This past year has been one of milestones, accomplishments and disappointments. The disappointments largely come from elected officials who can’t get anything done and spending out of control. Did Congress accomplish anything that had a positive impact on your business? Did the State of Oregon lower your taxes, create new jobs, solve the OLCC, PERS or deficit problems? Of course not, but in the scope of our world in Central Oregon there were a lot of positive highlights and here’s a few worth remembering:
A Generous Community: The Oregon Community Foundation distributed more than $890,000 in grants to Central Oregon nonprofit organizations during its recent grant cycle including $40,000 for video conferencing equipment at the Crook County Open Campus. In its last fundraising cycle United Way raised over $1.3 million assisting twenty-six local social service agencies. Central Oregonians continue to support local charities. And a really big applause goes to former Bend Mayor Allan Bruckner, president of Cayuga Properties, who committed $800,000 to OSU-Cascades to help the campus secure a new building on Columbia Street that will house graduate programs.
Accomplished Under 40 Awards: In today’s extremely competitive business environment, standing out among your peers takes dedication, vision, talent, drive and the ability to bring forth not only the best in yourself, but in others as well. These are the building blocks of leadership, and to be recognized with this award illustrates that they possess these qualities in abundance. Cascade Business News has been recognizing young business leaders in our communities since 2006 and we’re impressed that each year that group of people continues to prosper.
Redmond’s Ice Rink: The good people of Redmond had a vision of families and friends ice-skating in the middle of the town’s square. Convinced it was a community building project, they made it happen and the rink opened this month.
Real Estate Market: Some believe that Bend’s real estate market has turned the corner….from the national perspective Bend is now #1 out of 302 markets in the U.S. for recovery projections. This is good news especially for those realtors who have barely kept their heads above water during the huge drop in our local economy.
Business Insider said: Home prices in Bend are 45.2 percent off their peak in Q1 2007, which could make it good time to invest. Bend’s median family income is close to the national average of $61,600. We have no where to go but up.
Redmond in the midst of revitalizing: The creation of a Downtown Urban Renewal District and plan has paid big dividends for Redmond and provided impressive strides towards making their downtown district a vibrant, economically strong and accessible destination. The list of successfully complete projects is extensive, ranging from utility improvements, the removal of Highway 97 from Fifth and Sixth Streets, more traffic signals, beautification projects and the completion of the Centennial Park Plaza.
Madras City focuses on several diverse initiatives: A long-term cohesive program started almost a decade ago to improve the Jefferson County’s livability factor is in play including the $25 million expansion of Mountain View Hospital, a new City Hall and Police headquarters, the long-awaited opening of the Madras campus of Central Oregon Community College (COCC) and the unveiling of a new five-plex cinema complex.
Sisters Revitalizing Downtown with Entrepreneurial Spirit: In the midst of national financial uncertainty, a new $4.5 million downtown revitalization is set to launch in the fall of 2012 in Sisters, which will completely transform the downtown area. The Cascade Avenue Streetscape project will include rethemed street benches, drinking fountains, light fixtures, sidewalk treatments and new landscaping and trees all for the safety, accessibility beauty and economy of the downtown business region.
Private investment is revitalizing the Prineville’s downtown core: including a 70-acre commercial-retail site planned for the former Ochoco Mill site on the east side of town, the Central Oregon Community College Crook County Open Campus which will provide a wealth of workforce training opportunities and the Freight Depot that is key to providing valued rail service & economic potential.
Potential Looms for More Data Centers in Region: While Facebook is already in the process of adding a second data center to the Prineville location, it’s evident Central Oregon is prime for more data center sites. Rumors are flying that Steve Jobs’ beloved Apple, the world’s biggest technology corporation, is eyeing Prineville as a potential home for a colossal cloud computing and iTunes data fortress.
Winegrowers of Central Oregon
Who would have thought wine could flourish in cold Central Oregon? Some are confident that Central Oregon will one day be designated an American Viticultural Area, a prestigious recognition that would put it—for example–on a level with regional wine appellations such as Yamhill and Willamette AVAs in Oregon, and Columbia, Yakima and Walla Walla valleys in Washington. Maragas Winery held its third Annual Barrel Tasting in November near Madras. Faith Hope & Charity has harvested wine frown from grapes grown at Monkey Face Vineyard at Ranch at the Canyons near Smith Rock State Park.
Bend Venture Conference: Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) announced the winners of the 2011 Bend Venture Conference which offered a $250,000 prize for the launch stage competition winner Redmond-based RES Equine, a manufacturer of protective horse equipment which uses a patent pending closure system. In the Concept Stage competition, entrepreneur Sheetal Dube, whose Portland-based company Audioname provides a software solution for difficult to pronounce names received $10,000. BendBroadband has committed to underwriting the prize for the winner of the Concept Stage competition in 2011 and in future years.
Be Part of Art Successfully Meets Bend Foundation’s $500,000 Matching Challenge. Bend art lovers and champions are celebrating the success of a recent campaign to raise funds and awareness for the city’s public art collection. To date the campaign has raised $507,221 with another $73,500 in pledges committed for March 2012. We all need the stimulating impact that art and culture have in every aspects of our lives.
Here in Central Oregon we have a diverse arts community enhancing cultural tourism, creating jobs, bringing enjoyment and expansion to our lives. Enter Arts Central. The regional arts and culture council for Central Oregon recently launched the Arts and Culture Alliance, which is slated to build a more vibrant, rich and sustainable cultural community through civic engagement, cultural planning, tourism, economic development and creative industries.
