with
the safety requirements in mind. Th rough
this unique time, 1 of our members
had their Grand Opening and another
had their Grand ReOpening! We at the
Chamber are so proud of the businesses
and their resiliency.
Congratulations to the Covered Bridge
Brewing Group (CBBG). If you have
been by to see the improvements made
to the old Herb’s Automotive building,
you’ll agree, it’s beautiful inside and out.
Inside is clean and cool. Th e outside
has beautiful fl owers, picnic tables and
umbrellas. It feels very comfortable and
welcoming. You can start your day with
a great specialty coff ee beverage and end
your day with award winning beer, all
handcraft ed right in CG at CBBG! Added
perks? Th ey have 2 food carts, with great
food. Th e Dipper, which does a variety of
French dips, a Philly cheesesteak, and a
vegi sandwich for vegetarians all served
with fries or onion rings. Another choice,
So Quetzal, which does Guatemalan/
Mexican fusion food off erings including
El Pastor, chicken, and vegi nachos,
burritos, and street tacos. Recently, CBBG
partnered with Buster’s Main Street Café
for online pick up or delivery. If you have
a meeting or would like a private tasting,
they off er a space for up to 10 people.
Looking for a gift ? Th ey have great swag,
gift certifi cates, growlers and growler fi lls
available.
Free Rein on Main is open! Th eir new
location is 1601 E. Main Street, on the
corner of 16th and Main across from
Anytime Fitness. I was lucky enough to
be there fi rst thing Friday morning when
they opened. I witnessed their fi rst sale
and left with a few items myself. Th ere is a
great variety and something for everyone.
Th ey off er women’s clothing for sizes S
– 3XL, fun hats, scarves, unique jewelry
and handcraft ed magnets. Although
there is NO scientifi c data to indicate
that clothing items are a major means of
the spread of COVID-19, they are taking
all precautions necessary to allow a safe
shopping experience. Visit and say hello
to Melanie. Th ey are open Tuesday thru
Saturday from 10am – 6pm.
Both these businesses are winners of the
Cottage Grove Business Challenge. We are
so happy to see their dreams coming to
fruition.
In January of this year, Oprah Magazine
listed Cottage Grove as #2 in the ’60
Charming American Towns You Haven’t
Heard of but Should Visit ASAP’. It is
so nice to know we are getting National
recognition for our beautiful town. My
husband and I spent this past Saturday on
Bohemia Mountain. We hiked for 3 miles
in the most beautiful terrain. We are so
lucky to live in an area who most would
consider a vacation location. I am sorry
the Bohemia Mining Days Breakfast on
the Mountain will not happen this year
but you can bring your own and enjoy the
beauty of the outdoors. Remember to take
out what you bring in. It’s best to leave no
trace.
GOLD
Pacifi c Power
SILVER
Banner Bank
City of Cottage Grove
Emerald People’s Utility
District
Lane Community College -
Cottage Grove Center
Lane Electric Cooperative
Northwest Natural
PeaceHealth Cottage Grove
Community Medical
Center
Walmart
Weyerhaeuser
Annual Couch Potato
Triathlon
Th e Annual Couch Potato Triathlon is
back this year on July 18th. Teams will
compete in golf, bowling and darts to
crown this year’s champion. All proceeds
for this event directly fund the Junior
Stars youth bowling program here in CG.
Four person teams are $180 or $45 each.
Check-in 8:30am, Start 9:00am. Drawing
and prizes. Please call 541-767-2695 for
more information or to reserve your spot.
WEBSITE UPGRADES
We are preparing for upgrades to our
website with a new look and features
that will allow for online payments and
registering for events to name a few.
GrowthZone is our membership platform
and a FABULOUS TOOL to market
your business. An important part of
this upgrade is the member records on
our website. Our website and the features
it offers is one of the benefi ts of
your membership, giving you an
opportunity to put your best foot
forward.
There will be training during our July
Breakfast Club July 10, 8:00 - 9:00am.
You will learn how to utilize features of-
fered to keep your member information
current, post job openings, create cou-
pons, add photos, and utilize other tools to
enhance your business.
In order for you to have access to these
tools you must have a login so look for
an email inviting you to create your log-
in. We encourage you to do this before
the training so you can immediately be-
gin using these features.
A link will be in next week’s email on
how to join the webinar so STAY TUNED
FOR MORE INFORMATION!
Sign up Today to be a Participating
Business!
Chamber Gift Certifi cates
Th e Gift Certifi cate Program is a
Member Benefi t Highlight. Chamber
Gift Certifi cates are available in any
denomination and anyone can purchase
certifi cates. As a chamber we strive to
educate the community of the value
of supporting our local merchants 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.
Special Th anks
to our 2020
Enhanced Members
PLATINUM PLUS
Cottage Grove Sentinel
CHAMBER GIFT CERTIFICATES
are promoted in Cottage Grove using
multi-media. Don’t miss out on this
opportunity to increase sales. Be a part
of the CHAMBER GIFT CERTIFICATE
program and call us at 942-2411 to sign
up TODAY!
