Focus 2013 - Changing Forces - Rebuilding the Mid-Valley Work Force by Mid-Valley Media

Focus 2013

CHANGING COURSES Rebuilding the Mid-Valley’s Work Force for the Future FOCUS / CHANGING COURSES • FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

Making the right choices How much education do you need to prepare for these careers? All of these occupations are expected to have job opportunities in the mid-valley.

ON-THE-JOB TRAINING

In general, no previous work-related skills, knowledge, or experiences are needed for these occupations. Usually, an experienced worker would show a new employee how to do these jobs.

2010 Employment

Average Annual Job Openings

2011 Average Hourly Wage

Retail Salespersons

3,179

144

$11.65

Cashiers

2,165

133

$10.44

Waiters and Waitresses (Lic.)

1,636

125

$12.22

RELATED WORK EXPERIENCE Some previous work-related skills, knowledge, or experiences are helpful in these occupations. You can gain these requirements through volunteer work, hobbies, or a related job.

Supervisors and Managers of Retail Sales Workers Service Technician Jay Annunzio works on a radiator recently in the service department at Power Honda in Albany. The demand for skilled technicians is growing. (David Patton/Democrat-Herald)

Making the cut

By Jennifer Rouse

What should I be when I grow up? That’s the question students ask themselves from elementary school right up until graduation. Researchers at Oregon’s employment department have a report that might help young people answer that important question. It’s called the Occupational Prioritization for Training Tool, and it ranks jobs based on predicted demand over the next decade, and also weighs in factors such as salary, and whether or not there are already a number of people qualified to step into those roles.

If you’re looking at raw data, you might be led to believe that retail clerk is Oregon’s fastest-growing career. According to the Employment Department, there are more openings for retail clerks per year in the LinnBenton-Lincoln area than for any other employment category. But job openings alone don’t tell the whole story. “In most jobs that require only short-term, on-the-job training, there are a lot of openings,” said Will Summers, work force analyst with the Oregon Employment Department. Low-wage jobs almost always have frequent turnover, so those openings don’t necessarily indicate new jobs being created. To determine what constitutes a job worth investing the state’s limited work force training dollars in, employment analysts weigh a number of other factors.

Teacher Assistants Supervisors and Managers of Office and Administrative Support Workers

2010 Employment

Average Annual Job Openings

2011 Average Hourly Wage

925

$17.42

1,286

$26,058*

676

$23.71

POSTSECONDARY TRAINING

In general, some education beyond high school is required. These occupations require training from career schools or community colleges that usually lasts one or two years.

2010 Employment

Average Annual Job Openings

2011 Average Hourly Wage

Truck Drivers, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer (Lic.)

1,540

$19.14

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks

1,337

$16.54

343

$28.09

Electricians (Lic.)

ASSOCIATE DEGREE

In general, completion of a two-year college program will give you the education you need for these jobs.

2010 Employment

Average Annual Job Openings

2011 Average Hourly Wage

Registered Nurses (Lic.)

1,567

$34.04

Biological Technicians

613

$18.17 †

Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education (Lic.)

303

$11.83

BACHELOR’S DEGREE

In general, completion of a four-year college program is necessary to qualify for these occupations.

2010 Employment

Average Annual Job Openings

2011 Average Hourly Wage

General and Operations Managers

926

$44.53

Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education (Lic.)

889

$48,292*

Accountants and Auditors (Lic.)

503

$26.35

The result? A listing of the top 20 high-demand, high-wage occupations. Health-care related careers lead the way, along with high-tech jobs and trades. (See the list on page 2).

“We also take into account how many people are already coming out of our education programs. We may have a ton of people already graduating in a certain field,” said Brenda Turner, employment economist with the Oregon Employment Department. “We also keep in mind the age of the average worker. People are getting older and there are a lot of openings expected over the next 10 years.”

The report provides a look ahead—a sneak peak at where today’s students can expect to find tomorrow’s jobs.

They also look for jobs that pay more than the median wage (currently, that means an occupation that in 2011 had a median wage of at least $16.94 per hour).

Postsecondary Teachers, Except Graduate Teaching Assistants (Lic.)

Continued on page 2

Educators, business leaders bridge work force gap together

Dennis Dunmyer: Taking the plunge into a brand-new career in senior care

ADVANCED DEGREES

In general. extensive skills, knowledge, and experiences are needed for these occupations, including at least one year of college coursework-beyond the completion of a bachelor’s degree.

Average Annual Job Openings

2011 Average Hourly Wage

1,146

$77,289*†

Physicians and Surgeons (Lic.)

