Shirley Collingwood - Distinguished Citizen

Our community's distinguished citizen of the year, Shirley Collingwood

By Todd Peterson
Springfield Beacon

"What a wonderful surprise," said Shirley Collingwood about being named Distinguished Citizen of the Year at the recent Chamber of Commerce annual awards dinner. "And what a great honor to be the first woman to be chosen for the award!"

On the evening of the dinner, Shirley had gone to the event by herself. Her husband, Ed, who usually would have been with her, stayed home. What Shirley didn’t know was that Ed had been informed earlier about the award and planned to be part of his wife’s “surprise." After she left home, Ed dressed in a suit and headed to LCC for the award presentation.

"I didn't have a clue," said Shirley. When John Lively, last year's recipient, was giving clues about the person to be chosen, "I was sitting there trying to guess who it was. When he said the person had worked for Wood Products Credit Union, I finally figured it out. I couldn't believe it!" Just as Shirley's name was being called, she saw Ed coming through the doorway and walking toward the stage with a bouquet of red roses for her.

To a standing ovation and cheers from the crowd, Shirley met Ed at the stage and received a kiss and hug from her husband. Overwhelmed with tears of joy, she expressed words of gratitude for the award to the audience of over 300 people.

Interviewed a week after the event, Shirley said, "I still can hardly believe it . . . to be the first woman to receive the award, when I know so many other women in Springfield who could well have been chosen."

Shirley Collingwood was given the Distinguished Citizen award for her many years of community involvement in Springfield and her extraordinary service to the Chamber of Commerce.

Her involvement with the Chamber began in 1983 when she became the representative to the Chamber Greeters while working for Wood Products Credit Union (Northwest Community). Since joining Greeters, "it has been my baby," said Shirley. "I love the people and really enjoy our weekly meetings."

Shirley served as chairperson of Greeters in 1987 and co-chaired with John Woodrow in 2000. She was involved in the 1985 Greeters State Convention held in Springfield and was chairperson when the convention returned to our community in 2001.

“Greeters has had its ups and downs over the years but I give Shirley credit for turning the organization around,” said Dan Egan, Executive Director of the Chamber. “Her great work has helped Greeters thrive today with over 100 people often attending their weekly meetings.”

Shirley has been the “heart” of the organization for nearly 25 years. For anyone who has ever attended a Greeters breakfast, she’s well-recognized for her warm smile and hugs (and often kisses on the cheek) as she greets businesspeople attending the meetings.

In addition to her Greeters involvement, Shirley Collingwood has worked on the silent auction portion of the Tailgate Auctions since the beginning of the annual event co-sponsored by the Springfield Chamber.

Other community projects Shirley has been involved in include serving as “Bake-Off” chair for the Filbert Festival for five years. And together with Ed, she has worked on many of Springfield’s annual Christmas Parades. They’ve also cooked breakfast for people at the American Cancer Society’s “Relay of Life” for five years (Shirley is a cancer survivor herself). And, when McKenzie-Willamette Hospital had their annual “Mash Bash”, Shirley and Ed coordinated the USO Show for seven years.

Today, Shirley serves as president of the Friendship Club, a group of over 375 women in the area. She’s also active in her church and a member of Beta Sigma Phi, a women’s social and cultural sorority.

At the age of 72, Shirley Collingwood is an energetic, enthusiastic woman who loves people and is passionate about life. She loves to paint, fish, hunt (she cooks for the hunters), camp, and travel with her husband. “My marriage to Ed has been the most wonderful success of my life,” she said.

Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, Shirley moved to Oregon in 1955. She met Ed in Albany in 1972 when they both worked for BiMart. They were married in 1976 and moved to their current home in Springfield in 1978. With three grown children, two adult stepchildren, eleven grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren, Shirley and Ed have an active family life.

After working nearly nine years for Wood Products Credit Union, Shirley joined with Sharon Mills to create their own business, “Coffee, Tea, & Things”. They ran the business located at the corner of Gateway and Harlow Road from 1987 to 1992. Shirley then went to work for six years as a professional cake decorator for the Safeway near her home.

Now “retired”, the Collingwood’s so enjoy working together that they started Transcend Marketing International in 2005, an on-line networking business at www.madebig.com.

“Shirley Collingwood’s faith in the future helped us get through some tough times in Springfield,” said Dan Egan. “She’s a great example of how one caring person doing her best has made a big difference to the life and growth of our community.”

