(Apptoto.com Ranked #1. Tyler Blair, Frank Cort, Rachael Cort and Ryan McAdler, Photo Courtesy of Photography by Kelsey Williams)
Annual Awards Recognize Local Companies Topping Growth Charts
Welcome to the second annual Central Oregon Fastest 20 Growing Businesses Awards, celebrating the most rapidly rising stars of the increasingly diverse local business scene.
Cascade Business News (CBN) joined forces with sponsors Columbia Bank and Capstone CPAs to recognize the fastest growing companies located in the Tri County region.
The qualifying criteria for this inaugural list included companies established and operating on or before January 1, 2015, with gross annual revenues of at least $100,000 in the last fiscal year, reporting consistent year-over-year growth in earnings through 2017. CBN teamed with Columbia Bank and Capstone to help find these companies, and then vet the percentage of growth.
The top 20 featured a wide array of business types and industry sectors, from hi tech to health care, home improvement, recreation — and of course, beer! — reflective of a broadening platform for the local economy, with a heavy emphasis on the entrepreneurial spirit for which Central Oregon is increasingly noted.
Latest economic indicators show Central Oregon’s economy growing faster than the national average again this year, and Columbia Bank Senior Vice President and Commercial Banking Team Leader for Columbia Bank Cory Allen said, “We at Columbia Bank are very excited to continue in its second year our support for the Central Oregon’s Fastest 20. It is exciting to see such a diverse group of companies in our region and acknowledge the growth they are experiencing.”
Lance Brant, a CPA with Capstone, added, “We need to recognize small business owners and their positive efforts to our community. Owners of small business clients are the engine to our business environment and they provide the local opportunities for employees and future owners of small business. I could not be prouder to support this event.”
The Fastest 20 companies were announced and honored at a celebratory event at the Oxford Hotel on November 7. Here are the profiles of each company together with the rankings of the top performers.
#1 – Apptoto.com
Official Name of Business: Go-Cort, Inc. (DBA Apptoto.com)
Address: 220 NW Oregon Ave. Suite 200, Bend, OR 97703
Phone: 888-318-3765
Website: www.apptoto.com
Contact Email: frank@apptoto.com
Number of Employees: 7
Year Established in Central Oregon: 2016. Founded in 2010. Moved back to Bend in July 2016.
Owner/Founder: Frank & Rachael Cort
Product/Services Offered: Online automated appointment messaging and scheduling service for Google Calendar, Office 365, Salesforce, Outlook… you name it. We’ve been waging war against “no-shows” since 2010.
Hot News: We now have over 2500 paying clients in the U.S. and abroad.
Outlook for Growth: Doubling revenue every 18-24 months for the next five years.
What do you attribute your rapid growth to? Solving a real problem (appointment no-shows) with an obvious solution (messaging) and doing it better than most. It also helps that our target market is huge (10 million businesses in the U.S. alone) and that marketing tools exist today that make it straightforward to target those clients and kick start the “word of mouth” machine.
What is your vision for growth and/or expansion over the next 5 years? I foresee us reaching $6M ARR by 2022 with a staff of 20. These numbers are conservative and based on simply improving our current direct to consumer marketing approach. If we can also establish solid re seller and partnership channels, revenue could be north of $20M in five years.
What is your philosophy to running a successful company? Reduce risk by diversifying many aspects of the business. For example, having thousands of small clients across many verticals protects us from natural ebbs and flows within any one segment of the market. And strive for methodical, consistent, and incremental growth as opposed to fast unsustainable growth. That allows you to learn and really understand all the moving pieces. Lastly… work hard.
#2 – Minuteman Press Cascades
Official Name of Business: Jem Print LLC (DBA Minuteman Press Cascades)
Address: 235 SE Wilson Ave. Suite 100, Bend, OR 97702
Phone: 541-749-2900
Website: www.bend.minutemanpress.com
Contact Email: mmpbend@minutemanpress.com
Number of Employees: 6
Year Established in Central Oregon: 2015
Owner/Founder: Renee Mansour
Product/Services Offered: Commercial Printing, Mailings, Promotional Items, Branded Apparel, Banners, Yard Signs.
Hot News: In August of 2018 we purchased Action Typeset and Printing. This was a family run business and due to an illness, the owner had to sell and chose Minuteman Press to handle their accounts.
Outlook for Growth: Our growth outlook is a two-prong approach. First, we want to grow organically by providing more product offerings to our existing customer base and enhance their branding options. Secondly, we look for growth through acquisitions and strategic alliances.
What do you attribute your rapid growth to? Our rapid growth is attributed to not only the great customer service we provide but also by the quality products we deliver to our customers. We are a one stop shop for our customers by providing almost any type of item they can print their logo on. We take pride in getting back to customers quickly and going the extra mile to make their visions a reality.
What is your vision for growth and/or expansion over the next 5 years? We intend to expand our square footage within our building giving us more room to acquire equipment that will make us more productive and allow us to have quicker turnaround times. We continue to put feelers out there for any other print shops that are in the market to sell. With growth comes additional staff as well as doing all that we can to keep the talented staff we currently have.
What is your philosophy to running a successful company? It is important to listen to the customer and provide them with the product they want or give suggestions on how to make their project better than what they had envisioned. I believe being ethical, honest, and true to everyone we are in contact with brings success.
#3 – Broad Sky Networks
Official Name of Business: Broad Sky Networks LLC
Address: 750 NW Charbonneau Bend, OR 97703
Phone: 415-462-2950
Website: www.broadskynetworks.net
Contact Email: Mike@broadskynewtworks.net
Number of Employees: 20
Year Established in Central Oregon: 2004
Owner/Founder: Mike Mudd. 25 Years of various telecommunication management and sales.
Product/Services Offered: Wireless WAN services and equipment. Offering 4G and loT solution to enterprise customers.
