They also ensure that the members of those communities have input during the entire planning process, and use visualization tools to help paint a picture of the future.

“It’s hard for people to look at a map and envision what will be,” Scott said. “When people are asked to imagine their environment changing, they don’t typically imagine good things.”

Fregonese Associates is being honored this month with Oregon State University’s Orange Spotlight Award, which highlights businesses and organizations either operated by OSU alums and faculty or who employ a large number of Oregon State graduates. These businesses demonstrate a dedication to community service, sustainability and innovation.

Fregonese Associates employs 15 people and the company has done planning in places ranging from Denver and Salt Lake City to Chicago and Los Angeles. The company provides stakeholders and community members with videos that re-imagine the landscape for them, allowing their vision to be translated in a very tangible way long before any changes are actually made. Called the “Envision Tomorrow Tool,” their scenario-building software helps planners to alter the landscape virtually, and adjust for different benchmarks or indicators, allowing planners to measure the long-term impacts of land use changes. The software is now used by planners around the country.

“We’ve tried to keep the office young and not traditional and let the young people lead,” John said, and said the advent of video gaming has influenced their work. “If you look at our visualization you can tell we used gaming tools to create some of them.”

Having a long-range vision is essential to urban planning, and John Fregonese has long been at the cutting edge. He was director of Portland’s Metro Growth Management Department in 1992 when the Metro 2040 regional growth plan was first created. Metro 2040 was groundbreaking because it took into consideration regional planning, looking beyond the city boundaries of Portland to include 24 cities and three counties in its plan.

“We did something in the 2040 plan that hadn’t been done before,” John said. “We modeled the region in GIS (geographic information system) using the tools that I’d learned at OSU. It gave us the ability to do something other planners couldn’t, because we had those technical skills. We had the ability to do the modeling, and we’re still among the best in the country to do that, and our software is used nationally to model regions.”

John was a graduate student at Oregon State University in the mid 1970s when he changed his plan to become a hydrologist and got involved in land use planning. When he worked on the 2040 plan, much of his background in geography came into play as he considered the landscape as well as the land use aspects of the Metro region.

His son Scott also attended Oregon State, but originally had a degree in forestry in mind. But having grown up playing, and then working, in his father’s office, he soon discovered that his heart, like his dad’s, lay in urban and regional planning. He switched to geography and graduated in 2000.

Like John, Scott realized that having a solid grasp of geography has been essential to his work.

“We look beyond city limits and look at the landscapes of the region,” Scott said. “We’re not confined by borders or political boundaries. The software we’ve developed models several possible futures and helps us pick the best aspects.”

John likens their view to looking at a landscape from space. City limits aren’t visible, but there are distinct delineations in the land itself that separate metro areas. By using GIS analysis in their planning, and coupling that with their Envision Tomorrow Tool, Fregonese allows government officials, non profit agencies and community members to see what might happen to their region once changes take place.

And the focus isn’t just on bus routes and buildings. Fregonese Associates is able to provide clients with a measurement of how changes to transportation plans will impact greenhouse gas emissions. They take into account the natural environment and emphasize green planning, such as creating LEED certified buildings.

But even before that happens, the team at Fregonese Associates spends a lot of time in the community gathering information about how people currently utilize their cities and how those needs might change in the future. They hold town hall meetings and invite input and discussion, as they did recently in southern Louisiana for planning efforts following the destruction of Hurricane Katrina.

“We do a lot of brainstorming around maps, and set it up like a Monopoly game. They’re using their intuition.” John said. Participants are able to get a really hands-on approach to urban planning and help planners understand what it’s like living in the community, and what needs to change. This invests them in the process.

“You get people hooked on it,” John said. “And then they follow what you’re doing and become interested, involved and knowledgeable.”

“If a plan is developed with a lot of public knowledge and input, it has much more chance of success.”

~ Theresa Hogue

Nancy Kneisel owns Second Glance in downtown Corvallis (photo: Karl Maasdam)

Sitting on a stool in the middle of her downtown Corvallis store, Nancy Kneisel throws back her head and laughs as she banters with a customer who has just entered the store. Kneisel rarely sits, but she always laughs, and her upbeat voice is constantly greeting customers as they walk into Second Glance, the re-sale consignment store she’s owned since 1984. Kneisel knows most of her customers’ names, and quickly remembers the new ones. It’s all part of the special atmosphere she’s always cultivated at her shop.

