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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 24, 2016)
A4 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2016 HeraldBusiness Follow us on Twitter @HermistonHerald BIZ BRIEFS Brown names Smith to biz advisory panel Republican Rep. Greg Smith of Heppner was named to Gov. Kate Brown’s Small Business Advisory Cabi- net. Brown, a Democrat, created the cabinet earlier this month and last weeN her of¿ ce announced its member- ship. Smith is one of nine in the cabinet. Brown charged the group with developing recom- mendations to her on how state government can sup- port small business owners and new entrepreneurs and advance statewide economic growth. The cabinet will deliver recommendations on three priorities by Oct 1: How state government can support and promote small business owners and prospective entrepreneurs; how state government can increase access to capital; and how the state can streamline regulations. Chamber awards nominations due 6T$)) 3H2T2 %< *(25*( 3/$9(1 Construction is underway of a new Love’s Travel Stops off Interstate 84 and Tower Road, west of Boardman. Love’s Travel Stop to open west of Boardman Truck stop expected to open by late spring By GEORGE PLAVEN Staff Writer Construction is under- way for Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores truck stop along Interstate 84 and Tower Road, about five miles west of Board- man. Kealey Dorian, spokes- woman for the Oklaho- ma-based company, said the travel center should open by late spring and will include a conve- nience store, tire repair shop, 24 fuel pumps and Carl’s Jr. restaurant. “It’s a very excit- ing time,” Dorian said. “We’re a growing com- pany. We expect to open 40 new stores across the country this year.” Love’s has more than 360 locations in 40 states, including three in Oregon. Two travel centers are lo- cated on I-84 in Ontario and Troutdale, and one on Interstate 5 in Roseburg. Dorian said the Boardman location fills another hole in their network. “We stuck with this site because we believed it would be a really good spot for us,” she said. Permitting the proj- ect has taken six years of clearing legal challenges and appeals from Devin Oil Co., a local business that owns two fuel sta- tions in Boardman. Mor- row County has twice ap- proved conditional land use permits for Love’s — once in 2010, and again in 2015. Both times, Devin Oil raised objections to the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals and the Survey seeks employer responses Employers are asked to take a survey about challeng- es they face when recruiting and ¿ lling open positions in Umatilla County. The Umatilla County Board of Commissioners and Blue Mountain Community College have joined forc- es to better understand the workforce needs throughout Umatilla County. Together, they would like to understand the challenges and the impact the availability of a quali¿ ed workforce has on decisions to expand. The survey takes just 15-minutes to complete and can be found at www.sur- veymonkey.comrUmatilla- countyworkforceneeds. “The more we understand the issues existing employ- ers face, the better we will be able to work on solutions and resources to support them as well as those interested in establishing a business in Umatilla County,” said Susan Bower of Eastern Or- egon Business Source, who has been hired to conduct the study. Individual responses will be shared only with the in- dependent consultant hired to conduct the study. The compilation of results will be published and will include a list of participant organiza- tions. An organization’s con- tact information and survey responses will not be shared in a way that is identi¿ able. The county and BMCC are committed to serving the region’s employers, and be- lieve this survey is an import- ant step toward the increased availability of a quali¿ ed workforce for the region. For more information, contact bower at susanbow- er@eobusinesssource.com. Mike Stratton Business Health Farm Life Mike Stratton, CIC/CFP 541/276-2302 • 800/225-2521 The Stratton Agency Pendleton / Hermiston • stratton-insurance.com One Responsible Source Agent state Court of Appeals. In one appeal, Devin Oil argued it would be adversely affected by Love’s due to “aggressive marketing and pricing practices.” The compa- ny also argued whether a travel center should be allowed at the I-84 and Tower Road interchange based on the county’s own zoning rules. Each time, the courts ruled in favor of the coun- ty. LUBA issued its most recent decision in April, which was affirmed by the Court of Appeals in December. The Oregon Supreme Court declined to hear the case in 2012. Morrow County Plan- ning Director Carla Mc- Lane said the deadline for further appeals passed earlier this month, and she is happy to see the process finished. “It’s nice to be done,” McLane said. “Its been a real large time-consumer.” Dorian said it general- ly costs about $10 million to build a new travel cen- ter. They will hire about 50 employees in Board- man, and start accepting applications next month. “Most of those will be from the area,” Dorian said. As part of its grand opening, Dorian said Love’s will donate $2,000 to a local school or non- profit organization. The business sets aside $450 every year to invest in the community. “We really try to do a good job of coming in and being good stewards to the community,” Dorian said. For more informa- tion about Love’s dona- tions, contact Dorian at 405-302-6730 or kealey. dorian@loves.com. Nominations for business and citizen of the year for the Umatilla Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center’s Distinguished Citizen Award banquet will be accepted through Monday, Feb. 29. This year’s banquet, which features a Mardi Gras theme, is Saturday, March 5 at 6 p.m. at the Tuscan Lodge, 720 Seventh St., Umatilla. Tickets are $30, which includes dinner catered by Sundown Bar & Grill featuring apple smoked beef brisket, two sides, two sal- ads, bread, and huckleberry crème brulée. The event also features a silent auction for the cham- ber’s scholarship program. In addition, the chamber is rafÀ ing off a Ruger 1022 riÀ e, a Lamiglass salmon steelhead rod and reel and an Okuma Celilo Kokanee rod and Okuma Citrix reel. Limited tickets will be sold for $5 each. Tickets for the rafÀ e are available from any cham- ber board member or at the chamber of¿ ce. Nomina- tion forms are available at the chamber of¿ ce, Carlson’s Umatilla Drug Store, the Umatilla branch of Banner Bank and Java Junkies. For more information, call 541-922-4825. 3rinted on recycled newsprint VOLUME 110 ɿ NUMBER 8 Gary L. West | Editor gwest@hermistonherald.com 541-564-4532 Tammy Malgesini | Community Editor tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com 541-564-4539 Sam Barbee | Sports Reporter sbarbee@hermistonherald.com Jade McDowell | Reporter jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com Jennifer Colton | Reporter jcolton@hermistonherald.com 541-564-4542 541-564-4536 541-564-4534 Jeanne Jewett | Multi-Media consultant jjewett@hermistonherald.com 541-564-4531 Shannon Paxton | 2f¿ ce coordinator spa[ton@hermistonherald.com 541-564-453 Audra Workman | Multi-Media consultant aworNman@eastoregonian.com 541-564-453 To contact the Hermiston Herald for news, advertising or subscription information: call 541-567-6457 e-mail info@hermistonherald.com stop b\ our of¿ ces at 333 (. 0ain 6t. visit us online at: hermistonherald.com The Hermiston Herald 8636 24222, ,661 75-472 is published weeNl\ at Hermiston Herald, 333 (. 0ain 6t., Hermiston, 25 973, 541 567-6457, )$; 541 567-1764. 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