reser ' s fine foods
reser' s fine foods is a privately - held food manufacturer. reser' s fine foods was founded in 1959. reser' s fine foods headquarters are located in beaverton, oregon .
reser' s fine foods, inc. po box 8 beaverton, or 97075
reser' s fine foods, inc. - company profile, information, business description, history, background information on reser' s fine foods, inc .
reser' s fine foods, inc. to acquire vaughan foods, inc. for $ 18. 25 million
of machine operator employees at reser' s fine foods think they are paid fairly .
of production worker employees at reser' s fine foods think they are paid fairly .
1960 son of founders incorporates business as reser' s fine foods; company goes public .
reser' s fine foods, inc. restated 401k plan | 2014 form 5500 by brightscope
reser' s fine foods, inc. restated 401k plan | 2013 form 5500 by brightscope
reser' s fine foods, inc. restated 401k plan | 2016 form 5500 by brightscope
reser' s french onion dip is unloaded from the production line to be boxed at reser' s fine foods in beaverton .
reser, ceo and chairman of reser' s fine foods, a philanthropist and
beaver believer ,
died monday night at the age of 74 .
hill, jim ,
reser' s fine foods bags bigger market ,
oregonian, march 19, 1993, p. d8 .
today, mildred and earl’s operation is reser’s fine foods inc. , a company recognized as one of the nation’s premier manufacturers of high - quality refrigerated food brands to both restaurants and supermarkets .
our company is a family - owned business with a rich history of working closely with our employees, customers and suppliers. the synergies between vaughan foods, inc. and reser' s fine foods, inc. will provide our valued customers with a wider range of today' s freshest foods. we look forward to partnering together as we move forward ,
said mark reser, president and ceo of reser' s fine foods in a prepared statement .
today, reser' s fine foods inc. employs 2, 000 workers, half of which are in oregon, and operates a dozen processing plants across the country .
machine operator eva luna helps produce french onion dip at reser' s fine foods in beaverton. the company has acquired two rival brands this fall, expanding its reach throughout the u. s .
reser' s fine foods, inc. and vaughan foods, inc. have entered into an agreement for reser' s to acquire vaughan foods for $ 18. 25 million in cash. vaughan' s board of directors has unanimously approved the transaction, which is subject to approval from vaughan' s stockholders and other closing conditions, and is expected to close in the early fall 2011 .
reser' s fine foods' corporate headquarters will remain in beaverton, but manufacturing operations will move to a new 30 - acre site in north hillsboro. (brent wojahn / the oregonian )
its fresh cut fruit division intrigued reser' s, lakey said. earlier this year, reser' s entered the fresh vegetable market with its acquisition of vaughan foods .
in 1960, reser graduated with a degree in business administration at osu, where he met his wife, pat. at the age of 25, he became ceo of reser' s fine foods and moved the company to beaverton .
virginia garcia memorial foundation in ‘no small potatoes’, al reser, founder of reser’s fine foods, shares the inspiring story of his rise from poverty to the top of the business world. he recounts the tough decisions that spurred the phenomenal growth of reser’s fine foods and the values that guided his 47 years as company president. a must - read for small business owners, this book is proof that small potatoes and big dreams are a perfect recipe for success .
reser' s fine foods is a fourth generation family - owned company. based in beaverton, ore. , reser' s has facilities located across the u. s. reser' s is an industry leader in salads, side dishes, dips, mexican foods, and specialty products. sixty years after mildred reser perfected her world - famous potato salad, the company now serves up a variety of comfort food classics. founded in 1950 by earl and mildred reser, the company remains privately owned and operated .
it was also during this time that reser' s fine foods began to steadily grow into an industry leader in the manufacture of refrigerated food brands for distribution in both restaurants and supermarkets. propelled in part by a new line of dips developed by al himself, reser' s fine foods expanded from a potato salad company founded in 1950 in the reser family kitchen to an international corporation employing over 3, 000 people and operating some twenty facilities in the united states and mexico .
once he had completed his studies, al bought his parents' company, mrs. reser' s fine salads, and changed its name to reser' s fine foods, inc. pat and al decided that only al would work at the company and that pat would hold her own job in order to earn a second income, follow her passions, and keep work - related disagreements from entering into their relationship .
herb grimes, chairman of the board and ceo of vaughan foods, said ,
we are extremely pleased with the offer from reser' s fine foods. we believe the offer benefits our employees, their families and our investors. after 50 years of business, vaughan foods has found within reser' s a company that is growing at a strong pace. it is a company that will respect our legacy as a family - operated company that delivers the freshest products throughout the nation .
