In this episode of Common Roots, we chat with Emily and Michael Chase, co-owners of Chase’s Market in Ontario, OR. As wellness-focused family-owned store founded in 1957, Chase’s Market has long been a staple for Ontario and its neighboring communities. Michael Chase is now a third-generation owner, having taken up the mantle within the last couple of decades.
“As a child, my mother would take me with her when she visited our locations,” he says “I sort of grew up in the stores. I got to know the employees and over time I developed an interest in nutrition, particularly nutrition science.” Michael also witnessed his family’s stores fall into financial hardship as his father struggled personally.
“As we all know, generational family businesses have a high failure rate, and we were really no exception,” he says, “not wanting to see our company fail, I came back and began the process of resurrecting our market.”
Chase's Market Exterior
Michael says that it was his grandfather’s initial process of gold-star customer service that started to draw people back in, one customer at a time. “I think this is really what makes us unique, and Emily and I continue that tradition,” he says. Although he notes that new developments in the grocery retail landscape, such as loyalty programs and advances in technology, have improved the degree that Chase’s Market is able to serve and educate their customers.
Another differentiator for Chase’s Market is their dedicated group of nutrition and health staff, including a credentialed nutritionist, health coach, and doula. Michael himself holds an MS in Human Nutrition and a Nutrition Therapy Practitioner (NTP) credential. “Instead of giving customers a cursory knowledge of something, we can take a deeper dive because of our education and training,” he says.
Both Michael and Emily agree that one of the favorite parts of running their business is being able to serve customers throughout their health journey and help them lead better lives. “Don’t get me wrong, 5-star reviews are amazing,” Michael says, “but when I see customer come into the market and they say to me ‘this helped me so much, thank you’ it just makes my whole day.”
Emily & Michael Chase
Michael and Emily identify their working relationship with INFRA as being another strength for their business. Chase’s Market became an INFRA Member in 2014, and in 2024, Emily joined the INFRA Board of Directors to have a say in the greater direction of the association.
“The board has always been something that interested me and so last year, when the board communicated what they were looking for I felt like I checked a lot of those boxes,” she says “I have loved the experience so far. I think one of my favorite things about being on the board is seeing how each board member responds to situations. They’re so thoughtful, and I appreciate that.”
Listen to the full episode here.
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