Top Oregon family businesses are honored by OSU College of Business

A wood products company, nursery wholesaler, food distributor, a taproom and a student with an interest in serving family businesses will be honored May 7 at the Excellence in Family Business Awards presented by the Oregon State University College of Business.

The prize winners are:

• Lyon-based Freres Engineered Wood, one of the leading veneer and panel manufacturers in the world.
• J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co. from Boring, one of the leading producers of ornamental and shade trees in the country.
• Pacific Coast Fresh Company of Portland, one of the largest independent distributors of fresh produce and other foods in the Northwest.
• Ale and Cider House, a traditional English-style café operated by 7Bev Corporation in West Linn.
• Oregon State student Viri Rodriguez-Medrano is an accounting and business major with a family business option and a minor in Spanish from North Powder.

OSU’s College of Business launched the awards program in 1988 to celebrate the achievements of Oregon’s family-owned businesses regardless of industry, size or revenue. The award categories reflect sound family business practices and performance.

“We are always honored to celebrate Oregon family businesses and the ingenuity and innovation that make them thrive,” said Tim Carroll, the Sara Hart Kimball Dean of the College of Business. “We are proud to be connected to so many excellent family businesses and to help strengthen them through the work of our Center for Family Businesses.”

Freres Engineered Wood receives the Dean’s Award for Leadership in Family Businesses. In three generations, the company has grown from a single portable logging operation above the Little North Fork of the North Santiam River to three locations in the Santiam Canyon.

J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co. receives the Generational Development Award. Members of the Schmidt family have led the company since its founding more than 75 years ago. The company, which also has farms in Canby and Milton-Freewater, harvests and ships more than 1.5 million trees annually.

Pacific Coast Fresh Company of Portland receives the Business Renewal Award. The company was founded in 1977 by Emil and Kathleen Nemarnik and remains a family business. Pacific Coast Fresh employs more than 450 people across three locations in Portland and Kent, Washington.

Ale and Cider House is the recipient of this year’s Family Harmony Award. The cafe, run by members of the Chay family, also serves Queen Orchard, 7Bev’s own cider brand.

Student award winner Rodriguez-Medrano, whose extended family owns and operates a store in Mexico, plans to advise family businesses after she completes her studies. She is on track to graduate in 2026.

“This year’s award winners highlight family businesses that have thrived and made an impact in their communities over multiple generations,” said Ted Paterson, associate professor of management and director of the Center for Family Enterprise.

The center, founded in 1985, provides inspiration, education, information and research to support family businesses.

The awards ceremony will take place on Tuesday, May 7 at noon at the Marriott Portland Downtown Waterfront, 1401 SW Naito Parkway. Tickets cost $75. Register online at: https://beav.es/cu7.

Bank of America, Alterman Law Group and Madden Industrial Craftsmen are award sponsors and Summit Bank and Commerce Bank of Oregon are event sponsors.