reser’s fine foods voluntarily participates in the e - verify system and uses all tools made available by the federal government to confirm the employment eligibility of all team members. persons offered employment with reser’s are required to provide documentation proving their employment eligibility, and offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of the e - verify process .
mitchell, leslie ,
beaverton, ore. - based reser' s acquires wilson foods of utah ,
salt lake tribune, august 8, 2002 .
what he didn' t know: the company was reser' s fine foods, one of oregon' s largest privately held businesses, and the move would actually be a relocation of manufacturing jobs from beaverton, a fact that dealmakers eventually feared would lead to
political fallout
once made public .
orval kent foods co. ; bob evans farms, inc. ; campbell soup company .
1950 company is founded in farmhouse kitchen as mrs. reser' s salads .
bayne later added a warning that reser' s was considering a departure from oregon .
powered by reser' s. (503) 832 - 7145 california transparency in supply chains act
beaverton did not offer reser' s any incentives to stay, lamarche said earlier this year .
what it makes: prepared side dishes, dips and other foods under its own brand and other private labels .
reser' s saw market potential in two of its former rivals, both struggling to absorb rising commodity prices. in september, it paid $ 18. 25 million for fresh cut vegetable company vaughan foods inc .
emails provided by the city of beaverton suggest that reser' s informed doyle of its plans about six weeks prior to the company' s july announcement .
by 2006 al' s health had declined significantly. while pat spent increasing amounts of her time caring for him, her son mark took over reser' s fine foods as company president. in 2009 pat and her daughter mindy traveled to spain to walk part of the camino de santiago. pat and a larger group of family returned to spain in 2010 to complete another segment of the hike, and it was during this trip that they received news of al' s passing. al reser died in his sleep on april 12, 2010 .
we' re in the process of seeing what makes sense for reser' s ,
he said .
mayor denny doyle did receive a courtesy phone call from [ reser' s president ] mark reser regarding the company' s plans to move its production facility to hillsboro ,
said beaverton spokesman bill lamarche in an email .
gonzalez, cristine ,
reser' s rise ,
oregonian, february 9, 1995, p. m1 .
reser' s continued to acquire other small food companies. in 1993, it bought two italian food makers, bellissima italia, inc. of oregon, and the cleveland - based sidari' s italian foods. that year it also acquired manor hill foods, a company based in baltimore, maryland. both manor hill and sidari' s had been owned by a british food conglomerate, geest corporation plc. reser' s also bought a half - interest in a mexican food plant in topeka in 1996. mexican food was a real growth category, and reser' s stepped up its tortilla production. in partnership with the topeka company la siesta and an oregon manufacturer, la burrita, reser' s modified the manufacturing and marketing of its tortillas, aiming them towards the hispanic market. reser' s then formed a partnership with another mexican food manufacturer, don pancho, and transferred its tortilla production for the western states to don pancho plants in oregon and washington .
the company continued to grow through the 1970s. as its production facilities became too cramped, reser' s bought a 16 - acre lot in beaverton. it built a new plant on the lot, opening a 52, 000 - square - foot factory in 1978. by that time, the reser' s product line had grown to some ten different kinds of potato salad, a dozen different chip dips, a handful of distinct macaroni salads, and at least 20 gelatin salads. sales expanded all over the west, into montana, the dakotas, wyoming, and washington by the late 1970s. the third generation of resers began joining the company around that time. eventually all five of al reser' s children found positions with reser' s fine foods .
reser' s, which employs 4, 800 workers across north america and grossed nearly $ 1 billion in 2011, has applied for up to five years of property tax breaks on its new building under hillsboro' s enterprise zone program. reser' s will keep its corporate headquarters in beaverton .
employees: 2, 900. another 540 employees work for vaughan foods, and more than 1, 000 people work for chef solutions .
combined, the three expect to earn more than $ 1 billion this year. reser' s is on track to record $ 750 million in revenues. orval kent should reach $ 200 million in sales and vaughan foods should top $ 90 million, lakey said .
reser' s dip discovery was an immediate hit, sending him on his way to becoming a refrigerated food giant. and it also helped to solidify reser' s loyalty to his alma mater, a recipient of his generosity for years to come .
al reser had been helping out with the business since he was 12 years old. he studied food science at oregon state university, and in addition to working long hours at the company, he developed a new product, the company' s first chip dip. this was a crucial product, as sales of salads ran high in the summer but slowed down a lot in the cooler months. the chip dip sold well in the winter, and soon accounted for about a third of reser' s sales volume. then in 1960, earl reser started a new business in seattle, a food brokerage company. consequently, he sold his stock in mrs. reser' s salad to his son. al reser became president, moved the company to beaverton, oregon, and renamed it, incorporating as reser' s fine foods. at that time, the company had three or four refrigerated trucks, and brought in some $ 300, 000 annually .
