| Business news in Central Oregon |
facebook responds to accusations about coal
Rece
nt news headlines have environmental groups, like Greenpeace, accusing facebook of using coal to fuel its new data center in Prineville. While it’s true that Pacific Power, the utility serving facebook, gets a portion of its power from coal, Pacific Power also draws from wind, hydro and other renewable sources, which will contribute to facebook’s power load. In fact, the power company has only one coal-fired plant in Oregon.
Central Oregon’s climate allows facebook to reduce its overall carbon footprint by utilizing the dry, cool air of the high desert to cool the facility, which reduces power and water consumption. Officials at facebook say the Prineville data center will be the most environmentally friendly in the world, with a Gold-LEED standard or better. And Pacific Power has an aggressive renewable energy strategy, with 25% or more of its power coming from renewable resources by 2025.
Read more about facebook's:
Downtown Bend alive and well with low vacancy rates
Last summer EDCO fielded questions from the national press asking if Bend’s downtown was boarded up and dying. We, of course, informed them that Bend’s downtown remained vibrant and could easily bounce back from the economic downturn – we were right. The Downtown Bend Business Association (DBBA) announced eight new businesses opening in Downtown Bend and is optimistic about the influx of new businesses.
“Occupancy for downtown retail/restaurant spaces has climbed to 95% over the past few months. This rate puts Downtown Bend in a better position than most downtowns state and nationwide“, says DBBA Executive Director Chuck Arnold. He adds that businesses like the synergy and convenience of downtown, particularly professional service based companies that can have clients down for coffee, lunch and dinner meetings within walking distance of their offices.
EDCO takes the reins at Bend Venture Conference (BVC)
EDCO is excited to assume responsibility for managing and organizing the Bend Venture Conference (BVC), the region’s premier investment event. 2010 marks the seventh year for the conference which unites angel investors and venture capitalists with promising early stage 
companies. Founding individuals, who have spent the past six years growing the annual conference to one of the most respected in the Pacific Northwest, are ready to pass the management reins to EDCO. To ensure a smooth transition, Dan Hobin, Karen Fast, Bruce Juhola, and Nori Juba will continue to be involved as advisors to EDCO. Other long-term volunteers, including Pam Stevenson and Robin Gould, will continue with their professional support.
If your company is interested in a sponsorship opportunity at BVC, please contact Dayna Dudkowski, Events Manager at EDCO. Also, if you or your colleagues have a company that is interested in applying to present at BVC, please contact Scott Larson, Venture Catalyst Manager at EDCO. Mark your calendar now for Thurs and Fri, October 14 and 15. We look forward to seeing you at the 2010 BVC!
Bend-based InEnTec's plasma technology key to S4 renewable energy project
S4 Energy Solutions LLC, a joint venture by Bend-based InEnTec LLC and Houston-based Waste Management, Inc., has just announced plans to develop its first plasma gasification facility at Waste Management’s Columbia Ridge Landfill in Arlington, Oregon. The facility will be a comprehensive and integrated S4 designed solution that will convert municipal solid waste into clean fuels and renewable energy.
S4 expects construction to begin in the early summer, with startup scheduled by year-end. Company officials says that renewable energy project will create 28 jobs during the construction phase, with up to 16 permanent green jobs when the facility is operational. "We believe the project will demonstrate commercial viability of the new S4 integrated system," said Jeff Surma, President and CEO of S4 Energy Solutions "so that we can implement this technology at many other locations for a wide variety of applications."
Area business organizations join forces to “adopt” a local business
To help put a face to their organizations and efforts, several Central Oregon business groups have joined together. The Central Oregon Business Consortium is made up of SCORE, the Bend Chamber of Commerce, Central Oregon Community College (COCC), the Small Business Development Center, Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO), and Opportunity Knocks.
The new Consortium will adopt a business for two years and the chosen business will receive two years of counseling and mentoring from each organization. With plans to make a company selection by early summer, the Consortium will start taking applications from Central Oregon businesses in April. "Across all the organizations, Central Oregon has a wide continuum of services to offer small businesses," said Eric Strobel, EDCO’s Bend Manager. “This initiative is a way to introduce all of the different organizations to small business. Through the application process, people will learn what each of our organizations do and how we can help them be more successful."
HiDEC to offer workplace organization class
The High Desert Enterprise Consortium (HiDEC) will offer a course that covers a series of activities designed to improve workplace organization, standardization, efficiency, and safety. It is highly interactive including a classroom simulation and a demonstration project that allows participants to apply principles at an actual manufacturing workplace.
Tuesday, March 9: 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
COCC Redmond Campus – Building 2 Room 240
Cost: $20 per person for HiDEC members and $100 for Nonmembers
RSVP: Eric Strobel or 541-388-3236
Oregon enjoys one of nation’s lowest homeowners insurance rates
Amid all the fallout coverage of Measures 66 and 67, you may have missed this item reported in the Portland Business Journal on February 8 that Oregon has some of the lowest home and renter insurance in the nation. The National Insurance Commissioners just released their latest state comparisons, noting “Oregon homeowner insurance is among the least costly in the nation, averaging $496 a year…that compares to an average $822 nationwide and is lower than all states except Idaho and Wisconsin.” Read the full article.
