Pat Gerhart Oral History Interview, September 13, 2017

Partial Transcript: Okay, we are rolling. Your name?

Segment Synopsis: Pat introduces herself to begin the interview, highlighting her hometown of Newton, Iowa before moving to Seattle, Washington shortly after her second birthday. Her father was very involved in golf, which resulted in the family moving to Hines, Oregon for the family to take over the local golf course. The family then moved into the Portland area where Pat attended Middle and High School. Pat moved around on her own for a bit after high school, but ultimately found her way to Bend, Oregon, where she has now lived for over 30 years.
Pat explains some of the difficulties the family endured moving from Seattle to Hines, specifically her mother struggled with the change in lifestyle. Pat has a brother who is 10 years older than her, and a sister who is 3 1/2 years younger. The freedom the children experienced growing up in the country club made for a happy childhood Pat explains. Her father was a big advocate for her playing golf growing up, which led to her playing on the high school golf team while still in elementary school.

Partial Transcript: Was the country club like a community center?

Segment Synopsis: Pat explains the relation the family had to Bend during their time living in Hines. They are approximately an hour to an hour and a half away, and they would often come to Bend to shop for clothes and other things.
She moves forward to share some of her memories of her relationship with her father on the golf course. He functioned as her golf coach, and was a reliable opinion she counted on when she struggled.
After graduation Pat held various jobs, many of which were in the restaurant industry. She then started working in carpentry, but when she moved to Bend it was not at place that a woman in carpentry was accepted at the time. She eventually stepped into a position at Mt. Bachelor working in marketing and communications before transitioning into HR.

Partial Transcript: What were some of your favorite memories before Bend?

Segment Synopsis: Pat shares some of her memories before moving to Bend. She reflects on stories of her group of friends who she would ski, hike and doing other various outdoor activities with. Pat describes herself as being not very feminine, and relishes in outdoor recreation. She moves forward to her time in Alaska, explaining some of the difficulties of the weather and terrain, as well as her favorite memories.
When Pat started working on Mt. Bachelor, she only intended to spend one season there before moving back to Portland. She quickly became enthralled with her work and the local area, leading her to spend the last 37 years in Bend. Pat explains her transition into HR, noting what enticed her to that line of work.

Partial Transcript: Who were the people you were interacting with?

Segment Synopsis: Pat explains her role while working in HR, noting that the majority of the hires she was involved with were young people who had recently graduated from either high school or college, and were looking for employment as they figured out their next step. Patrollers, ski instructors, and raft guides were the main positions she handled.
She made mention of the fact that many of the men involved in that industry had wives that served as the bread winners given the fact that these jobs were not paying wages.
Pat tells a story of how she helped provide a local woman with an opportunity as a brewer, something that was uncommon at the time. She wasn't initially given a fair shot by the head brewer, but eventually proved her worth and went on to become a brew master.
She moves forward to elaborate on the local economy of Bend, calling the town "poverty with a view" given the high cost of living and the nature of low paying wages.

Partial Transcript: What were some of the changes you felt or experienced both over your time there and as you advanced in your career?

Segment Synopsis: Pat explains that as her career progressed, she found great satisfaction is helping other people find employment in positions that they are truly passionate about. Her role while working on the mountain was very much as mother figure to a lot of the people that were hired. She was often referred to as "mom" because of the guidance and mentorship she provided.
Her approach to working in HR differs from the normal expectation, choosing to employ compassion and charisma opposed to the expected strict policy adherence.

Partial Transcript: How did the skills that people were requesting and needing change?

Segment Synopsis: Pat explains the changes she observed over her career working in HR. She states that the biggest change she witnessed was the awareness companies developed about the rights that prospective employees have. Additionally, she mentions the progression of companies developing benefits packages to help foster attractive job positions. Some smaller companies were able to come together and purchase insurance packages as a group to receive discount pricing to provide their employees benefits. She shares about the community outreach Mt. Bachelor participated in. Specifically, services for children such as free lift tickets and school system fundraisers, but ultimately she watched these services dissipate.
The interview shifts towards Pat's transition from the mountain to the brewing industry. She shares the struggles of her initiation, much of which derived from the internal turmoil within Deschutes.

Partial Transcript: We need to get a handle on this..

Segment Synopsis: Many of the steps Pat took as she was brought on revolved around the company becoming more conservative financially. They had to develop a structure regarding annual raises, vacation leave, and insurances packages. She faced resistance initially, but she was eventually able to help layout procedural changes that increased the longterm viability of the company.
She and her counterparts at other local breweries formed a group to brainstorm about common issues they all faced, allowing them to create viable solutions that applied to each company. One of the issues she stressed from the jump was the necessity for Deschutes to place equal value on all positions, not only those they identified as directly creating revenue.
During her tenure in the brewing industry applicants have become much more skilled from an early age. They have witnessed a sharp increase in female applicants which has consequently resulted in far more women in the industry.

Partial Transcript: So I have been working with our local community college for years to come up with programs...

Segment Synopsis: Pat expresses her desire to create programs within local community colleges that are intended for more than just pushing kids into a four year university. Her aspiration is for these community colleges to provide students with skilled trades that do not require attendance at a university to make a living for themselves. The necessity of these programs stems from her hope to create a more viable local economy in Bend, as well as increase the number of applicants who are qualified from an early age.
Pat moves forward to explain how her position has developed throughout the years, most notably she no longer conducts every interview as she has in years past.

Partial Transcript: I'm curious about life enhancing benefits..

Segment Synopsis: Pat shares about some of the things they do within the company to foster a positive and healthy work environment. She mentions providing health insurance to both employees and their family members is a very telling trait of healthy company cultures. She moves forward to share about some of the extracurricular activities they organize for employees such as cycling teams and hosting taco trucks.
Pat concludes the interview by sharing her favorite aspects of working for Deschutes all these years. The most memorable thing for her has been the relationships she has created and the people she has been able to work with. She shares