founded over 60 years ago in cornelius oregon, reser’s has grown as a leader in refrigerated foods and is rapidly moving toward one billion dollars! reser’s is committed to growth and development, excellence in product quality and excellence in customer service. our people are what make the difference, and each reser’s employee is valued. we strive to attract and retain the best talent in our industry. successful reser’s team members thrive on the ongoing challenges and complexities involved in our industry and strive to provide new and innovative solutions every day. we’ve built a solid reputation and culture focused on hard work, family and fun. put simply, reser’s is a great place to work. i thank you for your interest in building your career with us and we look forward to the possibility of working with you .
reser' s fine foods, inc. is a leading national manufacturer and distributor of refrigerated processed foods, principally prepackaged deli items such as salads, pasta, salsa, and chip dip. reser' s also sells cooked cut potatoes, meat products, dinner entrees, mexican foods, and desserts. the company runs 12 processing plants, with facilities in oregon, utah, hawaii, ohio, north carolina, washington, maryland, and kansas. founded in oregon, the company is best known in the west, yet sells all across the united states and into canada. it sells its products retail through big and small groceries, and also does wholesale business with large clients in the foodservice industry, including restaurant chains. besides the reser' s brand lines of salads, potatoes, desserts, dips and spreads, meats, salsa, and deli case goods, the company also manufactures several other distinct brands. these include the reser' s organic line of organic packaged foods; baja café, a line of mexican entrees, tortillas, and salsa; main street bistro, a line of fully cooked entrees and sides such as meatloaf and mashed potatoes; potato express, a line of cooked, ready - to - serve potatoes; sidari' s brand pasta and pasta sauces; and its stonemill kitchen brand prepared salads. the company was publicly traded from 1960 to 1986, but has always been in the hands of the founding reser family .
the whole reser family, including son al, and mildred' s aged father, as well as many neighbors and former colleagues from the restaurant, found employment at mrs. reser' s salads. the company grew steadily, expanding into adjacent buildings for more production and storage space. reser' s technology was relatively primitive, and salads were made by the batch, with workers sometimes cooking and packing all night long in preparation for sunday deliveries. the company' s truckers also functioned as the sales force, asking around for more outlets for the reser' s line, which grew to four salads as well as gelatin. the trucks were not refrigerated in the early days, so the company relied on dry ice to keep the goods cool. many independent area groceries took up reser' s salads, as well as area chains such as chet' s market, hank' s markets, and tipton' s .
kadel, steve ,
beaverton' s al reser keeps eyes open as food business thrives ,
oregonian, february 22, 1990 .
reser’s remains a family owned and operated company that is dedicated to creating delicious, wholesome meals that nourish family ties and sustain family traditions .
at age 12, reser worked sometimes 24 hours a day to deliver his mother' s potato salad fresh to grocery stores every sunday .
al reser was just out of college when he became president of the family business. although he was only in his 20s, he had over a decade of experience. he was determined to take risks and think big in order to let the company grow. so very shortly after taking over management, reser went to new york, found investors, and took the company public. in 1960 reser' s fine foods began trading publicly on the over - the - counter (otc) exchange. with capital in hand, reser' s moved to much larger quarters, finding a 33, 000 - square - foot space in beaverton. the company bought its first continuous cooker, meaning production could as much as triple from the old batch method. though the new plant at first seemed much bigger than the company could use, reser' s soon ran out of space and had to construct additional cooler and freezer facilities .
the company added a marketing department for the first time in the early 1990s. through the decade, reser' s reviewed and overhauled its packaging and graphics. the company had grown to include many different brands, either offshoots of reser' s lines or lines taken over from reser' s acquisitions. by the end of the 1990s, the company had a unified look despite the wide variety of products and brands it sold .
suber, jim ,
reser' s: no small potatoes ,
topeka capital journal, november 29, 1994, p. 1 .
reser' s philanthropic record can be seen across the oregon state university campus, in the annual grand floral parade and in special olympics events .
made from sour cream instead of cream cheese, the recipe, developed with the help of osu' s food science department, signaled a turning point for reser' s family food business, started in a cornelius farmhouse .
hee single - handedly paid off osu' s athletic department' s debt. in 1999, he made a $ 5 million donation to the school' s football stadium and threw in a $ 12. 5 million gift in 2002 to change the name to reser stadium until at least 2038 .
