The Blue Mountain eagle., March 18, 2020, Page 3, Image 3

BUSINESS
MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, March 18, 2020
A3
EO Media Group
names Brogoitti
as regional
sales director
Blue Mountain Eagle
The Eagle/Rudy Diaz
House to Home owner Kattie Piazza talks about the buckets catching the drips around the
store after the roof failed during February storms.
Open for business and
ready to overcome adversity
House to Home in
John Day reopens
after roof failure
By Rudy Diaz
Blue Mountain Eagle
Feb. 6, a day after a win-
ter storm bombarded Grant
County with snow and
rain, Kattie Piazza walked
into her business, House
to Home, to find huge pud-
dles, ceiling tiles, insula-
tion and products on the
floor.
In July, a new roof was
installed improperly, which
led the roof to leak from
the front of the building to
the back. The storm forced
Piazza to close her business
to clean up the damage.
“Being closed for three
weeks, I didn’t know what
to do with myself,” Piazza
said. “I still had tons of
phone calls to make and
deal with insurance, but I
missed my customers and I
missed having people walk
through the door and having
conversations and getting to
be a part of their lives.”
On March 4, Piazza
reopened her business as
she continues to evalu-
ate options to fund roof
repairs. Insurance will
cover the damage that hap-
pened inside the building,
such as display items, the
floor and the ceiling, but
insurance does not cover
workmanship, Piazza said.
“As great as it is that
insurance is covering the
damage on the inside, it
doesn’t do me any good
to put in a new ceiling if
it’s going to get ruined
because of roof leaks,”
Piazza said.
Piazza now has a goal
to raise the funds neces-
The Eagle/Rudy Diaz
While the ceiling is covered
in plastic, House to Home is
open for business, and own-
er Kattie Piazza is dedicated
to provide the best experi-
ence for her customers.
House to Home owner Kat-
tie Piazza talks about the
various buckets around the
store after the roof failed
during February storms.
sary to replace the roof.
Piazza started a Gofundme
account online where peo-
ple can donate money for
the roof — which can be
found on the House to
Home’s Facebook page on
a post from Feb. 16.
A business in town has
also set up a donation jar
in their store to help raise
funds.
“Above and beyond
that, it’s hoping that peo-
ple will shop and support
a local business,” Piazza
said. “I’m a startup and
created all of this from
scratch, and I love it. I
want to be able to keep
going with it.”
The business is faced
with two deadlines: a race
to get the roof done before
winter and one year to
complete the insurance
repairs, which all can’t be
completed without a new
roof.
Piazza said she is a
fighter and does not give
up easily. She said she’s
appreciative of the support
from the community.
“What keeps the drive
going is that I love liv-
ing here, and this is a
great community with a
big heart, and I love being
a part of that and being a
part of customers’ lives,”
Piazza said. “It’s why I
open everyday, and it’s
why I am still frantically
trying to come up with
ways to save the roof.”
The business is now
fully operational again and
will celebrate its fourth
anniversary
in April.
Piazza is still bringing in
as much new product as
she can. Piazza is hoping
to offer wine tastings in
April with a new kitchen
in place.
“I consider it a privi-
lege to start a fourth year
of business in April, and
I couldn’t do that without
the support of the commu-
nity, fellow business own-
ers and customers,” Piazza
said. “I value every person
that walks through that
door.”
The Eagle/Rudy Diaz
S165194-1
Veteran newspaper leader Karrine
Brogoitti has been named regional sales
director for EO Media Group’s east
side operations which includes six print
newspapers and associated websites.
Brogoitti, who already serves as
regional publisher of the La Grande
Observer and the Baker City Herald
newspapers, will continue in that role.
Family-owned EO Media Group pur-
chased the La Grande and Baker City
newspapers in July 2019. It also oper-
ates newspapers in Pendleton, Hermis-
ton, John Day and Enterprise.