Grand Opening: First Tech Credit Union

First Tech Credit Union Celebrates
Grand Opening in Springfield

The new First Tech Credit Union branch on Pioneer Parkway and ‘Q’ St. is having a grand opening throughout the month of February.

To celebrate the grand opening, First Tech will pay one monthly bill up to $500 for one lucky winner each week in February (a total of four people will win). The drawing is open to both members and non-members of the credit union. People can enter by visiting the Pioneer Parkway branch to sign up.

Located at 1810 Pioneer Parkway West, the First Tech branch replaces the credit union’s Olympic St. location. The new branch opened for business on Dec. 24, 2007.

“We’re excited about the new location,” says Stan Bowers, Regional Manager for First Tech. “It is more convenient for our members and highly accessible to people traveling on Pioneer Parkway to the new hospital opening at Riverbend and to downtown Springfield. The new branch also offers enhancements such as a drive-up ATM, a full service greeter station, and more safety deposit boxes than we had at the previous location.”

Heather Tucker is manager of the new branch. She has worked at First Tech for seven years, becoming assistant branch manager at the Olympic location in 2005 and branch manager in 2007. “I have a great team and I love coming to work each day to serve our members,” says Tucker.

Assistant branch manager, Lindsey Hamar has been with First Tech for six years, starting as a loan officer at Olympic St. and named to her current position in September of 2007.

First Tech Credit Union began serving Springfield and Lane County in 2004 when it merged with Oregon Metro Credit Union. It has two other branches in Eugene and one in Oakridge.

Established in 1952, First Tech has total assets of $1.6 billion and serves 155,000 members located in all 50 states and 71 countries. The credit union operates a 16-branch network in Oregon and Washington with access to over 25,000 ATMs worldwide through the CO-OP Network.

___________________________________________

First Tech Credit Union
1810 Pioneer Parkway West
Hours: Office – Mon. - Thurs: 8:30 am – 5:30 pm
Friday: 8:30 am – 6:00 pm
Saturday: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Drive-Up – Mon. – Friday: 8:00 am – Closing
Saturday: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
ATM – Open 24 hours/7 days
Phone: 736-7948 or 800-637-0852 ___________________________________________

-- By Todd Peterson, The Springfield Beacon

Walgreens Opens On 'Q' St.

New ‘Q’ Street Walgreens to Open February 1st

Walgreens new pharmacy and drugstore at the corner of Pioneer Parkway West and ‘Q’ St. is slated to open on Friday, February 1st.

Located at 6 West ‘Q’ St., the Walgreens store is managed by Dan Foster. A U. of O. graduate, Foster has worked five years for the company and previously managed the company’s Thurston store. He says, “This is the largest Walgreens in the area and our store employs 22 local people. We have a full-service pharmacy with a drive-up window as well as all of the other products and services people expect from Walgreens.”

Walgreens is the nation’s largest retail pharmacy chain and drugstore with 6148 stores. It had 51 stores in Oregon at the end of 2007. Nationwide, the company opened 621 new stores in 2007 and plans to open 550 additional stores in 2008.

________________________________________

Walgreens
6 West ‘Q’ Street
Store Hours: 8 am – 10 pm daily
Pharmacy Hours: Mon. – Friday, 8 am – 10 pm
Saturday, 9 am – 6 pm
Sunday, 10 am – 6 pm
Phone: 736-8358
________________________________________

-- By Todd Peterson, The Springfield Beacon

Coffee & Conversation: Dennis Mulcahy - Second Story Books

Talking With A Springfield Business Owner

By Todd Peterson
Springfield Beacon


Dennis Mulcahy
Second Story Books

Dennis Mulcahy and his sister, Julie Wallace, opened Second Story Books on Main Street nearly six years ago. Since that time, other new and used booksellers in the area have gone out of business – driven out by internet booksellers and discounting of new books by megastores.

But Second Story Books is doing just fine, “paying the bills” while the owners continue to enjoy the business of selling quality used books in their store and on the internet.

Second Story is a “generalist” used bookstore. It has over 20,000 books shelved by category in the store and another 5000 in inventory for on-line sales. On the internet, their books are available from amazon.com, abebooks.com, alibris.com, biblio.com, barnesandnoble.com, and choosebooks.com.

Book prices at Second Story range from 50 cents to $1000. The average price of books available in the store is $4 and on-line is $20 (which includes the 15-20% commission and monthly fees bookselling sites charge, plus the store’s costs of packaging materials for shipping).