by the mid - 1990s, reser' s was selling its products across the united states, in canada, mexico, and also in some asian markets. salsa was its biggest seller, and the company made more than 200 different kinds of refrigerated salads. it also sold meats and sausages, desserts, and tortillas. though it began life as a salad company, by the 2000s reser' s thought of itself more broadly as a refrigerated food company. still a relatively small player, and with a dedicated management team that had seen the company through many changes, reser' s was able to react quickly to possible market trends and try out new products. al reser constantly brought back ideas from his travels, and the company was a frequent innovator. reser' s steadily increased its exposure to the mexican food market in the 2000s, acquiring part - interest in another western tortilla maker, puentes brothers, in 2002, and also buying that year the utah firm wilson foods company, a maker of frozen burritos. it bought a refrigerated salad company in north carolina, made rite foods, in 2002, giving reser' s more access to east coast markets .
reser also supported osu' s academics, giving $ 10. 65 million to the new science center, slated for completion next year. osu presented reser with the e. b. lemon distinguished alumni award just last saturday .
reser' s contributions transformed oregon state university, whose football stadium bears his name and where buildings continue to rise with his millions of dollars in donations .
the acquisition pushes reser' s past the $ 1 billion revenue mark, making it one of oregon' s largest privately held companies. the family owned brand makes prepared side dishes and dips under its own name and private labels .
vaughan foods is an integrated manufacturer and distributor of value - added, refrigerated foods. vaughan sells to both foodservice and retail sectors. its products consist of fresh - cut vegetables, fresh - cut fruits, salad kits, prepared salads, dips, spreads, soups, sauces and side dishes. vaughan' s primary manufacturing facility is in moore, okla. its soups and sauces are manufactured in our facility in fort worth, texas .
but the next day, in a separate email thread, welsh wrote to a hillsboro official that reser' s
wants to still keep it quiet .
orval kent, vaughan and reser' s serve many of the same customers: supermarkets, restaurants and distributors looking for fresh prepared food. but reser' s hadn' t entered the fresh produce segment, and targeted two brands that had already established a foothold in what lakey described as a
high growth area .
as sales increased, reser' s plant had trouble keeping pace with production. in 1989, the plant was at capacity for salad, so reser' s bought a california manufacturer, salad host. two years later, reser' s opened a new 50, 000 - square - foot salad production plant in topeka, kansas. the company had three plants for its salads, in three states. it also acquired another salad maker in the early 1990s, the memphis - based mrs. weaver' s salads. the topeka plant did very well, but its busiest season was in the summer, and winter months were slack. consequently, in the early 1990s, reser' s experimented with selling cut, cooked potatoes in pouches. these were sold in grocery store produce aisles. this was a new concept, though al reser had seen something like it in europe, and it seemed to do well initially. however, reser' s was uncertain whether refrigerated potatoes was just a fad or a long - term trend. reser' s decided to gamble that refrigerated potatoes were here to stay. it expanded the topeka plant, and growth in the refrigerated potato category took off. by the end of the 1990s, the topeka plant could not handle all the volume, and reser' s broke ground on another facility, in pasco, washington .
washington county records show that reser' s bought the hillsboro property for over $ 6. 3 million from development services of america inc. in a sale recorded july 18 .
in july, reser' s announced its plan to move all manufacturing jobs at two beaverton production and distribution facilities to a new hillsboro plant, which is already under construction along northwest century boulevard, across from beaverton foods – another local food manufacturer that fled west for hillsboro. the new building, valued at $ 18 million, is expected to be completed by fall 2015 .
the part of the north hillsboro industrial area that is south of u. s. 26 is primarily home to tech businesses due to the proximity of intel, clemons said. but the area north of u. s. 26 is particularly well suited for manufacturing, office and other uses, so reser' s was a good fit, according to clemons .
from potato salad to mashed potatoes and dips to dessert, reser' s helps make your life easier so you can spend more time with your family and less time in the kitchen .
on march 12, clemons sent bayne another email to set up a meeting about incentives with reser' s. he would include business oregon, the state' s economic development agency, he wrote. but there was something else clemons felt the dealmakers had to take care of .
al reser took the company public when he became president as a way of raising needed capital. he had been turned down by oregon banks in his search for credit, but new york investors were interested in small companies with the potential for rapid growth. much of the stock was owned by reser family members and by company employees. in the early 1980s, al reser received a notice from the securities and exchange commission (sec) informing him that a chicago investment firm had acquired 10 percent of reser' s stock. the firm had been moving quietly to buy not only reser' s stock but the stock of some eight to ten similarly sized food companies, with the goal, evidently, of putting together its own food conglomerate. within the next few years, the chicago investor had acquired four small food companies, and it gobbled up over 40 percent of reser' s stock .
