Biz Beat 8-22-2013

The American Institute of Architects Southwest Oregon Chapter is hosting the People’s Choice Awards for Architecture again this year at the Eugene Celebration, and as in recent years the display will also include landscape projects. Find the display at the corner of Broadway and Willamette in the Broadway Commerce Center. This year the designs (and voting) are also online at aiaswo.com, according to Scott Stolarczyk, co-chair of the awards committee (sstolarczyk@robertsonsherwood.com). Winners of the competition will be announced at City Club of Eugene Sept. 13.

Eugene Coffee Company, which closed its retail business June 7, is back, planning a “soft opening” during the Eugene Celebration parade Saturday, Aug. 24, at a new location at 240 E. 17th in front of Mr. Clean Jeans. Owner is Sue Harnly. The coffee shop had been located at 18th and Chambers for five years and took a break to offer barista classes over the summer. The new store is being funded in part by Kickstarter (see wkly.ws/1j9). As of this week the campaign had raised about $2,500. Call 954-5345 or email eugenecoffeeco@gmail.com.

The Lane County Cultural Coalition offers program grants from $500 to $2,500 and will be holding a roundtable grant workshop from 4 to 6 pm Thursday, Aug. 22, at Emerald Art Association, 500 Main St. in Springfield. Deadline for the next round of grant applications is Oct. 15. See laneculture.net or call 556-9095.

St. Vincent de Paul is doing its annual Backpacks for Back-to-School supply drive, and we hear donation barrels are only half full this year. Donate school supplies (and/or money) for low-income kids at any branch of the Oregon Community Credit Union or at St. Vinnie’s stores. Call 743-7147 or email askme@svdp.us. 

Velo Bed and Breakfast is a new bike-tour-friendly B&B at 86211 Bailey Hill Road about 2 miles outside of Eugene. Owners are Misha Dunlap English and Rob English. Misha is a UO law school graduate and former practicing attorney; Rob is a mechanical engineer who came from England in 2006 to work for Bike Friday and later began building his own custom steel bikes under his own label, English Cycles. A photo gallery of the B&B and more information can be found at velobandb.com or call 844-5102.

Institutional Stoves has announced that “stoves began rolling off the line” in July at InStove’s first foreign “Factory in a Box” in Afikpo, Nigeria. The local company designs, builds and places eco-friendly cookstoves in refugee camps, schools and orphanages around the world. The new stoves in Nigeria will be used in school kitchens to help feed 20,000 children a day. Wood harvesting for inefficient cooking has contributed to deforestation in Nigeria. See a video at instove.org.

Portland business blogger and entrepreneur  Rick Turoczy will be the keynote speaker at the SmartUps meeting from 5 to 7:30 pm Thursday, Aug. 29, at the Oregon Electric Station, 27 E. 5th Ave. $12 advance, $18 at the door. Register at the Eugene Area Chamber website.

Biz Beat recently had a couple of briefs about enterprises that offer used goods that might otherwise end up in landfills. Part of what drives these businesses is our stagnant economy and the large number of people who are strapped for cash. But there’s something else going on as well, a growing awareness that our throwaway culture is evolving. One indicator is the huge inventory of building supplies that can be found at BRING Recycling, ReStore and even various thrift stores. These stores used to rely on contractor leftovers from booming residential construction projects, but now individuals in the community are making up the difference. Need a new door, window or bookshelf? It makes sense economically and environmentally to check out the recycling stores before heading for the big box retail stores.

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