1. business.tourism.
{And everywhere they meet.}
plus
Adding it all up | Bringing it all home
A s u p p l e m e n t t o O r e g o n B u s i n e s s m a g a z i n e

3. CONTENTS >>
5 A conversation with
industry leaders
7 WORKFORCE ISSUES
8 sustainability effort
11 business connections
11 communication factor
13 Driving economic growth
14 Regional breakdown
14 PORTLAND METRO
15 WILLAMETTE VALLEY
Mike Ishida, director of sales for Day Wireless 16 SOUTHERN OREGON
Systems, believes in spending quality business
time with a fly rod in hand. “Every year we bring 17 EASTERN OREGON
executives from around the nation to Oregon,” he 18 MT. HOOD / COLUMBIA River GORGE
says. “We have found there is no better place to
develop business relationships than on a river.” 19 CENTRAL OREGON
20 OREGON Coast
Cover photo by Michael G. Halle 21 IMPACT OREGON: Stories of Success
WELCOME >>
Telling the Oregon story
It’s impossible to talk about tourism in Oregon without talking about busi-
ness at the same time. Visitors to Oregon help support the economy in a big A supplement to Oregon Business,
produced and published by MEDIAmerica.
way, and the financial impacts of travel are easy to track: direct travel spend-
President and ceo
ing in 2007 totaled $8.3 billion and supported more than 91,000 jobs. Andrew A. Insinga
But the numbers tell only part of the story –– and it’s a great story. Tourism SUPPLEMENT EDITOR
and business intersect in all kinds of interesting and strategically important Megan Monson
ways. Visitors help build our state’s reputation for environmental stewardship Art Director
and outstanding natural recreation. Often, people who first come as tourists Jon Ferland
return for good, bringing their businesses with them. Contributing Photographers
Michael G. Halle, Edmund Keene
The tourism industry is shaping what we teach in college, and making new
Associate Publisher
family-wage jobs available to our children. It’s helping business recruitment ac-
Megan Kirkpatrick
tivities and providing a needed income source for rural communities. Visitors
Advertising Director
create demand for amenities and activities that residents can then enjoy. Jason Garey
In this issue of Impact Oregon, you will find details on all of these topics. Advertising Account Manager
The main section of the publication is devoted to a roundtable discussion Kerwin Jacobsen
held recently in Portland. For that event, business and travel and hospitality Advertising Account Manager
leaders gathered to share their ideas on how the industries intersect. We Jeff Helm
think you will find their discussion enlightening — we certainly did. Event & Marketing Manager
Katie Goldrick
Elsewhere in this publication, you can read about how the main themes
Circulation Manager
discussed at the roundtable event are echoed throughout the state in small Jan Edwards-Pullin
stories of individual successes. Production Director
It’s clear that the symbiotic relationship between tourism and business Sherondra Thedford
in Oregon is a satisfying and productive one. We hope you enjoy the pages Ad Production Coordinator
that follow. Bjorn van der Voo
President and ceo Andrew A. Insinga
Controller Bill Lee
Board of Directors
Chairman André W. Iseli
Wally Van Valkenburg Kari Westlund President Andrew A. Insinga
Chair, Oregon Economic & Community Chair, Oregon Tourism Commission Secretary William L. Mainwaring
Development Commission Treasurer Win McCormack
2008 impact oregon 3

4. Wally Van Valkenburg
Oregon Economic & Community
Development Commission

5. Tourism means business >>
A conversation with industry leaders
Travel Oregon and Oregon Business Magazine’s Publisher recently invited a
group of leaders from across the state and across industries to talk about the
relationship between tourism and business. Wally Van Valkenburg, chairman
of the Oregon Economic & Community Development Commission, moderated
the event. The frank and open discussion that resulted was all that we hoped
for. Workforce issues, transportation challenges, the upside and downside of
growth, sustainability as a lifestyle and as a marketing tool–– it’s all here.You
can join the conversation by reading the pages that follow.
>> Photos by EdMUND Keene
2008 impact oregon 5

6. Todd Davidson
Travel Oregon
Alison Sokol Blosser
Sokol Blosser Winery
David Bragdon
Metro Council
6 impact oregon 2008

7. Moderator >>
Wally Van Valkenburg
Chair, Oregon Economic & Community
Development Commission
WALLY VAN VALKENBURG: How important is tourism to the tion and make it into a vocation. Folks that perhaps fancy wine suddenly
economy in a place like Oregon? start wine businesses like you’ve seen in Oregon, and really stimulate our
economy that way.
BILL MACKENZIE: I work for Intel, and I don’t think there is any question
that the quality of life, the natural beauty of Oregon, is an incentive for
employees who want to come here. Some of our employees are people
“Our biggest problem at Intel is
who came here as tourists or on a business trip, and then decided they
wanted to relocate to Oregon. Maintaining that perception helps us when
not recruiting people to Oregon, it’s
we’re trying to recruit people. In fact, our biggest problem at Intel is not getting them to leave when we want
recruiting people to Oregon, it’s getting them to leave when we want to
move them someplace else. to move them someplace else.”
ALANA AUDETTE: In the early ’90s, a Bend-area study was done to find out
>> Bill MacKenzie, Intel
the conversion rate of visitors to new business. Seventy percent of the
new base in 1993 reported that they first visited the region on vacation.
Tourism had a phenomenal impact on the change and dynamic develop- VAN VALKENBURG: Other comments from people in the industry
ment of Central Oregon, as it did throughout the state as well. on this issue?
ADAM DAVIS: Take the Hatfield School over at Portland State University:
6,000 academics have visited Portland for stays averaging at least three STEVE McCOID: Well, I think the perception is definitely there, and to a
days each. They want to come to Portland because of the quality of life degree we say shame on us, Oregon Restaurant Association, for not
and the natural beauty, and they all become ambassadors. When we doing a better job of educating the public on what the opportunities really
think of business, we’ve got to think of it as wider than just the private are. The majority of the jobs in the industry are family-wage jobs. It’s really
sector. Another thing––I am still struck by how schizophrenic the general incumbent on us to get that word out and educate the public on those
public is about the value of travel and tourism––it’s almost like a love/hate opportunities.
kind of thing. Tourism is proxy for population growth and more people KARI WESTLUND: Our industry sector really provides a lot of varied oppor-
and more pressure on the things that I care about. I’m not hearing it with tunities for people who are at different places in their lives and looking for
the intensity that I heard, say, 10, 15 years ago. different kinds of experiences. There are an awful lot of people working in
the industry who are there by choice for a very long period of time, and I
Workforce issues >> suspect it’s not because they’re feeling trapped in a minimum-wage job.
VAN VALKENBURG: About this perception that tourism is a low- They’re great at what they do.
wage industry––to what extent does that create challenges for
those of you who are actually in business? VAN VALKENBURG: How do you all feel about the quality of the
employees you’re getting? Are there things we’re doing well?
DAVIS: I still hear that tourism is not as important as other sectors be- Things we’re not doing so well as a state?
cause of those low-wage jobs and no benefits. And I know a lot of you live
with that perception all the time, but it’s still out there among the general MILLER: We need more hospitality programs in higher education. As an
public. industry, we are helping fund those things, but we need to be more orga-
JEFF MILLER: I believe that the perception is certainly out there, but I think nized at that educational level.
businesses really see the benefits of these jobs. So many people in this WESTLUND: We’ve got a great program in the Eugene area at Lane Com-
room started in hospitality jobs–-you needed that first part-time job as munity College, with both an accredited culinary arts program and a hos-
a kid, you needed to work your way through college. And this industry pitality management program. One of the biggest challenges they have
provides those jobs, and it also provides management-level jobs and is that the industry is picking those kids out before they’re done with the
executive-level jobs. program because there is such a hunger for trained talent.
GREGG MINDT: Some research that the Oregon Tourism Commission MINDT: There are very few other industries with as quick a growth or ad-
did in the early to mid- ’90s indicated that roughly 10% of the jobs in vancement track as the hospitality industry, particularly the hotel industry.
Oregon’s tourism industry were actually minimum-wage jobs with no tip If you’re smart, you’re ambitious, and you want to succeed, it’s there.
income. And yet it also pointed out that 70% to 75% of the businesses in STEVE FAULSTICK: I had an employee who came to us from the Ukraine and
Oregon’s tourism industry are sole proprietorships. So there is that low- worked as a housekeeper at above minimum wage. Within six months,
wage perception, but there should also be a greater awareness of the she grew into a job cleaning public areas, and then found her way into
management-level opportunities, as well as the chance to take an avoca- a job in our executive meeting center, which grew into a $40,000-a-year
2008 impact oregon 7

