Breakout Groups: Themes & Issues
Portland Metropolitan Regional Meeting

Alpine #1

People

• Focus on future workforce, diverse
• Include options for non-college educated
• Fund and articulate and improve K-Gray education
• Connect with public
• Restore confidence in institutions
• End brain drain
• Grow population with stake in Portland

Place

• Build community identity
• Build links between people and government
• Most important asset of visitor industry, our image/brand, clean, green, friendly
• Planning
• Cost of housing
• Build shared understanding of Oregon
• Quality of life versus standard of living
• Environment AND economy

Productivity

• Use initiative process to break logjam on funding
• Top leaders need to support business aims
• End/eliminate shifting procedural and regulatory targets
• Develop public/private partnerships
• Develop sense of shared future
• Business and livability linked
• Create stability in regulatory system
• End turf wars among levels of government regulating same things
• New regulations: first do no harm

Pioneering Innovation

• New business/tech sectors
• Resources there – access unclear
• Mentoring
• More business friendly government
• Collaboration/cooperation culture
• State “culture” to embrace innovators
• Promote tech transfer
• Need leadership, need to decide and go, process oriented
• Leadership, decide on unified program for state and encourage leadership
• End “good is good enough” attitude, embrace “best” and success
• Common vision a starting point
• Centers of knowledge creation, focus

Alpine #2

People

• Stable funding/K-12
• Matching dollars w/ industry needs and programming
• Technical high school and trade high schools
• Last two years, focus on specific training
• Education option for post-secondary
• College preparation courses/programs
• More $ for “flexible” ed programs
• Better focus on arts and creative education
• Funding for engineering school/programs, R&D
• More focus on science-based programs earlier
• Build constituency for increased higher ed funding
• More help for folks on the margins to access quality education

Place

• Maintain efficient transportation infrastructure
• Focus on balancing economy and environment, not either/or
• Analyze European and other models
• Increase/improve livability: affordable housing, better access to arts/education, more local recreation opportunities, stronger park and greenspace planning.
• Maintain strong public safety services
• Early intervention programs
• More support for mental health services

Productivity

• Agriculture: don’t abandon our basic industries, encourage value added agriculture programs, focus ag-related resources on local communities
• Leadership; public and private collaboration
• Build support for a collaborative approach to policy making
• Overhauling the tax system
• Stable transportation funding

Pioneering Innovation

• Access to capital
• New business incentives, attracting
• Tech transfer
• Brand Oregon
• Global/International commerce

Alpine #3

People

• #1 Priority, K-12 declining, college ratings scores going down
• Investments in people in education is Oregon’s best option
• Decline in quality education investments are having negative effect on Oregon
• Oregon’s education climate decline represents a tough sell for attracting business investment

Place

• Place is the last unspoiled advantage Oregon has
• Environmental regulations are tough but Oregon can work to save quality environment
• Pay more to promote/save Oregon’s essential recreation options
• Resistance to “Pay to Play” on Oregon recreations

Productivity

• Significant cluster of warehousing and distribution which lives on good transportation infrastructure
• Industrial lands to support expansions of new/existing business
• Included costs for transportation of goods is critical for global competitiveness for Oregon businesses
• Education is a fundamental infrastructure
• Commercialization of ideas from universities
• High PERS/capital gains tax rates drive important clusters out of Oregon
• To revise Oregon tax structure will require support/commitment by business community
• Attracting key employers is influenced by education infrastructure
• Need stability fund to support essential services of government including education/public safety
• Include investments in education, less investments in regulatory agencies that restrains economy of Oregon
• Regulatory climate can retain or drive out investments
• Use regulation to “incent” business investments that improve Oregon environmental climate vs. tax to prevent
• Permit/fees has created negative climate for business investments
• Increase in permit fees have been implemented to replace loss of tax revenues
• Oregon need to take risks to create new answers to challenges
• Tax restructuring won’t happen until populace believes priority investments are not education
• Do we have sufficient incentives to encourage existing Oregon businesses to expand?
• Oregon’s high school dropout rates create other public service costs paid by taxes
• PERS funding challenges are creating financial burdens on all public services
• Oregonians would vote for a targeted sales tax for essential services in education

Pioneering Innovation

• Need for more venture capital
• Need for life science, early seed/venture capital needed
• Jobs to fuel Oregon’s public innovation
• International trade assistance/support to increase Oregon companies’ exports
• Greater understanding/commitment to International events
• Increase export/import trade through Oregon/PDX to expand International markets
• Transportation system to facilitate movement of goods/services to global markets

Los Colinas/Summerlin #1

People

• Workforce, higher ed investments
• K-12 perceptions/reality on hiring – perhaps more import than training workers
• Have to be good K-12, fewer competing factors
• Health care = hires locally
• “Procedures” need greater demand
• Training by manufactures on the job
• Healthcare = hi-tech
• Need for workforce training specific
• Connect art and business design

