Port of Astoria’s failure to comply with its lease could undermine confidence of the business and the public
Thursday, February 04, 2010 1:51 PM (pst)
Port of Astoria’s failure to comply with its lease could undermine confidence of the business and the public
Findings and Recommendations released yesterday by the US District Court for the District of Oregon ruled in favor of Oregon LNG in its lawsuit against the Port of Astoria and its commissioners.
In short, Judge John Jelderks, US Magistrate Judge, recommended that the Port of Astoria sign the lease extension as supported by Judge Mosman’s Opinion and Order of Jan. 28, 2010. The Findings and Recommendations will be referred to a district judge. The Port has until Feb. 22 to file an appeal.
The business aspects of this case are significant. First, the port has been spending money hand-over-fist on attorney fees for what has been a losing proposition from the beginning. Three rulings in Oregon LNG’s favor later, port commissioner Holcom has been quoted as saying the port is considering yet another appeal. Where is this money coming from for all of the legal fees? An injunction against the port for the millions in losses and legal fees incurred by Oregon LNG in the case will cripple the port – perhaps requiring the State of Oregon to take it over. Is this a good use of taxpayer money?
The Findings and Recommendations also support a contention I’ve been spouting about to friends and business associates for the last month or so: By trying to wriggle out of a lease concluded in good faith by a prior port administration, the current port commission is setting the stage for business mistrust in dealing with public entities. Because if political winds and a commission shift, a business deal you thought you had might go bust. The message to business is: Don’t do business with a municipal body, ‘cause politics change. NOT a message public entities should want floating around.
The Port of Astoria should back away from this path to self-destruction.
To read the entire Feb. 3 ruling, click here./Assets/dept_1/PM/pdf/LNG-Findings and Recommendation 2 3 10.pdf 
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Contemplating leadership in Clatsop County
Sunday, January 31, 2010 6:09 PM (pst)
Contemplating leadership in Clatsop County
Within the last 10 days I’ve attended a retirement party for Terry Finklein, longtime Columbia Memorial Hospital CEO, and a going away party for Greg Hamann, who has been Clatsop Community College’s president for the last 8 years. These departures will result in leadership changes that will affect our county. CMH has already chose Erik Thorsen as its new CEO, while CCC has put CFO Lindy Overton in the role of interim president while the organization works through its selection process.
These bon voyage events have caused me to ponder the definition of leadership in our coastal communities. I did not look to Wikipedia for my definition, for the record.
In my definition, a leader put his or her personal agenda aside and is a collaborator, seeking solutions that benefit the greater community good;
In my definition, a leader exhibits integrity, honesty, and professionalism at all times;
In my definition, a leader carries through on commitments made;
In my definition a leader respects the opinions of all others, and hears them, even if those ideas are not in concert with his or her own;
In my definition a leader isn’t afraid to take risks, and stands up for his or her convictions, fighting hard but respectfully on important issues;
In my definition a leader is creative and thinks “outside the box;”
In my definition a leader isn’t satisfied with status quo if it isn’t working;
In my definition, a leader is not afraid to “rock the boat,” even if it means being criticized for it.
In my definition, a leader does not criticize others for taking a stand with which he or she does not agree.
I respectfully ask readers to contemplate the various elected officials, business leaders and hired public staff around our county and consider which of them fits all of my definitions. Comment here, and give credit where credit is due. Your input is appreciated.
Susan M. Trabucco
Publisher/Editor
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2010 census will affect business – will yours be ready?
Thursday, January 21, 2010 10:12 AM (pst)
For nearly 10 years, businesses and government have been relying on data from the 2000 census to shape decisions. As the 2010 census approaches, reflecting on the new information we’ll have available to us is worth pondering.
In the Columbia-Pacific Region, real numbers reflecting the growth of the Hispanic population will be of interest to business owners. My uneducated guess is that the numbers will astound. As a business owner, will you have a plan in place to change your business to meet the needs of that growing demographic?
The aging population in the region has been growing steadily, as evidenced by the increased demand for senior housing, the growth of assisted living facilities and care centers, and an increase in medical services. If the census numbers we receive late this year support my statement, what re-tooling will you do in your business that will allow you to participate in this growth industry?
