North Clackamas County Chamber of Commerce

BBB news release: Businesses, be mindful of masqueraders

chamber101 — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:12:27 +0000

BBB warns of top 10 impostors targeting businesses

During National Small Business Week, Better Business Bureau (BBB) warns that businesses are a prime target for impostor invoices, postcards, notices, emails and visitors touting:

“It’s one thing for companies to solicit their products and services to other businesses openly and honestly. However, some companies wrongfully mimic official agencies, organizations or current vendors,” says Robert W.G. Andrew, CEO of BBB serving Alaska, Oregon and Western Washington.

Always keep good records, check the books, be wary of deadlines and read the fine print. Remember:

- New business solicitations should be presented as optional and include disclaimers.

- Current vendors should be able to verify existing contracts and accounts.

- Government records and business registrations should be accessible online for free or a small fee.

Visit bbb.org to report companies that falsely portray elective products or services as mandatory or urgent. For alerts on local scams that target businesses, visit BBB’s News Center or link up on facebook.com/bbbnews4u.

Governor names Commissioner Martha Schrader Oregon Solutions team leader

chamber101 — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 22:57:15 +0000

Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber has named Clackamas County Commissioner Martha Schrader to lead a team of community partners in developing the Clackamas County Food System ONEStop concept and to study ways to integrate and leverage local resources.

Commissioner Schrader has long been an advocate of sustainability, county agriculture and economic efforts. One goal of the Food System ONEStop project is to leverage technical and financial resources among partners to help growers as an Oregon Solutions project. ONEStop has the potential of bringing together urban and rural communities for shared purposes, something that could be replicated in other parts of the state.

“I’m honored to assist the Governor and Clackamas County in the Oregon Solutions project,” said Commissioner Schrader. “This will strengthen the connection between non-profit, business and government sectors both in the county and throughout the state.”

The Clackamas County Food System ONEStop concept supports Oregon’s Sustainable Community Objectives, according to Kitzhaber. It is conceived as a virtual public, private, non-profit and academic partnership. The partnership will support the regional objective to advance economic development and job creation in the emerging food system cluster. It will also foster community benefits like increased public health, food equity and environmental stewardship.

Commissioner Schrader was elected to the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners in May 2012. She previously served as commissioner from 2003 to 2009 and has served as commission chair. She also served as a state senator from 2009 to 2011.

She holds a bachelor of science degree from Cornell University, a master’s degree from the University of Illinois and has completed advanced coursework in public policy and administration at Portland State University.

Keep pets cool, safe on hot summer days, advises Clackamas County Dog Services

chamber101 — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 17:56:25 +0000

Clackamas County Dog Services Supervisor Diana Hallmark and her staff have plenty of experience keeping pets safe on hot days, and know how important it is to keep pets cool through the summer months.

“Dogs and cats don’t sweat like people do,” Hallmark said. “They eliminate heat through their mouth (by panting) and the pads of their feet. Since they can overheat quickly, it’s important that the people who care for them make sure they can stay out of the heat.”

Parked cars are especially dangerous places to leave animals in the summer, according to Hallmark, even for a short time. According to the Humane Society of the United States, even with outside temperatures as low as 72 degrees a car’s interior temperature can increase an average of 40 degrees within an hour.

“While some people think they are protecting their pet by leaving car windows open slightly,” Hallmark said, “that is not enough to ensure the temperature stays at a safe level. Leaving a pet in a parked car on a hot day can endanger the animal’s health in as little as 10 minutes.”

Clackamas County Dog Services has additional suggestions for keeping pets from overheating on hot days:

Leave your pet at home during warm or hot weather
Be sure your pet has continuous access to shade or a cool room, and to cool, potable drinking water
Overexertion on a hot day may cause overheating. When the temperature rises, take your dog for relaxed walks early in the morning or late in the evening.
Prevent sunburns by keeping your pet out of the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and rubbing sun block on unprotected areas such as skin around lips and tips of noses and ears, especially on fair-colored pets.
Watch out for heatstroke – heavy panting, staring, high fever, rapid heartbeat, vomiting, collapse and disobedience. If heatstroke is suspected, call a veterinarian immediately and apply water-soaked towels to hairless areas of the animal’s body to lower its temperature.
Never leave your pet in an unattended parked car or truck, with or without open windows.

For more information, contact Diana Hallmark, 503-650-3944 or DianaHal@clackamas.us; or shelter supervisor Tamara Moxon, 503-650-3198 or tmoxon@clackamas.us.

Fraud alert from PGE!

chamber101 — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 14:41:47 +0000

Customer notice

Portland General Electric (PGE) wants to alert you about an ongoing telephone scam. Thieves posing as PGE employees ask customers to purchase a pre-paid credit card to collect a past-due bill – in many cases targeting customers who aren’t past due. This fraud is being reported at PGE and at utilities nationwide, and they’re working with local authorities to investigate. You may have received notice from them about this fraud earlier in the year – because it has continued, they are reaching out again.