The bookstore’s “best sellers” include Janet Evanovich (Stephanie Plum Series), Clive Cussler, Louis L’Amour, and many of the great science fiction writers. Dennis Mulcahy says, “it is hard to get enough science fiction books. Sci-fi enthusiasts are great readers and they don’t often give up their books.”

“I love the whole process of buying and selling books,” said Mulcahy. He buys used books in good condition from people who bring them to the store as well as buys at library sales, estate sales, and auctions. Then he cleans the books up, prices them, and puts them on the shelves in the store or lists them for sale on the internet.

I asked Dennis a few questions about the used book business:

Q: How did you get started in your business?

A: My sister, Julie, had retired from Walt Disney and I was tired of living in Lake Tahoe. We decided to live our dream of owning a used bookstore. Both of us wanted to live somewhere in the Northwest and agreed to take a look at Oregon first.

Q: What led you to locate your business in downtown Springfield?

A: We came to Oregon to scout possible locations in Portland. It quickly became clear that Powell’s and other used bookstores in the city had a lock on that market. Since we had a few days before our flight home, we decided to drive down I-5 to see what Eugene was like. We drove down Franklin Boulevard and saw the U of O and Hayward Field, then went to see Saturday Market. The more we looked around the area, the more it felt like the right place for us.

We moved up here six months later and began looking for a space to rent. When we visited downtown Springfield, we liked the friendly, hometown feel of the place. We stopped at AlethaLou’s and she told us about the space available in this 103 year-old building. When we walked in and saw the beautiful wood floors, we knew it was the place for us. So we built the bookshelves and started filling the shelves with books, opening our doors in July of 2002.

Of course, we had to come up with a name for the store and finally decided on “Second Story Books” which refers to the “second reading” of a used book.

Q: How has your business changed over the years?

A: I thought we’d do most of our business in the store but we’re actually selling more books on the internet. I spend more time at the computer each day than I ever expected I would be doing. And more time packaging books to send to people around the world. I hardly have enough time for cleaning and shelving books much less being able to get out of the store to do the book buying that I’ve like to be doing.

Q: What do you see as coming trends in your business?

A: Unfortunately, there just are not enough readers anymore! I saw a poll that said that 70% of people hadn’t read a book since high school! So that’s going to impact the future of the book business (as it already does). I expect the average selling prices will continue to be driven downward on the internet. People such as “megalisters” offer books for sale at sharply reduced prices but don’t actually have any books in stock (they buy from others after getting an order – if they can even find the books ordered!). And many people who are not “booksellers” are buying from thrift shops and library sales to sell books on EBay and other sites (Ever seen a person with a “scanner” at a book sale?).

Q: How was your business activity last year?

A: Our sales have been up every year since we opened the doors. Last year our internet business actually declined slightly – less than 2 percent – but our in-store sales were up 22 percent.

Q: What is your outlook for 2008?

A: Well, there are just three ways to go – down, up, or stay about the same. The economy is always a major factor. But I expect this year to be good, perhaps up 10 – 15 percent.

Q: Do you have a strange or funny “war story” about business experiences you’ve had?

A: Once, in a used book I bought at a local thrift store, I found $220 in cash tucked inside the pages.

Q: What do you enjoy most about your work?

A: I just love working with books! Perhaps something I wrote on a booksellers discussion board on the internet says it best: “I am selling ideas and the wisdom of the ages. Masterfully constructed tales that can inspire hope and provide solace. I am selling entertainment and humor to lighten the ravaged soul. I am selling exotic theories and the simple universality we all share in being human.”

I go on to say “I sell time, hopefully well spent. To children, men, women, and the occasional reading bear on a unicycle. Time that heals, and teaches, and that fosters dreams. I sell dreams. Think of it.”

And, “I sell the uninitiated, initiation. The unloved, love. The uninspired, inspiration. The collector, the collectible. The unwanted, a sense of belonging. And to those who thought they couldn’t ever dance again, I sell Happy Feet. Sometimes, I give them away free. And sometimes I make a lotta money from these ideas, these dreams. But most times, I make just enough to get by. I am rich in books.”

Q: What statement would you like people to use in describing how you do business?

A: “We love books and love readers who do.

We’re honest, easy to work with, and give our customers great service.”

Second Story Books is located at 226 Main Street in Springfield. Open 10 am - 6 pm, Monday thru Saturday. Phone: (541) 736-3154.
Email: secondstorybooks@hotmail.com.

Email you suggestions for future business profiles to: todd@springfieldbeacon.com.