“Since acquiring the La Grande
Observer and Baker City Herald last
July, I’ve been very
impressed with Kar-
rine’s passion, lead-
ership and her com-
mitment
to
the
communities
and
businesses we serve,”
said EO Media Group
Karrine
COO Heidi Wright.
Brogoitti
“With Karrine taking
on a regional sales and
marketing leadership role and our com-
pany’s recent investment in new tech-
nology, I have no doubt our Eastern
Oregon properties will grow and con-
tinue the company’s 112-year commit-
ment to the region.”
A lifelong resident of La Grande,
Brogoitti’s newspaper career spans
nearly 25 years. She started at The
Observer in June 1997 as an advertising
sales assistant, then was promoted to a
multimedia marketing sales position in
July 1998. She was later promoted in
December 2014 to advertising manager
and then again in December 2015 to
Regional Advertising Director of West-
ern Communication’s Northeast Ore-
gon properties. In January 2018 Bro-
goitti was named regional publisher of
the La Grande Observer and the Baker
City Herald, overseeing a staff of nearly
30 employees.
“Karrine is a proven leader with a rich
background in sales and marketing,” said
EO Media Group Regional Publisher
Chris Rush. “She is already a highly vis-
ible presence in La Grande and Baker
City, and we expect that she will soon
become a familiar presence in Pendleton,
Hermiston and the other Eastern Oregon
communities that we serve.”
Rush said Brogoitti will work
closely with East Oregonian Adver-
tising Manager Angela Treadwell and
other newspaper managers and staff to
expand advertising opportunities for
customers, both in print and online.
“I’m really looking forward to work-
ing hand-in-hand with the strong sales
teams across our east side publications
to brainstorm new ideas and fine tune
our menu of marketing strategies and
initiatives,” said Brogoitti. “There’s a
lot of new ideas and plans on the hori-
zon that I’m eager to put into action to
help our business communities grow
and succeed.”
The Eagle/Steven Mitchell
Joe Radinovich, with his first customer at Java
Jungle, Caleb Maplesden. Maplesden said he
has known Radinovich practically his whole life.
Big Joe’s
barbershop opens
inside Java Jungle
By Steven Mitchell
Blue Mountain Eagle
Those looking for an old school barbershop
experience in John Day need look no further.
Big Joe’s barbershop is now open for busi-
ness inside Java Jungle.
Barber Joe Radinovich, who previously
operated shops in both John Day and Canyon
City, said he is excited about his new location
inside Java Jungle.
“I just love to make people look and feel
good,” he said.
Radinovich, born and raised in John Day,
has been a barber for three years.
Radinovich attended the College of Cos-
metology through Eastern Oregon’s College
of Industrial Arts in John Day.
He said he always looked up to former John
Day barber Joe West. Radinovich grew up get-
ting his hair cut by West.
Radinovich said West always did things his
own way.
Java Jungle Manager Heather Rookstool is
excited about the opening of Big Joe’s in the
coffee shop.
Rookstool said it will be great to have an
old time barbershop in John Day.
Rookstool said Radinovich’s gregarious
personality will be good to have around Java
Jungle.
“Anytime Joe is around, people are laugh-
ing and having a good time,” she said
Radinovich’s first customer at Java Jungle,
Caleb Maplesden, said he learned of Big Joe’s
new location after running into Radinovich in
town.
Maplesden said he grew up with
Radinovich.
“He was at my 8-year birthday party,” he
said.
Maplesden, a fan of the straight-edge
shave, likes the old school barbershop atmo-
sphere that Big Joe’s offers.
“I hope it brings new people into our shop
who may have never been in before,” Rook-
stool said.
Rookstool said, for customer convenience
and to avoid wait times, Big Joe’s will be by
appointment only.
Appointments can be made at the front desk
or by calling 541-575-2224.
Big Joe’s will be open Tuesdays through
Fridays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Satur-
days from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
S165199-1