PHOTO BY CLAIRE MITCHELL
The Hermiston Chamber of Commerce held an Alive After 5 event at the Hermiston Conference Center Wednesday to acknowledge several local businesses which have no storefronts in town. Business representatives set up tables and spent the evening networking.
Chad Weems and Justin Seibel of Wildcat Electric, LLC, have more than 30 years’ combined experience in electrical work. Since beginning Wildcat Electric in Hermiston, they both have gained over a year’s experience in electrical contracting.
“We’re a two-man shop,” said Wildcat owner Weems, adding that the “shop” is actually his house. Weems and Seibel offer help with residential, commercial and industrial needs.
Weems says that return customers constitute about 99 perdent of their business. “(We) shoot for 100 percent,” he said. “We can’t please everybody, but we try to please everybody.”
Weems offers two pieces of advice for anyone working to get a new business off the ground: “If you do have feedback, weigh all your feedback – if it’s good or bad. The second one is (that) your employees make your company. Without having a decent employee beside me, we wouldn’t be as far along as we are.”
For more information, visit Wildcat Electric’s website or contact Weems at 541-571-2965 or cwwildcatelectric@gmail.com.
Cary Brock, advisory board member for Vange John Memorial Hospice, shared about the struggles and the joys of hospice work.
“Obviously our hope is that you never need (hospice care); but if you do need it, it’s available in our area,” he said.
Brock emphasized that hospice programs are deeply beneficial, not only for patients, but for their families. “It is end of life that we deal with; but it is a way to celebrate that life before it ends – how to live in those bounds, get additional help to support you in those times, and really understand life,” he said.
“With hospice,” Brock added, “it doesn’t mean that it’s always the end of life. Sometimes people get better when they have the support of hospice, and people are discharged back into a time that is happy. We’re very proud to be part of it.”
Vange John Memorial Hospice is located at 645 West Orchard, Suite 300. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. A registered nurse is on call 24/7. Call Vange John at 541-667-3543.
The women of the Eagles Auxiliary #2909 attended the Alive After 5 event to help raise awareness of the charity work that Hermiston’s Eagles Lodge does around the community.
“Our fraternal order of Eagles was formed in 1898,” said representative Judy Fordice. “It’s survived all these years through our volunteers and our charity work that we do.”
Hermiston’s Eagles Auxiliary was formed in 1949 and currently has 259 members. The Eagles support eight national charities year-round, as well as many local organizations, including Hermiston High School, the Hermiston Senior Center, the Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts.
“Because our chairmen do such a good job of raising money, we have donated over $5,000 locally here in Hermiston over the past year,” said Fordice. The Eagles also give a $1,000 scholarship to one local high school student each year.
The Hermiston Eagles are currently preparing for their annual Christmas bazaar, which will take place at the lodge, 160 NW 2nd Street, on Saturday, Nov. 15 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Those who wish to participate in the bazaar can call the lodge at 541-289-7101 for more information. Table reservations are $10 dolars each.
Irene Miller spoke as a representative for the Hermiston Senior Center.
“Our mission is to work with and for senior citizens to develop activities to remain healthy, active and independent,” she said.
The Hermiston Senior Center serves meals every Tuesday and Thursday and provides transportation between the center and seniors’ homes. “There’s not a charge for that; it’s a donation fee,” said Miller.
Full meals are available from the Senior Center for only $3.50. “We do Meals on Wheels,” said Miller. “If you’re disabled and can’t get out, pick up the telephone. We’ll deliver your meal to your home.”
She said that the center is always looking for volunteers. “That’s probably the hardest thing. We need people to come in and help serve. We need people to come prepare (food).”
The Hermiston Senior Center, currently located at the Umatilla County Fairgrounds, is also raising funds for a new building.
“If you want to support them as they are going to be building a new Hermiston Senior Center, they will take donations,” said Hermiston Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Debbie Pedro. “This is a great time to support the seniors in your community.”
The Hermiston Senior Center is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Hot meals are served at noon. For more information, call 541-567-3582.
Laura Smith of Country Gentleman Catering had a food display that was fit for a Christmas party. “The holidays will be here before we know it,” she said.
Although Country Gentleman is located in Kennewick (9221 West Clearwater), the company does a lot of catering in the Hermiston area. For more information, call 509-783-0128 or visit the Country Gentleman website.
Jeff and Ashley Wheeler work as local distributors for Advocare, a Texas-based health and wellness company.
“Basically, what we do is provide solutions to everyday problems that most of us face in one form or another,” said Jeff Wheeler. “We help people become more than they would ordinarily become.”
Advocare provides health coaching, wellness products such as nutrition supplements, and also serves as an income opportunity for those who are passionate about helping others live well.
“This is designed to help people earn a full-time income on a part-time basis, so that you can build residual income to give yourself options,” said Jeff Wheeler.
The Wheelers are also the new Membership Development Team for the Hermiston Chamber of Commerce.