8. job within two years. I myself started as a bus boy 22 years ago in in our country right now with individual travelers, groups and conven-
Medford. I like to get in front of Western Culinary and New Avenues for tions.
Youth and Mt. Hood Community College to tell that story, because it is a TODD DAVIDSON: It’s not unusual for us to hear international visitors refer
career with wonderful opportunities. to Oregon as being that clean, green and friendly destination, or to hear
MACKENZIE: What I hear a lot of you saying is that the industry as a domestically about the uncrowded, unspoiled natural beauty of Oregon.
whole doesn’t seem to be doing a very good job of raising the public There’s no other industry that has as much to lose or as much to con-
consciousness about the people in the industry at all levels––people tribute to this whole sustainability discussion as the travel and tourism
for whom that job represents dignity and income and an opportunity to industry does, so it‘s exciting to see the businesses that are stepping up
grow and participate in the Oregon economy. to embrace a sustainability ethic.
DAVID BRAGDON: I think the people in marketing will say the first prereq-
VAN VALKENBURG: I’m curious as to what the prevailing political uisite of any brand is that it be genuine. It has to be something that really
winds are on immigration, and what kind of impact that has on is reflective of what’s being branded, and I think this is a huge opportunity
companies and industries. for us. The things that tourists like to do are the things that people who
already live here like to do––they want to go to Powell Books, they want to
McCOID: Well, it’s a huge issue for the hospitality industry. The restaurants eat in the restaurants, they want to go hiking. Their support for those types
are co-chairing a coalition concerned about this, because 22 percent of of activities actually creates more capacity for those of us who live here.
the workforce in Oregon is immigrant and about half could be illegal. The CHRISTOPHER SEHRING: I think you’re absolutely right with the green-
coalition is working to prevent some of the things you’ve seen in Arizona
and Oklahoma, where government rules caused chaos in the industry,
and also to support some commonsense reform that takes into account “LasVegas owns the glitz and glamour,
what these folks do for our economy and to treat them with the respect
they deserve as hard-working members of our society.
and California and Florida own the
ANNE ROOT: One of the problems that we’re seeing is that there’s a real
inclination to not support our high school students into jobs in hospitality
beaches. Oregon owns sustainability,
and travel. I think we’ve supplemented that through our immigrant popu- and it just so happens that
lation. I think also that we’ve too narrowly defined hospitality as travel
and tourism. It’s really hospitality in the retirement centers, it’s all your sustainability is one of the top demand
food service, in your hospitals––it’s across many, many industries that
give a good customer service hospitality experience. If we could more generators in our country right now.”
broadly define it, we can better support it through our universities and >> Steve Faulstick,
our training programs.
Doubletree Hotel Portland–Lloyd Center
The sustainability effort >>
VAN VALKENBURG: Another issue is how tourism and hospitality fit ness, the sustainability, the recycling. The wave is there, you’ve got a
into Oregon’s strategy of being the world capital of sustainabil- great niche, and there’s a lot of opportunity here.
ity. How do people feel about that?
VAN VALKENBURG: How does tourism and development around
AUDETTE: I think tourism is going to be the leading industry in the sustain- the state affect transportation plans for the next 20 years?
ability effort. We have a million acres of national forest lands to hike on,
and every single person who visits or resides in Central Oregon wants PATRICK COONEY: ODOT’s plans are affected by every piece of the tour-
to be a steward of that. ism and growth areas, and we’re excited about the possibilities. We’ve
FAULSTICK: We are sitting on a gold mine of opportunity around sustain- got nine scenic byways now. The Transportation Commission just
ability, and as the green dust settles around the nation, we in Oregon are christened a wine tour route through the upper valley, and there’s more
poised to stand as the true sustainability leaders. We have something coming. We’ve got Trip Check, our award-winning Web site. We’re also
now in Oregon that we own. Las Vegas owns the glitz and glamour, and working on several areas with regard to the rest areas––to provide Wi-Fi
California and Florida own the beaches. Oregon owns sustainability, and and things like that.
it just so happens that sustainability is one of the top demand generators BRAGDON: I think we shouldn’t overlook the incredible growth of nonmo-
participants >>
Alison Sokol Anne Root Patrick Cooney
Blosser Co-owner, Communications director,
Co-president, Sokol Eden Vale Winery Oregon Department of
Blosser Winery Medford Transportation
Dundee Salem
8 impact oregon 2008

