Noel Nash
Joe and Sandie came by our Springfield office last week to discuss their ideas regarding a weekly food-and-music festival they’re trying to establish in Cottage Grove. The experienced marketing and festival organizing experts hope to attract residents and visitors from throughout the southern Willamette Valley to the Western Oregon Exposition (W.O.E.) fairgrounds off Highway 99, next door to the Cottage Grove Speedway. The plan is to have music, food, and all kinds of vendors and artists at the fairgrounds before each Saturday’s scheduled events at the speedway. The festival would happen from noon-5 p.m., and then folks could walk over to the race track. Details are still being finalized and licenses procured by vendors, as well as ongoing discussions with Heather at the speedway, so stay tuned. …
The hiring process brings plenty of opportunity to meet new people, and The Chronicle’s recent spate of new employees was no exception. We’re still interviewing and onboarding, so it’s early days on those fronts, but we’re already excited about the quality of individuals we’re meeting and bringing on board. In no particular order, chatting with Pierre, Peter, Ryleigh, Camille, Spencer, Sarina, and Hannah has been an enriching experience. Writers, designers, photographers – all with diverse backgrounds and skill sets. Our thanks again to the folks like Deanna at Oregon WorkSource for their help in sourcing and assessing candidates. … And speaking of recent new hires, it was good to see sons Lucas and Blake stop by with their mom, another new employee, a couple of weeks ago.
He’s not an employee of The Chronicle, but John patrols the parking situation on the streets and lots outside of our Springfield building. A nice fellow, but we’ve probably had to interact more often than either of us likes due to the two-hour parking limit from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. …
My recent trip to Phoenix included meeting several new people who are partnering with the newspaper on several fronts. Ashlyn, Grace, and Jenna are students in a special honors program class at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications who are dedicated this semester to helping us with due diligence and idea generation regarding the best ways to serve our readership. It was also great to speak with John, one of the two professors leading the class. He’s a longtime radio broadcaster with expertise on business finance. As part of the work with the class, I spoke with Terese of the Local Media Association regarding potential reporting grants. …
I also have to mention Desiree, the front desk clerk at the Airport Raddison in Phoenix. While I was in the air – on a delayed flight out of Seattle – my hotel reservation was canceled due to a late, after-midnight arrival. I had no place to stay at 1 a.m. in Phoenix. She found a canceled room, and held it for me. … And shout-outs to my Lyft drivers: Brock, Shenoda, Damone, and Scott.
It’s the time of year when political candidates reach out to us. We met with Andrew, a candidate for a Congressional House seat, and chatted by phone with Michael, a campaign manager. …
We’re only a week away from April 7 – a milestone day for our news and information business. Valerie and Alyssa, Ambassadors with the Cottage Grove Chamber of Commerce, confirmed our ribbon-cutting at the Bank Building downtown from noon-1 p.m. … John at Springfield Chamber of Commerce confirmed the details around the ribbon-cutting event on that day at our Springfield office, from 3:30-4:30 p.m. … Of course, between those events, we’ll be in Creswell distributing copies of the Chamber of Commerce’s newcomers and visitors guide. …
It was my pleasure to speak with Malie, a colorectal cancer specialist at McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center. …
I enjoyed a quick chat with Jamie of the Springfield Drifters, who are a summer wooden-bat league team playing their games at Hamlin Sports Complex. …
There was quite a social event in Cottage Grove two weeks ago where we celebrated a local legends’ 86th birthday. My wife and I were lucky to be at a table with a few luminaries: Richard, Tyson, and Mary. We also chatted with Linda, Cindy, and Ralph. Jeff was at our table, too, but only briefly. … We saw Damien there, too, and have recently been cooperating with The Sentinel’s new publisher, Jenna. …
Angela, an agent with Edward Jones, has been a great supporter and we worked together recently on her advertising campaign. … Mechelle of Sunset Real Estate placed an ad in the Creswell Chamber’s annual guide. Her emails contain a note that made me smile: “Always text friendly.” … It also was a pleasure to chat with Carrie of Southern Willamette Vet in Creswell. …
Karen of Singing Creek Family Farms spoke with us recently, as did Amanda, who runs a UPS store in the area. …
Kris, a 69-year Creswell resident, called the other day asking about our sign over our old office space in Creswell. No doubt, it’s a collectors’ edition. It was commissioned by a previous publisher, and features the camas swale. Sorry, but the sign is not for sale. It’s part of our heritage, and we plan to keep and display it at some point. Our plan is to find the right office space in Creswell that needs our needs, and the sign will look great in our bureau there. …
In the course of business, we interact with a lot of people involved in city, county, and state government. It was good speaking with Melanie recently. …
Sonja has joined a local law firm and sends us legal notices. She’s delightful to work with – professional and efficient. …
The Creswell High School sports supporters – Bulldog Boosters – are gearing up for their annual auction and fundraising events. Kristi has been our point person and she’s been terrific communicating with us and promoting the festivities. …
Bright Oak Meats is a regular stop around these parts, and our parking lots are in adjoining positions. I met Ryen there the other day.
Noel Nash is publisher of
The Chronicle.
