Gorge Columbia River Stories Business If these and …eaglenewspapers.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/news/...Ghost Stories If these and other walls could talk, what might they say?

GhostStoriesIf these and other wallscould talk, what mightthey say? A local busi-ness hopes to find out.

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July 2013 Covering Gorge Business Volume 5, No. 7

LargerVision

CGCC will play a key

role in attracting

new industry by

increasing the skill

level of workforce.

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BeyondBeyondThe RanchThe Ranch

Columbia RiverGorgeBusiness

Review

From country to city, businesses woven by wool industry.Page 22

2 Columbia River Gorge Business Review, July 2013

ManagersJoe Petshow

& Marilyn Roth

EditorialElaine BakkeSverre BakkeNeita Cecil

Mark GibsonAdam LapierreBen McCarty

Jade McDowellBen Mitchell

Kirby Neumann-ReaRaeLynn RicarteEsther K. SmithKathy UrsprungTrisha Walker

ContentHood River:

541-386-7944The Dalles:

541-506-4613

AdvertisingJack Meyer, 541-386-1234

[email protected]

Find extra copies of theCRG Business Review at:

• Hood River News,419 State St., Hood River• The Dalles Chronicle,

315 Federal St.,The Dalles

The Columbia RiverGorge Business

Review is a monthlypublication of theHood River Newsand The Dalles

Chronicle.

Copyright 2013

STAFF

INSIDE

Columbia RiverGorgeBusiness

Review

Page 4Molly

Donnell

Page 22Robert

Henshaw

Page 14YangCho

Crooked Tree

• Local

• Affordable

•Professional Team

1805 Belmont AveHood River

541-386-4255hoodriverdentist.com

• Implant Needs• Denture Needs• Sedation Dentistry

Current denture technologywithout the drive to Portland

Denture repairs and newdentures ranging fromeconomy to deluxe

Dentists, Denturist, Lab Techs

Eat andSmile Again

withConfidence

Ben Mitchell photoMountaineers who trudge from

nearby Cloud Cap on Mount Hood,as well as city folk, will find aninviting respite at Crooked TreeTavern at Cooper Spur. Cedarwoodwork walls and stained glasswelcome visitors to the recently-opened restaurant and tavern.

See story page 4

Columbia River Gorge Business Review, July 2013 3

By ADAM LAPIERRENews staff writer

HOOD RIVER – DaKine employeesare happily settling in to their new25,000-square-foot company headquar-ters, and the move from their aged Co-lumbia Street location to a recentlycompleted Hood River Waterfrontbuilding is a welcome change for thecurrent staff nearly 50 who will callthe office home.

With an airy, contemporary feel andtwo stories of floor-to-ceiling windows over-looking the ColumbiaRiver, the move putsDaKine’s headquartersliterally a stone’s throwfrom its testing groundsand its roots as a pre-miere manufacture ofwind and water sports

accessories. “Being a Hood River resident for

over 26 years, it has been great to seethe recent development of the water-front area,” said Chico Bukovanski,DaKine’s national sales manager. “Weare proud to move into this new facili-ty with many great amenities for ouremployees, and to remain a corner-stone of this new waterfront develop-ment for many years to come.”

The company has a five-year leasefor its space in the building, which wasconstructed over the past year and isgetting finishing touches to its topfloor and roof. The building – one ofthree built along Portway Avenue, inthe past two years – features a North-west contemporary design with a light-industrial element that’s a natural fit

for the company’s progressive image.Artists, product designers and develop-ers, sales and marketing and customerservice will operate from the HoodRiver headquarters.

“The new office will allow our em-ployees to focus on what they lovemost – designing and testing the bestaction sports accessories and gear on

the planet,” Bukovansky said. “Thespace will (also) afford us an opportu-nity to continue to expand and furthercultivate our product development de-partment.”

Founded in Hawaii and headquar-tered in Hood River, DaKine now pro-duces a wide range of products for allseasons and terrains. Over the pastyear, the company has made what itcalls “significant investments in prod-uct development, including a team ex-pansion of new product designers,” andthe space, staff says, will “accommo-date not only the brand’s recentgrowth, but its long-term growth pro-jections as well”

DaKine’s move came after about twodecades in its former downtown loca-tion to the east of Full Sail Brewing.With that space now vacant, Full Sail,which owns the building, has begun afull-scale renovation of the space thatwill allow the company to expand itsbottling line and house storage andstaff offices currently located in theformer Expo building owned by thePort of Hood River.

“The idea is to have everythingunder one roof,” said Greg Knutson,Full Sail’s human resource director.

Knutson said expanding the bottlingoperations will be completed this fall.

DaKine settles into new waterfront location

photoDaKine moves closer to the water, with its location along PortwayAvenue in Hood River.

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CRG Business ReviewHOOD RIVER – Hood River City

Manager Bob Francis submitted his res-ignation last month and reaffirmed thatdecision July 8, referring to “difficulty”with Mayor Arthur Babitz.

Francis said he has had enough ofwhat he calls repeated “micromanag-ing” by Babitz. Babitz said Francis’ an-nouncement was the first he had heard

of his intention to resign.“It is very difficult to work under

these conditions,” Francis said.Francis also cited a June 7 meeting

with council member Laurent Picard inwhich Picard recommended stronglythat Francis look for other work and re-sign. Francis used his standing reportsegment of the June council meeting toannounce he would resign effective

July 8. In a July 3 special meeting, withcouncil chambers filled with Francissupporters, members decided to discussthe matter further in hopes of wardingoff the decision.

After a 30-minute executive sessionJuly 8, the council agreed to work withFrancis and a third-party mediator.Francis rejected that offer and reaf-firmed his decison to resign.

City managersubmits hisresignation Bob

Francis

ChicoBukovanski


CRG Business ReviewGOLDENDALE – J’Adore, co-

owned by Diana and Bianca Adams, isa small day spa that provides servicesto help the citizens of Goldendale takecare of themselves mentally and physi-cally.

It offers services for relaxation suchas massage therapy and reflexology,and infrared light therapy that pro-motes pain relief and weight loss,

among other things. The J’Adore own-ers say a key to being happy and wellis to take care of oneself. Infrared lighttherapy, for example, provides pain re-lief because the heat causes blood ves-sels to expand and increases circula-tion, allowing more oxygen to reach aninjury, which relieves pain and speedshealing. Pedicures also promote well-ness, and a majority of J’Adore’s pedi-cure clients are male. A person’s entire

body is connected to their feet, sowhen their feet feel good, so do they.

When asked about her motivationsfor starting J’Adore, Diana Adams ex-plained that they used to work fromhome, with Bianca providing her serv-ices as a hair stylist, and they wereconstantly booked up. Diana hadowned the building where their busi-ness is located now since 2000, so theydecided to expand the business and

move it out of the house and into itsown space.

“It’s not about vanity,” says Diana.“It’s about feeling good about your-self.” She went on to explain that serv-ices provided help people feel betterphysically, thereby causing them tofeel good mentally and emotionally aswell. “J’Adore’ means ‘I adore you,’and what we mean is, you should adoreyourself,” Diana says.

BEN MITCHELLCRG Business Review

HOOD RIVER – The weather mayhave been cold and wet, but it wasn’tenough to dampen the spirits of guestswho attended the grand opening of thenewly completed Crooked Tree Tavernat the Cooper Spur Mountain Resortlast month.

Several dozen people braved the ele-ments and enjoyed the celebration,which featured free beer from localbrewers, food, and live music outsideon the resort grounds. Attendees peri-odically ducked inside the Cooper SpurInn to warm up and check out the newbar that has been installed in what onceprimarily served as the inn’s lobby andcheck-in area.

Cynthia Steele, general manager forthe resort, said the decision to open thetavern was made, in part, due to an in-crease this year in business at the re-sort which offers dining, lodging,event-holding, and various outdoorrecreation opportunities.

“With our weddings increasing thisyear and the desire to give our guestsmore service, we decided to open thetavern,” Steele explained.

Previously, a small bar with onlytwo taps served thirsty guests. A signif-icantly larger, full-service, U-shapedbar now extends into the formerlobby/check-in area, which Steele saidhad been relegated to a kiosk off therestaurant that is adjacent to the tavern.A glycol system keeps constant pres-sure on the lines that now flow to six

taps instead of two, which primarilyfeature beer from local breweries, aswell as the ubiquitous Northwest sta-ple, Pabst Blue Ribbon. Steele said thetavern is looking to stock ciders in ad-dition to the beer, wine, and spirits thatare currently available. Two 42-inchtelevisions have also been added incase patrons care to catch a Timbers or

Trail Blazers game.Steele said the remodeling of the inn

began in mid-April and wrapped up inlate May. The trick was to expand thebar while staying within the building’sfootprint and retaining the inn’s rustic,alpine feel – a tribute to the moun-taineering pioneers who trudged fromnearby Cloud Cap Inn up the northface of Mount Hood to its summit indays of yore.

Outside the Crooked Tree Tavern onthe resort grounds are recently addedhorseshoe pits, “family friendly”mountain biking trails as well as thetavern’s namesake, a lone pine tree offthe south side of the tavern that has apronounced bend in its trunk. Steelesaid the name “tavern” was decidedupon instead of “lounge” or “bar” be-cause the resort offers lodging in addi-tion to food and drink and “we wantedto encompass everything we had here.”

Though the resort certainly caters toout-of-towners, Steele noted she wantsthe Crooked Tree Tavern to play an im-portant role in the community. For ex-ample, a benefit dinner for ParkdaleElementary School is held every thirdThursday.

Goldendale business focuses on feeling good, well-being

Cooper Spur remodels, opens Crooked Tree

CRG Business ReviewTHE DALLES – Molly Donnell has

joined Windermere Glenn Taylor RealEstate as a broker in The Dalles, andwill be assisting both buyers and sellerswith real estate sales.

“Real estate is not unique, but I am!”Donnell said. “I am a fun-loving, organ-ized person who enjoys helping people.

I am not afraid to think outside the boxand I love a good challenge.”

Donnell worked as the assistant to theformer owner of Windermere RealEstate in The Dalles for almost threeyears. Before that, she managed eyecare clinics in the Seattle and Portlandareas. Her philosophy is to strive to beone of the best and have fun doing it.

“Windermere is an amazing philan-thropic company that gives back tolocal charities and communities eachyear,” Donnell said. “Here in TheDalles, I find that the agents are likefamily. They all have their own uniquestyles, yet their collective knowledgeand expertise is what I find to be verysupportive and inspiring.”

Donnell joinsWindermerein The Dalles

MollyDonnell

Ben Mitchell photoThe Crooked Tree Tavern grand opening at the Cooper Spur MountainResort had General Manager Cynthia Steele help Executive Chef JoeSilliman cut the ribbon to officially open the new tavern


By BEN MITCHELLCRG Business Review

GOLDENDALE – The KlickitatCounty Public Utility District got somegood news when conservation groupFriends of the Columbia Gorge an-nounced that a portion of the moneythe group will receive from a Bon-neville Power Authority settlementwill, pending BPA approval, go towarda pair of power line removal projectsKPUD asked Friends to fund with thesettlement money late last year.