Wearing over-the-knee black boots and a trim gray dress, Kneisel exudes a no-nonsense fashion sense that is evident in the keen eye she uses to select items for the store. This is no thrift shop. Clothing at Second Glance is selected for its quality, style and brand name, ensuring that no customer walks away feeling like they’re wearing hand-me-downs. It also gives women a place to bring their gently used fashions and get some money back for them.

“Let me help you clean your closet,” Kneisel said. “Let me help you get some kind of return, don’t leave them in your closet. That’s a waste of time and effort and guilt. I’m going to take care of that part for you. I’m going to make it really easy for you to do something good.”

Award winner

Kneisel’s work has paid off. She was given the Robert C. Ingalls Business Person of the Year award at this year’s Celebrate Corvallis awards ceremony. She was also a finalist in the micro category for this year’s Excellence in Family Business Award, presented by the Oregon State University’s Austin Family Business Program. And now Second Glance has been given November’s Orange Spotlight Award, which highlights businesses and organizations either operated by OSU alums and faculty or who employ a large number of Oregon State graduates. These businesses demonstrate a dedication to community service, sustainability and innovation.

Growing up poor had a lasting effect on Kneisel’s life. Not only did her frugal mother teach her how to sew her own clothes, she gave her an appreciation for making the most with the little you have.

That sense has served her business well, and now that the recession is making even the most dyed-in-the-wool shopaholics think twice about spending money on fashion, her extremely affordable yet fashionable re-sale clothing is being noticed by an ever-expanding customer base.

“I saw the economy tanking, and at the same time I saw a huge upswing both in the number of people coming into shop and the number of people bringing their clothes in to sell,” she said.

Jessica Kneisel, left, manages a store owned by her mother, Nancy Kneisel, right, who operates the main branch of Second Glance. (photo: Karl Maasdam)

A family affair

Kneisel graduated from Oregon State University in 1976 with a degree in English, history and art. Her husband is a nuclear engineer who received his MBA from OSU in 1981. They met in school and married shortly after graduation. After living in Idaho for several years, Kneisel and her family returned to Corvallis with their young family. Kneisel, inspired by a friend who worked for a consignment store in Eugene that was more like a boutique than a thrift shop, decided to take the plunge and open her dream store.

“The proverbial light bulb went off,” she said. “It was really, truly a learn-as-you-go experience, and I’ve never stopped learning,” Kneisel said. The business has been a success from the start.

She’s taken small business courses at OSU, as well as consulted faculty members from the College of Business and the College of Health and Human Sciences. OSU has always been one of her most valued resources, both for support and information, but also for high quality students, many of whom are design majors she’s employed at her shop over the years. Kneisel has also invited business and merchandising classes to use her store for class projects and case studies. She gains insight, and the students have a living laboratory in their own backyard.

OSU faculty, staff and students are also her main customer base, and the women who originally began shopping at Second Glance now have grown daughters who are also loyal customers.

Kneisel, who calls herself a “benevolent dictator,” makes sure her student employees put schoolwork first, and she also takes them to conferences sponsored by the National Association of Resale and Thrift Shops, where she’s been a long-time member and frequent presenter (including keynote speaker in 2007). She consults and frequently teaches about creating and running re-sale stores.

Innovating with the times

In the 26 years since Kneisel opened Second Glance, she’s evolved along with her shop. The advent of e-mail and the Internet greatly expanded the way she kept in touch with her customer base, not to mention how she keeps track of her inventory and researches the right prices for her shop wares.

In 2008 she opened the store’s sister shop “The Annex,” just a block away. Her daughter Jessica manages the shop, which is aimed at a teen and college-aged audience. When she opened Second Glance, it cost Kneisel $2,500 to set up shop.

“It was profitable from the day we opened,” she said.

To jumpstart The Annex was a far more expensive proposition, but Kneisel did it without taking out any loans, so the business had solid financial legs from the beginning.

Now, Kneisel has her eyes on opening a men’s version of the store, with a location and details to be announced. She believes that a new-found American frugality, thanks to the economy, combined with a growing awareness that environmental resources are finite and that conspicuous consumption is dangerous, will make high quality re-sale even more important.

“Using something once is not enough. We really need to teach our youth to understand, “You don’t need 30 pairs of jeans,”” she said. “You need two really good pair, and I can help you find them.”

