BUSINESS
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 2015
A4 HERMISTONHERALD.COM
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Business Oregon
focusing on
growing existing New Bloomz
owners expand
businesses
BY JADE MCDOWELL
EO MEDIA GROUP
As the state-run Busi-
ness Oregon sharpens its
focus on helping Oregon
businesses expand, en-
trepreneurs are seeing an
increasing number of pro-
grams available to help
them succeed.
Melissa Drugge, busi-
ness development officer
for the eastern side of
the state, shared some of
those opportunities with
local business owners at
the Hermiston Chamber
of Commerce’s monthly
Business to Business lun-
cheon Tuesday.
She said Business Or-
egon’s goal has always
been more jobs, through
everything from building
infrastructure to recruit-
ing out-of-state business-
es. But the agency’s new-
est strategy, titled “Grow
Our Own,” is driven by
research showing that
helping
already-estab-
lished businesses grow is
the quickest route to suc-
cess.
“Seventy percent or
more of job growth in a
community comes from
what we already have,”
she said.
She outlined a few of
Business Oregon’s many
initiatives to help busi-
nesses grow:
offerings at
downtown
Hermiston
business
BY SEAN HART
HERMISTON HERALD
While Bloomz still
offers flowers, its new
owners have transformed
the downtown Hermiston
storefront into a more di-
verse gift shop.
Terra Nava and Alisa
Zumwalt took over May
15 and were still expand-
ing the business’ offer-
ings Tuesday afternoon
with a new jewelry dis-
play.
“We knew we could do
so much with it,” Nava
said of the business. “It
was flowers, and flow-
ers are fun. That’s real-
ly what it was before we
took it over, but we had
a vision that we could do
something more.”
Since they started,
they have added the jew-
elry, hand-made Moon-
struck Chocolates from
Portland, a lineup of Jel-
ly Belly candy, lotions,
candles, oils, soaps and
party supplies. Zumwalt
said Bloomz still does
SEAN HART PHOTO
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venture, and they could not pass up the opportunity.
weddings and tuxedo
rentals, but they wanted
to create more of a gift
shop. She said the busi-
ness may even expand
into other areas in the
future.
Both Zumwalt and
Nava said they had never
managed a business be-
fore, but they were excit-
ed to try something new.
Nava grew up in Stan-
field and attended Blue
Mountain
Community
College. She worked as
a dental assistant for 15
years before quitting to
purchase Bloomz.
“I’ve always wanted
to own my own business,
so when this opportunity
Collectible store open on Main
• The Strategic Reserve Fund offers
“forgivable loans” to help cover unexpected
expenses that put businesses over budget
on construction or expansion. If the compa-
ny meets certain job-creation targets in the
succeeding years the loan is forgiven.
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cash incentive for businesses based on the
increased personal income tax revenue
from creating at least 50 new jobs.
• The Industry Competitiveness Fund
helps businesses develop their product or
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use of the fund is to pay for a consultant
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practices for manufacturing companies,
which have already reported saving an
estimated $1.2 million last year based on
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suggested.
• The Capital Access Program acts as a
guarantee for banks wary of lending mon-
ey to a start-up or small business needing
capital for expansion.
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Program provides support and guidance to
businesses interested in bidding for a gov-
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said last year the program helped 146
companies get $8.1 million in government
contracts.
• The Export Promotion Program provides
funding and support for Oregon business
owners interested in going global to travel
to international trade shows.
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est-free bonds to help new farmers make
capital purchases like farm equipment or
livestock.
BY JADE MCDOWELL
EO MEDIA GROUP
Rob Zumwalt and his
son Sheridan opened Z
Sports Collectibles last
week. He and his wife
Alisa are also co-owners
of Bloomz Floral & Bou-
tique .
“We’re trying to work
really hard to keep peo-
ple in town by staying
very competitive on pric-
es,” he said. “We’re try-
ing to give people differ-
ent things than they’ve
had available in Hermis-
ton before.”
One of those things
the Zumwalts noticed
when they returned to
Hermiston after several
years of living in Port-
land was that there was
nowhere in town to buy
sports collectibles like
NFL jerseys, hats and
mugs.