On June 4, Friends submitted a$347,000 funding proposal to BPA thatwill go toward removing power linesnear Catherine Creek and the mouth ofthe Klickitat River in order to reducethe scenic impacts caused by the lines,as well as improving power transmis-sion.

The Catherine Creek project entailsthe removal of 44 utility poles – aswell as the unused, de-energized powerlines they carry – which run throughthe popular recreation area located on

U.S. Forest Service land between Bin-gen and Lyle. The construction costs ofthis project, minus permitting andother fees, is estimated at $32,000.

The other project, with an estimatedconstruction cost of $315,000, will re-move 10 utility poles from the Klicki-tat Trail trailhead and Balfour Day Usearea west of Lyle.

The money comes from a $1.78 mil-lion settlement agreement that Friendsreached with BPA on Dec. 16, 2011.

Bid approved to nearly double brewery size

Fund includes money for KPUD

541.386.1645 • Fax: 541.386.1395E-mail: [email protected]

• 300+ jobs in businesseslocated on Port properties.$11 million in gross annual wages.

• Thousands annually enjoykiteboarding and windsurfingat the world renown Event Site.

• 160+ boat owners dock their boats at thePort owned and managed marina.

• Over 50 aircraft are based at thePort owned and operatedKen Jernstedt Airport.

• Almost $30 million in private and publicinvestment along the waterfrontin the last five years.

• Over 240,000 people cross the Port’sinterstate bridge each month.

Supporting astrong economy

and a highquality of lifefor residents inHood RiverCounty.

Port ofHood River

PORT OF HOOD RIVER1000 E. PORT MARINA WAY

By BEN MCCARTYCRG Business Review

HOOD RIVER – Hood River’s newwaterfront brewpub, Pfriem FamilyBrewing, will be nearly doubling insize just in time for its one-year an-niversary.

At its June 4 night meeting, the Portof Hood River commission approvedan intent to award a bid to Colton Con-struction for improvements to the Hal-yard Building on Portway Avenue.

The $191,000 contract calls for anexpansion for Pfriem to increase itssize for around 6,000 square feet to10,000 and improvements on the exte-rior of the building.

According to Pfriem General Manag-er Ken Whiteman, the improvementswill include expanded kitchen space,an enlarged production space to begina bottling program, more storage spacefor sour beers and a larger keg cooler.

It will also allow pFriem to hire ad-ditional employees, bringing its total to

25, up from the 10 thecompany employedwhen it opened in Au-gust of 2012.

Pfriem was the Port’sfirst attempt at bringing abrick-and-mortar restau-rant operation to the wa-terfront, and both sideswere impressed withhow well the arrangement has workedthus far.

“It’s gone significantly faster thanwe expected,” Whiteman said thegrowth of Pfriem.

Pfriem’s success has led to the Porttaking in other tenants who do not fitthe conventional vision of Port’s beinghome for industrial uses.

Construction is under way on a sepa-rate part of the building to bring infood producer, PocketFuel. In additionto producing its goods at the waterfrontfacility, the company will also be sell-ing them. PocketFuel, founded by Mark

and Heidi Ribkoff andRod Parmenter, makeshigh energy snacks for ac-tive people.

When the building’sfront steps are a hive ofactivity in the summer –from bicyclists whizzingby and the waterfrontpark across the street –

beer and high-energy food would seemto be a natural fit.

McElwee said the success of Pfriemand the addition of PocketFuel – not tomention windsurfing gear turned light-weight panels for UAV’s manufacturerRealCarbon – were precisely the typesof business the Port hoped would callthe building home.

“The Halyard building was a specu-lative building,” McElwee said, mean-ing the Port built it without tenants al-ready signed on.

He added that while “you neverknow who is going to come along and

want to lease the space,” the three ten-ants of the building were a much betterfit “than someone who makes widg-ets.”

The success of the Halyard buildingis leading to other projects and morepotential tenants with different nichescoming to the waterfront.

West of the Halyard Building at Port-way and Anchor Way, a building onLot 3, owned by Key Development, isin the process of bringing in tenants,which could include Solstice WoodFire Pizza, which is currently based inBingen.

As unlikely as it may have seemed adecade or two ago, Portway Avenue isbecoming a place to be in Hood River.

It has even exceeded the expecta-tions of the Port general manager, whonever said he could have thought ofPortway as a happening, crowd-draw-ing area.

“Never in my wildest dreams,”McElwee said.

KenWhiteman

MichaelMcElwee

Fox Tail cider opensPINE GROVE – Fox Tail, located

next to the Fox family’s Smiley’s RedBarn fruit stand in Pine Grove, openedJune 15, and serves four varieties ofhard cider, including Raz, made withraspberries.

Food and non-alcoholic beveragesare also available at the café, whichalso looks into the production area.Fox Tail is open daily this summer, 11a.m. to 5 p.m.


By DEB BRUMLEYFor the CRG Business Review

GOLDENDALE – Ron and JeanMoline of Ron’s Business Service areretired.

The sign on the door says it, thenotice sent to customers last Novemberforetold it, but until last month theycould still be found in their 122 WestMain Street office, finishing paperworkfor a couple of tax customers whoneeded a few extra days.

From the outside looking in, it mightappear a nearly six-decade run in theaccounting, tax, and the “you-name-it

business,” says Ron (who is 81), thecareer was planned. But this would bean assumption to the contrary. TheMolines are Goldendale High Schoolsweethearts who have been nearlyinseparable since they met at the localschool in the early 1950s.

With the exception of seasonal helpfrom “time to time through the years,”according to Jean, the business whichperformed notary services, accounting,taxes and other business-related servic-es, has been a two-person operation.

At the beginning of the Moline’sBusiness Service run, Ron operated

solo while Jean worked at the localhospital as a nursing assistant.

“I loved it [working at the hospital],”says Jean. “I thoroughly loved it.” Shewas “more than slightly concerned”when Ron asked her to give up herregular paycheck to help run the grow-ing business.

“Our really only hard and fast rule,”says Ron, “was we tried to avoid han-dling other people’s money. We did thebooks, but they needed to collect theirown money, do their own billing, sothey would know how their moneycame in and went out,” says Ron.

The couple says they have had long-standing, very loyal customers andused to host office “Christmas partiesfor the customers that were very wellattended,” says Ron with a smile.

“I used to get, I guess you could say,a glow, when thinking about the nexttax season,” says Ron. “I didn’t feelthat way this past year, so it was theright time to make other plans.

“It’s been the best, here inGoldendale. It would be hard to sayhow it could have been any better.”

(Deb Brumley writes for TheGoldendale Sentinel.)

Molines end combined 95 years as Ron’s Business Service in Goldendale

By RAELYNN RICARTECRG Business Review

THE DALLES – Columbia GorgeCommunity College is hiring threeemployees to help more students reachtheir career goal by earning an associ-ate’s degree or higher.

On the payroll for academic year2013-14 will be a faculty membercharged with retooling developmentaleducation programs to speed studentsalong the path toward their goals. Anadministrative assistant will make surestudents receive the degrees and certi-fications they have earned, somethingthat can get overlooked when theymove on to a job or university.

Marketing of the college and its pro-grams are to be channeled through aspecialist who will be tasked withincreasing enrollment.

The cost in wages and benefits to thecollege for these positions is $206,426,according to Lori Ufford, chief studentservices officer.

“We need to do everything that wecan to keep students engaged in theirlearning and making progress towardtheir degree so they stay focused,” shesaid.

Driving the new statewide focus ongraduation rates at all levels of educa-tion is Gov. John Kitzhaber’s “40-40-20” plan. He has set a goal to makeOregon “one of the best-educated citi-

zenries in the world”by 2025. TheLegislature approvedhis plan in 2011 thathas 40 percent ofadults in the stateearning at least abachelor’s degree, 40percent receiving anassociate’s or postsec-ondary certificate and20 percent obtaining atleast a high schooldiploma or equivalent.

Kitzhaber beganpushing for the newstrategy in order toattract more industriesto Oregon by increas-ing the skill level of its workforce. Atthe time the guidelines were initiated,about 10 percent of working-age adultsin the state had not completed highschool, 42 percent had only a highschool diploma, 18 percent had anassociate’s or some type of credentialand 30 percent had a bachelor’s.

With less than half of Oregon’s highschool graduates enrolling in college,Oregon’s lead official felt it was timeto raise the bar for educational institu-tions. The achievement compacts tiedto the 40-40-20 goal replaced the NoChild Left Behind mandates afterOregon sought a waiver from the fed-

eral government. The new modelrequires K-12 schools to attain a 100percent graduation rate by 2025.

The Oregon Education InvestmentBoard, chaired by the governor, puttogether outcome measures and set upguidelines for the compacts, whichwere enacted in 2012-13. The 12-mem-ber panel appointed by the governorwill hold state schools accountable forattaining these standards. The com-pacts are required as part of the statu-tory budget process and state officialsplan to tie funding levels for individualschools to the success of students.

“The compact sort of lays out aroadmap for us,” said Ufford. “There

are very concrete goals that we canmeasure and that is helpful.”

CGCC spent last year planning andcoordinating enactment of its compactwith the Oregon Department ofCommunity Colleges and WorkforceDevelopment. The gorge college alsogathered information from studentsabout service delivery needs and isnow moving forward on all fronts tomeet the new challenge.

Of concern is that there are about150 fewer full-time equivalent studentsthan the 1,248 last year, which collegeofficials believe is due to a recoveringeconomy and fewer federal dollars forstudent aid. When economic times arebad, Ufford said, people who have lostjobs come to the college to retrain foranother career. When jobs are morereadily available, she said it is typicalfor enrollment to drop off, but that is atrend educators are trying to change.

With Oregon united by the new plan,college administrators and faculty areworking more closely with The DallesWahtonka and Hood River Valley highschools on transition programs.

Ufford said the new focus on theachievement compacts is part of thecollege’s continuing commitment tosend graduates into the world who canfill workforce needs and earn a livingthat provides them with a high qualityof life.

Community college takes on new marketing plan

Kathy Ursprung photoCGCC has a graduation rate of 41.1 percent.


Longtime business relocates, transitionsBy KATHY URSPRUNG

CRG Business ReviewTHE DALLES – Greg and Francie

Mengis are moving Mengis VacuumSales and Service out of its longtimestorefront location at 305 E. SecondSt., but will continue to service vacu-ums and sewing machines for their re-gional customers.

“We are transitioning to a new levelof service,” the Mengises wrote in aletter to customers. Future plans arenot yet complete, but the storefront didclose May 31. The company’s businessphone number will remain the same,541-296-5276.

The company started with Greg’sfather, Joe, who settled in The Dalleswith his family in 1947.

“He sold Kirby (vacuum cleaners)here in 1938 and 1939, then after thewar we came back to The Dalles,”Mengis said. “You couldn’t get vacu-um cleaners or any appliances duringthe war.”

