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A Monthly Association Newsletter |
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Register now for OEDA’s
Spring Training which will feature Brian Corde of Mintax, the nation’s
leading consulting firm for economic development incentives. Mr. Corde
will share ideas on how local economic development professionals can best
position their communities for business development success. |
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 PRESIDENT’S
MESSAGE—from Steve Vincent
I want to take a moment to thank the many OEDA members
who have renewed their membership this year. Your support of our
organization will enable us to execute the initiatives we have set in motion
for 2006, and I want to welcome the newest economic development
directors in First, just hours before writing this message, Bob
Repine testified before the Senate Rules Committee. Second, welcome to SEDCOR’s new director Ray Burstedt.
Ray comes to us from the Idaho Department of Third, welcome to the City of The next few months will be a busy time for OEDA.
We’re scheduled for a Professional Development Forum on May 17 in the new We’re also planning our July 10 Professional Development
Forum in Congratulations to Genentech, a leader in the biotechnology industry, recently selected
Mathstar, a high-tech company, has relocated its headquarters
from RV Manufacturer Locates in Alfa Leisure
recently announced that it plans to construct a 100,000-square-foot
manufacturing plant at the More Successes? Please tell OEDA, and we will tell the whole state! Oregon’s Economy Continues to Improve Over the past three years, According to recent statistics from the Oregon Employment
Department, the number of jobs in According to the non-profit group, Tax Foundation, The Tax Foundation study ranks the 50 states on how “business friendly” their tax systems are by reviewing five components for each state: their principle business tax (usually the corporate income tax), the individual income tax, the sales or gross receipts tax, the unemployment insurance tax, and the State’s system for taxing assets (principally the property tax). Oregon Ranks 41st in Taxes per Capita A recent study by the US Census Bureau reports that Oregon ranked near the bottom of the pack in the amount of per-capita taxes its residents paid last year. Oregonians paid $1,791.25 per person in state taxes last year, placing the state at No. 41 among the 50 states. Bend Ranks #2 Among 179 Small Metros in America The annual 2005 Milken Institute study ranked America’s best large and small metropolitan areas in terms of economic performance. In the small metropolitan area rankings, Bend ranked #2 and Medford ranked #26. Corvallis, Portland, Eugene, and Salem are also referenced in the analysis. Trend: Young Business Executives Driving Economy The International Economic Development Council recently released a newsletter referencing a document produced by Oregon’s Joe Cortright titled The Young and the Restless in a Knowledge Economy. The article states that mobile, adaptable, entrepreneurial, and educated 25- to 34-year-olds are major drivers of economic success. Ranking of Research and Development Grants for Health Sciences Released A new report has been published on the level of research and development grants received by cities throughout the nation. Portland ranked #31 on the list. Old Business OEDA Recognizes Regional Partners OEDA extends a special “Hello” to our members associated with the Regional Partners. The Regional Partners are economic development organizations in Multnomah, Clackamas, and Washington Counties. Membership in the Regional Partners includes 16 cities, 3 counties, the Portland Ambassador Program, the Portland Business Alliance, major utilities, and statewide organizations such as METRO, OECDD, OHSU and others. OEDA looks forward to a strong partnership with our Regional Partners. Governor Kulongoski Advances Several Economic Initiatives Governor Kulongoski recently outlined a series of economic development efforts designed to bolster Oregon’s improving economy. Oregon Business Plan Promotes Efforts of Oregon InC and Oregon Clusters Information about economic development clusters and the new efforts of Oregon InC are outlined in a recent newsletter from the Oregon Business Plan. Oregon Bridge Delivery Partner Issue First Annual Report The Oregon Bridge Delivery Partners has issued their first Annual Report summarizing the economic impacts associated with the OTIA III program. More information can be received by contacting OEDA Ex-Officio Board Member Jim Hagar. OEDA Participates on Oregon Renewable Energy Working Group OEDA Past President Bill Fashing is serving as a
representative for economic development professionals on the Oregon Renewable
Energy Working Group. More information about the work group can be
found by contacting the Oregon Department of Energy
website. OECDD Develops New Business Response
Document The Oregon Economic and Community Development Department has produced a handsome new business development document to assist Oregon’s economic development community. Contact National Business Development Coordinator Ted Werth for either an electronic or hard copy. New Business Development Publication Available Thanks to Art Fish, Oregon now has a new handout describing business development incentives. Updated Information Available on Enterprise Zones OECDD has provided updated information on enterprise zones. Oregon Prospector: Now Free—And
Better Than Ever During the OEDA March 2006 Board Meeting, a unanimous
decision was made to offer free listings for sites and buildings on Oregon
Prospector. Thanks to the generous sponsorship of the Oregon Economic and Community
Development Department, PacifiCorp, Avista Utilities, Portland General
Electric, and Northwest Natural,
all
of the costs to administrate Oregon Prospector are covered. A special task force has been at work over the past 90
days to work with OEDA’s consultant, GIS
Planning, to make a series of upgrades to the nationally-recognized
Website. The improvements are complete, and include:
Oregon Prospector a Finalist for a
National Award OEDA, along with its partners, the Oregon Economic and
Community Development Department and GIS Planning, nominated Oregon
Prospector for a CoreNet Global Economic Development
Leadership Award. Oregon
Prospector, a valuable tool for economic developers and site
selection consultants, was originally established through the excellent work
of Tim McCabe at PacifiCorp. Oregon Prospector is a national leader in providing
sites and demographic information for business development purposes.