reser' s contributions to oregon state' s football program had a lasting impact. that gift - - the largest in the history of the athletic department - - jump - started osu' s stadium expansion project that increased capacity to 45, 674, led to the recruitment of better athletes and put the beavers in a position to contend for the pacific - 10 conference championship the past two seasons .
reser' s submitted a $ 69. 2 million bid to buy the assets of food brand orval kent and its parent company, chef solutions inc. a delaware bankruptcy court accepted the offer tuesday afternoon .
the company found ways to balance its strong line of potato salads and other deli salads with products that would sell year - round. in 1967, reser' s bought german boy, a maker of sausage and processed meats. the next year, reser' s began making tortillas. tortillas were something of a novelty product at the time, and in the northwest were principally available commercially only frozen or canned. reser' s was the first company to produce tortillas on a large scale in the northwest, and though the venture at first seemed risky, the tortilla line sold well and the plant was soon at capacity .
chef solutions, headquartered near chicago, filed voluntary chapter 11 bankruptcy oct. 4, which opened an auction for the company and its assets. but a higher bidder failed to beat reser' s tentative agreement .
chef solutions operated four different facilities in the u. s. and mexico and employed more than 1, 000 workers. it' s too early to tell whether any will be laid off, lakey said .
born in kansas, reser moved with his family through the midwest during the depression, eventually arriving in oregon .
confidentiality is huge in this business, and so it' s managed extraordinarily highly ,
he said .
we still must maintain confidentiality on these buyers and this project, please ,
bayne wrote in underlined and bolded font. he requested that city officials confirm a meeting at reser' s corporate headquarters on feb. 6 .
clemons then sent bayne more detailed maps that showed fiber, wastewater, water and electrical utility service to three industrial sites in north hillsboro. bayne' s response indicated an appreciation for hillsboro' s vast supply of developable industrial land .
by the end of the month, there were a few more details: the company was reser' s, and it was no longer clear if
all new jobs or partial transfer from the existing beaverton facility ,
bayne wrote jan. 31 .
in 1950, mildred and earl reser decided to try their hand at making potato salad in quantity. buying potatoes 50 pounds at a time and doing all the work by hand in the kitchen of their farmhouse in cornelius, oregon, they nurtured their new brand “mrs. reser’s salads” step by tiny step, too busy to even think they might be laying the groundwork for an industry giant .
so all that i ask is do your best to make this look as attractive to reser as possible and everybody wins here .
in june 1999, the reser family announced a major gift to osu athletics which came with a new name for the osu football stadium, now known as reser stadium. by the time that significant stadium renovations had been completed in 2005, the resers had donated over seventeen million dollars to the project .
under the now - official deal, reser' s and new york equity firm mistral capital management agreed to pay $ 36. 4 million in cash and $ 25. 3 million in secured debt to buy nearly all of chef solutions' assets. the firms also agreed to assume $ 7. 5 million in priority claims .
by the mid - 2000s, reser' s sales were estimated at around $ 375 million, and the company hoped its revenue would rise to $ 500 million over the next few years. the company had grown and consolidated, reaching beyond its oregon roots with manufacturing plants in the midwest and east and even in hawaii. from making potato salad, its product line had grown to include myriad forms of cooked potatoes, fresh salads, prepared meals, tortillas, mexican and italian foods and entrees, salsa, dips, and desserts. sales reached beyond the western states to penetrate into canada and mexico and some overseas markets. the company remained private, with the third generation of resers in top management positions .
according to a statement issued by his family on tuesday, reser passed away in his sleep at his sarasota, fla. , vacation home while on a short getaway .
over two months later, it still wasn' t entirely clear what reser' s planned to do with its beaverton operations .
we are also trying to determine what, if any of the operations at the existing beaverton facility is moving over to hillsboro ,
said melissa hunting of portland general electric in a may 29 email to clemons .
since 1989, reser also played a major role in the annual rose festival, putting dollars to ensure award - winning floats every year that he would help to design conceptually .
as her children moved on to college and as the reser' s company continued to flourish, pat returned to school herself, receiving her master' s degree in special education from portland state in 1980 and re - entering the workforce. her first job was as a math teacher at beaverton high school. two years later, she switched to an elementary class for a year and then became the school' s lead on learning disabilities. after five years in that position, reser moved to the district office and worked as a learning disabilities program specialist, where she worked for nine more years before retiring in 1995. once retired, pat entered the master of arts in interdisciplinary studies program at marylhurst university, although she did not intend to return to the workforce. during this time, she took care to schedule classes that allowed for her to care for her husband, whose health was declining .