How it works: Certifi cates are purchased
at the Chamber offi ce and can be used at
chamber member businesses participating
in the program. A list of businesses is
attached to the certifi cate(s)
Gift certifi cates are treated as
cash when presented.
Participating businesses then
redeem their certifi cates by
submitting them to the Chamber
offi ce.
Participating businesses will be
reimbursed for those certifi cates
redeemed by submitting them to
the chamber offi ce.
A small handling fee of 5% of the
face amount of the certifi cate but
not less than $1.00 per certifi cate
is taken at the time they are
redeemed.
Chamber Gift Certifi cate participation
is not limited to retail stores. Service
oriented businesses should get involved
too. Each business will be able to establish
restrictions (i.e. Not redeemable for
prescriptions, etc.).
THE CHAMBER’S
NUMBER ONE GOAL is to
create a strong local economy. This
is a diffi cult time for all of us. As we
learn more about COVID-19, I know
businesses and the individuals they
employ may be overwhelmed by feelings
of uncertainty and fear. But we should
be confi dent that our community will
come together and recover from this
unprecedented time. The Cottage Grove
Area Chamber of Commerce is committed
to support the entire business community
during this time of need. We hope you
consider us a resource. Once this is over,
please remember the benefi ts of being a
Chamber Member and continue to support
our efforts for the years to come.
are behind us but the need for goods and
services continue. If we make sure our
everyday purchases stay local, Cottage
Grove will continue to grow and thrive.
For a large percentage of Cottage Grove
residents that work in Eugene it can be a
temptation to also take care of everyday
needs while in Eugene. The chamber
would like to offer a challenge to all of
our residents who work outside of Cottage
Grove to refocus your spending right
here in our great community. It may take
a little extra planning but the return on
investment is worth it! There are many
reasons to shop local but below are 6
main reasons why:
1. Building Community- The casual
encounters you enjoy at neighborhood
businesses build long term relationships
with business owners you can trust. Plus
you’re more likely to bump into friends
and neighbors.
2. Economic Vitality- Each dollar you
spend at a local business returns 3 times
more money to our local economy than if
you were to shop in Eugene!
3. Character- Preserve the things that
make our town special. Cottage Grove is
full of unique businesses that you can’t
fi nd anywhere else. Support them so they
will remain here in the future.
4. A Healthier Environment- When you
spend your money at local businesses
you use less fuel, thereby reducing your
carbon footprint on our planet. You’ll
also get fresher produce from local
markets in our area.
5. Lower Taxes- Local businesses
generate more tax revenue per sales
dollar, which helps keep your taxes lower!
6. Save Time and Money – It can easily
cost over $8 in gas just to drive to Eugene
and back (more if you get less than
20mpg). Your time is worth something
too. Even if you only value your time at
$15.00 per hour, that means it will cost
you $23 just to drive there and back. If
you’re not saving at least that much by
shopping out of town that means you’re
probably losing money by not shopping
local!
Spend Your Money in
Cottage Grove and See a
Return on Investment
The busiest shopping days of the year
2020 Chamber Board of Directors, Advisors and Staff:
Thank you for your hours upon hours of volunteer time, commitment, and service!
OFFICERS
Chair
Vice Chair
Secretary
Treasurer
Past Chair
Danny Solesbee, 5 Flying Monkeys
Len Blackstone, Blackstone, Inc. – Windermere Real Estate
Ruth Linoz, South Lane Wheels
Gary Manly, Cottage Grove Sentinel
Candace Solesbee, Shampoo Dolls Salon
DIRECTORS
Chrissy Chapman
Alyssa Gomez
Brent Hoover
James Kline
Shane May
Cameron Reiten
Dale Smith
Judd Van Gorder
Tiffanie Williams
Covered Bridge Brewing Group
Sweet Springs Family Farm
The Grove Café & Lounge
The Espresso Barʼn
Emerald Fitness Club
KNND
Coast Fork Feed Company
Carousel House B&B & Catering
PayneWest Insurance
ADVISORS
Richard Meyers
Candace Solebee
Tim Herrmann
Dr. Yvonne Curtis
Ryan Gifford
Molly Murai
City Manager
Cottage Grove City Council
PeaceHealth Cottage Grove Community Medical Center
South Lane School District
Gifford & Gifford Attorneys at Law
Main Street Program
Visitor Center Volunteers:
Heidi Abbott, Sarah Heuser, Suzanne Huebner-Sannes, Tara Sue Hughart,
Susan Jeppesen, Rebecca Lane, Marie Longfellow, Judd Van Gorder, Sharon Van Gorder, Penny Westling,
Sherry Bricher-Wendt.
Staff:
Shauna Neigh, CEO/President
Beth Martin, Offi ce Manager
Mavis Bradsby, Bookkeeper
Cottage Grove Area Chamber of Commerce
700 E. Gibbs • Cottage Grove, OR
P. (541) 942-2411
info@cgchamber.com • www.cgchamber.com