The Head Table offers numerous underwriting benefits. For additional information concerning underwriting opportunities, please contact Deborah Kane at deborah@theheadtable.net.

The Head Table’s pilot episode was made possible by generous support from our title sponsor, The Holland, Inc. – Burgerville, and additional support from the following underwriters:

The Holland, Inc. – Burgerville • web site
Founded in 1961, family owned Burgerville is a division of The Holland, Inc., based in Vancouver, Wash. Recently dubbed “America’s Freshest Fast Food” by Gourmet magazine, Burgerville is famous for its seasonal menu items made with Northwest-grown ingredients, including Walla Walla onion rings, chocolate hazelnut milkshakes and halibut fish and chips. Recognizing the restaurant company’s continued efforts to showcase locally grown ingredients and its partnerships with Northwest food vendors, the Oregon Department of Agriculture honored Burgerville with an “Agriculture Progress Award” in 2003. Earlier this year, Burgerville became the first fast-food chain in the nation to use sustainably raised, all-natural beef certified by Food Alliance in all of its burgers. This precedent-setting switch to the exclusive use of all-natural, hormone and antibiotic-free Oregon Country Beef earned the company a coveted BEST award (Businesses for an Environmentally Sustainable Tomorrow) from the City of Portland’s Office of Sustainable Development. In addition, Burgerville’s kids meal program was recently named the Grand Award Winner in the 2004 Best Kids Menu in America Competition sponsored by Restaurant Hospitality magazine. With more than 1,600 employees and 39 restaurants throughout Oregon and Washington, the company’s sustained growth is a testament to its popularity among consumers who can count on the highest quality products and quick and friendly service.

Oregon Economic and Community Development Department • web site
The Oregon Economic and Community Development Department's goal is to strengthen the state's economy in an effort to put more Oregonians to work in good jobs. OECDD works with the private sector to create an environment that encourages business expansion, creation and relocation; and with local communities to help develop the infrastructure they need to attract business and keep their economy going.

Growing Gardens • web site
Growing Gardens was founded in 1996 with a mission to promote food gardening for improved nutrition, health, and self-reliance while enhancing the quality of life of individuals and communities. In 1999, Growing Gardens began offering workshops on topics such as basic gardening, composting, cooking and food preservation. An education and service-learning program for youth, called YouthGrow, began in 2000. Growing Gardens is proud to be chosen as a 2003 Public Health Hero by Multnomah County Health Department! Growing Gardens also participates in GuideStar, the on-line standard for nonprofit accountability.

Organic Valley Family of Farms • web site
Organized in 1988, the Organic Valley cooperative today is made up of 633 organic farmers in 16 states. It’s the only national organic brand that is 100-percent farmer-owned and proudly the only independent national organic dairy in the United States. In 2003, sales totaled $156 million, a 25 percent jump over 2002. Last year, the cooperative also brought 118 more farms into the organization; added 20,000 acres to the organic farmland system; and added 2,675 organically raised cows. This year, the cooperative expects sales to grow 36 percent, totaling a record $205 million. Stewards of the earth who use nature as their teachers, Organic Valley farmers produce 130 delicious organic products. Look for their organic milk, cheese, butter, spreads, creams, eggs, produce, juice and meats in food cooperatives, natural foods stores and supermarkets throughout the country. For further information, contact Organic Valley, One Organic Way, LaFarge WI 54639, tel. (608) 625-2602, or visit www.organicvalley.coop (link above).

AVEDA • web site
Aveda believes in conducting business in a manner that protects the Earth, conserves resources and does not compromise the ability of future generations to sustain themselves. Its mission positions Aveda as a catalyst for awareness and change at individual and collective levels. Aveda supports values that cultivate a sustainable economy and culture. Aveda finds inspiration for doing so in nature and believes that nature is not merely something to be cherished and protected, but also should be emulated as a model of sustainability. Aveda is committed to working for these ends by expressing its values and serving as an agent of change in its workplaces, with its families and friends, and in its communities. Aveda believes that the microscopic actions of single individuals have the power to change the course of human civilization, and aims to help steer society in a more sustainable direction for our benefit and the benefit of generations to come.