Sheridan, a former
Hermiston High School
football player, said he
had worked in a sports
store in Portland as a
teenager and really en-
joyed it. He also has ex-
perience helping extend-
For more information
about these and other
assistance programs for
businesses visit www.
oregon4biz.com.
ed family members run
various businesses, so he
and his father decided to
set up shop in Hermiston.
In addition to offering
sports merchandise, they
also threw in superhero
and Star Wars-themed
items to appeal to a
broader range of people.
“We tried to make it
as diverse as possible,”
he said. “Kids aren’t al-
ways into sports.”
The store features ev-
erything from Batman
watches to Miami Dol-
phins lanyards. Sheridan
said the longer the store
is open the more he and
his father can tailor their
VHOHFWLRQWR¿WORFDOFXV
tomers’ interests. Seattle
Seahawks items have
already proved popular,
and he said several peo-
ple have requested more
Portland Timbers mer-
chandise.
Rod said the idea had
“been in the works for a
long time.” The transi-
tion has been a busy one
because it comes on the
heels of the Zumwalts
taking over ownership
RI %ORRP] WKH ÀRZHU
shop on the corner of
Highway 395 and Main
Street, a month ago.
Alisa Zumwalt and
Terra Nava are running
the store’s day to day
operations, which they
have expanded to include
gourmet chocolates and
other sweets, boutique
gifts, tuxedo rentals, par-
ty supplies and more.
“We’re trying to be as
fun and laid back as pos-
sible,” Alisa said.
Rod said they retained
the same staff at Bloomz
so people who were used
to working with a specif-
LFÀRULVWRQDUUDQJHPHQWV
can continue to do so.
He said the family is
trying to become a true
part of the Main Street
community, involving
both businesses in en-
deavors like Funfest and
the city’s 3 on 3 basket-
ball tournament.
Z Sports Collectibles
is located at 215 E. Main
St. behind Lucky Endz
and Goss Family Jewel-
ers. It is open 11 a.m. to
6 p.m. Tuesday through
Friday and 11 a.m. to 4
p.m. on Saturdays.
came along, I wasn’t go-
ing to pass it up because
I figured there might not
be another chance to do
something like this,” she
said.
Zumwalt was a stay-
at-home mom for the last
12 years and moved to
the area from Portland
with her family about a
year ago. She said her
husband is from the area,
and they wanted to raise
their children in a small-
er community.
“I love it (here) — the
small town, the weather,
the people,” she said. “I
will never move back.”
Zumwalt said she en-
joys being a business
owner more than staying
home, and the business’
employees make it a fun
environment. She said
the community has also
been very accepting of
the ownership change.
“With new owners,
Bloomz
What: Flowers, chocolates,
candy, gifts, party supplies,
tuxedo rentals
Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Mondays through Fridays,
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays
Where: 106 E. Main St.,
Hermiston
Phone: 541-289-7333
they don’t know what to
expect, but they’re very
welcoming,” she said.
“We want to build up
Main Street,” Nava add-
ed. “A lot of people don’t
shop on Main Street yet,
but we’re hoping they will.
We’re hoping, with us join-
ing forces with other small
businesses on Main Street,
we’ll get people to come in
and start shopping instead
of going to Tri-Cities —
keep it local.”
SEAN HART PHOTO
Terra Nava, a new co-owner of Bloomz in downtown Herm-
iston, places a piece of gourmet Moonstruck Chocolate into
a decorative box at the business Tuesday. Nava and Alisa
Zumwalt have owned the business since May 15 and have
diversiÀ ed the inventory to provide more than Must Á owers.
BUSINESS BITES
Great Clips grand
opening planned
Hermiston Plaza, 826 S. Highway
395.
The Hermiston Chamber of
Commerce will host a ribbon-cut-
ting ceremony and grand opening
for Great Clips at noon Thursday
at the walk-in hair salon in the
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Edward Jones Financial Ad-
visor Kacie A. Levy of Herm-
HermistonHerald
VOLUME 109 ɿ NUMBER 39
JESSICA KELLER
EDITOR
jkeller@
hermistonherald.com
541-564-4533
iston recently received the
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