Find out more at the Second Glance blog: http://www.glanceagain.com/

~ Theresa Hogue

Josh Johnston is the owner of Paddy's Bar and Grill, which received the Orange Spotlight Award.

For more than three decades, Paddy’s Bar and Grill at 65 S.W. Yamhill has been a Portland institution, serving up traditional Irish fare and atmosphere, and garnering a reputation for its wide range of whiskeys – a whole wall full, in fact.

Now Oregon State University is honoring Paddy’s owner with the “Orange Spotlight” award, which highlights businesses and organizations either operated by OSU alums and faculty or who employ a large number of Oregon State graduates. These businesses demonstrate a dedication to community service, sustainability and innovation.

Portland restaurateur Josh Johnston purchased Paddy’s a year and a half ago, adding it to his growing list of businesses. His first establishment, North 45 (517 N.W. 21st Ave), is an upscale international pub that features an extensive Belgian beer menu and hosts events including Oktoberfest and a Kentucky Derby party. And he’s opening a third pub, Circa 33, on Oct. 1.

But when Johnston isn’t busy launching new businesses, he is focused on giving back to the community.

At OSU, he serves on the alumni board for the rugby team and has helped it raise $40,000 annually for the club. Johnston frequently partners with charitable organizations to hold fundraisers in his pubs, ranging from a big St. Patrick’s Day event for the Children’s Cancer Association to fundraisers for cystic fibrosis, breast cancer and the Fresh Water Trust.

“We have a very good public vehicle to use to generate awareness and raise money, and I feel like it’s something we should be doing,” Johnston said.

Johnston wasn’t born into the restaurant business. In fact, as a teen he planned on becoming a forester. He arrived at OSU in 1992 but soon realized his interests lay elsewhere, so he switched gears and majored in communication. What ended up keeping him on campus was the passion he developed for rugby, and the atmosphere of Corvallis. When he graduated in 1997, he hung up his jersey and focused on finding a career.

But although he found his way into mortgage banking, and later high tech sales, being confined into an office wasn’t working.

“I got sick of working in a cubicle,” he said. “My father and grandfather were both self-employed. I knew I wanted to be my own boss.”

Johnston thought back to his summer job as a bartender for an Irish pub while he was attending OSU. He realized that bartending made him a whole lot happier than mortgage banking. So after two-and-a-half years of hard work, he opened North 45 with his friend, Jim Hall. He soon discovered that his communications degree came in handy. “It polished my ability to work with people and negotiate with people, and find ways to solve problems,” he said. “A lot of what I do is sales and marketing, and that’s all heavily focused on communications.”

Johnston’s latest venture, Circa 33, is another exciting challenge. The pub – so named because 1933 was the year Prohibition was repealed, and because the pub is on 33rd Street – is designed to exude casual sophistication.

Meanwhile, Johnston keeps strong ties to Oregon State, and uses a high definition projector at Paddy’s to show all the OSU football televised games.

“This is a great place for OSU supporters to come down and spend some time and be with fellow alumni and watch a game.”

~ Theresa Hogue

Bob Johnson's company, Fluid Images, makes the world's largest film cranes (photo: Teresa Hall)

SISTERS, Ore. – An Oregon-based business that builds the world’s largest film cranes is being honored by Oregon State University.

Fluid Images in Sisters, Ore., is receiving OSU’s “Orange Spotlight” award, which highlights businesses and organizations either operated by Oregon State alums and faculty or who employ a large number of Oregon State graduates. These businesses demonstrate a dedication to community service, sustainability and innovation.

Oregon State alum Bob Johnson never imagined he’d be in the film industry. But it was his belief in his son’s creative energy that propelled the family into the heart of show business. Now Johnson’s business, Fluid Images, is considered a pioneer in the industry.

Johnson credits his son Rick with being the brainchild behind Fluid Images. Rick had just gotten out of film school, and was looking for a way to make his mark. He saw his opportunity while watching film crews use 50-foot cranes to shoot movies, and imagined what would happen if he developed a much larger crane.

“I thought, ‘there has to be something I can make that’s bigger, that will give them bigger shots,’” he said.

It took Rick two years to build his first 72’ Akela crane in his father’s barn. It enabled camera operators on film and commercial sets to get sweeping, high-angle shots that would have previously been impossible. In 1996, film producer Jon Landau saw the Johnsons’ crane at a show business expo.