100% of the proceeds from your purchase will be donated to charity. click one of the links of al’s favorite charities below for more details on how to purchase this book .
reser is survived by pat, his wife of more than 50 years, and their children, mindy, michelle, mark, mike and marty. funeral arrangements have not yet been announced .
emails obtained through an oregonian public records request show how hillsboro officials, over a months - long process, lured one of the area' s top employers, which was considering moving out of oregon entirely. the negotiations underscore the way that the city – with lots of room to expand – continues to position itself as the dominant force behind washington county' s economic growth .
in 2003 pat and al reser were both named most honored members of the osu president' s club and pat joined the osu foundation board of trustees. pat also served as a co - chair of the campaign for osu when it was publicly launched in the fall of 2007, and the reser family made lead gifts to two cornerstone campaign facility initiatives, the linus pauling science center and austin hall, the new home of osu' s college of business. it was during this period that pat also began receiving treatment for cancer. as she confronted her illness, from which she ultimately made a full recovery, the symbolic pilgrimage of labyrinths became an important part of her spiritual and emotional health, so much so that she had a labyrinth built on the family property .
under the terms of the agreement, vaughan will become a subsidiary of reser' s. immediately following the closing, vaughan stockholders will receive $ 1. 58 per vaughan share, which represents a 285 percent premium to the vaughan closing stock price on may 13, 2011, the last trading day prior to the execution of the term sheet, when agreement was reached regarding the transaction consideration .
he' s done so much for this school and this community ,
said edward ray, osu president .
he was a wonderful person. wonderfully successful in business and wonderfully successful in family .
in 2011 pat reser received the heart of washington county award for her contributions to the community, and that same year she helped establish an endowed professorship in the chemistry department at osu. in 2013 she also endowed a professorship in the osu music department. that same year, oregon state university came under the governance of a dedicated board of trustees. at its first meeting in january 2014, the board elected pat reser as its chair .
he got big, but he never got conceited ,
krahmer said .
he cared about people who really needed money. he figured that' s where he came from so he always gave back .
were any loans by the plan or fixed income obligations due the plan in default as of the close of plan year or classified during the year as uncollectible? disregard participant loans secured by participant' s account balance .
looking back on the negotiations, clemons said that he doesn' t look at the deal as a win for hillsboro – rather, he called it a win for the region. reser' s wanted to expand, he said, and finding a suitable 30 - acre site would have been difficult in beaverton. hillsboro was able to provide that site, securing expanded jobs and investment in the county and keeping disposable income in oregon when it could have gone elsewhere .
al touched the lives of anyone he met - - and thousands more through his support ,
gov. ted kulongoski said in a statement on tuesday .
al reser was a man of great generosity, kindness and compassion .
the move to osc was prompted by al' s interest in taking courses in food technology. his new wife moved with him and completed her degree in elementary education. their first child was born in 1960, right before their graduation .
over the next 50 years, reser grew the company from a local business with $ 300, 000 in annual sales to an international brand boasting $ 800 million in sales of its deli items such as salads, pasta, salsa and chip dips .
the company became more sophisticated in the 1980s, matching its sales growth with technological innovation and new processes. for example, reser' s had had no in - house quality control until 1981. it had sent samples to a lab to meet quality control requirements, and such procedures as checking inventory were done by eye; if a bag of potatoes looked rotten, it was sent back. when the company hired a research and development director, the company' s systems became much more standardized and scientific. potatoes were not merely eyeballed but tested for percentage of sugar vs. starch, for example. employee practices were improved, recipes were made consistent, and during the 1980s the company came to exceed industry standards for food safety and quality control .
i think it is critical that there be notification by either the company directly, or their representative (s), as to their intentions. i would not want the beaverton mayor [ or ] his staff to hear it' on the street.'
information on record in the clerk' s office of the commission is listed below. if no information is listed or a change to the information is needed, the annual report must be submitted on a paper annual report form that has been furnished by the commission .
the customer claimed had damaged product; however, no proof the damage was supplied. this meant assisting the customer by educating them on the proper steps necessary to receive credit (s). the employees here were wonderful and would step up to assi... -
he might get by on two hours of sleep and was like that even later in life ,
said don krahmer sr. , 78, a lifelong friend who was with reser when he passed away .
he was easygoing, but very driven and self - disciplined .
