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“When I founded Mid Oregon Personnel back in 1984, Prineville had five sawmills and a huge manufacturing base of secondary wood products companies employing up to 25 people. None of that is left in town,” said Greg Lambert, president.
“So when the recession hit in 2008, the city was really in a pickle,” he continued. “Fortunately, Prineville’s leaders had the insight to diversify, and subsequently created a very pro-business environment to both attract outside enterprises, and support those on the inside.”
Examples, according to Lambert, “include streamlining its regulations, and creating incentives such as enterprise zones in which tax exemptions are offered to encourage business investment and provide jobs. These have been a real driver for our local economy.”
Reflecting this economic diversification, he continued, “are the large number of high-tech companies, as well as a concrete plant that manufacturers products such as feed troughs and road barriers; a company that produces salt materials used in de-icing; an RV manufacturer; and a wood grain company.”
Lambert emphasized that “the data centers alone have been a gold mine to the local economy. They really pulled us out of the fire, and continue to play a critical role in tax contributions and support of local schools and nonprofits.”
He added that “many companies are in Prineville now that weren’t here before the economy became much more balanced. The same can be said for job openings. There are currently a number of them, some paying as to $25 an hour to start. In fact, Mid Oregon Personnel could probably hire 50 people in the next two weeks if we could find them.”
(Mid Oregon Personnel, with offices in Prineville, Bend, Redmond and Madras, bills itself as “consistently the largest supplier of industrial employees in Central Oregon.” It also offers administrative, clerical, professional and seasonal employee support.)
187 NW Second St., Prineville
