2006 News Archive

10/23/06:  Seven new business groups sign up for drug-free workplaces initiative

A statewide initiative aimed at tripling the number of Oregon employers who adopt and enforce drug-free workplace policies by the end of 2008 is adding seven more communities as pilot sites.

The Oregon Department of Human Services initiative is adding two Portland business organizations and the chambers of commerce of Astoria-Warrenton, Cannon Beach, Keizer, McMinnville, Salem and Seaside.

Already participating in the effort, managed on contract by the Tualatin-based nonprofit Workdrugfree, were the Bend, Klamath County and Prineville-Crook County chambers.

  “These business organizations see first-hand the harmful consequences of addiction,” said Karen Wheeler, DHS addictions policy manager. “By ensuring their workplaces are drug free, they are saying they care about customer safety, workforce quality and promoting the well-being of employees, families and communities.”

The drug-free workplace initiative is an element of the Oregon Business Plan, a 12-point strategy that state business leaders have crafted to strengthen the state’s commerce, payrolls and economy. DHS provides funding and staff support.

Mimi Bushman, who manages Workdrugfree as a program of the Oregon Nurses Foundation, said participating chambers will receive technical assistance to write drug-free workplace policies, train supervisors, join employee assistance programs and receive reduced rates on employee drug testing.

“Becoming a drug-free workplace will cost the small employer less than $500 initially,” Bushman said, “and that cost should be more than offset by reducing employee absenteeism, accidents and other costly risks resulting from employee drug use.”

In their applications, the business groups said they wanted to build on the work already being done by businesses and others locally. The McMinnville chamber said 73 percent of businesses responding to a survey reported having drug-free policies in place, 42 percent said they test new employees and 25 percent conduct random testing, yet many employers need training to successfully implement policies.

The Portland application, submitted by the Portland Drug-Safe Workplace Advisory Board and the Portland Business Alliance, said businesses there have been working on the issue since 1987, that two 2005 drug forums were sold out and that drug use is an “issue of critical importance to business competitiveness.”

The three Clatsop County chambers and the Salem and Keizer chambers said they would collaborate as regional projects.

Among previously named sites, the Bend chamber has offered two company policy-writing workshops and a supervisor training; Klamath County chamber has conducted a survey of 500 businesses that expressed interest in drug-free assistance; and the Prineville-Crook County chamber will launch a four-part effort Nov. 3. Meanwhile, the Oregon Employment Department will conduct an employer survey this fall for Workdrugfree.

Bringing the share of drug-free workplaces to 75 percent statewide would triple the percentage reported in 2003.

September 19, 2006:  Oregon InC Presents  Innovation Plan

The Oregon Innovation Council (Oregon InC) today presented the state Innovation Plan and urged Oregon's Governor and state legislature to adopt an economic stimulus package of up to $40 million to be invested by 2009.  The Council's "roadmap" is designed to create business and employment opportunities throughout the state.

The package supports growth strategies embraced by innovation-driven industries, such as food processing, manufacturing, alternative energy, and key industrial research centers.

David Chen of OVP Venture Partners and Chair of the Oregon Innovation Council, sits on the Oregon Business Plan Steering Committee. The Steering Committee will review the Innovation Plan and intends to include it's recommendations in the Oregon Business Plan.

Chen, along with Oregon InC Co-Chair Stuart Cohen, presented the Plan to the Governor today at Gunderson, a railroad-car and barge fabricator located in Northwest Portland.  

Chen said that the Plan was the result of ten months of intensive outreach, hearings, proposal deliberations and prioritizations.  He also described the Plan as "a roadmap for Oregon to apply and align our indigenous advantages, the research in our universities, the initiatives in our industry clusters, and public investments to target new market opportunities that have the potential to create jobs and opportunity in every corner of the state."

The Plan's Executive Summary can be viewed at the Oregon InC website (www.oregoninc.org)

Oregon Business Council Announces Next Phase of Health Information Exchange Project (September 14, 2006)

Portland, Ore. – The Oregon Business Council (OBC) announced today that the Data Exchange Group, a sub-group of the OBC’s Health Care Task Force, has approved the next phase toward a pilot project that would focus on enhancing the exchange of health information among providers and locations of care. The information shared would include lab, imaging results and summaries of hospital and emergency room visits.

  “We have a serious problem in Oregon and throughout our nation with the health care system,” said Mark Ganz, president and chief executive officer of Regence and chair of the Data Exchange group. “Consumers are not getting the maximum value from our health care system. We need to find ways to improve quality and access while reducing the current cost trends, and this data exchange pilot project is an important first step in that direction.”