Please help spread the alert

This scam has especially targeted small-business owners for whom English is a second language. They ask for your help in spreading the word to those businesses, as well as to your colleagues, customers and business groups.

How the scam works

The caller states the customer’s electric bill is past due, and the customer must pay immediately or power will be disconnected.

The scammer then directs customers to purchase a pre-paid “Green Dot” credit card and to call back with the card number. In some cases, the caller arranges to call back to get the credit card number. In either case, this is not PGE’s practice for collecting past-due accounts.

It is important to know that PGE employees will never ask customers to buy a pre-paid credit card to pay a bill. Live PGE employees do not accept payment over the phone. PGE only accepts telephone payments using their automated telephone payment system.

If you are targeted by this scam or suspicious about a caller, hang up and call PGE Customer Service at 800-542-8818 and then report it to local police.

July children’s programs – Ledding Library

chamber101 — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 19:45:09 +0000

July 2 – Tuesday at 2pm: Hands-on science from A.C. Gilbert’s Discovery Village. Ages 5+

July 6 – Saturday from 1:00-2:30pm: Read to an elephant! Read aloud to a friendly and furry elephant named Norman and improve your reading at the same time. Call to sign up for a 15 minute session: 503.786.7588.

July 8 – Monday at 6:30pm: Russian storytime. Программа детского чтения на русском языке будет проходить один раз в месяц в библиотеке Milwaukie Ledding. All ages

July 10 – Wednesday at 2pm: Mehndi henna hand decoration. Ages 10 & up

July 11 – Thursday at 2pm: Bill & Steve Band. Fun music for families. All ages

July 13 – Saturday from 10:30-11:45am: Puppy Tales! Read aloud to a therapy dog named Tempo and improve your reading at the same time. Call to sign up for a 15 minute session: 503.786.7588.

July 16 – Tuesday at 2pm: Meet a rescue dog from Search One K9 Detection team. Ages 5+

July 17 – Wednesday at 2pm: Teen crafternoon. Ages 12 & up

July 18 – Thursday at 2pm: OMSI’s hands-on “Bug me” program. Ages 5-9

July 20 – Saturday from 1:00-2:30pm: Read to an elephant! Read aloud to a friendly and furry elephant named Norman and improve your reading at the same time. Call to sign up for a 15 minute session: 503.786.7588.

July 20 – Sábado a las 2pm: Hora de cuentos en español para los niños de todas las edades.

July 23 – Tuesday at 2pm: Zaniac Alex Zerbe tickles your funny bone. All ages In Scott Park, weather permitting.

July 23 – Tuesday at 4pm: Book group with snacks. Join us. Ages 10 & up

July 24 – Wednesday at 2pm: Teen crafternoon. Ages 12 & up

July 25 – Thursday at 2pm: Summer stories and souvenirs. Ages 5 & up

July 30 – Tuesday at 2pm: Captain Underpants Party! For fans of the book. Ages 5+July 31 – Wednesday at 2pm: Teen crafternoon. Ages 12 & up

WEEKLY STORYTIMES & CRAFTS: JUNE – AUGUST

Mondays at 1pm: Book babies. Ages 0-18 mths

Tuesdays at 10:30am: Preschool storytime. Ages 3-5

Tuesdays from 6:00-7:00pm: Drop-in arts & crafts. All ages

Wednesdays at 10:30am: Toddler storytime. Ages 1-3

Wednesdays at 6:30pm: Family storytime. All ages

Thursdays at 10:30am: Preschool storytime. Ages 3-5

July Clackamas Community College (CCC) calendar of events

chamber101 — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 19:26:46 +0000

June 25 – Sept. 3
Farmer’s Market Tuesdays
Summer term on Tuesdays, the Urban Agriculture Farm Experience class at CCC will have vegetables for sale, grown on campus using organic methods. The produce cart will be outside the Community Center at CCC’s Oregon City campus. For more information email Loretta Mills at lorettam@clackamas.edu or call 503-594-3292.

June 27 – July 21
Clackamas Repertory Theatre: ‘Harvey’
The Clackamas Repertory Theatre presents Mary Chase’s light-hearted comedy, “Harvey,” directed by Doren Elias. Evening performances are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday; Sunday matinees begin at 2:30 p.m. Osterman Theatre. Single tickets: Youth: $12; Senior: $24; Adult: $26. For ticket information, call the box office at 503-594-6047 or visit www.clackamasrep.org.

July 3, 10, 17, 24, 31
Chrysalis: Women Writers
Local author Pat Lichen guides women writers of all levels through discussions of their work. Chrysalis meets from noon to 2 p.m. in the Literary Arts Center, Room 220 in Rook Hall. For information, call 503-594-3254.

July 4
Independence Day Holiday
The college will close in observance of the Independence Day holiday.