401

Pharmacists (Lic.)

253

$54.28

2010 Employment

Source: Oregon Employment Department *Annual Wages **Includes job openings due 10 growth and replacement needs. NA - not available † Regional wage data not available. Oregon wage data presented.

Mechatronics: multi-skilled operators requiring more precision

The Future Work Force Today’s final installment of this year’s three-part Focus edition looks at some of the hard work ahead of us as we shape the mid-valley’s work force of the future: What jobs will we need? And how are we preparing to fill those jobs?

We also talk to the educators and other officials who are working to make sure that we’re offering the right training for the workers of tomorrow: It’s a process that involves a detailed and continuing conversation between educators and businesspeople. In addition, we take a look at the Mechatronics program at LinnBenton Community College, which might offer a So this section includes stories in which the experts blueprint for how we train tomorrow’s work force. at the Oregon Employment Department offer their best Today’s section includes some personal stories as assessments of the areas where they see the best job well. We went searching through the mid-valley for prospects developing through 2020. And we talk to the people who decided to make a dramatic career shift hiring experts at some of our biggest employers, who share – in the process, often leaving behind successful and some of their thoughts about the changing work force. lucrative careers for something considerably riskier.

(If you missed the profile of Corvallis entrepreneur Chris Nordyke and a feature on how employers can best deal with an increasingly ﬂexible work force, you can go back and find those on Monday’s InBusiness page.) My hope is that you’ll find these stories of people who have changed course in the face of uncertain economic seas inspiring. And the other stories in this section may give you a better sense of which way our work-force winds are blowing. Thanks for reading this year’s Focus edition.

Mike McInally, editor, Mid-Valley Newspapers

FOCUS/Changing COUrSeS • FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

ALBANY DEMOCRAT-HERALD, CORVALLIS (OR) GAZETTE-TIMES ALBANY

What Should I Be? The Oregon Employment Department’s List of High-Demand, High-Wage Occupations OCCUPATION Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists Physical Therapists Supervisors and Managers of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers Registered Nurses Physicians and Surgeons Medical and Health Services Managers Human Resources, Training, and Labor Relations Specialists, All Other Computer Hardware Engineers Wholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representatives, Technical and Scientific Loan Officers Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists Mental Health Counselors Occupational Therapists Wholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representatives Non-technical and Scientific Accountants and Auditors Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics Sales Managers Computer Programmers Pharmacists Fire Fighters Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents Machinists Industrial Production Managers Medical Transcriptionists

TOTAL OPENINGS 2010-2020 1,087 1,077 1,815 14,499 3,711 1,704 1,397 1,099 2,359 1,680 1,587 908 475 7,070 5,112 2,003 1,734 1,575 1,537 1,316 1,271 1,257 858 754

MINIMUM EDUCATION Bachelor’s degree Master’s degree High school diploma or equivalent Associate’s degree Doctoral or professional degree Bachelor’s degree Bachelor’s degree Bachelor’s degree High school diploma or equivalent Bachelor’s degree High school diploma or equivalent Master’s degree Master’s degree High school diploma or equivalent Bachelor’s degree Postsecondary non-degree award Bachelor’s degree Bachelor’s degree Doctoral or professional degree Postsecondary non-degree award Bachelor’s degree High school diploma or equivalent Bachelor’s degree Postsecondary non-degree award

COMPETITIVE EDUCATION Bachelor’s degree Doctoral or professional degree Postsecondary non-degree award Bachelor’s degree Doctoral or professional degree Master’s degree Bachelor’s degree Master’s degree Bachelor’s degree Bachelor’s degree Postsecondary non-degree award Master’s degree Doctoral or professional degree Associate’s degree Bachelor’s degree Associate’s degree Bachelor’s degree Bachelor’s degree Doctoral or professional degree Associate’s degree Bachelor’s degree Postsecondary non-degree award Bachelor’s degree Associate’s degree

OVERALL RANK 1 2 3 4 5 5 5 5 9 9 9 9 9 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14

Officer’s spirited career

Fastest Growing Occupations in the United States 20 occupations with the highest percent change of employment between 2010-20. Growth Rate Personal Care Aides

2010 Median Pay 70% $19,640/yr

69% $20,560/yr

Occupational Therapy Assistants

62% $81,540/yr

Physical Therapist Aides

Growth Rate

Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, & Tile & Marble Setters 60% $27,780/yr

Glaziers

Growth Rate

Carpenters

56% $25,760/yr

52% $29,710/yr

Growth Rate Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers

49% $38,430/yr

Growth Rate Physical Therapist Assistants

Interpreters and Translators

46% $49,690/yr

Medical Secretaries

43% $23,680/yr

42% $36,640/yr

42% $43,300/yr

Market Researchers & Marketing Specialists 41% $60,570/yr

Old occupation: Resource

Growth Rate

development director at United Way of Benton and Lincoln

Marriage and Family Therapists

Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, & Steamfitters 45% $26,740/yr

Brickmasons and Blockmasons

Growth Rate

Growth Rate Physical Therapists

41% $45,720/yr

41% $46,930/yr

short not to at least try. Do what makes you happy. It may be cheesy and cliche but you only have one life. Do what you want. Failure is fine as long as you learn from it.”

