For individuals looking for office space in Corvallis, there’s a new building on the block. The Corvallis Office is a project coming from local entrepreneur Lee Eckroth wherein you can rent a fully set up office with a lockable door in the downtown area for a reasonable price with the goal of each member being able to come in with a computer set up and be able to immediately become productive.
Aside from just a door that can lock your work safely away, each office comes with basic office furniture – desk, bookshelf, decor – as well as high-speed internet, an in-office fridge and microwave, and 24-hour access. Other amenities include a secured front door with security camera, a shared bathroom and shower, secure bicycle parking, and weekly cleaning of common areas. There are even office supplies and snacks that you pay for as you grab them at no markup in cost.
In this first office of what may be many, there are a total of eight offices. Three of these have been rented to date. The cost for the offices varies from $350 to $550 with “an ongoing 60-day commitment.”
Check out the building, located at 456 SW Monroe, Unit 110, and contact Eckroth if you are interested in finding out more at 541-760-4742 or by email at Lee@talk2lee.com.
Welcome to Corvallis: There’s a new restaurant in town, and it’s selling Vietnamese food. Say hello to Mum Mum Vietnamese Kitchen, located at 2517 NW 9th St. right next to Audiophiles.
With specialties like freshly made Pho and “the best eggrolls in town,” co-owner and chef Lana Dong is busy and happy with the response she’s gotten from the community. “Almost every day, we run out of food by 6:00 o’clock,” she said, “so come early.”
The current menu is fairly meat-heavy, but Dong said that vegetarian and vegan options are in the works.
Mum Mum is still working on getting the permits for in-person dining, so for now you can call ahead at 541-230-1967 and pick up this remarkable, handmade food.
Tok’n Update: We’ve mentioned the battle Tok’n – a cannabis dispensary that wants to sell tobacco products – has been having with the 1,000 foot rule.
The 1,000 foot rule disallows a place from getting a license to sell tobacco if they are within 1,000 feet as the crow flies from another establishment that sells tobacco. In the case of Tok’n, their business was too close to Safeway and Dairy Mart. Owner Ryan Weber was not aware that this would be an issue until after he purchased the business with goals of expanding.
Weber requested an exemption based on the fact that no one under the age of 21 is allowed to enter Tok’n, while Safeway and Dairy Mart are open to all ages. Benton County Board of Commissioners has turned down Weber’s request.
Simon Date of the Corvallis Chamber of Commerce, who has stood by Weber’s side throughout this issue, said, “It’s the first issue we’ve had [with the County] where we really read it wrong in terms of the outcome. I was convinced that they [would say] yes, it makes total sense, we can make an exception. This is not something that is going to give us issues elsewhere.” Date went on to say that he thinks that there should be an exception for anyone who falls into the same category as Weber.
Weber is now pursuing legal options.
Another Fall Comes with Same Issue: It’s that time of year where we can expect rain to start up again. While that means jackets and closed-toed shoes for most of us – as well as umbrellas that Oregonians always seem to have but never use, it means something else in the business community. The return of cold weather means that many local businesses will be dealing with people who are houseless using their front step as a safe place to sleep.
“Businesses get looked at as some faceless entity,” Date said. “But if you’re coming up [in the early] morning to get your day started and the first thing you see is someone camped out with all their stuff or going to the bathroom in front of your storefront, it’s tough. You don’t want to be the [bad guy], but at the same time we have businesses to run. So there’s just a logistical reality that gets lost on some people… It becomes the business community vilifying the houseless folks and that has nothing to do with it – you just got to open the store.”
The city and county are working on several plans, and a lot of money has been thrown at this issue, but there still seems to be no one solution when a business owner is faced with trying to get someone to leave the front of their establishment.
“When you call the police or you call someone to help move some folks, it’s like you’re heartless and you don’t care,” Date said. “That’s not it at all. The reality is that we’ve spent so much money in Corvallis, and we still have an issue. We’re buying tents again this year, and why don’t they invest that money into something more permanent. Put money into some sort of infrastructure that’s really going to help these people, because they need it. But the faucet is always on when it comes to houseless assistance here in Corvallis.”
Last week, Benton County chose to continue to allow overnight parking for vehicles at religious institutions that are in unincorporated areas of the county. The ordinance which approved this was put into place during the pandemic as a way to provide those with working vehicles an option other than shelters or open spaces. The ordinance does, however, limit this camping to people with driveable vehicles.
Equal Pay Change: On September 28, certain amendments to the Oregon Equal Pay Act were set to expire. The amendment does not allow employers to include hiring and retention bonuses under the definition of “compensation.”
The Equal Pay Act was established to prevent employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of protected classes, meaning that comparable work should be paid in comparable ways regardless of a person’s “race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, marital status, veteran status, disability or age.” However not all employees reveal their status in these areas.
Hiring bonuses and retention bonuses will now count against that equal pay parameter. This may make it harder to entice new employees who are doing comparable work as current employees. One alternative to these enticements could be the offer of a hybrid or remote work option, workplace amenities, or opportunities to train on the employer’s dime.
In Case You Missed It: In July of 2019, Governor Kate Brown signed HB 2992 – a bill that affected employers who have enforceable noncompetition agreements (NCAs) for Oregon employees.
Since January of 2020, if an employee leaves a business, the employer has 30 days after the date of termination to make sure the former employee has a written copy of their NCA. The idea being that this agreement would be presented at the time of an exit interview, as the law specifically read that it must be “after” the date of termination. Additionally, HB 2992 requires that companies with NCAs as a requirement of employment inform future employees at least two weeks before they begin work.
This means that for employers, there are two moments in their employee’s time with the company that they have to be very careful about. If they miss one of these two required opportunities to present the NCA, then an employee leaving could sue to void the agreement.
Other limitations in Oregon laws governing NCAs include ORS 653.295 which says an NCA can only be enforced for 18 months after termination of employment; can only be used for salaried employees exempt from overtime; can only be enforced on employees who are given access to “trade secrets” or other privileged information; and can only be expected for employees whose total salary package exceeds the median income for a family of four.
These laws do not, however, apply to those agreements in which a former employee agrees to not attempt to hire others from an employer after termination of work, and they do not apply to nondisclosure or confidentiality agreements.
Chamber Events: Coming this week from the Chamber of Commerce…
Tuesday morning, October 18, will have Greeters. From 8:30-9:30 a.m., join Chamber members at Corvallis Custom Kitchen & Bath at 602 NW 4th St. for some conversation and a good old fashion catch up on what’s happening.
Also on Tuesday, from 12:00-1:00 p.m., virtually connect up with Lumina Hospice and Palliative Care for a seminar on Medicare Benefits and Enrollment. A certified Senior Health Insurance Medicare Benefits Assistance (SHIBA) counselor will be available to cover the basics. Reserve your spot here.
On Wednesday, October 19, the Chamber presents the next installment of Women in Business featuring Jalene Case, a facilitator with “coaching flair” who works with teams and individuals to connect to their motivation mojo. Reserve your spot here.
Thursday, October 20, head over to Cadwell Realty at 1835 NW Circle Blvd. to celebrate their grand opening. This event runs from 4:00-6:00 p.m.
By Sally K Lehman
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