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• Bend shines as nation’s newest Green Power Community

• Central Oregon Construction Projects Receive Top Awards

• BEND LIVING Takes Two Maggies in Magazine’s
  Industry’s Top Awards Ceremony

• Bend Villa Retirement offering Move-in Specials

• What’s New at the High Desert Museum

• Bend Memorial Clinic Introduces Digital Mammography

• Creating Loyal Customers Program

• Housing Works to host Fair Housing Training

• LifeWise Pledges $30,000 to Bend’s Volunteers in Medicine Clinic

• Mid Oregon Credit Union Offers Free Workshops

• Parr Lumber Simplifies Green Building For Builders

• 2008 RE/MAX Wing Ding Gala and Golf Classic

• Steele Associates Architects “Warms Up” on Biomass Heating

• Supervisory Development Program

Bend shines as nation’s newest Green Power Community
By: Tom Gauntt, Pacific Power External Communications

     Now is the time to celebrate Bend becoming the nation’s newest Green Power Community. Bend is being recognized nationally by the Environmental Protection Agency for its leadership and dedicated support of renewable energy.
     While Bend is the newest of 16 Green Power Communities nationwide, it is already the fourth largest volume purchaser of renewable energy within the exclusive group of cities recognized by the EPA. The 46 million kilowatts hours of renewable energy being purchased annually by the Bend community is larger than the amount of renewables purchased by Boulder, Colo., a city with about 30,000 more residents than Bend.
     The federal recognition comes after a successful renewable energy challenge sponsored by the city, Bend Chamber of Commerce, and Pacific Power’s Blue Sky program. The challenge began in October and concluded on Earth Day with 11 percent of the Bend area customers signed up for Pacific Power’s award-winning Blue Sky program.

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Central Oregon Construction Projects Receive Top Awards
By: Ginny Streeter; Marketing Coordinator, Hooker Creek Companies, LLC

     Two local construction projects received the top awards at the annual Oregon Concrete Aggregate Producers Association (OCAPA) awards banquet on April 11.
     The Mill Quarter in Bend was the first place winner in the very competitive Commercial Insulating Concrete Forms (ICF) category. The unique design and extensive use of ICF were contributing factors in the Mill Quarter being named the top project in this category.  At the time the Mill Quarter was under construction, it was the largest ICF project in the United States.
     In deciding to use ICF in the construction of the Mill Quarter, the owner took into account the many benefits of building with ICF’s including increased energy efficiency, and low maintenance. Another benefit to building with ICF is the sound deadening quality. With the Mill Quarter being in an area with heavy traffic volume, this was absolutely essential to the success of this project. 
     HSW Builders and Hooker Creek Companies, LLC were members of the Mill Quarter construction team.   
     In the Parking Structure category, Bend’s Centennial Parking Plaza walked away with the top honors. When the city decided to move forward with the construction of Bend’s first parking plaza, it outlined four primary objectives which included a high aesthetic quality, an open layout that was “friendly” to users.
     It needed to be a durable and long lasting structure and it needed to be designed in a way that minimal maintenance would be required. The design and construction teams went to work and achieved all of these objectives and more!
     Hooker Creek Companies, LLC was the Ready Mix Supplier on the construction team for the Centennial Parking Plaza.  

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BEND LIVING Takes Two Maggies in Magazine’s Industry’s Top Awards Ceremony

     BEND LIVING won two top awards at the magazine industry’s 57^th Annual Maggie Awards.
     BEND LIVING’s October 2007 portfolio “Courage & Strength,” featuring dramatic photographs of women whose lives have been touched by breast cancer won Best Black and White/Two-Color Layout.
     One Bend resident’s tale of coming to the aid of school children in earthquake-devastated Kashmir in “Kashmir Journal” (February 2007) won Best Color/Editorial Layout.
     “We are flattered and honored by this industry distinction,” said Kiki Cutter, president of Cutter Communications. “These awards are a further endorsement of the quality of work we’ve been doing at BEND LIVING and peer recognition of that hard work.”
     The Maggie Awards were held, Friday, May 2 at the Westin Hotel in Los Angeles. The Maggie Awards are the industry’s top prize and a function of Western Publications Association.

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Bend Villa Retirement offering Move-in Specials

     Bend Villa Retirement Community is offering a fabulous new move-in special offer for the month of May only! Move in by May 31 and you will receive $500 off your rent for six months. That is a savings of $3,000! Contact Richard or Sadie at (541) 389-0046 for more information.