Trades and tech

By Maria L. Kirkpatrick

You could say spiritual enlightenment brought Dawson Ofﬁcer to his new career as a distiller.

ther high-demand areas in the mid-valley include high-tech occupations like engineers and computer programmers, as well as a ealth care occupations and related fields number of trade positions—hands-on jobs that are at the very top of the list. In Linn, Benton generally require some professional training but not and Lincoln counties, four of the top five a four-year degree. high-wage, high-demand occupations are somehow Mechanics, diesel engine specialists, machine tool related to health care: medical lab technologists, operators, machinists, and electrical engineering registered nurses, physical therapists, and technicians are all on the list of high-demand, highpharmacists. wage occupations. “Health care is about the only industry really As aging workers retire, and as everything from poised to see much growth from 2010 levels,” car engines to factory assembly lines increases in Summers said. “It didn’t fall much in the recession.” complexity, demand for these professions is expected Locally, health care employers say that changes in to increase in the next decade. the law as well as a scarcity of training for certain Drew Koehnke, general manager of Power Honda programs are driving their job needs. in Albany, said he’s already experiencing a need Amanda Morris, director of employment for for skilled mechanics, and he expects that trend to Samaritan Health Services, said that physical continue. therapists are one of their most critical needs— “I only see the demand rising,” he said. “People and yet there is only one school in Oregon with are always going to need repairs done, and with the an accredited physical therapy program: Pacific changes in technology and number of computers that University in Forest Grove. George Fox University are on the newer vehicles, you really need an expert.” in Newberg has been granted “candidate for According to a 2012 report from the Oregon accreditation” status but isn’t accredited yet. Employment Department, the manufacturing industry “That’s a big part of the issue; the lack of in-state has struggled to find workers with the specialized programs,” Morris said. skills they require. Possible reasons cited by the report Other job needs are evolving as the larger health include students who were not encouraged to go into care industry changes. manufacturing careers and fewer schools offering Shelley Vitus, director of human resources for classes that focus on using tools, reading blueprints, The Corvallis Clinc, said that Oregon’s new health and operating machines. reform program has led to the creation of an entirely These gaps faced by Oregon employers—situations new position: patient care coordinator. These where the need for physical therapists or mechanics employees help make sure doctors are delivering far outpaces the number of qualified graduates the preventative care that’s now required. entering the work force—are real, and they’re what

Health and science

New occupation: Distiller and owner of 4 Spirits Distillery Best advice: “Life is too

39% $76,310

source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

continued from page 1

Dawson Officer Age: 33

Growth Rate

44% $45,260/yr

41% $30,530/yr

Dawson Ofﬁcer, owner of 4 Spirits Distillery, poses for a photo at his Adair Village headquarters last year. (Amanda Cowan | Corvallis Gazette-Times)

Growth Rate

Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners

43% $51,010/yr

Growth Rate

Growth Rate Veterinary Technologists and Technicians

44% $64,380/yr

Growth Rate

Growth Rate Biomedical Engineers

Diagnostic Medical Sonographers

2010 Median Pay

Growth Rate

Growth Rate Home Health Aides

Growth Rate

Other positions are becoming harder to fill, with employment analysts are hoping to avoid. new laws requiring extra certifications or specialized “Business needs to talk to education, and education knowledge. to business, to make sure the skills being trained for “In the past, we could hire a medical assistant; are what the industries are hiring for,” said Turner, of now, we have to hire a certified medical assistant,” the Employment Department. Vitus said. “IT positions are a big need for us too, but That’s what leaders at the Employment Department with the demands of electronic medical records, the are hoping their research can do: point the way toward technical requirements are much more challenging, tomorrow’s work force gaps, so today’s students and and much more specific to the industry.” educators can fill them before they start. Jennifer Rouse is a freelance writer based in Albany.