Joe Mengis liked the area after hisearlier visits and didn’t want to raisehis family in the metro area, Gregnoted.

“He started in his apartment withsales of Kirby vacuums,” Greg said.

“He moved and he had his shop forrepairs in the garage.”

His first downtown storefront was onEast Third Street next to whereColumbia State Bank is now. Theblock included the Walther Williamsused car lot, P. Everett CurtisAccountants and the insurance firmowned by the father of current TheDalles Mayor Steve Lawrence.

Greg’s older brother Robert, nowretired, worked for the business inPortland, and some in The Dalles.Greg started working for his father in1953 at the age of 13.

He worked after school picking upvacuum cleaners for service and goingon service calls.

The company took on sewingmachine sales and service in 1960.

“If we wanted more money, we hadto do something else,” Greg said. TheKirby vacuums were longtime invest-ments with none of the planned obso-lescence of today’s products. They lasta long, long time.

“They do if they have somebodywho takes care of it,” Mengis said.“Once you buy one, you have to havesomebody there for service and to takecare of it after that. That’s why we’restill here. ([Francie) wanted me to quityears ago, but it’s hard to just stopwhen all these people have supportedyou.”

The oldest Kirby vacuum Mengisstill services is a 1945-1947 model.That service will continue, even thoughthe Mengises no longer will have astorefront.

“We do a lot of business from out-

side the area,” Francie said,“Goldendale, Dufur, White Salmon,Hood River.”

The Mengis company moved to itspresent location in 1962. Through theyears, all but one of the Mengises’ fivechildren have worked at the storefront.

“It’s been a family thing,” saidFrancie, who does the bookkeeping forthe business.

Through the years, the Mengiseshave seen the downtown area changeas grocery stores and other generalpurpose businesses like car dealershipsand pharmacies have moved to theWest Sixth Street shopping corridor.

“It’s more of a specialty thing now,”Greg said. “You go downtown if youwant to buy furniture – or a vacuum.”

The Mengises will have more detailson their future plans at a later date.

“We want to thank the people forsupporting us all these years,” Franciesaid.

“Without them, we would have noth-ing,” Greg added. “But it’s a two-waystreet. The thing that makes a businessis products and services at a price peo-ple can afford. Do that and they’llcome to you, I don’t care if you aredowntown or where you are.”

Kathy Ursprung photoMengis Vacuum Sales and Service ismoving out of its longtime store-front location, but will continue toservice vacuums and sewingmachines for customers.

CRG Business ReviewHOOD RIVER – Cerulean Skies Winery

based in Hood River is celebrating thegrand opening of its Portland wine tastingroom and lounge with a July 13 party.

The Portland location is in the Pearl Dis-trict at 1439 NW Marshall Street (corner ofNW 15th & Marshall).

Cerulean’s Portland wine tasting roomand lounge is set amongst original exposedbrick walls, wood beams and art studio anddisplay spaces operated by White Space in a

fully restored 100-year-old building.Cerulean’s new space was inspired by a

trip to a wine tasting room, or enoteca, inMontalcino, Italy. Husband and wife,Tammy and Jeff Miller, set about creatingthe same feeling in Cerulean and WhiteSpace’s new art and wine studio.

Cerulean’s wine lounge offers a completewine list from family-owned Cerulean SkiesWinery. The wine lounge features multipleseating areas with couches and 12 seats atthe 30-foot long, bamboo and steel tasting

bar, as well as open air seating duringwarmer months.

White Space features artists from the Pa-cific Northwest, with a focus on contempo-rary art. White Space will be active in thePearl arts district, hosting new exhibits onFirst Thursdays.

Cerulean uses hand-picked grapes on theestate vineyard, Acadia Vineyards, whichgrows 23 acres of organic grapes on Under-wood Mountain in the Columbia GorgeAVA.

Ceruleanopens Pearl

location

CRG Business ReviewHOOD RIVER – In a June 3 letter to

the Cascade Locks Port Commissionand staff, Jerry Jaques resigned his po-sition as general counsel for the Port ofCascade Locks.

Jaques, who held the position formore than 32 years, cited competingdemands from his prac-tice at Jaques, Sharp,Sherrerd, FitzSimons andOstrye and changes inthe Port of CascadeLocks leadership as rea-sons for his resignation.

“New challenges andopportunities will occuras the Port more intentlyfocuses its attention, in concert withthe City, on creating local economicdevelopment. This is an appropriatetime to hand over the reins,” saidJaques.

He cited many interesting and uniqueprofessional experiences during his

more than three-decade tenure. Severalsignificant projects included the con-struction, launch and operation of thesternwheeler Columbia Gorge. Formore than a decade Jaques representedthe Port’s interests in the effort to bringa multi-million-dollar Warm Springscasino development to Cascade Locks.

In 1981, he became the Port’s gener-al counsel. “During the early years ofmy tenure, the Port built the stern-wheeler Columbia Gorge,” he said. “Iwas fortunate to be a passenger on thatvessel during its maiden voyage fromNichols Boat Works to CascadeLocks.”

After that, he handled legal issues re-lated to establishing and maintainingthe sternwheeler as a Port commercialventure. Several years ago, he helpedcreate documents that transferred stern-wheeler operations to the owners of thePortland Spirit.

According to Paul Koch, Port ofCascade Locks interim general manag-

er, as a result of Jaques’ resignation,the Port will initiate an RFP to select anew general council. Jaques’ resigna-tion is effective July 1. However, thatdate may be extended for a brief periodat the Port Commission’s request.

Jess Groves, president of the Port ofCascade Locks Commission, said thePort Commission appreciates Jerry’sexpert legal advice and commitment.Groves added the Port and Jaques arein discussion about possible future col-laboration.

In the mid 1980s, after the CascadeLocks Lumber Mill closed, he preparedpapers changing the legal relationshipbetween the Port and the mill owner.Bruce Stevenson, on behalf of CascadeLocks Lumber Co., agreed to releasenearly all the Port’s industrial landfrom a long-term lease obligation, al-lowing that important Port property tobe available for future development.

He was Port counsel when the Portreceived money and thousands of tons

of fill at the Port industrial site fromthe Bonneville Dam locks project.

“Over the years, I have had the privi-lege of working with talented and dedi-cated staff, and with elected Port Com-missioners, who have deeply caredabout Cascade Locks, volunteering un-told hours helping to make the commu-nity better,” he continued.

“I will miss those relationships. AndI am grateful for the many interesting,sometimes unique, professional experi-ences I have had acting as Port attor-ney for over three decades.

“Other than working in my parents’food market in Hood River during highschool, my first job was in CascadeLocks,” said Jaques in his resignationletter. “During college summers, Iworked for Harry Cramblett at CityLight clearing brush.

“The Port should be justifiably proudof its magnificent waterfront park andactive support of hiking, biking, fish-ing and world-class sailing,” Jaques


541-296-2231• 404 West 2nd St.www.thedalleschamber.com

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Jaques sees 32 years of change in Cascade Locks

JerryJaques

Main Street gains nonprofit status

Holcomb’s Sentry undergoes name change

THE DALLES – TheDalles Main Street Pro-gram is now registeredas a non-profit in Oregonand with the IRS.

Main Street strives toimprove and revitalizethe downtown communi-ty. Its philosophy is thata strong downtown helpsthe entire community be successful.

“Most individual businesses are forsupporting downtown, we just need tofind out in what capacity,” said ChuckCovert, Main Street board president, of

Napa Auto Parts. Claudia Leash, of Sigman’s Flowers,

is the organization’s secretary. A vicepresident and treasurer are still beingsought.

Main Street committees continue toseek new participants in monthly meet-ings that include: promotion, designand business.

The promotion committee is gearingup for Jammin’ July Streetfest on July13, its signature downtown event.

Vendor participation has doubledfrom last year with both new and re-turning vendors.

GOLDENDALE – Holcomb’sSentry, which has been in businesssince 1977, is receiving a remodel afteran executive decision from the owner,Bruce Holcomb. Some may havenoticed that the store has been missingthe front sign on the building, which isgoing to be changed to GoldendaleHolcomb’s Market.

“It was just time for a facelift. Ourdécor has totally changed,” explainsHolcomb. “We want to have (more)things for our customers.”

In addition to the name change andthe overall décor being adjusted, thestore will be adding new foods in thefrozen foods department and beveragesection.

ChuckCovert


By KATHY URSPRUNGCRG Business Review

THE DALLES – A group of sevenlongtime local real estate brokers havecreated a The Dalles branch of theHood River firm Copper West Proper-ties.

Dennis Morgan, Keef Morgan, BobMcFadden, Bob Smith, CarolynLayson, Bonnie Long and Jim Rodeyare the brokers involved. In addition,the Cherry City Properties team ofLauren Hyland and Taylor Stradleywill be providing property manage-ment services out of the Copper WestProperties location at 312 Court St., inthe Commodore II building.

Copper West is jointly owned byMaui Meyer and Ben Stenn of HoodRiver.

“We each have our own reasons, butat the end of the day, I’m not goinganywhere in The Dalles without theMorgan boys,” Meyer said. “And wefelt our technology was getting to thelevel where we actually could have an-other office.”

“We do have deep roots here,” saidDennis Morgan. “Keef and I care a lot

about the community and hence invest-ing in the community.”

Morgan said he and Meyer haveknown each other as long as they havebeen in real estate in the gorge.

“In talking with Maui, the opportuni-ty to pursue this seemed obvious andbeneficial to everyone,” Morgan said,

noting that since the company is gorge-owned, all the revenues stay in thegorge.

“One of the things I do on the side iswork for the Rural Development Initia-tive, traveling around the state,” Meyersaid. “It’s so important to try to saveevery dollar within the community.”

Between the news technologicaltools available through Copper Westand the experience of the brokers in-volved, Morgan said the company willbe able to give a high level of attentionto detail and customer care.

Meyer said Copper West was startedwith the idea of getting away from the“golden jacket” salesman approach.

“We’re members of the community,competent business leaders, mentorsand professional negotiators,” Meyersaid. “We’re not just sales people.”

For Keef Morgan, being part of anindependent brokerage was also an at-traction.

“It doesn’t make sense to have any-thing leaving the community and thisis a strong brand already,” he said.

Copper West will provide a bettermarketing platform, Keef Morgan said,while the individual brokers’ customerservice will remain based on personalrelationships and tailored to the com-munity, as it has been.

Meyer seconded that. “Every marketin real estate is different,” he said.“Even 10 miles away – even Mosier isdifferent from The Dalles.”

Brokers open Copper West office in The Dalles

Kathy Ursprung photoThe Dalles real estate brokers Dennis Morgan, left, and Keef Morgan,right, are among seven brokers opening a branch of Copper WestProperties, a Hood River-based firm owned by Maui Meyer, center, andBen Stenn, not pictured.

By NEITA CECILCRG Business Review

THE DALLES – Bill Tharp, a longtimeattorney who brings with him decades oflegal experience, including significant juryawards in several areas of civil law, hashung his shingle in The Dalles.

