Owner of Beyond Fleece rakes in business, accolades.

Byline: Joe Harwood The Register-Guard

It's been a good week for Eugene-based Beyond Fleece and the company's owner, Scott Jones.

Outside magazine hit newsstands on Monday with its 2003 Buyer's Guide, which featured a Beyond Fleece vest among its best-products list. That led a Utah garment broker to make a $6,000 order for the company's made-to-fit technical outdoor clothing.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Small Business Administration named Jones its 2002 Young Entrepreneur of the Year. The award marks the first time an Oregonian has won a national SBA award since 1982.

"It's a wonderful acknowledgement," said Jones, 27.

"I don't really consider myself a businessman, but I do consider myself an entrepreneur," he said. "And I really love what I do."

Beyond Fleece makes custom-fit jackets, vests and pants out of lightweight synthetic materials such as fleece. The bulk of the company's sales are made directly to customers via the beyondfleece.com Web site, where buyers punch in their measurements and receive their garment about 10 days later.

Jones launched the business in 1996 while still a college student at the University of Oregon. After a series of favorable product reviews from outdoor-oriented magazines, business started picking up. In 2001, Beyond Fleece sales grew 200 percent. Last year, the company's sales jumped 500 percent. To handle the growth, buy equipment and upgrade his Website, Jones took out two SBA-guaranteed loans from Eugene-based Pacific Continental Bank. Headquartered in a 2,500-square-foot leased warehouse in west Eugene, Beyond Fleece now employs 13 workers and is projecting sales of $450,000 this year, Jones said.

Damon Rose, a Pacific Continental vice president and commercial loan officer, nominated Jones for the award.

"He fit what the award is all about because he's so focused," Rose said. "He's young, energetic, innovative and his company has a lot of upward potential."

To make it to the top, the nomination had to pass muster with panels of judges at the state, regional and national levels, said Conrad Lee, regional administrator for the SBA. The panels are made up of small-business owners, bankers and attorneys who examine profit and loss statements and balance sheets.

In evaluating the various nominations, judges look at sales and profits, employment opportunities created by the business, innovative business methods and potential for long-term success.

Jones has been invited to attend the formal awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., in September.

CAPTION(S):

Scott Jones (left) shows his company's Web site, where customers can order made-to-fit technical outdoor clothing and receive their garment about 10 days later from the Eugene business. E n t r e p r e n e u r a w a r d