January 8, 2016 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com • 5A
Change in 2015 creates new opportunities in Seaside
appy 1ew <ear, Seaside
Many of us will, or have
already, set resolutions for
the upcoming year. I’m not much
into it personally, but what has
become commonplace for me is
this ¿ rst column of the year. For
the ¿ fth straight -anuary, I’ll take
a “look back and look ahead.´ It’s
a perfect time of year to reÀ ect on
the past and look forward to the
future, so without further ado, let’s
do just that with Seaside tourism.
Let’s take a look back at 2015.
H
Visitors Bureau changes
Change can be dif¿ cult, but it
can also be exciting and help cre-
ate new opportunities. Through-
out 2015, we experienced a bit
of both. In May, we hired Port-
land-based MEDIAmerica as
the publisher of our annual vis-
itor guide (set for release in ear-
ly February). One feature of the
new guide will be an all new look
shaped by the rebranding proj-
ect we kicked off in September.
Weather and events
SIDE RAIL
JOHN RAHL
We spent the fall working on that
project and capped it off by hiring
a new web developer in early De-
cember. When it comes to creative
marketing development, this year
was a blast.
Video explosion
The use of video continues to
get more engagement than most
anything posted on social media
these days. We experienced great
success with a kayaking video
(announcing the new ADA launch
at Broadway Park) in March and
subsequent videos — including a
storm video posted in December
that reached more than 113,000
people organically were staples
for a good chunk of promotion we
did in 2015.
Who could have predicted the
crazy things that happened with
weather and events in 2015? From
very little rain, to sun-drenched
skies, many people will tell you it
felt like we didn’t have a winter
on the coast this past year. They
might be right. It probably wasn’t
a surprise that we closed out the
year with record rainfall in De-
cember.
Sandwiched in between the
dry and wet weather was a freak
power outage on the Fourth of
-uly and a bizarre August wind-
storm during Hood to Coast that
halted the annual race festivities
on the Seaside Beach. Through it
all, residents, employees and visi-
tors weathered it in a way that can
only be described as another great
year in Seaside tourism.
Incorporating visitors
bureau changes
The changes mentioned above
were just the beginning for what
lies ahead. The great part about
the development of all this new
creative is the unveiling that will
come with it. We’ll launch the
¿ rst part of our new website by
late -anuary and our 201 9isitor
Guide will hit the street the ¿ rst
week of February. Throughout
early 201 we’ll be incorporat-
ing new advertising creative and
making sure all of our communi-
cation assets align with our new
brand.
Preparedness becomes
more commonplace
The city of Seaside and the
9isitors Bureau helped launch a
hotel keycard program, raising
awareness about earthquakes and
tsunamis in late 2014/early 2015,
that started to catch on a bit this
past year.
The state of Oregon has since
launched a hospitality program
for preparedness and I see it be-
coming a topic that is easier for
people to talk about and subse-
quently prepare themselves ac-
cordingly.
Convention Center
expansion
This was a hot topic in 2015, but
due to its magnitude, it bears re-
peating for 201. In the late 10s
and early 10s, Seaside city lead-
ers made a controversial decision
to build a convention center in
town. It wasn’t always the most
popular idea, but can we imagine
our community without it today,
45 years later? Sometime later
this year, city leaders will decide
whether or not an expansion of the
current 22,000-foot facility makes
sense for future generations.
Have a thought or a question
about tourism in Seaside, or may-
be an idea for a future column?
Drop me an email at jrahl@
cityofseaside.us. Jon Rahl is the
director of tourism for the Sea-
side Visitors Bureau and assistant
general manager of the Seaside
Civic & Convention Center.
Writer believes Pacifi c Northwest has stories to tell
Entrepreneur
makes a home in
Gearhart
By Katherine Lacaze
Seaside Signal
GEARHART — Entre-
preneur and writer Gideon
For-mukwai was a bit un-
certain when he moved from
Singapore to Gearhart in late
August, but over the months,
he became intrigued by the
stories to be told of sailors,
shipwrecks, indigenous peo-
ple and other local interests.