The nomination
form provides background information on Oregon Prospector, and why it is
competing for national recognition. Tim McCabe and National Business Development Officer
Jill Miles presented the Oregon Prospector nomination March 21 at Princeton
University. A decision will be announced at the annual CoreNet event
April 24 in Philadelphia. 2006 Training Calendar Set OEDA has identified all of the locations and dates for the 2006 Economic Development Training Series. In addition to the Spring Training on May 17, the Summer Training will be held at the Bend River House on Monday, July 10. The focus of the Summer Training will be on workforce development, and the importance of a competitive workforce for local communities. OEDA’s Annual Conference will be held once again at the Eugene Hilton on September 10-12. Mark your calendars! WEDA Spring Conference Open to Oregonians Brian Corde, executive director of Mintax, a site selector specializing in business development incentives, will also be the speaker at the Washington Economic Development Association’s Spring Training. The event will be held May 17-18 at the Sheraton Hotel in Tacoma. More information is available by contacting WEDA. Rural Oregon Institute offers conference The Rural Oregon Institute, headquartered at Eastern Oregon University, is hosting a conference May 31-June 2 at the Wild Horse Casino and Resort in Pendleton. The event will showcase information on entrepreneurial survival, industry clusters, community-based enterprise development, Open Source software, entrepreneurial development systems, and other topics. RDI offers Regards to Rural IV Rural Development Initiatives will once again hold its annual conference, Regards to Rural. This year’s event will be held at Kah-nee-tah High Desert Resort on July 14-15. Make your plans now to schedule a great week in Central Oregon with OEDA’s summer training on Monday, July 10 and the RDI event at the end of the week. OEDA Executive Director Brian Cole has already made his week-long reservations at Sunriver! Oregon Grown Innovation Conference April 20 at Oregon Convention Center Katie Coba, Director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture, will be joined by agriculture industry experts to showcase Oregon’s improving agriculture and national resource economy at the Oregon InnoTech Conference. Rural Oregon Policy Forum May 15-16 in Pendleton The Rural Oregon Policy Forum will be held at the Pendleton Red Lion Hotel on May 15-16. The event is designed to provide rural advocacy training, create a focus for rural policy strategies, develop four rural policy concepts for the 2007 Legislative Assembly, and facilitate stakeholder input from the Governor’s Office of Rural Policy. For information, contact the Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC) Rural Oregon Institute Hosts Conference May 31-June 2 in Pendleton The Rural Oregon Institute, headquartered at Eastern Oregon University, is hosting a conference May 31-June 2 at the Wild Horse Casino and Resort in Pendleton. The event will showcase information on entrepreneurial survival, industry clusters, community-based enterprise development, Open Source software, entrepreneurial development systems, and other topics. PNEDC Plans Annual Conference in Canada Many of OEDA’s members are also members
of the Pacific Northwest Economic Development Council (PNEDC). The Annual
PNEDC Conference will be held in July in Lethridge, Alberta, Canada.
For more information, and how to register, visit PNEDC. News from the Governor’s Office Once again, the Governor’s Office of Education and
Workforce Policy updates all of us on workforce development happenings in
Oregon. See the attached Governor’s Notes (February| March). Workforce
development, and the perspective of site selection consultants, will be the
focus of OEDA’s Summer Training in Bend on July 10. Oregon Manufacturing Workforce
Strategy Project Moving Forward Oregon’s Manufacturing and Workforce Strategy Project is
being advanced, and information related to a Request
For Proposals was recently released. RV Consortium Benefits From Workforce
Strategy The Eugene
Register Guard recently reported on how the RV Consortium has benefited
from workforce development resources. The City of Gresham is seeking an Economic Development Recruitment Specialist to join their economic development team to market new development projects and programs for the City. |
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