Beerchaser Notables – An Excellent Public Servant and Three Outstanding Entrepreneurs – Part I

Posted on June 23, 2026 by Thebeerchaser

Welcome back to Thebeerchaser. This is a long post. If you are seeing this post through an e-mail, please visit the blog by clicking on the title at the top to see all of the photos and so the narrative is not clipped or shortened.

Followers of Thebeerchaser.com know that periodically, I depart from my joyful journey of expounding on the ambiance, history and staff involved with bars and breweries. I caption these side trips “Beerchasing Notables.”

They are individuals or groups, who may or may not have anything to do with bars or beers (one of them in these two posts is a great young man who isn’t even old enough to legally raise a mug…). But they have interesting stories worth sharing.

Past recipients of this “honor” – most of whom I’ve known – have included, war heroes, authors, athletes, academicians – even my graduate school professor of Public Finance (Dr. John Walker) and the crew of the USS Constitution to name just a few.

To get the entire list, hit the tab “Beerchaser Notable” in the header for some examples. (# (External photo attribution at the end of the post – #1)

Four All-Stars

So stay tuned for narratives and photos of Oddis Rollins, West Linn Chief of Police; Scott Andersson, founder and owner of Ace Computer Repair LLC in West Linn; Elliot Schwartz, a new graduate of Lakeridge High School, owner and founder of PaneCrime Window Cleaning; and Don Fuchs, lawyer and CEO of Harris Thermal Transfer Products.

Police Chief Oddis Rollins

In the title of this post, I used the term, “public servant.” Some may conclude that the description is demeaning or negative; however, I would strongly counter that assertion. (#2)

To me, it implies a person who is “dedicated, committed and essential to community wellbeing, emphasizing their role in delivering services, maintaining systems, and acting in the public good.” www.publicservants.com.

I might be biased because my wife, Janet and I, met in 1979, while both working in local government and went on to earn graduate degrees in Public Administration. Our combined service in governmental organizations was just over twenty years. (You can tell from the newspaper photos below that this was a long time ago….)

In fact, Janet served for several years as the Assistant City Manager in West Linn. We ended our careers in non-profit education administration and legal management respectively. We valued our time and greatly respected our colleagues in the public realm. (#3 – #4)

I first had contact with Captain Oddis Rollins before he was Chief, when I worked for several years trying to get a signaled crosswalk in what was a very hazardous West Linn intersection near our home – obviously not a high priority for an Assistant Chief.

He did a wonderful job keeping me informed and helping to push it through the City bureaucracy as well as promoting enforcement of speed limits and the plans for a new motorcycle traffic officer who would include that area in his patrols. I’m convinced that the end result, shown below, saved some lives.

The Police Department has a good record of community outreach with programs such as “Coffee with the Chief” and Patrol Ride-alongs.

In 2022, I had a forty-minute chat with Rollins’ predecessor, Chief Peter Mahuna in his office over coffee. Since I both enjoyed and learned lot from my coffee with Chief Mahuna, I repeated the experience with the new Chief earlier this year. (#5)

“Join us for Coffee with the Chief – a relaxed, come-as-you-are chance to connect over a cup of coffee.

Whether you’re curious about community outreach, crime trends, neighborhood concerns, or just want to chat about sports or whatever’s on your mind, the Chief is happy to talk. No agenda, no speeches – just good conversation, good coffee, and a chance to get to know each other.”

It was no surprise that Oddis Rollins, after serving as Interim Chief, was promoted after an extensive recruitment for the Police Chief position in February 2026.

He had served ten years as a police officer and detective with the Tigard Police Department, sergeant at West (WLPD) since January 2015 and WLPD captain since August 2018.

Both guys were athletes in college – Mahuna at Pacific University and Rollins at Gonzaga and as you can tell from the pictures above, both have impressive physical bearings which are matched by their personalities and command presence.

Oddis Rollins told me that he originally was a pre-med major but in an Emergency Room internship, a guy came in with a compound fracture. “I looked at the bone sticking through the skin and took a header!”

He graduated in Exercise Science, but then was not enamored with physical therapy as a profession, so six years later began his law enforcement career. (#6)

Rollins appointed as Chief

West Linn is a dynamic suburban community of 28,000 residents twelve miles south of Portland. Serving as Police Chief is a challenge as one has multiple and demanding constituencies ranging from the citizens, the City Manager, to the City Council and the Police Department personnel – often with competing priorities.

I was extremely impressed with the Chief’s philosophy and what I have seen in social and print media. For example, each week he does a video entitled “One Minute with the Chief.” They are varied and well done as you can see from the following example which I think is outstanding: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1294436402900614

I think Oddis Rollins will have a very successful tenure in position and my community is fortunate to have him. (#7 – #11)

Ace in the “Whole...”

