Month: May 2014

Meet Our RARE AmeriCorps Participant: Andrew Barbier

Posted on by Julia Havens

Andrew Barbier RARE Resource Assistance for Rural Environments

Andrew Barbier received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Science with an emphasis in History from McKendree University. As a student, Andrew was a member of many selective honor societies such as Phi Kappa Phi and Phi Alpha Theta. After attaining his Bachelor’s degree, Andrew went on to work with Quiktrack Inspections and Audit as a Quality Analyst where he inspected reports for banks, credit unions, and loan agencies. Andrew applied to RARE AmeriCorps – Resource Assistance for Rural Environments in hopes of further developing a skill set that will allow him to find work in his most desired career field – planning and community development. Following his year with the RARE Program, Andrew plans to apply to Portland State University’s Urban and Regional Planning Graduate Program.

Andrew is placed with the Columbia County Economic Team (CCET), which is Columbia County’s one-stop shop for business services. CCET acts as a trusted local partner for businesses looking to relocate or expand within Columbia County. CCET specializes in site location and acquisition, business and economic data, public incentives and financing, and process facilitation.

With CCET, Andrew will work with an array of organizations and businesses to restore Columbia County’s economy. Specifically, Andrew will create a working database of zoning information for businesses to utilize when carrying out preliminary sighting activities. Andrew will also work with an array of community partners to create a YouTube channel devoted to the publicity and marketing of the St. Helens community.

 

Organization: Columbia County Economic Team

Community: St. Helens, Oregon

Population: 12,900

County: Columbia

Meet CPW’s Research Assistant: Bethany Kaylor

Posted on by Julia Havens

Bethany Kaylor CPW Community Planning Workshop Willamette Willamette Farm & Food CoalitionWhat is your name? Bethany Kaylor

Alias? BFK (Big Friendly Kaylor)

Where were you born and where do you call home? I was born in Cincinnati, and that’s where I generally call home.

What’s on your fashion shopping list? Uhhh….wool socks?

In which undergraduate program are you enrolled? I’m currently enrolled in the Comparative Literature undergraduate program, with concentrations in French and Creative Writing. I’m also a member of the Clark Honors College.

Favorite word? Perhaps

Please describe what Community Planning Workshop (CPW) Project are you working on and your role with the project? I am the undergraduate researcher for CPW’s project with the Willamette Farm & Food Coalition. My job is to collect data on local food sources and production in Lane County for the years 2011, 2012, and 2013. This entails contacting local farmer’s markets and distribution centers and compiling their data. Willamette Farm & Food Coalition will then use this data to project consumer trends and interests in Lane County’s local food system.

What are some of the outcomes you hope to gain working on this project that will assist you professionally? I hope to learn how to best communicate with people to achieve a common goal. In this case, it is supporting Lane County’s local food system and culture. I think it is crucial to understand that although people may be working towards a common goal, their motivations and paths may not look alike. In my opinion, acknowledging different perspectives is the first step in making any progress.

How does your involvement with the CSC relate to or inform your education? I’m a writer. Or at least, I hope to someday be one. Through my involvement with the CSC, I’ve understood how to best communicate with people in order to hear their stories, a skill which will go far beyond my college education.

What advice would you give to your ‘younger’ self just beginning the CSC program? Well, this is my first time with CSC program…and I’m actually writing a how-to-manual as part of my project, so I guess I’ll just have to refer to that it in the future!

If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpower to be? To be able to replay moments in my life.

Where can we ‘cyber-stalk’ you? On Facebook, but my favorite social media site is gmail. (I know, so 2010.)