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BUSINESS WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 2015 A4 HERMISTONHERALD.COM Send submissions or story ideas for the Herald Business page to Editor Jessica Keller, jkeller@hermistonherald.com Looking for work? Plan a money- smart job search A successful job search goes well beyond snagging the title and the paycheck. From the day you start looking until the day you’re hired, there are VWUDWHJLFDQG¿QDQFLDO issues to consider that may be more valuable to you in the long run. To start, job seekers should always begin with a plan to promote themselves both in person and online, and some aspects of that process may be tax deductible. Keep in mind that if you are already employed, you may want to consider certain timing and legal LVVXHVWKDWZLOOGH¿QHKRZ and when you search. $QG¿QDOO\WDNLQJWKHMRE requires a close look at EHQH¿WV It makes sense to discuss any potential job VHDUFKZLWKDTXDOL¿HG ¿QDQFLDODGYLVHUZKR can evaluate your current ¿QDQFLDOFLUFXPVWDQFHV as well as offer tips on how to strengthen your preparations for retirement and other goals. Start with market research and improving \RXUSXEOLFSUR¿OH$ recent Jobvite study notes that Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn SUR¿OHVDUHWKHUDQNLQJ social media options reaching employers and for industry hiring and pay projections, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook (http://www. bls.gov/ooh/) is a wide- ranging and constantly updated online resource for that data. Check your credit reports. Remember that many employers screen applicants’ creditworthiness as part of their candidate review. Go to AnnualCreditReport. com (https://www. annualcreditreport.com/ index.action) for free access to reports from the three major credit agencies — Experian, TransUnion and Equifax — to check for potential errors or credit negatives you need to repair. Evaluating search expenses and potential tax savings come next. Here are a few of the current rules listed by the IRS (http://www.irs.gov/uac/ Newsroom/Job-Hunting- Expenses). Make note that your current job status will affect how the rules apply to you: • Expenses may qualify as deductions only for a job search in your current line of work. You won’t be able to deduct expenses for a job search in a new occupation. • You can’t deduct job search expenses if you’re looking for a job for the ¿UVWWLPHRULIWKHUH¶VEHHQ what the IRS calls a “long break” between your last job and beginning your JASON ALDER0AN MONEY MATTERS Visa columnist search for a new one. • If you travel to look IRUDMRELQDTXDOL¿HGMRE search, you may be able to deduct the costs of all or part of the trip. • A job search is always a good time to revisit current budgeting and savings goals. For example, you might want to do more specialized budgeting (http://www. practicalmoneyskills.com/ calculators/budgetgoals) as you aim for a particular salary offer. You’ll also want to consider the timing of your search to exhaust EHQH¿WV\RX¶YHHDUQHGDW your current employer. You will see many employees schedule a job search after annual bonuses are paid or after they’re able to spend out in tax-advantaged Health or Flexible Spending accounts (HSAs or FSAs) IRUTXDOL¿HGKHDOWKFDUH dependent care or other DSSURYHGEHQH¿WV$OVR before you start applying, it might be worthwhile to UHYLHZFRQ¿GHQWLDOLW\RU non-compete agreements you signed at the time your current employer hired you in case those agreements might restrict any element of your search. Sometimes job offers distract workers from taking a thorough look at the value of potential EHQH¿WVKWWSZZZ practicalmoneyskills.com/ HPSOR\HUEHQH¿WV<RX may not get all the details until your actual starting date, but see whether your future employer’s human resources department can share details of the health, retirement or WD[DGYDQWDJHGEHQH¿WV programs they offer. $ERYHDOO¿QGRXWKRZ soon you’ll be eligible to sign up for your new employer’s 401(k) retirement plan. Finally, touch base DJDLQZLWK\RXU¿QDQFLDO advisor before you accept to make sure you’ve got all the information you need. You will need to do parallel retirement planning if you are to retire