Breakout Group: Themes & Issues Bend Regional Meeting


Group #1

People

  • Do higher ed offerings, meet existing job needs in region (involve business in that)
  • Not enough options for people to move here (Specialties)
  • Pre-K-12 is not a draw
  • High ration of entrepreneurs
  • Lack of trades people (education directs to college only)
  • Who’s here?
  • Tap into retired residents (resource)
  • Workers put too much emphasis on workers in transition

Place

  • Modify land use, region too rigid (line not a moat)
  • It’s a place to go to have fun!
  • Will continue to grow
  • Outstanding medical support
  • Quality of life/ economic balance

Productivity

  • Both state & local regulation issues
  • Different place to do business
  • In general
  • Taxes are high
  • Business is outside the region
  • Products in & out is very expensive
  • People in & out is very expensive
  • Infrastructure is improving
  • Transportation repairs and maintenance
  • Delicate balance

Pioneering Innovation

  • Lack of Equity (retirees to local investors)
  • Banks are into debt finance for small business’
  • Lack of stability in state govt. funding
  • Support for innovators is fragmented
  • Better public-private links
  • Tap asset based business
  • Grow existing business’
  • Support tech commercialization


Group #2

People

  • Fund growth in Central Oregon education system
  • Educated workforce
  • R&D company funding, stimulating opportunities
  • Greater flexibility in higher education, through OUS/institution to institution
  • Improving procurement power using education funding
  • Improving education funding efficiency/ use
  • Multiple employment opportunities for highly skilled workers
  • Transportation and day care cost assistance/ safe & reliable day care

Place

  • Transportation
    • Greater Access
    • Finding cost efficiencies
    • Following through on projects
    • Diversification
    • Direct flights to Denver
  • Preserving and maintaining natural resources
  • Water allocation plan
  • Updating/ revisiting urban growth plans
  • Affordable housing/ communities
  • Land access management
  • Linking tourism to business marketing

Productivity

  • Creating opportunities locally for educated workers
  • Health care costs
  • Completing transportation projects to improve productivity
  • Bringing desperate interests together to solve tough problems
  • Telecom & wireless infrastructure
  • Revised tax structure o All options on the table
  • Access to affordable expertise for small business’
  • Better synergies between business & universities (business opportunities)
  • Producing an educated workforce
  • Sustain city regulations/ better management of resources

Pioneering Innovation

  • Equity capital
  • Buy Oregon first
  • Entrepreneurial curriculum at local university
  • Business’ sharing resources
  • Exploring markets beyond Asia
  • Creation of a database/ business inventory
  • Marketing the central Oregon region
  • Start up business services
  • Modeling historical business successes/ centers of excellence
  • Access to venture capital/ $25 million
  • Creating incentives for VC investment

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