( al reser) and his family are the architects of whatever success this department has enjoyed ,
osu athletic director bob de carolis said in a statement .
while he may be gone from this earth his legacy and spirit will be with us for a long time .
in 1951, mildred took her potato salad to the new safeway in hillsboro and asked the store if it was interested in buying it, said kerry tymchuk, working on a biography of reser - -
no small potatoes
- - that oregon state press planned to publish this year .
pat took her first job at a junior high in forest grove shortly after graduating from osc. she was soon asked to leave however, as she had become pregnant with her second child and it was believed that a pregnant teacher make for a poor influence on female students. reser left for the remainder of her pregnancy and then applied for a new post in the hillsboro area, where she worked until she became pregnant with her third child. after leaving the hillsboro job, reser stepped out of the workforce for fifteen years in order to raise a family that ultimately came to include five children .
mark clemons, hillsboro' s director of economic development, knew he had a potentially huge deal on his hands in early january, when a portland commercial real estate broker said a local employer wanted to expand and was considering hillsboro – 30 acres, 350 jobs, around 300, 000 square feet .
this is a message between us boys... . the idea here is that reser knows all fees going into the project... prior to moving forward and proceeding with the project ,
bayne wrote .
usually, buyers tie up the property first, then conduct their due diligence... but this is the way they feel comfortable proceeding .
the ability to have someone who is a home - grown oregon company, has grown up here, is a major sponsor of arts and sports and things like that, and then be able to identify a site that' s large enough to meet their needs within the region and actually just adjacent to their current operations is, i think, a win for the region ,
clemons said .
valian graduated from cleveland high school in 1956, and entered portland state college that fall. it was there that she met a fellow student, al reser, in an introductory english course. a good student, pat had been enrolled in the course by mistake but, after meeting al, chose not to switch to a higher - level class. al and pat soon began courting and eventually married in june 1958. that fall, the couple transferred to oregon state college .
during our first meeting i brought up the issue of communication with the city of beaverton ,
clemons wrote .
as i said, our mayor [ jerry willey ] has a very close working relationship with mayor [ denny ] doyle, and our staffs (as well as those from clean water services and tualatin valley water district) work closely with beaverton' s. it is very important to us that the status of this project be communicated with the city of beaverton .
bought one of its top competitors in a deal announced tuesday, the second time in as many months the beaverton company has snapped up a rival brand battered by the tough economy and high food costs .
wow, two companies in one year is kind of amazing
spokesperson david lakey said .
we were approached, and it turned out we were able to buy both .
in august, when chef solutions decided to pursue a buyer after a separate investor fell through .
the deal gives orval kent the cash it needs to keep producing. the brand operated at a pre - tax earnings loss of $ 4 million during the first eight months of this year, a steep drop from fiscal 2010, when its pre - tax income totaled $ 10 million .
its sales peaked at $ 220 million in 2008, but slipped to $ 209 million in 2010. its bankruptcy filing lists assets and liabilities that topped $ 100 million .
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chef sean was born and raised on the oregon coast. in his family, whoever cooked, didn' t have to do the dishes, so he learned a few basic items to get out of dish duty. sean spent his junior year of…
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was able to work on my own without extreme time constraints or being micro managed. can be stressful during peak hot weather in the summer months with air conditioning and refrigeration of products in trucks .
the favoritism is mind blowing. there are shift wars & department wars constantly. management lacking hr department extremely poor quality 7 days a week no time off .
processing payments from large vendors and customers. issuing credits and collecting on past due invoices. the owner of the company was an amazingly generous man when he suddenly passed away the culture changed so much and went from feeling like a family to a hard core corporation .
garrison, bob ,
meat and potatoes ,
national provisioner, may 2004, pp. 56 - 60 .
major, meg ,
all you can eat ,
progressive grocer, may 1, 2005, pp. 128 - 29 .
riell, howard ,
fridge fresh ,
frozen food age, february 2004, p. 60 .
was in his senior year at oregon state university when he invented his first chip dip .
an avid supporter of civic causes across the portland metro area, he supported organizations from the portland rose festival foundation to special olympics oregon .
to make ends meet, his mother, mildred, made potato salad in their farmhouse kitchen, while his father, earl, sold it door - to - door to butcher shops and mom - and - pop stores .
on tuesday, the rose festival foundation announced it was naming the sweepstakes award - - the highest honor in the parade - - after him .
amy hsuan, the oregonian paul buker and steve duin of the oregonian contributed to this report .
