THE FORUM - FInalists Announced for Oregon Ethics in Business Awards

February 25, 2011 - Willamette University's full-time MBA students evaluate nominees for the Oregon Ethics in Business Awards. From the pool of nominees, the reports submitted by the MBA students help select finalists for the awards. The winners will be announced prior to the Awards Banquet, held at the Governor Hotel in Portland.

More information on the Oregon Ethics in Business Awards can be found through the Rotary Club of Portland's website. The program is a collaboration between the Willamette MBA program, the Rotary and the Portland Business Journal.

INDIVIDUAL CATEGORY

Dr. Donna Beegle
Dr. Donna Beegle is a prominent speaker and advocate for those in poverty, herself a product of generational poverty, the founder of not-for-profit organization Poverty Bridge, and president and co-founder of for-profit consulting firm Communication Across Barriers. Her career is dedicated to giving back to the community.

William “Bill” Harris
Mr. William “Bill” Harris is a member of the Portland financial investment and trust community, whom many friends think of as extended family. He is a longtime member of a nature conservancy and contributes to organizations that work toward preserving the environment for future generations, and makes major contributions to many charities and foundations through the Harris Family Foundation.

BUSINESS CATEGORY

Ashforth Pacific, Inc.
Ashforth Pacific, Inc. is a commercial real estate firm in Portland whose buildings are built and operated with the environment in mind. Ashforth Pacific greatly values the long-term and sustainable relationships they have created with their tenants and employees, and have an impressive commitment to their community—donating 25% of all recycling revenue they collect to transitional schools and school supply programs.

Dave’s Killer Bread
Dave’s Killer Bread is a bakery committed to creating high-quality, organic breads while supporting community programs and environmental stewardship. Dave’s Killer Bread demonstrates a commitment to the ethical treatment of people through its dedication to hiring and mentoring ex-convicts, its constant focus on employee well-being, and supportive partnerships with suppliers and distributors.

Pacific Continental Bank
Pacific Continental Bank believes that it can and should play a distinct role in contributing to the character of the communities it serves. Through an unambiguous code of executive and employee ethics, Pacific Continental Bank’s employees repeatedly express the value of the firm’s encouragement of volunteering working time with charitable organizations, and its heavy importance on corporate social responsibility.

The Partners Group
The Partners Group is an Oregon company operating in both business-to-business and business-to-consumer markets and is a supporter of community initiatives and good causes. Every year, The Partners Group donates a part of its profits to charitable sponsorships and contributions, and has initiated many changes in their business practices in order to be more environmentally sustainable.

Unitus Community Credit Union
Unitus Community Credit Union’s principle of “People Helping People” has remained essential to its business model and has translated into the community. Unitus has offered 64 seminars focusing on financial education, and their employees volunteered 1,200 hours of their time to local causes this past year. Unitus is also an active supporter of numerous not-for-profit organizations and makes sizable charitable contributions.

NOT-FOR-PROFIT CATEGORY

Children’s Justice Alliance
Children’s Justice Alliance is a not-for-profit organization striving to end the cycle of intergenerational criminality, and illustrates a dedication to fairness, honesty, and integrity at all levels of the organization. The culture of the organization promotes the basic human right to dignity, open communication, and transparency with all stakeholders.

DePaul Industries
DePaul Industries is a Portland-based not-for-profit organization whose primary mission is to provide people with disabilities the opportunity to work. The organization employs people with a variety of disabilities, including injury and illness-related disabilities that preclude gainful employment in traditional settings. More than 50% of DePaul-trained employees find comparable work in “traditional” organizations after six months.

Loaves and Fishes Centers
Loaves and Fishes Centers is a not-for-profit Meals-On-Wheels organization providing meals to seniors 60 years and older, whose success is predicated on its environmental stewardship and ethical treatment of each individual associated with the organization. Everyone who serves the Loaves and Fishes Centers knows and is dedicated to living by its stated values of integrity, respect, inclusion, creativity, compassion, and commitment.

Virginia Garcia Memorial Foundation
Virginia Garcia Memorial Foundation is the first not-for-profit health center in Oregon to support migrant, seasonal farm workers. Virginia Garcia works to ensure that each stakeholder is treated with dignity, honestly, and fairness. Its Health Center is able to provide quality healthcare to individuals regardless of their ability to pay, and the Foundation has made it possible for the Health Center to serve 30,000 clients last year.