“He saw the crane, and was blown away,” said Bob Johnson, who graduated from Oregon State in 1962. “We gave him a demo reel, and Landau gave it to James Cameron. Six months later we were on the set of ‘Titanic’ with two cranes. We shot 80 percent of the outside shots, and that really got that part of our company going.”

Now, Fluid’s longest crane is 100 feet. It’s still the largest in the world, and they’re the first people in film history to hit that mark. Their latest crane invention is the “Hook & Release” system, on which a Steadicam operator can be “flown” at the end of a crane arm while safely suspended in a harness. Their cranes are used in productions worldwide.

To date, they’ve worked on more than 3,000 projects and 700 feature films, including ‘Harry Potter,’ ‘Into the Wild,’ ‘The Thin Red Line’ and ‘Pirates of the Caribbean.’ They’ve worked on the X-Games, the Olympics and the British Open. They’ve expanded their company to include film and video production, as well as digital signage and content development.

“The motion picture world – there’s a lot of excitement, but more importantly it’s a heck of a lot of hard work,” says Johnson. “It’s not a glamour job. Some days there’s a little glamour. But you’re providing a piece of equipment that gives people the ultimate shots. It’s been very exciting.”

Fluid Images has been closely involved with Oregon State for years, entirely due to Johnson’s commitment to his alma mater. They have filmed national commercial spots for the Beavers for the past six years. They created the introduction pieces that Reser spectators see before the OSU football team runs out into the stadium. They hire interns from Oregon State as well.

Bob Johnson feels many of the qualities that have enabled him to succeed in the business were traits he picked up at Oregon State as a student athlete in track.

“Hard work, dedication, determination, enthusiasm, desire, willing to go the extra mile to make it happen. And I think I learned all of those from Oregon State,” he says.

Brian Lamborn helps run his family vineyard in Napa Valley (photo: Melody Oldfield)

When Bob Lamborn and his son Michael bought 40 acres on Howell Mountain, which sits above the Napa Valley floor, the area was barely on the map. It was 1971, and Napa’s reputation as one of the world’s epicenters of winemaking had yet to emerge.

It was a home-grown, independent operation from the start. Bob, who had attended OSU until he was drafted into the WWII, had wanted some structure and complexity in his life – he and Mike planted and worked only eight of their acres with help from their family and friends. The rest they left untamed. They hired a friend and local vintner to make their first batches of Zinfandel, which they released in 1982. They called their label Lamborn Family Vineyards – the name was simple and also captured the essence of the business. It was the very first “family” winery label in California.

In 1999, when they welcomed Mike’s son Brian into the business, Lamborn, and even Howell Mountain, had kept the values at their cores – independence and quality – intact, even as the Napa Valley floor had become blanketed by some of the biggest and most expensive vineyards in the world.

In 2010, Lamborn is still focused on staying small, so they can do everything themselves from the ground up, from farming the grapes to marketing the wine and everything in between. For them, it is a way to ensure that the 1,600 total cases of Cabernet and Zinfandel they produce yearly is high quality, Brian says. And Howell Mountain has retained much of its individuality as well.

“When you start getting off the valley floor into the surrounding mountain growing regions, you run into more characters,” says Brian, who graduated from OSU in 1997 with a degree in sociology. “It’s a different feel. There are funky places that people haven’t heard about, and you get more into the farmers up our way, which is certainly what we prefer.”

After nearly four decades, though, some things have changed. Bob passed away in 2004. Mike and Brian brought on winemaker Heidi Barrett, famous for handcrafting the cult wine Screaming Eagle, who’s 1992 vintage sells upwards of $8,000 a bottle.

And Brian, after having taken over as the manager of marketing and sales, refined the way Lamborn sold its Cabernet and Zinfandel. Instead of selling their vintages to the general market, from Safeway to local wine stores, Brian has focused mostly on creating word-of-mouth buzz for Lamborn’s wines through getting them into fine dining restaurants.

“We started getting into more and more places that had sought-after wine lists,” says Brian. “The goal behind that was for people to start recognizing Lamborn in some of the nicest restaurants in the country, making the association of quality between the two, and for them to start buying directly from us.”

Lamborn still does sell to local restaurants in order to maintain a community connection, but their approach to cultivating relationships with wine lovers nationwide has been successful. A considerable portion of their sales now come from their website, which has helped buffer Lamborn from the recession, which has left much of the wine industry reeling.

