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Even though the largest workers’ comp insurance carrier has been around for more than 100 years, there still seems to be people out there who don’t know what we are or what we do. In this session, learn the history and purpose of SAIF, including a brief overview of operations. As a safety and health focused company, we will also share links to free resources to help employers keep their workers safe and healthy on the job.
Leigh Manning, MPH, CSP, ARM has been Senior Safety Management Consultant with SAIF Corporation since 2010 and has been working in occupational health and safety for almost 20 years. In her current role, she creates safety and health training materials, speaks at regional conferences, and works with employers to improve the health and safety of their workers. She is an active member of the Cascade Chapter of the American Society of Safety Professionals, serving in many leadership roles over the years. Leigh has a BA from the University of Oregon in Journalism, Public Relations and Communications and a Master of Public Health from Portland State University.
Rob Miller brings over 30 years of experience in Oregon workers’ compensation insurance, with nearly 23 years dedicated to SAIF Corporation. He moved to Springfield in 1999 and has been in his current role for the past three years. Rob’s extensive insurance experience is primarily in the premium audit function. Rob holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management and Communications from Concordia University-Portland. Born in Portland, Oregon, he has a deep connection to the state. In his spare time Rob enjoys following the Seattle Mariners and all things baseball. He and his wife Shannon are celebrating their fourteen-year wedding anniversary in April, and they enjoy spoiling their two amazing grandkids every chance they get.
One of the newest business additions in Springfield is a franchise of the Chick-fil-A restaurant chain. The new restaurant is located in the Gateway area, near the intersection of Gateway and Beltline. Chick-fil-A’s franchise model is essential to how the restaurant serves others. Most Chick-fil-A restaurants are owned and operated by a single individual, which means Chick-fil-A’s local Owner-Operators are small business owners, not passive investors, who work in their restaurants side by side with their Team Members each day.
In Springfield, Jared Coleman will be responsible for all day-to-day activities of the business, including employing approximately 150 full- and part-time Team Members, serving Guests, cultivating relationships with local organizations and businesses, and tailoring philanthropic efforts to meet the Springfield community’s needs.
Driven by a heart for service from an early age, Coleman began his journey with Chick-fil-A in high school, serving as a Team Member in Tucson, Arizona. He attended the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Kentucky, and later pursued graduate studies at Florida State University. During graduate school, he worked at a Chick-fil-A near campus, which reignited his passion for the restaurant’s people first-culture. In 2013, Coleman joined Chick-fil-A in Tallahassee, Florida, where he spent nearly six years under the mentorship of a local Owner-Operator. This pivotal experience led him to shift his focus from pursuing a doctorate to becoming a Chick-fil-A local Owner-Operator himself. In 2019, he achieved this goal, becoming the local Owner-Operator of Chick-fil-A Cedar Hills Blvd in Beaverton, Oregon. Now, Coleman, along with his wife and three children, looks forward to opening Springfield’s first Chick-fil-A restaurant, where he plans to build strong partnerships with local educators and schools.
“Chick-fil-A has deep roots in our family – my father became a local Owner-Operator in Tucson after retiring from the Air Force,” said Coleman. “As I introduce Chick-fil-A to the Springfield community, I am honored to continue our family legacy and uphold the company’s culture of care. At Chick-fil-A Gateway & Randy Pape Beltline, we aim to create a supportive environment where Team Members can grow and pursue their dreams through the same kind of mentorship that shaped my journey.”
Natural areas are vital to our wellbeing. Spending time in nature is linked to both cognitive benefits and improvements in mood, mental health, and emotional wellbeing, according to the American psychologist Association. Not only are natural areas vital to us as humans, they are critical to providing habitat for plants and wildlife. Willamalane staff will share their experience implementing large restoration projects at various natural areas, including Thurston Hills Natural Area and Dorris Ranch, to improve conditions for both humans and wildlife. Staff will discuss some threats, such as wildfire, to our local natural areas and what Willamalane is doing to try and address them. You’ll hear about Willamalane’s efforts to balance habitat restoration work with recreation and creating fire resilient landscapes in Springfield.
Fraser MacDonald works as a Natural Resource Planner for Willamalane Park and Recreation District in Springfield, Oregon. Willamalane’s mission is to deliver exception parks and recreation to enrich the lives of everyone we serve. In his role, he provides project planning and implementation of restoration and management of Willamalane’s natural areas. Fraser has over 15 years of experience working in the Willamette Valley to steward our public resources such as wetlands, parks and natural areas, watershed, and water resources for the benefit of the public. Fraser holds a Masters in Planning, Public Policy and Management from the University of Oregon.