Monies to Assist in Economic Development Programs for Central Oregon

Bend, OR — Deschutes County commissioners have authorized a discretionary grant of $2,500 to the Deschutes Economic Alliance (DEA) to assist the organization in further efforts to spur economic development in Central Oregon.

The grant is the second to be awarded by the county to DEA as the group continues to implement its 1,000-Day Roadmap to Regional Transformation & Economic Vitality.  In 2010 county commissioners awarded $2,000 to DEA for this program.

DEA is a volunteer organization of more than 100 individuals in the community who are committed to implement a vision for Deschutes County’s future that will improve the economic climate of the region.

This fall DEA will conduct its 100-Day Action Summit to conclude the first phase of the 1000-day Roadmap.  At that meeting updates will be provided by teams that have been organized around key economic initiatives.

These working initiatives were presented to over 350 attendees at a conference in January.  So far teams are currently working on three:  Applied Research & Creative Activities Center, DURT (Delays, Uncertainty, Regulations, Taxes) Task Force,  and Elite Athletic Initiative.

The Applied Research & Creative Activities Center is an effort to develop a center for greater access to professional development and life-long learning opportunities and support public/private research and innovative partnerships.

The DURT (Delays, Uncertainty, Regulations, Taxes) Task Force is focused on making Central Oregon a more attractive area to stimulate local business growth as well as offer an attractive opportunity for new businesses to come into the area.

The Elite Athletic Initiative is looking at how to explore and convert Central Oregon’s world-class recreational environment to a job-creating industry.

Each of the teams has an associate coach to help expedite their progress.  DEA continues to work to develop the other teams.

“We are very appreciative to the county for their generous award,” said Lawnae Hunter, DEA’s Co-Chairman of the Board.  “These dollars will help us continue to pursue achievable economic development solutions that create long-term and sustainable business opportunities in Central Oregon.  Our mission is to foster viable, job-creating businesses and industries that end, once and for all, Central Oregon’s boom and bust economic cycles.”
CONTACT
Jim Keeton
541.410.7538
jkeeton@earthlink.net

Oregon Rankings

A report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Chamber Foundation entitled Enterprising States: Recovery and Renewal for the 21st century includes insights in to the economic initiatives that the state of Oregon is undertaking to compete in a global economy.

“Struck by downturns in its manufacturing and construction industries, Oregon was hit particularly hard by the recent recession. Unemployment rates in 2010 were more than twice as high as before the downturn, and among the highest in the nation. While economic measures have shown signs of recovery over the past year and unemployment rates are off their peak levels, the state still faces the specter of a period of “below trend” growth as it struggles to regain economic footing. However, even through a period of economic stress, the state has continued to be a magnet for growth, outpacing the national growth rate in the 2010 Census figures. Moving forward, the state hopes to capitalize on its proximity to and experience in accessing Asian markets to help spur future growth.”

Additionally, there are rankings of all the states and information about business clusters. You can read the complete report here.

First Phase of 1,000-Day Economic Recovery Plan
Focuses on Six Job-Creating Initiatives

Bend, OR — The first phase of the 1,000-day economic recovery plan of the Deschutes Economic Alliance (DEA) will be launched on May 1 and will focus six initiatives to transform Central Oregon from “poverty with a view” to “possibilities with a view.”

The 1,000-Day Roadmap to Regional Transformation & Economic Vitality lays out a portfolio of strategies for regional transformation and economic vitality.   The first phase of the program is the 100-Day Jumpstart to Recovery.  During this phase, six teams of community volunteers will explore strategies for sustainable economic recovery and report their progress to the community at an Action Summit in August 2011.

The six initiatives are:

• Systems-Built Housing Team, to assess the feasibility of developing a systems-built housing industry for the “green” market.
• Warm Springs Partnership, to develop mutually beneficial business opportunities with the Warm Springs Tribe.
• Applied Research & Creative Activities Center, to develop a center for greater access to professional development and life-long learning opportunities and support public/private research and innovative partnerships.
• Leadership Roundtable, to improve coordination among business, education, government and civic organizations to facilitate and tackle new and emerging opportunities.
• DURT (Delays, Uncertainty, Regulations, Taxes) Task Force, to foster a more business-friendly environment by eliminating onerous DURT.
• Elite Athletic Initiative, to explore and convert Central Oregon’s world-class recreational environment to a job-creating industry.

“These initiatives are not pie-in-the-sky academic exercises,” said Lawnae Hunter, DEA’s Co-Chairman of the Board.  “The goal is to pursue achievable economic development solutions that will create long-term and sustainable opportunities at all levels of the workforce in Central Oregon.  Our mission is clear: to foster viable, job-creating businesses and industries that end, once and for all, Central Oregon’s boom and bust economic cycles.”

Team leaders for each of these initiatives along with members of the DEA Executive Committee are meeting on April 30 for a training session on ‘Leadership and Innovative Thinking’ led by Les Stiles.  At this session, the group will deploy teams, plan strategies and agree upon expectations and outcomes.  Individuals wishing to lend their expertise to one of the initiatives should visit the DEA’s website: www.deschutesalliance.org.

The 1,000-Day Roadmap was unveiled earlier this year at a meeting attended by more than 300 business and community leaders.  The Roadmap was developed with the assistance of Praxis Strategy Group and the Center for Economic Research and Forecasting at California Lutheran University.

ABOUT DEA: The Deschutes Economic Alliance is a grassroots effort organized by a diverse group of local, private-sector business and community leaders who seek an objective, coherent vision for the economic future of Deschutes County.  DEA was formed in 2010 to identify and launch initiatives to help grow and stabilize the region.   DEA is an all-volunteer initiative guided by Deschutes County’s business and community leaders.