“These are exciting times for Madras and Jefferson County,” said Jon Stark, chief executive officer of EDCO, which will soon revive an economic development position here — in addition to those existing in Bend, Sunriver/La Pine, Prineville/Crook County, Redmond and Sisters.
County Commissioner Kelly Simmelink says the need for an EDCO position has increased since 2019 (when it was discontinued by the county). He has been quoted as saying that “Industry has discovered Central Oregon and is looking for land that is available, as well as access to air, train and highway networks. These factors make Jefferson County highly desirable. Inquiries have increased and we are without a person locally to develop and nurture these leads.”
According to Stark, who oversees all EDCO offices in Central Oregon from its Bend headquarters, “having a staff person in Jefferson County, focused exclusively on Jefferson County, will help EDCO identify opportunities, recruit new businesses and help current businesses grow. It’s difficult to armchair this work from Bend. Our model is to have someone in the community to work inside out, and build the game plan,” he has said.
Stark believes having “boots on the ground” in Jefferson County will produce results. EDCO is currently working on nearly 40 projects in Redmond, and a dozen in Sisters, a community half the size of Madras — but only three projects in Madras. “We can increase that five or six times,” Stark said.
He provided an example, as recently described in a presentation to the City of Madras and Jefferson County, and quoted in the Madras Pioneer. A manufacturing company is presently interested in a 38+ acre site — located south of the county jail — that would accommodate a 55,000-square-foot building, and create many new jobs in the area.
Stark attributed interest on the part of companies such as this to the fact that Madras and Jefferson County have “a strong supply of available, industrially zoned land, some with an Enterprise zone designation, which is very attractive for businesses looking to expand and or relocate. In contrast, many other communities have absorbed much of their industrially zoned land over the past decade,” he said.
The new EDCO position, according to Stark, is the result of Culver and Metolius coming together and collaborating with Madras and Jefferson County. The $140,000 cost of the program will be shared by the county’s collective cities. The person filling the position, which is scheduled to begin July 1, will have an office at Madras City Hall.
“We are super-excited to assist this vibrant and energetic community — and its leadership — in fostering new and enhanced economic outcomes that pave the way to new opportunities and wealth for its citizens,” Stark said.