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What’s New at the High Desert Museum

     The High Desert Museum and Oregon Paleo Lands Institute in Fossil, will offer six inspiring field trips to explore the geologic and natural history of the High Desert this year. The new ADVENTURES IN TIME series focuses on the geology of the High Desert. It will take an especially close look at how changes in climates have formed and influenced the spectacular landscapes of the region.
     This month, the trip is to the Lost Forest region, and spectacular groves of trees that grew during the Ice Age.
     May 24 - 25 Lost Forests, Lost Landscapes:
Depart the Museum at 8 a.m. Visit Horse Ridge and the Badlands with their ancient junipers. Brothers fault zone, recent eruptions, lake basins, Christmas Valley, Lost Forest, Crack in the Ground, Wagontire, Burns, volcanic, and logging history tour. Discussions will include fire ecology, fire-based ecosystems, and the role of climate in forest health. You will return to the Museum at 6 p.m. Your guide is Dr. Ellen Morris Bishop, Executive Director of the Oregon Paleo Lands Institute.
     The price is $295 which includes transportation, lunches, snacks, and lodging.  For information or to register, contact Dr. Ellen Morris Bishop at the Oregon Paleo Lands Institute:
(541) 763-4480, or www.paleolands.org

Bend Memorial Clinic Introduces Digital Mammography

     Women who undergo routine mammograms at Bend Memorial Clinic now have the latest diagnostic technology available to them, digital mammography. BMC’s Mammography Department features a state-of-the-art system, Selenia™ digital mammography machine from Hologic®
     BMC is very excited to be able to offer the newest technology for breast cancer detection. Digital mammography is different from conventional mammography in how the image of the breast is viewed and, more importantly, manipulated. The radiologist can magnify the images, increase or decrease the contrast and invert the black and white values while reading the images. These features allow the radiologist to evaluate microcalcifications and focus on areas of concern.
     To schedule a digital mammography at BMC call 541-382-4900.

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Creating Loyal Customers Program

     Developing loyal customers - not just satisfying your customers needs—is the critical difference in creating sustainable organizational success. Customer loyalty should be the outcome of every customer interaction. In this program, you will assess your ability to understand and manage your emotions, recognize emotions of others, and develop the ability to manage relationships with customers and peers effectively. You will evaluate your communication styles, attitudes, goal setting techniques, and develop a plan of action that will increase your skill level to connect to customers every time. For more information or registration contact Dana at: 550-0272 or visit: www.danamics.net

Dates: Fri, 5/23, Fri, 5/30, Fri, 6/6, Fri, 6/13 plus 2 follow up sessions
Times: 10am-12am
Investment: $365 (Introductory Rate--Value is $ 435)

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Housing Works to host Fair Housing Training

Discrimination in housing along with the basic fair housing rule will be the focus of a Fair Housing Workshop to be held on June 20, 2008, in Bend.  Diane Hess, Education Director of the Fair Housing Council of Oregon, will be the presenter at this event hosted by Housing Works at its affordable housing community, Eastlake Village.

The workshop will cover such topics as the definition of protected classes, what is discrimination in housing, and the Basic Rule of Fair Housing.

The apartment complex is located at 675 NE Bellevue Drive in Bend.  The training will be held in the Community Room, from 9:00 a.m. until noon.  Light refreshments will be served.

Space is limited so landlords, property managers, and other interested community members should register early. To sign up for this important workshop, contact Diane Romero, Housing Works' Program Manager, at 541-323-7413 or email dromero@housing-works.org.

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LifeWise Pledges $30,000 to Bend’s Volunteers in Medicine Clinic

     Citing growing concern for the health of uninsured residents and support for the dedicated volunteers of the Central Oregon medical community, LifeWise Health Plan of Oregon announced a three-year pledge of support to the Volunteers in Medicine Clinic of the Cascades. 
     “Like the Clinic, we know that one way we can improve the health and well-being of our community is to collaborate on ways to provide support for those who are uninsured,” said Allison Bechtol, LifeWise Vice President of Health Care Delivery.  “We are privileged in Central Oregon to have a medical community who volunteer their time and resources to make education and treatment available. We are proud to make this three-year, $30,000 pledge to the Clinic.”
     The Volunteers in Medicine Clinic of the Cascades opened in Bend in March 2004 with the mission “to improve the health and wellness of the medically uninsured through the engagement of professionals, community partners and dedicated volunteers.” The Clinic’s services continue to be in great demand.  In 2007 they completed nearly 6,800 patient visits – in a community where the number of uninsured families has more than doubled in the past four years.