Ofﬁcer’s life has seen him through college and into banking. He’s survived a military tour in Iraq and he’s credited with making proﬁtable changes at United Way of Benton and Lincoln Counties. Now he spends his time making liquor and building his business, 4 Spirits Distillery.

banking. After graduation, Ofﬁcer went to work at the United Way as its resource development director.

“That gave me a lot of insight,” he said. “It was By Mari a very good experience. Gave me worldly du knowledge and it helped to me with a philanthropic for mindset. The connections were amazing. You meet for empl all sorts of different kind of From c people, from all walks of to keep a life, and I got to meet a lot employe of business owners.”

But it wasn’t as meaningful, he felt, as life should be. Ofﬁcer wanted to do something he felt passionate about.

“There Kleinsorg of Busin advisory a variety different

It all began one day while Ofﬁcer was sipping Adviso whiskey and pondering a year t directions in life.

Faculty m

He was searching for leaders something that would make time to c him completely happy.

“I was brainstorming,” he Larry said. “I thought maybe of OSU’s C doing a cider, but I didn’t much of drink cider. I was drinking and watc whiskey at the time.” The rest is history.

“We pr become

Whiskey, however, is He’s t a long process and vodka is quicker to make. So his employe “It takes a lot of time to strives to first batch of vodka was get licensed and going and made from wine. Now, he “Our f the learning curve has been has several college-themed integrate pretty high,” he said of the vodkas and 4 Spirits whiskey distillery trade. selling in nearly every liquor the very store in the state. In the b Officer studied business and finance at Western Startup money for 4 ago so t Oregon University and Spirits came from Officer’s industry has a minor in economics. savings. He bought key So, he said, the business pieces of equipment along The Au side of operations is the way and saved until he own advis understandable. Making could afford to open the family se his own spirits, however, business. This is how he crafts its is something completely plans to continue, with help Typica different. Researching and support from his wife, books, the Internet and Kelly. Investors are not an invested listening to his still maker, option. Officer wants to be Kleinsorg Officer has picked up the able to try new ideas and get invol knowledge required thus far take different directions if are invite to make batches of alcohol. the urge should hit. It’s been quite a transition, Officer said.

But he has gone through several transitions before reaching what he says may be his true calling. Officer worked in banking to put himself through college. With two terms left before graduation, he was called to duty as part of the first Army National Guard unit in Oregon to report to Iraq. He spent 18 months on tour. In 2005, he returned home to finish college and returned to work in

4 Spirits is named in recognition of four combat ofﬁcers that Ofﬁcer served with in the Oregon National Guard 2 Battalion, 162 Infantry Brigade. Lt. Erik McCrae, Sgt. Justin Linden, Sgt. Justin Eyerly and Sgt. David Roustum lost their lives in 2004 serving in Iraq. A portion of the proceeds from sales of the whiskey will be going to help veterans of foreign wars and their families.

“We m global ec students also glob

Regio

At Linn are done garnered the satis

“It’s di vice pre developm project fu

-TIMES ALBANY DEMOCRAT-HERALD, CORVALLIS (OR) GAZETTE-TIMES

FOCUS/Changing COUrSeS • FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

Focus 2013

Educators, business leaders bridge work-force gap together

Local business-to-education partners Jim Denham of ATI Wah Chang, left, Greater Albany Public Schools Superintendent Maria Delapoer, Oregon Freeze Dry President Jim Merryman and Janet Steele of the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce have been working together to put in place training for a new generation of workers. (Mark Ylen/Democrat-Herald)

By Maria L. Kirkpatrick

Off campus, businesses, organizations and schools are the need for reorganizing and discussing how we are beginning to ask what they can do to help their community going to educate and train our future work force,” Steele ducators in Linn and Benton counties are working said. “So that they are trained in the type of occupations to keep ahead of the curve when it comes to work get more jobs and bring more business to the area. Jim Merryman, president and chief operating officer our local industries need.” force changes to make sure students are ready

of Oregon Freeze Dry in Albany, said it is important to Hamann and Delapoer were there, and outlined their be able hire employees from the mid-valley with the skill future plans. From colleges to high schools, department heads work Followup meetings will feature meetings between to keep abreast of needs and to make sure tomorrow’s sets required by area businesses. Those employees, he said, are more likely to stay on manufacturing leaders and educators to help focus employees are prepared and ready to fill vacancies. “There are a number of ways we do it,” said Ilene with the company than employees that the company had employment opportunities and the skills needed so that Kleinsorge, dean of Oregon State University’s College to bring in from elsewhere. “The more you can work with LBCC can better direct training efforts and classes and so those students have the right path from K-12 to LBCC. of Business. “Each of our disciplines has a curriculum people from this area, the better your odds,” he said. for employment.

advisory council of representatives from a variety of industry leaders across many different industries.” Advisory boards typically meet twice a year to discuss continuing changes. Faculty members speak with industry leaders and the industry leaders give time to classrooms and college events.