Hot News: Broad Sky just made the INC 5000 for the second year in a row. Also launched a new global SIM solution available in 178 countries.
Outlook for Growth: Revenues and profitability will double in 2018 and same growth and profitability are forecasted for 2019.
What do you attribute your rapid growth to? The rapid deployment of SD-WAN networks requiring two internet connections allows Broad Sky’s 4GLTE WWAN service and equipment to be the secondary connection. Our service provides fast, secure and diverse network redundancy at very low prices. Broad Sky bundles equipment and service into low capex service packagesw allowing CTO’s to quickly receive CFO approvals to deploy our services.
What is your vision for growth and/or expansion over the next 5 years? Broad Sky’s sister company www.TechLinkSVC.net software development group is currently coding the www.WirelessWindow.com portal that will be a “single pane” view into an enterprise customers WWAN, tablets and lowT devices and monitoring. Allow customers to manage data pools, activate/suspend and cancel services along with setting up notifications for the management of all devices and sensors.
What is your philosophy to running a successful company? To make sure we provide a great work environment and support for employees and all team members to strive to deliver “customer first” service and support.
#4 – Aaken Corporation
Official Name of Business: Aaken Corporation
Address: 1350 SE Reed Market Rd. Ste 202, Bend, OR 97702
Phone: 541-330-9545
Contact Email: aaron@aakencorp.com, tyson@aakencorp.com
Number of Employees: Approx. 50
Year Established in Central Oregon: 2006
Owner/Founder: Tyson Shores, 21 years in the electrical industry, Bend native. Aaron Clickett, U.S. Navy ‘90-’96, 29 years in the electrical industry.
Product/Services Offered: This past year, Aaken Corporation acquired Seven Peaks Electric, a local electrical contractor, and absorbed all employees. In addition to our current civil services (traffic signals, highway illumination, airport runway work), we now offer residential, commercial and industrial electrical services for new and remodel construction. We work with developers and contractors in town, in addition to local individuals to provide service and maintenance work. At the end of 2018 we will add low voltage, data, and audio/visual capabilities.
Hot News: Starting 2019 we will include low voltage, data, and audio/visual services in our offerings. We will be able to do this all in-house with a licensed low voltage electrician joining our staff. Additionally, we acquired the capability and heavy machinery required to do our own concrete work, which makes us quicker and more efficient in completing traffic signal and roadway improvement projects.
Outlook for Growth: Aaken Corporation intends to strengthen our presence in the communities of Medford and Salem. We readily surpassed our goal of adding 6 new employees and are at a total of 50 for the end of 2018. We hope to maintain the level of residential and commercial work we are doing in Central Oregon and increase our level of maintenance and service work for the local community. Our projected gross sales increase for 2019 is 25%.
What do you attribute your rapid growth to? Aaken Corporation has been maintaining relationships with local professionals that some would consider “competition,” but we consider friends. When those friends were ready for a change, this allowed Aaken Corporation to step in and absorb their services and customers and add them to our ever-expanding offerings. In this way, we maintain their employee’s standard of living and in turn, they help us grow to accommodate and service even more of Oregon. Our staff is especially committed to our company and believes in our mission. Ideas, changes, and new opportunities are encouraged and welcome here.
What is your vision for growth and/or expansion over the next 5 years? Aaken Corporation recently acquired a property in Hillsboro to allow us to have a base there. We hope to do the same in other areas of Oregon to make logistics and materials storage more streamlined. We are a local company at heart and we do our best at each location to hire local employees, purchase from local companies, and support the communities that surround us.
What is your philosophy to running a successful company? Our relationships with our coworkers is vital to our continued success. We are a “family first” company that values our time away from the job, as much as we enjoy our time on the job. We take care of our employees and together, we are determined to deliver the best product we can, through hard work and courteous service.
#5 – Aloha Blinds & Designs
Official Name of Business: Cascades Development Group Inc., (DBA Aloha Blinds & Designs)
Address: 900 SE Wilson Ave. Suite C Bend, OR 97702
Phone: 541-317-4684
Website: www.alohawindowcoverings.com
Contact Email: keith@alohawindowcoverings.com
Number of Employees: 4
Year Established in Central Oregon: 2012
Owner/Founder: Keith Leiderman, Mechanical Engineering
Product/Services Offered: Retail Window coverings installation. Residential & commercial.
Hot News: Recently expanded to add additional location in Portland Oregon to support increased business from residential builders.
Outlook for Growth: Growth looks promising as new construction remains strong in central Oregon and Portland metro. Our projections are ten percent year over year growth for the next three years.
What do you attribute your rapid growth to? By adding new builders to our client base while retaining current ones. Great reputation and word of mouth by exceeding expectations with after the sale service. Expertise in motorized/remote control window coverings.
What is your vision for growth and/or expansion over the next 5 years? As new regulations for cords on window coverings become mandatory in January 2019, we plan to take advantage of our expertise in motorized window coverings to capture the higher end of the marketplace.
What is your philosophy to running a successful company? Treat every customer as your #1 priority and treat your employees even better. Great employees make a great business.
#6 – Verdant Web Technologies, Inc.
Official Name of Business: Verdant Web Technologies Inc.
Address: 390 NE Emerson Ave. Bend, OR 97701
Phone: 541-323-5882
Website: www.verdantwebtech.com
Contact Email: ron.petti@verdantwebtech.com
Number of Employees: 6
Year Established in Central Oregon: 2016
Owner/Founder: Ron Petti & Bart Phillips
Product/Services Offered: Cloud-based Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) Compliance Software for multi-facility organizations in the Education, Health Care, Municipal, Industrial and Commercial sectors.