Place

• Urban growth boundary limits growth
• Sense of environment linked to land use/growth
• Will we lose place by meeting infrastructure needs?
• Superfund at Port
• Overestimate place as an advantage
• Do we focus on it too much
• #1 cost to operate, #2 cost to operate
• Where would we be without it
• Social engineering needs tweaking

Productivity

• Distribution/logistics a strength
• Cost issues for new folks
• Regulatory attitudes, need for an ombudsman, level playing field, certainty

Pioneering Innovation

Los Colinas/Summerlin #2

People

• Use quality ed model to have accountability and results, must not leave people behind
• Skills important

Place

• Lack of competitive priced business land
• Resolve business versus environmentalists
• Sensitivity to local standards, different density goals
• Utility costs (energy and water)
• Deal w/ land use issues
• Crime is a growing problem

Productivity

• Tax structure, too hard on small to mid cap investments by companies
• Over regulation in tech: Rather than results, too much, uncertainty
• Unfunded mandates (e.g. health plan cuts hit providers by not adjusting)
• Streamlining permitting, overly involved w/ process
• Lack of appropriately zoned land
• Tie incentive to attracting new as well as existing business
• New process technologies can’t be accommodated
• Keep permitting as a separate category

Pioneering Innovation

• Lack of venture capital
• Don’t’ have an eny. to support new companies
• Important to link different steps necessary to go from research to products
• More focus on export ready companies
• Take advantage of Oregon’s sustainable development reputation
• More incentive for industry-university partnerships

Los Colinas/Summerlin #3

People

• Overall education system needs fix
• Collaborative effort with focus to address problems/system
• Education appears unstable, sends wrong message
• Review tax system
• Additional expectations: more diverse student population

Place

• Clustering important, how to grow new ones
• Jobs, housing balance important
• Available land, review state laws, need choice
• Public safety

Productivity

• Tax reform
• News taxes, elements could be a disincentive to attract workers

Pioneering Innovation

Blue Canyon #1

People

• Now is great time to hire – good workforce/qualified people are available
• More dollars needed for existing workforce training – invest in existing employees don’t always spend resources on retraining unemployed
• Right kinds of training course are not always available
• Healthcare in particular facing shortage or workers and yet don’t have training programs to support needed workforce; good health delivery systems key part of quality of life
• Better training for bioscience industry (a highly regulated industry) as well – do have programs in community colleges, also need four year programs
• State gets low marks across the board for K-post university system; both funding and commitment to quality
• Lacking major research university; don’t have top notch engineering university
• Universities/community college not as well coordinated as could be – are resources being used most efficiently and effectively?
• Oregon has been lucky – while we lack top notch universities, we have benefited from intellectual spin offs from companies like Intel
• Lack an overall strategy – should have integration from K-5 to middle to high school on to college
• Oregon’s population is diversifying, need to be able to deal with this
• Better understanding relationships between university system and business

Place

• Place should be in harmony with the other 3 quadrants – shouldn’t dominate
• We can’t afford to rely on place; “place” is not as big a competitive factor for Oregon as it use to be
• Oregon has a good foundation – all our work in planning and infrastructure should now be allowed to work for us; let’s grow on our foundation
• How do we move on – keep it all terrific place for the future
• If we don’t have a healthy economy we can’t support a quality place (public safety, education, etc.)
• The recession has certainly highlighted the importance of the economy and how it supports our public services
• Quality development and controlling sprawl – what does this really mean?
• Industrial lands – either don’t have it or isn’t ready to go
• Places issues shouldn’t be treated as win-lose

Productivity

• Need to talk more about the benefits of investments in transportation infrastructure and quit arguing over costs
• Tax structure needs to be fixed
• Stable funding source for schools; shouldn’t argue over curriculum; we need to solve how to pay for it
• Regulatory environment is inefficient and dysfunctional – permitting needs streamlining, etc.
• “It is not a single product model, nor a single manager, nor one ad, nor one single celebrity, not even a single innovation that is the key to Nike. It is the people of Nike and their unique and creative way of working together.” – Phil Knight

Pioneering Innovation

• International resources underutilized; sister cities, alumni
• International trade risky and takes $
• Entrepreneurial vitality not one of our strong points
• Angel funds available; anything beyond that not here/available; lack of expansion capital
• Clinical studies for drug trials (FDA approved) are happening overseas – opportunity to do this in Oregon
• Oregon does have a strong track record for innovation in agriculture and forest products and also high tech. But we don’t celebrate it/tout our success
• Clearing house for entrepreneurial type business – learn from each other?
• Biggest hurdles for new ideas/entrepreneurs ‡ access to capital and process/regulations/permits required to start or grow a business
• State finance programs have not adapted – changed requirements to meet needs of start-ups/entrepreneurial businesses
• Fed cap on business development funds limits ability to help
• Asset lending versus intellectual growth business don’t have assets therefore can’t borrow $ from banks

Blue Canyon #2

People

• Importance: Higher Ed in the short-term, K-12 in long-term
• Business/professional education
• Adult education/literacy/ESL

