Member Spotlight
Baker Food Co-op began in 1976 when a small group of people formed a "buying club" to provide a consistent supply of natural bulk foods at wholesale prices for themselves.
Now, over 30 years later, with a membership of over 4,000 and a volunteering staff of more than 125, the Baker Food Co-op continues to enjoy its mission of supplying low-cost natural foods to the people of Northeast Oregon. A lifetime membership is only $25 and gives you a 5% discount every time you shop.
Volunteering members can earn discounts up to 30% on their purchases. Many work more hours than necessary due to their dedication to the mission of the Co-op and because they enjoy the family atmosphere so much!
The products we carry include certified organic produce, farm-fresh eggs and locally grown produce in season, vitamins, supplements and medicinal herbs; bulk foods such as whole grains, flours, nuts, seeds, beans, spices, teas, granolas, protein powders, dried fruit, oils, cheese, non-dairy substitutes, sugar-free, wheat/gluten free and other special dietary items. We also have healthy personal care items, natural cleaning supplies and much more.
Because we are member owned and operated, you get the best prices while keeping more of your dollars in our community. Due to continued growth, we plan to expand to a larger, new location in the near future. Non-members are always welcome, too. Check us out and shop Co-op!
Business Brief
What is Base Camp Baker?
Mission Statement: To encourage and promote tourism and recreation in Baker County through marketing and development of new and existing tourism assets.
Project Description. Base Camp Baker is an integrated economic development strategy designed to do the following:
Provide a unified approach to tourism and recreational development;
Provide a one-stop point of contact for visitors seeking tourism and recreational information;
Provide a brand for all tourism and recreational marketing in Baker County; and
Provide an opportunity for entrepreneurs to capitalize on the increase in visitors to the community by creating or expanding business.
Tourism is an industry that benefits the entire county, if developed properly. Base Camp Baker is the means by which we will achieve a countywide impact. By creating different tools based upon various interests, we will generate a unique approach to increasing usage of our current tourism assets. Though some development of additional assets may occur, we already have an excellent network of existing tourism products to offer (see chart below for examples). Base Camp Baker takes these products
and packages them, giving visitors easier access to the opportunities in our area.
Feature article- Holiday Shopping in Baker County
Shopping for the holidays will be made easier this year. With the new Baker Bucks program we hope to keep more money in our county. The Chamber hopes this will show us what great buys and options we have right here in Baker County for the holidays and for everyday.
Holiday Bazaars and open houses on the calendar so far include:
Ryder Brother’s Toy Store open house November 7th will get you motivated to start that Christmas shopping early. The Sycamore Tree’s Christmas Open House will be
Friday 20th 10am to 7 pm and Saturday 21st 9 am to 6 pm. Closed Thanksgiving Day and open Fri Nov 27th 8 am to 6 pm and Sat Nov 28th 9 am to 6 pm. Missouri Flat Grange Second Annual Fall Bazaar, Sumpter Valley Christmas Bazaar and Crossroads Carnegie Arts Center Holiday Fun Open house all on November 14th Eagle Valley Grange Holiday Bazaar the next weekend on the 21st of November. And don’t forget to buy your tickets early for the Festival of Trees and the Sumpter Valley Christmas Train.
The list of businesses open on Sundays during the holiday season continues to grow;
Ryder Brothers (12-4)
Clothes Outlet
Barbara Jeans
Bella Main Street Market
Sears
D&B Supply
Betty’s Books (December 6, 13, & 20)
Ace Hardware
Truck Corral
YMCA
J. Tabor Jewelers
Geiser Grand Hotel Gift Shop
Kicks Sportswear
Don’s Jewelry
Dejavu
Sycamore Tree (December 6, 13, & 20)
With the extended hours at the Clothes Outlet (open until 8:00pm Fridays and Saturdays until Christmas), we won’t have to rush downtown to get our clothes shopping done.
And don’t forget that Terrific Tuesdays offers discounts and prizes all over town, not just in the downtown area. D&B offers discounts to seniors on Tuesdays as well.
If your business will be offering special hours, let the chamber know so we can get that information on the weekend reminder. Email debi@visitbaker.com
Letter from the Director-
A Community Multi-Share Health Care Program
Multi-share health coverage typically consists of community-based, non-profit organizations, like NEON, structured to provide affordable, employer-sponsored health coverage for the working uninsured. The name "multi-share" refers to the cooperative design of the program-- cost is shared between employer, employee, and the community. The program organization is based on shared responsibility in many areas such as cost sharing, risk sharing, and governance.
