Unlicensed Prineville contractor investigated and fined by Oregon CCB

Prineville, Ore. – The owners of a Prineville company have been fined by the Oregon Construction & Contractors Board for “Advertising or bidding without a CCB license” according to records obtained by the Prineville Review.

Robert & Stefanie Landis of Prineville, who operated under the assumed business name Friday the 13th, were reportedly advertising as well as providing services without the required licensing that ensures they maintain the required bond and insurance requirements. The couple was also issued a $600 fine as part of the enforcement action.

Additionally, the Landis’ also misrepresented their business a Limited Liability Company. The Oregon Secretary of State Corporation Division confirmed the business was not an LLC but instead an “assumed business name” or ABN, simply meaning it is an alias registered for the Landis’, essentially a sole proprietorship.

The company had been frequently advertising its unlicensed services on various community Facebook pages tied to Prineville and Crook County. A July 16th Facebook post by the company also admitted to conducting unlicensed irrigation work.

A June 12th Facebook post from the company also stated: “Don’t forget with summer heat to change your air filters on your system! Don’t get scammed with all the false posts.”

Another business had been registered by Stefanie Landis called ‘Calleighs Got the Scoop, LLC’ in late August. State records also state that the business is a licensed professional services company under ORS 58.015(5), which includes professional services in the accounting, medical, dental, legal, architectural, and landscape fields; all of which require special licensing in Oregon.

The company did not respond to calls from the Prineville Review in recent weeks seeking comment. We are also awaiting further information from the Oregon CCB to see what if any response by the Landis’ were made during the investigation by CCB officials, or if the investigation is still ongoing. The business also appeared to have not posted on its business page since September 3rd. It is unclear when the company became aware of the CCB’s investigation.

According to social media posts, the Landis’ business has been operating illegally since at least April of 2023. Not all of the company’s services would have required a CCB license, including gutter cleaning services which was one of the services advertised by the company, but many other services do according to the CCB.

“We offer a wide variety of servies [sic] including but not limited to: Fence and Deck installations, Painting, Window Cleaning, Closet Organization Systems, Dump Runs, Yard Debris Removal, Landscaping, Rental Clean Outs and Repairs, Pressure Washing just to name a few!” stated a one of the Facebook advertisements.

The company also claimed to also serve the greater Portland Metro as well as Central Oregon.

Oregon CCB spokesperson Leslie Culpepper confirmed to the Prineville Review that no record had previously existed for the company with the agency. The company is now listed in the CCB license system, but the record indicates “Never Been Licensed – CCB ID Only” under # 253596.

Culpeper provided several recommendations to consumers to ensure they are working with licensed contractors.

“Names are not an accurate way to determine whether an entity is licensed, so the best way to find out if an entity is licensed is to ask for the number and confirm the license through CCB’s license lookup feature,” said Culpepper.

“The CCB’s message to consumers is to only hire individuals that appear in our database with an active CCB license.”

Culpepper also explained that the benefits of hiring a contractor with an active CCB license include:

• Licensed contractors must take a test to get their license, and continuing education to maintain their license;
• CCB provides access to mediations for homeowners and licensed contractors in dispute;
• CCB displays up to 10 years of history on CCB licenses on its website; and
• Licensed contractors have a bond and insurance, and are required to carry workers comp if they have employees.

Consumers can check if a business has a license by going to the CCB’s website at www.oregon.gov/ccb and click the orange button that says “check licenses” link.

“Field investigators perform random jobsite checks looking for unlicensed contractor activity. When field investigators come upon licensees during jobsite checks, they will confirm compliance in a variety of ways. They will check to be sure the contractor has an active license, that they have worker’s comp (if required), that they have a lead-based paint license (if required), and so on,” explained Culpepper.

“The enforcement group at CCB also proactively checks contractor activity (advertisements) online. CCB looks for compliance with both unlicensed and licensed contractors.”

This is a developing story that we will update as we learn more from the CCB or the business.