The Roseburg Area Chamber of Commerce recognized three local businesses as their 2021 businesses of the year, at the annual meeting of the membership and awards dinner on March 24.

       The 2021 small business of the year award went to Gordon Wood Insurance & Financial Services.  Douglas County Farmer’s Co-op was recognized as the chamber’s medium-size business of the year for 2021, with Lone Rock Resources celebrated as the 2021 large business of the year honoree.

       Gordon Wood was founded in 1961 by Gordon Wood. Gordon Wood & Financial Services provides personal and business services to assist in planning for the future.  The business is now owned and operated by Kelsey Wood, Gordon’s son.  The chamber’s small business of the year, Gordon Wood Insurance was recognized for its integrity, reputation, long-standing commitment to serving clients and years….and years…of active involvement, of owners and employees, in our community.  This local business, and when we say local, we mean local, from father to son to now a third generation working in the business, our small business of the year has been a recognizable name in the Roseburg/Douglas County community for over 60 years.  Gordon Wood Insurance & Financial Services celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2021.

          Our medium-sized business of the year is another home-grown, Douglas County business. Since 1921, Douglas County Farmers Co-op has been supporting and growing with the Douglas County community.  The Co-op has had several names and moved around town (most noticeably after the Co-op was leveled in the 1959 Blast).  Douglas County Farmers Co-op was once a small business with a pretty specific customer.  Over the years, D.C. Farmers Co-op has grown in size, locations, product offerings and customer base, all while never forgetting their core clientele.  Having celebrated its 100^th anniversary last year, D.C. Farmer’s Co-op has been serving Douglas County ranchers, farmers and homeowners since 1921, and will continue to do so long into the future, especially with the anticipated completion and opening of a new location later this year.  Their motto is, “Good people, good products, good advice.”  But, let’s be honest, for many of us it’s all about spring time and the arrival of the baby chicks!

       Our 2021 large business of the year, Lone Rock Resources, was founded by Fred and Frances Sohn. Fred emigrated from Germany as a young man in 1936, eventually making his way to the Pacific Northwest with wife, Frances. In 1950, the Sohns built a sawmill on the banks of the S Umpqua River. Fascinated with technology, Fred hired the best talent and used innovation to differentiate his company in the competitive world of post-World War II lumber manufacturing.

            Over the next 50 years, Fred’s passion for innovation would change mill production worldwide. Taking the unprecedented step of assembling an electronics research team, Fred created the industry’s first fully computerized sawmill and later patented 3-D scanning technology to maximize log recovery. Today, every production mill in the world relies on that computer technology.  Fred’s zeal for finding a better way extended to forest management as well. In the 1970s, the company aggressively began buying cut-over lands and restoring them, planting up to 1 million seedlings a year.

            The 1990’s were a time of transition. Two of Fred’s five sons, Howard and Rick, moved into company leadership positions as the family and the company looked to the future. Continued investment in manufacturing was matched with significant additions to the forest land base. Company land holdings more than doubled over a 10-year period. Transitions continued as a new century began. In 2001, the Sohn family moved away from its manufacturing foundations selling it’s sawmill and veneer plant. Fred retired and his sons assumed leadership of the company focusing on its forest lands. The culture Fred established through investment in people, research, equipment, and technology remain integral to the company’s success today.

            Rick Sohn’s retirement as president in 2008 marked a successful transition to non-family leadership. The board expanded to include directors with experience managing family businesses, as well as welcoming third-generation Sohn family members.  Today under President and CEO Toby Luther, Lone Rock is a balanced and diversified real assets and natural resources investment company. This family-owned business is not only a standout leader in its industry, but the organization’s support of business, industry, local non-profit organizations; and, community and youth activities, is unparalleled. Lone Rock encourages its employees to be involved in our community resulting in the active participation with more than 40 local non-profit organizations, programs and events.  During the 2020 Labor Day fires, this industry leader had 72 employees with nearly 7000 hours over 10 days, working to help contain the Archie Creek fire.  Also deserving mention is Lone Rock’s aggressive diversification strategy, a diversification that added wine and Abby’s Pizza, under their already distinguished and respected brand.

         Congratulations to our 2021 businesses of the years:  Gordon Wood Insurance, Douglas County Farmers Co-op and Lone Rock Resources!  Check out the chamber’s Instagram or Facebook pages for photos.  For a list of all past recipients of the chamber’s Business of the Year recognitions, CLICK HERE!