How many times have you called a large corporation such as an airline to make a reservation or clarify an issue. Or maybe it’s just to have a simple question answered which their AI chat feature doesn’t get right.

The last time I called Alaska Airlines to check on how to use a companion fare, the cheerful automated persona (who would not make a good companion for anyone…) cheerfully stated, “Our attendants are all currently busy. Your waiting time is thee hours and seventeen minutes.”

Of course, they always give you the option to hang-up, and they’ll put you in a return-call queue. But I’ve found the probability of that happening is only slightly better than me being able to read every chapter in War and Peace during the wait-time. (#12)

Last year, I had a problem with my Windows desktop, so I accessed the Microsoft chat feature. The conversation began: “You are chatting with Ibrahim Abdulla. Your case number is 102,577,875,296 – 04/16/2025 2:26 PM.”

Shortly after I ended the chat, I realized that I forgot to ask Ibrahim one question, so I initiated another dialogue – this time the response – only five minutes later was, “You are chatting with Juliana Elizabeth. Your case number is 102,577,877,834 – 04/16/2025 2:31 PM.”

It made me wonder how many techies were handling these calls and where they were located, since in that five-minute span “they” collectively handled over 2,500 additional inquiries. For the most part, I solved my problem, but since then I decided to get smarter.

The solution was only three miles from my house. That would be Scott Andersson and his son, Sean, at Ace Computer Repair LLC!

From my several long conversations with him in his shop and a house call where he “saved my bacon” on a printer/scanner problem for which no one else seemed to have the solution, I’ve concluded that Scott is an entrepreneurial genius who eschewed the corporate route.

Since founding his shop in 1980 (the oldest computer shop in West Linn) he, along with his son, Sean, have built their shop’s reputation as one of the best technical problems solvers in Oregon – with no advertising – just referrals. “My customers work for me and hand out about 1,000 business cards per year.”

A California native, he went to Troy High School, where he played tight-end on the football team and took classes at Cal State-Fullerton before graduating and moving to Oregon in 1976.

Rather than go the traditional college route, he started taking classes at Portland Community College and transferred to the Engineering program at Portland State. This was after he got distracted by a “beautiful lady named Sally” to whom he’s now been married for forty-six years. (Sally had a successful heart transplant thirty-two months ago at Oregon Health Sciences Center.)

I’ve been amazed at the clients who drop in when I’ve visited him. They range from old guys like me who are marginally conversant with technology and have laptop or desktop issues, to young computer jocks or small businesspeople who have esoteric software or network challenges.

Scott handles everything (virus removal, hardware repair, network design, hard disc replacement, etc.) except cell phones and video games although he does do a lot of flight simulator work. And don’t forget global ham radio which is a story in itself.

The picture was snapped when he made a house call to fix my printer/scanner and I persuaded him to have a Benedictine Black Habit (check out his right hand) so I could interview him for the blog. (That was only part of his tip because his charge was so reasonable.)

About 40% of his clients are remote, so if you are in Keokuk, Iowa or Santa Fe, he can help you. Alternatively, people like me who are within about ten miles can get Support on Site (SOS), and Scott says he was the first in Oregon to offer SOS at a flat fee.

Another factor which sold me on Ace is Scott’s commitment to recycling. Not only have I taken old computer hardware there, but other things which I don’t want to end in the landfill. He works with a non-profit to repurpose these items.

Being from a Navy family, Scott has a heart for veterans (“I take care of my veterans…”) and I’ve seen a number who are not only there to get a laptop fixed, but to just share a story. And Scott is very good at that.

In Closing

My crosstown high school rival – West Linn – is a great community as evidenced by the Beerchaser Notables you’ve met in this post – Chief Oddis Rollins and Scott Anderson. Stay tuned for Part II where you will meet two additional entrepreneurs who have great stories.

External Photo Attribution

#1. Public domain – Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blue_flag_with_white_star_in_centre_1x2.png) This logo image consists only of simple geometric shapes or text. It does not meet the threshold of originality needed for copyright protection, and is therefore in the public domain. Author: CentreLeftRight – 30 January 2020.

#2. City of West Linn Website (City of West Linn Appoints Oddis Rollins as Chief of Police | City of West Linn Oregon Official Website).

#3 – #4. The Enterprise Courier photo archives.

#5. Wikimedia Commons (File: Coffee cup and saucer.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Author: Navaneeth Krishnan S – 31 July2023.

#6 – #11 West Linn Police Department Facebook Photos (https://www.facebook.com/WestLinnPD).

#12. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:Clock-pendulum.gif – Wikimedia Commons) I, the copyright holder of this work, release this work into the public domain. This applies worldwide. Author: ЮК 26 February 2009.