Place

• Not a priority unless other areas are addressed

Productivity

• Movement of people, goods, ideas, business costs

Pioneering Innovation

• International trade
• New company spawning
• Venture capital activity ‡ R&D ‡ patents ‡ Venture Capital
• Attitude of government at all levels

Blue Canyon #3

People

• Train student to achieve at highest global levels
• First class continuing education, during employment
• Finance system for schools
• Foreign language training
• Community colleges, especially rural
• Prison labor for some production
• Invest in higher ed faculty (bring research dollars), use tax credits

Place

• More economic development in some parts of Portland, appearances, safety
• Transportation funding, not just light rail
• Over-focus on livability at expense of business development
• Need to be able to live near jobs
• Change land use criteria: must account for economic criteria, allow local jurisdictions “super-siting”

Productivity

• Transportation linkages need to be funded – multimodal
• Industrial land, especially for warehousing and distribution
• Streamline land use process and permitting – to much focus on regulating as opposed to helping companies through process
• Change tax structure – need leadership
• Educate public – information system about taxes, regulations, education system (needs to be grassroots, need coalition including business, unions, education)
• Business participation in public organizations – with backbone

Pioneering Innovation

• Capital – but where? Have capital but right stage? Not just for hi-tech
• Increase entrepreneurial spirit: Venture capital
• Access to International marketplace (Productivity): flights, ship channels, roads
• Help with the “how to” of international trade, awareness of what’s here already.
• Education: attract kids to math and science (people)
• State Ag marketing with Economic development marketing
• Economic leadership, rebranding of Oregon
• Tax incentives, sell tax credits to other companies
• Best private leaders ‡ State government

Muirfield #1

People

• Support K-12/pre-gray
• 7:1 return on investment in education
• Dedicated funding for K-12
• Community colleges to provide technical/professional skills in middle of job pyramid
• Workforce training
• Re-training (through Economic Development Department or similar)
• How to inspire young students to creative careers if art/music/design disappears from K-12 curriculum?
• Foreign language: Need broader offerings; full-year classes; expand immersion classes (preparing for global community/economy)

Place

• Arts in the schools (raise committed/astute audiences)
• Portland Metro should become center for sustainable design
• Preserving open space and maintaining recreation assets
• Link Metro open space with fed lands
• Plan/anticipate tension between need for “green space” and increasing urban density
• Keep “overhead” cost of doing business low
• Keep focused on advantages of place even in down economy
• Reduce rate of Oregon

Productivity

• Intra-Metro area discrepancy in business license tax
• Pay closer attention to cumulative impact of fees/taxes/regulations on local businesses
• Consider the incentive/disincentive of tax structure
• Timeliness and complexity of permitting/regulations
• Maximize use of “e-government”
• Improve electronic infrastructure
• Keep physical infrastructure working

Pioneering Innovation

• Policies to support firm formation, tech transfer, innovation
• Higher ed/research capacity: graduate degrees; in metro area; expand research, especially in funded research; emphasize commercialization
• Transition UO, PSU, OSU toward public corporation status (like OHSU)
• “Grow our own”
• Support 80% of economy that’s already here (not just recruit big outside firms)
• Make regulations to help Oregon businesses grow
• Air service, especially International

Muirfield #2

People

• Standard setting
• What is good against what peer group?
• Myths and realities, know the differences
• Immediacy
• Federal dollars for research/higher education
• Higher ed is getting there, it is solid
• Commitment, no follow through
• Knowledge businesses need trained people, engineering investments
• Access to education
• Adequate funding in right place
• Mechanisms to invest in right places
• Know right thing
• Diversity is a reality

Place

• Quality growth, land use issues
• Imbalanced between planning and economic forces
• Urban growth flexibility
• Transportation

Productivity

• Business costs, taxes too high
• SDC to high
• Process and overhead
• Access to capital

Pioneering Innovation

• Losing people, technology locked in University

Muirfield #3

People

• 4-year institutions – beef-up in science (community colleges relatively overfunded?)
• Aim for a “10” in science area within educational institutions where we also have cluster potential (i.e. support for our clusters with higher education programs)
• K-12 – funding and quality; need quality as attraction feature for outsiders

Place

• Changes regarding urban growth boundary – need land where industry needs are
• Commute times – keep them manageable
• Bridge “growth/no growth” divide
• Provide jobs to encourage a progressive vision for growth

Productivity

• Deepen Columbia channel
• Change tax system in the context of what we want the state to do/be
• Be cautious about mandating what companies pay in images
• Implement key regulation reforms and follow through on City’s and Oregon’s part
• Redefine how health care is financed and delivered
• Create “fast track” possibility for desirable companies
• Keep government out of private business (e.g. PGE) – or look at privatization of services

Pioneering Innovation

• Attract talent from out of state (researchers with potential of commercialization, “proven winners).
• Use tax changes to lure key people
• Convince foundations to invest in outside venture capital firms in exchange for placing a partner in Portland
• Flights abroad
• Subsidize incoming foreign flights

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