The staff of the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce looks forward to:
for the Eugene/Springfield business community in the coming new year.
Happy New Year!
From transportation to public safety, downtown to taxation, the Chamber’s Local Government Affairs Council (LGAC) is hard at work, week after week, charting the course for the Chamber’s advocacy work, and affecting policy discussions at the city, county, and state levels.
The Local Government Affairs Council had a very active year in 2009, helping secure LRAPA permits for the new Seneca biomass facility, stopping garbage hauler fees, promoting land use application extensions, lobbying the state legislature, and much more.
The Committee is comprised of twenty-five members, from a representative mix of business sectors among the Chamber membership, and a variety of experiences and expertise. The group generally meets weekly, Friday mornings at 7:30am at the Eugene Chamber, with some joint, off-site meetings with other organizations.
LGAC is accepting applications to fill four vacancies on the committee in January 2010, from members interested in helping the Chamber digest and influence decisions that impact local businesses.
Contact Jared Mason-Gere, Director of Business Advocacy at 242-2355 or
jaredm@eugene-chamber.com, for more details.Poet Rita Dove summed it up well when she said, “There are times in life when, instead of complaining, you do something about your complaints.”
When it comes to the topic of public safety in downtown and other commercial districts, a good part of the community dialogue often focuses on what is going wrong. In this issue of Open for Business we focus on the actions of business leaders who are facing the public safety challenges in their respective commercial districts. Examples of what is going right.
There is no denying the public safety challenges in downtown and other commercial districts. As a member of the Downtown Safety Task Team, a group of downtown and community interests formed to develop recommendations to city leadership, I helped identify four main areas that contribute to the problems in the city core, many of which could, at one time or another, could have applied to either the University District or Midtown area. They are:
• A lack of consequences for criminal behavior because of an inadequate police presence downtown and a shortage of jail beds, which served as a sanction for criminal activity.
• The presence of behaviors ranging from illegal to obnoxious.
• The lack of a cohesive, coordinated downtown public safety plan, including resources such as staff, facilities and treatment.
• The debilitated state of many physical spaces in the downtown (e.g., empty storefronts, dark corners), which invite illegal activities.
These are significant challenges. At the same time, there are positive stories to tell about how business and property owners have stepped up to address public safety challenges:
• Businesses in the downtown formed a special services district more than a decade ago, voluntarily agreeing to tax themselves to create resources to fund, through Downtown Eugene, Inc., the Downtown Guides, graffiti abatement and other strategies to make downtown clean and safe.
• University District businesses also formed a special services district to fund a portion of a police officer dedicated to providing community policy services in the district, West University Guides and more. Over the last decade the collaborative efforts of the University Small Business Association (USBA), the City of Eugene, University of Oregon and PeaceHealth Oregon Region have made significant strides in turning around a significant public safety challenge in the commercial district adjoining the University.
Through commitment, collaboration and good strategic thinking, I am confident that as a community we can make a difference in our downtown. The business community, through the Chamber and Downtown Eugene, Inc., has and will continue to move beyond complaining and, instead, actively participate in finding solutions to the public safety challenges in our commercial districts.
Dave Hauser is president of the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce. As the area’s leading business advocate, the Chamber works to create an environment in which business will thrive. The Chamber works with partners in business, government and education to improve the quality of life for local residents.
The key trends shaping cities and region are fairly well-known: More baby boomers are planning to retire; the number of women joining the workforce has stabilized; and college attainment levels have plateaued. As a result, young professionals are becoming increasingly important to the economic health of growing cities, according to one national report.
The study by Portland economist Joe Cortright indicates that young, college-educated workers are capable of counteracting this impending economic shift because of their entrepreneurial nature and willingness to relocate. The key to growing cities will be to attract and retain young professionals, Cortright says in “The Young and Restless in a Knowledge Economy.”
Recognizing that opportunity, the Eugene Chamber of Commerce is leading and supporting efforts to retain, engage and attract young professionals:
•Young Professionals Network (YPN). The focus of YPN is to provide programs specifically targeted to meet the needs of young professionals for networking, professional and personal development, community involvement, awareness and influence.