He is sharing office space with his lawschool classmate, Jim Habberstad, at 106E. Fourth St. Both were in the same classat Willamette University College of Lawand both sat the bar in 1973.

They stayed in touch over the 40 yearssince, both professionally and personally,

and when Tharp was consid-ering moving to Portlandfrom Boise to be closer tohis children and grandchil-dren, Habberstad convincedhim to locate in The Dallesinstead.

Tharp tried criminal casesearlier in his career, includ-ing murder cases, but since the mid-1980she has exclusively focused on civil litiga-tion.

“Doing jury trials and court trials hasalways been the mainstay of my practice,”

he said. He also does some non-litigationpractice, such as advising business clients.

He also worked for a time for theOregon State Bar, defending attorneys whowere sued.

Early in his career, he worked as adefense attorney, but then moved in 1975to Ontario, where he did both criminal andcivil work.

He eventually decided to take cases inIdaho, and 13 years after taking the Oregonbar exam, he took and passed the Idahobar, since Idaho didn’t have reciprocity forOregon attorneys.

Tharp moveslaw practice

to The DallesBill

Tharp


Pear industry leaders evaluate cropCRG Business Review

HOOD RIVER – Representatives ofthe Northwest pear industry met lastmonth in Portland to project the size ofthe 2013 fresh pear harvest. With re-ports of a crop of excellent qualityfrom the Pacific Northwest growing re-gions of Wenatchee and Yakima,Wash., and Mid-Columbia and Med-ford in Oregon, the total projection isshowing approximately 19.8 millionstandard 44-pound box equivalents (or436,410 tons) of pears for the freshmarket.

This estimate is 4 percent larger thanthe five-year average, and 2 percentlarger than last year’s crop, whichwould make the forthcoming crop thethird-largest on record.

Average harvest timing is expected,beginning in early August with theStarkrimson variety being picked firstfollowed by Bartletts. Winter pear vari-eties such as the Anjou, Bosc, Comice,Concorde, Forelle and Seckel will bepicked from early September throughmid-October. The quality of the fruitlooks excellent, with no significantweather issues affecting the crop todate.

Green Anjou pears, the most abun-dantly grown variety in the Northwest,are showing a projected increase of 3

percent when com-pared to 2012, whichmakes for a GreenAnjou crop size thatis 2 percent largerthan the five-year av-erage.

Bartlett pears areprojected to decreaseby 5 percent whencompared to last sea-son’s large crop, butthe crop yield willstill be 9 percent larg-er than the five-yearaverage.

Growers are expect-ing the Bosc pearcrop to increase by 7percent over lastyear’s yield. The size of the Red Anjoupear crop is expected to increase by 6percent, which would make it 14 per-cent larger than the five-year averagecrop size for that variety.

Growers are projecting the yield todouble for other red winter pears, in-cluding varieties like the Red Angelo,for an increase of 104 percent whencompared to the 2012 yield, a 76 per-cent increase over the five-year aver-age.

The top three varieties in terms of

production remain thesame as in previousyears: Green Anjoupears are anticipatedto make up 53 percentof the total 2012 crop,and Bartlett and Boscpears are expected toyield 22 percent and15 percent respective-ly.

For organic pearproduction, projec-tions show that theNorthwest will con-tinue its overallgrowth trend this sea-son with a total of869,885 standard 44-pound box equiva-

lents (19,785 tons) of organic pears inthe 2013 harvest, an increase of 3 per-cent when compared to 2012 and a 14percent increase over the five-year av-erage.

The Green Anjou and Bartlett remainthe most abundant two organic pearvarieties, with the Green Anjou pro-jected yield at 381,500 organic stan-dard 44-pound box equivalents, andthe Green Bartlett estimated at 285,600for 2013.

“This year’s crop looks to be of very

manageable size,” said Pear BureauNorthwest’s President and CEO KevinMoffitt. “With no major weather issuesto date the industry is projecting a cropwith excellent quality and fruit size tomeet the demands of the domestic andexport markets.

“A full range of promotions areplanned as well as consumer advertis-ing, social media and PR to continue toexpand consumer awareness and de-mand,” he said.

Key areas in this season’s domesticmarketing program include consumeradvertising designed to help raiseawareness about pear ripening andusage, and a strong season-long retailpush beginning with tactics to supportthe crop as soon as marketable vol-umes are available.

The Pear Bureau will engage in ex-port promotions in 38 countries world-wide, with 18 international marketingrepresentatives coordinating promo-tions for USA Pears with activities tar-geted for each country’s market. Thetop export markets for USA Pears willremain Mexico, Canada, Russia,Brazil, Colombia, the UAE, HongKong and India, which is one of thestrongest growth markets for the indus-try. Special promotions are planned forthe Chinese market.

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CRG Business ReviewOregon’s total agricultural

sales for 2012 is up nearly 3.4percent at more than $5.48 bil-lion – another record high forthe state.

Eleven counties recorded dou-ble digit increases this past year.But those pale in comparison toHood River County. Hood

River, at $112 million in farmand ranch sales, had a 41.7 per-cent increase over 2011. Thatfigure boosts Hood RiverCounty from No. 19 in the stateto No. 13. A solid season fortree fruit is responsible for mostof the increase.

Once again, the diversity ofagriculture in Oregon resulted in

winners and losers among vari-ous commodities. While the topten list contains the same namesas before, the mixed bag ofresults has changed the rankorder of counties when it comesto 2012 gross farm and ranchsales: For the first time in recentmemory, three of the top fourcounties are east of the

Cascades.The top 10 include: Marion

$639 million; Umatilla $487million; Morrow $482 million;Malheur $373 million;Clackamas $343 million; Linn$301 million; Washington $292million; Klamath $290 million;Yamhill $269 million; Polk$162 million.

25 countiesshow increasein ag revenue

PearsHood River County has an

area of 533 square miles, orapproximately 334,308 thou-sand acres.

The majority of the irrigatedland is in orchards (14,741acres) with the main cropbeing pears (11,002 acres).

The rest of the irrigatedland is used to produce highvalue crops including cherries,peaches, apples, blueberries,nuts, lavender, berries andgrapes.


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CRG Business ReviewHOOD RIVER – With approximate-

ly 1,380 square feet of retail space,Goodwill Industries’ third luxury bou-tique plans to open as early as mid-summer in downtown Hood River.

The specialty Goodwill will be locat-ed at 304 Oak St. The area was chosenbecause of the great foot traffic anddemographics, according to companyofficials.

(The previous tenant of the space,Columbia Gorge Title, will move threeblocks north to the redeveloped UnionBuilding, later this summer.)

This location is the charity’s first inHood River and 48th store in its 14-county service area. The store willshowcase – for both women and men –high-end clothing, shoes, purses andjewelry (both fine and costume), along

with art. In the early fall, Goodwill opens a

regular retail location in The Dalles.Operating hours will be Mondaythrough Sunday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

With every sale, 94 cents on the dol-lar directly goes to support Goodwill’slocal job service programs. In all itsprograms combined, just last yearalone, well over 52,000 people withbarriers in northwest Oregon andsouthwest Washington were served.

The retail program of GoodwillIndustries of the Columbia Willamettefunds the largest mission-related pay-roll of all Goodwills in North America.

Of GICW’s more than 2,400employees, two-thirds have barriers toemployment. For more information onthe new store, contact Dale Emanuel at503-572-0177.

Goodwill store to open in Hood River

CRG Business ReviewHOOD RIVER – Orchardist Steve

Bickford has been appointed chairmanof the board for CenterPointeCommunity Bank.

After nearly six years, Steve Bentonelected to step down as chairman. Asone of the foundingmembers of the bank,Benton will continue tobe involved.

“I am very thankful forSteve Benton’s dedica-tion and contributions tothe bank,” MahlonVigesaa, president/CEO,said.

Bickford was elected a director ofCenterPointe Community Bank in2008 and serves on the audit and com-pliance, and corporate governance andcompensation committees.

He is a fourth-generation orchardist,born and raised in Hood River, whograduated from Wy’east High School.

He later graduated from OregonState University with an engineeringdegree. Bickford has operated hisorchard for more than 36 years.Beginning in 2000 he expanded intogrowing grapes and in 2002 started hisown winery business, Mt. HoodWinery. He is a member and past presi-dent of the Hood River Rotary Club;was president of the Providence HoodRiver Memorial Hospital board andserved on the board for 30 years; is apast president and actively serves as amember of the Pine Grove FireDepartment; and member of theColumbia Wine Growers Association.

CenterPointe Community Bankopened in September 2007; the bank isheadquartered in Hood River.

CenterPointe taps Bickford to lead board

SteveBickford


Rain days devastate Bing cherry harvestBy BEN MITCHELLCRG Business Review

HOOD RIVER – For many localcherry farmers, the weather the HoodRiver Valley saw late last month could-n’t have happened at a worse time.

Orchard owners in the Hood RiverValley and The Dalles – as well asother farmers around the PacificNorthwest – are reeling as three or fourdays of intermittent rain followed bysunny, hot weather have devastated thearea’s Bing cherry crop right as it wascoming into season.

Jeff Heater, chair of Columbia GorgeFruit Growers and a field man forUnderwood Fruit, said initial estimatesshow about 30-50 percent of localBing cherries have split, which are themost widely grown variety in theregion. Heater said he has seen damagein some orchards as high as 70 percentand expected the scorching hot temper-atures to only make things worse.

“We’re concerned about the heat

wave,” he said. “This isprobably going to be oneof the most difficult har-vests we’ve had in quite awhile.”

As a cherry ripens, theskin of the fruit becomesmore soft and permeable,which increases its abilityto absorb water. If thecherry gets hit with toomuch water, it can swelland to the point of burst-ing its skin, which makesthe fruit unmarketable togrocery stores or fruitstands.

Many orchard ownersand employees madefrantic attempts earlierthis week to save their cherries by dry-ing them out. Dwight Moe, who ownsGlacier Ranch Inc., located off theOdell Highway, initially used every-thing at his disposal to try and save his

13 acres of cherries.“We’ve used frost fans,

air blasts and helicop-ters,” he said Wednesdayafternoon. “Today, westopped that process.”

Moe called the damageto his crop “pretty great”and estimated that 50percent of his Bing cher-ries were now culls.While split cherries canstill be sold for juicing ordrying, they don’t fetchas high a price as intactcherries going to marketdo and Moe speculated itwould likely cost himmore money to havethem picked than it

would to do nothing at all.“Personally, I’ll pretty much leave

them on the tree and take the loss,” hesaid.

Moe said that for the 25 years he’s

been working in the cherry business,this is one of the worst harvests he’sever seen. Luckily, he also growspears, apples and other varieties ofcherries that ripen later and weren’tharmed as much by the weather as theBings.

Still, Moe worries about how muchof a financial hit he’s taken by theBing losses – some unpleasant maththat he’s putting off for now.

“I haven’t done that calculation yet,”he said. “I’m trying to keep my spiritsup.”

