These first couple months of 2016 have proven to be quite eventful to say the least, and we are covering some of those events on the following pages.
 
I hope you enjoy the article on the situation in Harney County, written by University of Oregon professor, Peter Walker, for Northeast Oregon Business News and The Gorge Business News. I think his article covers it well. I know the issue of ownership of public lands runs deep and wide and has many facets along the way, I hope those on both sides can find common ground someday. As for Harney County, which is known as a model for the public and private entities working well together, my hope is that they can put the pieces back together, mend friendships, and relationships, and continue working together for the greater good like they have in the past. As for the occupiers, it is my view they went so far over the line they lost all credibility.
 
Other items in the news lately include the minimum wage increase in Oregon. This is one of those issues that everyone also has very strong opinions about. Many businesses believe it will ruin them, while others see it as a challenge to make their company that much stronger. I hope it bolsters an economic revival in Oregon, but it seems like that might be a long shot. Only time will tell.
 
While attending the Pendleton Chamber of Commerce Economic Luncheon I was able to visit with one of the gubernatorial candidates for Oregon, Bud Pierce, M.D., Ph.D. He was raised in a close-knit family in a farming community and now resides in Salem. When he was just 14-years-old his father passed away from a heart attack, an event that would indeed change his life. As a teenager Pierce got a job at the Air Force Base Market working as a bagboy only for tips. For Pierce this solidified how important work is, and he realized how much bagging groceries and being a doctor has in common. “You need to know your craft, the more you work the more you get paid, and you need to be nice to people,” he said. Pierce feels as the time he spent working as a teenager was invaluable and believes teenagers today need those same opportunities. Our visit was relaxed, yet packed with vision, and insightfulness. Pierce has four key motivations in his life, building his business, serving his community, his children and philanthropy. If Pierce becomes the Governor of Oregon I do believe he will accomplish a lot for the good of our State. “I’m not running to be governor, I’m running to govern,” he told me.
 
I would like to invite any political candidate who would like to share their vision with me to please contact me at [email protected]
 
Another interesting life story is that of Tim Sieber, the new president of SeaPort Airlines. Like Pierce, Sieber also began working at the age of 14. He went from scrubbing airplanes to becoming the president of an airline. Amazing situations can happen when a person has a strong work ethic. Be sure to read all about Joseph Hardware and Kruse Family Dentistry as well, more fine examples of strong work ethics.
 
On pages 14 and 15 you can read about some great things happening in the art community here in NE Oregon. Kelly Ducote has just become the new executive director for the Liberty Theater Foundation in La Grande and the NE Oregon region joins Americans for Art’s National Study of Economic Impact. Arts are so vital to the health and well-being of an area and I am so glad that so many Oregon Historical Theaters are being pulled back from the brink of destruction. Thank you to the Liberty Theater Foundation for all the hard work that has gone into saving and restoring this gem.
 
Speaking of theater, my husband, Mark, and I attended the live production of My Fair Lady at the Historic Elgin Opera House last night and I was completely blown away, once again, by the talent that graces this stage play after play. Rene Wells played Eliza Doolittle and did an amazing job. Let me tell you, this lady can sing! And dance, and perform. Great job Rene Wells. Then there was Brent Clapp of Brent Clapp Media in La Grande, who played Professor Higgins. What a fabulous actor from start to finish. I am looking forward to him playing a part in many plays to come. Kenn Wheeler played Alfie Doolittle, and there has never been a more charming intoxicated gentleman. Colonel Pickering, played by Terry Hale, was comical and delightful. This list of great acting does go on and on. In addition to the acting I must give a ‘shout out’ to the costume designer of this production, Denise Wheeler. The outfits were beautiful and the ladies hats were amazing. Of course I cannot leave out the sets. They seemed to be straight out of Broadway. To the cast and crew of My Fair Lady, great job all the way around. Oh, I guess I better not leave out the director, Michael Frasier, for without him there would just be a lot of people, dressed up wonderfully, wandering aimlessly on stage.
 
As for myself, I am finally drawing close to the end of my educational journey at Eastern Oregon University. Just three weeks to go and I will have earned my Bachelors in Business in Leadership, Organization, Management and Marketing. It has been an amazing process and I am ready to put all I have learned into making Studio 6 Designworks the best publishing and marketing business it can be. I am looking forward to not having homework, which competes with what I am trying to accomplish with Northeast Oregon Business News and The Gorge Business News. I want to spend more time updating my blog as well. With the time I spend traveling and attending great events I would like to share some of my experiences with those that follow along at www.ramblingwanderer.com
 
Until next time, Carpe Diem…….Lori