College of Business seniors Josh Gilardi and Kayla Pearce were present at the construction launch of the new Austin Hall, which will be the college’s new home. (photo: Chris Hagan)

On Friday, Oregon State University celebrated the construction launch of Austin Hall, the new home for the university’s College of Business, with donors, alumni, faculty, staff and the entire campus community. In her opening remarks, Dean and Sara Hart Kimball chair Ilene Kleinsorge quickly got the crowd’s attention with the announcement that the original fundraising goal of $30 million needed in private donations had been met with a gift from donors Bernie Newcomb (’65) and Gerry Marshall.

The $50-million facility is named in honor of Joan and Ken Austin of Newberg, Ore., for their $10-million commitment to the project. Longtime donors to the university, the Austins are co-founders and owners of A-dec, Inc., a world-renowned dental equipment manufacturer. Joan Austin also is president of Springbrook Properties, developer of the acclaimed The Allison Inn & Spa. Ken Austin, graduated from OSU in 1954 with a degree in industrial and manufacturing engineering.

The late Al Reser, his wife Pat and their family, committed an additional $6 million to the project. The Austin and Reser lead gifts have been combined with gifts from additional donors and $25 million in matching state bonds.

Kleinsorge shared her excitement about the new building, as well as her pride in a college that has had a large impact on the economy of Oregon and beyond.

“Our graduates have gone on to become executives in Fortune 500 companies, established and grew family businesses into economic drivers in their community, their state and globally; and we have sent entrepreneurs into the world -  to innovate, start their own businesses and establish their own success,” she said.

“Between now and the fall of 2014 when those doors to Austin Hall open, there will be more success, excitement and anticipation about the journey ahead of us and the reminiscing about what we leave behind.”

Kleinsorge also spoke to the crowd about her college’s connection with their current location, Bexell Hall, and their hopes for the future.

Benny Beaver loves to give a shout out to supporters of Oregon State University. (photo: Chris Hagan)

“As Bexell Hall has been, Austin Hall will be a tool for us to continue to evolve to meet the changing needs for business education and research in a global economy,” she said.

Business student Connor Deeks, spoke at the event about the importance of the building to himself and fellow students.

“I believe Austin Hall is the culmination of the hard work of the thousands of individuals who have learned, who learn today, and who will learn in the future within the walls of Oregon State University’s College of Business. Austin Hall will inspire students to hit the books, to study, and to further themselves professionally,” Deeks said.

“It will propel students to achieve their highest potential and will reveal to them just how far they can go with a degree from the College of Business in accounting, in finance, in marketing, in entrepreneurship, in management, or in any other filed within the realm of business.

The 100,000-square-foot facility, scheduled to open in fall 2014, will include 10 classrooms, a 250-seat auditorium, a Career Success Center, an MBA suite, a research lab, collaborative team rooms, more than 70 faculty offices, staff and program offices, team project rooms, a café and event space. THA Architecture is the architect and Andersen Construction, owned by College of Business alumnus David Andersen was the company chosen as the builder.

Mindi Helmandollar, an OSU alum, teaches fourth grade in Utah, and has brought OSU to her class. (contributed photo)

OGDEN, Utah — When Mindi Helmandollar steps into her fourth-grade classroom on Friday mornings, she is greeted with a sea of orange and black. In Corvallis, that might not seem unusual, but Helmandollar is teaching at an elementary school in Ogden, Utah, where Weber State University’s purple and white are more likely to be seen.

Helmandollar’s fourth graders are infused with Beaver spirit, and not just because their teacher is a proud alum of Oregon State University, graduating in 2009 with a business management degree. Every classroom teacher in Lincoln Elementary School has been asked to adopt a different university in order to get their students excited about going to college. For Helmandollar, it was an easy choice.

“I attended two other colleges before I went to Oregon State,” she said. “Oregon State is where I felt my teachers actually knew my name and took the time to get to know me.”

Lincoln is a Title 1 school, which means it has a large low-income population. Inspiring these kids to consider a university degree is especially important, Helmandollar says.

Helmandollar increases her students' vocabulary with college terms.

“The biggest challenge working in a Title 1 school is that a lot of the students’ home lives are hard,” she said. “There are many students who haven’t eaten since lunch the day before. They are constantly moving schools, they can’t sleep because they are sharing rooms with brothers and sisters, and they are also usually splitting time between two homes or a parent is in prison.  All of those reasons make getting our students excited and aware about the possibilities of college a necessity so they can have a promising future.”

