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About Baker City herald. (Baker City, Or.) 1990-current | View Entire Issue (April 30, 2020)
BUSINESS & AG THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2020 THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD — 3B Column: You can market your business during COVID-19 closures T here is not a single anticipate making to your busi- person who has not been ness once the economy opens, affected in some way and let them know you care about by the fact many businesses have them and their families. been forced to temporarily close. •Offer ways people can con- However, don’t tinue to assume you purchase GREG SMITH should not your prod- SMALL BUSINESS continue to ucts or ser- DEVELOPMENT CENTER market your vices online, business, espe- including gift cially as the economy begins certifi cates. Social media ads to to open. Here are some tips to boost awareness are effective and consider: affordable. •Stay connected with your cus- •Fortunately, not all customers tomers. If you do not have a web- have lost their jobs and want to site or social media presence, support their favorite hometown create one now. Offer a sign-up businesses. Consider having some portal and send emails about T-shirts or hats designed and products available, changes you offer them online. You may be surprised how quickly they sell and are a great way to advertise. •Come up with a fun con- test or way to interact with your customers. This might include a photo contest in which people upload candid shots to your Face- book page of their pets or chil- dren. One business encouraged clients to share their favorite rec- ipes online. Perhaps a prize might include a gift card or discount to be used when your business reopens. •This is a great opportunity to fi nd ways to help support your community. There are many ave- nues available to assist others and if you are not in a fi nancial posi- tion to do so, initiate a food drive New offi cers chosen for Oregon FFA By George Plaven EO Media Group CORVALLIS — It was a longer road than usual, but Oregon FFA has chosen six new state offi cers for 2020-21. Offi cers are normally elected by member dele- gates on the fi nal morning of the Oregon FFA State Convention in March, though this year the event was abruptly canceled, like so many other school and social gatherings, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, Oregon FFA went “virtual” with selecting offi cers. A nomi- nating committee made up of 12 FFA members — one from each district — inter- viewed and scored 24 can- didates over four days via Zoom meetings, whittling the list down to 10 fi nalists. On Tuesday, the com- mittee recommended appointing Grace Adams, of Dayton, as president; Jenna Wallace, of Herm- iston, as vice president; Raimey Brown, of Baker, as secretary; Celilo Brun, of Hood River Valley, as treasurer; Alivia Robbins, of Burns, as reporter; and Colby Fairbairn, of Rose- burg, as sentinel. Nominations were approved by the Oregon FFA State Executive Com- mittee, and the new offi cer or encourage people to donate blood. There are many needs. •Spiff up your store. Take this opportunity to consider painting, rearranging and updating dis- plays, and planting fl owers. Wash windows and even the outside of your building. This will provide an inviting, fresh look for your customers when they return. •Consider joining other busi- nesses in sharing the cost of buying radio or newspaper ads. Marketing really is about devel- oping long term relationships. Offering products and services customers want to buy, pro- viding outstanding service, and being personable are all part of an effective marketing plan. Top Tyson still awaiting tests following Trump order By Jedidiah Maynes Grace Adams Raimey Brown Walla Walla Union-Bulletin Celilo Brun team will begin serving May 1. “Oregon FFA is thrilled to install these new offi cers who will represent approx- imately 11,200 members of Oregon FFA for the coming year,” said Lee Letsch, Oregon FFA executive secretary. Getting to this point took fl exibility and creativity on the part of the state associ- ation. After the convention was canceled, in-person elections were moved to early May during spring career development events scheduled to take place at Oregon State University. That, too, was nixed by COVID-19. Shawn Dooley, Oregon FFA CEO, said virtual interviews were the best option going forward to comply with social dis- tancing requirements. He praised both the nominating committee and state exec- utive committee for their work to make it happen. Parts of the state con- vention, including retiring addresses from the 2019-20 state offi cer team, were Colby Fairbairn Alivia Robbins also recorded and streamed online last month on Face- book Live for members to Jenna watch, which Wallace Dooley said went off without a hitch. The only snag in appointing the new state offi cer team came when one of the candidates was found to have previously made “concerning” posts on social media, Dooley