9. Jeff Miller
Travel Portland
Adam Davis
Davis, Hibbitts &
Midghall, Inc.
Anne Root
Eden Vale Winery
2008 impact oregon 9

10. Steve McCoid
Oregon Restaurant
Association
Christopher Sehring
KOIN-TV
Kari Westlund
Convention and Visitors Association
of Lane County
torized transportation tourism. Just in the last two weeks I’ve talked to figuring out how to protect the resource but also allow access to it. The
two friends, one of whom is spending 10 days bicycling around Italy. sustainability theory doesn’t work if people can’t reach out and touch it in
The other one’s going to spend a week bicycling around Denmark. What a way that we feel comfortable with, and I feel we’re really doing a great
would it take to have people coming in here having a similar experience? job of accomplishing that.
In fact, it wouldn’t take a whole lot. It would take packaging and commu- BRAGDON: One thing we haven’t touched on is public safety in the down-
nication, and the connection between nature and urbanity in one place. town, and I think that needs more attention than it’s gotten. There’s a little
VAN VALKENBURG: I think we’ve accomplished a lot in terms of making bit of an air of disarray in downtown Portland. I think that is something
Portland a bike-friendly city, but if you go to Amsterdam, you realize that that we need to do a better job of, not just for our visitors but for our-
we have a long ways to go. selves as well.
MILLER: Make no mistake––this business, whether it’s tourism or con-
ventions and meetings, is as competitive as any other industry out there. VAN VALKENBURG: On the subject of land use, is that an issue we
There’s a lot of money at stake. Components and infrastructures like the need to worry about? Is it a nonissue?
bike path all come together to help us sell this product––Portland and
Oregon––because our goal is to get them here and then push them ALISON SOKOL BLOSSER: It is certainly a hot topic in our area. We need
throughout the state. So these things all connect. good lodging in Yamhill County to support the wine industry, and our
WESTLUND: It’s amazing in Oregon how people really come together to position has been that we support it within the urban growth boundary.
collaborate. There’s a lot of opportunity for people not to come together We do want to preserve what little vineyard land we have on the hillsides
and play well in the sandbox, but it seems like we really do a great job of for vineyard land. So there is a conflict there.
participants >>
Steve Faulstick Steve McCoid Kari Westlund
General manager, President, Oregon President &
Doubletree Hotel Restaurant CEO, Convention
Portland-Lloyd Center Association and Visitors
Portland Wilsonville Association of
Lane County
Eugene
10 impact oregon 2008

11. Bill
Mackenzie
Intel
DAVIDSON: I think there are a number of folks in the tourism industry who
recognize those intersections. Anne Root was the one who really intro-
duced me to this idea when she told me a long time ago that her fast-
est growing source of out-of-state wine sales was from visitors. People
experienced her customer service and these amazing wines, traveled
back home, and wanted to continue to relive that experience. So these
visitors were not only that immediate direct economic impact, they also
became an expanded market base for Anne and for other wineries.
DAVIS: Forestry is an industry that interacts with tourism, and that’s a great
story, especially for those in the rural areas, to tell folks. We have one of
the best state forest protection acts around, and it was driven, not just by
environmental quality, but also by travel and tourism and hospitality.
The communication factor >>
VAN VALKENBURG: How effective do you think you are within the
industry in terms of communicating with each other?
WESTLUND: I think it’s really challenging because we do have a lot of
working proprietors. We have a lot of business owners who find it dif-
ficult to get away from their business for face-to-face meetings with oth-
ers, even though they may very much want to. All that being said, I think
there’s a pretty strong sense of collaboration and camaraderie amongst
the individual sectors. My restaurateurs get along great with my hote-
liers and my rivers guys, and, you know, we pull them together as much
as we can. So from my perspective, there is always room to do an even
better job, but I think we do a really fair job.
MINDT: I think we in the industry are sort of in a love fest. We love to
pat ourselves on the back, look at how great we are. The sustainability
angle, for example, is a catalyst for businesses to maybe come and
ROOT: In Southern Oregon, we’re seeing problems around the acres relocate here or expand and grow here. So what’s missing? What do
connected to wineries. We want more wineries without the noose of we need to do as an industry to hone it to get to the next level? Is there
tying acreage to that production level. We want the public to come into something we’re not doing right?
our little tiny communities, stay in those facilities and drive around, and FAULSTICK: I wish I had the answer to that, because I see the work be-
we really don’t have the critical mass that we need in terms of actual ing done, but it doesn’t seem like it’s moving at the pace that it should,
wineries. and there’s not the conversation that there could be, seeing what that
opportunity is.
The business connections >> SOKOL BLOSSER: One thing I see in the wine industry, and I would imag-
VAN VALKENBURG: How does tourism position Oregon from an ine is probably true in the lodging and restaurant and other industries,
economic development standpoint? is that the bigger businesses are able to explore and research a lot of
the sustainability things. And the trouble is that there are a lot of small
WESTLUND: There is an intersection with other industries––there’s a rea- wineries, just like there are a lot of small restaurants, that probably have
son JELD-WEN is such a great industry partner, for example. Hotels use the same desire to be sustainable but maybe do not know how to. So
a lot of windows and doors. Then you start to think about the symbiotic if there’s a way to foster collaboration and communication, that might
relationship between hospitality investment and plumbers and electri- really help us walk the talk throughout the entire hospitality industry.
cians and all of the construction trades––I don’t think we spend enough COONEY: I think we need to continue to find ways to break down the silos
time focusing on those intersections. We tend to look at each of these and move barriers, find nontraditional partners. I know my department
industries as a silo, when in fact we’re a lot more like a fabric. struggles with that from time to time, such as closing down I-5 to one lane
Jeff Todd Alana Christopher
Miller Davidson Audette Sehring
CEO, Travel CEO, Travel President and General
Portland Oregon CEO, Central manager,
Portland Salem Oregon Visitors KOIN-TV
Association Portland
Bend
2008 impact oregon 11