Hot News: Verdant recently completed a major on-boarding with Austin Independent Schools in Texas and was just selected by a major Petro Chemical Company in Canada. Verdant has also recently entered into partnerships with Esri (Global GIS Software Supplier) and Amazon Web Services (AWS). Esri provides Verdant with mapping solutions and market expansion support. AWS provides Verdant system hosting, Global Market support and advanced system support through Five Talent Software here in Bend.
Outlook for Growth: Verdant’s outlook for growth is very strong. Our product appeals to any size organization in the sectors which we are focused. Customer feedback is very positive and 90 percent of our demo’s result in proposals and follow up. Our sales pipeline is over five times what it was one year ago, after we added our new sales Director, Paul Stenbak. In this past year we’ve increased our geography by 40 percent and we’re in 15 States and Canada. Canada has just passed national compliance requirements that Verdant offers out of the box solutions for. Most organizations we target are moving toward web-based solutions for ease of access, critical data sharing and cost savings.
What do you attribute your rapid growth to? Verdant offers a Best in Class Solutions for a spectrum of data management needs. Organizations are increasingly investing in migration from paper-based to digital compliance systems. In addition, our growth is a result of our professional networking, visibility at industry trade conferences, referrals, web presence. Verdant currently enjoys very little competition. Our system shows very well and has high UI/UX ratings. Also, we have begun to establish regional consultant partners/re-sellers around the U.S., which has expanded the Verdant customer and user base much quicker than if we tried to reach the ultimate customer on our own.
What is your vision for growth and/or expansion over the next 5 years? Our annual revenue growth to date has averaged about 50 percent. Going forward, our plan is to at least double our growth as we establish beach heads in major states (e.g. California, Texas and Florida). We also plan to increase our geographical footprint via consultant/re-seller partners which has already expanded our customer base faster than we predicted. We will expand our North America footprint to Europe and beyond as we continue to partner with other application service providers who offer Governance Risk and Compliance Platforms in the EH&S space, which is part of a $14 Billion Global EH&S Services Market.
What is your philosophy to running a successful company? I try to make certain that I solve a customer problem reliably and more efficiently than they might do on their own. I try to never lose sight of quality and simplicity. I try to create leaders, not followers. I try to eliminate blind spots by constantly seeking advice from people a lot smarter than me.
#7 – Composite Approach LLC
Official Name of Business: Composite Approach LLC
Address: 2241 SW 1st St. Redmond, OR 97756
Phone: 541-316-7161
Website: www.compositeapproach.com
Contact Email: info@compositeapproach.com
Number of Employees: 60
Year Established in Central Oregon: 1998
Owner/Founder: Brian Harris
Product/Services Offered: Composite Approach is a full-service contract manufacturer of composite products. Services include design, engineering, research and development, long term production manufacturing and consultation.
Hot News: Composite Approach helps develop and produce the carbon fiber airframe for the Kitty Hawk Flyer, a single passenger, electric powered, vertical takeoff ultralight aircraft, which could one day revolutionize human travel.
Outlook for Growth: The composites industry is growing rapidly as composite materials find their way into a broader spectrum of products worldwide. Composite Approach is invested in growing with the industry, developing new technologies, and promoting on-shore manufacturing. Composite Approach is well positioned to exploit these new market dynamics and anticipates opportunities for significant growth into the foreseeable future.
What do you attribute your rapid growth to? We focus significant energy on developing mutually beneficial relationships with each of our customers. Customers seem to respect and appreciate our approach and frequently refer new business to us. Most of our growth stems from those referrals and our commitment to building relationships based on trust, honesty, integrity, respect and love.
What is your vision for growth and/or expansion over the next 5 years? We are moving our advanced composites production to a new 29,000 square foot facility currently under construction in Redmond during the second quarter of 2019. Our traditional fiberglass manufacturing will remain in our current facility. Projected sales growth for 2019 is over 50 percent, and total sales are expected to be double our current volume within five years.
What is your philosophy to running a successful company? Composite Approach is really a collection of people and the individual relationships that exist with each person both internally and externally to the company. Running a company, or any organization, is largely about managing each relationship. If you can focus on each relationship and interaction every day and do it well, you’ll have successful relationships which will lead to a successful company. I am blessed to be surrounded by the best team of people and the best group of customers imaginable. When it comes to the work we do, we must keep quality and timeliness as our top two priorities and we must leave them in that order. We must do what we said we would do. We miss sometimes, but we relentlessly pursue it.
#8 – Traffic Control Consultants
Official Name of Business: Daily Deliveries LLC (DBA Traffic Control Consultants)
Address: 460 NE Hemlock Ave. Suite D, Redmond, OR 97756
Phone: 541-548-3165
Website: www.trafficcontrolconsultants.com
Contact Email: nancyjo@trafficcontrolconsultants.com
Number of Employees: 25+ Currently – Seasonal construction work
Year Established in Central Oregon: 2014, 4th Quarter
Owner/Founder: Owners Brian and Nancy Reynolds are entrepreneurs. Brian has been self-employed since 2007, Nancy has been a controller with years of turnaround management experience.
Product/Services Offered: Certified flaggers, certified pilot escort vehicles, traffic control design in software, route surveys, traffic control narratives, super load specialists – movement of over dimensional loads throughout Oregon. Traffic control sign rentals and implementation of traffic control plans, paving flagging, aerial flagging, excavation flagging, super load flagging.
Hot News: Incredible year for moving over dimensional (super loads) trucks across the State of Oregon that requires full shutdowns of highways. Terrific growth in commercial flagging services in Central Oregon. We have a great team of flaggers, pilot escort drivers and operations management.
Outlook for Growth: Growth for our business model looks very exciting for the next two to five years. With more funding for ODOT roadwork, City and County road work and installations of aerial and excavation work in Central Oregon, we feel we are growing into a position to create a significant number of flagging and pilot escort jobs for our community. With Facebook growing again and with DOD purchasing large shipments requiring traffic control throughout Oregon, our over dimensional work will continue to grow for 2019 to 2021.
