Specialty Polymers, Inc., a family-owned company based in Woodburn, OR, was honored with an Excellence in Family Business Award in a ceremony held at the Oregon Zoo in Portland on November 18. Specialty Polymers manufactures more that 250 different water-based polymers, which serve as the major ingredient for house paints, wooden deck coatings, inks used on paper sacks, roof coatings, cement coatings and wood glues. The recognition comes from the Austin Family Business Awards, presented by the Austin Family Business Program, a unit of Oregon State University's College of Business. The Austin Family Business Program provides service and support to family-owned businesses in Oregon through workshops, training seminars and OSU's family-business management course. A family business is broadly defined as having multiple family members or generations involved in the strategic direction, management, and/or work of the company with the intention of the business to remain in the family. Fully 90% of Oregon's businesses are family owned, and these firms contribute more than $24 billion in annual payroll to Oregon's economy.