Basin Business for September 2018

September 2018

KLAMATH BASIN

Basin Business

Thursday, September 27, 2018, Herald and News

Business

Employment steady in South Central Oregon — Page 5

Burger Shoppe on the sales block Page 4

Mr. B’s back in business

Financial Focus: Tips for making insurance work for you — Page 5

More car charging stations coming to Klamath — Page 5

H&N photo by Sean Bassinger From left: Cathy Mason, Lyman Mason and Paul Randall stand outside Mr. B’s, a popular steakhouse and eatery along South Sixth Street in Klamath Falls, on Tuesday. The family-owned business is looking to mix classic elements with new as Lyman Mason takes on the role of head chef. See story, Page 2

A publication of the Herald & News

Chamber: www.klamath.org

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Thursday, September 27, 2018, Herald and News

Basin Business

n Business profile

Back in business

New family ownership takes over popular Klamath Falls steakhouse One of the fully furnished dining rooms at Mr. B’s steakhouse is pictured, just one week before new owners plan to give the business new life.

The popular steakhouse will start with reservations only as the new family in charge continues to build on the experience.

BY SEAN BASSINGER

sbassinger@heraldandnews.com

Mr. B’s, a once popular steakhouse and fine dining staple along South Sixth Street in Klamath Falls, is set to get new life following the purchase by a new family business.

Head Chef Lyman Mason and his family say they’re doing this to make sure they get the experience right.

They plan to mix classics with new in order to craft a dining experience that “exceeds expectations” for customers. An official opening date is set for 4:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 5, though reservations must be made ahead of time.

Lyman Mason and his step-brother, Paul Randall, thought it would be best to get in the groove in the first couple of weeks — and allow their eight new staff to get comfortable with their surroundings — to give everyone an experience they’ll want to revisit.

Randall has plans to work on community outreach, in addition to bartending, while Mason operates the kitchen.

“We want to make sure that everyone who comes in the door gets the same exceptional service and food,” Mason said in an interview Tuesday afternoon.

The return

Mr. B’s

Same number, same location in Klamath Falls: 3927 S. Sixth St. 541-883-8719 Now taking reservations only.

Hours: Tuesday through Thursday, 4:30 to 9 p.m.

Friday and Saturday, 4:30 to 10 p.m.

Mr. B’s, which was originally named Chez Nous, shuttered its doors in April 2016 following the last owners’ decision to retire. Achim and Arlette Bassler told the H&N at the time that they were ready to retire so they could catch up on other projects and take a muchneeded vacation.

Mason and his family saw this year as an excellent opportunity to take over, calling it a combination of “faith, family and good timing.” The 2002 Lakeview High grad wrapped up a year-long Le Cordon Bleu program in Portland and knew he wanted to open a business of his own.

“He’s been looking to get into a restaurant for a couple of years now at least,” Randall said.

See MR. B’S, Page 6

Basin Business

Thursday, September 27, 2018, Herald and News

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Klamath River Dam Removal

The jobs race is on, and we have a head start

BY HEATHER TRAMP

Executive Director, Klamath County Chamber of Commerce

AND JULIE MATTHEWS

Director of Operations, Klamath County Economic Development Association

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t’s looking more and more likely that hundreds of millions of dollars are going to be spent on a project in our back yard, and local economic opportunity abounds.

In case you missed it, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) just issued a water quality permit to the Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC), finding that removing the JC Boyle Dam will improve water quality in the Klamath River and benefit fish over the long term. This is not the last permit required before dam removal begins, but it is an important green light from ODEQ. We understand that dam removal has been controversial in our area, and we are not taking a pro or con position on it. However, it appears that this project is moving forward.

An important note because we’ve heard concerns: KRRC is not proposing to remove any facilities that store water for the Klamath Irrigation project. There are no diversions whatsoever from the four dams slated for removal. Our organizations strongly support agriculture as a core economic driver in the region.

If this project is moving forward, and if big money will be spent, we want as much of it as possible to be spent in our area. To that end, the Klamath County Chamber of Commerce and Klamath County Economic Development Association recently hosted an informational meeting where local businesses and contractors heard directly from KRRC about the jobs and contracts that will be created in Klamath County as part of the $400 million project to remove four dams on the Klamath River.

We are pleased to report that KRRC is providing a local preference for workers and businesses in its contracting process.

Indeed, plans to meet, measure, and track KRRC’s local and tribal participation goals is a factor KRRC is using to evaluate and select a dam removal contractor, including the firm’s previous success at meeting these types of goals. KRRC’s participation goals are that at least 5 percent of the design-build contract price

will be spent on local sub-contractors or employment of local workforce, including those in Klamath County, and at least 5 percent for Tribes.

At our meeting with KRRC, we witnessed major firms reaching out to local businesses and seeking to establish mutually beneficial relationships for this enormous project that will pay prevailing wage! It is not often that a project of this magnitude, and paying these kinds of wages, comes to Klamath County.

