Wallowa County Chamber February Newsletter

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Legislative Conferencing 1-2

Visitor Report 2

Chamber Announcements 2

Advertisements 3

Citizen Awards Banquet 4-5

Business Workshops 6-7

NEOEDD & SBDC Trainings

SBDC 35 Yr Impact Report 8

WALLOWA COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 309 South River Street, Ste B PO Box 427 Enterprise, OR 97828 Phone: (541) 426-4622 Email: info@wallowacounty.org

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Jessie Cunningham, President

Jenni Word, Vice President

Cynthia Warnock, Treasurer

Nancy Rudger, Past President

Brooke Pace, Joseph,

J.R. Collier, Wallowa Lake

Kathy Casper, Wallowa-Lostine

Susan Gilstrap, Small Business

Lawrence McBurney, Public Relations

Shannon McNerney, Education

Bridget Brown, Healthcare

Mike Hayward, Rural Areas

Jennifer Cooney, Tourism

Cheryl North-Coughlan, Arts

Penny Arentsen, Outdoor Recreation

CHAMBER STAFF

Vicki Searles, Executive Director

Diane Knox, Admin. Assistant

February 2019

Representative Greg Barreto

District 058

900 Court Street NE, H-384

Salem, OR 97301

503 986-1458

Rep.GregBarreto@state.or.us

Senator Bill Hansell

District 029

900 Court Street NE, S-423

Salem, OR 97301

503 986-1729

Sen.BillHansell@state.or.us

Wallowa County Chamber Legislative Conference Calls, 7:00 am, First Meeting February 12th

Stay Current on 2019 Legislative Updates

Here is a great opportunity to stay informed and ask questions of our legislators.

All conference calls will be held at the Wallowa County OSU Extension Office, 668 NW First Street in Enterprise. The first meeting will be February 6th. All meetings start at 7:00 am and will be 45 minute sessions.

The calls are by Polycom so everyone will be live on camera with our legislators. John Williams said, “It’s as good as it gets without actually being in the same room. Please join us!”

Yes, everyone is invited. We do ask for an RSVP to the chamber (541) 426-4622 to make sure every-one has an opportunity to present their questions and concerns.

Please RSVP (541) 426-4622

Another Citizen Awards Banquet Passes Into the Memory of Wallowa County!

But what a great memory to start with for 2019. The Chamber would like to thank everyone that at-tended. We sold out to 184 attendees and the awards were more than heartwarming, they were fabu-lous!

It is not too early to consider nominations for the next Awards Banquet. Write a little note about some-one you think deserves to be recognized in one of the categories and put it on the calendar. Nomina-tion applications can be obtained from the chamber office by stopping in the office or emailing info@wallowacounty.org.

Nominations are collected throughout the year. A nomination committee meets the first week of De-cember to review and select award winners. All nominations come from the public and this is an event that everyone is invited to attend. The awards is what the banquet is all about. But great food and friends can be pretty fun too! Inside this newsletter you’ll find our award winners from 2018.

Thank You to All Who Love Wallowa County!

New! Why do Visitors

Come to Wallowa County

Wallowa Lake 8

Wallowa Lake Tramway 10

Joseph, Arts & Galleries 7

Hells Canyon & Over Looks 7

Hells Canyon Scenic Byway 9

Wallowa Mountains 4

Wallowa Valley & View Points 0

WC Events 46

Fishing, Hunting, Outdoor Rec. 3

Visit Family & Friends 1

Family reunions, wedding, etc. 0

Barn Tour 3

Other, Geocache 0

Chamber Visitor Report for January

Information Contacts January 2019 December 2018 Year to date January 2018

Walk-ins: Visitors/Business 131 107 131 130

Information & Relocation Packets Mailed Out

22 43 22 51

Phone Calls, Website Requests & Emails

306 195 306 313

Total Contacts 459 312 459 494

Website Visits

5121 4332 5121 7386

Membership Referrals 460 621 460 619

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The Wallowa County Chamber is excited to host Travel Oregon and the

Commission for a visit . We will share information as it comes to us.