What do you attribute your rapid growth to? We work diligently to service our customers, ensuring we meet their needs for flagging, traffic control plans and pilot escort services in a timely manner. We are flexible and on call 24/7 to meet any emergency needs for our customers. Growth in infrastructure coupled with repairs and maintenance and more over dimensional loads traveling across Oregon has led us to grow tremendously.
What is your vision for growth and/or expansion over the next 5 years? Continued planned growth into four profit centers, creating divisions for each type of work our company is currently doing to allow our growth to be sustainable.
What is your philosophy to running a successful company? Our Company Motto is “Your Safety is Our Business”. Ensuring that we meet the needs of our stakeholders such as customers, employees, vendors and community. Allowing our team the ability and flexibility to perform their job duties leads to great teamwork. Analyzing how the company is performing in all areas and working to implement changes in areas that are showing the need. This is a constant evolving process. Being a fairly new company and growing rapidly presents wonderful challenges for all of us.
#9 – Step & Spine Physical Therapy
Official Name of Business: Step & Spine Physical Therapy
Mailing address: PO Box 1510, Sisters, OR 97759
Administration: 541-529-1347
Bend Address: 2185 NW Shevlin Park Road
Phone: 541-728-0713
Redmond Address: 974 SW Veterans Way
Phone: 541-504-5363
Sisters Address: 625 N Arrowleaf Trail
Phone: 541-588-6848
Website: www.stepandspine.com
Contact Email: jodi@stepandspine.com or marketing@stepandspine.com
Number of Employees: 41
Year Established in Central Oregon: 2010
Owner/Founder: Barrett Ford, PT is the CEO. Barrett and Jodi Ford are the owners. Barrett graduated from the University of Texas Medical Branch Physical Therapy (PT) program. He has been a PT for over 28 years. He has worked in Texas, Utah, and Oregon. Barrett is an Eagle Scout and has continued to volunteer in the program. Barrett and Jodi have traveled and volunteered with Habitat for Humanity. Jodi has volunteered in the Deschutes County 4-H program. Barrett and Jodi have six children, two of whom are married, and they have two grandchildren.
Product/Services Offered: Physical Therapy
Hot News: We just hired our first Physical Therapy Assistant (PTA). A PTA is someone who has graduated from a program that gives them the skills and knowledge to assist a PT. This is different than a PT aide, whom does not graduate from a program. Having this new position gives us a unique opportunity to grow and serve our patients.
Outlook for Growth: We are continually looking for opportunities to grow, however, they must be financially sound. We love to help people and are fully invested in our community. We are excited to engage in opportunities that allow us to help Central Oregon residents live healthier lives.
What do you attribute your rapid growth to? We love people and genuinely want to see them feel better for life. We believe education is a fundamental component to achieving this. As such, we strive to educate our patients about their unique physical conditions while teaching them how to make changes to improve their physical health.
What is your vision for growth and/or expansion over the next 5 years? We have continued to see an increase in demand for our service and will further expand as the demand necessitates. People have a positive experience in our clinics and they tell their friends to come to Step & Spine Physical Therapy. Our network of referring providers, who trust us to care for their patients, are also pivotal in our success.
What is your philosophy to running a successful company? First and foremost, get the right people on-board. Those who love and care for people. Then, love your people. We try to set our employees up with a schedule that works for their lifestyle while balancing it with the needs of the clinic. We want to have happy employees and believe that it transfers to happy patients. And we love to have happy, healing patients. We have very talented and educated individuals in our business. But we emphasize, that the most important thing we can do is love and care and draw a connection with every patient that we see. It should be a super uplifting experience. The patient should always receive some hands-on treatment and should be educated in a way that makes sense to them and they can benefit for a lifetime. This philosophy is emphasized from the front desk, to the physical therapist and assistants, to the administrative staff.
#10 – Central Oregon Eyecare
Official Name of Business: Central Oregon Eyecare, P.C.
Address: 1000 SW Indian Ave. Redmond (Locations also in Bend, Prineville, Madras, Sisters and Portland)
Phone: 541-548-2488
Website: www.centraloregoneyecare.com
Contact Email: tsheldon@centraloregoneyecare.com
Number of Employees: 30
Year Established in Central Oregon: 1943
Owner/Founder: Dr. Todd Sheldon attended optometry school on a full ride U.S. Navy scholarship and graduated #1 in his class. He served as a staff optometry physician at the Beaufort Naval Hospital in South Carolina. Dr. Sheldon also earned a master’s in business administration. He is the recipient of several research grants and has published numerous articles in medical journals related to eye disease.
Product/Services Offered: Full scope eyecare including diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases and disorders. Full service optical at all locations including many frame lines exclusive to Central Oregon Eyecare.
Hot News: New Diagnostic Instruments: 1) Dark adaptation testing to diagnose early macular degeneration. 2) Dry eye and ocular surface disease testing. 3) Largest distributer of new Varilux X progressive lens technology in Central Oregon.
Outlook for Growth: Excellent! With the economy firing on all cylinders and Central Oregon experiencing rapid growth again, we are optimistic about the potential for continued growth.
What do you attribute your rapid growth to? 1) Hiring great team members who are compassionate as well as passionate about helping people. 2) Continuously investing in the newest technology and diagnostic instrumentation as well as staying up to date on new lens and contact lens materials. 3) Community outreach and education.
What is your vision for growth and/or expansion over the next 5 years? We will continue to expand our footprint in Central Oregon, especially in the Bend market as well as the Portland area market.
What is your philosophy to running a successful company? Work hard, train often and keep things fun. We try to train our team members well and empower them to do their jobs. We do lots of fun team building activities throughout the year.