“We’re blessed to have very loyal customers,” says Brian. “These people know what our wines are like, and know from year to year what they’ll get. We’re lucky to have direct winery members who buy yearly, to the point where we consider these people not only our customers, but our friends.”

Brian’s continual contact with customers has extended to Facebook and Twitter, as well, where he hopes to connect even more with others in the industry as well as reach out into a broader demographic.

A direct-to-consumer approach isn’t the only innovation Brian brought to Lamborn, though. He came with a year of experience working in Australian vineyards under his belt, and in 1999 instituted a new method of trellising Lamborn’s vines so that they got optimum sunshine.

“More sunlight means a better quality grape, means a better quality wine,” says Brian. “We saw quantity and quality increase.”

Still, Brian and Mike are dedicated to the land and growing grapes mindfully. They were one of the very first Napa Valley wineries to pursue the “Napa Green” Program, which focuses on enhancing the watershed and restoring habitat. They’ve established owl boxes around the vineyard, so that native owls will inhabit them. The owls prey upon pests, like gophers and rabbits that can wreak havoc in the vineyard. They’ve established a ladybug colony, which goes a long way toward combating vine canopy pests like mites. They practice no-till farming, and only use their drip irrigation system when they have to.

“Our planted acreage is dwarfed by our unplanted land, which is forested and rich in wildlife. We’re only up and 20 minutes from the heart of Napa Valley, but we feel like we’re a world apart up here,” says Brian.

They’re also devoted to the community. They donate wine, time and money to more than 15 organizations to which they have developed close relationships, like Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation in the fight against pediatric cancer and Haley’s Run for a Reason for Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood research. They play an active role in bringing interns to Lamborn, as well, many of whom find positions in some of the Valley’s best wineries.

In many ways, Brian credits his liberal arts education at Oregon State for teaching him that the world is full of possibilities, and to have the confidence to go after them. In addition to the work at Lamborn, Brian started his own tea company and an event company, Outdoor Wine Adventures.

“The faculty at Oregon State is incredibly motivational. I also forged some lifelong friendships that I truly believe would not have come from any other college,” he says.

In the future, Brian Lamborn would love to see his own kids take over the family business if it makes them happy. But mostly, he’d like them to be able to see Howell Mountain the same way it looks today.

“I’d love for my kids to see Howell Mountain relatively untouched, and that goes beyond the spectrum of our little vineyard. I’m talking about the whole area,” says Brian. “I don’t really call what I do work. Even though there is a lot of it. This is more like a passion than work, and I’m beyond fortunate to do what I do each and every day.”

~ Celene Carillo

The Old Mill Center for Children and Families in Corvallis is receiving OSU’s “Orange Spotlight” award, which highlights businesses and organizations either operated by Oregon State alums and faculty or who employ a large number of Oregon State graduates. These businesses demonstrate a dedication to community service, sustainability and innovation.

Bev Larson, an OSU graduate, helped establish the Old Mill Center in 1977 after being inspired by the marginalization she saw being experienced by disabled students. After Larson graduated with a degree in English education she got a job in California teaching high school students with disabilities. What Larson noticed immediately was the marginalization her students experienced.

It couldn’t have been more obvious, she pointed out. Their classroom – a trailer – wasn’t even attached to the school building. “I was appalled at how alienated those kids and their families were from the school system,” Larson said. “I thought, ‘these kids are so much more together than the school thinks they are.’”

Bev Larson is the executive director of Old Mill Center for Children and Families. (photo: Nancy Froehlich)

Witnessing the wide gulf between her students’ abilities and how they were treated changed Larson’s plan to become an English teacher. Instead, she became dedicated to creating an integrated model of education that put children with “typical” and “atypical” needs in the same classroom.

This mainstreaming made Larson a pioneer in her field. By the time laws were created that required mainstreaming students with disabilities, Larson was ready to roll out an integrated curriculum for pre-school kids that was replicated throughout the country. And she was starting to draw more family services together, like counseling and speech therapy, to exist under one roof.

Larson returned to Corvallis and helped establish the Old Mill Center, which provides educational and counseling services for children from birth to 18, as well as their families. The theme of integration – not only in the classroom but in serving children’s families – is the driving force behind Old Mill, which began in 1977 as a pre-school serving eight families and grew into a multifaceted center serving more than 1,600 clients. Larson is now the executive director.