We do know student populations in some area schools are dropping, which reflects a reduction in the workforce population; i.e., their parents. How does that bode for businesses with workforce requirements? What will your business do if you can’t find the help you need to run and grow your business? This challenge is already being felt by the region’s businesses. If it gets even worse, what will you do to combat it?
I’m simply suggesting that as a business owner, now is the time to begin reflecting on the information the 2010 census will bring or confirm.
Thoughts on all this? Your comments are welcome.
Susan Trabucco
Publisher/Editor
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SeaPort Airlines is OUR airline
Thursday, January 07, 2010 9:50 AM (pst)
SeaPort Airlines was the topic of rousing discussion at my “coffee klatch” this morning. For those who haven’t heard the term, it is a regular gathering of a group of business associates who enjoy a safe forum for vetting ideas, sharing news and expressing opinion over a meal or coffee. In short, I learn a great deal from this engaged cadre of business folk each week.
Concern about low ridership on SeaPort’s Astoria to PDX route has been in the news of late, and coffee klatch participants provided some great input. Most agreed they hadn’t made the “math connection” about business travel to PDX for a connecting flight.
Mileage reimbursement for a 200 mile roundtrip drive to PDX, plus parking for say, a week, adds up to more than the cost of a roundtrip ticket on SeaPort. That basic understanding energized the group, suggesting that info needs to be more prominent in SeaPort advertising.
Another point brought up by a group member is the need for more information about what happens when you GET to Flightcraft at PDX. Few knew shuttle service to the terminal was provided by SeaPort, and a complaint was voiced that travelers coming in to PDX and coming to the Astoria airport via SeaPort can’t figure out how to get to the SeaPort terminal easily; again, marketing gaps that can be easily addressed by SeaPort and its supporters.
CEDR (Clatsop Economic Development Resources) and the area chambers have been charged up to assist SeaPort in promoting its regularly scheduled air service. Not with funding, which isn’t practical nor politically viable, but with feet on the street, and co-op advertising opportunities.
I’ve heard tittering in the community that SeaPort should be the entity making the effort – it’s their airline. Au contraire say those with a real understanding of what this air service means to our area. It is OUR airline, because while SeaPort may enjoy profitability on this route because the community helps, WE will benefit even more so.
Regularly scheduled air service to this area elevates our status from a business perspective. More convenient, time and money-saving transportation modes in and out of the region put us on the business map, boding well for the long-term economic health for the region.
SeaPort IS our airline. Consider ways you or your business can assist in getting the word out. I’ll keep you posted on your opportunities, but consider something as simple as a line item on your invoices. Every little bit helps, and the timeline is short. Feel free to ask me how you can help.
Susan Trabucco
Publisher/Editor
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Resolve to Blog
Wednesday, December 23, 2009 12:06 PM (pst)
New Year’s resolutions are on the minds of many this time of year, and I’m one of them.
In the realm of CRBJ, my resolution is to Blog more often (than say, once a month), because a few readers with good intentions have told me that at the present rate of posting, this is NOT a Blog. I considered taking the easy way out and renaming the column something like “bloggette,” or “aspiring-blog.” “No go,” my readers say.
So in 2010 I resolve to learn Facebook (groan), make my Blog a priority and post to it regularly, (it’s up to my readers to decide if MY idea of regular and theirs is one and the same), and to THINK about using Twitter. (Isn’t that enough of a resolution, please???)
The use of technology in business has historically been that of a tool to make business more efficient. In my past, as an independent consultant, I found it important to keep up with technology so as to not be perceived as “behind-the-times” by my clients. (Around 1993, one of my telecommunications clients asked me my email address. I had no choice but to confess I didn’t have one. But trust me, I had one within a week!)
Today the use of Facebook, Twitter and other social networking options are not tools to increase business efficiency as much as they are marketing and communications opportunities. I’m aware, just trying to make it part of my everyday thought process, much as using email has become a common element of business life.
Merry Christmas, or the more politically correct “Happy Holidays,” and most of all, a happy and prosperous New Year (Or at least a “flat” 2010 – read my January issue editorial for more on that subject.)
