by Mallory Gruben
Communications Manager
Welcome to the third installment of our announcements of the Community Award nominees! This week we’re excited to introduce the nominees for Business of this Year.
The Business of the Year category encompasses any business in Tillamook County with 10 or more employees. This year we received seven nominees for the category, covering businesses throughout the county. Each nomination is made with a narrative and often letters of support to articulate why the nominees stand out. As always, we will share some of that background information in the announcements.
And now, without further ado, here are the nominees for Business of the Year:
Braxling & Braxling, Inc.: Braxling & Braxling, Inc. is a second-generation contracting company that serves all of northwest Oregon with portable rock crushing, heavy hauling, road rocking and grading. Originally launched in 1961 in Newport, the company is now based in Tillamook and has 30-plus employees. The team is committed to serving Tillamook County, not only privately and commercial in road-based needs, but also they have shown commitment and dedication in benefitting Tillamook County in a time of need, including during the 2020 wildfires, when Braxling brought trucks and equipment to protect properties.
Garibaldi Portside Bistro: The owners of the Garibaldi Portside Bistro are beyond amazing. They’re friendly and accommodating and always work with our local Coast Guard to host holiday parties. They have worked hard to create a much-needed restaurant in Garibaldi, and they serve gourmet food that never disappoints. Their commitment to providing local ingredients and caring for our first responders has made this restaurant a top pick for our family and for community members throughout Tillamook.
Manzanita Beach Getaway Vacation Rentals: Manzanita Beach Getaway helps support the community in several ways, including hosting events like the “Hall-O-Nita,” which allows the community and guests to trick-or-treat at small businesses in Manzanita safely. The business also donated more than 500 pounds of non-perishable food to the North County Food Bank, pledges to remain dedicated to hiring local community members and cared for its employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. Owner Danielle Johnson makes a conscious effort to keep her business impacts on locals in mind, and she works directly with neighbors to answer questions and concerns, so the whole community can be involved in welcoming tourists with ease.
Rendezvous Cabaret: This establishment has stayed open to serve the community of Tillamook during the hardships that the COVID-19 pandemic caused. Rendezvous enhances the quality of life in Tillamook County by hosting events and activities, as well as offering steady employment for those who work there. The staff and management make sure that each person that walk into the restaurant is greed with a smile and feels welcome. Rendezvous is a wonderful part of Tillamook County that often goes above and beyond to support the community.
Tillamook County Transportation District (The Wave): Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the TCTD has been a huge asset for so many who needed transportation throughout Tillamook County. Even with staffing shortages and COVID precautions, they delivered quality and important services to the county. TCTD provides affordable, reliable transportation from the tip to the tail of Tillamook County and beyond. In 2022, the TCTD celebrates 25 years of serving Tillamook County, and it is preparing to expand services even when other transportation districts in the state face service cuts. TCTD has visible impacts on nearly every corner of Tillamook County.
Werner Family Brands: Werner Family Brands (which includes Werner Beef & Brew and Werner Gourmet Meat Snacks) experienced accelerated growth and expansion in 2021 despite the ongoing pandemic. This growth was realized through the additional creation of jobs and construction of new facilities. During the year, the company implemented increased wages for all employees and added benefits to enhance the work/life balance of its team. Werner Family Brands also showed their dedication to the community through donations, financial support and investing in employee health and wellness.
Zwald Transport: Zwald Transport is a young company with big dreams for providing all of Tillamook County’s commercial trucking needs. The company helps people gain a career, working side-by-side with Tillamook Bay Community College’s driving program. Zwald can hire these “green” drivers when other business can’t, due to insurance limitations. The company also reached out to the community of commercial truck drivers to provide a barbecue lunch of appreciation in the Fall of 2021.
Congratulations to these nominees for Business of the Year! We’ll be back again soon the final round of announcements. And remember, if you missed our announcements about Program of the Year, Development Project of the Year or Small Business of the Year, you can find the past articles online at tillamookchamber.org.