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
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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
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and when you search.
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requires a close look at
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It makes sense to
discuss any potential job
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can evaluate your current
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as well as offer tips on
how to strengthen your
preparations for retirement
and other goals.
Start with market
research and improving
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recent Jobvite study
notes that Facebook,
Twitter and LinkedIn
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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
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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
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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
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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)
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dependent care or other
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before you start applying,
it might be worthwhile to
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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
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practicalmoneyskills.com/
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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
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programs they offer.
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soon you’ll be eligible
to sign up for your
new employer’s 401(k)
retirement plan.
Finally, touch base
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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
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assist with transferring
previous-employer
retirement assets and
suggestions on ways to
use other work-related
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Bottom line: When
searching for a new job, go
beyond the paycheck issues
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issues that can make a good
job a great one.
— Jason Alderman
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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
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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
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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-
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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-
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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
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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-
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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.
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KI0 LA PLANT
OFFICE COORDINATOR
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hermistonherald.com
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