•Entrepreneurial programs. Through Chamber initiatives such as the entrepreneurial support group SmartUps and the investor-focused Willamette Angel Network and conference, we’re supporting new ideas and business success.
•Partnership with the Springfield Chamber of Commerce. Since 1986, we’ve worked together to promote and foster the development of volunteer leadership. While not exclusively for young professionals, Leadership Eugene-Springfield (LES) has attracted participants who have used the program to establish meaningful volunteer leadership roles in our community that meet the area’s need for the active participation of informed, skilled and motivated community leaders.
•A central role in the creation of the Arts and Business Alliance of Eugene (ABAE). This new group enriches the cultural life of our community by acting as a catalyst for creating dynamic partnerships between the art, culture and business sectors.
Eugene-Springfield’s well-deserved reputation for outstanding livability, coupled with efforts to hold on to and attract talented young people, will be an important piece of an economic strategy that drives a prosperous future.
Dave Hauser is president of the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce. As the area’s leading business advocate, the Chamber works to create an environment in which business will thrive. The Chamber works with partners in business, government and education to improve the quality of life for local residents.
The Eugene inventory of available commercial and industrial lands continues to proceed at a steady pace. Last week the city council adopted a resolution accepting the draft products of the assessment. This puts the City of Eugene in compliance with the 2007 Legislation, House Bill 33337, that compelled the cities of Eugene and Springfield to undertake the inventory.
After concerns arose about the assumptions used by the city’s consultants to compile the current inventory, the Chamber worked with the Homebuilders Association and neighborhood representatives to encourage the City Council to adopt a revised timeline for adopting a final inventory. After accepting the draft language, the City Council will adopt the final, improved inventory in April 2010, then will still be on track to adopt a new Urban Growth Boundary in February 2011.
John Sheppard, owner of Sheppard Motors, has been selected to receive the prestigious 2009 First Citizen Award. Sheppard will receive the award at the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual Celebration of Business on January 20, 2010 at 7:00 PM at the Hilton Eugene & Conference Center.
The First Citizen Award is given annually to an individual who made notable contributions to our community through business and community service efforts. The Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce has presented the award each year since 1938. Sheppard was selected by a panel of former First Citizen honorees.
John Sheppard has been owner and partner of Sheppard Motors since 1972. Sheppard has long dedicated his time to the community, including serving as Chair of the Board of the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce in 1990. He’s been a major supporter and contributor to the Rotary Duck Race for the past 15 years in an effort to help fight child abuse in Lane County. Sheppard has been a large supporter of the Arts, including the Eugene Symphony, the Eugene Opera, The Shedd Institute, and the Oregon Bach Festival.
• The Celebration of Business is one of the area’s premier professional events, with over 650 business and community leaders in attendance each year.
• The event includes celebrating the Future First Citizen: local high school students at top of their class pursuing their dreams as well as the best interests of others.
• Recognition of extraordinary Chamber volunteers, our Shining Stars.
Contact the Eugene Chamber of Commerce at 541-484-1314 for reservations. Tickets are $75 each, which includes dinner and the evening program.
On January 1st, 2010, a law will go into effect that requires building owners to have an automated external defibrillator (AED) available on the premises. The law affects facilities over 50,000 square feet where business is conducted AND twenty-five or more people will congregate or pass through in the course of the day. Note that this requirement pertains to building owners, not tenants. Private residences and places of worship are exempt. Training is not required, nor are exact locations within a facility specified.
AEDs are portable electronic devices that can automatically diagnose and treat cardiac arrest. They are designed for use by a layperson. Most models cost between $1,000 and $2,500.
For more information, or to learn how to acquire an AED, businesses can contact the Health & Safety Institute. Health and Safety Institute provides AEDs and AED training, and is providing a special discount through December 31st to those businesses who mention “Oregon AED”. Contact HSI through their AED webpage, www.hsi.com/oregonaed or call 541-284-3898 to speak to client services about the Oregon AED special.
If you saw the Profile about Birth To Three and David and Tracie Gonyea in November’s “Open For Business,” you also saw the Chamber in action.