Pat McAllister, owner of Hood RiverSupply, a business that sells home, gar-den and farm supplies, said he wasconcerned that the bust Bing cherryharvest would be bad for his business,as well.

“It’s going to affect the amount ofdisposable income in the valley,” henoted.

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Adam Lapierre photoSplit cherries can besold for juices or dry-ing – at a lessor pricethan intact cherries.

See CHERRY, page 13


Still picking strong, three generations laterBy TRISHA WALKER

CRG Business ReviewHOOD RIVER – Rick Routson’s

earliest memory takes place in his fam-ily’s orchard: He would venture intothe orchard with his parents as a child;he was usually placed in one of the bigwooden fruit bins for safekeeping.

That was in the 1940s. Today, Rout-son is the owner and operator of Rout-son Orchards, a three-generation farmin Parkdale. He took over the familyfarm in January 1971 after four yearswith the Forest Service when his broth-er Jerry retired. But his roots go muchdeeper than that, having been only 18months old when his father, Harry, pur-chased the farm from the Noji familyin 1943.

And aside from two years in theArmy, where he spent 13 months sta-tioned in Korea and finished his serv-ice in Los Angeles, Routson has al-ways called Parkdale home.

When his father purchased the farm,the 78-acre orchard grew mostly applesand pears. After the apple marketturned in the 1990s – there were nolocal buyers, so the fruit was sent toWashington state – Routson graduallyphased out the apples entirely.

The farm’s main focus is pears, withBartlett, Anjou, Bosc and Comicegrowing on 74 acres. The Routsonssend most of their pears to Duckwall

for processing, al-though a few goto Diamond Fruit,as well.

About nineyears ago, thefamily added fouracres of late-growing cherries –mostly Skeena,but a few Sweet-hearts, too. Thecherries are allsent to Diamondfor packing beforereaching theirfinal destination inSoutheast Asia.

These varietiesof cherries wereselected, he said,to “stay awayfrom the Bingsthat flood the mar-ket.” Cherries aregenerally pickedin the middle of July, with pear seasonrunning August to October.

An orchard, however, requires nearlyyear-round care. Workers begin prun-ing in the middle of January or the be-ginning of February, depending on theweather – Parkdale’s growing season isgenerally shorter and later than the restof the valley – and there is a never-

ending cycle ofmowing and mov-ing irrigation pipe.

These days,Routson Orchardsis busy fightingfire blight, a blackooze that appearsmainly on Bartletttrees. Affectedtrees must havelimbs cut off orare completely re-moved. It’s tooearly to tell yetwhat this year’scrop will look like.

Having lived inParkdale his entirelife, Routson hasseen manychanges come tothe upper valley.“There’s a newstore – the old oneburnt – and quite a

few people have moved up here,” hesaid. You don’t see logging trucks onthe roads like you used to, he added,and there have been many changes inthe fruit industry as well, with farmerssending fruit to be packed rather thanpacking it themselves.

Actually, that’s how he thinks hisparents met — in a packing house. His

mother moved to the upper valley in1908, and his father in 1915, afterserving in World War I.

“It’s in my blood,” said Routson.Routson’s son Darrin and his family

now live in the house Routson grew upin. He won’t reveal a retirement datefor himself just yet – “I just can’t stayout of the orchard,” he said – but he’sin the process of turning the businessover to Darrin, who has followed in hisfather’s footsteps.

The farm employs eight full-timeworkers, including Darrin, although inpeak season, that number is between12 and 15. Routson’s wife, Patty, andDarrin’s wife, Julie, work, too, check-ing bins and making sure fruit is han-dled correctly. Patty and Julie also takecare of paperwork and bookwork.

“I work outside a lot,” said Routson.“That’s the part I like best.”

Besides his work in the orchard,Routson was a volunteer with the Park-dale Rural Fire District for 25 years.“Back when I got out of the service,they were always looking for volun-teers, like they are now,” he said.“That’s why I joined, to be a part ofthe community.”

And it’s that sense of communitythat has kept Routson in Parkdale. “I’mliving fine,” he said. “I’m not one toget up and travel or move somewhereelse.”

Photo by Kirby Neumann-ReaRick Routson checks on theSkeena cherries which will bepicked in early July. Pears such asthese Anjous are the Routsons’mainstay.

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On top of that, McAllister also ownsa small, 5-acre Bing cherry orchard offTucker Road. He estimated 60 percentof his cherries had split thanks to the

weather, which made harvesting thefruit pointless.

“I was supposed to start fresh Bingsthis Saturday,” he said. “I was thisclose. It’s just part of being a cherrygrower.”

To help offset the losses, JeanGodfrey, executive director forColumbia Gorge Fruit Growers, said

the nonprofit may ask the county todeclare a disaster in the hopes of help-ing famers recoup some of their lossesvia emergency funding from the U.S.Department of Agriculture. She saidloss statistics are still being gatheredand the full extent of the damagewouldn’t likely be known until earlynext week.

The one bit of good news receivedabout the cherry harvest was that vari-eties which ripen later, such as Lapinsand Sweethearts, were mostlyunharmed by the weather, with damagepercentages estimated in the single dig-its. Those varieties will be picked overthe next few weeks and hopefully, theweather will hold.

CherryContinued from page 12


By TRISHA WALKERCRG Business Review

ODELL – Yong Cho has been commuting fromPortland to Mid Valley Market, the store he pur-chased in Odell from John and Kathie Alley in 2007,for the last six years. He makes a 180-mile roundtrip every day, taking only one day off per month – ifthat.

Speaking with Cho, it’s clear that he loves theOdell community. Everything he does at the store, hedoes with the people of Odell in mind.

Cho and his family – wife Mikyong and sonsSimon and Joseph – are originally from SouthKorea. They came to the United States in 2006 togive Simon and Joseph better educational opportuni-ties, as well as to give them a broader world experi-ence.

There’s a tradition in South Korea, said Cho – al-though he’s not sure if it’s a good one – of mothersand their children going abroad for greater educa-tional opportunities while the fathers stay in Korea towork. Because 50 million people are packed into acountry roughly a third of the size of Oregon, hesaid, education is highly competitive.

“There’s a lot of competition, so people want togo overseas,” he said, noting that as many as 50,000Korean families are abroad at any given time, withthe most popular destinations being Canada, theUnited States, Japan and China.

Mikyong and the boys moved to Australia in 2003.In November 2006, the family moved together, thistime settling in United States, in the Portland area.

Simon and Joseph have Korean names, said Cho,but when the family moved to the United States, hechose new, American names from the Bible to reflecthis family’s Christian roots.

In 2007, Cho learned of the opportunity to pur-chase Mid Valley Market from a realtor. His interestwas a practical one: The boys have school visas andcould therefore stay in the country, but he and Miky-ong only had travel visas. In order to stay with hischildren, they needed to make a permanent businessinvestment. He took over ownership of the marketon June 28, 2007. His family has remained in the

Portland area because he didn’t want to disrupt hissons’ lives with another move.

While his interest in the store began as a practicalmatter, it has blossomed into a true appreciation forthe Mid Valley area. “Everybody is very friendly,”Cho said. “Because I love this community, I want tobe here everyday.”

Joseph graduated from high school on June 13 andwill continue his studies at the University of Oregon,where he will join Simon. Cho and his wife are cur-rently working with a realtor to make a permanentmove to the Hood River valley.

But until that happens, Cho will make his dailycommute. “I love this community,” he said. “It’s agood community, and helpful. That’s why I’m hereeveryday from Portland.”

Cho received a warm welcome after purchasingthe store, he said, which he greatly appreciates. “Iwas a strange person, I came from Asia,” he ex-

plained. “But they welcomedme and support me.” Cus-tomers could go to a big boxstore, he said, but they don’t –and he is thankful of that sup-port, which is why he worksso hard at giving back to thecommunity and making prod-ucts available.

He has four goals when hecomes in each morning, all ofwhich revolve around his lovefor the Mid Valley region.

The first is to make the storethe best it can be for the peo-ple who live here. “Peoplewant a good product at a lowprice and a friendly relation-ship,” Cho said. Part of his jobis to simply meet his cus-tomers, say hello and be wel-coming.

The second is a commitmentto his employees. Cho em-ploys 13 people in the winter

months, and 16 in the summertime. He also has adisabled employee, who goes by the name ‘JB,’ whohas worked at Mid Valley Market since May 1990.

Because there are not a lot of job opportunities inrural communities, Cho wants to keep the jobs avail-able at Mid Valley Market. “To do that, I want togrow the store,” he said. “If the store decreases, theemployees will have to go. So I want to increase it,to keep their jobs.”

His third goal is to be a contributing member tothe Mid Valley community. He donates to theschools and the annual Hood River County Fair, aswell as supports baseball and bowling teams.

The Alleys’, former Mid Valley Market owners,created a positive image for the store in the commu-nity, he said, and Cho has worked hard to maintainthat image in his six years of operation.

“I’m proud because everyone loves Mid ValleyMarket. I want to keep the store that way.”

Trisha Walker photoMid Valley Market owner Yang Cho, center, enjoys happy rela-tionships with his employees, including sisters Maribel and NancyRamirez.

Cho helps keep Mid Valley Market on pace

CRG Business ReviewTHE DALLES – Redline Tactical, LLC,

opened recently at 213 E. Third St. in TheDalles selling guns and related equipment,ammunition and services.

Owners Robert and Todd asked not to givetheir last names or show their faces for securityreasons, but Robert says they are well-knownwithin the gun community.

Robert has been gunsmithing for about 17years. He has had his federal firearms licensefor 10 years. He said they decided to open astore because repair clients asked for anothergun sales option. Their philosophy is “qualityproducts at a fair price.”

Redline Tactical specializes in Glocks,AR15s and 1911s, which are guns like the oldColt 45.

They sell used and new guns and will takeconsignments.

After experiencing shortages of ammunitionand AR15s, Robert says the market is startingto turn around. They carry products byMagpole, Troy Industries, Yakee Hill,Sampson, Adams Arms and Veltor, dealingdirect with the factories.

Robert is continuing to offer gunsmithing.

RedlineTactical

opens


By RAELYNN RICARTECRG Business Review

THE DALLES– The U.S. ArmyCorps of Engineers will not study thepotential environmental impact of hav-ing coal trains pass through communi-ties along railroad lines on their way tothree Northwest export terminals.

The news that the federal agency’sregulatory authority was confined tothe area around three proposed ship-ping facilities was delivered June 17by Jennifer Moyer, acting chief of theCorps regulatory program, to the U.S.House Subcommittee on Energy andPower.

Moyer submitted a 10-page report toexplain the agency’s stance that includ-ed this statement: “Many of the activi-ties of concern to the public, such asrail traffic, coal mining, shipping coaloutside of U.S. territory, and the ulti-mate burning of coal overseas, are out-side the Corps’ control and responsibil-ity for the permit applications relatedto the proposed projects. We note thatcoal mining in the Powder River Basinhas been occurring for many years,with that coal being shipped by rail tomany different destinations. The poten-

tial change inrail traffic pat-terns is beyondthe control andexpertise of theCorps, and requires no involvementfrom the Corps.”