Services which KRRC will require include, but are not limited to: n Surveying n Quality control (inspection and material testing) n Heavy equipment operation (dozers, scrapers, backhoes, excavators, etc.) n Manual construction labor (pipe installation, site cleanup, etc.) n Planting and irrigation installation n Non-native plant control n Drilling n Explosive handling n Truck driving n Road grading and maintenance n Fire break construction n Material processing and stockpiling n Construction workforce support n Road improvement design n Water pipeline design n Recreation demolition and

restoration design n Road improvement and access road construction, including dust control In addition to the direct jobs, there will be positive impacts on restaurants, hotels, laundromats, grocery stores and all kinds of local businesses.

We are keenly aware that businesses hundreds of miles away are seeking to

Mark Fay, M.D. Scott Stevens, M.D. Physician/ Surgeon of the Eye Physician/ Surgeon of the Eye

benefit from this project. Competition might be intense. But we have a competitive edge. We are local. This is in our back yard. And KRRC is incentivizing major firms to partner with our local businesses. If you see an opportunity for your business, or you want to find out more, please visit http:// www.klamathrenewal.org/jobs/ If you are a Chamber member and you missed out on the meeting, contact us at inquiry@klamath.org or call 541-8845193. If there is enough interest, we can ask for a repeat meeting. And if you are not yet a Chamber member, this is a great time to take advantage of all we have to offer.

Edwin Tuhy, O.D. Optometrist

Jennifer Sparks, O.D. Optometrist

New Patients Welcome

2640 Biehn St. • 541.884.3148 • www.klamatheyecenter.com

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Thursday, September 27, 2018, Herald and News

Basin Business

Popular C&D Burger Shoppe to flip owners

BY SEAN BASSINGER

H&N Staff Reporter

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ike on any typical day, customers came and went on Friday from C&D Burger Shoppe, a popular stop along Oregon Avenue in Klamath Falls.

Kari Pagan, owner of C&D Burger, could be seen in the small kitchen, flipping burgers and taking orders.

One customer who approached the booth asked about the “for sale” signs outside. She confirmed that the spot was up for grabs.

“It’s not going to be the same,” the man said, expressing some concern.

Pagan, still working on toasting buns and roasting ground beef patties on the grill, replied with confidence.

“It will,” she said. “I’ll make sure.”

A ‘well done’ experience C&D Burger first opened in 1973 at the same Kari Pagan location, save for a small indoor dining area that was added on 20 years later and other equipment upgrades since. Pagan bought the shop with her husband, Matt, back in 2012 when they saw it was available.

Pagan and her husband lived in Eugene at the time, though it was a return home for her. Originally from Klamath Falls, she attended Klamath Union High for three years and Mazama High for one.

Her own mother even ran a restaurant called Kellogg’s from 1984 to 1993. Some of the folks who went to her mom’s diner are now Pagan’s own regular customers.

“They’ve known me since I was 12 years old, and now they come to my restaurant,” she said.

Though running the eatery has allowed Pagan to make and restore many connections, the hours have started to take their toll. She also experienced a tremendous family loss when her youngest son, Forrest Gildersleeve, passed away in March 2017.

Pagan’s older son, Todd Gildersleeve Jr., lives in San Diego, but she hasn’t been able to get away long enough to see him for more than a day.

“I would like to go see him for more than 36 hours,” Pagan said. “You can’t be gone that long.”

On a recent day, Pagan was quick to point out lunchtime customers who would come and go, some on a daily basis.

Customer impact She first made mention of a man who commutes daily from Bonanza to get his C&D Burger fix. Shortly after,

H&N photos by Sean Bassinger

C&D Burger Shoppe, above, has been a staple on Oregon Avenue in Klamath Falls since 1973.

At left, ground beef patties and buns begin to sizzle on the grill.

with his 15-year-old daughter, who also used to work there, along with his wife.

“Hopefully they don’t mess with the menu or try to save a buck by buying the cheapest materials the can,” Wilcox said. “You just can’t get consistency with that.”

What’s next? another regular approached her window to order a meal.

Heath Wilcox, who said he turns 50 this year, first helped the original owners of C&D Burger when he was just 11 years old. He used to shovel and sweep the parking lot and eventually worked 20-hour weekly shifts in summers.

“I was really good friends with the owner’s children at that time,” Wilcox said, adding that they treated him like family.

More than anything, Wilcox said that the “consistency” of C&D Burger is what he thought brought people back after all these years. He, like others, wants everything to stay as it currently is.

It’s now a weekly tradition that he visits C&D Burger

Regardless of her eventual departure from C&D, Pagan said she would remain in the community and work to improve her own catering business, a new venture she has also started work on that allows for much more flexibility.