12. Alana Audette
Central Oregon
Visitors Association
Steve Faulstick Patrick Cooney
Doubletree Hotel Oregon Department
Portland-Lloyd Center of Transportation
on a weekend when the Beavers and Ducks both have home games.
VAN VALKENBURG: Oh, you heard about that?
“This (roundtable) is the great
COONEY: We have to think that any action any of us take has ripples
that go all the way downstream and affect other businesses, other
kind of dialogue that I think we
communities, other jobs, other projects. This is the great kind of dia- should have more often so we
logue that I think we should have more often so we can find ways to
bring different resources to the table for a common objective. can find ways to bring different
MILLER: I think it’s also important that we include those business part-
ners where we can––business that can help tell the Oregon story. resources to the table for a
We’ve got to tell it at a lot of different levels, and including those busi-
ness partners is a real key for us as we expand our reach and to look common objective.”
for more of those people to come here. >> Patrick Cooney, ODOT
VAN VALKENBURG: How much help do you get recruiting folks to dollars and look at it more as regional initiatives?
come visit here––are we all ambassadors of the state? DAVIDSON: At the international level, we do a lot of multiple-state col-
laboration. We’ve found ourselves to be much more effective if we
FAULSTICK: There’s certainly room for more, but I think the important can leverage limited resources and go into Europe, for example, as
part is how powerful it is to have advocacy on the local level. It’s one the U.S. Pacific Northwest, and we’ve found great success going in
thing to hear it from the visitors bureau or from the industry when we’re that way.
back in D.C. talking to an organization, but it brings a lot more clout VAN VALKENBURG: I’m going to end the meeting by telling you a
when we’ve got government officials or local business people who can story. Every summer, my law firm brings in a group of law students
really help sell Portland. for internships from all over the country. They have the opportunity
MILLER: It’s very powerful as you recruit business for them to see a to work in lots of different places, and so we try to show them why
strong cohesive group of not only hoteliers, but also restaurateurs, this is a good place to work, even though they might be able to
board members and government officials who believe their business is make a lot more money in New York or Chicago or Los Angeles.
important to our city and our region, and it does make a difference. When I was a summer intern, 13 or more years ago, the firm de-
DAVIS: To what extent is the industry cooperating across state lines? I cided to take us mountain climbing, and we went to the top of Little
think of our friends on the other side of the river in Clark County. I think Sister. I got altitude sickness about halfway up, but I made it to the
of the Gorge and what’s going on both sides of the Gorge, in Eastern top. Now we take people on raft trips and on wine tasting tours. It’s
Oregon with the Snake River area, and various southeastern parts of a tremendously important part of our recruitment for these kids.
Washington and Idaho. Are opportunities being explored to leverage Thank you all for coming. Nice meeting. >>
participants >>
Adam Davis Bill Mackenzie David Bragdon
Partner, Davis, Hibbitts & Communications President, Metro Council
Midghall, Inc. research firm manager, Intel Portland
Portland Hillsboro
12 impact oregon 2008

13. N
W JAN
E 16
MEETINGS & EVENTS
S RETAIL
{ TOURISM WORKS
FOR OREGON } CULINARY
MARKETING & PR
ACCOMMODATIONS
Oregonians overwhelmingly
support the tourism and
hospitality industry: 95% believe {THE OREGON EXPERIENCE}
it is important to the economy;
82% say it helps improve quality
of life; and 77% believe the
industry is environmentally AGRICULTURE
TRANSPORTATION
friendly.
Tourism helps reflect the PARKS & PUBLIC LANDS
values that we hold dear. It’s a
sustainable industry that allows
us to showcase our state’s natural
beauty, our rugged and creative OUTDOOR RECREATION
spirit and our respect for the CULTURE & HERITAGE
environment and one another.
tourism & HOSPITALITY >>
Driving economic growth
Visitors to Oregon prize the diversity that our state offers: from endless open beaches to high-desert vistas; from lushly
forested mountains to fertile green valleys. It is a natural wealth that nurtures a rich diversity of employment and
entrepreneurial opportunities in the travel and hospitality industries.
{OVERNIGHT VISITORS}
Visitors who stay in hotels, bed and breakfasts and motels account for more than ½ of all visitor spending in Oregon.
21.2 million visitors stayed overnight in 2006.
{ INVESTING IN OREGON’S FUTURE HAS PAID OFF}
The landmark Oregon Tourism Investment Proposal was signed into law by Gov. Ted Kulongoski in 2003, when Oregon
was facing one of the highest unemployment rates in history. The innovative legislation established a dedicated, stable
funding source for statewide tourism marketing.
>> $1 spent on state marketing = $159 in visitor spending including $6 in state and local tax revenue.
{ BENEFITS ALL OREGONIANS}
Just a few numbers offer a dramatic snapshot of the positive economic impact of Oregon’s tourism and hospitality industry.
>> Tourism + Hospitality contribute $8.3 billion to the Oregon economy.
>> Tourism + Hospitality account for 132,000 direct + indirect jobs in Oregon,
providing $3.3 billion in employee earnings.
The tourism and hospitality industry is Oregon’s largest traded-sector employer and a leading contributor to our gross
state product. Tourism is vital to our state’s economy today, and a key component of our economic health for tomorrow.
Statistics from Oregon Tourism Public Perception Survey, 2007; Oregon Travel Impacts report, 2008; and Visitor Profile Study, 2006.
2008 impact oregon 13

14. PORTLAND METRO
Pedaling Portland—it’s an easy thing to do
Visitors to Portland are welcome to bring their hiking shoes, their middle of an urban environment.
discerning taste buds, and their sense of adventure. The one thing they “In some areas, if you squinch your eyes a little bit, you’d think you
don’t need is their car. were in a bike-friendly European town,” Geller says.“It’s just a lot of fun
Portland’s international reputation as a green and sustainable city is a to ride in Portland.”
multi-faceted one. This is a city with the most LEED-certified buildings At least three hotels in Portland offer bikes to their guests—Ace
per capita in the nation; a city home to PORTLAND METRO From Oregon Travel Impacts report, 2008
Hotel Portland, Hotel Monaco, and Jupiter
the nation’s largest urban wilderness, Category 1991 2007 Hotel.
5,000-acre Forest Park. It’s the city where Direct Travel Spending (in millions of dollars)........ 1,307....... 3,413 The Hotel Monaco’s “Carless Vacation
the nation’s first bottle bill was born, and Direct Employment (in thousands of jobs)...............18.4......... 27.1 package” launched just over a year ago.
Tax Receipts Generated (in millions of dollars)............54.......... 141
where, today, residents recycle more of their “We’ve had an amazing response so far,”
waste than any other place in the country. Worth noting:
says Lota LaMontagne, the hotel’s public
It’s also a city where car-less “Travel writers want to know not only about tourism, but about relations spokesperson. The package includes
transportation is king. With easy access to sustainable and green practices and about the Oregon urban a room for two, reimbursement for light rail
MAX Light Rail, the Portland Streetcar, the growth boundary––all the things that make this such a great tickets between the hotel and the airport, all-
place.”
Portland Aerial Tram and 226 miles of bike day bike rentals, and a picnic lunch of locally
––Jeff Miller, CEO, Travel Portland
lanes, the last thing visitors need is a car. grown food from nearby Red Star.
That reputation got a boost recently, when Portland became the first LaMontagne, a bike commuter herself, says the package has been
major city to earn a platinum-level Bicycle Friendly Community award so successful that managers are ramping up the program, buying more
from the League of American Bicyclists. The small town of Davis, Calif., bikes and developing maps for more Portland-area rides.
is the only other city to earn the highest level. The development of the Springwater Corridor promises to further
“We’ve developed a really comprehensive system of street paths, bike polish the city’s bike-friendly image. The former rail corridor was
lanes, bike boulevards. It’s really easy to ride all over Portland, even for reborn as an alternative transportation and recreation trail, which
a moderately confident bicyclist,” says Roger Geller, bicycle coordinator winds east for 21 miles from Portland to the town of Boring, crossing
for the city of Portland. wetlands, agricultural fields, and residential neighborhoods along the
The city has increased bicycle ridership by 144% since the 2000 way. Ultimately, the Springwater Corridor will lead south to Estacada
Census. Today, about 5,000 Portland residents commute to work on and into the Mount Hood National Forest.
two wheels. The bikeway network includes 270 miles of on-street “People really appreciate our green reputation,” Geller says. “They
bike lanes, bike boulevards and paved trails. Another 40 miles of like the fact that Portland is bike-friendly, whether they ride a bicycle or
unpaved trails offer the rare opportunity of mountain biking in the not. It’s a pride-in-place thing.” >>
The Euro-designed Portland Streetcar is
just one of the ways visitors can get around the transit-
friendly town.
14 impact oregon 2008