Springfield Chamber Annual Awards

Chamber members celebrate our community

By Todd Peterson
Springfield Beacon

Over 300 people celebrated the people and progress of Springfield at the Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards and Installation Dinner last Friday night.

The program emceed by Dan Egan, Executive Director of the Chamber, brought applause, cheers, tears, and laughter to the attendees at the event held at Lane Community College.

With a theme of "The Sky's the Limit", the evening focused on the business growth of Springfield and people who have contributed to the livability of our community.

Early in the program, Steve Wildish surprised the audience and Tom Draggoo of the Springfield Renaissance Development Corp. with a $50,000 donation from his family to the endowment of the Wildish Theater. He added that his family and the Wildish companies would "write another $50,000 check" when others in the community made donations to match their contribution.

Among the people recognized for their service to our community was Nancy Golden, Springfield School District Superintendent, who was named First Citizen.

Brothers Paul and Steve Roth of Roaring Rapids Pizza and Camp Putt shared honors as Businessperson of the Year.

The Distinguished Citizen award was presented to Shirley Collingwood of Transcend Marketing International for her extraordinary contribution to the Chamber Greeters and her lifelong service to our community. She is the first woman to be honored with the award since the chamber began presenting it in the 1990's.

The Chamber Greeters honored Shaunna Durham of Windermere Real Estate with their Greeter of the Year award.

Cornerstone awards were given to Laura Jaspers of Symantec, Trudy Borrevik of the City of Springfield, Brian Cook of Cummings Moving Systems, and Bill Seider of PIVOT Architecture.

In describing the Chamber’s "Cranes Over Springfield" recognition awards, Dan Egan, who deftly sprinkled bits of humor throughout the program, drew laughter from the crowd by first introducing them as "Trains over Springfield".
The awards went to St. Vincent de Paul for the Royal Building, Sycan Development for the new Holiday Inn, Royal Caribbean for their Call Center, PeaceHealth for the Riverbend hospital campus, Symantec for their building expansion, City of Springfield for the new Justice Center, Oregon Dept. of Transportation for the I-5 Flyover project, and the National Guard, BLM, and Willamette Forest Service for the new National Guard Armory which will house offices of all three organizations.

Dean Huber, outgoing president from Kernutt Stokes Brandt & Co., gave awards to outgoing Chamber board members Gretchen York, Corkey Gourley, and David Willis. Huber remarked on the Chamber's accomplishments during the year and introduced the incoming president for the year, Steve Roth. Roth spoke briefly about the Chamber's plans for the new year and concluded the evening by introducing members of the 2008 Board of Directors.

Beginnings: Don Kahuna Says "Aloha" to Springfield

Don Kahuna's combines a taste of the tropics with southwestern cuisine

By Todd Peterson
Springfield Beacon

Don Kahuna’s Hula Huli Chicken & Pele’s Volcano House Coffee
720 South ‘A’ Street
Phone: 747-8966
Open: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday – Thursday
11 a.m. – 10 p.m., Friday & Saturday
Website: www.myspace.com/donkahuna



The Business: Don Kahuna’s is a new restaurant concept – a South Pacific eatery which offers both Polynesian and Southwestern cuisine. Based on the successful Juan Pollo’s Chicken in San Bernadino, it is the first restaurant in our area featuring “huli huli” style rotisserie chicken combined with a variety of fresh side dishes. In a separate drive-up coffee hut, Pele’s Volcano House Coffee offers 100 percent Kona coffee drinks along with fresh-squeezed fruit and vegetable drinks as well as smoothies. The restaurant also offers catering services for Luau’s and other occasions.

Their Menu: Rotisserie chicken, marinated for 12 hours and cooked for three hours in a radiant heat ceramic oven, is Don Kahuna’s specialty. Their huli huli (Hawaiian for “turn turn”) tender chicken is served with a choice of four side dishes most of which are made with organic ingredients. Among the sides available with the Polynesian Island dinners are Fafa-Taro Spinach, Lomi-Lomi salmon, Hawaiian rice, fruit poe and others. In addition, a Southwest Pueblo-style burrito dinner is served with four sides including a choice of pinto beans, potato salad, jasmine rice, sweet potatoes and salsa. Dinners are priced at $8.50 and include a fountain drink and baguette.

A Lunch Combo includes three pieces of chicken, potato salsa, tortillas, rice. salsa and a fountain drink priced at $7.50. A la carte items offered include tacos with salsa and two other burritos priced from $3 to $5.

