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About Cannon Beach gazette. (Cannon Beach, Or.) 1977-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 12, 2018)
6A • January 12, 2018 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com Cannon Beach Chamber searches for new director By Brenna Visser Cannon Beach Gazette The search is on for the next executive director of the Cannon Beach Chamber of Commerce. As of last week, a search committee was formed to help fill the seat left by Court Carrier, who left the position in November due to medical concerns. A team of nine represent- ing the lodging industry, food and beverage industry, art community and local govern- ment will create job descrip- tion and criteria and expect to advertise for the position in the next few weeks. While the chamber board will ultimate- ly vote on the candidate, the chamber decided to mimic the city manager search process by creating a panel represen- tative of the community to make recommendations, said Greg Swedenborg, president of the Chamber of Commerce board and committee member. Jim Paino is currently serving as the interim director. Paino plans to apply for the R.J. MARX/CANNON BEACH GAZETTE Former Chamber of Com- merce Director Court Car- rier. R.J. MARX/CANNON BEACH GAZETTE Chamber Executive Assistant Jim Paino. Paino is among those applying for the role of chamber director. position when it opens, and said he is playing no role in the search committee process. The goal is to fill the posi- tion by the end of March. “We want to make the qualities we are looking for tangible,” Swedenborg said. “It’s important to find some- one who works well with community members, but how do we want to measure that? That kind of criteria is what this committee is work- ing on developing.” While the criteria is still under construction, some qualifications the board would like to see include experience with non-profit work, operat- ing a similarly-sized budget and a love for Cannon Beach, Swedenborg said. One of Carrier’s great- est achievements as direc- tor, Swedenborg said, was contracting with the city to receive the percentage of rev- enue collected from the tran- sient room tax legally spec- ified to promote tourism. He said he hopes the next director can continue a similar rela- tionship with the city, as well as carry on Carrier’s legacy of connecting local and national destination marketing organi- zations. Changes they would like to see in the next director, Swe- denborg said, would be a can- didate with a more “operation, organizational focus.” “There could be improve- ments with the day-to-day op- erations, making sure projects get done not so last minute as to not stress out the staff,” Swedenborg said. Promoting longevity in the position is also a priority, he said. Prior to Carrier, who stayed in the position almost three years, three out of the four directors prior stayed for less than a year. Some committee members attribut- ed inconsistent and outdated bylaws concerning commu- nication, voting, employee re- views and job descriptions to the high turnover during that era of the chamber’s history. “We don’t want to have to go through this again,” Swe- denborg said. “It was a small organization, and things were loose. We realized there was a lot of fundamental things that needed to be given some structure. So we’ve spent a lot of effort and time this year on HR responsibilities, employee handbooks, and the bylaws of the chamber to provide a better foundation for any new director going forward.” Committee meetings will be closed, but Swedenborg said it’s a priority of the chamber’s to keep the public informed of the process. Ridgway: Goal is to attract a demographic of affluent millennials Brand from Page 1A it’s more like 23. We need to reach other to people in all the ways we can with the same clear images and words.” in a clean, fresh way. We’re not changing that we’re an art town, or a premiere beach destination. We’re packaging it in a fresh and contemporary way. I think people will no- tice, but it’s not such a change where they think ‘this isn’t my Cannon Beach.’” The message When Ridgway first came to Cannon Beach, he said he saw lots of posters up with no common theme for Cannon Beach. “We needed a brand evolu- tion,” Ridgway said. Since last year, the cham- ber worked with the company Red & Co. to develop color palettes, a tone of voice in ad writing, photo style guides. The goal is to attract a demo- graphic of affluent millenni- als, Ridgway said. “We are very dependent on the baby-boomer market, which is okay, but we’re dy- ing off. We have to appeal to a The conflict CANNON BEACH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Logo showing the city’s new branding concept. younger market,” he said. Some of the changes to come will include more pho- to ads featuring people rath- er than landscape scenery, sharper, modern text and, most notably, a modern logo, said Gary Hayes, president of Explorer Media Group. “It’s personal, it’s authen- tic, it’s fun and playful,” said Hayes. Some of the first im- plementation will be seen in Cannon Beach Magazine, which his company produc- es.