Manufacturing works!! in Hood River

You aren't going to believe how much fun we had on Manufacturing Day! We started out with a visit to Chinook Sailing Products in Cascade Locks. What a cool place! They make EVERYTHING related to and including carbon fiber booms for windsurfing! They invented and built the specialized machines that make the little metal pins and the plastic caps and fittings for attaching the booms! And they made a "fire hose" press for molding and compressing the carbon fiber booms... there are actual fire hoses that fill with air to push the molds together while they are being heated! It's hard to explain but, trust me... it was awesome! Dan Van Hoose, General Manager, lead the tour and even had the foresight to hook us up with some yummy doughnuts!... a great way to start the day!

Next was Cardinal IG where they fabricate insulated glass for windows, doors and anything that might call for insulated glass. Dave Windsor, Plant Manager toured us through their 335,000 sq. ft. facility. (it's REALLY big!) There is so much going on there... and the machines that move the huge panes of glass from "in stock" to the cutting table are amazing. It's all completely automated. The people who work there were extremely friendly and obviously enjoyed being part of the team. They were all so well versed about the equipment they use and how each part of the process is integrated to achieve the highest standard of quality! We all noticed that Dave knew all the names of his employees... and they all really like him. At the end of the tour, he gave all the kids Nike golf hats and posed for a picture with the LFT posse.

Lunch at Pietro's Pizza was very good and filling... then came dessert. When you walk in to Blissful Brownies, all you can smell is CHOCOLATE.... yummy! Ambler Fitzsimmons told us all about how she got started and why she decided to bake for a living instead of using her law degree to practice law. If you've ever had a Blissful Brownie you know why! Baking is less stressful and baking brownies is a labor of LOVE! We got to sample some of the more popular flavors - classic, coconut, pumpkin spice, German chocolate... delicious! She doesn't have a store front and only distributes her delectable treats through William Sonoma and a few specialty shops in Hood River and Chicago, IL. She also takes orders over their website and the phone. They make wonderful gifts!! ; )

Last stop of the day was Turtle Island Foods -- the home of Tofurky! We all got to sample the Tofurky Jerky, which I personally love but, some of the kids had a hard time fully enjoying it! (more for me!) The most interesting part of this visit was the fact that Seth Tibbett the founder/owner started this company with a little more than $2500 and now it's a multimillion dollar endeavor! They make all kinds of deli slices and "sausages" as well as tempeh (fermented soy) and jerky. We watched a video of clips from various TV show that mention Tofurky... obviously the Thanksgiving episodes with the obligatory vegetarian perspective! Long live the tofurky!