“I’m very fascinated by
the 3aci¿ c 1orthwest,´ he
said. “Cape Disappointment,
the Graveyard of the 3aci¿ c
— all these things are new to
me, and they’re very, very in-
triguing to me.´
He moved to Clatsop
County because of his wife,
Dr. Pamela Soh, who works
as a pharmacist at Providence
Seaside Hospital.
For-mukwai, founder of
Business Storytelling Acade-
my, is a native of Cameroon,
OUR NEW
NEIGHBORS
HIGHLIGHTING PEOPLE WHO ARE NEW TO THE COMMUNITY
He speaks several languages,
including his mother tongue,
a Bantu language; French;
English; and some Mandarin,
Malay and German. He’s also
learning Spanish.
Writing craft
Africa. From humble begin-
nings, he used the power of
storytelling to plot a journey
that took him to undergrad-
uate school in South Africa,
to Singapore for specialized
studies, to Reno, 1evada, for
a master’s degree in new me-
dia journalism and then back
to Singapore . For-mukwai
has visited at least 20 states
and 18 countries as “a story-
telling warrior,´ or “someone
that helps businesses to ¿ ght
business wars using the pow-
er of stories,´ he said.
He started a different ver-
sion of his company while
in Singapore the ¿ rst time.
:hen he moved to 1evada
for graduate school, he kept
the same concept but changed
the name to Business Sto-
rytelling Academy and the
company evolved. Struggling
with job prospects in 1evada,
he moved back to Singapore,
where he became a resident.
Even now, about 40 percent
of his company’s operations
remain in the Asian country.
He uses coaching, writing
and training to help busi-
nesses craft engaging and
audience-friendly stories for
different forms of communi-
cation. His goal is to help em-
ployers engage employees;
help employers engage busi-
ness prospects, customers
and stakeholders; and help
employers engage the com-
munity for public relations
campaigns .
Sometimes he will be a
keynote speaker or lead work-
shops at conferences and
business training seminars.
While he is willing to help
write stories for others as
part of his job, he also enjoys
writing for himself. For-muk-
wai’s interest in writing was
sparked as a young teenager
after reading Mark Twain’s
“The Adventures of Tom
Sawyer.´
“That book inspired me
so much,´ he said. “I felt like
Tom was my brother from a
different mother.´
In addition to enjoying
others’ tales, he decided to
write his own. His ¿ rst pub-
lished work was an autobi-
ographical book titled “Fac-
ing Adversity with Audacity.´
It was published in 2008. In
May this year, he published
a second book, titled “The
Science of Storytelling: How
Win the Hearts and Minds of
<our Prospects for Pro¿ t.´
They found happiness in the city of their dreams
A new move
and a career
transition
By R.J. Marx
Seaside Signal
For Chris and Alexa An-
derson, the chance to relo-
cate to Seaside seemed like
a dream come true. Chris
was offered a chance to con-
tinue his 15-year career as
an insurance adjuster in a
city they both had fallen in
love with.
They purchased a condo
in Seaside, loaded up the
truck and moved from Lo-
gan, Utah, in February 2014.
All ready to start his new
job here, corporate head-
quarters threw him a cur-
veball. “They said, ‘Chris,
we’ve just moved our ¿ eld
jobs in-house. You can ei-
ther move to Des Moines or
Columbus.’´
Today, he sees it as a
blessing in disguise. “I
wasn’t shocked, but I was
hurt,´ Chris said. “They
could have handled it a
whole lot better.´
In love with the Oregon
coast, Chris decided to stay.
It was the right decision.
He soon forged a new career
as a property manager and
real estate broker.
Alexa, who ran a salon
in their former home of
Logan, Utah, found a new
role at Shear Pleasures in
the Gilbert Building, where
she is now cutting hair (full
disclosure: including this re-
porter’s.)
Paige Anderson, 1, at-
tends Seaside High School,
and Michael, 18, attends
Astoria High School. A vi-
olist, pianist and composer,
Michael plans to attend mu-
sic school after graduation.
Paige sings in the choir and
recently performed in the
school’s ’80s musical.