#11 – High Desert Home Improvement
Official Name of Business: High Desert Home Improvement LLC
Address: 1102 Barberry Dr., PO Box 2215, Terrebonne. OR 97760
Phone: 541-280-9655
Website: High Desert Home Improvement LLC is on Facebook and Instagram #teamhdhi
Contact Email: highdeserthi@gmail.com
Number of Employees: 6
Year Established in Central Oregon: 2014
Owner/Founder: Kandace Pielstick is a General contractor with 20 plus years’ experience. Shane Pielstick is a Principal Broker in Oregon with 25 plus years in construction.
Product/Services Offered: All aspects of remodeling, including interior/exterior painting, interior trim, siding, wood flooring, exterior and interior rock work, deck and dock building.
Hot News: Now building custom quality homes. With High Desert Home Improvement LLC building the homes, and High Desert Homes and Reality LLC listing and selling the homes, we have all the bases covered.
Outlook for Growth: With adding new home construction and new divisions, we will continue adding to our growth and diversity in new and remodeling projects. We will continue to be on time and under budget for our clients. Our goal is to build more homes from ground up in 2019 as well has all remodels, etc. We will also be building a log boom and docks at Lake Billy Chinook in the spring of 2019. This goal should double our gross receipts in 2019.
What do you attribute your rapid growth to? We have been complimented on our response time to our clients calls/bids and emails. We think communication with our clients is the key to a good relationship and keeps everyone on the same page. Our team has become very diverse in all aspects of construction, so we can complete any job with the quality our clients are looking for and in a timely fashion. We have great referrals from past clients and have gotten a lot of jobs from client reviews and referrals. Word of mouth has been an awesome tool for us! We have a great team who knows that if the company succeeds, they too will succeed. Hard work, a good work ethic and a fun crew that our clients rave about. It really comes down to, love what you do and it won’t be work! #teamhdhi
What is your vision for growth and/or expansion over the next 5 years? We are on our last year of our first five-year plan and have surpassed our company goals! Our next five-year plan we want to add additional team members, so we can have up to seven divisions: painting crew/wood floor crew/interior trim crew/rock crew/siding crew/plumbing crew and an electrician crew. With these plans we should once again double our gross receipts every year. That would also mean we will be growing our fleet of vehicles, trailers and equipment to accommodate this growth.
What is your philosophy to running a successful company? Our goal at High Desert Home Improvement LLC, is to not only be successful at the business level, but to make every team member successful and succeed to their highest ability and support the families of all who work for us, this is our ultimate goal. With the help of Team HDHI, we can make this happen! Our Team Motto says it all! With team meetings, brain storming, and training them on all that we do, they do not get bored, they really like being able to do a lot of different things that maybe they weren’t trained for but now can do with ease. Listening to their individual goals and helping them reach their most potential is a way to let them know we believe in them and are here to help them along the road to success. This is one of the ways we hold on to great employees who are the ones that help us succeed, we would not be able to do it without them.
#12 – Budget Blinds of Central Oregon
Official Name of Business: Hughes Interiors, LLC (DBA Budget Blinds of Central Oregon)
Address: 1155 SW Division St. Suite A4, Bend, OR 97702
Phone: 541-788-8444
Website: www.budgetblinds.com
Contact email: mhughes@budgetblinds.com
Number of Employees: 13
Year established in Central Oregon: 2008
Owner/Founder: Mike and Stacy Hughes run the day to day business, but Budget Blinds is owned by several members of the Hughes family, including Bob, Clara, Ed, and Terri Hughes. Mike and Stacy grew up in Central Oregon and they have owned two other businesses in Bend prior to joining Budget Blinds of Central Oregon in 2008. Stacy grew up in the housing industry as her dad was a custom home builder in Bend. Stacy has always had an eye for design and color and loves helping home owners find the perfect match. Mike has a background in construction and home audio, which is a perfect match for the latest window coverings trends. The broad experience of the Hughes family has contributed significantly to the success of Budget Blinds in central Oregon. Bob has an MBA and has managed several multi-million-dollar organizations; Clara has a degree in HR before becoming an Elementary teacher in Sisters; Ed has 32 years of experience in window covering and currently manages a large sales team for a window coverings manufacturer; and Terri is a retired graphic designer from Nike.
Product/Services Offered: Local Window Coverings Design Experts – We bring the showroom to our customer, showing samples and offering design recommendations right in their home. We expertly measure the windows, recommend designs, install beautiful window treatments, and back our products with the best warranty in the business. We also have a showroom in Bend for customers who want more ideas for their home.
Hot News: Home Automation is the new hot topic and that is why our customers depend on Budget Blinds to make it happen. Advances in technology and increased demand for smart and connected living have all contributed to rising excitement about motorized blinds. The benefits are many: the ability to control your shades or blinds with the touch of a button; freedom from unsightly cords that pose a risk to children and animals; cost reductions on your home heating bills; and transforming your living room into a media room.
Outlook for Growth: We see strong growth opportunities in the future. Budget Blinds has the largest selection of blinds, shades, shutters, draperies in the industry and we work with the top 25 brands, offering window coverings for every budget. We offer high end brands like Hunter Douglas and more affordable brands for customers who want quality at an affordable price. We work with many of the top builders and home designers in Deschutes County to provide window coverings in their client’s homes. As Deschutes county continues to be a fast-growing community, we will continue to see our growth expand.
What do you attribute your rapid growth to? Budget Blinds has a formula for success and processes in place enabling us to succeed. We are the local window coverings experts and we are backed by the nations #1 provider of custom window coverings, Budget Blinds. The Budget Blind buying power is huge and that is why the top 25 brands in window coverings have partnered with us; providing the latest in fashion at incredible pricing. Our consultative process is designed around caring about the customer and their home. We make the entire experience easy and convenient as we bring the showroom to their home with our FREE in-home design consultation. From those unique shaped windows, to energy efficient treatments, and more, Budget Blinds does it all, with style and service for any budget! We’re local and here to stay to ensure you have peace of mind.