15. The Willamette Valley
The U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Eugene featured innovative
programs in recycling, renewable energy, food service and transportation.
Eugene 08: Setting a new standard for sustainability
For 10 days this summer, the eyes of sports fans around the world were Sarah Grimm, co-chair of the sustainability committee. “The biggest
trained on the athletes competing at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in thing was that some people didn’t know how to recycle, and our crews
Track and Field. From a financial point of view, the event was a resounding were kept busy explaining things to them. I would say that 90 percent of
success for Eugene, the hosting city. Organizers estimate that Eugene 08 the interactions were positive.”
generated about $28 million in spending, with economic impacts spreading In the end, just three boxes of trash totaling 20 yards made it to the
to the Oregon Coast, up and down the Willamette Valley, into Portland and landfill.Ten boxes of recycling were sent off, and nine boxes of compostable
up the McKenzie River Valley. materials were collected.
“An investment of $8.3 million in upgrades to Hayward Field has A food service brief encouraging the purchase of local foods to cut down
positioned it as the best venue in the transportation costs and support the local
WILLAMETTE VALLEY STATS From Oregon Travel Impacts report, 2008
country for track and field events,” says Category 1991 2007
economy was “embraced heartily” by vendors,
Kari Westlund, president and CEO of Direct Travel Spending (in millions of dollars).......508.9. .... 1,347.4
. Grimm says. The final tally: 40% of the food
the Convention & Visitors Association of Direct Employment (in thousands of jobs)............10.7. ......... 16.6
. served to athletes and fans was produced
Lane County, in a report to the Oregon Tax Receipts Generated (in millions of dollars).......... 24. ............ 55
. within 150 miles of the festival. Another 40%
City/County Management Association. came from more than 150 miles away but
Worth noting:
“That investment has already secured “Tourism is a very important industry to our area right now,
within Oregon, Washington or Idaho, and just
returns of $75 million in future spending especially when you consider the economy and how it is 20 percent was purchased outside the three-
over five consecutive years of premier affecting other industries in the Willamette Valley.” state area. “Very impressive, indeed,” Grimm
national track and field meets.” --Jimmie Lucht, president, Willamette Valley Visitors Association notes.
One of the biggest success stories of Renewable energy was another focus, with
the event has nothing at all to do with sports, and everything to do with event organizers purchasing green energy from the local utility company.
Eugene’s reputation. It’s the story of sustainability, of green living, and A solar stage and a power station where people could hop on a bike and
it was told in a big way to the 167,000 event visitors who took part in generate electricity also helped spread the message. University facilities
the festivities. staff went to great lengths to hook up temporary electrical service to
“Sustainability programs set a new standard for how major events should avoid the use of diesel generators and the noise pollution and particulate
be implemented everywhere,”Westlund says.“T obacco-free status and organic emissions that go along with them.
food selection spoke volumes about Oregon’s focus on healthy lifestyles.” “That went a long way toward making the event more pleasant and
One of the most ambitious initiatives was the zero waste program, quieter,” Grimm says.“I went walking through the event and I only heard
which featured compostable utensils and recycling bins at each garbage two generators the whole week, and one of them belonged to a television
point. “The waste management activities were very successful,” says station.” >>
2008 impact oregon 15

16. Southern oregon
A chance visit to Ashland led Allyson Holt and
her husband, Steve, to relocate and found a thriving
business there.
Allyson’s Kitchen owners find a recipe for success––and for living
In the fall of 1995, Allyson and Steve Holt took a leisurely drive advertising.” After careful consideration, the Holts decided to grow.
up the Pacific Coast from San Francisco. “It was our engagement trip, A business loan from Southern Oregon Regional Economic
actually,” explains Allyson Holt. Along the way, the couple decided to Development, Inc., helped the couple open a second shop in Bend’s
take the advice of Holt’s sister and head over to Ashland for a few days. Old Mill District, where business has steadily picked up. Holt finds
It proved to be a life-changing experience. herself in the car a lot these days, as she supervises a combined
“It was just mesmerizing, so beautiful,” Holt says. “You know what I staff of 30, and teaches the popular cooking classes offered at
remember? The homecoming parade from both locations. “We’ve built the Bend
the high school going down the street.” SOUTHERN OREGON STATS From Oregon Travel Impacts report, 2008 business so we’re doing better there than
It took the couple exactly the length of Category 1991....... 2007
. in Ashland––and Ashland’s doing well,”
Direct Travel Spending (in millions of dollars).......... 356.8..... 828.9
.
their visit to fall in love with the town.“In Holt says.
Direct Employment (in thousands of jobs).................... 8....... 10.4
.
those three days, we decided to sell our Tax Receipts Generated (in millions of dollars).......... 15.4.......... 33
.
And Allyson’s Kitchen isn’t stopping
homes and our advertising businesses there. “We figure that after the third store,
and come back to Ashland to start a Worth noting: we can self-fund continued expansion up to
completely new business we had no “The natural beauty of Southern Oregon is an easily marketed 10 stores,” Holt says.
amenity, especially to international visitors.”
experience in,” Holt says with a laugh.“It As they choose new locations, Holt
–– Carolyn Hill, CEO, Southern Oregon Visitors Association
took us five years to figure out how.” says they will look for many of the same
In 1990, the couple made it all happen, characteristics they found in Ashland, and
moving to Ashland to open Allyson’s Kitchen, an upscale gourmet then Bend. “Coming from Riverside (Calif.), one of the biggest issues
kitchen shop that also sells its wares online. The Ashland shop features for us was finding a community that would help raise our children,”
two floors of supplies for the home chef, along with a deli full of local she says.
foods and wines and a full slate of cooking classes. “Our goal for this expansion is to find those locations where we can
About four years ago, the couple faced “some serious crossroads,” impact the community very positively, and where the community can
Holt says.“We could grow, or we could sell the business and go back to be a part of us as well,” she says. >>
16 impact oregon 2008