R.J. MARX PHOTO/SEASIDE SIGNAL
Alexa and Chris Anderson relocated to Seaside from Logan,
Utah.
Alexa was a stylist and
salon owner in Utah, but
after 20 years, was ready to
retire the scissors.
In Seaside, she went for
a manicure at Shear Plea-
sures, happened to mention
her prior experience and
promptly received an invite
to cut hair in Seaside.
“If you ever want to
know anything about where
you’re living, cut hair,´ Al-
exa said. “Sometimes wom-
en can get catty, but not in
this shop.´
She now cuts hair four
hours a day, four or ¿ ve
days a week. Alexa loves
the “whole feel´ of Seaside.
“It’s magical,´ she said.
The Andersons ¿ rst visit-
ed the coast in 2012, when
they drove from Seattle to
San Francisco. “One of the
places we stopped was Sea-
side,´ he said. “We pitched
a tent at Fort Stevens. The
¿ rst day, we drove down the
Promenade. We said, ‘We
love this place’ I still have
the map, I circled it.´
“Everyone was happy
here,´ Alexa added.
They took a second trip
in September 2013, drawn
by ¿ shing, the ocean,
restaurants, golf and shops.
That tipped their decision to
make the move.
Members of the Church
of -esus Christ of Latter-Day
Saints, they found a small
but welcoming community
in Seaside.
“There are a lot of good
friends you have with the
church,´ Chris said. “I can’t
think of anyone I don’t like.´
They share the church’s
commitment to volunteer-
ism and community, Alexa
added, volunteering with
the homeless shelter, beach
cleanup, Seaside Kids,
and always ready to help a
neighbor in need.
“We’re very happy to be
here,´ Chris said. “We’re
amazed at the sense of com-
munity. You go into the con-
venience store next door,
and they say, ‘Oh, you’re
here for your Grape Crush.’
They know what you want.´
KATHERINE LACAZE PHOTO /SEASIDE SIGNAL
Author Gideon For-muk wai
Since moving to Gearhart
to be with his wife, who has
lived in Oregon several years,
For-mukwai has felt mixed
emotions.
“My ¿ rst impression was
positive, especially the fact
that it wasn’t too crowded,´
he said. “But I was very un-
certain and worried the long
rains . The fact that most of
the day is cloudy, would take
a toll on me.´
He still feels that way at
times, but he tries to not let
it bother him and to continue
with his meetings and activi-
ties as usual.
“I’m liking it now, so
I think I will like it even
more over time, especially
as summer comes,´ he said.
He looks forward to kay-
aking and continuing his
hobby of running outdoors
along trails. He said there
are times he misses Singa-
pore — “especially when
it gets too cold´ — and he
will travel back there every
couple of months for work.
He especially is excited
to learn the history of the
Paci¿ c 1orthwest. He loves
visiting places like Cape
Disappointment and reading
about the area’s indigenous
people and the early sailors
and explorers who visited.
He plans to interview area
residents, including native
people and ¿ shermen, to
capture and share stories of
the Paci¿ c 1orthwest.
“This is a new chapter
that allows me to interview
people that live in this area,
¿ nd out what they do, and
I think that will end up in a
book,´ he said.
Meanwhile, he will use
the stories he gathers here
to keep his clients and blog
followers aware of what he
is doing .
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2/3 of Showroom
ALWAYS ON SALE!
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Randall Lee’s Flooring Outlet • 3579 Hwy 101 Gearhart • 503-738-6756
Warehouse pricing • Open to the Public • Hundreds of instock rolls & remnants • In House Binding
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Laurelwood Compost • Mulch • Planting MacMix
Soil Amendments
YARD DEBRIS DROP-OFF
(no Scotch Broom)
503-717-1454
34154 HIGHWAY 26
SEASIDE, OR
Laurelwood Farm
C ONSTRUCTION
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503-738-3569
34154 Hwy 26, Seaside, OR
P.O. Box 2845, Gearhart, OR
S ERVING THE P ACIFIC N ORTHWEST S INCE 1956 • CC48302
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The On-Air Radio
Auction is
January 23rd,
9am to 1pm
the Classic Rock Station
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DIRECTORY