First Announcement:

Oregon Tourism Commission Meeting

June 10 - 11, 2019, Joseph, Oregon

The Oregon Tourism Commission usually meets five times annually. Meetings are open to the public.

Travel Oregon will be visiting Wallowa County in March. Sites will be evaluated and early planning will be discussed. If you think you have some ideas for early site planning please call: (updates will be provided)

Vicki Searles, 541. 426.4622.

Travel Oregon will post further informa-

tion after the beginning of the year.

Provided by Michele Baird

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Ruby Lathrop Retiring From the Umpqua Bank January 1, 2011 though December 31, 2017.

Facebook: Your Story Everywhere

The Chamber submitted the Wallowa Barn Tour as a story for Travel Oregon’s “Your Story Everywhere”. Thanks to the sup-port of Liz Farrar of EOVA the story was picked up by Travel Oregon. Welcome to the Wallowa Barn Tour was Travel Ore-gon’s top Facebook post for August 2018 in terms of likes, comments and shares. It was also the account’s second-most clicked article in Travel Oregon Ad Campaign.

Travel Oregon Winter and Spring 2018 Campaign—Facebook Your Story Everywhere

Total Reach: 99,001 (people who see the content)

Paid Reach: 41,912 (people who saw the paid post)

Organic Reach: 57,089 (people who saw the unpaid post enter their screen)

Impressions: 69,701 (number of times content is displayed)

Website Clicks: 2,220

Likes, Shares, Comments: 2,753

For people who follow social media metrics this was significant for marketing tourism in Wallowa County!

Travel Oregon Annual Report 2017–2018

2019 Wallowa County Advertisements

Here are the chamber ads for 2019. Our theme is

outdoor adventure, family and barn tour, and

Wallowa County events.

Please post these ads on your Facebook page. If you need

larger files contact the chamber office. The Chamber will

post on our Facebook page and you can then share.

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40th Annual Citizen Awards

Wallowa County — Once Upon a Time!

Here are the 2018 Award Winners!

Be sure to congratulate these individuals

Main Street Motors Dick Stangel & Doug Crow

Business Leader Sponsored by the Chieftain Presented by Randy Morgan

Stacey Karvoski Wallowa Memorial Hospital

Employee of the Year Sponsored by the Observer

Presented by Jenni Word

Nancy Roberts Wallowa High School

Educational Leader Sponsored by WC 4-H Leaders

Presented by Marilyn Soares

Andy Marcum on behalf of

Julie Wheeler Divide Camp

Leader in Nonprofits Sponsored by Fishtrap, Inc.

Presented by Todd Nash

Oregon Department of Forestry Accepted by Matt Howard

Leader in Natural Resources Sponsored by Wallowa Resources

Presented by Lisa Mahon

Cameron Scott Leader in the Arts

Sponsored by the Josephy Center for Arts & Culture

Presented by Shannon McNerney

Hope McLaughlin Unsung Hero Award Sponsored by Wallowa Valley Center for Wellness Presented by Linda Koloski & others

Marla Dotson President’s Award

Sponsored by Wallowa County Chamber

Presented by Jessie Cunningham

Unsung Hero Team

Special Thank You!

MC Host

Jessie Cunningham

Dinner Caterer

Susan Dobson, Heirloom Catering

Bar Service

Angelica Zurita La Laguna Family Mexican Restaurant

Flag Salute

Wallowa County 4-H Court

Invocation

Hero Peters Rooted Youth Ministry

BANQUET SPONSORS & ART GIFT

Printing of Programs & Tickets

Skip & Shannon Novakovich, Esprit Graphic Communications, Inc.

