THE BULLETIN • SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2021 A5
Kale
Continued from A1
“Me and Kate are pretty
good friends,” he said. “We talk
now and then.”
Brown had nothing but
praise for Kale.
“Kale embodies the lively
spirit and ingenuity of Oregon’s
youth,” she wrote in an email
to The Bulletin. “He has been
determined to make the world
a better place, and I have no
doubt that he someday will.”
Kale’s interview with the
governor in 2020 mainly fo-
cused on his concerns about
food waste. Environmental
concerns are a primary talking
point for many of his inter-
views, he said.
“Climate change, it is so cru-
cially important that we deal
with this,” Kale told The Bulle-
tin. “If we don’t put an end to
greenhouse gases … then we
simply won’t have a planet.”
A few of Kale’s interviewees
— including the one nonpoli-
tician he’s posted a video with,
former Portland Trail Blazers
big man Meyers Leonard — he
Ryan Brennecke/The Bulletin
Kale Gardner, 14, has interviewed several well-known politicians on his YouTube channel and has journalistic
and political aspirations when he gets older.
met in person before arranging
a filmed chat. But Kale con-
tacts the majority of the pol-
iticians via emails or letters,
Alcohol
Continued from A1
The measure could add up to $2.31
to the cost of a six-pack, assuming the
brewer doesn’t absorb the increase in
taxes, said Bart Watson, Brewers As-
sociation chief economist. In Oregon,
the brewer, the distributor and the re-
tailer all tack on their own margin to
the cost of beer.
“Craft beer is an essential part of
Oregon’s economy, and closures due
to COVID-19 are having a devastat-
ing impact on Oregon’s breweries and
the hospitality sector,” said LaLonde,
whose brewery is ranked 11th in
terms of production in the U.S. craft
beer arena, according to the Brewers
Association, which ranks craft brew-
ers each year.
The beer-brewing industry gener-
ates $12.5 billion in revenue to Ore-
gon, said LaLonde. The 400 breweries
statewide employ 43,000 people, he
said.
The measure increases taxes on
beer, wine, cider and distilled prod-
ucts to fund behavioral health and
substance use programs and create
asking if they want to be inter-
viewed, he said.
“A lot of times, people tell
me, ‘you should write,’” Kale
the Addiction Crisis Recovery Fund.
The fund is necessary because Or-
egon has the third-highest untreated
addiction rate in the nation, it is
ranked 47th in the nation in access to
addiction treatment and alcohol kills
five times as many people as all drug
overdoses combined, according to the
measure.
“Oregon has an unprecedented ad-
diction crisis largely driven by alco-
hol and made worse by COVID-19,”
said Mike Marshall, executive director
of Oregon Recovers, a support net-
work for Oregonians experiencing
addiction to drugs and alcohol. “With
this, we have the opportunity to dra-
matically reduce excessive drinking,
reduce alcohol-related fatalities and
build the system needed to help the
9% of Oregonians who suffer from
untreated addiction.”
Rep. Jason Kropf, D-Bend, said in
an email to The Bulletin it’s important
to bring the need for more services
out for discussion.
“Far too many struggle without ac-
cess to the support and services they
desperately need,” Kropf said. “At the
same time, our beer and wine in-
said. “That’s one thing that
helps me (get in touch).”
Kale has big ambitions for
future interviews. His “wait-
“Far too many struggle without
access to the support and services
they desperately need. At the
same time, our beer and wine
industry has been hit hard by the
pandemic, and I am hearing from
many in our community who are
concerned about the timing of the
proposal. I share that concern.”
— Rep. Jason Kropf, D-Bend
dustry has been hit hard by the pan-
demic, and I am hearing from many
in our community who are concerned
about the timing of the proposal. I
share that concern.”
The measure raises the tax for
brewers and hard cider makers from
$2.60 a barrel to $72.60 per barrel.
Wine is taxed at 65 cents per gallon of
wine, and under the proposed legisla-
tion it would go to $10 per gallon.
“This is something that is definitely
going to affect our business,” said
ing list,” as he put it, includes
recently elected U.S. Sens. Ra-
phael Warnock and Jon Ossoff
from Georgia, MSNBC host
Rachel Maddow and arguably
the most well-known mem-
ber of the U.S. House of Rep-
resentatives: Alexandria Oca-
sio-Cortez. But the top person
on Kale’s interview wish list?
President Joe Biden, whom
Kale admires for his ability to
overcome the deaths of multi-
ple family members, he said.
“One reason I respect and
admire him so much is sim-
ply because of all he’s went
through,” Kale said. “Where
he’s at today, it’s really amazing,
all the laws he’s passed. He’s just
such an amazing guy.”
Kale’s father, Randy Gardner,
said he’ll find his son writing
letters to politicians early in the
morning or late at night.
He said he’s proud of Kale’s
blossoming interest in jour-
nalism.
“People enjoy being inter-
viewed by him, and he’s very
articulate with his interviews
and questions,” Gardner said.
“I feel like he definitely has
Ty Burnett, GoodLife Brewing co-
founder.
“We’re tied to a three-tier system.
We sell to the distributor, who sells to
the store and then it is sold to the con-
sumer. At each turn, every one adds
up to 30% to the price.
“This would put our product far
beyond the most expensive.”
The median tax per barrel of beer
is $6.20 in the United States, Watson
said. A barrel of beer is 31 gallons.
Brewers fear that consumers will
trade down to cheaper products
rather than pay these higher prices,
Watson said.