Birth To Three is a recipient of “Chamber Cares,” the Chamber’s initiative to help area non-profits. Birth To Three was one of several selected. Each recipient is receiving support via a spotlight in Open For Business, inclusion in the monthly all-member mailing, and placement of a poster in the Chamber lobby.
Birth To Three’s executive director, Minalee Saks, says, “Any increase in donations in times of economic stress means Birth To Three will be better able to maintain parenting programs, thus continuing to help local families create the nurturing environment all children should have.”
Opportunities include the annual campaign and business sponsorships of Cirque de Famille. Learn more about Birth To Three at http://www.birthto3.org or on Facebook.
Marilyn Milne
Communications Director
Birth To Three
birthto3.org
541-434-4356
The Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce honored this year’s Emerald Award winners on Tuesday, Oct. 6, at the sixth annual awards ceremony. The following winners were announced in four categories:
Palo Alto Software was previously announced as the winner of the third annual Business of the Year award.
Thank you to the Emerald Award sponsors: Isler CPA (presenting sponsor); Detlefsen Nel & Associates LLC; Jones & Roth CPAs and Business Consultants; Bank of America and Eugene Water & Electric Board. Media Sponsor: Chambers Productions.
To learn more about the Emerald Awards visit the Emerald Awards website.
The Chamber recently hosted a group of business leaders for an informal conversation with one past and three current members of the Eugene Planning Commission, to help them better understand the job of a planning commissioner. Those in the crowd came from a variety of business backgrounds, but all were interested in helping Eugene move forward with the many challenges and opportunities facing the community, by possibly serving on the commission. Questions were answered about the application process, time commitments, upcoming issues, among many other things. The Chamber has been hard at work seeking pragmatic applicants from the business community who can help Eugene move forward in addressing the many planning challenges and opportunities in the coming months and years. Contact the Chamber's Director of Business Advocacy, Jared Mason-Gere, jaredm@eugenechamber.com or 541/242-2355, for more information on the Chamber's advocacy efforts.
If you've never been to the Eugene Emerald Awards you're missing the best business awards ceremony in our community.
Tomorrow night | Tuesday, October 6th At the Hult Center
Reception: 5:00 – 6:00pm; Program: 6:00 - 7:30 pm
Register now Emerald Awards event or call the Chamber at 484-1314.
The cost is only $25 per person
Listen to remarkable stories about local businesses and the ways in which they contribute to the area’s quality of life in each of the award categories: Community Caring, Innovation, Growth and Environmental Values, and will culminate with a stellar presentation of this year’s Business of the Year award to Palo Alto Software.
Enjoy networking and making connections at an elegant reception featuring lively jazz music and delicious hors d’oeuvres followed by our award ceremony in the elegant Soreng Theater.
Be inspired by a keynote address from Richard Lariviere, President of the University of Oregon.
On October 6, members of the region’s business community will gather for the sixth annual Emerald Awards at the Hult Center. The awards celebrate the business of community and honor those who help make Eugene/Springfield a wonderful place to live and do business.
The Emerald Awards are important because they recognize the stars within the business community here in Lane County – the businesses that look beyond the bottom line to create a community in which our families can thrive, now and in the future.
While our community has it moments, few would argue the fact that local businesses play an essential role in the livability of our community. Providing job opportunities, competitive wages and valuable goods and services for Lane County’s citizens are all fundamental and necessary ingredients contributing to a vibrant and healthy local economy.
But it doesn’t stop there. Local businesses enhance our enviable quality of life by contributing to the health of our environment, the quality of our schools, the abundance of our parks, and the success of our treasured service organizations. And that’s what the Emerald Awards are all about.
These are businesses that recognize that our community is only as strong as the weakest among us. In lean times and lush, they understand that their success is inextricably linked to the vitality of our entire community.
For more information http://theemeraldawards.org. To register to attend the awards ceremony visit the Eugene Chamber's website.
Want to make a difference in your community, influence public policy outcomes, and support the Chamber’s mission to promote a healthy local economy?
