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SEDCOR Members Honored at Annual Luncheon FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – June 10, 2009 Contact: Susan Appleby, Communications Manager at 503-485-9803 or email sappleby@sedcor.com Thursday, June 10 – Salem, Ore. SEDCOR, the economic development group for Marion and Polk Counties held their Annual Honors Luncheon at Willamette Valley Vineyards to honor outstanding achievements of local businesses. Over 300 SEDCOR members, civic and government officials were in attendance. The event was sponsored by Bank of the Cascades and Rich Duncan Construction, Inc. The awards honored the following companies:
Mark Shipman, SEDCOR Board Chair, Ray Burstedt, SEDCOR President, and other SEDCOR Board Members presented the awards. The Mary Pearmine Workforce Leadership Awards were also presented by the Enterprise for Employment and Education. Manufacturer of the Year This award recognizes outstanding manufacturers, which are making world-class products, creating job opportunities and strengthening our communities. It is given to the individual or company who has been active in the organization, made contributions to the industry and community and is considered a successful operator exemplifying the highest business ethical standards. Laura Hagenauer, President, accepted the award. Locally owned and operated, Valley Rolling Corporation was established in the spring of 2003, with a clear goal of offering service like it should be and to have fun doing it! With over 100 years of combined experience, the original crew of six took their knowledge of the metal roll forming industry and set out to bring this business back to the Pacific Northwest. The single local truck route quickly grew to a fleet servicing all of Oregon, Southern Washington, and Northern California! The original crew of six has more than tripled and the pride and fun of being a part of Valley Rolling have multiplied immeasurably! Valley Rolling currently manufacturers three metal roofing and siding profiles, plus all the trim needed to complete a building. Valley Rolling strives to be the “one stop shop” for building exteriors carrying accessories such as; sliding barn door tracks, insulation, vapor barriers, utility doors and polycarbonate skylight panels. The driving force at Valley Rolling is their employees, the “can do, will do” attitude is prevalent each and everyday. Valley Rolling stands behind their customers who are lumberyard and kit building suppliers providing quality metal roofing and siding products throughout the Pacific Northwest. Business Partner of the Year This award is given to the organization who has been active in SEDCOR and who has exemplified the best qualities of corporate citizenship by contributing significantly to the community and to the successful operations and programs of SEDCOR. Bob Hill, CEO, accepted the award. It has been an exceptional year for locally owned and operated LCG Pence Construction, LLC within the Salem business community. This last year marked the groundbreaking of the Salvation Army Kroc Center in NE Salem. It was also a year that saw a true, city-wide partnership flourish between LCG Pence and the City of Salem, CCTV, Cascadia Development, Willamette University and many others with the completion of the 295 Church Project. And though the economy was uncertain, LCG Pence was clear in their commitment to the community and our children. Their strong relationship with the Salem-Keizer School District was demonstrated through a business partnership with Hallman Elementary School, active backing of the District’s bond campaign, and through the continued sponsorship of the Salem-Keizer Educational Foundation and the Awesome 3000. This desire to be a true partner to Salem’s businesses and citizens is a cornerstone of the LCG Pence culture. The company and their employees feel a obligation to give back by donating their time and resources to numerous area organizations, including, Habitat for Humanity, Salem Art Association, Liberty House, Family Building Blocks, and Boy and Girl Scouts of America, to name a few. They recognize that reinvesting in our marketplace is fundamental to their success, LCG Pence is consistently creating opportunities to partner with area subcontractors and vendors, and provide more than 160 local jobs. This year, LCG Pence is celebrating its 60th year in business – a testament to all who have played a role in making this great company what it is today – a pillar of the Salem business community and our SEDCOR Business Partner of the Year! Agri-Business of the Year This award is presented to the business that has been active in SEDCOR, has demonstrated excellence in agri-business this past year and who supports and maintains the significant role and future of agriculture in our economy. Jim Bernau, President/CEO, accepted the award. Willamette Valley Vineyards, believes that sustainability begins in the vineyard; their Estate Pinot Noir block has been certified organic by Oregon Tilth and all of their vineyards have been certified sustainable through LIVE (Low Input Viticulture and Enology) and Salmon Safe programs since 1997. In 2007, Willamette Valley Vineyards became the first winery in the world to use sustainable cork stoppers certified by the Rainforest Alliance to Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standards. Their commitment to sustainable practices in the vineyard and winery is based on their convictions that as stewards of the land they have an obligation to walk as softly as possible, and that winegrapes grown naturally in healthy soils produce superior quality wines. These practices allow Willamette Valley Vineyards to grow by hand, the highest quality fruit using careful canopy management and responsible vineyard management practices to produce wines of distinction, that are truly expressive of the varietal and the place where they are grown. The winery and underground cellar are carved into the top of an ancient volcanic flow. Because this soil is estimated to be ten to fourteen million years old, rain water has percolated through this now acidic soil, breaking down the basalt, allowing the roots to tap down. This unique combination of soil and place brings distinctive elegance, balance and aromas to the wines that they make. Willamette Valley Vineyards is committed to environmental stewardship beyond the vineyard as well. They have instituted programs to promote the recycling of corks, wine bottles, foils and wine shippers. Biodiesel is used in all of their vineyard tractors and