“Work force development and this gap issue has been around for years,”

Merryman and other business leaders are looking at what can be done to increase the local hiring pool. They are putting their heads together with Albany Area Chamber of Commerce representatives and educators to determine what needs to be done.

“Our mission is to engage in an education that enables all of us to participate in, contribute to, and benefit from the cultural richness and economic vitality of our communities,” Hamann said. “We cannot accomplish this if the knowledge and skills we give to our students does not lead to them being successful in a job.”

“Maybe we need to get back to the Hamann said that when graduates cannot find basics,” Merryman said. “Back to STEM: “meaningful employment” in their own communities, Janet Steele, science, technology, engineering and Larry Rodgers, executive dean of President of the Albany Area Continued on page 3 mathematics, which starts in K-12. What OSU’s College of Liberal Arts, spends Chamber of Commerce if we went to the community college much of his time scanning the landscape level and asked to get back to vocational and watching employer trends. training in trades? The overall goal is to create a mecca “We provide the skills to not only get the job, but to of highly educated, highly trained technical workers. This become tomorrow’s leaders,” Rodgers said. way other businesses would say they want to locate in the He’s trying to get a feel for the characteristics area to hire our work force. That way we can be attracting employers want in their new employees and his college businesses and have a thriving community again.” strives to instill leadership skills in graduates. Janet Steele, president of the Albany Area Chamber “Our faculty are able to respond in real time to of Commerce, helped facilitate several recent meetings integrate some soft skills along with the technical topics between educators Greg Hamann, president at LinnBenton Community College; Maria Delapoer, Albany the very next term,” Kleinsorge said. In the business college, a process started seven years Public School District superintendent; and several other ago so that major curriculum changes are made with business representatives to see what could be done. “Work force development and this gap issue has The Austin Family Business Program, for example, has its been around for years,” Steele said. “What the industry own advisory board consisting of family business owners and leaders are doing is setting the stage for a new direction family service providers who help to inform how the college we hope in the Albany area.” The most recent effort began in January as part of crafts its program offerings, seminars and workshops. the chamber’s “12 at 12” series of meetings, Steele Typically, these college leaders are OSU alumni invested in the college who want to see it succeed. said. Industry leaders were saying they weren’t getting Kleinsorge also gets cold calls from CEOs asking how to the type of employees they need to fill their work force get involved. If she thinks they are a good match, they needs. This sparked a larger conversation and has spurred additional meetings. are invited to participate. industry input and feedback.

“The educators were there and were very willing “We make sure we are dynamic with the changes of a listeners to what the industry leaders were framing as global economy,” she said. “To make sure we graduate students who can deliver value in Oregon and who are also globally competitive.”

Regional focus At Linn-Benton Community College, regional analyses are done to determine areas of need. Feedback also is garnered from area businesses and students to assess the satisfaction level of graduates and their employers. “It’s difficult,” said Beth Hogeland, LBCC’s executive vice president for academic affairs and work-force development. “It’s an imperfect system and hard to project future work force needs.”

FOCUS/Changing COUrSeS • FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013 continued from page 3

area education has failed in its mission and is not making communities stronger and better.

ALBANY DEMOCRAT-HERALD, CORVALLIS (OR) GAZETTE-TIMES ALBANY

A new career with seniors

“The key to all of this is developing and maintaining effective relationships with our business partners,” Hamann said. “Making sure that the competencies developed in our certificates and degrees match those needed in the employees our businesses hire. Effective, long-term relationships in which both college and business invest in our students’ and employees’ success is the only way to achieve this. This is what we are striving to do with businesses like Oregon Freeze Dry and its president, Jim Merryman.”