Though she wants to sell the burger joint as soon as possible, Pagan says she’s not jumping into anything without more closely working with whoever’s interested in keeping the burger stop’s charm.

She plans to teaching them recipes, show them the ropes and make sure that the transition goes as smoothly as possible.

As Pagan puts it, she really want to make sure that somebody who buys it wants to keep it just as it is — for the customers she sees and appreciates each day.

“I worked so hard to build it up to what it is,” she said.

“This business has been amazing for me.”

Basin Business — FINANCIAL FOCUS —

Thursday, September 27, 2018, Herald and News

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Klamath and Lake counties

How can life insurance benefit you long term?

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ou may not be aware of it, but September is Life Insurance Awareness Month. Of course, you probably recognize, at least in a general sense, the importance of life insurance, but do you know the various ways in which it can help you?

Life insurance can play a sizable role in your ability to achieve some important financial goals, such as these: n Helping your family maintain its lifestyle — If you are married and have young children at home, you and your spouse may need to work. If you were no longer around and your earnings were gone, could your family still afford to live as they do now?

Adequate life insurance can help them preserve their lifestyle. n Helping your children continue their education — Even if you weren’t planning to foot the entire bill for your children’s college education, you still might be doing what you can, such as contributing to a 529 education savings plan. If your income was lost, could your family still afford to continue these contributions?

With enough life insurance, you can improve the chances that your children will at least get some financial help for college or vocational training. n Helping your survivors pay off debts — Are all your debts paid off? If not, you could be leaving your family on the hook for some of them, such as credit cards and car loans – not to mention your mortgage. Also, as uncomfortable as it may be to consider it, funeral and burial costs can easily run into the thousands. The proceeds of your life insurance policy can help pay down debts, handle your final expenses — and relieve your family of costly burdens. n Helping your spouse build resources for retirement — It’s almost impossible for most of us to save too much for retirement. Your spouse may already have some retirement

accounts, such as a 401(k) and an IRA, but will these be enough to sustain a long retirement? Through life insurance, you can potentially add significant amounts to your spouse’s retirement assets.

As we’ve seen, you can accomplish a lot with life insurance. But how much do you need?

If you want the appropriate amount of coverage, you should consider a variety of factors.

How much do you earn? How much does your spouse earn? How many children do you have? How old are they? How much do you owe on your home?

By answering these and other, similar questions, you can arrive at a coverage level that’s suitable for your needs. Also, keep in mind that those needs will change — for example, if your children are grown and you’ve downsized your living arrangements, you may require less insurance than at earlier times in your life.

Life Insurance Awareness Month is a good time to remind yourself of the importance of insurance and of the need to own the correct amount. So, review your coverage soon — after all, you can’t predict the future, but you can still prepare for it.

Meredith Hoffman Financial Advisor-Edward Jones 1307 S Alameda Ave, Suite B Klamath Falls, OR 97603 541-273-2483

Employment steady in area counties for late August Unemployment levels remained largely unchanged in August in both Klamath and Lake counties. Hiring was largely consistent with seasonal patterns the past few months with little change to the employment situation compared to this time last year.

Klamath County: The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was unchanged in August at 5.7 percent. The unemployment rate is largely unchanged from this time last year when it was 5.9 percent.

Klamath County added 130 jobs in August, typical hiring for this time of year. Monthly gains were largely concentrated in health care and education.

Employment levels are up by 260 jobs from this time last year (+1.1%). Many private sector industries added jobs over

the past year, such as health care; leisure and hospitality; financial activities; and wholesale trade.

However, many of these gains were muted by a notable decline in manufacturing, in particular, wood product manufacturing (-70 jobs).

Lake County: The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.0 percent in August, unchanged from July. The rate is down from this time last year when it was 5.6 percent.

Hiring in Lake County tracked with seasonal patterns this summer. August was no exception with little change in the employment situation. Employment levels are down by 1.7 percent (-40 jobs) from this time last year. Employment losses over the past year were largely concentrated in the public sector.

Basin Business briefs SAIF dividend worth nearly $2.4 M Earlier this month, the SAIF board of directors announced two dividends for more than 47,000 employers: a $120 million primary dividend to be paid to SAIF’s policyholders, and a $40 million safety performance dividend to be paid based on each policyholder’s safety results.

Policyholders in Klamath County will be receiving more than $1.9 million this year—an average of $2,168 per employer.

Policyholders in Lake County will be receiving more than $439,000—an aver-

age of $2,062 per employer. That does not include universities or state agencies. The checks will be mailed next month.

Coffee Day funds to benefit IYS Dutch Bros Klamath Falls is celebrating National Coffee Day with its annual Buck For Kids (B4K) event, according to a news release. Saturday, Dutch Bros is donating $1 from each drink sold at its Klamath Falls locations to Integral Youth Services.

