Rob Butler worked in the bread business at Oroweat for 27 years and decided he needed to get out of the corporate environment. Butler grew up in Redmond and attended Central Oregon Community College for two years. His dad, a business broker in Bend, told him Bend Mapping and Blueprint was for sale, and Butler decided to move back to Bend from Eugene. He bought the business, which provides blueprinting, large Xerox and aerial photography services, in February.

How did you end up owning a mapping and blueprinting business after being in the bread business?

It’s still a business. I was managing a bread business for 27 years and wanted something that was established, a good company and a good reputation. This business happened to be on the market.

Did you know much about maps and blueprinting when you started?

I didn’t know much. I’m new to the business.

Who are your clients?

We have … architects, builders, contractors and the everyday homeowner. We’re a retail store, and we provide information to the city and the county. We also do quite a bit with ODOT (Oregon Department of Transportation.)

What lessons did you learn from the bread business that you bring to this new one?

I have this motto that I live by. ‘Do work that is worthy of recognition. Don’t do work just to be recognized.’ I figure if you have a good product, word of mouth will help sell it and that’s how you build your reputation.

What are some of the challenges you’ve faced during your first two months?

Two. Parking. (And) several companies recently moved into the area providing large-format color scanning and plotting and blueprint services.

What kind of plans do you have for expanding your business?

We’re looking into possibly opening another store in Redmond. We hope by the end of summer, so somewhere between four and six months. Redmond is one of the fastest-growing cities. We want to be in the heart of it with the customers in town and offer the same services as we do here (in Bend).

What advice would you give someone interested in running a completely different business than they’ve had before or who’s just interested in just starting out?

Research what you do. If you were successful before, make sure you maintain the same type of quality, philosophy and dedication.