What is your vision for growth and/or expansion over the next 5 years? We grow as our customer base grows. We frequently remodel our showroom in Bend to display the latest fashions and trends in window coverings. We continue to add vendors and products to meet the demand of our central Oregon customers. For example, three years ago we introduced outside solar shades and awnings to our mix of products and these have become a large part of our summer product line. We focus our time and talents to maintain our expertise in window coverings. Both our sales staff and installation staff receive on-going training from Budget Blinds and from our many vendors.
What is your philosophy to running a successful company? Our success has been achieved by taking care of our customer and our employees. Sixty-five percent (65%) of our sales come from repeat customers and referrals. Our customers appreciate having the best warranties in the industries, ensuring our customers are happy with their purchase. All of our employees are customer facing and interact with our customers on a daily basis. We hire employees based on their trade knowledge and also on their customer service skills. To attract and keep great employees, we offer a variety of benefits, incentive programs for each employee, and company-wide incentives to reward our staff when we achieve our annual goals.
#13 – Stand on Liquid
Official Name of Business: Stand on Liquid
Address: 1320 SE Reed Market Rd. Bend, OR 97702
Phone: 541-639-4596
Website: www.standonliquid.com
Contact Email: amanda@standonliquid.com
Number of Employees: 7-10
Year Established in Central Oregon: 2009
Owner/Founder: Rob McDonald and Pat Widmer
Product/Services Offered: We design, sell, and rent the West Coast’s largest selection of stand-up paddle boards and paddleboard accessories. We sell direct to consumers from our Reed Market Road store location, as well as across the country through big box retailers, camps, resorts, dealers, and via the web. We’ve also begun making custom paddle boards for major lifestyle brands.
Hot News: We’ve entirely redesigned our 2019 paddleboard lineup with new graphics, shapes, and sizes, as well as upgraded accessories. We’ve recently added a winter sports retail and consignment shop, Latitude 44 Sports.
Outlook for Growth: We expect a less stable economy and continued market consolidation, but believe volatility presents opportunity because we’re diversified and focused on the future.
What do you attribute your rapid growth to? Diversification of sales channels; continual improvement of the products we make and sell while maintaining competitive retail prices; aggressive but smart investment in technology and marketing, and a rabid and sophisticated local paddling community. Most important: we’re fortunate to have a devoted team with world-class product knowledge and an unwavering commitment to find the perfect board for every paddler.
What is your vision for growth and/or expansion over the next 5 years? Continue to evolve our products while offering lower consumer prices than the competition. Continue to diversify our product lineup and our distribution channels. Enter new markets and forge new partnerships both in and outside of Central Oregon.
What is your philosophy to running a successful company? Identify a North Star and communicate goals regularly and clearly. Place the team above the individual; help each colleague reach/exceed their potential; and make the work place fun but productive. Finally, break all industry rules and do what’s right for the business and your customers, not what convention dictates.
#14 – Diversified Heating & Cooling Inc.
Official Name of Business: Diversified Heating & Cooling Inc.
Address: 61511 American Ln. Suite 1, Bend, OR 97703
Phone: 541-323-1840
Website: www.diversifiedheating.com
Contact Email: Kenny4Diversified@gmail.com
Number of Employees: 36
Year Established in Central Oregon: 2010
Owner/Founder: Ken Ledbetter (Business & HVAC) Tanya Ledbetter (Business & Accounting)
Product/Services Offered: Furnaces, A/C’s, heat pumps, mini splits, fireplaces, service, gas piping, humidifier, air filtration, annual maintenance.
Hot News: New focus on Smart Home Technology.
Outlook for Growth: I believe our outlook on growth is outstanding. We want to grow with the Smart Home Technology and make sure we stay profitable and continue facilitating customer services as our #1 priority.
What do you attribute your rapid growth to? Great customers, great team, strong economy, top rated equipment.
What is your vision for growth and/or expansion over the next 5 years? Expand into Portland and Vancouver markets
What is your philosophy to running a successful company? Strong work ethic, honesty, deliver what we promise.
#15 – Boneyard Beer LLC
Official Name of Business: Boneyard Beer LLC
Address: 63067 Plateau Dr. Bend, OR 97701
Phone: 541-323-2325
Website: www.boneyardbeer.com
Contact Email: tony@boneyardbeer.com
Number of Employees: Approx. 70
Year Established in Central Oregon: 2010
Owner/Founder: Tony Lawrence, Owner, 30 Years in the brewing industry
Product/Services Offered: Craft beer produced in Bend, sold from BC to SF. Pub offers a fun place to enjoy food and beverage with your friends.
Hot News: The pub is a welcome addition to the Boneyard brand. Tourists, peers and friends can get great exposure to everything Boneyard.
Outlook for Growth: Slow, controlled growth of three to five percent, annually. The space is very crowded and increasingly more difficult to navigate.
What do you attribute your rapid growth to? High quality products, available for a fair price, relationships with wholesaler and retailers. Timing! The consumer interest in this space perfectly paralleled our growth curve.
What is your vision for growth and/or expansion over the next 5 years? Most Cap X investments currently are focused to maintain current production. By volume under efficient user-friendly conditions.
What is your philosophy to running a successful company? High quality products and service, become better at what you do, stay true to yourself, repeat process.
