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Chehalem Business Connection Page 15 September 2013
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Anew House bill has been
signed into law, with the
goal of helping to encourage
socially conscious entrepreneurs to start
or expand their businesses in Oregon.
House Bill 2296, as the measure was
designated, was co-sponsored by Secre-
tary of State Kate Brown, state Reps. To-
bias Read, Jules Bailey and Shemia
Fagan, and state Sen. Chris Edwards —
all Democrats.
“The bill will help attract new capital
to our state and create jobs,” Brown said
in a press release.
The legislation provides an alternative
corporate status for business owners who
are interested in using their company to
solve social or environmental issues.
Previously, corporate law provided that
businesses need only be responsible for
maximizing profits for themselves and
their shareholders.
However, HB 2296 will now allow
entrepreneurs whose company qualifies
to manage their business with a triple
bottom line: people (employees, suppli-
ers, and community), planet (local and
global environment) and profit (share-
holders). According to a press release, it
allows companies to define themselves
not just by their dollar amount per share,
but “by what they hope to achieve,
whether it be patronizing local, but low-
income suppliers, or providing excep-
tional employee benefits.”
“Many young people today want to
start businesses, but they also seek to in-
corporate their social values into the en-
terprise,” Brown said.
Read, who represents Beaverton,
agreed, calling the bill “a win for both
Oregonians and Oregon businesses.”
“Companies in Oregon should not be
forced to maximize shareholder profits at
the expense of the public good,” said
Fagan, who represents parts of Mult-
nomah and Clackamas counties and is
also a business attorney. “It is a sign of
great progress that Oregon companies
want the flexibility to care about more
than just dollar signs.”
Representatives of a number of Ore-
gonian businesses and nonprofit organi-
zations were in attendance to witness
Gov. John Kitzhaber sign the bill into
law June 18, including Bamboo Sushi,
Living Room Realty, Cleantech Law
Partners, Pacific Northwest Kale Chips,
Trilibrium, Learning Innovation, Alima
Cosmetics, Elements Naturals, Woodfold
Mfg. Inc, Supportland, Rosen, Canvas
Dreams, Ater Wynne, NetRaising and
the Oregon University System.
Bill Campbell, principal at Equilibri-
um Capital Group and co-leader of the
Be the Change Steering Committee,
called HB 2296 the “best benefit compa-
ny law in the nation.”
“We are looking forward to seeing
what great things Oregon benefit compa-
nies will achieve for our communities,
our state and our planet,” he said of him-
self and his company. “We commend the
Legislature, the governor and Secretary
of State Brown’s very able team for giv-
ing Oregon this important law.”
Jay Coen Gilbert, co-founder of B
Lab, a national organization that certifies
benefit companies, also praised the legis-
lation.
“By working together to pass benefit
company legislation in Oregon, the en-
trepreneurs and legislators gathered here
today are taking up the reins as leaders
of the growing impact economy, creating
higher quality jobs while improving the
quality of life in our communities,” he
said.
New legislation lets companies eye more than profits
So-called ‘social benefit companies’ will reap the rewards of House Bill 2296, passed in the last legislative session
TheWillamette ValleyWineriesAs-
sociation, which includes a num-
ber of Yamhill County and
Newberg-area wineries, has unveiled a re-
designed website, offering several new fea-
tures aimed at making Oregon wine country
easier to explore.
Complete with comprehensive regional
information and mobile-responsive technol-
ogy, the site at www. willamettewines.com
is intended to allow visitors to comb
through the valley’s hundreds of wineries
and tasting rooms in a streamlined, inform-
ative fashion. Sue Horstmann, executive di-
rector of the WVWA, called the portal “a
new and improved web gateway for the
Willamette Valley.”
“The revised website has caught up to
the blistering pace set by the quickly grow-
ing and world-renowned wine region,” she
said in a press release.
In addition to an interactive map featur-
ing wineries, eateries, shops and lodging
options, the new site includes a robust event
calendar and detailed winery pages. For
those wanting to learn more, the site offers
a historical timeline, American Viticultural
Area information and a page for the latest
news updates. Trade and press resources are
also available.
Aimed especially at on-the-go wine
country visitors, all of the new portal’s fea-
tures are accessible from any mobile device,
including smartphones and tablet comput-
ers.
With nearly 300 wine-making operations
— from single-person micro-labels to
50,000-case wineries — theWillamette Val-
ley is tops among Oregon’s wine-growing
regions. Pinot noir is king, but thanks to the
diverse population of winemakers and six
sub-appellations with varying climates and
soil types, no two wines are alike. “The new
WVWA website makes accessible this his-
toric and celebrated region,” the press re-
lease said.
Winery association unveils
a redesigned website