The center is the only one in Oregon to provide such a wide range of services. At Old Mill, families and children have access to early childhood development help, preschool, intensive day treatment, speech-language therapy and child and family counseling. The staff-to-student ratio is small.

Old Mill is the only facility in the county that can manage medication and provide services for children on the Oregon Health Plan. They are the only facility in Benton County that serves children without insurance. They serve families that are poor – and they serve families who have wealth and private insurance. They serve at-risk families and children, and those who are not.

“We have really moved away from working with just a child,” Larson said. “It’s clear for me that kids are part of family systems. They obviously don’t exist out of that system. Including families to work with children and youth is huge to make sure that we really make an impact on them.”

Several of Old Mill’s board members are Oregon State faculty and staff. More than half of the staff of 33 graduated from Oregon State, many of them from the College of Education’s program in counselor education. Old Mill hires six to eight interns a term from Oregon State, many of them from the department of human development and family sciences in the College of Health and Human Sciences.

Larson says Old Mill can provide support to any child.

“I encourage people to contact us if they’re having a concern about their child,” she said. “Or if they feel like their neighbor or grandchild could use support. It’s almost certain Old Mill has a program that could help them, or help them find the right resource.

“I can’t imagine anybody coming through the front door and hearing, ‘I’m sorry, we can’t help you.’”

~ Celene Carillo

Kris and Brian Egan own and operate Corvallis Custom Kitchens and Baths in downtown Corvallis. (photo: Theresa Hogue)

Once a dilapidated, moss-covered eye sore, the Caton House in downtown Corvallis has come back to life, with a lot of sweat, tears and effort from Brian and Kris Egan. The oldest house in Corvallis still in its original location, the Caton House has stood on Fourth Street and Polk since 1857, and now houses the only kitchen and bath showroom between Eugene and Salem.

Corvallis Custom Kitchens and Baths used to be housed in a typical commercial space downtown, but when the Egans found out the Caton House was up for sale in 2007, they rushed to buy it, even though as professional contractors they knew the house was in bad shape.

“One windstorm would have knocked it down,” Kris said.

But restoring such a far-gone property is right in line with the Egans’ philosophy, which includes a focus on sustainability and community service.

The Caton House is the oldest house in Corvallis still in its original location. (photo: Theresa Hogue)

“We believe very strongly in giving back to the community,” Kris said.

“One of our business philosophies is what’s good for our community is good for our business,” Brian added.

That meant honoring Corvallis’ rich history by restoring the property to its former glory, and reusing as much of the house’s original materials as possible. It also meant a huge investment of time, and faith, on their part.

“We really gave it a year of our lives,” Brian said.

Their work was honored in 2008 when they received the city’s Historic Preservation Award, which they proudly display in the middle of their office. The company has also received awards for their efforts in sustainability. Brian said they do their best to recycle as much material as possible, including donating old cabinets and other items they pull from job sites to Habitat for Humanity’s Re-store. They even added a storage facility onto the Caton House, so that old items can be held until they can be repurposed.

And although the home is on the National Register of Historic Homes, they were able to put solar panels on the back roof, as well as installing storm windows and thick insulation to make the house as energy efficient as possible.

The addition of solar panels on the back of the building has helped the Egans in their goal of sustainability. (photo: Theresa Hogue)

Kris received her undergraduate degree in horticulture with a minor in computer science from OSU in 1985. For eight years, she was a faculty member, working in horticulture and soil science research labs on campus, before she quit to work full time for Corvallis Custom Kitchens and Baths. But Kris still keeps close ties to OSU, as a teacher for the Adventures in Learning summer program, and as a lecturer for the Academy of Life Long Learning.

Kris says her time at OSU has directly benefited the business. She learned important employee relation skills while running a lab at OSU, and her computer science degree has come in handy as well. And her continued connection to the university also helps, she said.

“It challenges me to keep thinking and learning,” she said.

While Brian isn’t a graduate of OSU, he also has a close relationship with the university.  He is a guest lecturer with the kitchens and bath planning class through the Department of Human Design and Environment at OSU.  The classes also come to the store on field trips.

The ceiling boards in one of the kitchen showrooms were from the home's original floorboards. (photo: Theresa Hogue)

“They get to talk to a graduate from their program,” Brian said, because the shop has had six interns from OSU, three of whom ended up working for the Egans, including current designer Heather VanEyk.

“We’ve really had good luck with interns from OSU,” Brian said. “They tend to be very energetic. We get the cream of the crop.”