Multi-share will provide rural and frontier communities like ours:
An opportunity to confront local health access deficiencies using creative utilization of existing resources;
Community engagement in designing appropriate healthcare coverage that is right for us;
Direct contribution in the health of our local community, and in the health maintenance of our fellow community members;
Empowerment to provide access to needed health care services to low income, uninsured workers.
Empowerment in choosing healthy lifestyles and reducing chronic conditions.
Overview:
Multi-share health coverage is for uninsured small businesses with 1-50 employees
Not-for-profit, community designed and owned
Cost between $50 - $65 per month for employers, employees, and the community
Health services provided through local providers in Union, Wallowa, and Baker counties; we hope to have all area providers participate in this community program.
Benefits normally include major health coverage like hospitalization, maternity care, drug benefits, primary care, wellness and prevention.
Why is this needed?
Oregon continues to see a rise in the number of working uninsured. This has had profound consequences on our state, communities and families. The current economic environment has made it even more difficult for small businesses to offer insurance to their employees.
Currently 79% of businesses in Oregon have less than 50 employees. The majority of these employers are unable to afford the rising cost of health insurance for their employees. These numbers are rising even more quickly in Northeast Oregon, where our communities rely on small businesses as the majority of our region’s employers.
What will this do?
This community-based program will provide local small businesses access to basic health care coverage through innovative and strategic partnerships within our local community, and through modest, shared cost between employers, employees and various resources from the community.
This story is to be continued- NEON has invited the Chamber to be a part of the group that begins the work to design this Multi-share program and we will keep you informed as we more forward.
Letter from the Board of Directors:
The Baker County Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau is excited to unveil the Baker Bucks Program beginning November 1, 2009
The Baker Bucks program is designed to promote "Shop Baker First". The use of Baker Bucks ensures that this local money is spent locally, benefiting Chamber Member Businesses. It also benefits the community as a whole by providing more options for gifts, incentives, and customer or employee appreciation programs.
Anyone can purchase Baker Bucks, but they are redeemable only at participating Baker County Chamber member merchants. The wallet your Baker Bucks come in will have the list of participating members and each of those members will have a "Baker Bucks Accepted Here" poster displayed in their store for easy identification.
Baker Bucks are available in 10, 20, 25 and 50 dollar increments at the Chamber office.
To our Chamber members we also hope you will take full advantage of this program. Perhaps offer incentives or discounts for your Baker Bucks customers. Unique approaches like this will encourage locals to continue using the Baker Bucks program throughout the year, thus keeping local money local.
If Debi hasn't made it to your office to talk with you about the Baker Bucks program yet please give her a call or stop in at the Chamber to learn how your business can participate.
Let's make this holiday season and 2010 profitable for everyone in Baker County.
SIGNATURE (BOARD OF DIRECTORS)
New Member Briefs
Great Northern Energy Systems LLC
PO Box 349
Baker City, OR 97814Phone:
541-523-4653
Renewable Energy System Installation; design and service. Focusing mainly on solar and wind energy for residential and commercial customers. Serving Eastern Oregon, Southeast Washington and Western Idaho. Oregon CCB# 186341
info@gnenergy.com
www.gnenergy.com
Union Pacific Corporation 5424 SE McLoughlin Blvd Portland OR 97202
503-249-3079 www.up.com
Union Pacific Corporation owns one of America's leading transportation companies. Its principal operating company, Union Pacific Railroad, links 23 states in the western two-thirds of the country. Union Pacific serves many of the fastest-growing U.S. population centers and provides Americans with a fuel-efficient, environmentally responsible and safe mode of freight transportation. Union Pacific's diversified business mix includes Agricultural Products, Automotive, Chemicals, Energy, Industrial
Products and Intermodal. The railroad emphasizes excellent customer service and offers competitive routes from all major West Coast and Gulf Coast ports to eastern gateways. Union Pacific connects with Canada's rail systems and is the only railroad serving all six major gateways to Mexico, making it North America's premier rail franchise.
Visitor Statistics for September 2009
Website visits 9,299
Total website hits 165,803
Pages view 12,537
Visitor calls 388
Visitors 1386
Fulfillment 418
Relocation 22