One of the ways that teachers at Lincoln get their kids excited is allowing them to visualize one particular university and become steeped in its traditions and stories. As a former OSU cheerleader, instilling school spirit comes easy. She’s found ways to weave it into almost every lesson and aspect of her classroom. Twice a day they sing the OSU Fight song. They pass by walls decorated with OSU posters. They learn vocabulary words like “transcripts” and “syllabus.” When they move up a level in math, they progress from a bachelor’s to a master’s, and finally to a Ph.D level.

“One of our writing activities was to write a letter to an Oregon State student asking them questions that they may want to know before they go there when they get older,” Helmandollar said. And every Friday, they all wear orange and black.

The approach seems to be working. One of Helmandollar’s students told her that his father had dreamed of becoming a doctor, but hadn’t gone to college, and was working as a painter. After learning that students of all ages attend college, he went home to tell his dad that he could still pursue a degree.

“I thought that was really neat to see how my students are even encouraging their parents to go to college so they can still achieve their dreams,” she said.

Helmandollar plans on visiting her alma mater for the Homecoming game, but for her, OSU is as close as stepping into her own classroom each morning. And she’s determined that the success she found at OSU is something that her own students will one day discover for themselves.

“All students have dreams of becoming something,” she said. “Letting them know and believe they can do it gives them the opportunity of becoming something great.  They must also understand that they need to work hard and that there are no excuses in order to get to college, so developing good work and study habits now will help them succeed throughout their schooling.”

~ Theresa Hogue

Oregon State University alumnus Scott Rowley (on right) and his friend Sammy Carlson have organized a 1,000-mile bicycling trip to promote and raise funds for autism awareness.

Oregon State University alumnus Scott Rowley and his friend Sammy Carlson have organized a 1,000-mile cycling trip to promote and raise funds for autism awareness.

The trip, titled Hood River 2 Ogden or H2O, will take place from July 8-18 and will start in Hood River and end in Ogden, Utah. The team has begun raising funds for the cause, all of which will support Talk About Curing Autism, a national nonprofit that provides information, resources, and support to families affected by autism.

Rowley and Carlson’s goal is to raise $25,000.

“This endeavor has been motivated by a strong desire to do something big for our community, and help families affected by autism in the state of Oregon,” Rowley and Carlson said in a written statement.

“All of our proceeds will help to establish a chapter of their (TACA) organization in Oregon and continue helping families affected by this disorder.”

Talk About Curing Autism specializes in education for families affected by autism. Autism is a national crisis impacting one in 91 individuals in the United States. Beginning in 2007, TACA expanded its services in an effort to assist more than 16,000 families.

Rowley graduated from OSU in spring 2010 with a degree in business administration and options in entrepreneurship and international business. Carlson is a professional ski athlete and three-time X-Games medalist in freestyle skiing.

For more information or to donate, visit http://www.tacah2o.com

College of Business student Monica Truax models a skirt suit as part of a career event on campus. (photo: Theresa Hogue)

For years, Oregon State students have been learning the ins and outs of landing and keeping a good job through the annual career symposium. This year, organizers took a different approach to strengthening career-building skills. Creating Career Confidence took place on Oct. 16, and combined a number of interactive and engaging events to drive home the skills essential to getting a good job.

The event was presented by the College of Business and the Alpha Kappa Psi Business Fraternity, and included a panel of OSU alumni discussing vital employment issues, a speed networking session, and a fashion show featuring Alpha Kappa Psi members wearing business-appropriate attire from local shops.

Organizer Tristen Shay, an academic advisor, said the event was a new take on an old idea, emphasizing not only how to get a job, but what behaviors and attitudes are appropriate in the modern business world.

Advice from professionals was key to the event, especially alumni. On the speakers panel, alums provided their own perspective, including answering questions such as “What advice would you give your 20-year-old self?”

The tough economy makes this kind of information especially relevant, Shay said.

“There’s such a frenzy to get a job that people are not paying attention to ‘How do you get a job.’”

During the speed networking session, professionals such as Kris Cable, a 1997 graduate of the College of Business and current recruiter for Providence Health Care, gave students the chance to practice their networking skills. Cable said she loved giving back to the university, and helping students hone their job finding skills, and even offered to help look over resumes.

Doug Cochran of OSU Career Services gave the students a quick overview of how to work a room during a networking opportunity.

OSU College of Business' Mark Van Patten speaks with COB student Pamela Graham during a networking session held Oct. 16 on campus. (photo: Theresa Hogue)

“During our conversation you may feel a little cheesy,” he warned, but with a honed 30-second elevator speech, approaching a potential employer is a lot less daunting.

“Take your whole life and put it into a 30-second sound bite,” he advised.

Cochran explained to the students how little things mattered as much as a slick speech, including good hygiene, promptness, and considering the details, such as the outgoing message on your cell phone, which could put off a potential employer. Inappropriate Facebook photos, sloppy attire and careless manners also undermine job seekers.

