(Graphic courtesy of SLED)
La Pine Awards Incubator Contract to Mission Building
The City of La Pine has awarded the contract for the construction of the 6,000-square-foot multi-tenant incubator building in the La Pine Industrial Park to Mission Building and Renovation LLC. The project has an estimated completion date of August 2026.
The goal of the incubator building is to help businesses be more successful by creating the right mix of resources, support, community, and structure to foster growth and innovation. Assistance will be provided for business planning, marketing, business counseling, financing, workforce development, exporting, and government contracting, with technical assistance provided by the EDCO Venture Catalyst and the OSU-Cascades Innovation Hub. All services will be at no cost and tailored to meet the needs of the business.
If you know an entrepreneur or traded sector business that would benefit from being in an incubator building, contact Patricia Lucas, Executive Director of the Sunriver/La Pine Economic Development Program, at 248-693-3049 or sledexecutivedirector@gmail.com.
Newberry Regional Partnership Completes Strategic Action Plan
As part of its strategic planning process, which included extensive community input, the Newberry Regional Partnership identified Newberry Country’s core community values and developed an overarching vision for the future of the region. The plan, a culmination of more than a year’s worth of community input and a nine-month strategic planning process incorporating additional feedback, presents a series of collaborative, community-based strategies intended to inform and guide the future growth and development of south Deschutes County and north Klamath County, also known as Newberry Country, enhancing and improving the quality of life of all the region’s residents.
The seven focus areas of the strategic action plan are:
- Resilient Newberry, focusing on wildfire and public safety;
- Livable Newberry, focusing on growth, planning and infrastructure;
- Sustainable Newberry, focusing on the environment, natural resources and outdoor recreation;
- Thriving Newberry, focusing on health, wellness and human services;
- Prosperous Newberry, focusing on jobs and economic development;
- Inspired Newberry, focusing on education, learning and youth activities; and
- Vibrant Newberry, focusing on arts, culture and civic life.
The top-ranked strategies in the strategic action plan are:
- Expand enforcement of illegal camping laws on public lands.
- Develop critical health care specialists and emergency room services in south Deschutes County.
- Expand after-school, STEAM and summer activities to keep students engaged and learning.
- Update, improve and widen Highway 97, including the Wickiup Junction overpass.
- Clean up trash and garbage from forested land.
- Identify and implement solutions for long-term water quality and supply.
- Collaborate with COCC to increase vocational training.
- Promote S. County Collaborative’s efforts to increase student graduation rates.
- Recruit a competitively priced grocery store with healthy food options to La Pine.
- Expand COCC Adult Education and lifelong learning at La Pine Parks and Rec.
The full Newberry Regional Partnership Strategic Action Plan can be found here.
COCC Partners with La Pine High School to Offer Construction and Automotive Training
Central Oregon Community College (COCC) will offer its Construction Pre-Apprenticeship Program to a second cohort at La Pine High School in June 2025. This BOLI-approved training introduces students to various skilled trades, providing essential tool experience and safety training. Graduates receive industry-specific technical knowledge, employability skills and certifications. Additionally, COCC, in partnership with La Pine High School, plans to launch a basic automotive certificate program for interested juniors and seniors starting Fall 2025, designed to equip students with job-ready workforce skills.
For more information regarding the apprenticeship class, contact apprenticeship@cocc.edu or 541-504-2920.
SLED, COCC and other community partners are continuing to develop a workforce development strategy for south Deschutes County.
Central Oregon Business Response Network Presents Tools to Empower Your Business
The Central Oregon Business Response Netowork (COBRN), a strategic initiative of EDCO, Central Oregon Community College (COCC) and East Cascades Works, aims to enhance collaboration among workforce development entities, economic development organizations and the business community to address evolving labor market needs in Central Oregon.
The network is designed to meet the region’s current and future workforce demands by addressing immediate and long-term labor market challenges. By bringing together education, training and employment access, COBRN aligns outreach efforts to better serve industries by identifying and addressing common business needs.
Click here to view the full resource guide.
New Police and Fire Public Safety Building in Sunriver
The Sunriver Service District opened the new Police and Fire Public Safety Building in February.
Sunriver Service District Board Chair, Jim Fister, commented, “This public safety building is an asset to the community and to the area at large.”
“The county taxpayers and visitors to the region contributed significantly to its construction due to the support of the county and its $8 million investment in the District,” Fister said. “The District itself also used reserves and smart investments to limit additional costs. We thank the taxpayers for their support, and we’re thrilled that they can see how their dollars are being invested in Sunriver.”
SLED Annual Luncheon Sells Out for Fourth Year in a Row
On April 4th, business and community leaders across Central Oregon gathered at Sunriver Resort for an engaging luncheon led by SLED Executive Director Patricia Lucas. The event attracted a sold-out audience, which included Deschutes County’s three commissioners, the newly elected sheriff, city managers, council members, CEOs of key local enterprises, and sponsors.
Patricia highlighted significant developments in the area, including the La Pine Industrial Park and the 2025 Top Employers List. Additional speakers included Kevin Cole, CEO of Mid Oregon Credit Union; Geoff Wullschlager, La Pine City Manager; Tony DeBone, Deschutes County Commissioner; Erin Trapp, CEO of La Pine Community Health Center; Jim Anderson, CEO/General Manager of Midstate Electric Cooperative; Scott Larson, President and CEO of Visit Central Oregon; Laurie Chesley, President of COCC; and Carl J. Riccadonna, the state’s chief economist.
The event celebrated the Sunriver Resort, the region’s largest employer, boasting 975 employees, followed by the Bend-La Pine School District with 297 employees and the Sunriver Homeowners Association employing 125.
Patricia shared that the La Pine Industrial Park offers parcels ranging from 0.2 to 38.73 acres, with key infrastructure such as Class A roads, high-speed internet, a 10–12” water line, and an 8” sewer system. Utilities are provided by Midstate Electric (30 MW), Cascade Natural Gas (2” line at 53 psi) and La Pine’s municipal services. The park is just 0.5 miles from US 97, has BNSF rail access with spur pre-planning complete and land is competitively priced at $1.75 per square foot.
Lucas also shared exciting news about the area’s project pipeline, including nine prospective businesses that plan to invest approximately $67 million in 66,900 square feet of building space and are projected to create a minimum of 64 new jobs in the region.
This gathering served as an important platform for leaders to share insights and discuss the future economic development of Central Oregon.
Permitting Activity in South Deschutes County
Deschutes County issued 51 building permits in La Pine during the 1st quarter of 2025. Of those, one was for a single-family dwelling, and one was for new commercial building construction.
During the same period, in the rest of south Deschutes County, 436 building permits were issued. Of those, 14 were for single-family dwellings, 20 were for residential additions, one was for new commercial building construction, and six were for commercial building additions.
lapineoregon.gov/ed/page/sunriverla-pine-economic-development-sled