High school impacts Preparing students for higher education, Albany high schools do a number of things to get students to think about what they will do after graduation, including programs that expose students to options available in the workplace. Established this year, Delapoer said, is the regional trades academy funded through a state grant. The academy is a partnership with Lebanon High School and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in Tangent. Half of the day students spend their time in courses more oriented toward the trades. The district provides an online information system for students to interact with businesses. Businesses come to talk with students about their industries. Teachers even do summer internships in local industry and return to design lesson plans to be used in class. “We are looking at identifying students interested in becoming employees in local industry,” Delapoer said. “With further training or apprenticeships they would be ready for employment with industries in town.” Not all students will go on to a four-year college. That’s a good thing, Steele said, as there are shortages of trained employees in many sectors. “There is the discussion of the cultural gap out there,” Steele said. “Not only in the community but in the United States, on how we have focused for 40 years or more on how kids need to go to college. (Everyone says students) need the four-year degree. Yet, when you get the statistics in front of you, only 30 percent go on to a four-year institution and only half of those graduate.” While the university system is necessary, there also is a great need for those willing to look at a one-year certificate or two-year training program to fill the shortage in the trades. Welders, plumbers, machinists and electricians are needed and the pay for these occupations can be more than those graduating with a four-year degree. Steele is working even more with education leaders to find out how to affect a cultural shift for those who aren’t college-bound so that they also are gainfully employed. “It’s been an excellent conversation,” she said, “getting all these people in the room.” Merryman said the time has come for everyone to come to the table. “It’s time for businesses leaders to step back up again,” Merryman said. “If we pull together as a community it will help the whole community.”

Dennis Dunmyer of Timberview Care Center in Albany. (David Patton/Democrat-Herald)

By Mike McInally In retrospect, it seems clear that Dennis Dunmyer was doing research for his new career even before he knew for certain that he was searching. Today, the director of admissions and marketing for Timberview Care Center in Albany thinks it might be that the seeds for his switch in careers – in his previous life, he was a real estate appraiser and broker – were planted during a stretch in which he lost several family members in a relatively short period of time. It was during that time when “we ran across a lot of dysfunctional processes,” a lot of things that he would do differently were he working with a population of older adults in a caregiving situation.

Dennis Dunmyer Age: 59 Old occupation: Real estate appraiser and real estate broker

New occupation: Director of admissions and marketing for Timberview Care Center (skilled nursing and rehabilitation) in Albany.

Best advice: Do your research. “I think it’s just as important to make sure where you’re going to land as it is to make sure you want to land someplace different.”

new profession, reading and reaching out to experts such as Western Oregon University psychology professor Robert Winningham, whose “Train Your Brain” program offers tips to help keep older minds sharp. And he took a deep plunge early into all the programs offered at the facilities where he worked. “I did as much as I could by being involved in all the different activities,” he said, noting that he still works hard to pick up as much education – formal and informal – as he can. “It’s that education,” he said, that is vital. “Keeping yourself engaged and then sharing the wealth.”

One unexpected downside to the job: Coping with the deaths of patients with whom he’s become close.

“You’ve been personally attached to these residents. You “That was the beginning,” Dunmyer said in a recent have to hold it together.” interview. “That was the start. What could we do to make this better?” His best advice for those situations: “Just remember Those were the sorts of thoughts that eventually led to breathe.” him to leave behind that successful real estate career And his best advice for people thinking of a similarly for his current work, providing services for an aging dramatic shift in career? population. Do your research, ﬁrst. But then: “Don’t be afraid to After an earlier stint with Regent Court Memory take that step. It doesn’t hurt to take that step outside Care in Corvallis, he’s landed with Timberview, where your box.” he works with community relations and outreach in addition to his work with marketing and admissions. He said it was important to him that his transition in a new part of senior care would include working for a company that he believed “got it” as far as his work mission was concerned – and he was looking for a boss who would understand how important it was to provide the tools necessary to be successful. He said both Prestige Care (parent company for Timberview) and the administrator at Timberview, Anne Haddock, have provided the support for him to continue learning and applying new ideals to assist those in need. The slumping market in real estate in the late 2000s helped provide some fuel for his search for something different, but the bottom line for Dunmyer stayed the same: He wanted to ﬁnd an area where he could make a difference, day in and day out, in the lives of people. His early experiences with services for the aging helped convince him that he could help to improve those programs and facilities. And his research suggested that the need for services for aging Americans was going to boom. He notes that one in six Americans suffered from some sort of memory illness in 2010. And the number is just going to grow as the American population ages: Some estimates suggest that number could be as high as one in three in the future. Dunmyer worked hard to educate himself in his

-TIMES ALBANY DEMOCRAT-HERALD, CORVALLIS (OR) GAZETTE-TIMES

FOCUS/Changing COUrSeS • FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

A long road to a dream Karen Miller Age: 67 Old occupation: Physiologist, with an emphasis on marine biology.

New occupation: Fiber artist, specializing in katazome. Best advice: “It’s probably a good idea to narrow your focus so that you can do something that’s uniquely you.”

