Author Archives: Tigard Chamber of Commerce

Tigard Chamber of Commerce Endorses Candidates for November 2020 General Election

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September 3rd, 2020 – For Immediate Release

(Tigard, Oregon) – The Candidate Endorsement Committee (CEC) of the Tigard Chamber of Commerce, has determined its list of endorsements for the upcoming Tigard City Council and Metro Council race in the 2020 General Election. The Committee consisting of local business owners, community leaders, and members of the Chamber Board of Directors came together to go through a non-partisan process to consider candidates for endorsement who align with the Chambers’ core values/mission, legislative agenda and who support public policy that strengthens the business community and free enterprise system.

“This is an unprecedented time for those running for public office” said Debi Mollahan CEO of the Tigard Chamber. “These decisions, while never easy, need to be made in order to move forward in the best direction for Tigard businesses. We looked for candidates who support collaborative, open communication and problem solving between business and government. We recognize how challenging running for public office can be and appreciate the drive exhibited by all the candidates.” said Tim McBratney Candidate Endorsement Committee Chair.

The Candidate Endorsement Committee for the Tigard Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce their unanimous endorsement of the following candidates for the 2020 General Election held November 3rd,  2020.

Tigard City Council: Heidi Lueb

Heidi
Heidi Lueb

Heidi Lueb has been an appointed member of the Tigard City Council since 2019 and is seeking her second term. Heidi is a strong supporter of business as evidenced by her voting record in support of funding for Tigard CARES initial program phases and the upcoming phase 4 funding allocation as well as funding for the Economic Development Manager.

Heidi would like to see more business come to Tigard and thrive here and has supported the addition of industrial and employment land as Tigard expands through annexation and making zoning changes.  She views that current business and new business will play a critical role in the future development of the Tigard Triangle and is an advocate for public /private partnerships  to help make that happen.  She has made herself visible with both the general community as well as the  chamber business community, engaging with our local businesses.  With a work background as a financial Controller, Heidi  brings a business mind to problem solving within her role as City  Councilor.   We find her well qualified to represent the interest of business as a Tigard City Councilor.

Tigard City Council:  Kevin Wright

Kevin
Kevin Wright

Kevin  Wright impressed us with his grasp of complex issues facing both the City of Tigard and business.  Kevin’s business background and experience in  business development and strategy, learned at both start ups and Fortune 500 companies and across a mix of industries gives him good insight and understanding of the challenges business can face generally and insights into how city government can be a part of the solution.

Leveraging his own business background and based on his answers to our questions, we see Kevin will bring some out of the box thinking to Tigard City  Council on ways that the City can support our businesses in their recovery from a COVID inflicted downturn and grow beyond that. 

Kevin’s relatability to a broad section of our community, his ability to communicate cross- generationally and his ability to listen, gather data and make informed decisions should serve both the community and business well in a role of Tigard City Councilor.

Metro Councilor District 3 – Tom Anderson

Anderson Head shot
Tom Anderson

Tom Anderson has over a decade of public service in a variety of forms that make him well suited to represent the needs of this district at Metro.  Tom served on the Tigard Planning Commission from 2007-2013, the last two years as president. He has been a Tigard City Councilor since 2016.  In that time, he has participated in many projects that have helped shape Tigard into what it is today.

With his Planning and Council experience, Tom understand budget issues, land use planning as it relates both to business and community, how parks are funded and what resources are being used to plan the SW Corridor project. He has additional experience with being on regional committees regarding water and light rail. With Tigard’s recent expansion into River Terrace,  Tom has added to his portfolio and understanding of how the Urban Growth Boundary works, how lands are added or subtracted from the UGB inventory and what it takes in terms of process and cost for jurisdictions to add land to their communities.  All of these experiences and expertise make Tom the best candidate for the complex role of Metro Councilor in District 3 representing seven different cities across two counties.

