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November 2010Salem Business JournalPage 5Thanks for a Great CampaignAs Election Day approaches I would liketo take this opportunity to thank all of youwho have helped me in my campaign forre-election as one of your Marion Countycommissioners. The outstanding supportgiven by so many in so many ways isgreatly appreciated!To all who stuffed envelopes, doordrop packets, to all who walked theirneighborhood, to all who wrote a letterto the editor, to the gentlemen on mycampaign steering committee, to all whoattended candidate debates and forums,Condos.Continued from page 4representing a new urban development thatformed a greatly enlarged core that we knowtoday as downtown.Urban planners know that residency is whatseparates lively from sleepy downtowns. Andwhile pioneers like Carole Smith and EricKittleson have been downtown-living advocatesfor more than a decade, it was a 2003 study(and a hot Oregon real estate market) thatjump started the three luxury condo projectsin downtown Salem, according to JamesHauge, principal broker for Legacy Real Estate,representing Rivers Condominiums. “The studyconcluded that there was in Salem a demand forhigh quality downtown housing and very littleavailability,” he said. “It’s estimated that everydowntown resident will add about 8,500 tothe downtown economy each year,” said RiversCondo developer Matt Sloan.The amenities at each of the featured condoproperties is impressive. “We’ve built in whatpeople have become accustomed to in theirlives,” said Don Meyer, a broker for Re/MaxEquity Group, representing The Meridiancondos on Commercial SE. “And becausebuyers of condominiums have little interest inmaintaining their own landscape and home,these units build in ease and convenience,together with a high degree of comfort, securityand solace.All the properties have a ton of flexibility builtinto the “finish” of the condos. That leaves plentyof options open to buyers wanting a maximumof choice. But the structures are also built tocommercial standards, ensuring durability,security systems, phenomenal sound-proofingand easy access.Buyers in these three buildings share othervalues, Meyer continued. “They want to beable to leave their car behind for a week ata time. They want easy access to shopping,dining, cultural events, parks and health care.These properties all score very high in tangiblebenefits,” he said.“In fact,” added James Hauge, “if you put thisaddress into the website www.walkscore.comyou’ll see that the Rivers scores 98 out of 100possible points in terms of ‘walkability.’” Puttingin the other two properties: 295 Church and TheMeridian, the scores are equally impressive: 97and 85 percent respectively.So who’s living in these properties? “You’dMarion County Commissioner: Patti Milneand to all who kept me and my family inyour prayers: many, many thanks to eachand every one of you!Most of all, my thanks to my husbandwho is my number-one campaign advisorand number-one sign guy. Campaigningcan take a toll on family members with thelong hours, unpredictable schedules andinterruptions to normal family life. Thankexpect retired people might be attracted tothis kind of centralized, comfortable living,”said Rhoten. “What’s gratifying is the range ofages and lifestyles,” he added. “And part of thereason, beyond the convenience, is because ofthe current affordability and variety of condosoffered.” Condo sizes range from studios (700– 800 square feet) to spacious homes of morethan 2000 square feet.“Young professionals, business owners, stateemployees, retired folks and college students,”added John Reis, about the tenants at 295Church. He said that with one more closing, theproperty developer will hold a “50% Sold” partyfor the community, with 13 of 27 condos sold asof late October.“If you figure an average of two people percondo, and multiply that times the number ofluxury condos in these three properties (about150), you’re adding to the ‘neighborhood’about 300 people. The new owners love theidea of having the occasion to become a closecommunity in downtown Salem,” addedMeyer.Another perk of these particular propertiesis private, off-street parking and commercialspace on the first floor. At the Meridian, it lookslike a medical practice will soon occupy almost10,000 square feet. Likewise, Rivers has about8000 square feet of space available for a varietyof businesses: restaurant, coffee shop, clothingboutique or bookstore, for example.With the economic downturn, prices for homesin these buildings were pared and discountedsomewhat. Incentives like free interior designservices, no association fees for the first fewmonths and even realtor assistance in sellingyour current homes still are available. “But theprices aren’t likely to slide any further,” saidReis. “Because all the properties are beginningto sell units, and because the jitters of beingthe first to move into a new complex are longsettled, the interest in the remaining spots haspicked up considerably,” he added.“There isn’t much more expansion roomfor Salem’s core,” concluded Rhoten, exceptperhaps north along the river where industrialand hardware businesses have been.