17. Eastern oregon
Hamley & Co.: Giving new life to a Western icon
Pat Beard remembers building lariats in a third-floor room at build lariats is now the Slickfork Saloon, new home to an old 30-foot-
Hamley & Co. in Pendleton just a few years back. “The building was long mahogany bar that used to serve frontier patrons in Butte, Mont.
in real rough shape, and I’d been thinking, man, someone ought to do On Mondays and Tuesdays, Beard helps ride herd on 150 or so guests
something with this, it could be really special,” he says. off the Columbia River sternwheeler Queen of the West, who lunch at
Then the new owners stopped by. Parley Pearce and Blair Woodfield, the saloon and shop at the Western store, populated now by leather
ranch-bred businessmen from the Walla Walla, Wash., area, wanted to talk craftsmen and life-sized statues of cowboys in bronze.
to Beard about their plans for restoring With the new Hamley Coffee and
theWestern icon.“We talked about how EASTERN OREGON STATS From Oregon Travel Impacts report, 2008 Wine Shop and Hamley Steakhouse, the
Category 1991 2007
important we thought Hamley’s was historic building now features 55,000
Direct Travel Spending (in millions of dollars)....................... 142.4..... 357.9
.
to Pendleton and to the entire West, Direct Employment (in thousands of jobs).............................. 3.3.............5
.
feet of Hamley-related businesses, an
really,” Beard recalls. Hamley saddles Tax Receipts Generated (in millions of dollars)......................... 6.9....... 14.8
. endeavor the owners hope will spark a Old
and cowboy gear have been staples in West-style revitalization of Pendleton’s
the rodeo and ranching worlds since Worth noting: downtown.
“Eastern Oregon has really found a market niche with tourism. Our
the company’s founding in 1883. “Parley and Blair have made a lot of
challenge is developing that niche while honoring our heritage.”
Sadly, the Pendleton building, -- Alice Trindle, Eastern Oregon Visitors Association
things happen, and it’s really exciting
built in 1905 on an entire downtown to be here,” Beard says. Retaining and
city block, had fallen into a state of disrepair as the company’s star enhancing Pendleton’s Old West heritage has been a priority with the
waned. Although Hamley & Co. continued to make saddles and other owners, Beard says.The magnificently decorated Hamley Steakhouse, for
leather goods––Beard and a partner sold their rope company to the example, features a wall-high back bar, old-fashioned stamped-tin ceiling
store in the 1980s before he went to work there––the business had and an enormous Tiffany chandelier.
struggled for years. “The building just represents something very substantial. The
Until Parley Pearce and Blair Woodfield arrived on the scene. That architecture has a rich heritage and feel about it,” Beard says. “But it
was in spring of 2005, and after six short months of construction, also brings a lot of people off I-84. They come here for the saddles, the
Hamley & Co. reopened one week before the Pendleton Round up––just Western wear, a good steak… It just brings more people to Pendleton.
in time to celebrate its first 100 years in Pendleton. “Now, you can look up and down Main Street and you can see new
Today, Beard is the saddle shop manager. The room where he used to life. Things are starting to grow.” >>
A multi-million dollar makeover
has transformed the historic
Hamley building in
downtown Pendleton, where
craftsmen have been making
the company’s trademark
saddles since 1905.
2008 impact oregon 17

18. Mt. Hood / columbia RIVER gorge
Smiley’s Red Barn, one of 36 stops on the Fruit
Loop driving route, offers visitors homegrown fruit as
well as a chance to see farm relics and family pictures
dating back five generations in the Hood River Valley.
Hood River’s Fruit Loop boosts rural economy
Apples and alpacas, bottled pears and bottled wine––you can find a tasting room for their six wines that has been open for just over a
them all on the newly expanded Hood River County Fruit Loop. year. The Wy’East Winery, down Highway 35 from Timberline Lodge,
The leisurely loop winds through more than 35 miles of the verdant is representative of one of the fastest growing agricultural businesses in
Hood River Valley, long known for its prolific fruit production. Hood River Hood River County––wineries.
orchards, in fact, account for nearly one-third of the fruit-tree acreage in the “Although there has been viticulture for a long time here, the
entire state, and the area is well known as wineries and tasting rooms didn’t start to
MT. HOOD / COLUMBIA GORGE STATS From Oregon Travel Impacts report, 2008
the country’s biggest pear-growing area. Category 1991 2007
develop in the gorge until about 10 years
But visitors find more than fruit Direct Travel Spending (in millions of dollars)....... 121.4........ 282.4 ago,” Reed says. “Now, wineries are proving
on the driving loop, which connects Direct Employment (in thousands of jobs) ...............2.7............ 3.9 to be an integral part of the whole story of
36 agricultural businesses with an Tax Receipts Generated (in millions of dollars)..........3.6................9 agri-tourism in the mid-Columbia.”
appreciative public. The loop has been The Reeds moved to Hood River from
Worth noting:
in existence since 1992, when it was “We have done a lot of education and sharing, and all of our
Chicago in 1991, but not with the idea of
launched as a way to jump start the towns understand that tourism is a component of the economic opening a winery. “If someone had told me I
area’s sluggish economy. As interest in well-being of their communities.” was going to move to Oregon and be a farmer,
the local food movement and in agri- -- Linda Bell, executive director, Clackamas County Tourism I wouldn’t have believed them,” Reed says.
Development Council
tourism has grown, so has the Hood She and her husband, Dick, left their jobs
River route. as traders on the Chicago Board of Options
Visitors today can do far more than buy fresh fruit, although farm Exchange in 1991 to move their family to Hood River.
stands and U-pick sites are still a staple of the route. Fruit Loop Drawn to Hood River for the windsurfing––the couple practiced
members offer handmade jams and jellies, lavender soap and alpaca the sport in the Midwest––they soon found themselves in the farming
wool clothing. Visitors can take orchard and farm tours, admire fields business, growing pears and wine grapes on their rural acreage. Two
of majestic sunflowers, and visit a nut orchard and the ducks that live years ago, they launched their own winery and tasting room, one of six
on the pond beside it. on the route.
“The Fruit Loop is a very powerful marketing tool for all of the “People in the region look to the Fruit Loop for special activities and
businesses in the valley,”says Christie Reed, who, with her husband Dick, for a reason to come to the gorge,” Reed says. “Getting them here and
owns Wy’East Winery. “It’s widely known and very well supported.” getting them on the tour is important. If they happen to be wine lovers,
The Reeds’ business is one of the newer offerings on the loop, with so much the better.” >>
18 impact oregon 2008

