Vancouver building supply center offers workers Bitcoin bonuses

Bryan Yinger, chief executive at Shur-Way Building Center in Vancouver, is thinking outside the U.S. Treasury to incentivize his employees. He’s giving them Bitcoin.

Yinger’s parents started Shur-Way, opening the first location in Portland in 1983, across the street from the sawmill they already owned with Yinger’s grandfather. The Vancouver location, at 7124 N.E. St. Johns Road, opened around 1999.

The family business has grown over the years. But the pandemic proved to be a challenge for the building supply center. At first the business was closed. Then it opened but employees were nervous about working.

Yet, business was booming, fueled by people staying home and working on their home improvement projects. Shur-Way had lines out the door to the road.

That period was the beginning of struggles for the business. Then came inflation, squeezing employees’ paychecks.