One of the greatest pleasures of having a newspaper is being able to help businesses. We celebrate the success and bravery of entrepreneurs. Coming out of the most challenging time in recent history, it was gratifying to see many people and businesses we’ve featured being honored as the latest recipients of Pacific County Economic Development Council Business of Year awards.

We’ll be publishing a complete list, along with CEDR award winners in Clatsop County, in the next edition of Coast River Business Journal on June 15. For now, here are a few personal observations:

Bank of the Pacific was named Business of the Year for its half century of service. I can’t think of BOP without remembering its long-time chairman of the board, Sid Snyder, who I and thousands of others considered to be a good friend. He and other founders saw a need for a locally owned bank that would be conscious of the particular needs of businesses and families in Pacific County. It is a genuine success story, having expanded elsewhere in western Washington and northwest Oregon.

The EDC also singled out three individuals for outstanding achievements and leadership: Kathy Spoor and Katie Lindstrom with Pacific County government and Guy Glenn Jr., until lately manager of the ports of Ilwaco and Chinook. Each is richly deserving of recognition. Spoor and Lindstrom led various aspects of pandemic response with dedication and professionalism.

EDC honored the Chinook Indian Nation for “emerging leadership.” The tribe has been a strong advocate for our area — most especially for Chinook people — for decades. It is stepping up in ways that bode well for the future.

Pacific County business groups also presented top annual awards. All are laudible, but I take particular note of the Ocean Park Area Chamber of Commerce’s nomination of its entire membership. Ocean Park’s mutual care and support during the darkest days of the pandemic were truly inspirational.

We’re currently working on a variety of business-related stories for upcoming editions. There are many new start-ups to profile, with our news coverage providing an initial boost of awareness for businesses that often have not budgeted for paid marketing. Looking backward at 2021, we’re preparing our annual report on tax collections by the state of Washington. Broken down by type of business, these newly released statistics are an accountant’s eye view of exactly how well (or poorly) last year really was. It’s always sort of fun for me to delve into these numbers, making use of my long-ago economic degree.

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