19. Central Oregon
Destination resorts: heavy hitters in Central Oregon’s economy
People come to Central Oregon from all over the world, lured by Destination resorts, Woolley points out, historically make little
world-class golf, all-season recreational activities, and a plethora of demand on public resources such as police, emergency services,
upscale destination resorts from which to enjoy them all. schools and libraries, yet they contribute large amounts of dollars to
Five of the eight developments considered destination resorts by the taxing districts. The four resort developments in Deschutes County, for
state are in Central Oregon: Eagle Crest Resort; Pronghorn; Brasada example, added more than $1.8 million to county coffers in 2005.
Ranch; Sunriver Resort; and Black Butte Ranch. In 2005, those five Environmental stewardship is a key feature of the new developments.
resorts carried a combined payroll of $37 million. Jeld-Wen’s flagship project, the 1,800-acre Brasada Ranch, uses
But the resorts bring more than money to the table. “From a 300,000 board feet of timber and siding salvaged from the dismantled
local perspective, we certainly see Ochoco Lumber Co. in Prineville. “In
destination resorts as an economic CENTRAL OREGON STATS From Oregon Travel Impacts report, 2008 addition, all of our homes are required to
Category 1991 2007
engine unto themselves,” says Roger be green homes,”says AlanVanVliet, Jeld-
Direct Travel Spending (in millions of dollars)..................237.7..........579.3
Lee, executive director of EDCO, Direct Employment (in thousands of jobs)..........................4.9.................7 Wen’s vice president of construction and
Economic Development for Central Tax Receipts Generated (in millions of dollars)....................9.5............21.5 development, “and all of our irrigation
Oregon.“But there’s also the spinoff of systems are controlled by satellite, so we
Worth noting:
exposing high-net-worth individuals are a lot more efficient at using water.”
“We made a very early transition to other industries in Central Oregon.
to the area as a place to do business.” The economic effects of the destination
Tourism quickly became the go-to industry from wood products, and
About 70% of the visitors who walk then to a more diversified economy.” resort market in Central Oregon are
in the EDCO office came to the area - Alana Audette, president and CEO, Central Oregon Visitors Association profound, and they are increasing.
first as visitors, Lee says, many of them According to the Oregon Employment
guests at one of the area’s resorts. “Destination resorts provide a high- Department, five new resorts are planned in the region, along with
amenity place for tourists who fly or drive here. That’s one advantage continued expansion at Brasada Ranch and Pronghorn.
we have that many other beautiful areas just don’t have.” “It is a validation of the strategy that was pursued here 25 to 30
“The really interesting thing about destination resorts is that they years ago — using tourism not to replace the wood products industry,
are entirely master-planned––there is a very good idea of how they will but to provide exposure to all types of business owners,” Lee says.“They
unfold over time,” says Stuart Woolley, executive vice president of Jeld- visit, establish second homes, and some of them move here permanently.
Wen Development. “They can respond to the market with a coherent That was the whole strategy and it’s been really effective.
plan that gives people confidence that it will turn out.” “It’s our 30-year overnight success,” he says. >>
The upscale Pronghorn development, which
features two championship golf courses, is one of the
newest destination resorts in Central Oregon.
2008 impact oregon 19

20. oregon COAST
Oregon’s landmark Beach Bill
helped build the region’s worldwide
reputation for accessibility and
natural beauty.
“No Trespassing” signs? Not on Oregon beaches
In 1967, Gov. Tom McCall made history when he signed Oregon’s tourism economy of the state.
epic Beach Bill, calling it “the most far-reaching measures of its kind The Oregon Coast is known worldwide as a favorite destination
enacted by any legislative body in the nation.” point. From Brookings Harbor to Astoria, visitors come for charter
The landmark law ensures that the public has free and uninterrupted fishing and whale watching. They come to beachcomb, bike, hike
use of all of the beaches along Oregon’s and surf. They come to explore the native and
362- mile-long coastline. “This bill Coastal Oregon Stats From Oregon Travel Impacts report, 2008 pioneer history. And everywhere, they walk on
Category 1991 2007
guarantees that Oregon’s coastline the beaches.
Direct Travel Spending (in millions of dollars)...690.6...1,523.2
will remain secure for generations to Direct Employment (in thousands of jobs) ........16.2........21.2
Today, the tourist economy is the single largest
come,” the governor told a reporter the Tax Receipts Generated (in millions of dollars)......19........46.1 market segment on the Oregon Coast. “Tourism
day the bill passed. is the main way most of our communities stay
The Beach Bill, along with its younger Worth noting: in business throughout the year,” says Rebecah
“Those of us on the Oregon Coast have the distinct honor of
sibling, the Bottle Bill, has done much to Morris, president of the Oregon Coast Visitors
living in a place where others come on vacation. Tourism is our
build Oregon’s international reputation lifeblood.”
Association.
as a “green” state that prizes its diverse ––Rebecah Morris, president, Oregon Coast Visitors Association Several years ago, Morris decided to drive
natural resources. that point home by printing a stamp for local
Oregon residents love their beaches––and so do its visitors. One of businesses that says: “This bill was paid with tourism dollars.”
the provisions of McCall’s Beach Bill directed that the ocean shore be “I think it opens people’s eyes to how far-reaching tourism is,”
administered as a state recreation area, and that has proved a boon to the she says. >>
20 impact oregon 2008

