Willamette University Coffee Shop Celebrates 20 Years

Wanting a fun place to hang out on campus, in 1986 two Willamette University students approached then-President Jerry Hudson about opening a coffee shop. Twenty years later, the Bistro is thriving as the ultimate place for students, faculty, staff and even community members to sip a latte, talk with friends, listen to music or meet for a class.

The Bistro, located on the first floor of Putnam University Center, will celebrate its 20th anniversary Sept. 29 and 30 with a series of reunion activities. Alumni who have worked there over the years will return to share their memories. Some will even hop behind the counter from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 29 to relive their days of serving up joe. Folk band Garett Brennan and the EbGbs will perform a free concert that evening from 7:30 to 11 p.m. Brennan is a Willamette alumnus whose college band was a fixture at the Bistro in the early 2000s.

Other alumni visitors will include John Donovan and Eric Friedenwald-Fishman, the students who started the shop. As freshmen at Willamette, they decided students needed a late-night place to meet for coffee. They spent much of their sophomore year presenting various coffee shop plans to the college president. After getting approval, they spent a work-filled summer getting the place ready to open.

Donovan and Friedenwald-Fishman, both Portland residents, went on to start Metropolitan Group, one of the country’s leading social issue marketing firms.

“Whenever I walk into the Bistro, there are people studying together, tables of students and faculty interacting or people playing music,” Friedenwald-Fishman said. “It seems like it still draws a diverse group of students from all parts of campus who might not have otherwise interacted.”

Since its opening, the Bistro has become a meeting place for the campus community. Many faculty members stop by in the morning for a scone or coffee, and some hold classes there and have specific chairs they call their own. Students often hang out there, and regular concerts and open-mic nights also bring in community members looking for live music.

Students who work at the Bistro prepare all the food themselves — including cookies, scones, burritos and sandwiches, often based on family recipes passed down from former employees. They also run the entire business themselves, giving them experience in entrepreneurship, said Bob Hawkinson, dean of campus life and the Bistro’s first faculty advisor.

“The Bistro is a central meeting place, and it’s a place to relax,” Hawkinson said. “It meets a need of students, faculty and staff for a nice, friendly, cohesive coffeehouse atmosphere.”

For more information about the reunion, go to www.willamettealumni.com/bistroreunion.

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Hispanic Leader to Address Business Community

Clara Padilla Andrews, businesswoman, community activist and publisher of El Hispanic News, the region’s largest bi-lingual newspaper, will be the featured speaker at the Willamette University/OPB Breakfast Forum April 20, 2004. Her topic, “Hispanic Business: The Sleeping Giant in the Portland Economy,” will focus on the growing Hispanic community’s influence and how it will impact businesses and culture in the Northwest.

Padilla Andrews, former New Mexico Secretary of State and president of the Portland Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, is recognized as one of the 100 Most Influential Hispanics in the country. She is the recipient of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Distinguished Service Award and a recipient of the Doernbecker Hospital Hero's Award.

The topic of how the growing Hispanic population will impact area business is timely. The latest census figures show a rapid increase in the Hispanic population in the Northwest. The number of Hispanics in Oregon grew by 66 percentbetween 1990 and 1997. The Census Bureau’s latest report on the nation’s racial and ethnic make up reinforces predictions that by the year 2010, Hispanics will replace blacks as the nation’s largest minority group. Projections for the Northwest are consistent with the national trend: the Hispanic population in the Portland metro area will grow at a rate double that of the black population.

What’s this huge population bubble mean for Oregon businesses? How can businesses adapt to meet the needs of this large and growing consumer group? Will this change in Oregon demographics mean the end of some types of Oregon businesses and opportunities for others? Because of her position in the Hispanic community, Padilla Andrews is in a unique position to know the answers to these questions. As owner of El Hispanic News, she’s grown the newspaper from a circulation of 5,000 in 1996 to 20,000 in 2004 largely by knowing the community and its interests.

She says many people, especially those in the business community, have misconceptions about the Hispanic community. “People don’t think things like business, housing, health or education apply to us,” she says. “There is a perception that Hispanics aren’t business owners or homeowners, which is not true.”

”Hispanic Business: The Sleeping Giant in the Portland Economy,” Tuesday, April 20. Coffee at 7 a.m., breakfast served at 7:30 a.m., speaker at 7:45 a.m., adjourn at 8:30 a.m. Cost is $15 per person, $100 for a corporate table of eight. Multnomah Athletic Club, 1849 S.W. Salmon, Portland, Ore. Fax with credit card number, 503-370-6830 (VISA, Discover, MasterCard or American Express) or send a check by April 13. Return to: Alumni & Parent Relations, Willamette University, 900 State St., Salem, Ore. 97301 Questions? Call 1-800-551-6794 or email alumni@willamette.edu.

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Bill Wyatt to Discuss Global Competition

Bill Wyatt, executive director of the Port of Portland, will discuss “Global Competition/Local Impacts” at the Thursday, Feb. 26, Willamette University/Oregon Public Broadcasting Breakfast Forum at the Multnomah Athletic Club. Breakfast is served at 7:30 a.m. and Wyatt’s talk begins at 7:45 a.m.

Tickets are $15 a person or $100 for a corporate table of eight. For reservations, please call the Alumni Relations Office at Willamette University at 503-375-5304 by Feb. 24.

The Port of Portland, the second oldest Port on the West Coast, provides facilities and services to move cargo and people through its five marine terminals, and four airports (Portland International Airport, Troutdale, Hillsboro and Mulino).

Although the Port boundaries are limited to Multnomah, Clackamas and Washington counties, it plays a significant role in the economy of the Pacific Northwest.

Wyatt, who began working at the Port in the fall of 2001, has been active in regional political and business circles over the past 30 years. Prior to joining the Port, he served as chief of staff for Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber for seven years. In that post he helped oversee the operations of the state’s agencies and divisions, comprised of 46,000 employees with an annual budget of more than $11 billion.

Prior to serving as chief of staff, Wyatt served as president of the Oregon Business Council and executive director/president of the Association for Portland Progress. He represented Clatsop and Columbia counties as a member of the Oregon House of Representatives from 1974-76 and worked for the Oregon State Employees Association and the City of Portland.

Wyatt has been a board member of numerous non-profit boards, including Oregon Public Broadcasting. He has also served as chair of the Urban League of Portland, and was a board member for Crabbe-Huson Funds.

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State Economist To Speak

State Economist Tom Potiowsky will share his view of Oregon’s current economic health Tuesday, Feb. 18, at 7:45 a.m. at the Multnomah Athletic Club in Portland. His presentation is part of the Willamette University/ Oregon Public Broadcasting Business Partners Forum.

Coffee will be served at 7 a.m. and breakfast begins at 7:30 a.m. Tickets are $15 per person and $100 for a corporate table of eight.

Reservations must be made by Feb. 15. Call 1-800-551-6794 or email Parent and Alumni Relations at alumni@willamette.edu for details.

Potiowsky has served as the state economist since 1999. His office is responsible for developing and disseminating quarterly state economic and demographic forecasts and estimating General Fund revenue for the state. The forecasts are used to develop both the Governor’s budget and the budget approved by the legislature.

He is on indefinite leave from Portland State University where he served as professor and chair of the economics department.

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