Thriving Oregon Businesses Share Success Stories

by Erica Heartquist, KGW-TV Staff

Posted on March 22, 2010 at 1:31 PM

Updated Tuesday, Mar 23 at 8:01 AM

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MCMINNVILLE, Ore. – Oregon’s governor visited two McMinnville businesses Monday, to put the spotlight on examples of how to thrive and expand, even during a recession.

William Henry Studios moved its knife-making plant from California to Oregon and has grown tremendously from its roots of just five employees.

Betty Lou Carrier was another example. Betty started making protein bars in her kitchen 30 years ago and now the company is thriving.

“It all started when I was making healthy snacks for my kids and then different people wanted to buy them," Carrier recalled.

Now, thirty years later, Carrier's company sells between 12- to 15-million protein bars a year worldwide. She said it pays to have a niche.

"Just being on the cutting edge of the ingredients that we have… I was way before my time making healthy sacks, but now I'm just in a good place," Carrier explained.

Matt Conable, the owner of William Henry Studios said he too, has a niche.

“Does anybody do things like we do? No."

Conable’s company makes knives, money clips and pens; mostly geared toward men.

“The good thing about hard times is that it focuses your attention and your energy, makes you streamline and makes you really think about decisions that before you didn't really have to think about so much," he said.

Conable added that in the six years his company has been in Oregon, it has grown from just five employees to 26.

"Certainly the last 18 months have been rough, but we have good people and we know what we're about and we focus more on the core business," Conable said.

William Henry Studios sells between 500 to 800 knives a month worldwide.