Building Healthy, Prosperous Communities


For 25 years SAIF and AOI have teamed up to offer the CompSAFE program, helping create safer, healthier Oregon workplaces. Wellness is a shared concern of SAIF and AOI, and here are five CompSAFE members exemplifying wellness beyond their business to the community at large.

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DUTCH BROS. COFFEE OF GRANTS PASS  If there was a “poster child” for a good neighbor in Oregon, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better candidate than Dutch Bros. Coffee. Founded in 1992 by dairy farmer brothers Dane and Travis Boersma, Dutch Bros. Coffee is the country’s largest privately held drive-thru coffee company. Starting as a single espresso pushcart in Grants Pass, there are now 265 locations in seven states.

The News section of the company’s website offers a roadmap to being a good business citizen. News in that section highlights local franchises dedicating all or portions of sales to an important cause.

The Drink One for Dane campaign is a primary example. One day each year all sales proceeds from all franchises are donated to the Muscular Dystrophy Association for research into ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). It is a cause that hits close to home. Travis’ brother and co-founder Dane lost his battle with ALS in 2009.

DrinkOneforDane
Dutch Bros. Drink One For Dane campaign raised a record $758,500 for ALS research this year.
 

May 6 of this year marked the 10th anniversary of the campaign and Dutch Bros. franchises set a record raising $758,500 for the day. The ten year tally for the campaign is an impressive $2.53 million raised for Muscular Dystrophy Association.

“We’ve always focused more on people than the bottom line,” says Travis. “It’s our core desire to transform lives rather than conduct transactions.”

PIONEER CUT STOCK, INC. OF PRINEVILLE  Pioneer Cut Stock is a family owned and operated secondary wood products facility, and a leading supplier of premier windows and doors. Starting in 1986 with one building and a small wood products cut line, Pioneer Cut Stock’s operations today are spread over a 15-acre complex with five separate production facilities. They remanufacture random length wood products which historically would have been burned as slag waste in iconic wigwam burners once dotting Oregon’s rural landscape. Pioneer Cut Stock turns this former waste product into a wide range of solid, molded, laminated and finger-jointed products.

 PCS Office
From their headquarters in Prineville, Pioneer Cut Stock has enjoyed 30 years of success as a family-owned business.

 

“Our company credo pretty much sums up what we’re all about,” says Martha Davenport, CFO. “Pride in Quality—Pride in People. It means exactly that: integrity, honesty and teamwork. These are standards that are incorporated into the daily operations…from the CEO to the newest employee.”

That pride doesn’t stop at the plant door. Pioneer Cut Stock supports local and regional causes, routinely encouraging their 60-plus employees to nominate suggested recipients for that support.

It is a formula for success which should keep Pioneer Cut Stock going for another 30 years.

ValueAdded
Pioneer Cut Stock is a leading supplier for premier window and door manufacturers.

 

D&O GARBAGE SERVICES, INC. OF SALEM  In 1956, Dale Neliton and Orville (Orey) Kliewer began driving a 1964 Chevy pickup through Salem neighborhoods, soliciting garbage pickup services. Little did they know that they would be starting a venture that would last more than five decades and span at least three generations.

D&O Garbage Services is a leader in waste collection and recycling in the greater Salem area, succeeding by staying on the cutting edge of technology and service innovation.

“A lot of businesses like to say they’re family,” says Jeanette Neliton, Secretary/Treasurer for D&O. “Well. We practically are all family here.”
That close-knit quality to the business translates outward in its commitment to the greater community through involvement in the CAN Cancer program.

CAN Cancer is supported by waste haulers soliciting donations from customers using distinctive purple envelopes. One hundred percent of donations go to local families receiving cancer treatment. The donations are for non-medical expenses, such as fuel, travel and food costs.

In eight years CAN Cancer has raised nearly $250,000, helping over 750 families.

“We have been blessed with the support of our customers and the community for 50 years, this past June,” says Neliton. “This is just one small way we can give back.”

Edwards Center Inc. of Aloha  In 1972, Dr. Jean Edwards believed there had to be a better way to treat and encourage adults with developmental disabilities. The model at the time—institutionalization. To prove her belief, Dr. Edwards created the Edwards Center, one of the region’s first residential facilities dedicated to supporting the care and success of people with developmental disabilities.

Today, the Center includes 15 residential supervised group homes, 10 houses, two day activity programs and one workplace location. There is also a 13,359-square-foot community center that serves as a hub for community activities.

As Dr. Edwards herself said: “The vision is one where adults with developmental disabilities enjoy opportunities in all aspects of their lives, preserving their dignity and independence, staying motivated, celebrated, connected with family, and integrated into community across their life span.”
Even the briefest visit to the Edwards Center will reflect the clarity and beauty of that vision.

EUGENE WELDERS SUPPLY COMPANY OF EUGENE  The year was 1945, an interesting time to start a business. World War II was coming to an end and uncertainty prevailed. The Laing family founded Eugene Welders Supply Company in 1945, not long before the post war building boom, and continues to grow in present day.

Eugene Welders Supply is now known under the banner of Industrial Source, Oregon’s largest independent and longest-running gas and welding supply company. In 2012, they opened their newest store in Roseburg, firmly establishing their presence statewide.

The business stays connected to communities through a company-wide commitment to local causes. Eugene Welders Supply contributes 10 percent of their entire corporate net income to local communities, including donations to local causes, and paid employee volunteer hours. Each employee is encouraged to volunteer at least 16 hours of time each year during work days.

Big Brothers Big Sisters, FOOD for Lane County, March of Dimes, Coburg Fire District, Courageous Kids, Relief Nursery, Court Appointed Special Advocated, Food for Lane County and numerous school districts have been recipients of Eugene Welders Supply’s support.

“For us, contributing to our communities represents an investment,” says Michelle Willett, HR and Operations Manager. “It’s one that continues to pay dividends we never anticipated.”