And now…I have to go study the Facebook manual. Happy New Year!
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Back to business
Saturday, October 31, 2009 6:39 AM (pst)
If you’ve read my November Publisher’s Note, you know I’ve taken the opportunity to speak out against the maligning Peter Gearin and I have had recently. But now it’s time for me to get back to business.
The hottest topic in the area right now is Wal-Mart. I was interested to read in The Oregonian recently that the town of Cornelius, near Hillsboro, Ore., is welcoming a new Wal-Mart with open arms. The reason? The need for jobs a little closer to home. Cornelius is essentially a bedroom community of Portland, so people travel out of Cornelius for work. The result is that the city has little in the way of business property tax revenue to fill its coffers, so a new Wal-Mart will give funds for city services a significant boost, and provide local jobs.
The more typical reaction to Wal-Mart’s effort to locate in a new community is negative. Common complaints are the threat to small businesses, traffic concerns, and claims of poor labor practices.
Warrenton’s Wal-Mart scenario has some parallels to that of Cornelius. Thus far I haven’t heard any complaints about Wal-Mart coming to its town from Warrenton residents. Why? I can only surmise it’s because they understand the positive impact it will have on their city tax revenues – ditto Home Depot, the soon-to-open expanded Costco, and other big box stores rumored to be in the works.
With so many big box stores in Warrenton, it’s likely that the people-power Wal-Mart needs won’t be met by the locally available workforce. Will people move to the area for a job at Wal-Mart? Time will tell, but if it comes to fruition, then more services will be necessary to fill the needs of an expanding population.
Where will these newcomers live? Probably Warrenton, because that’s where land is less expensive housing is available. More tax revenue to the city.
Face it – the City of Warrenton is well-poised for financial success over the next 20 years, and with funding for its urban renewal district in hand, some enhancements can be made to its marinas, downtown core area, walking/biking trails, etc.
Can one blame the citizens of Cornelius for embracing Wal-Mart? Just ask Warrenton.
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Yes, I will respond
Tuesday, October 20, 2009 2:19 PM (pst)
Many readers may be wondering if I am going to respond to today’s Daily Astorian article. “Hell, yes” is my response. However, I’m deep into deadline putting out the November issue of Coast River Business Journal. As tabloid journalism tactics do not define our paper, the quality of our publication is my priority right now. Rest assured I will have a comment to the Daily A’s article in my editorial. Look for the November issue out and about beginning Thursday, Oct. 29, with distribution completed in the area by Oct. 30.
And thank you for continuing to be loyal CRBJ readers.
Susan Trabucco
Publisher/Editor
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Walmart presents opportunity
Tuesday, September 29, 2009 5:48 PM (pst)
I have Walmart to thank for pushing me into the world of blogging. Walmart is rather like the weather: We talk about it, but we can’t do anything about it.
Walmart did a bang-up job of keeping its Warrenton project a secret. The “why” of that is not a secret – no doubt they were tight-lipped to keep the level of protest down.
But why protest? Walmart will bring 300 jobs. If those jobs are new to the regional economy, won’t that money feed other local businesses? While the ambiance of big-box store mega-park is non-existent, and the highway will undoubtedly be a bit strained, big-box employees need housing, health care, insurance, cars, clothes…the list goes on.
For existing locally-owned businesses that are still worried, what can you do? Niche, niche, niche comes to mind. Change the way you do business if you are in direct competition with one of the new big boxes. Sell something they don't sell, and bring service levels to new heights to retain local customers and earn new ones.
Many Astoria business owners successfully made that shift when 20 years ago Fred Meyer and Payless – now Rite Aid – arrived on the scene. Clothing stores, shoe stores and hardware stores were shuttered, and many storefronts were vacant for years. With the restoration of the Liberty Theater and Hotel Elliott as a catalyst early in this century, downtown Astoria experienced a rebirth. The downtown saw additions to the restaurant scene, a bevy of boutique stores, amenities such as the RiverWalk and waterfront trolley, and a host of cultural opportunities.
But the most important message is to be prepared. Get a new business plan in place if you think your business will be harmed. Doing nothing is not a productive option.
Susan Trabucco
Publisher/Editor
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