Union Pacific Railroad carries prod-ucts on the Oregon side of the Colum-bia River, but has no trains currentlycarrying coal through the gorge. Withproposals for export terminals in St.Helens and Coos Bay now off thetable, the company has only the possi-bility for the immediate future of deliv-ering coal for Ambre Energy from thePowder Basin in southeast Montanaand northeast Wyoming to the CoyoteIsland Terminal LLC at the Port ofMorrow in Boardman.

Burlington Northern Sante Fe Rail-road currently operates on the Wash-ington side of the Columbia and up tofour of the 35-40 trains that passthrough the area each day carry coal.That number could go up by 18 trainsper day hauling coal if projects are ap-proved for Longview and Cherry Pointnear Bellingham.

The Corps’ position has drawn fire

from conservationgroups and gov-ernment leaderswho want the en-vironmental as-

sessment to encompasspopulated areas alongrail lines where therecould be more trafficcongestion at train cross-ings and pollution fromcoal dust.

Opponents also wantconsideration given tothe potential increase in

global warming that could result fromthe U.S. shipping millions of metrictons of coal to Asia each year.

Labor unions, representatives fromthe agricultural industry and trade or-ganizations believe the Corps made theright decision by not widening the en-vironmental impact study. They con-tend that changing the rules to accom-modate conservation groups could leadto problems with exports of other po-tentially polluting products, such as au-tomobiles.

Wasco County Commissioner ScottHege said the Corps is correct to look

at the Port of Morrow proposal sepa-rately from the more extensive projectsin Washington. He said the county sup-ports the Coyote Island plan because ofits economic development possibilities.Not only will the facility provide atleast 25 new jobs with average salariesof $50,000-$80,000 per year, Ambreintends to contribute 10 cents per tonof coal moved through the port to Mor-row County schools, which will equateto $350,000-$800,000 per year. Theport anticipates an additional $800,000to $900,000 in annual loading fees.

Ambre is seeking to have 3.5 millionmetric tons of coal transported fromthe port each year in covered barges toNorthwest terminals, where it will beloaded aboard ships for transport toAsia.

Hege said the existing regulatory re-view process of the Morrow projectwill require that it comply with morethan a dozen state and federal environ-mental laws. The coal arriving at theEastern Oregon port will be offloadedinto a completely enclosed facility witha state-of-the art packing system to en-sure there is no air or water pollution,according to port officials.

Army Corps will not study coal train impact

ExpansionAn additional 27,000 square feet of display space

will be built at the The Western Antique Aeroplaneand Automobile Museum in Hood River.

Individuals taking part in the groundbreaking are,from left: Terry Brandt, museum founder; Judy

Newman, museum director; Ken Olsson, museumcoordinator; and Brandon Charlson, Design

Structures project superintendent. Construction isunderway on the additional space, which will

serve mainly for automobile related displays andan enlarged WAAAM SMART Kids Zone. The muse-um, established in 2006 and opened to the publicin 2007, has shown strong growth in its six years

of operation. The WAAAM collection now compris-es more than 120 cars and 30 motorcycles plus

military vehicles and tractors and it will soonreach 100 airplanes. With few exceptions, these

objects are operable and many are demonstratedin action on the second Saturday of each month.Design Structures has been selected for the con-

struction project. Opening of the new space isplanned for November 2013.

See Related StoryNext Page

ScottHege


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THE DALLES – Last month, severalenvironmental groups made good ontheir promise from earlier this spring tosue BNSF railroad and a handful ofcoal export companies for allegedlycontinuing to pollute Gorge waterwayswith coal they say is coming from im-properly loaded railcars.

The civil suit, which names the Sier-ra Club as the lead plaintiff, was filedin the U.S. District Court for the West-ern District of Wash-ington in Seattle onJune 4 and is a fol-low-up to a 60-daynotice of intent tosue that was sent outby the same environ-mental groups April2.

It alleges thatBNSF and five coal export companieshave repeatedly violated the FederalWater Pollution Control Act for years(commonly referred to as the CleanWater Act) by allowing coal chunksand dust to escape uncovered railcarsduring transport and pollute the landand water along BNSF rail lines.

The coal in question is primarily ex-tracted from Powder River Basinmines in Wyoming and Montana andthen shipped on BNSF railroads – oneof which winds along the ColumbianRiver on the Washington side of theGorge – before arriving at a BritishColumbian coal terminal in Vancouverfor export to Asian markets. The com-modity is also shipped to Centraliawhere it is used in a coal-fired powerplant.

Another terminal is planned for thePort of Morrow in Boardman, wherebarges would carry coal down the Co-lumbia after it had been unloaded fromthe trains. Ambre Energy, the companyplanning to build the terminal, was is-sued draft permits for the project.

Civil suit filedin Seattle overGorge coal trains

SeeRelatedStory

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By TRISHA WALKERCRG Business Review

HOOD RIVER – Molly Clarke, Hood River Valley HighSchool senior, has been employed at Mike’s Ice Cream forthe past three years, and she can’t think of one downside toworking with ice cream all summer long.

“It’s one of the best jobs ever,” she said. Clarke has lived in Hood River all her life and was a fre-

quent customer at Mike’s growing up. “I still remember certain people who worked there, who

would split my scoop in half for me; little things like that.”Clarke began working at Mike’s the summer of her soph-

omore year, when she was 16. She had volunteered at thebusiness for Community Work Day the year before and en-joyed the experience, plus, as she said, “Everyone I knewwho worked there loved it.”

Clarke already knew owners Tassie Mack and Mike Kitts– her mother, Ellen, has been their bookkeeper for 27 years– and that spring break asked if the two needed help.

Mike’s has a longstanding tradition of hiring only highschool and college-aged workers who maintain a 4.0 GPA.

“I hire by grade point average,” said Mack. “Kids knowby the time they’re 5 that if they want to work at the icecream store, they have to get straight A’s all their life.”

It’s not so much that having straight A’s means you’re

brilliant, said Mack, as much as it means the kids knowhow to work. Mike’s employees tend to be “the busiestkids, the overachievers,” said Mack. “Molly is both. She’s ahard-working girl.”

A steady stream of customers flows in and out of Mike’sApril 1 through Nov. 1. “There’s lots going on, and I get tosee it all,” said Clarke. “Everyone who comes to HoodRiver filters through Mike’s eventually.

“It’s popular because of the whole atmosphere Mike’shas,” she said. “It’s not like going through a drive-through.People are more personable, and I think you get a lot for theprice. And it’s fun to sit outside on the lawn and enjoy thesunshine.”

A typical shift is four hours and involves answering a lotof questions – such as how to get to the nearest ATM orwhat ingredients are in the ice cream flavors – as well ascleaning and serving.

“You get lots of repetitive questions,” said Clarke. “It’skind of funny to be asked numerous times a day, ‘What’s inGalaxy?’”

And yes, employees get free ice cream, but that’s not thebest part, said Clarke. “It’s lots of fun,” she said. “Everyoneis so happy to come in.

“I really like the owners, and everyone is super-nice. Youbecome friends with everyone who works here.”

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CRG Business ReviewHOOD RIVER – Gorge Spine and

Sports Medicine has a new machine inits Hood River Heights clinic. The Al-terG Anti-Gravity Treadmill can “un-weight” users and ease burdens peoplemay have with walkingand running.

The machine lookslike a treadmill attachedto a giant bubble. Usinga pressurized air cham-ber attached to a per-son’s waist, the machinecalibrates the user’sbody weight then usespressure and blowing air to support theuser to certain percentage of their bodyweight, anywhere from 20 to 99 percent.

The treadmill has quickly become apopular tool at Gorge Spine and SportsMedicine. Physical Therapist Tom Mo-line explained that although the machineis a great new tool for rehabilitation, it’s

also useful for athletes who, “don’t havean injury, just soreness from overuse thatwon’t go away because their sport does-n’t let the injury rest.”

One example of this are the HoodRiver Valley High School track runnerswho used the treadmill as a training toolthis spring. Moline explained that run-ners can “run faster for longer at lessweight. Since runners feet are movingfaster, they are still getting a great cardioworkout while improving their turnoverand working on quick feet.”

A number of high school track athletesused the machine to train through over-use injuries such as shin splints. In addi-tion to athletes, a group that has seenhuge benefits from use of the treadmillis post-surgery patients.

The machine is outfitted with threecameras that record the user from thefront, back, and side views. This videocan be viewed in real-time or recordedand played back later.

Trisha Walker photoMike’s Ice Cream employs scholarstudents like Molly Clarke.

TomMoline


By KIRBY NEUMANN-REACRG Business Review

HOOD RIVER – Hood River CityCouncil approved the Nichols Landinghotel and commercial building projectlast month.

“We are excited to be coming toHood River and bringing a much-need-ed hotel and office building,” saidSteve Naito of the Naito Corp., whichwill build the four-story, 45,000-square-foot, 88-room hotel, doing busi-ness as a Hampton Inn, and two-story,20,000-square-foot commercial build-ing in the Nichols boat basin on theColumbia River, along with a parkingfacility.

The council’s formal action was toapprove the conditional use permit andpreliminary site plan, and also vacate a

6,875-square-foot section of right-of-way along Interstate 84 as part of theproject.

Opponents of the project reiteratedtheir concerns over constructing a newbuilding within the flood plain, and theeffects of stormwater runoff on waterquality.

“It’s just plain bad policy,” saidBrent Foster, attorney for a citizengroup that has opposed the project, andsaid it would likely appeal the decisionto the Land Use Board of Appeals. Thecouncil’s action followed a hearing,continued from May, on a remand ofthe issue from LUBA to the city.

Cori Lahr of Portland told the coun-cil that Department of EnvironmentalQuality regulations on stormwater con-trols are “all bones and no meat,” and

said the city should give priority tohealthy salmon, public safety andspace for recreation.

Council member Ed Weath-ers disputed the opponents’ claim thatthe state would not test or enforcestormwater impacts. “I don’t knowwhat will happen in this case, but DEQis no lame duck,” he said.

Naito said the stormwater systemwill retain and filter runoff; and thatthere is no ban on building in the floodplain: “It just has to be done in a waythe ordinance requires, which takesinto account flood hazards.”

Council member Kate McBride saidshe wants “the most stringent stormwa-ter (control) system,” and Naito saidthe company will do the more exten-sive infiltration system if DEQ requires

it; otherwise it will install mechanicalfilters that will keep heavy metals, al-ready in the soils of the property, frombeing “transported” to the river or sur-rounding properties.

The company must also acquire aNational Pollution Discharge Elimina-tion Permit, and the Corps of Engi-neers must sign off on the developmentproject before it can proceed.

“It will be one of the most environ-mentally protective stormwater ports inthe state,” Naito said. “This was a con-taminated brownfield. We will com-bine the protections we’ve done incleaning up that site and incorporatinga state of the art biofiltration systemthat will actually end up producingcleaner water going into the basin thanis currently occurring.”

