A Eugene man, David Imus, however, has created something of real merit. A singular work of art and science, map of the United States which took best of show at the annual competition of the Cartography and Geographic Information Society.

Six thousand hours of work over two years to create something special. You  can read about it in Slate and you can purchase a copy of it here.

Sure, I’ve caught myself (often) speaking passionately about the work of newspapers, management issues, the past, present and future of media and community. People have described me as passionate about our mission and over time I have grudgingly come to terms with the word. When pressed, I know it is true.

So, I was struck by Jessica Stillman’s blog entitled, “Be passionate about work: No job change required”. The concept is easy to grasp and it is timely advice as we start the new year.

I’ve been fortunate to work in a field that is important: doing important things, with talented people, using abilities I’ve been blessed to have.

I suspect there are few fields of work that would give me as much satisfaction, and I know not everyone is as fortunate. If you are not similarly blessed with meaningful work it is probably time to move on, but until then Jessica’s advice was set to lyrics a few years ago by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young – “If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one your with”.

• Full tables will have priority seating and must be paid for in full at the time of registration. Reservations and payments will be accepted online on January 2, 2012 at www.roseburgareachamber.org/chamber/events.php. The chamber office will take reservations and payments beginning on January 3.

• Title sponsors for this grand affair are Umpqua Bank and Umpqua Insurance Agency. ATRIO Health Plans, bbg Marketing and the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians share the honor as corporate sponsors.
• Future First Citizen awards sponsored by Umpqua Bank, The Bruce Family and Mercy Medical Center.

DOUGLAS COUNTY – The county’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remains at a relatively high level and significantly above the statewide rate (9.1%). According to a survey of households, Douglas County’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 12.8 percent in November. Although lower than last year (14.5%), it is the fifth highest in the state. Losses continue to be particularly noticeable in the manufacturing sector, especially in the county’s wood products arena.

Interesting study of life in the real world. Worth noting that promotional pricing works best when your customers know about it so be certain to include the cost of advertising.

NEW YORK (August 10, 2011) –A new study from the consumer research firm Scarborough Research finds that American consumers continue to actively seek out ways to save money on everyday expenses. Coupon usage for household groceries is up 24 percent since 2006. People are turning to a myriad of resources for their coupons.

While more than one‐fifth (22 percent) are utilizing digital media such as email, text messaging or Internet sites to get their household coupons, the Sunday newspaper is the category killer. Almost half of all Americans get their household coupons from the Sunday newspaper.

Leading Sources for Household Coupons
1. Sunday Newspaper: 49%
2. In‐store Coupons: 43%
3. Mail: 33%
4. In‐store Circulars: 26%
5. Preferred Customer/Loyalty Card: 24%
6. TIE: Weekday Newspaper: 19%, Product Packages: 19%
7. Magazines: 17%
8. Internet Sites: 14%
9. Email or Text Messages: 14%
“As the American economic recovery continues to find a balance, people are utilizing a myriad of ways to save money. From traditional paper coupon clipping to seeking out deals online, consumers are getting creative with finding the best deals,” said Brian Condon, executive vice president of commercial development, Scarborough Research.

Digital Deal Seekers Provide Unique Local Business Connections

Daily deal websites are now being viewed as a media channel option for local businesses. Further, local media companies and other media businesses are getting in on the action through their own exclusive daily deal programs. Any company seeking to bolster local business has much to gain with daily deal programs, according to Scarborough. Scarborough finds that Digital Deal Seekers* are more likely than average adults to be patrons of local businesses such as florists, malls, restaurants and day spas. Here is a Scarborough profile of local businesses set to benefit from daily deal websites:
Restaurants

• Digital Deal Seekers* are 36 percent more likely than the average adult to have eaten ten or more times at a quick service restaurant during the past month, and 27 percent more likely to have eaten with this frequency at a sit‐down restaurant.
• More than half (53 percent) of Digital Deal Seekers ate at McDonald’s during the past month, and almost one‐fifth (17 percent) ate at Applebee’s.
• Their favorite cuisine is Chinese. Forty‐eight percent of Digital Deal Seekers ate at a Chinese restaurant during the past month. Forty percent ate at a Mexican restaurant, and 29 percent went out for Italian.

General Retail Stores
• Groceries: Digital Deal Seekers account for one‐third of the population that spends $200 or more on groceries weekly – the highest spending bracket measured by Scarborough.
• Department Stores: A full 91 percent of Digital Deal Seekers shopped a department store during the past month.
• Malls: They are 16 percent more likely to have shopped at a mall during the past month.
Local Specialty Stores
• Jewelry Stores: Digital Deal Seekers account for 39 percent of adults who shopped at a fine jewelry store during the past three months. They are 44 percent more likely to have done so.
• Bridal: They also account for 41 percent of all patrons of bridal stores during the past three months.
• Day Spas: Six percent of Digital Deal Seekers utilized a day spa during the past three months, but they account for almost half (43 percent) of adults who use day spa services.

• Florist: Digital Deal Seekers are 30 percent more likely to have used a florist during the past three months.

