Annual Luncheon Touts Group’s Key Role in Regional Economic Lifeblood
The nuts and bolts of economic development on the ground were highlighted in a wide ranging look at the behind-the-scenes work of bringing regional job-generating prospects to fruition during the recent Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) 2012 annual luncheon.
The attendees at the conference at Bend’s Riverhouse Convention Center was also told that the region’s blossoming diverse range of industries – especially in the brewing, biosciences, recreational equipment and technology-based sectors – which EDCO has helped foster, put it on a promising track towards improvement relative to the rest of the state on the short term horizon, while Central Oregon’s decimated post-boom real estate market continued to be a drag on some economic recovery prospects.
After introductory speeches, including the highlighting of legislative lobbying successes led by EDCO’s representatives, Congressman Greg Walden emphasized the message should be that the area is “open for business” and that the livability and desirability of the region meant there was “no better place to do business.”
He said government needed to not get in the way of economic growth and job opportunities, and lamented that apparent Forest Service bureaucracy had recently seen a Mercedes SUV commercial slated for the area switched to another state.
Becky Johnson, vice president of Oregon State University-Cascades Campus in Bend, hailed collaborative efforts with Central Oregon Community College and the general business community towards creating programs geared toward local workforce needs, to bolster the institution’s position as “an engine of growth.”
The school is experiencing double digit enrollment growth and preparing to roll out new programs in areas such as sustainability, computer science, hospitality and fermentation science, but she also said programs would need more business and community support to grow, including backing for future new facilities.
Johnson said the decade-old school’s current 760 students spend more than $8.2 million a year supporting Central Oregon businesses and “we are really having an impact as an economic driver” while its greatest product continued to be its graduates.
In a video vignette, Oklahoma City Chamber chief Roy Williams emphasized the importance of primary or traded sector jobs – where a product or service is exported out of the community and wealth imported back into the community – as a critical component of potential economic growth, especially in terms of wealth circulation.
State Economist Mike Meyers of Business Oregon said manufacturing represented the largest portion of Oregon’s Gross Domestic Product — and at just over 22 per cent was among the highest in the nation.
He said key industry groups included advanced manufacturing, clean technology, forestry/wood products, hi-tech and outdoor gear, but in Deschutes County manufacturing fell behind several sectors in terms of GDP share, such as real estate services and retail trade, while exports offered opportunities for growth.
If real estate does stage a recovery, Meyers said the region’s relatively smaller dependence on manufacturing and the diversity of its industries could put it on a faster path towards job creation.
EDCO Executive Director Roger Lee outlined “how real economic development happens” including via “A-Z problem solving” in a team atmosphere emphasizing retention and expansion efforts, with recruitment as a primary focus, especially in terms of growing existing companies.
And he praised a plethora of local companies in growth mode or in “hot” industries offering reasons for future optimism, including Kawak Aviation, CLS Fabrication, NAVIS, Central Oregon Truck Company, Energyneering, Techsoft 3D, CV International, Whistles for Life, Ocean Equipment, Spadout.com & We Mail Sickers.com, Colfax Tactical, Pneu Logic, Pleura Flow and Manzama.
A guest panel of local business leaders moderated by Matt McCoy of Central Oregon Community College included Lisa Flynn of smart internet management specialists Chrysalis Software, Facebook Prineville Data Center Manager Ken Patchett and Marshall Crew, Ph.D. of Agere Pharmaceuticals also addressed the conference and engaged in a question and answer session touching on how EDCO had been instrumental in aiding start-up, relocation, expansion and retention efforts.
The panel collectively reinforced the value of EDCO’s efforts and the importance of having an economic development organization go to bat for them when expanding their companies by finding incentives, navigating the regulatory process, defining infrastructure and telecommunication needs as well as investment capital resources and mentorships.
Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) is a private non-profit organization dedicated to diversifying the regional economy by recruiting new companies and helping traded-sector firms already in Central Oregon expand. Website: www.edcoinfo.com; tel. (541) 388-3236.
