Business at a glance

Recently returned from Washington D.C., where she met with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Venus Motors' CEO, Kay Hill, said the company is on its way to securing financing that will allow the company to establish an assembly and manufacturing facility in Central Oregon by retooling existing facilities.

Venus Motors has established its headquarters in Sisters and is considering potential sites in Central Oregon for building high-speed electric vehicles and laser-technology-based products.

Loans through the Department of Energy could facilitate a quicker ramp-up of prospective assembly and sales of vehicles, Hill told The Nugget.

"We're not looking for government handouts," Hill said. "We're seeking financing that will allow us to grow and flourish on our own merits with self-sustaining jobs. Our meetings in Washington D.C., including the session with Senator Reid, went very well and I am very optimistic that we'll complete our funding soon."

Hill said letters of support from the Sisters Business Attraction and Retention Team, the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce and the City of Sisters are important to help in securing loans.

For information about Venus Motors contact Katie Cavanaugh at 548-7284.

•Jennifer and TR McCrystal of Jen's Garden are partnering with the Restaurant at FivePine LLC to open a Northwest bistro dining experience.

Less formal than Jen's Garden, yet with the same quality and creativity, the new site will offer a selection of fresh, healthy, flavorful Northwest fare focusing on organic, locally sourced ingredients when possible.

The new site will offer a locals gathering lounge, provide an upscale, casual dining environment and showcase the talents and creativity of the Jen's Garden kitchen staff.

The process will begin after the first of the year, with finishing touches completed in the spring.

•Slick's Que Co. reminds its customers that the restaurant will be closed for winter break, sun, and on-going barbecue research, the months of January and February.

• The City of Sisters will apply for a $100,000 Community Development Block Grant to act as sponsoring agency for a microenterprise facilitator position. The position will expand the reach of the federally funded Wy'East Resource Conservation and Development District, which serves rural economic development needs, focused on small businesses owned by low- to moderate-income people.

• The Sisters City Council passed the ordinance annexing McKenzie Meadows last Thursday.

• High Desert Gallery at the Oxford reminds everyone that the First Annual Holiday Card Charity Auction is in full swing. 

A few weeks ago, Sisters artists Paul Alan Bennett, Kathy Deggendorfer, and Glen Corbet volunteered to create small-format, holiday-themed pieces of original artwork to benefit the local charity of their choice. High Desert Frameworks! framed 29 unique holiday cards and High Desert Gallery is showcasing this beneficial exhibit in their Oxford Hotel Gallery Space, located at 10 N.W. Minnesota Ave. in downtown Bend.

•Rainbow Connection will remain closed through this week due to damage from broken pipes. The owners hope to be open before Christmas. For more information call 549-7201.