Biz Beat 3-7-2013

Eugene Coffee Company has been in business for five years and is having an all-day celebration Saturday, March 9, at the store at 18th and Chambers, across from BiMart. Owner Sue Harnly was picked by EW readers as Best Barista in 2011. Harnly started the business with Alicia Hays and Adelka Shawn in 2008. Since then the store has sold 22,000 pounds of Café Mam coffee, 246,000 drinks and 56,000 donuts, bagels and pastries.

A new online food ordering company, hungryducks.com, is working with more than 55 local restaurants around Eugene and Springfield, says Darren Rabie, who modeled his business after hungrybuffs.com, which a friend of his started in Boulder, Colo., seven years ago. Rabie describes the business as “an online food court, a one-stop shop for all the delivery and takeout restaurants in the area.” The business does not handle the deliveries but rather works with Pony Express and the restaurants’ own delivery services.

KLCC public radio has a new general manager. John Stark took over the position Jan. 31 with the departure of Steve Barton, who was GM since 1987. Stark comes to KLCC from KNAU-FM in Flagstaff, Ariz. He has also worked at NPR in Washington, D.C., as associate producer of NPR’s Morning Edition, and served two terms on the NPR Board of Directors.

Ninkasi is the first brewery to make the “100 Best Companies to Work For in Oregon” list by Oregon Business Magazine. Ninkasi was ranked 22. The company was founded in 2006 by Jamie Floyd and Nikos Ridge and now has 80 employees and plans to add 40 more full-time positions over the next five years.

Several farmers markets around the county are keeping winter hours and providing a wide variety of produce and other food products. The Lane County Farmers Market has a winter market from 10 am to 2 pm Saturdays at 8th and Oak in Eugene during March. Hideaway Bakery Market operates from 9 am to 2 pm year-round at 3377 E. Amazon, behind Mazzi’s. Springfield's farmers market is now called Marketplace@Sprout! and runs from 3 to 7 pm Fridays at the Sprout Regional Food Hub, 418 A St. The Corvallis Indoor Winter Market is open from 9 am to 1 pm Saturdays at the Benton County Fairgrounds. Cottage Grove Growers Market runs from 10 am to 6 pm at 12th and Main Street. Find a list of markets and their phone numbers and hours at lanefood.org

Oregon’s ski and snowboard industry had a $482 million impact on the state’s economy in the 2010-11 season, according to a recent study by the UO-based Community Service Center. The report cites 6,772 jobs and $194 million in personal income related to the snow sports. The 874 skiers and snowboarders who were surveyed spent an average of $89 per visit, both on and off the mountains, with retail purchases, restaurant meals, lodging and lift tickets. The analysis was the first for the industry in 23 years, showing a significant growth, particularly related to snowboarding.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!