after brett bayne, of the portland commercial real estate firm macadam forbes, first contacted clemons with his secret client, the city sent back a big package of available sites, each of them over 30 acres, in the north hillsboro industrial area. hillsboro also sent information about its enterprise zone program, which requires companies to pay certain wages and benefits and increase area employment by 10 percent in exchange for property tax breaks .
at that point, the city thought the mystery company wouldn' t be moving jobs around .
it is an expansion they will keep their existing facility in the region operating ,
clemons wrote to his economic development staff on jan. 17 .
they also have operations elsewhere in country and are looking at alternatives outside region. they prefer here because of workforce .
outstanding package you provided ,
bayne replied .
forwarding on the client now. stay tuned .
by mid - february, the deal was still proceeding, and an email from bayne to clemons and hillsboro planning supervisor dan dias implied the high stakes .
they have outgrown their current site and there is no room for expansion in beaverton... [ but ] hillsboro is just one option ,
bayne wrote .
they also have plants in topeka, kansas and north carolina where land and development is much cheaper .
however, i do feel that this is our deal to lose. they would like to stay in oregon as it is close to corporate office and the employment talent is stronger here. but as we all know, the all mighty dollar often dictates many decisions .
soon after bayne sent his email, various other city departments became involved. planners and transportation engineers scrambled to work, estimating transportation development taxes and evaluating access to utilities .
on march 3, dias sent a fee quote to david welsh, the founder of project manager cida (commercial industrial design architecture), a portland firm. the city estimated a total of over $ 1. 3 million in charges, including almost $ 800, 000 for transportation development tax and traffic impact fees .
responding to a welsh email that characterized the construction schedule as
aggressive ,
dias wrote ,
we wait with open arms and ready to grind .
in a march 7 email, clemons wrote to bayne that the city would need to know more details about the project .
we want to know investment; new jobs created and jobs retained; wages paid and benefits; skill levels and training needs; process technology; etc. ,
clemons wrote .
it would also be important to understand the total project costs for building, infrastructure and fees. this understanding would allow us to be sure that we are bringing all of the potential resources to the table to make hillsboro the preferred site for the company .
tax breaks began to enter the conversation because of the high cost of construction, as welsh indicated in a march 11 email to a city official .
brett [ bayne ] is going to talk to mark clemons and start the incentives research ,
he wrote .
the freaking fees for this project are killers !
i' m worried about the political fallout with beaverton ,
welsh said in the email .
clemons also said it is
fairly common
for a city to be approached by a client who won' t disclose the company he or she is representing .
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patricia valian was born in 1938 in windsor, ontario canada. the daughter of a sheet metal worker and a housewife, pat spent the first nine months of her life in windsor before her family moved to regina, saskatchewan, where she spent the next eight years. in 1947 her family moved to vancouver, b. c. where they stayed for another eight years, and in 1952 the family emigrated to the united states, settling in portland, oregon .
during her time as a stay at home mother, pat became increasingly involved in her family, church, and the local community of beaverton. she volunteered as a room mother, den mother, girl scout brownie leader, and sunday school teacher. it was also in these years that the resers slowly came to be involved with osu athletics, purchasing season tickets for football, hosting tailgate parties and eventually becoming donors of increasing consequence.
reser 's fine foods , inc. , a united states corporation based in beaverton , oregon , manufactures and distributes fresh and frozen prepared foods . over 1,000 products are available in the 50 u.s. states , canada , guam , mexico , and areas of the far east . its prepared foods are sold in national grocery chains , independent outlets , and convenience stores . oregon state university 's football stadium , reser stadium , is named after the company , which is one of its sponsors . as of 2010 , annual revenue was approximately $ 700 million , ranking reser 's as the sixth-largest private company in oregon by revenue . 
reser's fine foods, inc., a united states corporation based in beaverton, oregon, manufactures and distributes fresh and frozen prepared foods. over 1,000 products are available in the 50 u.s. states, canada, guam, mexico, and areas of the far east. its prepared foods are sold in national grocery chains, independent outlets, and convenience stores. oregon state university's football stadium, reser stadium, is named after the company, which is one of its sponsors. as of 2010, annual revenue was approximately $ 700 million, ranking reser's as the sixth-largest private company in oregon by revenue.
reser's fine foods, inc., a united states corporation based in beaverton, oregon, manufactures and distributes fresh and frozen prepared foods. over 1,000 products are available in the 50 u.s. states, canada, guam, mexico, and areas of the far east. its prepared foods are sold in national grocery chains, independent outlets, and convenience stores. oregon state university's football stadium, reser stadium, is named after the company, which is one of its sponsors. as of 2010, annual revenue was approximately $ 700 million, ranking reser's as the sixth-largest private company in oregon by revenue.