21. IMPACT OREGON: Stories of success
as students seeking a four- that the state has no sales or
The hospitality industry
is snatching up students year restaurant management inventory taxes.
in the Culinary degree spend a year in the Instead, the first thing
Arts program at
Linn-Benton Community community college’s culinary businesses saw was the Southern
College before they even arts program. Oregon Vacation Guide.
graduate.
Other programs have sprung “What we offer in the way
up in response to industry of recreation, amenities and
changes. The growth of Oregon’s cultural offerings reinforces what
wine industry, for example, businesses are looking for,” says
is mirrored in the success of Carolyn Hill, CEO of the Southern
Chemeketa Community College’s Oregon Visitors Association.
winemaking program. SOVA and its member
The school recently launched a organizations are working closely
wine-marketing degree program, with economic development
designed to prepare students for agencies from four counties in a
jobs such as tasting room sales series of recruitment campaigns.
manager, wine steward and “It’s a holistic campaign where
winery public relations manager. we all pool our resources to
“I don’t know of any student link recruitment and tourism,”
who wants to be working that explains Colleen Padilla, business
isn’t,” Anselm says. “I’ve got way development manager of SOREDI,
more jobs posted than I can fill.” Southern Oregon Regional
Economic Development, Inc.
Come visit– This year, the recruitment
campaign targets about 800
then stay natural products companies in
There are many solid business California, a market that “fits with
reasons to move a company the region’s cultural values and
to Oregon, but in the southern builds on the amenities we have
part of the state, tourism and here,” Padilla says.
development agencies know that The cooperative campaign
the area’s livability is one of the showcases the symbiotic
Culinary popular with students discovering best. relationship between tourism and
that certification can put them So when a coalition of business initiatives in the region.
careers on a advancement track with economic development agencies “We are always looking for ways
Scott Anselm has a problem Oregon’s largest private-sector launched a business-recruitment to build on one another,” Hill
in the department he chairs at employer––foodservice. campaign recently, the first thing explains. “In some ways, Oregon
Albany’s Linn-Benton Community “Restaurants and culinary they mailed out was not a fact has failed to make the connection
College. “Well, it’s kind of a arts in general have grown sheet on workers’ compensation between economic development
problem,” he says consideringly. tremendously in Oregon in the rates. It wasn’t information on and tourism. It frustrates me when
Anselm and his colleagues in last few years,” Anselm says. Oregon’s standing in the tax we think of them as separate
the Culinary Arts program often LBCC’s Culinary Arts program climate index, or a reminder initiatives. They really aren’t.”
have to convince students to is a two-year course that prepares
come back and finish core the student for a career as a SoutherN Oregon’s
abundant recreational
requirements for their associate professional chef. Students get oportunities are an effective
of applied science degree. extensive (and literal) hands-on selling point for business
recruitment.
It’s not because they want experience by running the school
to drop out. It’s because they cafeteria, a sit-down restaurant,
often land a well-paying job catering events and a snack
before graduation. “The industry bar. It’s a program that has been
is hungry for trained people,” around for more than 20 years,
Anselm says. but Anselm says it has never been
Schools are stepping up to more popular than it is today.
provide that training, as food- Linn-Benton also partners
related programs become more with Oregon State University,
2008 impact oregon 21

22. IMPACT OREGON: Stories of success
Downtown Pendleton photo spread in the magazine’s
was the starting point for June 1949 issue gave the mail
last year’s H.O.G. rally, which
drew motorcycle enthusiasts boats and their river route
from around the state. some huge exposure.
“That’s what really kicked
the mail boats off as a tourist
destination,” says Greg Walling,
owner of Rogue River Mail Boat
Trips. The year after the Sunset
article appeared, the mail boats
reportedly ran 10,000 people
to Agness and back.
Today, jet boat rides up the
Wild and Scenic Rogue River are
a favored activity for thousands
of visitors to Southern Oregon.
Several companies now offer
The lure of the CROC has enjoyed growing tourists, and soon, people all the rides, including Hellgate
popularity every year, and, after over the country knew about it. Jetboat Excursions in Grants
wide-open road six years, is nearing its capacity Turns out that the passenger, Pass and Jerry’s Rogue Jets in
For some enthusiastic visitors of 250-300 riders. “Pretty soon, Bill Lane, was the owner of Gold Beach, which is celebrating
to Eastern Oregon, it’s not what we’ll be so big that only returning Sunset magazine, and he its 50th anniversary this year.
the area has that’s the big draw. cyclists will be able to ride,” wasted no time in sending back But only the mail boats still
It’s what it doesn’t have––traffic. Bitting predicts. a reporter and photographer to carry sacks of U.S. Mail, as they
The big sky and open roads in Pendleton has also been a stop cover the story for his readers. have since 1895, along with
some of Oregon’s largest, most for the Push America “Journey The resulting four-page, nine- their main cargo––tourists. >>
sparsely populated counties of Hope” cycling team, and a
are proving to be an irresistible starting point for the Oregon
draw for travelers on two H.O.G. rally, which last year sent
wheels. motorcyclists from Pendleton
“The thing that we hear the to Mt. Hood to Seaside over
most is that our roads aren’t the weekend of the Pendleton
busy, and they are in very good Round-up.
shape. That’s why cyclists and
motorcyclists from all over Mail boats ride
the world like coming here,”
says Yolanda Lennon, tourism the riffles of fate
promotions director for the Building a popular new market
Tourism Promotion Assessment niche takes research, planning
Commission of Pendleton. and careful consideration of
Cycling events such as the economic conditions. Then
annual Century Ride of the again, sometimes all it takes is
Centuries, a three-day biking a hefty dose of happenstance.
tour of century farms in the In 1948, the story goes, the
Pendleton area, takes riders mail boat was setting off on its
past rolling wheat fields and regular mail run up the rugged
ranch lands. “Our riders come Rogue River when the pilot fell
from Portland, Seattle and into conversation with a man
Boise,” says Herb Bitting, and his daughter, visitors from
spokesman for the sponsoring California. Pretty soon, the pair
bike club, Pendleton on climbed on board for the 64-
Wheels, “and a good part of mile run up riffles, rapids and
why they like CROC is that whitewater from Gold Beach to
there is no traffic out on the the remote town of Agness. A chance encounter led to a 1949 spread in Sunset magazine that helped launch
roads.” The wild ride captivated the the Rogue River mail boats as a popular tourist activity.
22 impact oregon 2008

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ace It.
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24. central
oregon
Whoever said there’s nothing new under the sun hasn’t been to Central Oregon. With four-season
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much more, the recreational possibilities are as endless as our true-blue skies.
Bask in the sun-drenched days, starry nights, spectacular natural beauty and limitless fun that
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Call 888-781-7071 for your free 96-page guide to Central Oregon.
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