successfully, and TXDOL¿HGDGYLVRUVFDQDOVR assist with transferring previous-employer retirement assets and suggestions on ways to use other work-related EHQH¿WVHI¿FLHQWO\ Bottom line: When searching for a new job, go beyond the paycheck issues WRUHVHDUFKWD[DQGEHQH¿W issues that can make a good job a great one. — Jason Alderman GLUHFWV9LVD¶V¿QDQFLDO education programs. To Follow Jason Alderman on Twitter: www.twitter. com/PracticalMoney HermistonHerald VOLUME 109 ɿ NUMBER 33 JESSICA KELLER EDITOR jkeller@ hermistonherald.com 541-564-4533 7KH+HUPLVWRQ3**VWRUHDQGÀYHRWKHUUHWDLOORFDWLRQVZHUHFORVHGLQWKHFRPSDQ\·VUHVWUXFWXULQJ FILE PHOTO PGG reports loss of $7.9 million in 2014 back to its core areas of business, Jacobson said, which include grain, seed, energy, transportation and a new irrigation subsidiary named Precision Rain that opened Jan. 1. The co-op has also consolidated its debt through CoBank, with a $15 million term loan and BY GEORGE PLAVEN $20 million line of credit. EO MEDIA GROUP “We’re probably in the It took deep cuts and best cash position than considerable layoffs, but we’ve been in for a long Pendleton Grain Growers time,” Jacobson said. “We H[SHFWVWRWXUQDSUR¿WQH[W have a wonderful relation- harvest after losing $7.9 ship with our lender. I’m million in 2014 and over- pleased with where we are. stating years of earnings We’re positioned to move prior to 2012. forward.” General Manager Rick Jacobson was hired in Jacobson offered a “state of 2012 to help lead PGG the business” for PGG this following the resigna- week, describing how the tion of former CEO Allen board of directors restruc- Waggoner. From day one, tured operations to stop the he said the board started ¿QDQFLDOEOHHGLQJ talking about the long-term Gone are each of six future of the 86-year-old retail stores throughout co-op. eastern Oregon, includ- Right away, Jacobson ing Hermiston, along with said they knew it wouldn’t PGG-brand agronomy and be business as usual. Go- 158 employees from the ing back through the books, ¿HOG WR WKH EDFN RI¿FH PGG found it had overstat- Such downsizing was pain- ed $10 million of year-end ful but necessary to ensure earnings in the years prior the co-op remains viable to Jacobson’s hiring and into the future, Jacobson current board leadership. said. At least initially, PGG PGG will shift focus considered partnering with Co-op says restructuring should lead to renewed profi tability CHS Inc. of St. Paul, Min- nesota, to recoup some working capital. Jacobson insisted the co-op would remain under local control in February 2014. Three months later, PGG an- nounced it would restruc- ture and sell off its slump- ing retail and agronomy divisions. Ag supply stores closed in Hermiston, Pendleton, Milton-Freewater, Athe- na, Island City and Joseph, along with the Pendleton Automotive Service Cen- WHUDIWHU3**IDLOHGWR¿QG a buyer willing to keep the locations opened. The Is- land City store transitioned into Precision Rain, which specializes in irrigation sys- tems and employs 17 peo- ple. Meanwhile, the agron- RP\ ÀHHW VROG WR &URS Production Services in September 2014, and CPS equipment can now be found at both PGG’s McK- ennon Station and Feedville location in Hermiston. All together, retail and agrono- my accounted for $7.5 mil- lion of PGG’s $7.9 million losses last year, Jacobson said. “We had not been prof- itable. That’s not hard to say,” Jacobson said. “Suf- ¿FH WR VD\ LW ZDV WLPH IRU PGG to restructure itself to serve its members the way it was intended.” That intention is to help farmers grow, market and sell their grain, and Jacob- son said they are preparing for a successful harvest. PGG has 14 of 19 elevators in service for the season, and recently invested in its barge loading facilities at McNary, he said. Restructuring has come at a cost, with just 67 of 225 employees still in a job. In a statement released Mon- day, board Chairman Tim Hawkins said that, although VRPH VWHSV ZHUH GLI¿FXOW PGG has now laid a mean- ingful foundation for the future. “We have done the hard work together,” Hawkins said. “We are pursuing ad- ditional opportunities to ex- SDQG RXU ¿QDQFLDO UHWXUQV and we look forward to