Thanksgiving Thoughts

Posted on November 28, 2024 by Thebeerchaser

Welcome back to Thebeerchaser. If you are seeing this post through an e-mail, please visit the blog by clicking on the title above to see all of the photos and so the narrative is not clipped or shortened. (External photo attribution at the end of the post #1)

What a year it’s been, and the post below is an amalgamation of a bunch of random thoughts and clips I’ve collected. Although a time of upheaval, we have much about which to be thankful.

As the photo (above right) suggests, why not raise a mug of my favorite Benedictine Brewery beer – Hairshirt IPA. Perhaps it can also help allay your guilt while you enjoy a great beer.

Here’s to Our First Responders and Health Care Professionals

I’m extremely thankful for both first responders and health care professionals – not only at this time of year, but every day. I admit a bias, because both of our daughters are registered nurses (Lisa – radiation/oncology clinic and Laura – hospital pediatric emergency department) and I am proud and amazed at their dedication and expertise.

I could go on, but these two photos (both from the archives) express it more aptly:

Oregon Health Sciences University is a large organization and gets a lot of bad press, but the patient care we have gotten there from every provider and all staff has been outstanding.

Dr. Laura Byerley, our primary care physician in the Department of Internal Medicine, who is also an assistant professor at the Medical School is the most notable example. She is an outstanding doctor and we are grateful for her. (#2 – #4)

The City of West Linn is a suburb twelve miles south of Portland, where we’ve made our home for the last forty-two years. With a population of 28,000, it’s an ideal place to reside.

The City Government is effective and services including the Police Department are excellent. It’s across the Willamette River from historic Oregon City, where I lived from the time I moved to Oregon in 1959 and graduated from high school. (#5 – #7)

I met Janet, my wife of forty-four years, at an Oregon City Planning Commission meeting in 1979 and she subsequently became the Assistant City Manager of West Linn, before working in the private sector.

I’d been impressed with the West Linn Police Department and after we both retired, I decided to try to support them and find out a little bit more. So in 2022, I took advantage of the program entitled “Meet the Chief” and had a wonderful chat with him over coffee.

Chief Peter Mahuna is a native of Maui and a former college athlete (basketball) at Pacific University where he graduated with a BS in Social Work. He has extensive law enforcement credentials and has been Chief since November 2021. (#8 – #9)

wlpd_photo_102024

I’d always wanted to schedule a “Ride-along” with a police officer and based on the positive experience with the Chief signed up in the winter of 2023:

“(The goal is to) provide an opportunity for the community to see first-hand, the day-to-day workings of law enforcement, including familiarizing the public with the complex and unpredictable nature of police work.”

I rode along with Officer Matthew Goode on a Wednesday evening from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. He introduced himself and gave me a tour of the Police Station which is a nice facility. During that period, we only encountered traffic violations, but I had a chance to have a great conversation.

Officer Goode earned a BS in Finance and then graduated from the Oregon Police Academy before becoming a WLPD officer in 2019. Chief Mahuna is a big man, but Matthew is significantly taller as you can see from the photos.

He’s a fine representative of the Police Dept. and loves his job although he was candid about the frustrations and challenges in serving, given perceptions of the police by many citizens.

For example, our last stop occurred after we followed a car for about a mile that was weaving and crossing the yellow line in a sparsely populated area of the City. It certainly appeared as if the driver was intoxicated.

When he could safely pull the car over, it was in the driveway of the owner. Rather than being intoxicated, the young woman, aged 16, had just obtained her driver’s license and had not driven at night previously.

Mathew cautioned her and didn’t issue a citation, but the girl’s young neighbor came out of her house and chastised him for making the stop in the driveway with his red-lights flashing – go figure!

He also told me that for every encounter or call, they have to enter in the car’s computer, the gender, race and age of the person stopped which goes to the State of Oregon. Each department’s statistics are analyzed to determine if there is a preponderance of race from the people stopped.

I was impressed with Officer Goode and it did not surprise me last week to see that he and a fellow West Linn officer received lifesaving awards for separate incidents. Goode, in response to a call on Sept. 11 helped save the life of an unconscious 2-year-old who had stopped breathing. Chief Mahuna stated:

“You immediately began administering CPR, checked the child’s pulse and began chest compressions. TVF&R arrived and you continued chest compressions working alongside TVF&R in your attempt at saving this child’s life.

After many minutes the child began breathing again. The child was then rushed to the hospital and the following day the child’s vital signs had finally been stabilized.” (#10)

Officers receive award

Life in West Linn

West Linn is an upscale community and has a lower crime rate than many cities. Recent statistics from one data source based on 11/23 figures show:

There were 310 total crimes committed in West Linn the last reporting year.
On a rate basis, there were 1,154.9 total crimes per 100K people in West Linn.
The overall crime rate in West Linn is -50.31% below the national average.
West Linn ranks #11 safest out of 103 cities in Oregon.
West Linn ranks #4,253 safest out of 9,869 cities in the United States.