Location: Located in the old “Bob’s Burgers” location on the corner of Eighth and South A streets, Don Kahuna’s and Pele’s hope to attract local customers and people going by in the abundant eastbound traffic. They have drive-up windows available and an ample parking for restaurant customers.

Atmosphere: In a contemporary-style building, an “island restaurant” has been created with bamboo, several Bonsai trees, Polynesian art, and “table islands” designed by the owner. Customers can relax with sounds of surf in the background as well as occasional streams of Polynesian and 60’s surfer music.

The Owner: Dani Savicky is the creator of this “hidden Hawaii” restaurant in downtown Springfield. Originally from Southern California, he moved to Hawaii in 1977 where he worked in popular Polynesian/Tahitian restaurants on Maui. Later, Dani started a tropical fish exporting business and also did projects with the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority. He headed off to American Samoa in 1987 and then to Tahiti to begin other tropical fish business operations. An ocean diving accident (Dani has been underwater over 5,000 hours!) brought him back to California to recover. In 1999 he moved to Oregon but with the intention of getting back to Hawaii some day. A friend got Dani excited about Bonsai trees and he decided to stay and start another business building “table islands” and growing Bonsai trees to sell on E-bay (which he still does under the name “Koni Bonsai”). In the Fall of 2007 he learned that the South A property was for sale and decided it was time to start the restaurant he had envisioned many years before in Hawaii.

Their Employees: Starting with four employees, the restaurant expects to add another 10 people to its staff when it reaches full capacity. Jason McKnight, head chef, and Bernie Martinez, sous chef, are creating the fresh, Hawaiian/Tahitian cuisine and Southwestern specialties.

The Vision: Dani sees the new restaurant as a “flagship” for over 30 new Don Kahuna’s in Oregon over the next three years. With success, he has some new Hawaiian deep-sea shrimping projects in mind and, when he retires, plans to build a Children’s Hospital on the Big Island.

Fact or fiction: Don Kahuna is said to be a famous and respected (but reclusive) Hawaiian surfer, living on the North Shore of Oahu. He’s a good friend of Logan, the premier photographer for Surfer Magazine. Don’s highest-priority job with the new restaurant is wearing the chicken suit (which he does with dignity and honor).

Grand Opening: Friday, March 21 (evening) and all day Saturday, March 22.

Business Leadership: Inspiring the Spirit of People at Work

By Todd Peterson
Springfield Beacon

Over the past 40 years, I've had the good fortune to work with hundreds of organizations ranging from multi-billion dollar global corporations and mid-sized companies to new start-ups, non-profits, and governments. I've experienced organizational life as an employee, client, supplier, and service provider in companies with as few as one employee and as many as hundreds of thousands of people.

While most all of the organizations I've been involved with have espoused that people are their most important asset, a rare few have actually put "people-first" into practice. Those with stated missions and values focused on people and service more often have practiced "numbers-first" in their day-to-day operations.

Such is the personal backdrop for my reading of Dan J. Sanders new book "Built-to-Serve: How to Drive the Bottom Line with People-First Practices." The author is the CEO of United Supermarkets, a privately-held company with stores in 26 cities.

Sanders is an engaging storyteller who begins each chapter of his book with a short story that demonstrates the lessons of his content. The stories come from his work experience which included being a U-2 reconnaissance pilot while serving in the Air Force as well as from meaningful events in the author’s life.

Calling for a paradigm shift in business, Sanders provides a hands-on guide for creating "sustainable, culture-driven, people-centered organizations." His view of leadership in organizations involves "more a choice than a position" and focuses primarily on service to others. From my perspective, Sanders offers guidance that complements the servant leadership model which Robert Greenleaf and others have written about.

An organization's culture consists of its values and the common vision held by its people as well as their behavior with one another and the customers they serve.

A people-centered organization engages people in a higher purpose and does not compromise its values. It remains faithful to the vision and mission of the organization 100 percent of the time. Leaders place the "highest level of importance on human beings." At United Supermarkets, they have reframed the Golden Rule to say:

"Do unto others as you would have your children done unto.”

In Sanders view, this guiding principle “fulfills the human spirit and allows for connecting people on a deeper level."

To be sustainable, organizations must engage people in service and focus on their long-term purpose while balancing the short-term needs of their people. Sanders maintains that "organizations that make people and service the cornerstone of their corporate identity enjoy sustainability."