said. He did not go into detail about the posts, but said they “did not uphold the values that FFA strives to instill in its members.” The nominating com- mittee met again Tuesday to revise its slate of offi - cers, and recommended one change. The state executive committee is made up of 12 Oregon FFA district presi- dents, the 12 Oregon FFA district advisors, the cur- rent Oregon FFA state offi - cers and other representa- tives from the Oregon FFA Foundation, Oregon FFA Alumni and Oregon State University. of the mind awareness has never been more important, so being resourceful and creative will help you be resilient and among those standing after this crisis is over. Finally, it is imperative to learn from this instantaneous and dramatic economic down- turn. Be determined to get a handle on your fi nances, better manage your cash fl ow, update or create your business plan, and most important, create a rainy-day fund as anything can happen at any time. About the Author Greg Smith is the director of the Eastern Oregon Univer- sity Small Business Development Center. WALLULA, Wash. — An executive order from President Donald Trump that classifi es meat pro- cessing plants as critical infrastructure brought more questions than answers for Tyson Fresh Meats in Wallula. Tuesday’s order, according to The Asso- ciated Press, uses the Defense Production Act to mark the facilities as crit- ical in order to prevent a shortage of chicken, pork and other meat on super- market shelves. Local offi cials were caught off guard by the order. “The county has no comment at this time,” Walla Walla County Emergency Management Director Liz Jessee said. Jessee is also serving as a public information offi cial for the county’s Department of Commu- nity Health during the COVID-19 pandemic. A Tyson spokeswoman said Wednesday that the company will work with the USDA on next steps. “We appreciate the administration’s efforts to help the food supply chain, and we remain committed to protecting the safety of our team members as we con- tinue our efforts to keep feeding American fam- ilies,” said Hli Yang, senior communications specialist for Arkan- sas-based Tyson, via email. However, it was unclear if Tyson plans on sending workers back soon or not. The return of workers at the facility depends on “a variety of fac- tors,” including how long it takes coronavirus test results to return, Yang said. She said the com- pany will work with local health offi cials to conduct education for workers regarding CDC guidelines and preventing the spread of the virus. The plant was par- tially shut down last week as remaining meat was processed and workers were sent home following testing. The test results were expected Wednesday, Jessee said. “We were hoping to have some information (Tuesday), but that didn’t happen,” Jessee said. About 1,400 people are employed at the Wal- lula facility. Between Walla Walla, Benton and Franklin counties, 125 workers have tested pos- itive for coronavirus and one employee has report- edly died, as of Tuesday afternoon. State Rep. Skyler Rude said food production is essential, but the safety of health and workers must be made a priority. “At this time, I would not support forced reopen coming down from the federal level via the Defense Production Act,” Rude said. “Walla Walla County health offi cials are better suited to take the lead on this situation.” More than 20 meat- packing plants have been temporarily closed, according to the AP, including Walla Walla County’s second largest employer. The president’s order came a day after Tyson Foods Inc. placed a full- page ad in The New York Times, claiming the “food supply chain is breaking.” OREGON'S 2ND OREGON'S 2ND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT REPUBLICAN DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FORUM CANDIDATE FORUM Get to know the Republican candidates for U.S. Congress without leaving home. Get to know the Democratic candidates for U.S. Congress without leaving home. Primary election is May 19 Primary election is May 19 Forums will be video recorded without audience due to COVID-19 concerns. Forums will be video recorded without audience due to COVID-19 concerns. Streaming live on this newspaper’s Facebook page: Streaming live on this newspaper’s Facebook page: Saturday May 2, 2020 • 5 p.m. & 7 p.m. Friday, May 1, 2020 • 6:30 Watch after the event on this newspaper’s website or on EOAlive.tv Watch after the event on this newspaper’s website or on EOAlive.tv Submit your questions in advance by email to: CD2forum@eomediagroup.com or on Facebook Live during the event. Submit your questions in advance by email to: CD2forum@eomediagroup.com or on Facebook Live during the event. Moderated by Chris Rush - Regional Publisher, EO Media Group Moderated by Chris Rush - Regional Publisher, EO Media Group Live stream and video by EO Alive TV Live stream and video by EO Alive TV • A forum for the Democratic candidates will be held on May 1 • • A forum for the Republican candidates will be held on May 2 •