“That means to me that these condo propertieswill continue to be very popular as peopleincreasingly look for quality of life changesthat put them in the heart of the city with amaximum of opportunities and a maximumamount of ease.”you to my family for your understandingand support.My husband and I made some new friendsand renewed several old acquaintancesalong this campaign trail. We put a lot ofmiles on our cars as we crisscrossed MarionCounty, traveling many old familiar roads,and discovering a few new ones.We spent a lot of time from one cityto another, each with its wonderfulpersonality and charm. In our travels wecontinued to marvel at the miles and milesof expansive rolling, fertile farm ground.As we searched addresses to deliver signsor campaign materials, we stumbled on tobeautiful homes tucked away in a valleyor dotting a hillside. I was tickled to begiven a tour of a grand old farm house thatgraces a large farm.Campaigning is energizing. Good oldfashioned American politics, and allthat goes with it: handing out campaignliterature, shaking hands, and yes, kissingbabies at community events and parades,is a lot of fun. But, it is also a lot of hardwork, and after almost a year on thecampaign trail, it will be good to have itbehind us.When the votes are counted, we will havea new governor, new legislators and newfaces at county commissions and at cityhalls. There will be celebration and therewill be disappointment. There will bereassessment of how candidates did andwhat could have or should have been donedifferently. Some will vow to try againand others will need time to think aboutfuture plans. Newly elected and re-electedofficials will be anxious to begin planningto meet the challenges ahead.And, shortly after the campaign dustsettles, regardless of Election Day results,we can turn our attention to Thanksgivingand focus on the many blessings weAmericans have.The All New 2010 Mercedes-Benz C-300

Page 6Salem Business Journal November 2010Stop Foreclosures – Houses for Free?I Stand Proud and watch from “Atop” theGreat Dome of the Oregon State Capitol.It is my job to watch and remember. TheNovember elections have come and gone.Some folks are happy, others are sad. Thatis the nature of local politics. It is now timeto turn our attention from the claims ofpoliticians to the claims of Banks.Politicians have called for a moratoriumto stop all foreclosure lawsuits. Whyis this? Is it true that Politicians wantborrowers to live in houses for free? Thissounds strange, so let’s examine this issuemore closely. In summary, Seller agrees tosell, Buyer (Borrower) agrees to buy, andBank agrees to pay Seller for the house.Seller gives a deed to Borrower. Bank paysSeller, and Borrower agrees to pay Bank asum of money plus interest for a specificperiod of time. Bank files with the CountyClerk notice of the Bank’s security interestin the real estate. This system works welland has worked well for hundreds of years.This is not a new process. At issue is thetransferability of real property.While the process seems complicated,it is very basic. The massive amount ofpaperwork is designed to protect theBorrower/Buyer. The paperwork indicates2010 CTSMusing of the Oregon Pioneerwhat the obligations of Borrower are. TheBorrower signs the papers and states inwriting he understands he is required topay monthly payments of “X” dollars permonth, for a specific number of monthsand at a specific interest rate. The rest of thepaperwork is dedicated to what happens ifBorrower does not repay the Bank. This isbasic material and written in very simpleterms. This process is regulated by Federallaw.The Great Recession of 2008 resultedin hundreds of thousands of people beingout of work. So what happens in a massiveeconomic decline? Borrowers do notpay the monthly payments on the loans.Bank is dependent upon borrowers topay the monthly payment. Bank has paidSeller from money Bank borrowed fromcustomers of Bank. The loan is an asset ofthe Bank. If borrowers do not pay monthlypayments, the Bank is losing money.What happens next? Borrower has notmade payments. Bank will file a lawsuitand foreclose on the Borrower. Since thereal property has value, writing the loanoff as a bad debt is not an option underFDIC regulations. With a sufficient numberof nonperforming loans, the FDIC willtake the Bank over. Many banks havebeen taken over by the FDIC. WashingtonMutual and Wachovia are two examples ofthe FDIC forcing major real estate lendingbanks to be sold to other stronger banks.In many cases where the FDIC takes oversmaller community banks, the assets orloans will be sold by the FDIC to anotherBank or an investor, and the next party inline will foreclose on the house. The Bankhas no choice. This is often referred to as aHobson’s choice, or no choice at all.What about the Borrower? Bank files alawsuit against Borrower. Borrower hasanother Hobson’s choice! Borrower cando nothing and let Bank take the houseor respond to the lawsuit. What canthe borrower say about not paying thepayments? Nothing!Most States require a foreclosure lawsuitto include a copy