Medford -- August 16, 2004

Partial List of Issues Raised by Panelists & Audience Members

- Brand Oregon is important

- Government support for the arts

- Education & education support

- Transportation

- Need dependable source of water -- cutbacks would hurt the economy

- Target higher education dollars to potential for job creation & for building skills needed in good jobs

- Education is key -- business can't function without good people

- Need to diversify revenue sources -- sales tax for school is a good idea

- Cost of healthcare is increasing -- double-digit increases every year.

- SAIF is important -- do not abolish

- Drug abuse: having trouble recruiting people that can pass a drug test

- The new state Board of Education is good and has a good commitment to strengthening the economy

- Need to make stronger linkages with k-12 education and higher education

- Higher education is a key player with new research and design -- need to support

- Need to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the delivery of medical care -- Southern Oregon & rest of state can develop businesses that specialize in the medical care delivery and then export their businesses/ideas through the internet and telco -- healthcare industry is only going to get larger

- Access to capital is key -- need one stop shopping for venture capital -- possibly use state treasurers office to facilitate.

- Southern Oregon University needs venture capital -- especially for early stage research that could create a commercial product -- Michigan has one stop venture capital screening and help through their small business office -- venture capital people need to get together to think about ways to reach more people

- Low workers compensation insurance is important -- SAIF is important

- Commercialization of research in smaller universities is hard -- don't have the resources to do the intellectual property work to bring products to market

- Give incentives to companies to rehab people who fail drug tests

View the Initiative Survey Results from Medford & See How They Compare to the Issues Raised Above.

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