Aside from his public service, Tom owns his own real estate business, so he understands the challenges of running a business, the intersection of government with business and how government can help or hurt business.  He will provide a reasoned business voice at the table in the Metro Councilor District 3 seat.

“We greatly appreciate all of the candidates that took the time to go through our confidential in-depth questionnaire and took time out of their busy schedules for our in-person interviews” said Ethan Frelly,  Chair of the Chamber’s Board of Directors. The Committee and Chamber agree that voters need to do their due diligence and cast their votes this November.

About the Tigard Chamber of Commerce

Mission – Building & Connecting Businesses, Growing Leaders and Shaping Our Community

Vision – Business + Community = Prosperity, Vibrancy & Diversity

 

Letter to OR-OSHA and Legislature on Draft OR-OSHA COVID 19 Workplace Rules

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tigard chamber logo blue

September 3, 2020

Dear Administrator Michael Wood, Senators Burdick & Thatcher  and Representatives Doherty and Neron,

Thank you for the opportunity to provide feedback on OR-OSHA’s Draft COVID-19 Standard.

The Tigard Chamber of Commerce represents close to 300 member businesses providing over 15,000 jobs who are committed to growing business opportunities and providing living-wage jobs for families in our community.  We are writing today to express our concerns about OR-OSHA’s Draft COVID-19 Standard.

Oregon employers have been saddled with an incredible burden. Many businesses faced closures in 2020 or saw operations significantly curtailed in order to slow the spread of the virus. Employers also have been tasked with complying with Governor’s Orders and ever-evolving guidelines for businesses from the Oregon Health Authority. We’ve worked hard to comply because we wanted to protect our customers and employees, but each of these regulations comes at a cost, and some businesses weren’t able to weather the economic storm created by this.

Now, OR-OSHA is moving forward with costly new workplace standards and a new paid leave mandate that will apply to all public and private employers. We are all trying to do our best, but some of the proposals put forward by OR-OSHA are concerning. Please make the following changes to your temporary COVID-19 Standard before you finalize to make it workable.

First, OR-OSHA must remove the requirement that employers sanitize all high-touch surfaces and shared equipment between every use. That mandate alone will require all employers to hire or repurpose employees to just follow other employees around and clean surfaces after one touch. It also will require significant investment in sanitation supplies above and beyond what we have currently purchased. OR-OSHA must be reasonable; this is clearly not.

Second, I’m concerned that OR-OSHA is creating standards that conflict with existing public health guidelines. Local businesses already have spent a lot of money to create a safe work space for their employees and customers. OR-OSHA’s mask requirements should align with the Governor’s requirements and exceptions for facial coverings. Please also simplify language related to social distancing; there should be one clear standard. It’ll be tough for small businesses to navigate these rules; they are regulatory relief right now, not additional administrative hurdles.

Third, OR-OSHA must eliminate the new paid leave mandate that is called “Medical Removal.” The agency doesn’t have the authority to expand an existing Fed-OSHA program that is used in the rare instances of workplace chemical exposure in order to create a new 2-week paid leave benefit for all employees during COVID-19. And employees who were exposed to COVID-19 outside of work will receive this benefit (paid for by employers), regardless of whether they complied with the Governor’s Orders! This is unfair to employers who are trying to do the right thing and will harm local businesses who are already struggling. It also ignores significant federal and state benefits that have been authorized to support employees who need to quarantine. Businesses are closing their doors every day; please don’t make Oregon an impossible place for local businesses to operate.

Finally, we ask the agency to give businesses a minimum of 90-days before enforcement kicks in. Employers will face OR-OSHA penalties immediately and could face BOLI penalties and costly lawsuits if OR-OSHA pursues the ill-advised paid leave mandate. Please give employers time to figure out how to interpret and comply with these rules before starting enforcement.

We are all doing our best. Please do not add a costly burden to employers at a time when small businesses can least afford it.

Thank you for listening to our concerns.