By KIRBY NEUMANN-REACRG Business Review

HOOD RIVER – Hood River CityCouncil gave the green light to its ownState Street improvement project lastmonth.

The council, acting as an Urban Re-newal Agency, approved a $4.47 mil-lion contract with Crestline Construc-tion of The Dalles for the State Streetimprovement project. This will mean

extensive street repaving, sidewalk re-pair and replacement, undergroundingof utility lines, and other improve-ments to take place over the next 18months. Work is due to start thismonth, primarily off-street.

The State Street Urban Renewal bidcame in $300,000 over budget, but thecity will make up for it by borrowingagainst other Urban Renewal funds, tobe paid off in time with the rest of the

project, and by reducing expenditureson State Street improvements.

(Until after Labor Day, little workwill be done in the affected roadwaysof State between Sixth and Front,Front, or Oak between Front and First.)

To do this, engineers will look atkeeping in place sections of sidewalkthat were installed less than 10 yearsago, along the county library frontage,and by making changes to the design

of the retaining wall between Front andSecond streets, according to project en-gineer Devy Bell.

By pulling the wall out a few feet,less shoring is needed, but it will meanthat parking will remain as parallel forthose two blocks, rather than theplanned diagonal, so four spaces arelikely to be lost. Bell said costs willalso be saved by reducing some parkbenches and other amenities.

City council approves Naito hotel, commercial project

18-month State Street improvement project will begin this summer

Pines Tasting Room to move a few blocks north to Mall 202By GILBERTO GALVEZ

CRG Business ReviewHOOD RIVER – Customers will

soon find The Pines Tasting Room at anew location.

Fortunately, it won’t be too far fromwhere it is now, moving only twoblocks north to Mall 202. The Pineswill be shut down from July 29-Aug. 1because of the move; its grand openingat the new location will be Aug. 2.

With the 4,500 square feet they havenow, Sierra Wright, who opened ThePines Tasting Room, found herself try-ing to fill it and distracted from whatshould have been her focus, the winetasting.

“Despite it being a fantastic space,and we loved being there, it’s a hugespace,” said Wright. “We were sub-leasing with Westwind Frame andGallery.”

Westwind Frame and Gallery decid-ed to move out of its location in HoodRiver, leaving the rest of the space toThe Pines. The Pines filled the spacewith The Pines Art Gallery as well asbecoming a music venue, comedy cluband event center. As it isn’t the onlyplace to provide these services, Wrightfound that it would benefit them toscale down.

“Our new space will be about 750square feet, across from Naked and

Waucoma Club,” said Wright. “Thewine is what we’re in business for andwhat people support. We really want tofocus on that.”

Wright plans to have free Wi-Fi andcouches in the new space. “We’regoing to make it kind of cozy,” shesaid.

The Pines will not be able to host asmany events as it has done in the past.“We’ll still be available if someonewants to rent our space for a smallparty, a bridal shower, a small birthdayparty,” said Wright.

The current location has a maximumcapacity of 300 people. The new loca-tion will have much less. Wright esti-

mates around 50, but won’t be sureuntil the fire marshal evaluates the newspace.

There still are a few events that ThePines will host from now until it shutsdown July 29 in preparation for themove. Its last concert will be July 27,and its last Thursday Night Jam will beJuly 25.

This will not be the end of all eventsat The Pines, though. They are stillplanning to have musicians and otherentertainers but not at the scale theyhave done before.

The grand opening of the new tastingroom will also not be lacking entertain-ment.

By KATHY URSPRUNGCRG Business Review

THE DALLES – In the days before routine auto-mobile ownership allowed cities to sprawl in single-family suburban style, The Dalles was a much morecompact city, with downtown businesses establishedon the ground floors of buildings, and living quartersbuilt on the upper two or three stories.

Today a fair portion of that space – former apart-ments, hotels and even bordellos – is empty.

But there’s more going on in those old upstairsrooms than most people might think, say the investi-gators of the Gorge Paranormal Society. The newbusiness in downtown The Dalles offers ghost toursthrough some of the city’s historic buildings, as wellas building investigations where they seek to proveor disprove the presence of other-worldly emanations

Jeff and Johna Gadley established the businessafter moving from the Yakima area to be closer tofamily. They work with a team of three free-lancelocal investigators: Karissa Perez, Miranda Pollockand Heather Maurin. Jeff was an investigator inYakima and one of the original founders of North-west Ghost Hunters there.

“I’m trying to get more people into The Dalles toutilize what The Dalles has,” Jeff notes.

Unlike most historic tours, and even most ghosttours in the United States, Gorge Paranormal offerstour-goers the opportunity to be real ghost hunters,using their own recorders and cameras while on thetour. Jeff knows of only one other business doing thesame and it’s on the East Coast. After their experi-ence, tour-goers also get a DVD of what the profes-sionals have recorded and notes on the results.

It’s not the typical The Dalles business, but LisaFarquharson, executive director of The Dalles AreaChamber of Commerce, says it has the potential tobring economic benefits. “They fit a niche,” Far-quharson says. “They’re the type of business that isgoing to reach a very different demographic.”

She says the chamber’s role is to embrace the busi-ness and help get information out to potential clients.

“It’s another way to look at the history of TheDalles,” she said.

At Gorge Paranormal’s offices, Jeff runs through aseries of EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) fromvarious explorations, including those upstairs in thebuilding where they are located. Faint, but fairly dis-tinct words can be heard.

“We might not hear anything on the EVPs for upto 30 seconds to a minute,” Jeff said. “They have togenerate enough energy to speak to us.”

They try to debunk as much as they can of whatthey collect. The sound of a piano heard at the Pio-

neer Cemetery, for example, turned out to be a oneof the investigators’ cell phones. But a strong “moveback” heard in the same visit, has no explanation.

“It was a pretty strong spirit,” Jeff said. On one of the recordings, the word “KA-RIS-SA”

clearly comes through.The investigators share stories of previous ex-

ploits, like visits with three separate spirits on an ex-ploration in one downtown building: Carolina, Ritaand Skinny Vicky.

Johna admits to having been a big skeptic whenshe first became involved, but says she has experi-enced some things she can’t explain any other way.She isn’t an investigator. Instead, she handles manyof the more earthly administrative functions of thebusiness.

(As part of the interview for this story, Karissa andJeff invite the writer upstairs to the realm of Caroli-na, Rita and Skinny Vicky.)

It’s daytime and they go without the EMF(Electromagnetic Field) detectors and cell phonerecorders that are standard equipment on a ghost touror investigation. The spirits are present, but aren’t asactive during the day, Jeff explained later, when theliving are bustling around. So investigations andtours yield better results at night.

Nine apartments still exist upstairs, each completewith a raised closet and raised bathroom that in-cludes a clawfoot tub. Beneath the tub is a compart-ment where a bedframe is concealed and can bepulled out for evening use. Old woodwork, flooringand peeling wallpaper give a glimpse into a differenttime.

They suspect the building once housed a bordello.An intriguing slot outside one apartment prompts astory from Karissa and Jeff. They suspect a visitor tothe bordello knocked on the small counter of the slotand was expected to pay before entry. On a previousvisit, they tried a knock and say they heard whatthey thought sounded like an exasperated sigh in re-sponse.

This room is one where Johna will not venture.She mimes a shudder by way of explanation. All ofthe investigators have rooms where they are drawnor repelled – where perhaps an otherworldly pres-ence is sending them a subconscious message.

An evening venture into another downtown busi-ness leads to the EMP meter suddenly lighting upand beeping rapidly. The strongest readings comenear the floor, so a note is made for later to check forthe presence of live wiring on the floor below. Butthe readings stop and start, which Karissa sees as agood sign that they might be something else.

“Don’t be scared,” she says to the room. “We arenot here to hurt you.”

She asks a series of questions, but is unsatisfiedwith the answers, so she moves on. Later, she returnswith her fellow investigators and senses the presenceof others more strongly in the room.

“They really like these three,” Jeff whispers, as wehear Heather talking to someone she feels is sittingclose by her side.

Another, quieter room on the other side of thebuilding draws the team.

(After a few minutes inside, the writer describes aslightly light-headed feeling and a tightness in herthroat, wobbling a bit on her feet.)

“I just got really light-headed,” Jeff says shortly


There’s nothing normal about this business

Kathy Ursprung photoGorge Paranormal Society investigators andstaff, from left, Heather Maurin, Miranda Pol-lock, Johna Gadly, Karissa Perez and JeffDadley pose beneath the hangman’s noosedecor of the Clock Tower Ales, former home ofthe Wasco County Courthouse, jail and publichangings.

See NORMAL, Page 21


after that. “I almost fell over.” A spiritmessage or poor air circulation? No-body could say for sure.

Jeff told earlier of a visit to anotherbuilding where he said his senses wereso overwhelmed by a bombardment ofwords that he had to leave. He says hehas had other such strong experiencesin the past.

“Did you hear that?” Jeff says a mo-ment later. Several times during the ex-ploration Jeff thinks he may haveheard something that others who arepresent didn’t. However, recordingsmay reveal something ears did not.

Later, Rick is surprised to hear some-thing on a six-second recording in theroom: a quiet, tinny voice that seems tosay, “Help me.”

Plans are made for a visit to ClockTower Ales in hopes of a tour underbetter conditions.

In the meantime, others who havebeen part of tours in various downtownbuildings, talk about their experiences.

Cal McDermid was with Jeff duringhis experience being bombarded bywords. He says he is open to the possi-

bilities, but didn’t experience anything.“In my opinion of the experience, it

was very professionally done,” Calsays. “Jeff really talked like he knewwhat he was looking for and what hewas doing. He had the proper equip-ment and he was very respectful of theproperty.”

Jennifer Gaither says, “I thought itwas quite fascinating. I took away thatthere are actually things we don’tknow about. There are spirits lingering,walking and talking.”

Gorge Paranormal debuted a newpiece of equipment during Jennifer’stour. It’s a “ghost box” similar to theones used on the television show“Ghost Adventures” on the TravelChannel. The device generates whitenoise, Jeff explains, which its manu-facturers claim uses AM radio frequen-cies to make the ghosts more audible.In the case of Jennifer’s tour, it seemsto have worked.

“The spirit said his name was‘Bob,’” Jennifer noted. After speakingthrough the ghost box, Jeff told thevoice it had been nice speaking withhim. “At the end, it said, ‘You, too’.”

Jennifer said they also spoke to a lit-tle girl named “Jessica.”

“We asked her if her mother washere and she said ‘no’.”

If any place in The Dalles shouldhave the potential for spirit activity, itshould be Clock Tower Ales. Its build-ing was the second Wasco CountyCourthouse, which included not only ajail but a hanging tree as well – thereason the owners use hangman’snooses in building décor. The buildingalso served as a mortuary for manyyears and its upstairs rooms are cur-rently leased by the Masonic Temple.