of the loan documents.So Borrower is served with a lawsuit thatsays Borrower has not paid the loan, andBorrower’s signature and initials are all overthe loan documents. What can Borrowersay to the lawsuit? Nothing! The Borroweris living in the house. The payments havenot been made, and the Borrower signedthe documents. The Politicians say Stopforeclosure lawsuits. The effect of this isto allow Borrower to stay in the house forfree. Several State Attorneys General areinvestigating the foreclosure process.In any lawsuit it is possible to findtechnical errors. In some cases there areerrors in the manner the lawsuit wasprepared. Okay, and so what! The Borrowerhas to have responded to the litigationto tell the judge there is an error in theprocess. The judge will require the Bank torefile the lawsuit correctly. If the Borrowerhas not responded to the lawsuit, thetechnical errors in the lawsuit are waived.There is no question the Borrower has notpaid the monthly payments and is in defaulton the loan. The Bank must have the rightto enforce private contracts. Foreclosurejudgments have to be final.To stop the foreclosure process is asignificant step in the wrong direction. Realestate has to be transferable. Contractshave to be able to be enforceable. Whilesympathy should be extended to the manythousands of people who are out of workand in need of new jobs, the real estatetransaction process must be maintained.There are catastrophic consequencesshould the real estate system be shut downby the politicians trying to cure the ills of asick economy on the back of the real estatemarket.Politicians seem to assume Banks arestanding alone in this economic downturn.They are not. In order to continue theeconomy, the transferability of realproperty is essential. Stopping foreclosureswill put into question prior foreclosureand Bank sales and hence slow real estatetransactions. It is that simple. Let theprocess of buying and selling real estatecontinue. If not, well, that could drive theeconomy to the abyss! I Stand Proud andwatch from “Atop” the Great Dome of theOregon State Capitol. It is my job to watchand remember.Marion County Fair Board Seeking aNew MemberThe Marion County Fair Board is seekingan energetic, forward-thinking person readyto roll up his or her sleeves to help producethe annual Marion County Fair.One position is open on the seven-memberFair Board which oversees managementof the fair. The Fair Board works froman annual Strategic Plan in determiningthe distribution of responsibilities andthe timing in which tasks are completed.The open position will have a variety ofduties including working with other boardmembers, fair staff, and volunteers toorganize, manage, and promote the fair.In addition, each board member must beavailable to complete assigned duties duringthe week of the fair, which will be held July7-10, 2011.TheMarionCountyBoardofCommissioners appoints the members ofthe Fair Board to serve three-year terms.Applicants must be residents of MarionCounty who are 18 or older. Applications areavailable from the Marion County volunteerservices coordinator at 503-588-7990, ore-mail volunteer@co.marion.or.us.Application forms are also available on theMarion County website at www.co.marion.or.us/bs/vol. Completed applications shouldbe submitted to Business Services Office, 32513th Street NE, PO Box 14500, Salem, OR97309, by 5:00 p.m. Friday, November 19.

November 2010Salem Business JournalPage 7A Celebration of Oregon ArchivesAs Secretary of State I have the honorof directing the work of five essentialdivisions of state government includingarchives. This division houses some ofthe state’s oldest documents includingrecords from the provisional and territorialgovernments, the Oregon Constitution andextensive holdings from all three branchesof state government. The State Archives alsopublishes the biennial Oregon Blue Book,the authoritative source of information onOregon’s history and government.Every year October is recognized asNational Archives Month. The OregonState Archives culminated the month longcelebration with a Saturday open housecomplete with tours a chance to see wherehistorical records are kept including theOregon Secretary of State: Kate BrownConstitution and tutorials on how to tracefamily histories. Employees were on handto direct visitors.New to this year’s exhibit is a photodisplay which highlights the beauty ofour entire state. The person responsiblefor these breath taking images is a longtime archives employee. Gary Halvorsonhas worked for the State Archives for thepast 20 years and began taking photosof Oregon scenery in the late 1990’swhile on assignment. His images wereso magnificent and better than anythingthe state could afford that his work soonbecame a benefit not only to the ArchivesDivision but to countless other stateagencies in need of photos.Gary’s work has provided a great savings.We no longer have to purchase photos forour Bluebook. Gary’s photos can also beseen on various state web sites, pamphletsand brochures used to educate the public.High quality photos that promote thescenic diversity and beauty in Oregonare in high demand yet the cost to hire aprofessional photographer does not fitin most budgets. Halvorson’s initiativeto use his talent and help out his agencyand others has provided a great serviceto the state at a minimal cost. Adding thisadditional duty does not keep him frommeeting and exceeding expectations as anarchivist. He is a great example of how stateemployees are going above and beyond tomeet the needs of their agencies.For a gallery of Gary Halvorson’s photosvisit .VanNatta Public Relations, Inc. Named One of OSU’sExcellence in Family Business Award WinnersSalem based association management,public policy consulting and event planningcompany, VanNatta Public Relations, Inc.