Sincerely,

Debi Mollahan

CEO, Tigard Chamber

 

Make an Impact – Apply for Leadership Tigard

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PRESS RELEASE

Aug 12th, 2020

For Immediate Release:  Tigard, Oregon

Leadership Tigard: Your Backstage Pass to Community and Opportunity

Now accepting 2020 2021 Applications
Left to Right – Mayor Jason Snider, Tigard Chamber CEO, Debi Mollahan, 2020 Graduates – Kelly Marks, Justina Williamson, Carol Krager, Leah Voit, Dolly Specht, Ryan Mohr, John Goodhouse, Pam Leavitt., Katherine Wiley, Kyle Arnhart, Richard Crokin, Patty Lofgren – Not pictured, Amber Bell, Kimberly Cederholm, Wes Charley, Annie Sprague

The Tigard Chamber of Commerce is seeking curious, collaborative, constructive, compassionate, and connected adults who are: business owners, government, non-profit, or academic professionals and volunteers.

Are you interested in gaining more knowledge about the community you live, work and play in? How about a deeper understanding of how it all fits together between business, government, non-profits, and community?  Would you like to impact the community of Tigard and help make it even better?  Then consider Leadership Tigard! Not into reading, go to our video page here, 

Leadership Tigard is a 1 day/month, 9 month program of the Tigard Chamber of Commerce.  The goal of the program is to educate and inspire adult leaders to participate in the life of our community at a variety of levels.  The purpose of Leadership Tigard is to create knowledgeable, connected, skilled, involved and passionate business and community members/leaders.

Participants in Leadership Tigard become part of local solutions as more informed and engaged citizens.  What some previous participants say about Leadership Tigard: 

  • Karen Emerson, current Tigard School Board member stated: “Leadership Tigard helped me find the confidence to represent my neighbors on the school board.”
  • Halsted Bernard, Director of Tigard Public Library stated: “Leadership Tigard has given me the tools to engage more deeply with the Tigard Community and the resources to collaborate with other leaders.”
  • Michelle Cheney, health care professional: ”I’ve lived in Tigard for 15 years and worked here for 7 and almost everything we learned was new.  I was delighted with how much Tigard has to offer, and I learned about important ways I can contribute to my community.”

Leadership Tigard graduates have impacted the local community through service projects over the last four years of the program in the following ways:

  • 2020 – Site preparation, assembly and installation of play structure for Family Promise of Tualatin Valley, a non profit that serves homeless children and their families.
  • 2019 – Raised over $6,000 for the Chelsea Hicks Foundation who provides play and laughter to children fighting cancer.
  • 2018 – Assembled 300 “Fresh Start” kits with essential health, hygiene and other necessities for the city’s most needy residents distributed through local agencies.
  • 2017 – Raised $5,000 for Project Homeless Connect Tigard – One Day Event, serving some of our most vulnerable community members.

Applications are now being accepted for the Leadership Tigard class of 2020/21. The program runs October 12th 2020 through June15th, 2021. Applications are due by September 24th, 2020. To learn more and/or apply visit: Leadership.TigardChamber.org or email debi@tigardchamber.org.

Leadership Tigard is a program of the Tigard Chamber of Commerce. Connect with us on Facebook.com/LeadershipTigard, Instagram.com/Leadership_Tigard and Twitter @LeadersTigard

For more information contact Debi Mollahan: Debi@TigardChamber.org or (503) 639-1683

 

H.R. 7671 – Small Business Comeback Act – A Joint Letter to Our Federal Delegation

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Breaking News – The Washington County Chambers of Commerce partnership today has sent the following letter to all 3 members of our federal delegation who represent us:  Senators Merkley and Wyden and Representative Bonamici.  The letter sent to Merkley will show you the request that was sent to all 3 asking for support of the Small Business Comeback Act.  

WCCCP Small Business Comeback Act Letter to Feds

Click the image to read the full letter in PDF format.  Click the delegation last names for their individual letters

You can find a summary H.R. 7671 here.

The Tigard Chamber is #championforbusiness #catalystforgrowth