After his pep talk, students circulated through the room, practicing approaching professionals like Cable, and worked the kinks out of issues such as the timing of asking for a business card, and where to hang their nametags.

Finally, the day culminated in a fast-paced fashion show where students saw the kind of attire expected from business casual, formal and even cocktail events. It was the finishing touch on a day meant to help students fulfill Cochran’s advice.

“You need to be on your game.”

Roger Graham

For one, keeping even the minimum of records during the year can make doing taxes less onerous. I like to keep a file in my desk during the year and I throw anything remotely related to taxes into it. I also keep my checkbook reconciled and up to date so that I can quickly scan the register for charitable contributions.

Most of us do not have financial affairs that are complicated enough to pay someone to do our taxes. We are well advised to consider doing our taxes ourselves – there is nothing like reading tax form instructions to keep you mentally sharp. From my perspective the instructions for your tax forms are written in a way that does not require understanding tax code. Just follow the instructions and you will be fine.

If you do not have the philosophical constitution for doing your taxes yourself you are in very good company. A huge industry of people, organizations and resources exists that is dedicated just to do your taxes. Some of the tax resources are free. I use forms provided by the IRS that allow me enter data onto the forms and then save the forms (www.IRS.gov). There is also the IRS Free File Program that you can use if you have a simple tax return (one with a few W2’s for wages, a few 1099s for dividends and/or interest income, maybe some kids and child care) and adjusted gross income less than $56,000.
Tax software programs are another very good option and, frankly, many of my accounting colleagues use them for their taxes. These programs are sophisticated as well as intuitive and they will guide you with well-conceived questions. The best of these programs are inexpensive ($50-$100), will do both your federal and state returns, allow you to save your forms electronically and will even electronically file with the IRS. I can’t personally recommend a particular program but a very good series of reviews and recommendations can be found at http://www.consumersearch.com/tax-preparation-software/best-tax-software.

After receiving my undergraduate degree my taxes were very simple. Filling out the forms did not take much time and there never seemed to be any issues with how the returns were prepared. Later on I owned a construction contracting business in Montana. Those returns seemed complicated to me and so I took my books to a local CPA firm.

That year doing my taxes included a charge of over $600 for the CPA. That was my first year as a contractor and I made less than $20,000 – how could doing my taxes be so expensive? I had cash revenues and cash expenses but little inventory. I didn’t need the expertise of a CPA, my returns were just not that complicated. I learned a valuable lesson that year. A little bit of record keeping goes a long way.

If you plan on paying someone to do your taxes this year, be aware that any person who prepares assists or advises you on your income taxes for a fee must be licensed by the State of Oregon. To protect yourself, make sure you ask for their license. Each year some taxpayers are victims of fraudsters. Go to http://www.oregon.gov/OTPB/press_releases.shtml for an article on protecting yourself when engaging a tax preparer.

The State of Oregon licenses tax preparers at three levels with each level having its own requirements for education, experience and testing. At the highest level are Certified Public Accountants (CPAs). CPAs must have five years of college course work, have passed the Uniform Certified Public Exam and have at least one year of related experience supervised by another CPA. At the next level are Licensed Tax Consultants (LTCs). LTCs must have a minimum of 80 hours of basic income tax law education, pass a tax preparer examination, and have worked a minimum of 780 hours as a Licensed Tax Preparer (LTP). LTPs essentially work as apprentices under the supervision of an LTC or a CPA.

If you decide to hire someone to do your taxes, talk frankly with them about their fees. Licensed tax preparers normally charge according to the amount of time required to perform the services requested. Fees vary depending on the type of service required, the prevailing costs in the community, the licensee’s level of expertise, and the complexity of the work. Be prepared to pay more for the expertise of a CPA than for a LTC and more for an LTC than for an LTP.

It is not uncommon to have done your taxes and then receive a letter from the Internal Revenue Service. I often get them after I do my mother’s taxes. Although such letters give her a scare, I find the letters to be fairly straightforward. Either I have calculated something wrong, something was unsubstantiated, or my mother forgot to tell me something. I write a nice letter back to the IRS either explaining my position or accepting their position with the additional tax and all is well. The IRS isn’t really after us – it is just following the rules.

Sometimes however, you may want to hire someone to represent you before the IRS. For that you will need to hire either a CPA or an Enrolled Agent (EAs). EAs are empowered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury to represent taxpayers before the IRS for audits, collections, and appeals. EAs are therefore authorized tax practitioners who have technical expertise in the field of taxation. If none of this works out your next step will be to hire an attorney and take your case to court.
As tax deadlines near, the best advice is don’t panic. Take advantage of professional help or software programs for filing this spring – and begin planning early for next year. Keep those receipts and reconcile your checkbook, debit and credit card statements. It simplifies things in the long run.

