Twitter and Facebook Web sites provide venues for promoting business as well as personal connections, but Linked-In and Constant Contact are the preferred sites for professionals who spoke during the last PubTalk meeting of the year.

During the Thursday evening PubTalk at the Crossroads Carnegie Art Center, professionals versed in the ins and outs of using social and business networking sites described how they use Facebook, Twitter, Linked-In and Constant Contact to promote their career objectives, market companies, products or services, promote events, seminars, workshops and  keep in contact with business associates and potential clients.

Local attractions and businesses have been highlighted on the Vintage Road Trip Web site, in Portland Monthly and Wine Press Northwest magazines, and by columnist Gerry Frank in The Sunday Oregonian.

OSU’s College of Business announced the awards for 2009 Thursday. Winners and finalists will be formally recognized at an awards dinner Nov. 19 at the Oregon Zoo.

After 32 years running a variety of businesses ranging from dairy, furniture store and feed store in Richland to a building supply in Baker City, Glen and Cledith VandenBos announced plans to retire at the end of the year.

On Monday, the VandenBoses launched a store closing sale and announced plans to close Eagle Valley Building Supply when they retire at the end of the year. The business is located at 2295 Windmill Road in Baker City.

“We started out in 1995 with a trailer in the parking lot at Lube Depot,” said Phil Stone, a co-owner of Sorbenots Coffee.

Two Baker City auto dealerships are spending between $2 million and $3 million to develop a combined show room, car lot and shop on the other side of the freeway.

“We’re buying 11 acres on the other side of the freeway between the Super 8 Motel and the (United Parcel Service) facility,” said Dennis Wright, general manager and part owner of Gentry Ford on Main Street and Powder River Motors on 10th Street in Baker City. “Our hope in the next two years is to combine all of our dealerships out there.”

“We’d been planning the remodel for a couple of years before the economy turned. We had a little better outlook on the local economy than what the national media painted, and we flat needed the space, so we decided to move forward with it,” said Martin Arritola, a partner and manager of the business founded by his parents, Dan and Mary Arritola.

J.R. and Dana Streifel’s vehicle repair shop is one of several businesses in a commercial area east of Interstate 84 that Baker City annexed a couple years ago

For J.R. Streifel, the economic downturn that has dampened sales of homes, new cars and consumer products has turned out to be a boon for his auto and truck repair business.

“With the economy like it is, I think people are holding off on buying new rigs and they’re choosing to fix up and hang onto the ones they’re driving a little longer,” said Streifel, owner of Grumpy’s Repair.

“We have approved matching grants for several awnings as part of our Destination Downtown grant program,” said Ann Mehaffy, HBC program manager.

 Business owners say the promotion brought in lots of customers

“It was crazy. It was like Christmas. It was one of the best days we’ve had all year,” is how Jacki Adams, owner of The Sycamore Tree, described Tuesday’s launch of the Terrific Tuesdays downtown shopping promotion.

Adams is is co-chair of the Terrific Tuesdays campaign, which is designed to lure shoppers downtown with drawings for merchandise, prizes and gift certificates of $10, $20, $25, $50 or $100 at 26 downtown businesses and a few in other areas of town every Tuesday during the summertime.