I assume that one frustration for officers is the volume of mundane and frivolous calls to which they have to respond. The West Linn Tidings reports these each week and I’ve been saving some of the best which are somewhat humorous.

That said, I’m well aware that a police officer never knows when a routine call might be hazardous or involve saving a life. As unbelievable as it sounds, none of these are made up. Heres’ some from the last several years.

10/13/ – 4:55 pm – A woman said a man was sitting outside a church and followed her, so she had to run inside and lock the door. Police contacted the man who was a volunteer at the church and had arrived a bit early for an event that evening. (#11)

Bank security issues?

6/13/ – 4:22 pm – A caller expressed concern about a bank on Hood Street closing early.

4/10 – 9:54 am – An employee of a bank on Salamo Road called police because of suspicious circumstances. An occupied vehicle had been in the parking lot outside the bank for a half-hour and another vehicle showed up fifteen minutes later. An officer contacted the vehicles’ occupants who were just waiting for the bank to open. (#12 – #13)

Musical Instruments

7/11/ – 5:44 pm – Police received a complaint about people playing bagpipes on Willamette Drive.

8/4 – 2:41 pm – A woman complained about a husband and wife playing the accordion on Hood Street.

Children and Young People (#14 – #16)

7/25 – 2:04 pm – A missing child was found in a garage. Apparently he hid there after he was scared by a shadow in the backyard.

3/15 – 12:09 am – Girls buying two cases of toilet paper at Walmart claimed it was for a “school project.”

8/7 – 8:12 pm – A caller said a staff member at an undisclosed location grabbed a child’s tongue and yanked it.

1/28 – 11:48 am – Police received a call about a sixteen year-old who was expressing sexual frustration about his mother during therapy.

But the most bizarre incident has to be demonstrated with the headline from the West Linn Tidings and the news clip.

And just so you don’t think my former residence and crosstown high school rival isn’t squeaky clean, I leave you with this one from the City of Oregon City Police Log:

6/18 – An unconfirmed report of marijuana plants growing in the Senior Citizens’ Gardens remains a mystery. (#17)

The above incidents were culled from hundreds contained in the clippings I’ve saved and I have many more which I may post in the future. My wife will at least be thankful that I’m finally recycling these!

Happy Thanksgiving!

External Photo Attribution

#1. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:2010.08.22.150922 Umzug Bierfass Kirwa Sulzbach-Rosenberg.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) I, the copyright holder of this work, release this work into the public domain. This applies worldwide. Author: Hermann Luyken – 22 August 2010.

#2. OHSU Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=651984720287167&set=a.352160336936275).

#3. OHSU Website (Laura K. Byerly MD | Health care provider | OHSU).

#4. Wikimedia Commons (File:Oregon Heath and Science University, Marquam Hill, Portland – DPLA – 6e01f529e825c50a836d4955c257acca.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) This file was contributed to Wikimedia Commons by Oregon State Archives as part of a cooperation project. Source: Gary Halvorson, Oregon State Archives – 31 October 2019.

#5. Wikimedia Commons (File:Willamette Falls, Willamette River, Oregon City and West Linn – DPLA – 0649218212d8dc8ee462ef1911a3b29c.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Source: Gary Halvorson, Oregon State Archives – 15 March 2021.

#6. Wikipedia (File:WL flag.jpg –

#7. Wikimedia Commons (File:Oregon City Bridge, Arch Bridge, Willamette River, Oregon City, West Linn – DPLA – b22b1b5705bedfad1bdb35b488a24655.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Source: Gary Halvorson, Oregon State Archives – 20 March 2019.

#8. City of West Linn Website (Police Home | City of West Linn Oregon Official Website).

#9 – #10. City of West Linn Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/@WestLinnPD/).

#11. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:Chase Bank branch in Palatine, IL.jpg – Wikimedia Commons). Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. Mysterymanblue / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain.

#12. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:Gaita seivane brocada.JPG – Wikimedia Commons) I, the copyright holder of this work, release this work into the public domain. This applies worldwide. Author: Susana Seivane.

#13. Wikimedia Commons (File:Scandalli Extreme Diva 1.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Author:
Zygmusc – 3 December 2022.

#14. Wikimedia Commons (File:Shadow 2 – panoramio.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license. Author: marco mini – 15 April 2007.

#15. Wikimedia Commons (File:Toiletpapier (Gobran111).jpg – Wikimedia Commons) L licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Generic license. Author: Brandon Blinkenberg – 9 September 2004.

#16. Wikimedia Commons (File:زبان tongue.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Author: Mahdiabbasinv – 12 March 2016.

#17. Wikimedia Commons (File:Cannabis sativa (marijuana plants) (Manhattan, Kansas, USA) 14 (48971448801).jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. Author: James St. John – 18 July 2015.