Manuel History Bronze David Manuel, Art Entitled

“Power Play”

Rahn’s Sanitary Service Free Service

Plaque

Fishtrap, Inc. Josephy Center for Arts & Culture La Grande Observer Wallowa County Chieftain Wallowa County 4-H Leaders Wallowa Resources Wallowa Valley Center for Wellness Wallowa County Chamber of Commerce

Trade Show Participants:

Aspen Grove Gallery BMCC Small Business Development Center Building Healthy Families Crooks Clocks D. Lind PhotoArtisan Divide Camp Dog Spot Eastern Oregon University Fishtrap, Inc. Heritage Teas Life Flight MidValley Theatre

Table Sponsors:

Bank of Eastern Oregon Building Healthy Families Cameron’s Ace Hardware Chief Joseph Days Rodeo Chrisman Development Community Bank Cornerstone Farms Double Arrow Veterinary Clinic Eagle Cap Wellness Enterprise Flower Shop Esprit Graphic Communications, Inc. Jason Follett, DMD Josephy Center for Arts & Culture Manuel History Bronze Olive Branch Family Health OSU Extension Center Perry & Associates Rooted Youth Ministry Ruby Peak Realty The Sports Corral Wallowa County Chamber of Commerce Wallowa County Health Care District Wallowa County Humane Society Wallowa Lake Lodge Wallowa Mountain Properties Wallowa Mountain Quilt Guild Wallowa Valley Center for Wellness Wheatland Insurance Wild Carrot Herbals Winding Waters Medical Clinic

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A Cowboy Riverfront Retreat

Wallowa Lake Lodge

Eagle Cap Excursion Train

Stubborn Mule Saloon & Steakhouse

Joseph Branch Railriders

Wallowa Lake Tramway

Jo Paddle, Glass Bottom Kayak

Wallowa County Chamber

I want to invite all of you to a great training opportunity in Island City on February 6th. Sara Curiel Paez is coming to lead a session on Encouraging Diversity without Tokenism for nonprofit organizations. NEOEDD is hosting and cost is only $25 and includes lunch, and there are partial scholarships available. Register here https://www.eventbrite.com/e/encouraging-diversity-without-tokenism-tickets-53924183685

Let me know if you have any questions. If you can't make this session, there will be a different diversity and equity training in May. For monthly info on programs offered by NEOEDD, sign up for the NEOEDD newsletter at neoedd.org,

Here's the details on the training: Nonprofit leaders sometimes attempt to diversify their organizations by inviting people with different experiences or ethnici-ties to serve as board, staff, or volunteers. This may seem like a good idea, but launching a recruitment campaign without first examining an organization's motivations and norms can leave newcomers feeling ignored, unwelcome, and tokenized. So how do today’s leaders encourage diversity without tokenism?

NEOEDD continues its roundtable discussions for nonprofit organization volunteers, boards, and staff members to learn, share, and discuss DEI methods and strategies. The next roundtable will take place Wednesday, Feb. 6, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Island City Hall building, 10605 Island Ave. The cost to attend is $25 per person and includes lunch. Scholar-ships are available; please inquire at NEOEDD, 541-426-3598. Registration deadline is Friday, Feb. 1.

The moderator for this roundtable is Sara Curiel Paez, who will share activities and discussions to help participants under-stand tokenism and work through conflicts to build multicultural organizations that are better equipped to fulfill their non-profit missions.

Sara Curiel Paez is a senior consultant at The Nonprofit Association of Oregon, founding member and owner of consulting firm Capacity Building Partnerships , and the director of Latina Associates of Collaborative Endeavors (LACE), a consortium of nonprofit consultants. Sara has a background in participatory leadership, including a master’s degree in public policy from Oregon State University, and has completed two certificate programs with Cornell University: “Nonprofit Board Con-sulting from Board Source” and “Financial Success for Nonprofit Management.”

Take care, Lisa Dawson, Executive Director 541-426-3598, 800-645-9454, 541-432-1056 (cell) www.neoedd.org

Greetings Wallowa County Nonprofit Leaders!

Thank you for your help in supporting the Citizen Awards Banquet!