• Dry Cleaners: More than one‐fifth (21 percent) of all Digital Deal Seekers used a dry cleaner during the
past month, they are 37 percent more likely than the average adult to have done so.
• Pet Supplies: More than half (51 percent) of Digital Deal Seekers shopped a pet store during the past three months.
Health & Fitness Businesses
• Digital Deal Seekers are 47 percent more likely to practice yoga or pilates; 31 percent more likely to enjoy swimming; and 27 percent more likely to go running.
• They are 32 percent more likely to go to the gym.
Automotive Repair/Servicing
• Scarborough measures 13 types of auto repair services, and Digital Deal Seekers are more likely than the average adult to utilize each of them.
• From specialty detailing businesses to parts stores, a wide variety of types of local auto businesses have clientele utilizing Digital Deals.
“Daily deal websites are creating new media channel‐like opportunities for marketers, especially at the local level,” said Mr. Condon. “Local businesses embarking on digital marketing should consider the Digital Deal Seeker group a good place to anchor their efforts, as they are active local shoppers and consumers. As such, a key issue facing these daily deal sites is how they can differentiate their offerings according to the local needs and continue to evolve business models that create win‐win scenarios for local merchants.”

* Digital Deal Seekers refer to those adults who live in households that usually obtain cents‐off coupons via email, text messages or Internet sites, or those adults who went online for coupons during the past month.

SOURCE: Scarborough Research, Scarborough USA+ Study, Release 2 2010
About Scarborough
Scarborough (www.scarborough.com, info@scarborough.com) measures American life. Our consumer insights
reflect shopping patterns, media usage across platforms, and lifestyle trends for adults. Media professionals and
marketers use Scarborough insights to make smarter marketing/business decisions on things like ad placement,
multicultural targeting, and sponsorship opportunities. The company’s core syndicated consumer insight studies in
77 Top‐Tier Markets, its Multi‐Market Study and its national USA+ Study are Media Rating Council (MRC)
accredited. Other products and services include Scarborough Mid‐Tier Local Market Studies, Hispanic Studies and
Custom Research Solutions. Scarborough measures 2,000 consumer categories and serves a broad client base that
includes marketers, advertising agencies, print and electronic media (broadcast and cable television, radio
stations), sports teams and leagues and out‐of‐home media companies. Surveying more than 210,000 adults
annually, Scarborough is a joint venture between Arbitron Inc. (www.arbitron.com) and The Nielsen Company
(www.nielsen.com).

Timber Industry Report                                         December 22, 2011

Weaker log and stud prices are seasonally expected, while homebuilding statistics increased, unsold inventory dropped, and mortgage rates continued near record lows.  See below for details and a six-year span of prices and analysis of lumber, logs, housing, and mortgage statistics.

__Prices in Dollars per Thousand Board Feet___

____ Thousands of  Housing Units__

 __ Months of  Inventory of Unsold Homes_

____    Percentage interest rate         _   

Information and interpretation.

As reported in the News Review, Roseburg Oregon, Swanson Group has gone from operating 6 mills with 1200 employees in 2007, to 4 mills with 700 employees in 2011.  CEO Steve Swanson provided the information while explaining competition from Canadians who under-grade logs so that products produced from them escape an export duty when sold into the US.  Swanson Group’s layoffs are taking place as normally competitive operations look for ways to balance supply and demand, in an environment exacerbated by both the weak domestic market and over-supply from Canada.  One of Swanson’s 2 mills is shuttered (former Glide Lumber) and the other. Located at Noti,  was sold to Seneca Sawmill Co.  of Eugene, and operates at a reduced rate.

This month, Lumber and Logs are following a typical end-of-year pattern, and are down slightly, due to the decreased demand of the season.

Fundamentals continue to slowly improve.  Housing starts are up.  Builder’s prices, combined with the low mortgage interest rates, are finally pushing housing starts and building permits up about 10% over last month’s seasonally adjusted rate.  Some people simply have more urge to build than to buy the attractively prices homes on the market.

There are other good signs for our domestic economy, such as a stronger shopping season, and slightly improved employment picture.   There is optimism, despite serious  challenges beyond our control, particularly in Europe.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to All.  Lets hope for more improvement in 2012.

Data reports used with permission of:

¹Random Lengths.  2”x4”x8’ precision end trimmed hem-fir studs from southern Oregon mills.  Price reported is Dollars per Thousand Board Feet  for the most recent week.  One “board foot” of product measures 12 inches by 12 inches by one inch thick.

²RISI, Log Lines.   Douglas-fir #2 Sawmill Log Average Region 5 price.  Current report is for the prior month.  Dollars per Thousand Board Feet of logs are reported using standardized  log measurements from the “Scribner log table.”

³ Dept. of Commerce, US Census Bureau.   New Residential Housing Starts and New Residential Construction Permits, seasonally adjusted, annual rate.  Current report is for the prior month.   Recent reports are often revised in bold.  Also, major revision made each May, reaching 21/2  yrs back.

⁴Regional Multiple Listing Service RMLS^TM  data, courtesy of Janet Johnston, Prudential Real Estate Professionals  Broker, Roseburg, OR.  Inventory of Unsold Homes (Ratio of Active Listings to Closed Sales) in Portland Oregon, for most recent month available.

⁵Freddie Mac.  Primary Mortgage Market Survey.  30-year Fixed Rate Mortgages Since 1971, national averages.  Updated weekly, current report is for the prior full month.

Issue  #4-12. © Copyright Rick Sohn, Umpqua Coquille LLC.   For permission to reprint for nominal fee, Email  rsohn@umpquacoquille.com