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Mid Oregon Credit Union Offers Free Workshops

     Financial education is vital when you consider the numbers of issues facing consumers, such as the increasing numbers of identity theft victims, personal bankruptcies, and debt. One way that Mid Oregon Credit Union has stepped up to the challenge to help reverse these statistics, is to offer the community free financial workshops that address our current issues.
     These workshops are free to the public. All workshops are held at Mid Oregon Credit Union’s East Bend branch, 1386 NE Cushing Drive, unless otherwise indicated. To reserve your seat call 382-1795.
     May 27: Long Term Care Insurance: Learn how to protect yourself from the staggering costs of long-term health care and from depleting your retirement fund.
     May 29: How to Start a Business: Learn the basic and essential information you will need and the steps to take to open your own business.

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Parr Lumber Simplifies Green Building For Builders

     The Parr Company has introduced its Parr High Performance System™  which provides builders a building envelope that is designed, built, and installed to perform with extreme efficiency and is environmentally friendly.   
     Parr developed the program to contribute to the building of homes that are safe, healthy, durable, affordable to operate, environmentally friendly and aesthetically pleasing.
     Although the system achieves many of the green certifications, Parr wanted to go beyond the certification schemes and offer an actual product.  “Our trade ready structure not only positions a builder as a green builder, but also as a high performance builder.  Now a builder can provide us their plans and we’ll design a high performance building envelope, build the components in our manufacturing facilities, and install it on their jobsite,” said Nate Bond, Director of Sales for The Parr Company.
     The Parr High Performance System effectively and efficiently manages the water, air and thermal aspects of the home.  The building science techniques used in the manufacturing process reduces construction time, reduces waste and improves the livability and quality of the home. 
     The Parr High Performance System offers numerous benefits to homeowners including: 

Energy efficiency – providing a reduction in their utility bills by 30% - 45%

Environmentally friendly – reducing jobsite lumber waste by 75% of a traditionally built home

Cleaner indoor air quality – the home receives a constant flow of fresh, crisp, filtered air

Superior thermal insulation blanket – creating consistent room to room temperature – no more hot and cold spots

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2008 RE/MAX Wing Ding Gala and Golf Classic

     The RE/MAX offices of Central Oregon are proud to welcome all the friends of Sparrow Clubs as gala attendees, players and sponsors to the 8^th annual RE/MAX Offices of Central Oregon Wing Ding Gala and Golf Classic. The Friday evening gala is at Sunriver Resort’s Homestead on May 30, 2008, followed by the popular tournament at the championship Meadows Golf Course located in Sunriver on Saturday, May 31, 2008. 
     The Friday evening gala will include an elegant dinner, live and silent auctions, and lively entertainment. The evening auction will be filled with art, guided tours, outdoor adventure packages, African Safaris, a trip to Bali and much more.
     Most important, the event supports a very worthy cause.  Sparrow Clubs USA, born in Central Oregon, is a youth-based charity where kids-help-kids in medical crisis.
     To find out more about the Wing Ding Gala and Golf Classic, log on to www.wingdinggala.com. 

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Steele Associates Architects “Warms Up” on Biomass Heating 

     Steele Associates Architects staff Seth Anderson, Kimberly Stroup, Patrice Anderson, Misti Cardin, Steven Olson, Jeff Wellman, Stacey Stemach, Scott Steele, Rachel Stemach and Lawrence Schechter recently attended an all-day workshop on woody biomass heat presented by Resource Innovations. The workshop delved into opportunities, challenges and case studies of woody biomass heat and power generation. Steele Associates is presently exploring biomass heating for three projects. Steele Associates Architects is dedicated to furthering their sustainable design expertise in order to better serve their clients and the community.

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Supervisory Development Program

     This 20 hours program is a structured, open-ended, pragmatic approach and it engages each individual in a process of personal and professional growth. When your organization's supervisors are comfortable and effective in their roles, productivity and profits for your company will soar!
     We will cover: Goal Setting, Confidence, Leading for Results, Managing Your Use of Time, Motivation, Communications, Performance Appraisals, Discipline, Developing Subordinates, Taking Corrective Actions, Delegation, Decision Making, Problem Solving and more. For information/registration contact Dana at: 550-0272 or visit: www.danamics.net.

Dates: Wed, 5/21, Wed, 5/28, Wed, 6/4, Wed, 6/11 and Wed, 6/18 plus 3 follow up sessions
Times: 9am-12pm
Investment: $995:  (Introductory Rate--Value is $1250)

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