“The greater Hermiston area really has a soft spot in our heart,” said Jeff Wheeler. “We just see so much potential here with the businesses and the growth and the people. We look forward to the opportunity to get out and talk more to people and bring more people into the Chamber.” To learn more about Advocare, contact the Wheelers at 541-720-5096.
Capps Broadcast Group Marketing Consultant Kari Brooks shared about the advertising opportunities that radio presents in Eastern Oregon and Southeast Washington.
“We represent six radio stations covering Hermiston, Pendleton, Walla Walla – the entire Columbia Basin,” said Brooks. “We have some great businesses that we work with right here in Hermiston,” including Tom Denchel Ford Country, Bellinger Farms, Swain Motors, Alive and Well, and Rogers Toyota.
“Our marketing goals are to help you with your business – not just to get your name out there, but also to grow that business,” she said. “What better way to do that than through radio?”
Brooks also shared about a new show on 107.7 The Vine. The new show, “The Weekend” with Justin Wayne, focuses on local musical talent in the Columbia Basin region. It airs at 5 p.m. on Saturdays and again on Sundays at 11 a.m.
Contact Capps Broadcast Group at 541-276-1511.
President Brad Rozema of the Northeast Oregon Home Builders Association (NEOHBA) shared about some of the projects that the association has done in the Hermiston area, including the current construction project with the Columbia Basin Student Homebuilders Program (CBSHP), as well as three $1,000 scholarships which the organization gave this last school year to students pursuing any industrial trade.
“They can also be trade programs – not necessarily school programs – to get those scholarships,” he explained.
“We were involved in a couple of neat projects (in Hermiston) – one for the FFA and 4-H: we built them a nice little sales office for their products for the fair each year,” Rozema said. We were also (involved) with the entire effort to build Martha’s House. That’s what we want to do. We want to support this community.”
To learn more about NEOHBA, call 541-567-3795 or visit the organization’s website.
Energy Trust of Oregon’s Eastern Oregon Outreach Manager Susan Badger-Jones explained the goals of the Energy Trust, an independent non-profit organization which works to help Oregonians save energy – and, therefore, money.
“For homeowners or businesses or manufacturers using (Cascade Natural Gas and Pacific Power), we have programs that provide them with technical assistance and financial assistance to make their operation, home, or business building more efficient, lower their operating costs, be more comfortable, be safer,” she said.
The Energy Trust of Oregon is also a member of NEOHBA. “The (CBSHP home) is participating in our Energy Performance Score program,” Badger-Jones said. “This is a program that helps the designer design a house that’s going to use less energy. We can project how much energy this house is going to use – how much it’s going to cost to operate. We can detail the extra things that the builder has done to make this house more efficient. We’re really delighted to be involved with this project here.”
Energy Trust predicts that the CBSHP house will be 25 percent above code for energy usage.
For more information on Energy Trust of Oregon and the programs it offers, call 1-866-368-7878 or visit the Energy Trust website.
Leila Noonan, catering director and event specialist at Columbia River Catering & Co., explained some of the changes which her company has undergone.
Formerly O’Callahan’s Catering, the business is under new ownership. Columbia River Catering & Co. is located at 50 Comstock in Richland, inside the Shilo Inn.
“I’ve done some private parties in this conference center, and we’re getting more and more familiar with the Hermiston area,” said Noonan. “It’s a wonderful community, and we forget how close we are.”
Columbia River Catering & Co. has a ballroom which overlooks the Columbia River and can accommodate 500 guests.
“We cater on-site and off-site,” Noonan said. “Our catering off-site has excelled over the last 18 months. We can come to your facility and host a board meeting for 12, or we can make a corporate picnic for anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000 people.”
Noonan has worked for the company for over 19 years. “We really have, over the last 30 years, become more and more experienced in catering, and we all love what we do,” she said.
Call Columbia River Catering & Co. at 509-946-9006 or visit their website.
Cindee Henderson, owner of High Power Fitness, is a certified personal trainer with the National Academy of Sports Medicine. She offers personal training, nutrition coaching, and life coaching.
“I have several programs. I work primarily with people one-on-one. I take you from where you are today to where you want to be, and it’s designed for you. There is no one-size-fits-all program,” she says.
Henderson works with people of all ages and all fitness levels. “I’ve lost over 100 pounds and kept it off. I know how to do it. What I want to do is help you move better, eat better, and live better. It’s really all about doing this thing we call ‘life.’ ”
High Power Fitness also has corporate programs and an online, webinar-based program called 365 Fit. Henderson’s programs are designed to develop every aspect of a healthy lifestyle.
Those who want more privacy can meet one-on-one with Henderson in her home studio or in small groups of four or five people.
Henderson’s goal is to help people in her community live longer, fuller lives. “Let’s not be statistics,” she said. “Let’s help Hermiston get healthy.”
To make an appointment with Henderson, call 541-314-3096. To learn more, visit her website.
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