Owner Mark Powell has agreed toallow Clock Tower to be on the GorgeParanormal Society tours.

“Anything to support the history ofThe Dalles,” Mark says. He is support-ive of anything that can bring the hid-den history of The Dalles to light –“and with the twist with the spirits toboot, that’s great entertainment.”

He hopes the ghost tours will drawnot only history fans but paranormalthrill seekers.

Plenty of historic names are associat-ed with this old building, but our ghosthunters are looking for one in particu-lar: Daniel Norman Williams, hangedin 1905 in Wasco County, was the lastman hanged publicly in Oregon.

The tour starts upstairs. Ghostly ex-periences have been reported in severalparts of the building, including a ghostbelieved to sit in a chair on the stairlanding.

In one of the main rooms, an electro-magnetic field reading displays on oneof the gauges.

“Daniel, if you’re here with us, let usknow, give us a sign,” says Heather.

“Were you guilty of the crime thatyou were hung for?” asks Jeff.

Turning on the ghost box, we hear alot of static as it scans. “They say spir-its can actually grab words and talk toyou through this,” Jeff says.

Instead of “Daniel,” the name“Devon” comes through the device’sspeaker. With continued questionscome what sound like responses.

“Were you a Mason?” netted no ap-parent response, but “Were you aGrand Master?” received an apparent“yes.”

“Did you die a Grand Mason?” re-ceived a “no.”

Asked to identify two specific occu-pants of the room, a clear “Heather” isheard, then a slightly fainter “Kathy.”

Heather’s name is clear later on in therecording. Kathy is less distinct.

Downstairs is a storage room wheresome reports of ghostly activity haveoccurred.

“You scare the employees, but youwon’t show yourself to us? How is thatfair?” Jeff asks.

At one point there is a rattling. Jeffthinks Paul has been jingling some-thing in his pocket, but he denies it. Alittle later, there is a distinct rattle-likesound from another corner of the room.Both sounds come through clearly inlater review of recordings.

Jeff says a photo in the room has re-vealed an orb. These images, whichrarely show up outside of photos, arebelieved to be the images of spirits inthe environment.

The rest of the tour through the base-ment is spent asking questions and tak-ing photos, hoping to find evidence ofother-worldly presence.

A review of photos the next morningshows a random shot of a pile of rub-ble in an unused corner of the base-ment, with a tiny orb hovering abovethe broken masonry.

Kathy Ursprung photoInvestigator Heather Maurin, right, reports a cold feeling and a sensethat someone is sitting beside her as she and Miranda Pollock attemptto communicate with ghosts in the vacant upstairs of a downtown TheDalles building.

NormalContinued from page 20

The 2013Visitors Guide

Pick Up A Copy At GorgeChambers And Many

Businesses


By KATHYURSPRUNG

CRG Business ReviewTHE DALLES – A

unique tourism eventbrought an economicboost to south WascoCounty and The Dalles –when Vogue Knittingfocused on the ImperialStock Ranch for one ofits series of exclusivedestination weekendexperiences.

The event started withan overnight stay at theHotel DeLuxe, a bou-tique hotel in downtownPortland, before gueststraveled by charter bus toThe Dalles for their firststop at The Whole Ballof Yarn in downtown TheDalles, owned byPaulette Brook.

Brook was excited tohave some of the stars ofthe knitting world in hershop, including knittingdesigner Nicky Epstein.

“Nicky Epstein isprobably the pinnacle ofthe peak of the moviestars of the knittingworld,” Brook said.

Brook not only sellsImperial Yarn products,she and another womanworking through hershop knit samples for theImperial Yarn brand.

While Brook wasexcited about the oppor-tunity to bring some ofthe stars of knitting toher shop, Dan andJeanne Carver ofImperial Stock Ranchand Imperial Yarn wereexcited about the largereconomic impact of theevent on Wasco Countyand Central Oregon as awhole.

“It’s huge in severalways,” said Jeanne,speaking on behalf of thecompany. “To me, it’s anabsolute miracle that amagazine and publishingcompany at the top of theindustry, like VogueKnitting, would comehere. In the needle artsindustry, they’re just pre-mier. For them to recog-nize the combination ofthings that brought themhere is just overwhelm-ing to me.”

That combinationincludes quality of prod-uct, the inroads of thebrand into the market,the heritage of ranch andthe Columbia breed ofsheep raised there.

“In the yarn industry,we are unlike any other,”Carver said. “We aretruly a ranch that ownsits product from soil tofinished piece. That isvery rare.”

The visit had a bigimpact on the ImperialStock Ranch economy.

“In the last 24 months,the number of stores car-rying us has gone upover 500 percent,”Carver said. “I can’t saythat’s all due to themcoming, but that’s a partof the story. The effortswe’re making to sellyarn, to tell the story ofthe Central Oregonregion and our history,isn’t just about us. It’sabout Wasco County andnorth central Oregon. It’sbeen a part of our culturehere for a very longtime.”

The Imperial StockRanch has been in exis-tence near Shaniko since

1871. It is family ownedand operated on morethan 30,000 acres ofOregon high desert. TheCarvers produce grains,hay, grasses, cattle andsheep used in a variety ofconsumer products.They’ve also been activein historical preservation

and education about theranch, working to pre-serve the agriculturalproduction of the ranchand its original home-stead structures.

The Carver family alsoworks closely with pub-lic and private agencieson projects ranging from

sustainable practices towildlife restoration andpreservation.

That’s all part of theexperience VogueKnitting planned to bringits travelers.

“They come here toexperience Vogue, thekind of event only Voguecan put on and support,something really nicewith all the little extraslike the instruction ofworld-renowned designerNicky Epstein,” Carversaid. “Those are two topdraws. But then theycome to a place like theImperial Stock Ranch.”

Also part of the expe-rience was a stay at theImperial River Companyin Maupin, owned by theCarvers’ daughter andson-in-law.

“They stay at theImperial River Companyright on the bank of thewild and scenic

Deschutes River,” Carversaid. “How much bettercan that get?”

While staying in southWasco County, the knit-ters were exposed to avariety of regional activi-ties, including a shortrafting trip and fly-fish-ing lessons that bringother regional businessesinto the act.

Saturday they hadinstructional knitting ses-sion in the morning, thentraveled to the ranch fora buffet lunch, shoppingat the Imperial YarnShop – which is locatedin the historic Hintonhouse that was recentlyfixed up for the purpose– a herding dog demon-stration and a tour of thehistoric ranch headquar-ters, which is a nationalhistoric district.

“They give bottles to

Imperial experience extends beyond ranch

Kathy Ursprung photoPaulette Brook’s Whole Ball of Yarn is part of adestination experience.

Have a fun and informed summer with your own complimentary copy of The Gorge Magazine!

( read it online, too: www.thegorgemagazine.com )

FALL 2013 ADVERTISING SPACE RESERVATION: JULY 13, 2013For information about advertising in the Fall 2013 issue contact:

Micki Chapman: (541) 380-0971 or [email protected]

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See RANCH, Page 23


Pick up your copy at ournewspaper office,the Chamber of

Commerce and manyarea businesses.

The Dalles ChronicleCall 541-296-2141 • 315 Federal St. The Dalles

Hood River NewsCall 541-386-1234 • 419 State Street. Hood River

The 2013Visitors Guide

is out!

BRUCE HENDERSON541-993-5982

RV Service at your home!Specializing in Appliancesand Electrical Repair

RV Mobile DoctorRV Mobile DoctorLICENSED & CERTIFIED

State Fire Marshal Certification # 001242-08

Submitted photoThe Cellular

Connection marked itsopening at 400 Mt.Hood Street with a

ribbon-cutting cere-mony May 17, and a

charitable donation toBig Brothers Big

Sisters of theColumbia Gorge. The

store features thecompany’s “Rockstar”layout, intended as a

destination for visitorsto get hands-on with

the latest wirelessdevices, a press

release said. The backhalf of the store is a

lounge area withcouches and chairs

that provide a com-fortable place to play

with devices andaccessories.

Grandopening

HOOD RIVER – Robert Henshaw hasopened a Hood River location of his pe-riodontic practice, Oregon Periodontics.

Henshaw’s practice, limited to micro-surgical periodontics and oral implantol-ogy, is located at 1700 12th St., Suite D.

Henshaw has devoted hiscareer to learning and prac-ticing the most advancedtechniques in his field. As agraduate of the Micro-surgery Training Institute inSanta Barbara and hand-picked to train underworld-renowned periodon-ist Dennis Shanelec, Hen-shaw is one of the few surgeons in thecountry, and the only surgeon in Oregonproviding minimally invasive standard ofcare for dental implants though the use ofmicrosurgery.

Henshaw also utilizes laser technologyas a non-surgical approach when treatingpatients with deep periodontal pockets.Between his use of microscope and laser

technologies, Henshaw uses the verybest available to be minimally invasivewhile focusing on esthetics.

Henshaw received his Doctorate of Den-tal Surgery from the University of the Pa-cific School of Dentistry in San Francisco,after a career in cancer research as a mo-lecular biologist. He then continued with athree-year surgical residency at the OregonHealth & Science University in periodon-tics and oral implantology, and completedone year of training at the Misch Interna-tional Implant Institute.

Henshaw also spends time educating hispeers. As the director of MIND DentalStudies in Portland, GORGE Dental Stud-ies in Hood River, and as a former associ-ate professor at OHSU, he enjoys provid-ing advanced dental education to dentistsin the Portland and Gorge areas.

In his free time, Henshaw enjoys familytime with his son, Trevor. On the week-ends you can often find Henshaw in hissurf shorts kite boarding or fly fishing inHood River.

Henshaw opens periodontics practice

bummer lambs,” Carver said. “Theywere absolutely thrilled last year tohave an up-close and personal experi-ence with sheep.”

Guest wore cowboy hats provided aspart of the trip and got their photo-graphs taken with the dogs and cow-boys.

“We throw quite a party for themSaturday night back at the lodge,”Carver said. “Local cowboy and coun-try entertainer Les Vaughn and hisband did the music.”

After fly fishing, white-water rafting

and a bus trip to Sherar’s Falls to viewthe Native American fishing platformsnestled above the Deschutes River,guests ate a five-course, wine-pairedfinale dinner.

In addition to increased business,Carver says Imperial Stock Ranch hasseen increased tourism.

While sheep growers have gone outof business by the tens of thousands asa result of consolidation of the meatsector, pressure from imports and ani-mal predation, Imperial Stock Ranchhas fought to hang on, Carver said,“because it was our history and her-itage and we felt that it had value.Sheep had a place in man’s survival forthousands of years. How could we kickthem to the curb?”

RobertHenshaw

RanchContinued from page 22


C.H. URNESS MOTOR COC.H. URNESS MOTOR COServing the Mid-Columbia since 1946

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Serving the Mid-Columbia since 1946505 Cherry Heights Rd., The Dalles • 541-296-2284 • 888-775-8608 wwwwww..uurrnneessssmmoottoorrss..ccoomm

Where every day is a sale!Where every day is a sale!

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