Locations include: 5805 S. Sixth St., 201 S. Sixth St., 3041 S. Sixth St., 2568 Campus Drive and 3600 Washburn Way.

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Thursday, September 27, 2018, Herald and News

Basin Business

More electric car charging stations wired up The first of up to seven electric car fastcharging stations to be developed by Pacific Power in Oregon communities is set for Klamath Commons Park in Klamath Falls.

The charging station, which is to be operating by the end of the year, will allow electric car drivers to recharge in as little as 30 minutes, depending on their vehicle model.

The charging station will be able to accommodate six cars, four at fast charging units and two at the slower charging Level 2 units. The state has a goal of 50,000 electric vehicles on Oregon roadways by 2020 and a network of charging stations is needed to support this growth.

“Having chargers available is very important to propelling the adoption of electric cars,” said Scott Bolton, Pacific Power’s senior vice president of external affairs and customer solutions.

“Independent developers are putting charging stations in many locations where they think it will be profitable and that is

Mr. B’s

from Page 2

Mason had the opportunity to intern at

H&N file photo A view of the Klamath Commons construction site from across Main Street in Downtown Klamath Falls. The new park was initially slated for completion sometime this fall.

how it should be. But smaller communities shouldn’t be overlooked. We wanted to make sure places like Klamath Falls have a

choice when it comes to clean transportation options and having nearby car charging equipment is key to that goal.”

Beano’s Cabin, a restaurant described as a “luxurious log hideaway” at Beaver Creek Resort in Colorado where five-course

dinner plates often go for $135.

Shortly after, returning to Oregon, Mason has worked at Harriman Springs as an executive chef and also at Uptown Bistro in Oakridge. Then Lyman paired up with Randall, his father Scott Mason and step-mother Cathy Mason. Scott and Cathy Mason helped purchase the restaurant and will act as owners as things begin to take off.

“They won’t need us on a daily basis,” Cathy Mason said of the future. “We’re kind of like the back end trying to get this thing on a roll.”

Your vote isn’t just about allowing retail pot shops ... It’s about

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- Access 2018 Jackson County Annual Homeless Counts https://www.accesshelps.org/news/jackson-county-annual-homeless-count-results/; and HUD Point in Time data.

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Paid for by Klamath Public Safety PAC

What’s in store?

As head chef, Lyman Mason said he plans to merge classics and new arrivals in an effort to craft the most enjoyable finedining experience possible.

This includes everything from his take on the Mr. B’s steak bites to “catch of the day” fish options through Honolulu Fish Company, a business that Lyman Mason said could ship fish by air to the Crater Lake-Klamath Regional Airport the next day. “We’ll get seafood that’s probably been swimming the day before,” he said.

He’ll also serve up a seasonal vegetarian menu, which would start with quinoa and vegetable-stuffed zucchini, paired with caramelized fig and a citrus salad. This and other shifts would aim to keep things fresh based on the time of year.

“The menu now will be a little bit different than two months from now,” Lyman Mason said. “We want to work with the

The location at Klamath Commons Park is ideal and the partnership among the three entities worked perfectly.

“Sky Lakes Medical Center has long appreciated Pacific Power’s commitment to our community,” said Paul Stewart, president and CEO, Sky Lakes Medical Center.

“Their contributions to the new Klamath Commons Park helps us make our community more environmentally friendly, helping those with electric vehicles take advantage of not only the new park, but the entire downtown corridor. We value Pacific Power as a partner in our efforts to enhance and strengthen the Klamath Basin, and make our community healthier, more livable.”

Pacific Power will be locating similar charging stations in areas of the state not well served by the current market. Choosing those communities and specific sites is an ongoing effort. All selected sites should be in operation by the end of 2019.

To learn more about the benefits of electric vehicles, visit pacificpower.net/ev seasons and what nature has to offer.”

Lyman said that he also had an opportunity to speak with Achim “Mr. B” Bassler himself, adding that the former owner offered him some tips and pointers that led to his own success throughout the years.

The new head chef described Achim’s reaction to the restaurant’s new life as a positive one. “It was an honor to meet him and for him to be excited about new people coming in,” he said.

Giving back

As they bring it all together, Lyman and his family said they wanted to give something back to the community in more ways than one.

The chef and his father, who came from the Lakeview area, have lived in the community for many years.

“We wanted to give the community another place to eat,” Lyman Mason said.

“I want to be able to give back to the community as well.”

Once they kick things off, Lyman and Randall said they have plans to look into more community activities, fundraisers and other ways to get involved.

In the mean time, they say their goal is to bring new flavors to the Klamath Basin while restoring some of the classics that Mr. B’s fans came to love.

“It’s still going to be a new adventure from the starting line,” Randall said. “It’s going to take a week or two to work the kinks out.”

Basin Business

Thursday, September 27, 2018, Herald and News

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Thursday, September 27, 2018, Herald and News

Basin Business