their an employee biodiesel program, offers up to 50 gallons of biodiesel a month to each employee at no cost. Community Service: This award is given to the organization who has been active in SEDCOR and who has exemplified the best qualities of corporate citizenship by contributing significantly to the community. Bruce Anderson, Regional Manager and Community Affairs, accepted the award. For 150 years, NW Natural has provided warmth and comfort to their customers. Their founders’ ideals of civic participation and philanthropic giving are values they hold today, for they are the threads that make a community strong. NW Natural serves more than 662,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in Oregon and Southwest Washington. They have provided gas service to the Mid-Willamette Valley for about 80 years with nearly 87,000 customers in the area today. Last year, NW Natural supported almost 400 organizations throughout their service territory with nearly $1 million in contributions. They also provide in-kind contributions, including their event canopies, and encourage employee volunteers through a variety of recognition programs. Support for chambers of commerce and community events such as the Keizer Iris Festival, Mt. Angel Oktoberfest, and World Beat Festival is also a priority. They remain committed to a focus of helping children and families at-risk by making contributions to the organizations that help these vulnerable members of the community. NW Natural’s regional community affairs managers also live and volunteer in the communities in which they are located, keeping the company connected and updated on interests and goals of the communities. The next time you’re at a community event, look for the familiar NW Natural blue-striped tents or cook wagon. Maybe you’ll see one of their managers flipping burgers. Throughout their history, generations of men and women have carried on NW Natural’s commitment to the community. NW Natural is proud to call this area home and realizes it must be nurtured through philanthropy, volunteerism and environmental stewardship. Innovative Product of the Year This award is given to the company that has been active in SEDCOR and has developed a new product or process which is on the “cutting edge” and who advances the industry and the economy through its development. Russ Monk, Director of Operations, accepted the award. High Impact Technology, LLC (HIT) was founded on July 4th, 2005. HIT was created by combining the strengths of three established companies, all located within the Willamette Valley. They are a technology development company that began by working with our military to solve a focused, life threatening problem created within the war conditions. The Army’s fuel tanker fleet in Iraq was being targeted and fuel was being ignited, causing the tankers and convoys to burn. HIT developed a spray on, self-healing coating that didn’t stop the bullet it simply stopped the leaks, therefore removing the fire hazard while maintaining the fuel within the vessel. (It is much easier to mitigate an event that doesn’t happen). This technology went from raw concept to military approval in ten days. HIT takes great pride in using the valuable resources that the Willamette Valley offers, both in people and capabilities. They have developed a unique business model, whereby they develop the technology to a production ready state and then drive the technology into key independent manufacturers both in Oregon and abroad. Several of these technologies have been applied around the world, focused primarily on protecting our troops. High Impact Technology has made the conscience decision to invest the monies earned back into new technologies, programs and jobs. They have commercialized four additional technologies and have been granted nine patents with 25 more pending. HIT enjoys being a Willamette Valley based company and believes Oregon offers the unique opportunities to take their business model and create new technologies with global reach. 7th Annual Mary Pearmine Workforce Leadership Award The Mary Pearmine award was created by the Enterprise, in honor of former County Commissioner and Enterprise Board Member Mary Pearmine. The nominees have demonstrated a passion for improving the skills and prospects of others and have displayed both commitment and energy to enhance workforce leadership and training. Mary Pearmine Workforce Leadership: (A full press release will be sent by E3) Individual Accomplishment: NominationsColleen Winkler of Climax Portable Machine Tools. Climax Portable Machine Tools stands for creating an environment of borderless learning and a "community campus." Colleen has played a key role in developing this environment. She led the development of the Climax internship program that offers interns with comprehensive learning experiences. Jon Ostling of Cascade Steel Rolling Mills. Jon is leading an aggressive training program for Cascade Steel including lean production systems. He is continuing to champion adult apprenticeships and transferable skills training. He has been a community leader in the development of a youth apprenticeship program in Yamhill county and has coordinated a joint effort with McMinnville High School for a welding program. 2009 Award RecipientGreg McManus of VIPS Industries and Phoenix Grand Hotel. Greg is committed to creating work environments where all employees can experience success and job satisfaction through skill development. His goal is for each employee to grow soft skills and the technical skills needed to provide quality services through excellent comprehensive training, personal goal setting, one-on-one support and performance review. His concept is to take care of the internal customer- the employee-which leads to taking care of the external customer and profit for the company. Best Practice by a Team: Diane Dobbes and the Silverton Hospital Lean Team. Silverton Hospital was the first healthcare organization to join the Mid-Willamette High Performance Consortium. As the Manager of Patient Access & Service Line Coordinator, Diane has developed a Lean Team of 12 staff representing diverse departments. The Team spent a year in disciplined Lean applications to streamline and vastly improve their areas of responsibility within the hospital and to engage other staff members in learning to adopt lean thinking and problem solving approaches. Their efforts and investment in workforce development have made Silverton Hospital an example in the lean healthcare community. ### |
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