By ED MERRIMAN

Baker City Herald

In small towns across America, changes in the global political climate and economy are spurring demand for all manner of local products, according to “angel investors” who spoke at the June Pubtalk earlier this month in Baker City.

“We’ve had the worst recession since the 1980s, and there’s been a structured shift in the economy,” said Wayne Embree, one of three investors who participated in the panel discussion at Quail Ridge Golf Course.

“Large companies laid off a lot of people who will never go back, but a lot of jobs sent overseas are coming back. It has to do with changing ideas about buying local, national pride and things like that. This is the perfect time to be an entrepreneur,” Embree said.

Joining Embree, who’s the founder and managing partner in Reference Capital and Cascadia partners, were: Jim Noonan, managing director of R4 Funding LLC and president of Pivot Point Capital Corp.; and Linda Weston, who started the Portland Power women’s professional basketball team in 1996 and has been president and executive director of Oregon Entrepreneurs Network since 1999.

“You can build world-class companies anywhere,” Embree said. “The key is understanding what customers want and how to get it to them. We work with people who have an idea, but don’t have the money, experience or know-how to run a successful company.”

 “We’ve come a long way from the volunteer watershed boards and part-time or volunteer directors we had 10 years ago,” said Cassandra Moseley, a representative director of the Ecosystem Workforce Program (EWP) at the University of Oregon, which conducted the economic analysis.

In addition to jobs and watershed councils and soil and water conservation districts involved in planning, applying for grants, awarding grants and overseeing forest and watershed projects, much of the on-the-ground work is carried out by contractors, which benefits local economies and small family businesses even more than traditional public works projects such as building highways and bridges, according to Moseley’s report.

She said 188 of 190 contractors interviewed by EWP that contracted to do forest and watershed restoration work identified themselves as small family businesses averaging between two and seven employees.

Fred Warner Jr., chairman of the Baker County Board of Commissioners, told members of the Baker County Economic Development Commission Tuesday that “we haven’t agreed to anything yet.”

“The Anthony Lakes group has brought this up,” Warner said. “They want it done. The county has agreed to look really hard at it and come up with a plan of action.”

Ski Anthony Lakes is located on public land managed by the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, in the Elkhorn Mountains about 34 miles northwest of Baker City.

The resort owns the buildings and other facilities.

Bill Junnila, who manages the resort, said its owners submitted the proposal to the county.

The ownership has changed but the name on the sign, and the services geared to the needs of Eastern Oregon clients, remain the same at Elkhorn Title of Baker City.

The new owners include Russell and Sharon Lester, their daughter, Kris Walker, and son-in-law, Ben Case.

The family members are also partners in ownership and/or management of Eastern Oregon Title in La Grande, and Pioneer Title in Walla Walla.

“The purchase of Elkhorn Title expands their footprint in Eastern Oregon. It just made sense for all parties,” said Joel Winchester, a senior title officer and manager at Elkhorn Title.

He said the company’s roots go back to the second-oldest business in Baker City.

Small business owners and entrepreneurs preparing to start a business can triple their savings, up to a maximum of $10,000 over three years, under a savings incentive program available through the Northeast Oregon Economic Development District.

“We have received a new round of funding and have $72,000 in matching funds available this year,” said Annie Thompson, an NEOEDD spokeswoman.

For every dollar saved by qualified entrepreneurs and small business owners who sign up under the Individual Development Account program, NEOEDD provides up to $3 in matching funds, Thompson said.

“Imagine how that money could change your business — or your business dreams,” Thompson said.

Radio Shack is searching for an entrepreneur to open a franchise store in Baker City this summer.

“The population of Baker City is one of the largest in Oregon where we don’t have a Radio Shack store,” said Bill Bartels, area developer for new Radio Shack stores.

Baker City had a Radio Shack outlet in the Pocahontas Road building that also housed Lumbermens, but that store closed in 2009 when Miller’s Home Center bought Lumbermens.

Bartels traveled from his corporate office in Waterford, Wis., last week to visit Baker City and meet with members of the Baker County Chamber of Commerce, local bankers and the media to spread the word and gauge public support for opening a new Radio Shack store in town.

“We talked to some chamber folks, and to some bankers in town, and they are very encouraged about Radio Shack wanting to open a store in Baker City,” Bartels said. “We’d like to get something going this summer.”

After a comedy routine by Whit Deschner that kept the crowd in stitches, Jimmy Chan’s restaurant was named Business of the Year and Jeff Nelson was named Volunteer of the Year Thursday night at the annual Historic Baker City Inc. awards.

“Whit Deschner was hysterical. He kept us all laughing. He warmed the crowed up. He was a highlight of the evening,” said Ann Mehaffy, HBC executive director.

Other HBC awards included the Community Partnerships Award presented to the Baker Economic Resource Alliance; the Physical Improvements Award went to Larry and Rosemary Abell for their work on The Pythian Castle; the Downtown Success Story Award went to Dick and Marge Haynes of the Short Term Gallery; and the Stepping Up to the Plate Award went to Terry and Dan McQuisten, owners of the Eltrym Theatre.

The free event starts Friday with a tour of all 16 lodging businesses within the Baker City limits. The tour, organized by the Baker County Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau, leaves from the armory, 1640 Campbell St., at 1 p.m. and returns at 5 p.m.

“Business owners of other lodging entities, restaurants, gift and clothing shops, service stations and tourist attractions can train their employees to be our visitors’ No. 1 information source, keeping visitors busy shopping and touring and encouraging them to stay another day,” said Ann Mehaffy, program director for the Historic Baker City Inc., which is one of the sponsors for the Resource Fair.

After the lodging tour there will be hors d’oeuvres, networking and informational booths at the armory from 5:30 to 7 p.m, followed by keynote speaker Maurizio Valerio, community development coordinator for Rural Development Initiatives.

Students will compete in more than 60 business-focused contests during the conference, which begins today at the Doubletree Lloyd Center and Oregon Convention Center. During the three-day conference, students also will  hear from keynote speakers, support the March of Dimes, FBLA’s national service partner, attend leadership and career-focused workshops and elect a new team of state leaders.

Top contest finishers will advance to the national Leadership Conference at Nashville, Tenn., this summer.

“The State Business Leadership Conference is an amazing opportunity for students,” Bailey said in a press release. “I left my first SBLC a better leader and excited for school and community service.

“Inbound marketing” as a tool for developing and expanding business marketing contacts and opportunities, is the topic for first PubTalk of 2010.

The PubTalk meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 7, at the Crossroads Carnegie Art Center, 2020 Auburn Ave.

Jake Jacobs of the Small Business Development Center and the Baker City/County economic development team, said the use of social networking tools has proven to be a valuable new method of marketing products and services.

This meeting topic is derived from the 2010 book “Inbound Marketing” by Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah, Jacobs said.