(VPR) was named one of the Oregon StateUniversity’s Excellence in Family Businessaward winners. VPR was founded by FredVanNatta in 1967 and is currently managedby second generation G. Harvey Gail andMary Louise VanNatta.More than 170 companies have receivedthis recognition since the awards were firstpresented in 1988. More than 100 familybusinesses were nominated in 2010. Thenominees then completed an application andwent through an interview before a panel ofjudges. VPR was recognized in the category ofbusinesses with nine or fewer employees. Thejudges said the company’s success has beenbased in part on the parents allowing the nextgeneration the freedom to redefine the focusof the business to reach new customers.“These award-winning families in businessVPR staff (left to right): Harvey Gail, Jessica Redding, Mary Louise VanNatta,Shaney Starr, Fred VanNatta, Ruben Garciacan succeed for generations, even in tougheconomic times, because as businesses,they are responsive to their customers andas families they are responsive to theircommunities,” said Sherri Noxel, interimdirector of the Austin Family BusinessProgram.Members of the VanNatta Public Relationsteam will be at the ceremony on November 18at the Hilton Portland and Executive Towersto receive their award.“We are very honored to be recognized forsomething that we value. Family is a criticalpart of our business. It is a joy working withmy parents and we are fortunate to be able toinvolve our sons in our work,” said CEO MaryLouise VanNatta. “Fred and Mariel VanNattabuilt something amazing and we’re proud tobe able to continue what they started,” sheadded.VPR is located at 3340 Commercial St SE inSouth Salem. wwwPRSalem.com.Advertise now with Weatherman Bill Isabell on KBZY 1490AMAND The Salem Business Journal* ONE, 60 SECOND LIVE AD DURING DRIVE TIME 6AM TO 9AM MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY, 20MINIMUM MONTHLY (CAN BE CHANGED WITH 24 HOUR NOTICE).* THREE, 60 SECOND PRODUCTION RECORDED ADS TO SUIT, RUN DAILY 9AM TO 6PM SUNDAYTHROUGH SATURDAY, 80 MINIMUM MONTHLY(CAN CHANGE ONCE EVERY OTHER MONTH).* ONE QUARTER PAGE COLOR AD IN THE SALEM BUSINESS JOURNAL FOR EACH MONTH OFCONTRACTSUMMARY OF ADS:ONE HUNDRED AND FOUR MINIMUM, 60 SECOND RADIO ADS PER MONTH,.ONE QUARTER PAGE COLOR AD IN SALEM BUSINESS JOURNAL EACH MONTH OF CONTRACT.CONTRACTS: (ONE ONLY AVAILABLE FOR NON-CURRENT ADVERTISERS ON KBZY AND SBJ)ONE YEAR CONTRACT:SIX MONTH CONTRACT: 325 A MONTH 350 A MONTHPhone Bill Isabell Today @ 503-851-5402

Page 8Salem Business Journal November 2010Thanks for NOT Reading ThisIt’s Thanksgiving month. Before wesettle down to a big slice of pie, it’s goodto remember the reason we all get togetherin November. We consider this holidaya “family” time, but as professionals, wecan’t overlook the role our business and coworkers play in our overall life.Think about it. If you are lucky enough tobe employed (and we know many peopleare not) at a job-- at which you have chosento spend at least half your day, you havesomething to be thankful for! If you workwith people that make you laugh morethan they annoy you, you have somethingto be thankful for! If you make enoughTelling Your Story: Mary Louise VanNatta, CAEmoney to have food, shelter and a luxury ortwo (like cable TV or an iphone); you havesomething to be thankful for! If someonegave you a break or chance, mentored orguided you or even gently disciplined youinto being the best you can be thanksmight be in order!So often we assume that just becausesomeone is paid for a job or service that isthanks enough. We cannot overlook how asimple “thank you” or kind word can makesomeone’s day.So, instead of reading this column thismonth, I want you to stop, right now, takeout a pen and paper or get on your emailand write everyone you appreciate at worka thank you note. If you haven’t done this ina while, it might go like this:Dear (boss, employee, co-worker,vendor, salesperson, janitor, maintenanceperson, etc.);During this special time of year, I wantedto say THANK YOU for: everything you do to make my life alittle more pleasant helping me get a start in

MORNING DAILY REPORT ON KBZY AM 1490 NESROOM: EDITORSALEMBSINESSJORNAL.COM P. O. BO 9 SALEM OR 90 19 LIBERTY STREET E SITE 0B SALEM OR 901 PHON E: 0.944 Salem Business Journal covering oregon's state capitol www.salembusinessjournal.com economic business forum Nov 4 sedcor.com HousiNg Fair Nov 13 John L. scott real Estate 503-585 .