Tiller
Tiller, OR · Business
Statesman Journal
How a small fly fishing store became a Willamette Valley staple
For the past 24 years, mornings have looked pretty similar for Mitch Smith. Drive to downtown Albany. Unlock the front door. Click on the neon "open" sign. Ship custom orders. Stock the shelves. Tie flies. Two Rivers Fly Shop, first opened in 2002, looks pretty similar as well. "I've got customers now that are in their 30s that started coming in here when they were 10 years old," Smith said. "I feel honored that they keep coming back. It makes me think that I've done something right." The store is something of an anomaly in an environment where local outdoor outfitters are often trampled by mass production and local outdoor shops struggle to stay open. At least five Willamette Valley outdoor retail stores have closed or downsized in the past few years as shopping moves online and operating costs skyrocket. Smith has stayed in business by catering to customers' desire for premium gear, custom fly orders, and fishing wisdom. 'You don't get junk when you come into Two Rivers Fly Shop' Smith has worked in outdoor retail for much of his life. He didn't always plan to open a fly shop, but knew that working for a corporate outfitter was
kezi.com
Eugene winery eyes harvest after Oregon's best season in years
Oregon winegrowers are beginning the 2026 grape harvest with optimism after a favorable summer in Lane County and Eugene, with no major heat spikes, prolonged wildfire smoke, or heavy rainfall.
kezi.com
Oregon’s First Unionized Starbucks Now Closed
Oregon’s first Starbucks to unionize, located on Willamette Street in south Eugene, is the first to close after following a 2025 strike and is one of 250 stores that closed last week.
sparetailer.com
Dustin O’Con — 30 Under 40 2026
Twenty years in one industry is an accomplishment at any age. Dustin O’Con reached that mark before turning 40. O’Con joined his family’s business, Cedar Works Spa & Sauna in Eugene, Oregon, after high school in 2005. Over the two decades since, he has worked across sales, repair and management, spending approximately 14 years as the company’s head technician.
The Register-Guard
Ex-employee sues Springfield business over data breach affecting 2,667
A former employee of Springfield-based Hamilton Construction Co. filed a class-action lawsuit Sept. 23 over a data breach exposing personally identifiable information and impacting 2,667 Oregonians . Plaintiff Scott Jenkins, a Veneta resident and former employee at Hamilton, received notice of a data breach from the construction company on Nov. 12, 2025. The letter said his name and Social Security number were compromised in the breach, according to the complaint filed in Lane County Circuit Court. The complaint said the data breach occurred around June 19, 2025, but Hamilton waited about 146 days, until mid-November, to notify victims. Oregon law requires businesses to notify victims within 45 days of discovering a security breach. According to the complaint, Hamilton reported the breach to the Oregon Department of Justice on Dec. 15, 2025 — 179 days after the breach occurred. Jenkins alleges Hamilton failed to monitor its networks that housed private information and failed to properly encrypt that data, placing plaintiffs at risk of harm for having their private information compromised. Jenkins asks the court to certify the case as class action, instruct Hamilton to purchase or provide funds for lifetime credit monitoring and identity theft insurance to victims and appropriate monetary
kepw-wholecommunity.news
City, developers close deal on 1059 Willamette
The team will soon start demolition of the former LCC building, with construction slated to begin this winter. from Lindsay Selser, Eugene Planning and Development, and staff reports. The city of Eugene is excited to announce that 133 new apartments are moving forward at 1059 Willamette Street, transforming the long‑empty...
kpic
Goodwill to reopen renovated Cottage Grove store, donation center and Job Connections Oct.
COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. — Goodwill Industries of Lane and South Coast Counties will celebrate the grand reopening of its newly renovated retail store, donation center, and Job Connections offices at 1205 N. Pacific Highway in Cottage Grove on Thursday, October 1, 2026. The celebration will begin with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, followed by the store opening to customers at 8 a.m. Community members and shoppers are invited to attend the grand reopening and explore the updated retail space.
lookouteugene-springfield.com
Emerald Broadband community spotlights: Eugene businesses thrive with local fiber
At Emerald Broadband, we love celebrating the local businesses and organizations that make Eugene such an awesome place to live and work. As a locally owned fiber internet company, we believe every local decision matters. When businesses, nonprofits, schools, and community organizations choose Emerald Broadband, they’re getting the best internet available while also helping to keep more jobs, investment, and opportunity here at home.
klcc.org
Eugene Clean Energy Fund: Ballot Initiative
Eugene voters will decide this November whether to establish the Eugene Clean Energy Fund, a proposed program intended to provide long-term funding for local climate action, energy efficiency, renewable energy, green infrastructure, and clean-energy workforce development. The measure would impose a 2% license fee on the Eugene gross profits of...
Bret's finest landscaping
From Childhood Passion to Thriving Business: A Landscaper's Journey in Eugene
For Bret Brown, the hum of a lawnmower and the scent of fresh-cut grass have been constants in his life since he was just eight years old. It was then, in the backyards of Eugene, Oregon, that he first discovered his knack for yard work, a passion so intrinsic that it eventually blossomed into a career. Today, that childhood pastime has transformed into Bret's finest landscaping, a business that stands out not only for its swift and professional service but also for its deep roots in honesty and trustworthiness.
klcc.org
Corvallis City Council pauses tax decision, hosts town hall meetings for community input
The Corvallis City Council has decided to delay decision-making on new taxes until the next council is elected. In the meantime, the council is holding town halls to gain community input about the potential new taxes. At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, councilors passed a resolution to postpone any decisions about...
lookouteugene-springfield.com
Lawsuit against Springfield construction company alleges negligence in data breach
A longtime Springfield construction company that reported a data breach affecting more than 2,000 people has been sued by a former employee in a complaint seeking class action status. Scott Jenkins, on behalf of himself and others, alleges negligence by Hamilton Construction Co. and a failure by the company to...
opb.org
First Starbucks in Oregon to unionize is being shuttered
More than four years since it became the very first Starbucks in Oregon to join a union, Eugene’s store at 2830 Willamette St. is among several hundred shutting down this week. In April 2022, workers with the South Eugene Starbucks cheered when the unanimous vote to join Workers United...
KVAL
$15,000 per spot: Corvallis food truck pods warn new SDC fee could force closures
CORVALLIS, Ore. — Food truck owners are pushing back on the City of Corvallis’s enforcement of development fees they say could put some locations they gather out of business. Tuesday night, they brought their concerns to the city council, but a broader review of the fees is not...
klcc.org
First Starbucks in Oregon to unionize is being shuttered
More than four years since it became the very first Starbucks in Oregon to join a union, Eugene’s store at 2830 Willamette St. is among several hundred shutting down this week. In April 2022, workers with the South Eugene Starbucks cheered when the unanimous vote to join Workers United...
nbc16.com
Residents hear arguments over proposed Eugene Clean Energy Fund fee
EUGENE, Ore. — A new ballot measure could change how Eugene funds clean energy projects and who pays for them. The proposal was front and center at a City Club of Eugene meeting at WOW Hall Friday where both sides weighed in on what it could mean for the community.