Showroom manager Leita Grant has her own OSU connections. She’s a master gardener through OSU Extension, and one of her sons is a graduate of the College of Business, and currently works in Student Health Services on campus.

When the Egans aren’t hosting OSU job shadows or out creating beautiful kitchens and bathrooms, they’re volunteering their time with organizations including Kiwanis, the Madison Avenue Task Force and Corvallis Parks and Rec.

The Egans say the recession has been tough to weather, but they recently got a serious ego boost, when they were named an Austin Family Business of the Year in their size category.

“It meant so much to us,” Kris said. “It was a huge pat on the back, and validation that we’re doing a good job.

Corvallis Custom Kitchens and Baths is located at 602 N.W. Fourth St. in Corvallis. For more information see www.cckb.biz

Once a month, starting April 1, we will be highlighting a nominated Powered by Orange business. What does it mean to be a Powered by Orange business? It could be that it’s owned by an Oregon State alum, has many OSU alums working there, or is just friends of OSU. A Powered by Orange Business also drives innovation, supports economic growth and serves in the community. If you know a business that fits this description then please nominate them for the Orange Spotlight at http://poweredbyorange.com

This month, Orange Spotlight chose Orchard View Farms in The Dalles, Oregon. Orchard View has been owned by four generations of Beavers for nearly 90 years.

Orchard View Farms sits among the sweeping hilltops just outside The Dalles, the area of the Columbia Gorge where the landscape starts to stretch and roll, and melt from forest green into Eastern Oregon’s golden brown.

The Bailey family, the proprietors of Orchard View, a large-scale cherry growing and packing operation, have an intense attachment to this land. They’ve been living on it and working it for years – from the old homestead to the northeast, across the Columbia in Washington, to the farm itself, which Orchard View Chairman Bob Bailey’s paternal grandfather and his wife, Mable, established in 1923.

Orchard View ships more than 10,000 tons of sweet cherries a year throughout the U.S. and to more than 25 countries worldwide. They use a patented packaging method called View Fresh that was developed by Bob Bailey’s father, Don, and keeps cherries fresh for up to a month after picking – View Fresh is also licensed by farms worldwide, particularly in Chile.

Despite Orchard View’s size, its 80 full time employees and hundreds of seasonal staff, the Baileys still run it as an environmentally responsible family business. They don’t apply chemicals to their trees unless they need to. They monitor their use of water and plant cover crops on their land to prevent soil erosion.

They are also active members of their communities in different ways, from school boards, commodity commissions to business associations, and offer programs to their employees that help them purchase homes. “We help full-time employees with down payments. So most of them are homeowners,” says Bailey.

The Bailey family’s connection to Oregon State University is as strong as their roots in the land and the community. “Since I went to school there and my dad Don was a graduate there in ’38 or ’39, Oregon State has been our place,“ Bailey says. Bailey graduated from Oregon State in 1963 with a degree in business and a minor in horticulture.

“The reason I got into the business is that I was born into it,” Bailey says. “I went back East to graduate school for one year when I decided I wanted to go back to the small town and the farm, and that was in 1964, and I’m still here,” he says.

Bob Bailey’s brother Ken, Vice President, graduated from Oregon State in horticulture in 1962. When he returned to Orchard View in 1966, he was mainly involved in orchard establishment and management. Ken, along with Bob and brothers Tom and Jon, helped grow Orchard View from 250 acres to 2,000, making it the largest sweet cherry growing operation in the country.

Throughout that time, Orchard View has been involved with Oregon State’s Extension Service and Hood River’s Experiment Station, as well as the Austin Family Business Program. And Bob Bailey hopes those connections will continue in the future.

“We want to participate and work together on issues dealing with the business – everything from fruit quality to dealing with new insects, so we can solve problems that show up for us and the industry,” Bailey says.

Now, Bob and Ken are handing off the business to the next generation of family members. Their nephew, David Ortega, a 2000 graduate of Oregon State in food science and technology, is the production manager in the packing house. And Bob’s daughter, Brenda Thomas, a 1991 graduate of the College of Veterinary Medicine, recently sold her practice to take over as President and General Manager at Orchard View. “My best hope is to create an economically viable business and to create a positive experience for everyone involved in our business,” Thomas says. “It’s definitely a learning process, which is why it’s important to be around people who support you, like your family.”

~ Celene Carillo