#16 – Pure Care Dental of Bend
Official Name of Business: Eric M Cadwell DDS PLLC, DBA Pure Care Dental of Bend
Address: 3081 N Hwy 97, Suite 150, Bend, OR 97703
Phone: 541-647-5555
Website: www.purecaredental.com
Contact Email: info@purecaredental.com
Number of Employees: 14
Year Established in Central Oregon: 2010
CEO/owner and background: Eric Cadwell, DDS, MBA. Dr. Cadwell went to undergraduate at WSU, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Economics. He then went to graduate school at UW and earned his Master’s in Business Administration. After running a medical software company for several years, he then went back to University of Washington and earned his Doctorate of Dental Surgery. He and his wife, Brianna, started the dental office together from scratch. Brianna manages the practice. She received her undergraduate from Seattle Pacific University, worked in special education for several years, then Earned her Master’s in School Counseling from Seattle Pacific University.
Product/Services Offered: Family dental care using the latest technology at prices that make sense. Cosmetic dentistry, implants, crowns, veneers, extractions, sleep apnea and snoring appliances and dental membership plan.
Outlook For Growth: Since starting from scratch in 2010 with five employees and have already grown beyond our expectations. We now have 14 amazing staff members. Our growth has continued, and as Central Oregon continues to grow, we see the outlook as very positive for growth into the future.
What do you attribute your rapid growth to? We started this practice from scratch in 2010 and have held true to our values ever since. We have been passionate about providing dental care that we would want for our own families at prices that make sense, all while using the latest technologies in a warm, comfortable atmosphere. We have also pioneered a dental membership plan to provide comprehensive care without dental insurance, allowing us to see both those patients that do have traditional dental insurance, as well as those without.
What is your vision for growth and/or expansion over the next 5 years? We will continue to grow to meet the needs of our patients and ensure that we are providing excellence, value, and customer service that they have come to expect. We love our patients, and they seem to love us too, so we will expand as necessary to meet their needs. We have already grown beyond what any of us expected since we opened our doors in 2010, so it will be exciting to see where the next 5 years takes us.
What is your philosophy to running a successful company? We have the best team that strives to provide an amazing experience that exceeds our patients’ expectations. That may seem difficult to do when you think of going to the dentist, but that philosophy permeates everything that we do – from the atmosphere of the office to the attitudes of the team, the level of service provided, and the materials and technology used in the office. We will only do the dentistry that we would want done for ourselves and our own families. That’s why we’re proud of what we do, and why our patients refer their friends and family.
#17 – Richard D. Gilmore
Official Name of Business: Richard D. Gilmore, D.M.D, P.C.
Address: 834 SW 11th St. Suite 2, Redmond, OR 97756
Phone: 541-504-5707
Website: www.gilmoredental.com
Contact Email: info@gilmoredental.com
Number of Employees: 11
Year established in Central Oregon: 2007
Owner/Founder: Richard and Kristin Gilmore
Product/Services Offered: General dentistry, restorative, preventative, cosmetic.
Hot News: In 2018 we invested in two new pieces of technology, a second Cerec (CADCAM) machine and a brand-new panoramic CT-scan.
Outlook for Growth: For the past 10 years we have enjoyed consistent growth in our patient base. We look forward to that same steady growth as well as our transition into a practice solely focused on the patient experience. With corporate dentistry moving in we aim to provide an exceptional and personal approach to our dentistry.
What do you attribute your rapid growth to? Our patients have blessed us with an incredible number of 5-star reviews. The reviews echo our mission and our vision, to attend to our patients’ comfort while providing them an unparalleled dental experience.
What is your vision for growth and/or expansion over the next 5 years? The next five years will be a transition period for our team. While treating dental disease will always be an essential role we also want to be the dentist of choice for the patient looking to invest in their smile.
What is your philosophy to running a successful company? Our patients drive our philosophy. We are constantly reviewing our systems to determine areas that need to be adjusted to ensure we are able to deliver that exceptional experience. Each team member must be able to self-evaluate as well. How does their contribution affect the practice as a whole?
#18 – Orion Eye Center LLC
Official Name of Business: Orion Eye Center, LLC
Address: 1775 SW Umatilla, Redmond, OR 97756
Phone: 541-548-7170
Website: www.orioneyecenter.com
Contact Email: information@orioneyecenter.com
Number of Employees: 35
Year Established in Central Oregon: 1996
Owner/Founder: Oli Traustason MD & Kristine Traustason
Product/Services Offered: High quality medical and surgical eye care – diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of eye disease.
Outlook for Growth: We are optimistic about growth in Central Oregon. We are adding physicians, adding staff, and planning a new building in Bend. It will also offer a much broader range of services, be more convenient to our patients, and be larger than our current facilities.
What do you attribute your rapid growth to? Three goals: 1) Making sure that our personal service is as excellent as our medical care. 2) Attention to detail, making sure every detail supports our overall long-term strategy. 3) Treating both patients and staff as well as we possibly can.
What is your vision for growth and/or expansion over the next 5 years? We plan to build a new office and surgery center in Bend, enabling us to keep up with its rapid growth. We are adding two new physicians allowing us to expand into sub-specialties not available in our area. WE anticipate almost doubling in size, to as many as 60 employees.
What is your philosophy to running a successful company? A vibrant partnership between clinical leadership and business leadership, always remembering that the physician leader is the “senior partner”. In order for an endeavor to succeed over the long run, it needs satisfied patients/customers, satisfied staff, satisfied owners, and financial visibility. The overlap of those four needs in sometimes astonishingly small, but attainable. Successful companies always keep those four needs in mind and in balance.
#19 – Paladin Data Corporation
Official Name of Business: Paladin Data Corporation
Address: 3020 Merchant Way Bend, OR 97701
Phone: 541-617-9955
Website: www.paladinpos.com
Contact Email: Jeff Rogers, Marketing Director: jeffr@paladinpos.com
Number of Employees: 75 and growing
Year Established in Central Oregon: 1980
Co-Founders: Dan Nesmith, President; Judie Nesmith, Vice President.