continuing to provide lo- cally owned and controlled grain, energy, seed, trans- portation and irrigation ser- vices to our members for years to come.” PGG serves 1,850 mem- bers in eastern Oregon and Washington. BUSINESS BITES Latino Business Network to meet The Hermiston Cham- ber of Commerce Latino Business Network meeting will take place at 9 a.m. June 10 at the Hermiston Conference Center, 415 S. Highway 395. Coffee and donuts will be provided at the meeting. The chamber’s vision is to promote, educate and support Latino businesses in the greater Hermiston area through networking, advocacy and business community partnership. Umatilla/Morrow Coun- ty Head Start Executive Director Maureen McGrath will be the special guest speaker at the meeting. The Head Start program deliv- ers comprehensive services designed to foster healthy development in low-in- come children. Head Start grantee and delegate agen- cies provide a range of in- dividualized services in the areas of education and ear- ly childhood development; medical, dental and mental health; nutrition; and par- ent involvement. For more information about the Lati- no Business Network, call chamber CEO Debbie Pe- dro at 541-567-6151. U.S. Cellular to host grand reopening U.S. Cellular will host a ribbon-cutting event for the reopening of the new- ly remodeled Hermiston store at noon Friday at 650 N. First Street, Suite A. The event, in partner- ship with the Hermiston Chamber of Commerce, celebrates the launch of the new, interactive digi- tal “Generation 5” store. Residents are invited to join in the celebration, check out the new store and try out the latest cut- To contact the Hermiston Herald for news, advertising or subscription information: • call 541-567-6457 • e-mail info@hermistonherald.com • stop b\ our of¿ ces at 333 E. 0ain St. • visit us online at: www.hermistonherald.com SEAN HART REPORTER smhart@ hermistonherald.com 541-564-4534 SA0 %AR%EE SPORTS REPORTER sbarbee@ hermistonherald.com 541-564-4542 ting-edge devices, includ- ing the recently arrived Samsung Galaxy S 6 and the Apple iPhone 6. “We’re thrilled to launch this remodeled, high-concept Hermiston store,” U.S. Cellular Pa- cific Northwest sales di- rector Jeff Heeley said in a press release. “We en- courage everyone to stop in and learn about how you can get national cov- erage and a high-quality network that works where you live, work and play.” The new location was designed with state-of- the-art features intended to make shopping an easy, enjoyable experience. U.S. Cellular invested approximately $300,000 into the remodel, which includes modernized showrooms, interactive phone demonstration sta- tions and phone bars pro- viding customers hands- on access to the latest ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION RATES Delivered by carrier and mail Wednesdays and Saturdays Inside 8matilla0orrow counties .........................$42.65 Outside 8matilla0orrow counties ......................$53.90 JEANNE JEWETT MULTI-MEDIA CONSULTANT jjewett@ hermistonherald.com 541-564-4531 devices and accessories. The Hermiston store em- ploys 10 people. Vendors wanted for 10th annual Funfest The Hermiston Cham- ber of Commerce is seeking vendors for Hermiston’s 10th annual downtown Funfest, July 11. Last year, more than 4,000 peo- ple attended the one-day event. Vendor spaces are available on Main Street for those interested in pro- moting their business, art work, crafts, commercial products or fundraisers. For more information, contact the Hermiston Chamber of Commerce, 541-567-6151, or visit the chamber website for Fun- fest vendor applications at www.hermistonchamber. com. Updated information will also be on the cham- ber’s Facebook page. The Hermiston Herald (USPS 242220, ISSN 8750-4782) is published twice weekly at Hermiston Herald, 333 E. 0ain St., Hermiston, OR 97838, (541) 567-6457, FAX (541) 567-1764. Periodical postage paid at Hermiston, OR. Postmaster, send address changes to Hermiston Printed on Herald, 333 E. 0ain St., Hermiston, OR 97838. recycled newsprint A member of the EO 0edia *roup Copyright 2015 KI0 LA PLANT OFFICE COORDINATOR klaplant@ hermistonherald.com 541-564-4530