Food Services of America • web site
Food Services of America (FSA) is a family owned, Northwest based foodservice distributor serving the restaurant industry throughout Oregon and Southern Washington. From fine dining to cafeterias, hospitals to hotels, and schools to military installations, FSA makes it their responsibility to ensure that they deliver not only the very best in quality to their customers, but also only the very best in customer service.

Of particular note, as the only broadline food distributor based in the Northwest, FSA is uniquely vested in the economic health of the area they serve. Profits are reinvested back into the Northwest, unlike competitive distributors who ship their profits out of state, out of area, and out of country.

Bon Appétit Management Co. • web site
Bon Appétit Management Co. is an onsite custom restaurant company offering full food service management by providing café and catering services to corporations, colleges and universities, and specialty venues. Bon Appétit’s dream is to be the premier on-site restaurant company known for its culinary expertise and commitment to socially responsible practices. The company lives a culture driven to create food that is alive with flavor and nutrition, prepared from scratch using authentic ingredients. We do this in a socially responsible manner for the well being of our guests, communities and the environment.

Wild Oats Community Markets • web site
Wild Oats Markets, Inc. started in Boulder, Colorado in 1987 with the purchase of a single natural foods store. The concept grew store by store into the nation's second largest natural and organic foods supermarket chains, with a family of more than 100 stores in 24 states and British Columbia, and annual sales of nearly $970 million. Wild Oats stands on a commitment to provide customers with the best selection of natural foods and health care products in a friendly, informative setting. Wild Oats strives to be a proactive member of its community, contributing to the lives of our customers, the communities we do business in and our staff. Wild Oats supports the local economy as much as possible by offering locally produced and manufactured products including organic and locally grown produce. Wild Oats also supports the community by actively giving back through organized events and philanthropic giving.

NORPAC Foods, Inc. • web site
The story begins in 1924, when an Oregon cooperative of growers formed North Pacific Canners and Packers, and introduced the FLAV-R-PAC® brand that would become the quality standard for vegetables and fruits. Two decades later, the company’s grower-owners led the way in developing America’s newest food processing technology by installing a quick-freezing unit. By the 1950’s, NORPAC frozen and canned products were available across America. In the 1970’s, NORPAC introduced a new concept to foodservice, ‘value-added’ products. These were products that were already mixed, offering customers two or more vegetables in the same package. It was a first step that would to lead to an array of FLAV-R-PAC vegetable blends. Today, NORPAC continues to lead the way, setting ever-higher standards for foodservice. Starting with specially developed seeds, our 250 grower-owner families raise a vast array of crops on thousands of acres in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. Carefully controlling each step in the process, NORPAC products now go from harvest in the field, through processing and freezing, to packaging in one of five state-of-the-art processing plants - all in less than four hours.

Oregon Department of Agriculture • web site
The Oregon Department of Agriculture serves the state of Oregon through its three-fold mission: food safety and consumer protection; protection of the natural resource base; and, developing and maintaining markets for agricultural products. The agency is headquartered in Salem but also maintains offices in Portland and many other communities throughout the state. Through its nine divisions, ODA provides service to all Oregonians, not just those in the agriculture industry.

Portland Oregon Visitors Association • web site
Portland Oregon Visitors Association helps maintain the vibrancy of our region by promoting the Portland metropolitan area as a preferred destination for meetings, conventions and leisure travel. A private non-profit destination marketing organization with a membership of more than 1,000 businesses, POVA operates a helpful visitor information center, supports a climate of year-round hospitality, and helps our city, state and region reap the rewards of a thriving visitor industry.

The Hartman Group, Inc. • web site
The Hartman Group, founded 1989, is a full-service consulting and market research firm offering a wide range of services and products focusing on the health and wellness markets. The company's headquarters are located in Bellevue, Washington. Experienced staff, with diverse, yet complementary backgrounds are experts in providing trade reports, syndicated studies, strategic consulting and customized research. The team has extensive knowledge and experience in marketing, business management, retail anthropology, sociology, nutrition, healthcare management, consumer economics and statistics. The Hartman Group is the leading source for in-depth insights into the healthy lifestyle and wellness markets, as well as the American consumer. The Hartman Group specializes in the analysis and interpretation of consumer lifestyle, and how these lifestyles affect the purchase and use of health and wellness products and services.