February PubTalk speaker shares five tips for public speakers
New EDCO member and supporter, Alistair “Al” Paterson, volunteered as February’s PubTalk keynote speaker. He mesmerized the sold-out audience with his tales of growing up in Africa, traveling the world, and selling real estate in Kauai before landing in Bend several years ago. An acclaimed speaker within Toastmaster International, and owner of a consulting and coaching business, The Aspirational Alliance, Al capped his talk by sharing his “trade secrets” for how to effectively communicate when in the public arena.
Within the International Toastmaster organization he achieved their highest rank of DTM (Distinguished Toastmaster), and won the right to represent Hawaii in the World Championship of Public Speaking. Additionally he is the current Speech Evaluation contest winner for the highly competitive Pacific Northwest District.
- Embrace your fear by considering the worst case scenario. If you give a poor speech, no one will remember in a week or two. All speakers are nervous, so use that energy to create a better speech.
- Strive to be original by including personal stories. That’s what helps make a speech memorable and rise above the ordinary.
- Analyze your mistakes to refine your presentation. Al talks about three speeches – the one he planned to give, the one he gave, and the one he wished he’d given while driving home from the event.
- Learn to love your mirror and use it to rehearse. This isn’t about being vain, but allows you to assess your delivery.
- Practice, practice, practice – speech giving isn’t the time to wing it.
Save March 18 for the next PubTalk
We're finalizing our program and will send a separate email shortly with the speaker lineup.
| Upcoming Events in Central Oregon |
Tues, Mar 9 – Central Oregon Employer Council sponsors “Employee Handbooks - Friend or Foe?”
Katherine C. Tank, partner with Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt, will discuss employee handbooks, including their advantages and disadvantages. Tank will address who needs a handbook, essential policies and disclaimers to include, and things to watch out for. This half-day event (7:30 am to 12:15 pm) costs $50 and will be held at St. Charles Medical Center. For more information, contact Denise Pollock at WorkSource Oregon.
Wed, Mar 10 – OK delves into the psychology of customer motivation
Join OK for the next in its lunchtime (11:15 am-1:30 pm) Best Practices series. David Knuff, PhD and Assistant Professor of Marketing at OSU-Cascades, will present “Are You There Customer? It’s Me, Your Sales Rep.” while Kevin Gorman, owner of WebCyclery, will address “Knowing Your #1 Asset: Your Customer.” See events at Opportunity Knocks for more details and to register.
Sat, Mar 13 – Prineville undertakes Better Business series
Do you have a business plan? Do you consider marketing an important part of what you do? What about taxes? Those are all important questions for business owners as Crook County begins to slowly crawl out of one of the longest recessions in history. From 9:00-11:00 am at Prineville City Hall, the Prineville-Crook County Chamber of Commerce will host its second session of the Building a Better Business (B2B) seminar series. The event is free, and topics will include where to go for business planning, how to secure government loans and finding qualified employees. Contact the Prineville Chamber at 541-447-6304 for more information.
Thurs, Mar 18 – City Forecast Breakfast
Hear about Bend's 2009 accomplishments and what city officials plan for 2010 and beyond. Breakfast buffet and registration start at 7:30 am, with the program beginning at 8:00. Find out more details here.
Wed, Mar 31 - Best Practices for Best Employers™ Seminar presented by Lane Powell
Lane Powell presents its 27th Annual Labor and Employment Seminar on March 31, at the Governor Hotel, in Portland. The day-long seminar is for HR professionals, CEOs and business owners; speakers include Lane Powell attorneys, employment industry experts, business leaders and CEOs from companies named as one of Oregon Business Magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For in Oregon." Registration begins at 7:30 am; program is held from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For questions, email Tiffany Rahimian or call 503-778-2043. Registration information.
Tues, Apr 13 – Jun 1 series – Essential of Human Resource Management Course at COCC
HRACO (Human Resource Association of Central Oregon) is sponsoring and providing instruction for the "Essentials of Human Resource Management" course at Central Oregon Community College. Learn from Central Oregon's top HR practitioners how to develop a great workplace and how to be the employer of choice in your field. The best-practices class is ideal for managers with HR responsibilities, business owners, aspiring HR professionals, and those new to HR or individuals curious about careers in Human Resources. Classes are from 6:00 to 8:30 pm. To register, contact COCC's Continuing Education Department at 541-383-7270.
We’d like to thank the members - new and renewing alike - who fund EDCO’s efforts to recruit new companies to the region and help local companies grow their operations.
Renewing Members
Bronze Level:
Ater Wynne, LLP (2007)
Bend Garbage & Recycling (1986)
Bryant Lovlien & Jarvis (1987)
Carlson Sign Company (1987)
DVA Advertising (1987)
Earth Advantage Energy Trust (2009)
Group Mackenzie (2007)
Harper, Houf, Peterson, Righellis (2009)
MacKay & Sposito, Inc. (2009)
Opportunity Knocks (2006)
Swift Steel (1987)
Silver Level:
Bend Research (2001)
Ruff Wear (2006)
Gold Level:
Les Schwab (1986)
Financial Institution:
Wells Fargo (1987)
New member - Centro Print Solutions, Bronze Level
For 39 years Centro Print Solutions has been serving the business printing needs of local, regional and national organizations from their Bend-based offices. Today, Centro offers clients web-based forms management solutions including inventory control and ordering, in-house graphic design, imprinted promotional products, logo apparel, and shipping and packaging products. This combination of high-tech resources paired with high-touch customer service from experienced professionals has yielded long-term relationships and strategic business alliances that have proven to be the greatest strengths behind Centro’s nearly four decades of success. For more info, contact Geoff Clark.
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