Doug Maragas, owner of Maragas
Winery in Culver, said he hoped law-
makers opt to not give the measure a
hearing, which essentially will mean
that the taxes would not be raised.
“I hope the Legislature won’t con-
sider it,” Maragas said. “I don’t un-
derstand the reasoning of increasing
taxes on an industry that has fallen,
especially for the small and medi-
um-sized. I’m really hoping that logic
prevails here.”
In Oregon, the producer in the
state pays the tax on the product, said
“Kale embodies the lively
spirit and ingenuity
of Oregon’s youth.”
— Gov. Kate Brown
potential to really do some-
thing.”
Kale’s two favorite interviews
are with Wyden and Kenyatta,
he said.
“I was very grateful that Sen.
Wyden was able to take time
out of his busy schedule to talk
with me,” he said.
Wyden, in an email, said he
was impressed with Kale’s in-
terviewing prowess and con-
cern for the country’s well-be-
ing.
“(Kale) came to our in-
terview well-prepared with
thoughtful questions that re-
flect what’s on young Orego-
nians’ minds about the climate
crisis, homelessness and more,”
he wrote.
“Our interview reinforces
the confidence I have about the
future.”
e e
Reporter: 541-617-7854,
jhogan@bendbulletin.com
Christina LaRue, Oregon Brewers
Guild co-executive director.
“It’s a bill meant to kill the alcohol
industry,” LaRue said. “We’re a des-
tination state for people looking for
craft beer and great wine. It’s a lot of
money to be eliminated especially
during a pandemic.”
If the measure passes, brewers will
have to make up the loss in revenue
some where. The proposed measure
is not a sales tax, which the consumer
pays, but instead an excise tax paid
by the producers, distributors and re-
tailers.
Proponents of the measure say the
tax will only add 21 cents to every can
of beer, LaRue said.
But actually, at every touchpoint,
the price will be raised. The associ-
ation has launched a petition drive
donttaxmydrink.org.
“There’s only so much shelf space
and tap handles in bars, so brewers
are already vying for the real estate,”
she said. “You’re putting brewers
backs up against the wall at $72 a bar-
rel tax. “
e e
Reporter: 541-633-2117,
sroig@bendbulletin.com
Paid Advertisement
The power of Facebook advertising continues to grow
BY LIAM O’KENNEDY
Digital Adversing
and Content Strategist
It’s never been easier for
businesses to reach people
online.
Platforms like Facebook
have a vast reach that can help
advertisers connect with new
audiences. The social media
giant has 2.74 billion monthly
active users, nuanced target-
ing capabilities and a host of
rich, multimedia storytelling
options at its disposal.
Still, many businesses un-
dervalue — or even outright
ignore — their Facebook pag-
es. Social media management
can be time-consuming and
complicated, but it’s an essen-
tial component of marketing
in 2021.
Dive deeper into the realm
of Facebook for Business by
reading the primer below.
Unmatched storytelling
capabilities are
at your fingertips
Facebook posts can incorpo-
rate text and images seamless-
ly, making it easy to convey
important information and
eye-catching photos. Carousel
Ads on Facebook combine two
or more images with different
headlines and call-to-action
buttons, and are highly effec-
tive at driving post engage-
ment and website traffic.
They’re a great way to tell the
story of a brand or promote a
new product launch.
Precise targeting &
Lookalike Audiences
attract the right people
Like most social networks,
Facebook collects information
on its users and turns that
information into audiences for
advertisers. This means that
businesses can gain exposure
to the exact types of people
who might be interested in
what they offer.
For example, a ski shop
could promote its tune-up and
repair services to only people
who live within a few miles of
123rf
the shop and have expressed
an interest in skiing on Face-
book.
Alternatively, businesses can
use Lookalike Audiences to
target people who reflect the
fans they already have. Looka-
like Audiences deliver ads
to people with similar traits
and behaviors to the people
who have already “liked” or
interacted with a specific page,
making them more likely
to engage with content and
become customers.
Real-time feedback
is priceless
Facebook ads don’t simply
disappear into the digital
aether once they’re created —
they take on a life of their own.
As they reach people who are
genuinely interested in what’s
being promoted, they garner
likes, reactions, comments and
shares. A simple comment
expressing interest can give a
brand a window to communi-
cate with a potential customer
in meaningful ways.
Don’t just “Set it,
and forget it!”
Legendary television pitch-
man Ron Popeil was a master
of the catchphrase, and his
“Set it, and forget it!” mantra
helped him sell over 8 million
rotisserie ovens in the US. It
was a simple concept: once the
chicken’s in the oven, you can
forget about it until it’s done.
The same can’t be said for
digital marketing campaigns.
They need frequent attention
and fine-tuning to achieve op-
timal results. Sometimes a set
of ads will underperform and
require audience or budget
tweaks, or sometimes those
ads will need to be paused
altogether. Ad sets that outper-
form the rest of a campaign
deserve deep analysis and can
influence future marketing de-
cisions. It’s crucial to identify
what’s working and what’s not
so that money spent on ads
stretches as far as possible.
That level of commitment
can be daunting, and stops
many businesses from ever
getting started. Don’t let it!
Let Whiteboard Media
guide your Facebook
strategy
Whiteboard Media works
closely with its clients to de-
velop and maintain campaigns
that generate exceptional
business results.
Visit whiteboardmediagroup.
com/contact to learn more, or
call 503-890-1949 today.