The Chamber’s Local Government Affairs Council (LGAC) is accepting applications from members interested in helping the Chamber weigh in on important city, county, and state decisions that impact local businesses. From transportation to public safety, downtown to taxation, LGAC has played a role in public policy decision making for a decade, helping chart the course for the Chamber’s advocacy work, and providing their insight to state, city, and county elected officials and staff.
The Committee is comprised of 25 members, from various categories of Chamber membership, and a variety of experiences and expertise. The group meets weekly, Friday mornings at 7:30am at the Eugene Chamber.
Contact Jared Mason-Gere, Director of Business Advocacy at 242-2355 or jaredm@eugenechamber.com, for more details.
We are excited to announce that your investment in the Eugene Chamber may now provide you with even more of an immediate return. Through our partnership with SAIF Corporation, your organization may now be eligible to receive a 7% discount on your workers’ compensation premiums. This is an increase of 3% over the previous year. To find out if your organization is eligible, contact your SAIF representative or independent insurance agent.
The announced closure last summer of Hynix Semiconductor Manufacturing America and layoffs by a handful of the region’s most prominent employers served as reminders of just how fragile our local economy can be. While Eugene/Springfield has had its share of economic development successes over the past decade, recent announcements point to the need for a comprehensive regional economic development game plan.
A generally accepted definition of economic development is "the development of economic wealth of countries or regions for the well-being of their inhabitants." I really like the last part. Throughout our 100-plus years, the Eugene Chamber has linked a strong local economy with the livability of the people in the community.
So how is the local economy performing?
If our local economy were a college football team, you could say we are struggling to become bowl eligible. That’s not to suggest we haven’t had economic successes. We have. Or that local economic development organizations, including the Eugene Chamber, aren’t working hard to produce results. We are.
What holds us back is the absence of a comprehensive regional economic development strategy. Today, there are no fewer than 14 economic development organizations in Eugene/Springfield, each working from a different business plan. If we were a football team, we’d be trying to win a game with each player working from a different playbook.
We need a regional playbook. A plan that aligns the efforts of public and private players with an economic development strategy that defines the kind of local economy we aspire to -- and that then institutes a series of coordinated steps to achieve it. We need a plan that produces more results to advance the well-being of residents.
This is a top priority of the Eugene Chamber. We are, and have been, committed to collaborating with local partners to produce results that work for our communities.
Dave Hauser is president of the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce. As the area’s leading business advocate, the Chamber works to create an environment in which business will thrive. The Chamber works with partners in business, government and education to improve the quality of life for local residents.
Anyone can look at the challenges we face in developing local businesses and advancing the economy -- and be defeated by them. But there are too many examples that our local economic engine is running and ready to run down the tracks to stay pessimistic for long. So, with my apologies to David Letterman, here are my "Top 10 reasons to be optimistic about the economic future":
1. Local companies are thriving.
- Companies such as Bulk Handling Systems, Springfield Creamery, Western Pneumatics and other manufacturers are growing in our market.
- Enterprise Rent-A-Car doubled its downtown location to 275 employees, and it will soon reach 300 employees.
- Seneca Sawmill Company will launch plans for a $45 million electrical co-generation facility after receiving final regulatory approval.
2. The medical sector continues its dynamic growth.
- PeaceHealth, Oregon Region, continues to make capital investments in our area and has plans for more.
- A new regional veterans hospital ($82 Million) is in the works.
- Projections for the Oregon State Hospital Replacement Project in Junction City value it at $182 million.
- The two local chambers of commerce, two city governments, two hospitals, the University of Oregon and Lane Community College (LCC) are joining forces to explore ways to accelerate the growth of the medical sector in our region.
3. Lane Community College is taking a major step forward.
- Broad community support for a local bond measure will allow LCC to continue its critical contribution to workforce training. The $82 million capital project will strengthen the institution’s role in driving the region’s economic recovery while providing the shorter-term benefit of new construction.
- It may be possible to leverage the $82 million with another $8 million in capital from the $176 million Oregon economic stimulus package.
- Prospects are high for a new $27 million downtown center.
4. The University of Oregon keeps the local economy running.
- In fiscal year 2007-2008, the university generated an estimated $1.5 billion in direct and indirect expenditures. For every $1 the university received in state taxpayer support, $20 was pumped into the state's economy.