But we won’t stop there, we have a lot of amazing success stories in our arts world: The Art in the High Desert will present its fifth season on the banks of the Deschutes River next August, BendFilm is on its way to being a world class film festival, The Nature of Words successfuly fosters an appreciation of the literary arts and humanities through interaction with acclaimed authors and creative writing programs, The Breedlove Festival focuses on bringing extraordinary instruments and amazing musicians together, Sunriver Music Festival brings global attention to orchestra performances while local theatres, artists and art galleries and performance groups captivate audiences with their creativity.
COCC and OSU-Cascades Highlight the importance of education. As it embarks on an effort to create 20 undergraduate and graduate degree programs by 2020, Oregon State University – Cascades is working in partnership with the OSU Program in Creative Writing and the School of Writing, Literature, and Film in the College of Liberal Arts to create a low-residency master of fine arts in creative writing to be offered at the campus in Bend.
In addition OSU – Cascades has awarded the Tykeson Endowed Faculty Scholar in Energy Engineering Management to Robin Feuerbacher, an assistant professor and the lead of the campus’ growing undergraduate EEM program. The endowed faculty position, the first in the campus’ history, was made possible by a $250,000 donation from a charitable trust operated by the owners of Bend Broadband in Bend.
Meanwhile all over Central Oregon, Central Oregon Community College is expanding and offering vast opportunities in education from the new Health Careers Building that will provide up-to-date classrooms and labs for RN and LPN nursing programs, pharmacy technician, medical assistant, dental assisting and licensed massage therapy. The recently opened Jungers Culinary Center is home of the state-of-the-art Cascade Culinary Institute. The new Science Building will house nine labs plus classrooms and offices.
And both Madras and Crook County opened new campuses this fall.
Great Companies to Watch: GL Solutions, located in Bend, continues to grow thanks to new contracts from around the nation. The company creates regulatory software and database systems tailored for state licensing and recently added several state agencies to its client roster.
NAVIS, a leader in leisure sales optimization for the U.S. lodging industry, has seen new contract revenue increase by 105 percent over the previous year.
G5, a Bend-based provider of vertical-specific Local Marketing Solutions, announced its second consecutive year of ranking among North America’s 500 fastest growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences and clean technology companies.
Bend Research has formed collaborative relationships with Xcelience to speed drug product intermediates to early-phase clinical trials and has entered into a licensing agreement with Merck, through a subsidiary.
One of Central Oregon’s long time favorite companies is Eberhard’s Dairy Products that had their 60th anniversary this year. As the oldest operating family business in Redmond the business was started August 15, 1951 by Jack and Nelda Eberhard. Today, Eberhard’s Dairy is 47 people strong and have more than quadrupled their square footage, expended and remodeled over 12 times and boast the largest and coldest freezer in Central Oregon.
Deschutes Brewery is Recognized by EPA for Its Commitment to Green Power
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has included Deschutes Brewery in a select group of leaders in the green power market through its Green Power Partnership program.
Deschutes Brewery’s commitment to sustainable practices is displayed through practices such as: supplier sustainability, using recycled glass for bottles; electricity usage reduction, through practices such as heated air reclamation; natural gas usage reduction; water usage reduction and recycling of all allowable materials.
Contining to Build Central Oregon: Confectionary connoisseurs are in for a treat after local chocolate and ice cream legend Goody’s unveiled its new Bend facility, offering curious candy fans the chance to get a glimpse of the inner workings of a real life Willy Wonka-style world in the shape of daily factory tours.
Taking a big step to facilitate its continuing growth, RE/MAX Key Properties of Bend together with building owner Mill Street Square LLC expanded in downtown Bend.
The Leffel Center for cosmetic surgery has a fresh home after the finishing touches were put to the group’s new state-of-the art offices on Bend’s popular west side.
Representing a monumental achievement and collaborative effort, the U.S. Forest Service christened their grand new headquarters, the Bend Pine Administration Building.
A new state-of-the-art culinary arts teaching facility touted as “Best in the West” is positioning Central Oregon Community College’s Cascade Culinary Institute to lead the next wave in Pacific Northwest cuisine.
Coming soon will be a new 24-hour casino that will replace Kah-Nee-Ta’s existing casino and will be located on Highway 26 in Warm Springs across from the Museum at Warm Springs in order to provide easy access to travelers along the Highway 26 corridor and closer proximity to the residents in Central Oregon.
Deschutes Brewery highlighted in Top Projects will open its newly expanded pub on Bond Street in downtown Bend in January.
The Vault and Facebook, Need We Say More. By definition, vaults are dark, secure places where nothing gets out and the sun never gets in. But the newly opened BendBroadband Vault, a 30,000 square foot secure data center, is vibrant with its commitment to the environment with the added technology embracing the future. The facility’s many green features include a solar paneled rooftop for power generation, Kyoto cooling, and the support of renewable energy through Blue Sky. Located in Bend, Oregon, The Vault is a Tier III LEED Gold and Energy Star Certified facility offering co-location, disaster recovery, dedicated managed services and cloud computing.
The Facebook facility in Prineville – housing thousands of servers handling huge volumes of network traffic for millions of clients – is the first data center built and owned by Facebook and is at the vanguard of the industry in terms of reduced environmental impact and energy use.
If you can believe it, we’ve run out of room to briefly outline the good news. We’re looking forward to a prosperous year for our fellow Central Oregon businesses with new ventures, increased employment, expanded horizons and exciting opportunities. From our business to yours we wish you the very best. Thanks for being our loyal readers! PHA