~ Roger Graham is a professor of accounting at Oregon State University.

Advisor Brenda Sallee, left, helped Annael Ortega through her time as a soldier. (photo: Jim Folts)

At the beginning of her undergraduate career, Ortega saw many instructors for advice and direction, but her relationship with Brenda Sallee, head advisor in the College of Business, is the one that stuck.
Throughout Ortega’s deployments, Sallee kept in constant contact. The situation, however, forced the mentor-student relationship to take-on a unique shape.

“It’s been hard, but helpful to have that one person who cared for you,” Ortega says. “Without Brenda, I might not have stayed in college.”

Sallee offered Ortega encouragement and helped coordinate Ortega’s schedule of classes in order to complete her international business degree. However, because all communication had to be done through e-mail, waiting for a response sometimes required patience.

“Advising is not easy in this situation,” Sallee says. “You have to be a lot more explicit, because what you may be able to accomplish in 15 minutes face-to-face could take three or four e-mails.”

Having graduated in 2008, Ortega settles into the life of a newlywed and has dreams of children. She envisions a career in Seattle working for the federal government or at an international business firm.

With three languages already under her belt —Spanish, English and Arabic — and a completed business degree, her future looks bright.

Ortega has also been a constant reminder and inspiration to Sallee. “Times are different than when I went to school,” Sallee says. “There are more issues that students have to deal with, and it’s good to remember that a student isn’t just a student — they have other concerns, too. As a mentor, you have to be open- minded toward those things.”

~ Tara Pistorese

Clay Dibrell, professor in the College of Business, is earning an award for his research in family businesses. (photo: Jerome Hart, Portland)

Family Business Awards in Portland.

Clay Dibrell, who does research in the area of family business in OSU’s Austin Family Business Program, received an honor at the event held Nov. 20 at the Oregon Zoo. Joining him will be graduate student Alexis Crawford and undergraduate student Shawn Hillyer.

Dibrell, in his ninth year at Oregon State, recently authored an article on whether family businesses that brand themselves as such receive much benefit for doing so.

“We found that they do have a competitive advantage over non-family businesses,” Dibrell said. The article was published in the Journal of Small Business Management.

“If they can communicate that family quality to their customers, the results are growth and higher profits,” said Dibrell, who earned his doctorate from the University of Memphis.

Six Oregon companies will receive the program’s excellence award, and eight others will be recognized as finalists at the event, said Robin Klemm, director of the Austin Family Business Program.

The awards help inspire new family businesses, she said. More than 140 companies have received the recognition since the awards began in 1988.

From around campus, Olufson Designs of Corvallis and Solar Summit of Philomath were finalists in the micro category, Reece & Associates of Albany in the small category, and Shonnard’s Nursery, Florist & Landscape of Corvallis in the medium category.

The awards are not only a well-deserved honor for the winning family businesses, but an important educational event,” Klemm said. “These businesses represent key role models for all fledgling, challenged, and hard-working family businesses.”

Innovation, entrepreneurship, commitment and community involvement, are guidelines for awards, said the director of the program, housed in OSU’s College of Business. It serves family-owned companies through workshops, seminars and family business management courses.

Two new awards will be added this year: The Dean’s Award will go to Reser’s Fine Foods for its leadership in industry, business, community and family. The Director’s Award for community involvement will be presented to Azumano Travel.

Healthy Pets Northwest of Portland won the award in the micro category, which is open to businesses with nine or fewer employees. The company was honored for its innovative work, brand differentiation and its knowledge of its products and customers.

Glass Alchemy of Portland won in the small category for its succession planning, eco-friendly focus with recycled glass and clean power and its excellent family interactions. The other finalist in the category was Old Dominion Collision Repair of Eugene.

In the medium category (25-99 employees), R&R King Logging of Florence took the top prize for its company’s leadership, diversification, and community service. Naturebake/Dave’s Killer Bread of Milwaukie was the other category finalist.

The top large business this year is Nosler, Inc. of  Bend, chosen for its professional work, respect for its history, employee passion for their work and the company’s model of diversifying the business. The two finalists in the category were Airefco, Inc. of Tualatin and Umpqua Dairy Products of Roseburg.

The Austin Family Business Program at OSU began in 1985 at the suggestion of Joan Austin of Newberg-based A-dec Inc. and was endowed by Ken and Joan Austin in 1994.

Additional information about the Family Business Awards and the Austin Family Business Program is available at www.familybusinessonline.org