“Presenting Cannon Beach While the committee voted to approve it late December, some members of the Cham- ber board have expressed hes- itations about certain design elements didn’t fit the feel of the town. According to both Hayes and Ridgway, some Cham- ber board members disagreed with some final design ele- ments of the logo. Others took issue with colorful illustra- tions of icons like Haystack Rock and puffins that were proposed, which bear a simi- larity to the aesthetic of Sea- side’s branding. Risley said she wants more original art and photography to be show- cased to define the town’s look. “We don’t want to homog- enize ourselves. The draw of both places is the fact we are so different. You can go to one place and enjoy the other next door,” said Robin Risley, a Chamber board member who did not vote to approve the brand redesign. While she did not agree with the final version of the logo, Risley said she thinks the branding overall is “fresh and clever,” and that it is im- portant for the community to support the new look for it to succeed. However, she still sees room for improvement. “People who are attracted to Cannon Beach are very impressed with how it is so natural and nature oriented and art oriented, and I think we need to make sure we continue to project that,” Ris- ley said. “The look is fresh, which I appreciate, but we need to maintain the feel we’ve been able to project in the past.” Hayes, who held similar reservations about the illus- trations, said part of imple- menting the new look will be translating these differences of opinion into the product. “Whenever you embark on this journey, you get a variety of opinions. Our job is to translate that into what works for our community. We are looking at phasing in the branding immediately, one project at a time,” he said. Treasure hunting team heads south Treasure from Page 1A into the field of excavating and treasure hunting themselves. But what exactly are they hoping to find? “We’re treasure hunters, so we keep secrets better than the pope,” Robert said. “But let’s just say one of the things fas- cinating about the panhandle is many Spanish galleons had to sail right past there on their way from Mexico to Havana. There are a number that are sunk off the coast there, and we have access to some of the world’s top research.” The Knechts have been in the world of treasure hunting for more than 30 years, and eventually met and bond- ed over their shared love of the physical manifestations of history. Both grew up in households that valued history — Robert remembers his dad dredging for gold, April her parents showing her around historical sites. Robert got his first chance to hunt for treasure while working as a photojournalist in Florida, where he was offered to join an excavation in Ant- arctica as a photographer and medic with a crew who discov- ered a famous Spanish galleon off the coast of Florida. Soon after Captain Carl Fisman, a famous treasure hunter and shipwreck discoverer, start- ed mentoring him and Robert produced documentaries of his journeys. “Treasure always seemed to find me, regardless where I was living,” Robert said. The two for years carried on for years in unrelated ca- reers, but decided while living in Phoenix, Arizona, it was time to reignite their shared passion for history, treasure and ocean living. The Knechts searched up and down the coast for a per- fect place to open up shop before they were reminded of Cannon Beach by the image of Haystack Rock while they NEW LISTING BRENNA VISSER/CANNON BEACH GAZETTE Ancient coins sit on Robert Knecht’s work bench as he and his wife work on moving their business Cannon Beach Treasure Co. out of their Hemlock Street location. ‘I LOVE SEEING THE KIDS.… THEY’LL PULL MONEY OUT OF THEIR POCKET, KNOW THEY EARNED IT BECAUSE IT’S ALL CRUMPLED UP, WANTING TO BUY THEIR TREASURE.’ ROBERT KNECHT were watching TV one day. A couple of months later, they signed a lease on Christmas Eve, and started selling trea- sure from all over the world — some treasures from as close as Cannon Beach’s own sand. “It’s an exciting process to go from archaic documenta- tion all the way to something easily digestible and mem- orable for someone who is purchasing an artifact,” April said. “It introduces people to something they may have never come in contact with. It becomes more intrinsically valuable when you understand our shared history.” April is excited to explore a new region and expand her business model to showcase more artifacts at one time than is presently possible in a retail location. But she will miss interacting with the custom- ers both her and Robert have grown to know. “I love seeing the kids come in and grow up. Little ones, 4 and 5 years old, come back. They’ll pull money out of their pocket, know they earned it because it’s all crumpled up, wanting to buy their treasure,” she said. “We just want to thank our longterm customers that come back and continue to support us to do what we do” “And who have become our friends,” Robert added. “We are very blessed to have had our opportunity to do this.” NEW LISTING ELEGANT AND COZY 132 E Surfcrest #D-1, Cannon Beach A FINE COLLABORATION 3063 S Hemlock St, Cannon Beach LODGES AT CANNON BEACH 132 E Surfcrest #D-2, Cannon Beach Craftsman style townhouse, fully furnished with gourmet kitchen, 2 fireplaces, close to the beach, restaurant, bakery & markets. Architect Jay Raskin & builder Scott Rekate have pulled out all the stops in this 3 bedroom, 2 bath home. Gourmet kitchen, heated detached garage with connecting breezeway. Looking for an investment? The Lodges allows nightly rentals with excellent management by the Inn at Cannon Beach. Fully furnished. CMLS#17-1685 $679,000 Karen Meili 503-440-5806 Steve Crane 503-440-6310 CMLS#17-1692 $675,000 Tina Chapman 503-440-9957 CMLS#17-1686 $629,000 Karen Meili 503-440-5806 Steve Crane 503-440-6310 NEW LISTING NEW PRICE QUIET SOUTH LOCATION 3748 Coho Place, Cannon Beach ROOM FOR ALL! 3779 Coho Place, Cannon Beach Kick back on your expansive deck, enjoy the views & sounds of the waves on at- tractive double lot. FOR DETAILS CALL 1-800-784-9541 EXT 711 CMLS#17-469 $499,900 Jackie Weber 503-440-2331 Just a short walk to the beach this current vacation rental has an addi- tional rented 2 bdroom apt. Perfect income property. CMLS#17-1543 $499,000 Tina Chapman 503-440-9957 NEW PRICE NEW PRICE OCEAN VIEW PARCEL BEAUTIFUL, PEACEFUL PROPERTY Seascape Drive, Cannon Beach Seascape Drive, Cannon Beach With 3.34 acres of wooded rolling land, potential park-like grounds and close to beach & mid-town shopping, you will have all the benefits of the city high above summer crowds. CMLS#16-848 $259,000 Karen Meili 503-440-5806 IT’S BEACH TIME 401 Cannon Beach Ridge #102, Cannon Beach GREAT LOCATION 160 E Siuslaw #3, Cannon Beach Just one block to the beach, this 3 bedroom condo has 3 fireplaces and a carport. Seller will pay one year HOA fees for buyer at closing. Zoned for nightly vacation rentals. CMLS#16-1664 $291,900 Craig Weston 503-738-2838 Dana Weston 503-738-2839 ENJOY BEACH LIFE 420 Elk Creek Road #201, Cannon Beach CMLS#17-739 $220,000 Karen Meili 503-440-5806 Lovely one level condo east of Haystack Rock & Highway 101 within walking distance to downtown, or east for miles of forest hiking. CMLS#16-1149 $215,000 Tina Chapman 503-440-9957 NEW LISTING NEW LISTING SWEET COZY COTTAGE 3608 W Chinook Ave, Cannon Beach HAYSTACK HEIGHTS 3801 E Chinook, Lot 364, Cannon Beach With 2.07 acres and ocean views, just a ten minute stroll to town and beach, you can build your dream home and enjoy Cannon Beach without the crowds! Step away from the rat race and come to the sea with just a short stroll to the woods just 200í from your front door. 2 bd, 1 bath. Charming features include vaulted beamed cedar ceiling, cottage style windows, 2nd bedroom/loft. Entirely fenced and covered area in rear. Priced to sell in “as is” condition. CMLS#17-1303 $210,000 Tina Chapman 503-440-9957 CMLS#17-1728 $172,000 Melissa Eddy 503-440-3258 Located at the end of a cul de sac, high above the tsunami line with great ocean views & spectacular sunsets, this is the perfect time to build that beach home. CMLS#17-1654 $155,000 Tina Chapman 503-440-9957 CANNON BEACH OFFICE GEARHART OFFICE 255 N. Hemlock, Ste. B1 • Cannon Beach, OR 97110 800/676-1176 • 503/436-1027 cannonbeach.withwre.com 588 Pacific Way • Gearhart, OR 97138 800/275-7773 • 503/738-8522 gearhart.withwre.com Serving the Entire North Oregon Coast