The heart of the book centers on ways leaders can empower people to make decisions based on the organization's vision, mission, and commitment to sustainability. Sanders says a "clearly communicated and understood vision statement empowers team members to make decisions that support the organization's higher purpose." In his view, the best vision statements incorporate the higher purpose of the organization—that which is most significant to sustain it over time.

A good mission statement is critical as well because it eliminates confusion and reminds everyone of the organization's expectations. It inspires people on their journey toward realizing the organization's vision. Sanders encourages everyone to commit the words of their mission statement to memory and bring them to life in daily decisions. At United Supermarkets, their mission statement consists of just six words: Ultimate Service. Superior Performance. Positive Impact.

I was surprised (and pleased) to read that Sanders believes "the single biggest threat to an organization's success is pride." In my experience, pride has been a destructive element in many of the corporations I've worked with over the years (and has gotten in the way personally in small businesses I’ve started).

The kind of pride the author speaks of is “a high or overbearing opinion of one's worth or importance." To minimize its destructive affects, he suggests a three-step process that keeps people focused on the future, not the past; on the pursuit of excellence; and on the right kind of role models. By fostering humility and asking the right questions, leaders can put destructive pride in its place and maximize positive pride -- "the feeling of elation and satisfaction derived from achievement."

Sanders concludes each chapter with a summary of key points aptly titled "From the Express Lane" (great for speed readers and PowerPoint enthusiasts!). In the final chapter, he provides a "Carryout for Leaders" – a 10-point list which includes such guidance as "Surrender your ego," "No job is unimportant," and "Do not compromise integrity."

In the Afterword, Ken Blanchard, co-author of Leading at a Higher Level and The One Minute Manager, encourages readers to learn from Dan Sanders leadership and take action in their organizations. He calls on leaders to focus on three simple questions to guide their organizations to long-term success:

1. What have we done for our customers?
2. What have we done for our people?
3. What have we done for our community?

By putting the lessons of Built to Serve into practice, business leaders can create a profound shift in the vitality and performance of their organizations. I highly recommend the book to people at all levels in any size organization -- for inspiration, for guidance in leading, and for instilling life-enhancing principles in workplaces throughout our community and the world.

Springfield Chamber Plans for 2008

Springfield Chamber of Commerce Plans for More Growth After A Successful 2007

By Todd Peterson
The Springfield Beacon

In our “town of the possible”, a sure sign of growth in our community is growth of the Chamber of Commerce. In 2007, membership in the Springfield Chamber grew 17 percent reaching a total of 850 members. And the organization has a goal of 1000 members by the end of 2008.

According to Dan Egan, Executive Director, the Chamber continues to make a significant and positive impact on local businesses and the larger community. Among their accomplishments in 2007 were moving efforts ahead to build a conference center through creation of the non-profit Springfield Conference Center Consortium.

Egan says the need exists today for a large “public space” to hold meetings and events as well as for additional hotel room capacity. The need will continue to grow sharply in years ahead, especially with the premier track and field events being held annually at the University of Oregon. He sees 2008 as crucial “deal, no deal” year for the project. Building a conference center would be a “crowning achievement” for the community and for Egan, the accomplishment that would give him the most personal satisfaction.

The Chamber supported the successful Downtown Urban Renewal District referendum in 2007 and will continue to be involved as the City develops plans for downtown projects. Along with many downtown enhancements in 2007 – the new Royal Building, LTD’s Em-X service, and Wildish Theater events among others – Egan sees the investment by Wynant’s Family Health Foods on ‘A’ Street as the beginning of additional private investment which can be spurred on by downtown urban renewal.

In 2008, the Chamber plans to form an Economic Development Committee which will include representatives from TEAM Springfield, Chamber leadership, and other business people willing to recruit new businesses to Springfield and the region. It is considering a “Glenwood Summit” to restart the development efforts for the Glenwood Urban Renewal District. The organization also plans to rejoin and participate in the Lane Metro Partnership.

Plans for the Chamber’s government issues committee include working on land inventory studies and Urban Growth Boundary issues as well as being involved in municipal elections during the new year. Building on the success of its Career Days for high school and middle school students in Springfield, their education committee will add an elementary education event in January.

On the lighter side, Dan Egan plans to find more time in the new year to practice playing his electric guitar and singing back-up vocals for gigs with the band, “Mystery Train.” Readers can view their July 4th Island Park concert on YouTube which featured old favorites from The Doors, The Rolling Stones, The Doobie Brothers, and Oregon’s own, The Kingsmen of “Louie, Louie” fame.