5. Eugene will forever be known on the world stage as Track Town, USA.
- The perfectly executed 2008 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials and the USA Track and Field Championships cemented our reputation as "Track Town, USA … Forever," and positioned Eugene as a logical host for major track-and-field meets in the years to come.
6. EWEB’s relocation creates new opportunities for downtown Eugene.
- A new Eugene Water & Electric Board operations center in west Eugene will inject more than $83 million dollars into the local economy.
- The move has prompted redevelopment plans of EWEB’s existing 27-acre site on prime riverfront property in downtown. Rowell-Brokaw Architects and a community advisory team are leading the effort to create a master plan.
- EWEB is also stimulating the local economy with projects such as the Leaburg Dam fish passage ($11 million), the re-licensing of the Carmen/Smith facilities ($135 million) and the eventual conversion of approximately 75 downtown properties from steam to an alternative energy source.
7. Expansion of retail centers establish Eugene as a shopping hub of the southern Willamette Valley.
- The Coburg Road corridor saw a flurry of activity beginning with the redevelopment of Coburg Square (on the northeast corner of Coburg and Willakenzie Roads) and continuing with the construction of Coburg Station and Uptown Plaza. In all, more than 45,000 square feet of retail space was built, with the potential for more than a dozen storefronts.
- Development continues at Crescent Village, and Nike’s move to Oakway Center set plans in motion at the Fifth Street Public Market for an upscale inn with amenities unlike any other offered in the area.
8. Entrepreneurial development has new momentum.
- Dynamic new ventures in Eugene/Springfield such as Floragenex, TakeShape Inc., Arcimoto, Sunburst, MitoSciences and Dune Sciences are the foundation for tomorrow’s economy.
9. Where quality of life is concerned, our natural assets have received national attention.
- Eugene/Springfield earned a ranking on Forbes magazine’s "The Best Places For Business And Careers" list, and we earned third place in three population categories of the "Next Cities" report that surveyed young professionals 20-40 years old for their best places to live and work.
10. Interest in economic development continues to grow.
- It’s summer, and rays of hope shine through the fog of economic challenges. Gray Northwest skies always give way to infinite sunshine in summer. These economic storm clouds, too, shall pass, and our business community will emerge from its solid grounding, ready to grow and yield a bounty.
Our diverse local economy is supported by a number of industries, and because we support businesses of all types and sizes, we are an attractive destination for the kinds of innovative companies that do well in challenging economic times.
What a day! Over 120 local business people had a great time playing in the 35th annual Joint Chamber Golf Classic yesterday. Congratulations to the following golfers for their outstanding skills:
1st Place (55)
Earl Omlid, Omlid & Swinney Fire Protection
O'Jay Omlid, Omlid & Swinney Fire Protection
John Brumback, JB Electric
Dave Hillis, Chambers Construction
2nd Place (57)
James Kuykendall, Square Deal Lumber
Tony Rodriguez, Square Deal Lumber
O'Mar Farah, Square Deal Lumber
Kyle Hudson, Square Deal Lumber
3rd Place (59)
Jeff Asay, United Industrial Equipment
Dave Smith, United Industrial Equipment
Nate Larson, United Industrial Equipment
Matt Gillman, United Industrial Equipment
In addition to the team prizes, individual prizes were awarded to:
Thank you to Title Sponsor Marquis Care at Springfield and Tee/Green sponsors: DePaul Staffing; Feynman Group; Gleaves Swearingen Potter & Scott, Hilton Eugene & Conference Center; Jerry's Home Improvement Center; Jones & Roth CPAs; Northwest Community Credit Union; NW Natural; Oakshire Brewing; Omlid & Swinney Fire Protection and Security; Pacific Continental Bank; Pepsi Cola Bottling Co.; Qdoba Mexican Grill; Safeway, Inc.; SelecTemp Employment Services; Villard Street Pub and West Coast Bank.
Classic this afternoon. The event's title sponsor, Marquis Care of Springfield and the 18 other tee and green sponsors welcomed over 100 golfers to Springfield Country Club for a 12:30pm shotgun start. 
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