Katazome textile artist Karen Miller said she prefers the ﬁne detail and structure in nature, which is reminiscent of her work as a scientist at Oregon State University. (Andy Cripe | Corvallis Gazette-Times)

In pursuit of patterns By Mike McInally

you’re looking for the patterns that unite the two halves of Karen Miller’s professional life – the science part and the art part – stop right there: It’s all about patterns.

Cassie Peters, executive director of the Ten Rivers Food Web, poses for a photo outside her Corvallis ofﬁce March 19. (Amanda Cowan | Corvallis Gazette-Times)

Whether it was the time she first was entranced by the study of octopus blood (a vivid and beautiful blue when it’s carrying oxygen) or when she’s working on the intricate work of cutting a stencil so that it’s just right, a love for the beauty of patterns – and the satisfaction that comes from closely studying and identifying those patterns – has animated Miller’s work.

Cassie Peters Age: 42 Old occupation: Hemp clothing wholesaler.

New occupation: Executive director, Ten Rivers Food Web. Best advice: “If you want to make life major changes, be open to possibilities and open to changing your plans. Be willing to work hard, overcome fears and build a name and reputation for yourself.”

“The satisfaction of looking at something hard and saying, ‘Oh, that’s how it’s working,’ is still there,” she said. Miller was hooked early on, in high school, with the notion of marine biology – inspired in part by public service messages about science from Dixy Lee Ray, a marine biologist herself who became the state of Washington’s first female governor. “My mother said she could see the wheels turn” as young Miller absorbed Ray’s messages. She studied at Berkeley and San Diego State before landing at Oregon State University and connecting with Ken van Holde. She called van Holde “one of the nicest people, fabulous to collaborate with. He gave me a lot of freedom.”

By Maria L. Kirkpatrick Cassie Peters has come a long way, and traveled a very circuitous route, from selling hemp clothing at the Saturday Market in Eugene to serving as the head of the Ten Rivers Food Web in Corvallis.

Above top: Details from “Umbrellas in Indigo” by katazome artist Karen Miller.

Above middle: Close-up detail of a stencil of a white oak leaf skeleton Karen Miller cut from shibugami, a mulberry ﬁber paper. Her work with van Holde trying to Miller would cut about 2 square inches a crack the mysteries of hemocyanin, night and completed the stencil in six weeks.

which she called “a very beautiful Above bottom: Three stages of the protein” remains one of her professional katazome process, the stencil upper high points. “When we finally figured right, with resist paste applied through out how it was put together, it was so the stencil on the left, and the ﬁnal dyed product on the bottom right. exciting,” she said – and, in a very real (Andy Cripe | Corvallis Gazette-Times) sense, that kind of observation and study informs her art work. Mixing the dyes and pastes used for She started working with katazome the katazome is easier after years in – a Japanese method of dyeing fabrics the lab: “The chemistry of art is more using a resist paste applied through second nature to me.” a stencil – in 1993, some eight years There’s another similarity as well: Art before she retired from her OSU position. By 2001, after years in which work is real work.“It’s a full time job. It grant money for her research work really is. I work hard. … I would rather became increasingly hard to find – do that than sit around and prune the she thought the time had come to step roses and dust the furniture.” The hard work has paid off: Her fiber away from the university. “Having a second career that gives art has been displayed around the world me this much satisfaction has been a and has won praise from critics. It’s been featured on OPB’s “Art Beat” program. pleasure,” she said. And the discipline between the science job and the art work often is similar, she noted:

And it still boils down to the close observation and careful study involved in identifying and finding just the right pattern: “If you get far enough away or close enough,” she said, “you will see the pattern showing up.” You just have to be willing to work hard enough to find it.

Scientist and artist Karen Miller poses with a stencil of an octopus in her basement workshop in Corvallis. While a scientist at Oregon State University, Miller did research on octopus and intertidal animals.

While studying business at the University of Oregon, Peters operated a hemp clothing business. That turned into a wholesale operation that lasted 15 years. In 2006, she decided it was time to make a career change. Peters thought maybe law school. But with a teenage son, moving wasn’t an option and so she moved forward in small steps. Everything worked in her favor and she found herself enrolled in law school at the University of Oregon, focusing on small business law.