Paladin began as the brainchild of software visionary Dan Nesmith. He saw a simple solution for down-to-earth store owners. As founder and president, Dan, along with his wife Judie, have blazed the trail into the ever-progressive world of retail technology for over 35 years. Today, Dan uses his technical vision and management skills to continue developing the intuitive Paladin retail platform.
CEO: Mike Williamson. Learning the retail trade early via a family business, Mike has cultivated his extensive technology and management expertise for over 40 years. Collaborating with Dan from Paladin’s inception, he accepted the role of CEO in 2007. Guiding a team that provides top-class customer support has proven to be the foundation of Mike’s vision for Paladin, now and into future.
Product/Services Offered: Paladin Data Corporation develops a digital retail platform that automates complex and time-consuming business operations. Our intuitive technology enables end-to-end automation including: ordering, advertising, in-store marketing, customer management, mobile, e-commerce and our proprietary Market Driven Inventory Management™. With 39 years retail experience, we provide stores the peace of mind knowing their operations are streamlined and offer top-class 100 percent U.S.A.-based support.
Hot News: In an age when doing business efficiently and effectively relies on accurate and secure data, Paladin’s rapidly growing Managed Services ensures business systems are reliable, perform optimally and protected from intrusion. Real-time monitoring and management prevent small problems from becoming business disasters.
Outlook for Growth: We are growing as rapidly as technology is changing. Our business has evolved from providing point of sale software and hardware to one that develops a digital platform that automates nearly all retail business processes. Automating previously manual processes give brick-and-mortar stores more time to focus on their customers and growing their business. We will continue to expand our offerings of hundreds of features and integrations that support operational efficiencies in all aspects of retail.
What do you attribute your rapid growth to? Customers come first in everything we do. We work closely with them to develop a deep understanding of their business. We use this knowledge combined with our expertise to create solutions that simplify their operations. Paladin actively solicits and responds to customer feedback. This allows us to address their individual needs and we often develop customized solutions to their business challenges. Our customers tell us they appreciate our outstanding product setup, customer support, continuing education opportunities, and online resources, all located out of our headquarters in Bend.
What is your vision for growth and/or expansion over the next 5 years? The way brick-and-mortar stores operate is changing as quickly as the technology their customers use. Just as handwritten receipts and manual accounting practices gave way to mechanical and then electronic calculators, cash registers have given way to high-tech digital platforms that make doing business easier by automating routine tasks. Integrating e-commerce and mobile technology into business operations adds additional layers to running a successful retail store. Paladin is a leader in integrating and simplifying all these operations and we continue to be at the forefront of industry developments. Three years ago, we moved to a 4.7-acre corporate campus atop beautiful Awbrey Butte, which positions us to scale as quickly as our business requires.
What is your philosophy to running a successful company? Paladin excels by the thorough understanding our clients and putting them first in everything we do. We know their businesses intimately, we listen to their needs, and deliver on our promises. When they’re successful, we’re successful.
#20 – Bend Premier Real Estate
Official Name of Business: Bend Premier Real Estate
Address: 550 NW Franklin Ave. Suite 108, Bend, OR 97703
Phone: 541-323-2779
Website: www.bendpremierrealestate.com
Contact Email: info@bendpremierrealestate.com
Number of Employees: 53
Year Established in Central Oregon: 2011
Co-Founders: Lynnea Miller, Principal Broker – Licensed since 2000
Product/Services Offered: We represent buyers and sellers in residential, farm and ranch and commercial Central Oregon real estate transactions.
Hot News: We just brought in Kim Handley, Broker, as our marketing and training specialist. Kim has decades of experience in multiple Bend real estate brokerages working in this field and has an outstanding resume’ in both residential and commercial real estate. For the second year in a row, Bend Premier Real Estate Brokers Kelly Johnson and Dana Furlan have been recognized by the Source Weekly as the Best Realtors in Central Oregon.
Outlook for Growth: Bend Premier Real Estate is expecting to grow tremendously in 2019 with a new push into growing more market share in residential representation as well as expanding greatly in ranch and farm and commercial. We anticipate adding 10 to 20 Brokers and increasing sales among the existing Brokers as well.
What do you attribute your rapid growth to? Bend Premier Real Estate is not part of a traditional big-box real estate chain subject to corporate dictates but is rather a 100 percent locally owned and operated independent brokerage which enables us to adopt new ideas as quickly as they are developed. We are not a training office taking in any new Broker who just past their real estate exam; our Brokers have been carefully selected for their years of experience (average 14 plus), integrity, service, and results. We provide our Brokers with the latest technology including in-house Matterport 3D Tours for our listings, cloud technology for document storage, custom real estate search apps, and a full-time marketing department. We strive to be the most technologically up to date brokerage and work hard to keep educated on anything national or within the state impacting real estate representation. And our location, at the corner of Franklin and Bond, is, in our opinion, the best in Bend for walk-by and drive-by traffic.
What is your vision for growth and/or expansion over the next 5 years? Our goals have always been client based with our Brokers providing outstanding customer service to their buyers and sellers. The effort is to do what is in the best interest of our clients rather than the best interest of the Broker, which sometimes results in canceled transactions when that is what is most important to the client. We have never striven to be the largest brokerage in Central Oregon, but rather the one people look to for high ethical standards, outstanding service and experienced Brokers. Our vision for growth is to continue this path. We look to take this same attitude of “experience, integrity, results” as we move into taking more market share in residential sales as well as pushing further into commercial and farm and ranch.
What is your philosophy to running a successful company? Pretty simple. Focus on your clients and provide them what they need; the success happens because of this. In a time when you stand out from the crowd by returning a phone call, it is not hard, but basic customer service appears to be lacking among many of our real estate professionals today. Real estate sales is a referral based business and we want to keep those referrals coming to us through outstanding customer service, top notch marketing and cutting edge technology. We do this through our relationship with our Brokers who embrace this same attitude and philosophy.
