Bend, OR - Today Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) announced the selection of Jon Stark as the new manager of Redmond Economic Development, Inc. (REDI), effective Monday, November 10th. Stark brings over 15 years of business management and development experience to the position, including an extensive contact base of individuals, companies, and organizations throughout the region. Stark replaces Bud Prince, who announced his retirement earlier this year.
Stark has spent nine years with Express Employment Professionals, four years managing their Redmond office and the last five as VP of Business Development for Express. He served two terms on the Redmond Chamber Board of Directors and is currently an active Board member for REDI. Stark chaired the Membership Committee for the Redmond Chamber and in 2002 was the Chairman for the City of Redmond’s Branding Committee in 2004. Additionally, he has played an active role on the planning committee for the Central Oregon Job and Career Expo and the Bend Chamber Professional Development Council. Prior to moving to Central Oregon for lifestyle reasons, Stark spent 11 years in the hotel and restaurant management field in the Puget Sound area. He and his wife Michelle and two sons, Jacob and Joshua, live in Redmond.
"I am excited about the opportunity to serve the vibrant and growing community of Redmond,” said Jon Stark. “My family and I have truly enjoyed living here for the last eight years and I look forward to contributing to the city’s success."
EDCO executive director Roger Lee commented “We are delighted to have Jon join the EDCO team.” Lee added that in three rounds of extensive interviews, Stark emerged as the best candidate for the position. “Jon’s a natural to take over the successful program in Redmond with his community commitment, extensive knowledge of Redmond’s business environment, and experience on REDI’s board.”
“After nine significant years with our company and contributing to the growth of Express Employment Professionals,” said Connie Worrell-Druliner, CEO of Express “we are delighted to support Jon in his new career. Participating in EDCO from its inception, and holding two cycles of presidencies myself, we are deeply rooted in the mission of EDCO and support Jon and EDCO going into the future.”
Stark’s office will continue to be located with the Redmond Chamber of Commerce in downtown Redmond at 446 SW 7th Street. While REDI operates under the EDCO umbrella for Central Oregon, a separate 23-member board, drawn from top leaders in the community, guides economic development efforts specific to Redmond.
The REDI program is focused on helping both local existing companies as well as new employers recruited to the community. In the last five years, eleven new companies in a variety of industries were recruited to Redmond, including recreational equipment, packaging, building products, back office operations and corporate headquarters. Over that same period, REDI led more than 13 expansion projects for local companies. Together, these two dozen business development projects resulted in more than 1,131 new jobs for the community of 24,000 residents. As a result, the Redmond Enterprise Zone is among the most successful rural zones anywhere in Oregon, reflecting over $80 million of capital investment activity for the period 2003 to 2007.
About EDCO
Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) is a private non-profit corporation founded 28 years ago and dedicated to building a vibrant and thriving regional economy by attracting new investment and traded-sector jobs (manufacturing, professional, headquarters and high technology businesses) through marketing, recruitment and substantive assistance to existing companies. Learn more about EDCO at www.edcoinfo.com.
Press Contact:
Ruth Lindley, Marketing Manager, EDCO
541-388-3236