“I made it work,” she said. “After running a small business for so many years, this seemed like a good path for me.” About halfway through law school, she became interested in issues involving sustainability and agriculture. And in her third year, she decided she wanted to work with farmers. Peters completed her juris doctor at Oregon when an opportunity presented itself at the University of Arkansas to do a master’s program that included agricultural law. She moved south in 2010. Throughout law school, she found her interest in shaping public policy starting to outstrip her interest in practicing law. Within a year, another opportunity moved her to West Virginia to do some consulting. During this time, she wrote a report on the food supply chain and infrastructure in the state. She discovered that while she is good at research, she wanted to be out in the community and communicating with farmers.

and networking would bring her back, close to where she started. Four months ago, Peters was hired as the executive director of the Ten Rivers Food Web. Ten Rivers is an area nonproﬁt organization that focuses on areas such as food literacy and low-income access to healthy food – and the organization’s goals jibe nicely with the original reasons why Peters got into this line of work in the ﬁrst place. Peters said coming back to Oregon wasn’t part of the plan, but when she heard about the job she didn’t think twice. “If I wrote my own dream job description,” she said, “this would be it.” Peters said this is what she was meant to do with her life. She plans to bring together amazing people to do amazing things.

And, even though she’s not practicing law, she said that she wouldn’t have found this career path without law school. She gives the law school experience credit for teaching her how to be “That was a really good a critical thinker, how to experience,” she said. read carefully and how to “There were a lot of people build a case in support of a to get to know so I could proposition or project. be effective and partner Those skills come in with people on future handy every day, for projects.” example, when she’s Little did she know all writing grants or creating of her research, knowledge partnerships.

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FOCUS/Changing Courses • FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013

ALBANY DEMOCRAT-HERALD, CORVALLIS (OR) GAZETTE-TIMES

Mechatronics shows the way

the curriculum to make school, travel through the students attractive beyond community college level the mid-valley.” and finally move on to a Students leave the four-year degree. program with the ability to The idea is to emphasize work anywhere in the world fundamental and applied in industrial or commercial skills. buildings of any kind, Green “Jobs have been lost in said. the last 10 years partly The diversity of the because machines have program offers provides replaced skilled workers,” skills in maintenance, Green said. “Attaining the troubleshooting, repair skills to maintain those and energy efficiency. systems is a promising path The program recently to employment stability.” purchased a $250,000 Flexible Manufacturing System, which includes the type of equipment that students would encounter as they move through the work force.

Denis Green is guiding LBCC’s mechatronics program to meet the needs of the work force. (Mark Ylen/Democrat-Herald)

By Steve Lathrop

enis Green believes that when LinnBenton Community College started its Mechatronics program in 2008 it was a visionary move by the school. “The face of equipment operation was changing,” Green said. “It was moving toward multi-skilled operators requiring more precision.” Green, who has been at the front of the program since it originated, said thanks to partnerships with local businesses Oregon

Freeze Dry and National Frozen Foods, LBCC was able to get ahead of the curve in prepping the equipment operators of the future.

graduates come out of the program with skills that could include pneumatics, electronics and computer programming. Green said as many as five different The program may offer skills could be necessary for a model for the types of success. training programs needed to “The days when a train tomorrow’s work force. boiler operator worked Today’s industrial facilities simple motor controls require a more highly trained are gone,” Green said. and diverse technician than in “There are no more shade tree mechanics. Now the past. controllers use automated “Sensors, conveyors and sensors and the system other machinery all move at could be monitored in precise speeds now,” Green another state altogether.” said. “They require skillGreen said LBCC took a sets, not one specific skill.” bit of a risk when it brought That means Mechatronics

“Jobs have been lost in the last 10 years partly because machines have replaced skilled workers,” Denis Green, LBCC, Mechatronics Program

on the Mechatronics program. He said the demographics for the area didn’t fit the program. “It’s a big city program in a small area,” Green said. “It required diversifying

Green says the possibilities are expanding for potential jobs in the field. He said automotive, HVAC systems, food processing, aviation and robotics are just a few of A grant from the National the careers Mechatronics Science Foundation was key touches. to the purchase. The fact LBCC offers a twothat the system included year associate of arts energy efficiency measuring and science degree in systems for compressed air Mechatronics as well as a was instrumental in earning one-year certificate and a the grant. mini-certificate specifically Green said the technologies for industrial refrigeration. are moving beyond business Green said the program and into the home, opening has close to an 85 percent up additional opportunities graduation rate but he for workers. wants to improve that. “It’s “Energy efficiency is a OK but it’s not acceptable,” money saver and knowing how he said. “We want everyone to properly service systems is who enters the program to important for the future work graduate.” force,” Green said.

Green admitted it is a difficult program and not Currently about 20 students, including several for everyone. local high school students, “We are constantly are enrolled in the program modifying and fine-tuning,” at LBCC, but it is growing. Green said. “There is some Green hopes to establish attrition because it is hard what he calls an Applied but it’s a demanding trade Mechatronics Pathway, and the rewards can be which would begin in high great.”