(Photo above: Locally made goods will be distributed to conference attendees highlighting why Central Oregon is the fastest growing area in Oregon).
The diversity of Central Oregon, including the Tech, Bioscience and Outdoor Gear and Apparel sectors, will be promoted at the Oregon Economic Development Association’s (OEDA’s) Fall Conference at Sunriver Resort on October 23–25. The conference will be hosted by Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO), led by Executive Director Roger Lee, and will attract around 150 economic developers, Business Oregon staff and site developers from Oregon, Washington and Northern California.
“This is an excellent opportunity to promote Central Oregon as a great place to do business AND a great place to live. There is such a diversity of businesses in Central Oregon, from traditional wood products to advanced manufacturing, from breweries and distilleries to bioscience, and from outdoor gear and apparel to high tech,” said Janet Burton, La Pine and Sunriver area economic development manager for EDCO.
Dynamic by Design (not by default) is the theme of this year’s conference and will demonstrate how a dynamic economic development community can help businesses Move, Start and Grow. Keynote speakers will include Darren Pleasance, managing director, Global Customer Acquisitions, Google; Rob Little, co-founder and CEO, Cairn; Ron Kitchens, CEO, Southwest Michigan First and Ryan Holmes and James Nicol, co-founders, SnoPlanks.
Conference sessions will focus on case studies and tools to intentionally create a culture to attract, retain and grow businesses, develop workforce and target industries to strengthen emerging markets. There will be a robust discussion on Measure 97 (state ballot measure proposing taxing sales of large businesses) and its impact on Oregon’s tax competitiveness and on Oregonians in general.
The conference will open with remarks by OEDA President Kristin Retherford and a welcome from Deschutes County Commissioner Tony DeBone.
“EDCO, Sunriver and the Central Oregon region are pleased to welcome OEDA members and other attendees to the area for the state’s largest economic development conference of the year,” said Lee.
For more information or to register, visit www.oeda.biz.
About Economic Development for Central Oregon
Celebrating its 35th year, Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) is a non-profit corporation supported by private and public members and stakeholders, whose mission is to create middle-class jobs in Central Oregon by recruiting new employers to move to the region, helping entrepreneurs start new, scalable businesses, and working with businesses that are already here to grow their operations. For more information, visit www.edcoinfo.com.
About the Oregon Economic Development Association
The Oregon Economic Development Association (OEDA) is a statewide non-profit organization working to support economic development professionals who are on Oregon’s front line in diversifying and expanding Oregon’s economy. For more information, visit www.oeda.biz.
