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It's A Jungle Out There

 

After reading your article "Life in the Silicon Rain Forest" (June), I felt it necessary to comment. You mention the "commitment" of those people who move to Oregon, while ignoring the "comitment" of those who have lived in Oregon for many years -- that is, an attritude much similar to Tom McCall's infamous "visit but don't stay" attitude.

We moved our small label-manufacturing company ($250,000 sales) to Oregon five years ago. We have been spectacularly unsuccessful in cracking the local market. Businesspeople in this area, for the most part, have no desire to support newcomers. They seem to feel that you must be here 20 years first, then they will buy from you. Many will buy from any itinerant peddler who comes through, or from any catalog they get in the mail, but not from a newly moved business.

We have quit the local Chamber of Commerce over its failure to address the problem of local business refusing to buy locally. And we are making no bones about our attitude: "If you want us to shop at your business, we expect you to buy at ours" -- we just state it, in plain English.

The quality of life in southern Oregon is good -- good for raising children, great if you are an avid outdoorsman. But, be sure you can support yourself, and your company, without local business for at least several years.