Local Businesses that Contributed to Baskets Sent to:

Visit Tri-Cities & Lincoln City Chamber of Commerce

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Social Media Digital Marketing

Baker City February 13 and 20

February 13 1-3PM $59 BMCC Sage 102 Next Level Digital Advertising: Cost Effective Marketing Strategies in Rural Markets Register here: conta.cc/2FwNwgy

Next Level Digital Advertising will immerse attendees in the landscape of digital marketing and how you can harness it to raise awareness of your business or organization and current best practices. From social media, to search-engine-marketing, to content marketing, to mobile marketing, and beyond - you’ll be in for a 90 minute mind dump on all the things you should be considering incorporating into your marketing plan in 2019. February 20 1-3PM $59 BMCC Sage 102 Content is King: Building a Two-Way Conversation Online Register here: conta.cc/2TRWnfU

Content is King. People are fed up with companies shoving products and services in front of their faces all the time. We skip TV ads, change the channel the moment radio ads come on, overlook much direct advertising, and often avoid clicking banner ads on the internet. This has caused companies to devise a new strategy to win over customers – content marketing. Content marketing is essentially creating and providing valuable, informa-tive content to change or enhance customer’s attitudes towards the company. People do not want to be sold to these days, they want experiences and the opportunity to join in on lifestyles. For more information contact Andrea Fowler at afowler@bluecc.edu or call 541-278-5833

Services to help with every stage of your business

Small business is the heartbeat of every community and we are committed to providing you with customized solutions. You’re busy running your business every day so let us be your business resource. Our team is committed to your business’s success and will support you at every stage from business idea to succession planning and every milestone in between.

Michael Mettler is a seasoned brand management professional with over 15 years of experience working for national companies and consulting in the Pacific Northwest. A graduate of the University of Puget Sound with degrees in Economics and Business and Leadership, Michael's first corporate job was as a Brand Manager for the Abercrombie & Fitch corporation where he learned the true value of a brand and how important that is to your long-term success as an organization.

Much of his work experience has been centered around helping small to medium sized companies establish themselves as dominate players in their market place(s) through story telling, sales funnel development, coaching, public relations, and marketing. He is comfortable working both in a start-up environment and with companies in transitional phases.

Currently he works for himself consulting with a handful of businesses in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and California.

Michael Mettler, Instructor, Next Level

From the State Director,

To all who care about small business in Oregon, Thirty-five years ago, the Oregon Small Business Development Center was formed with the understanding that through the sharing of knowledge and learning, we could help small businesses succeed. Since that time in 1983, our Centers have helped hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs find new markets, create new products, offer the finest—and tastiest—delicacies, create new parts for manufacturing and employ hundreds of thousands of Oregonians.

Our 19 Centers, hosted at Oregon’s 17 community colleges, Eastern Oregon University and Southern Oregon University, share a common belief with our host institutions. We know that the sharing of knowledge has the power to transform lives and communities. Small Business Development Centers provide the education and expertise that Oregon’s businesses need to succeed in today’s ever-changing competitive marketplaces.

Small business is big business in our state, and our Small Business Development Centers are here to help build Oregon’s best businesses.

As Oregon’s small businesses have grown, our 19 Centers have expanded services to more than 42 locations to better serve our rural communities and underserved populations. Through this process, we have provided more than 162,000 current and prospective small business owners with professional, one-on-one confidential advising. More than 580,000 people have attended our classes and work-shops throughout Oregon. This means 580,000 Oregon entrepreneurs have spent fewer late nights struggling to succeed with busi-ness challenges, and more time enjoying creating something new, serving customers and being active members of our communities.

Our Centers are here to support our business community with advising, training and services that help Oregon’s business find suc-cess in local, na tional and international marketplaces. This is the power of business working with education to support the sector of Oregon’s economy responsible for employing more than half of Oregon’s workforce.

As technology has transformed business, our Centers have changed to meet this demand. In any Center today, clients will receive guidance and tools that use the latest technology to better address new and old business challenges. These tools are giving Oregon’s small businesses a leg up in an ever-more competitive world.

Our core mission, building Oregon’s best businesses, comes from a recognition that businesses are comprised of people who seek to do something better. By providing expert advising, training and services, we serve the people who make Oregon what it is today. Join us as we celebrate our 35 years of success and build a new future for Oregon’s small businesses. Impact Report 2017: 35 Years of Building Oregon’s Best Businesses <Right Click if report does not open or search Internet for report title> Mark Gregory, State Director Oregon Small Business Development Center Network

Building Oregon’s Best Businesses

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309 South River Street, Ste B PO Box 427 Enterprise, OR 97828

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