CCC offers Home-Built Wind Turbine Seminar

chamber101 — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 04:43:37 +0000

A one-week seminar at Clackamas Community College (CCC)this June will provide instruction on building a wind turbine suitable for home use. The Home Built Wind Turbine seminar will take run from Monday, June 24, through Thursday, June 28, at CCC. It is presented by the Renewable Energy Technology program at the college.

“A 14-foot wind turbine can power up to 40 percent of the energy needs of a typical home,” said Jim Stager, instructor in CCC’s electronics program.

Students in the class will build a wind turbine from scratch. The hands-on seminar will cover construction of residential wind power generators using welding/cutting, drill press and wood-cutting hand tools.

Instruction will include discussions of windmill types and efficiencies, adequate vs. sophisticated designs, and directions for the project students will build in class.

The two-credit class costs $350. For more information, call 503-594-3318.

Clackamas Repertory Theatre’s 2013 season opens with ‘Harvey’

chamber101 — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 02:55:25 +0000

Clackamas Repertory Theatre opens its ninth season Friday, June 28, with Mary Chase’s classic American play “Harvey.”

The CRT production features company member Jayson Shanafelt as Elwood P. Dowd, and Portland favorites Tobias Andersen as Dr. Chumley and Amanda Valley as Elwood’s sister, Veta Simmons. Doren Elias directs this light-hearted, timeless comedy about a loveable eccentric whose best friend is a 6-foot tall invisible rabbit whom he introduces to everyone.

Mary Chase was a journalist, but her real passion was playwriting. She wrote 14 plays but her most popular and memorable is “Harvey,” which opened on Broadway in 1944 where it ran for four-and-a- half years. It won both the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize for best play.

The play is still popular today due in large part to the film version featuring Jimmy Stewart’s iconic performance as Elwood Dowd. Ironically, Stewart was not the studio’s first choice for the role. Bing Crosby was favored, but he turned it down. Steven Spielberg planned to remake the film in 2009 but had to drop the project because he couldn’t find the right actor for Elwood.

CRT’s “Harvey” also features company favorites Annie Rimmer, Cyndy Smith-English and Michael Mitchell and newcomers Nathan Crosby, William Wilson and Kevin Newland Scott. “Harvey” runs through Thursdays through Sundays through July 21. CRT continues its season in August with “Kiss Me Kate” and concludes with the farce “The 39 Steps” in late September.

CRT performances take place Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. with Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m. Sunday. All performances are in the Osterman Theatre at Clackamas Community College. Season tickets and single tickets may be purchased at www.clackamasrep.org or by calling 503-594-6047. The low-price preview is June 27.\

For more information, contact CRT managing director Cyndy Smith-English at 503-594-3915.

Pacific Seafood celebrates 10 years at Clackamas Plant location

chamber101 — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 19:32:05 +0000

On May 29th Pacific Seafood celebrated their 10 years at their Clackamas location. The Clackamas processing plant, along with the company corporate headquarters, celebrated this anniversary in conjunction with the completion of construction on their adjoining building, as well as the erection of a 3rd building on the premises to be used as a storage annex. The construction was initiated to accommodate the growing team says General Manager, Joe O’Halloran, “We are a multi-faceted organization and one of the largest seafood processors and distributors in Oregon. Our operations in Clackamas include: our Pacific Group Transportation, export sales group, domestic sales group, Jake’s Airfreight division, corporate support team, human resources department, marketing department, finance team, accounts payable, and accounts receivable. We are proud to provide a lot of jobs and opportunities for our local communities, and we are proud to be able to provide a great place where people can make a difference and be part of providing the healthiest proteins on earth.”

TriMet grant supports CCC’s Green Line Shuttle

chamber101 — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 19:30:51 +0000

Clackamas Community College has been awarded a $30,000 grant from TriMet to support the Green Line Shuttle. The CCC Green Line Shuttle runs express service between the college’s main campus in Oregon City and the MAX Green Line terminus at Clackamas Town Center.

The Clackamas Community College (CCC) grant is part of $683,513 in federal Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC) monies awarded by the transit agency to nonprofit and government programs that connect low-income residents to jobs and job-related services.

The CCC Green Line Shuttle provides free express service for students and the public week days during the academic terms. It has been a popular service for students that is full during rush hours.

Seventy-two percent of incoming CCC students receive financial aid; slightly over half of these students live below the federal poverty level and 42 percent work more than 20 hours a week. The shuttle service provides a direct trip that is not available on TriMet and connects the MAX infrastructure to the under served area around CCC’s Oregon City campus.

Shuttle service began on a trial basis in spring of 2010, through a partnership between the college, the Transportation Management Association, Clackamas County and Premiere Transportation. Towncenter Express (TX) proved successful with students, county employees and the public.

CCC has continued to fund the shuttle through a variety of grants and other funds. The annual cost of operation is $48,000. For more information, please contact Courtney Wilton, 503-594-3010 or courtneyw@clackamas.edu.