The Data Exchange Group is part of a larger effort that the Oregon Business Council is leading to promote better value, outcomes and quality within Oregon’s health care system. 

The intent of the Data Exchange Group is to ensure that useful, meaningful health information is securely available among authorized providers whenever they need it, thus improving the overall safety and effectiveness of an individual’s care. Improving the exchange of information among providers will also yield cost savings for consumers through reductions in duplicate testing, paper processing and unnecessary office visits.

“All of us – consumers, employers, providers, insurers and government – are contributing to the problem, so we all need to be part of the solution,” said Duncan Wyse, president of the Oregon Business Council. “Employers have an important leadership role to play in the current system, so it’s particularly rewarding that the business and health care communities are joining forces to develop viable solutions such as this.”

  For this next phase, the Oregon Business Council will contract with the Oregon Health Care Quality Corporation for the development of project requirements and a business plan. The project is expected to take six months, at which time the OBC Data Exchange group will decide whether to fully fund and launch the overall project.

“We are thrilled to have this level of commitment from these healthcare and business leaders,” said Jody Pettit, M.D., health information project chair of Oregon Health Care Quality Corporation and Health Information Technology Coordinator, in the Office for Oregon Health Policy and Research, “their support of the private and secure flow of health information  can go a long way toward improving the safety, quality and efficiency of  health care for Oregonians.”

Founded in 1985, The Oregon Business Council is an association of more than 40 top business executives focused on public issues that affect Oregon's life and future. The organization’s mission is to mobilize business leaders to contribute to Oregon's quality of life and economic prosperity. OBC is nonpartisan and independent, working on issues as diverse as education, watershed health, transportation, fiscal reform and economic development. While OBC is independent in its deliberations and policy positions, it often works closely with other business organizations, nonprofits and government agencies to promote policies that improve Oregon’s communities.

Leadership Committee Announces Date for Fifth Annual Summit

January 4, 2007 at the Oregon Convention Center

The OBP Leadership Committee, comprised of Senators Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith, Governor Ted Kulongoski, Senate President Peter Courtney, and House Speaker Karen Minnis have chosen January 4th as the date for the Annual Leadership Summit.

The Summit, now in its fifth year, has become the key policy forum in Oregon, recognized nationally as one of the most successful and unique models for business, elected, and community leaders working together to strengthen the economy.

The OBP Steering Committee is busy updating the Oregon Business Plan for the January Summit.  Drawing on the advice of Dr. Michael Porter, the Committee will refine the plan's vision and strategy, and initiative leaders will bring forth a new set of recommendations and action items to help create jobs and spur economic growth in Oregon.

As part of refreshing the Plan, the Steering Committee is seeking ideas for new initiatives.  Do you have a proposal to create jobs or to make Oregon more competitive in the global economy? 

If so, email initiativeideas@oregonbusinessplan.org. The Committee wants to hear your recommendations (click here to view submission guidelines for new initiatives).

Click here to view results from previous leadership Summits.

What you need to know:

What: Fifth Annual Oregon Leadership Summit
When: January 4th, 2007
Where: Oregon Convention Center

Stay tuned for details on the Summit as the agenda unfolds.  Better yet, tell us what you think.  We'd love to here your thoughts on how to continue making the Leadership Summit successful in uniting Oregon's business, elected, and community leaders around a common agenda for creating jobs in Oregon.  Email your ideas to summitideas@oregonbusinessplan.org

"Big Look" Committee releases results of issue identification survey

Last month, we asked you to participate in the Big Look Issue Identification Survey.  Click here to see the results of the survey.

Oregon Stands to Receive Nearly $100 Million for Defense Projects (7/24/06)

Senators Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith said Monday the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee approved the funds, which includes money for a number of Oregon nanotechnology projects through the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute, or ONAMI, as well as other defense related projects across the state.  The Bill still must clear the Senate.

Here are the projects that will receive funding:

•  ONAMI would receive $2.076 million for the Center for Nanotechnology for Thermal Management and Portable Power Generation, the new Oregon nanotechnology center Senators Wyden and Smith announced in February.  The center will develop nanotechnologies which significantly enhance the performance of microelectronics for military applications.
•  ONAMI would also receive $5 million for the safer nanomaterials and nanomanufacturing program. 
• ONAMI would also receive $2.5 million for the Nanoelectronics and Nanometrology Initiative. 
•  ONAMI would also receive $1.7 million for the miniature tactical energy systems development program.
•  Freightliner, based in Portland, would receive over $35 million to continue its program of replacing linehaul trucks with armored versions.
•  Northwest Marine, LLC of Portland would receive $5 million to procure watercraft to be used as barrier tenders to move and service barrier equipment afloat.
• Silver Eagle Manufacturing of Portland would receive $5 million to produce a limited number of mobile field hospitals and shelters for evaluation under field conditions.
• HemCon of Tigard would receive $4.8 million to study the effectiveness of chitosan dressings in treating burns. 
• Microsemi's Power Products Group (formerly Advanced Power Technology) of Bend would receive $4 million to develop technology related to the use of silicon carbide semiconductor components for use in military avionics applications.
• Digimarc of Beaverton would receive $4 million for the research and development of a real-time geospatial video sensor, allowing the information collected to be directly available for instant retrieval on the battlefield.
•  IdaTech of Bend would receive $3 million to develop fuel cell technology suitable for battlefield military applications.
• The Northwest Manufacturing Initiative would receive $2.6 million to assist the region's manufacturing industry cluster; one focus of this project is to assist small to medium sized manufacturers in the region be more competitive in defense-related contracting.
• The University of Oregon's Brain, Biology and Machine Science Initiative would receive $2.5 million for interdisciplinary research related to cognitive neuroscience, genetics research, and informatics.
• Columbia Power Technologies of Wilsonville would receive $2 million to research, develop and construct a direct drive power buoy system, in cooperation with Oregon State University, to demonstrate the viability of wave energy as a source of electric power.
• Mountain High Equipment & Supply Company of Redmond would receive $2 million for the procurement of a more effective and efficient oxygen supply system for high altitude rotary wing pilots.
• InSport would receive $2 million for the procurement of a base layer garment for Marine Corps expeditionary forces personnel.

Big Look Committee seeks input on Oregon's land use planning (6/27/06)

Smith Secures $15 Million for Columbia River Channel deepening in Senate Bill (6/27/06)

Today, Senator Gordon Smith announced that the Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee passed its annual spending bill which includes $15 million to continue dredging the Columbia River Channel.  If signed into law, the $15 million approved today would allow channel deepening to reach an area near Rainier, Oregon and Longview, Washington.

Business Plan co-hosts forum on drug-free workplaces (6/21/06)

The forum for policymakers, business, and community leaders is set to take place on 6/27/06 at NW Natural.  The even is co-hosted by the Workdrugfree Employer Task Group and the Oregon Nurses Foundation.

The forum will highlight the Oregon Business Plan Drug-free Workplaces platform, a component of the Meet Targeted Workforce Needs of Industry Initiative.  The purpose will be to educate policymakers on the impacts of and potential solutions to drugs in the workplace with the hopes of developing a statewide strategy to combat workplace drug-use. The forum will be moderated by the Oregon Business Plan Workforce Initiative Leader Eileen Drake and will feature a panel of prominent Oregon employers and unions, including representatives from Hoffman Construction, Medford Fabrication,  Columbia Forest Products and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW).  Click here for an agenda.

If you are interested in attending the event, please contact Mimi Bushman at bushman@oregonrn.org.  

Business Plan launches study of total compensation in Oregon's public sector. (6/20/06)

The Oregon Business Plan teamed up with the PSU School of Business for a study of total compensation in Oregon's Public Sector.  Read the preliminary report by a team of PSU MBA Students by clicking here.  

Workdrugfree receives $10,000 grant to support  Initiative Pilot Sites (4/13/06)

Workdrugfree, the task group funded through the Oregon Nurses Foundation to work with employers on combating drugs in the workplace, received a $10,000 grant from the American Society of Safety Engineers (Columbia Willamette Chapter) to support the work of its Initiative pilot sites in providing an array of technical assistance workshops and mentoring opportunities for local businesses.  Workdrugfree’s Employer Task Group expects to announce at least three Chamber-led pilot sites in June 2006.  The Pilot Sites are part of a package of initiatives aimed at boosting the number of certified drug-free workplaces from 25% to 75% by 2008 included in the Oregon Business Plan initiative to Meet Targeted Workforce Needs of Industry. 

Downloadable video of Dr. Michael Porter available on OBP website (3/29/06)

Dr. Michael Porter, the world's leading thinker on clusters and economic development, offered his advice to attendees of the Fourth Annual Leadership Summit.  Click here to watch video clips from Dr. Porter's presentation.

Oregon, InC is looking for the next big idea for Oregon

Oregon InC, the State's cross-sector leadership team created by Oregon’s governor and state legislature to develop the state's innovation plan, is looking for the next big idea for Oregon.

This coalition of 40 leaders from business, higher education and government has a clear mission: to identify Oregon’s top innovation-driven growth opportunities, maximize the state’s competitive advantages and establish Oregon’s niche in the global economy.   Oregon InC's recommendations will flow directly into the Economic Innovation Initiative of the Oregon Business Plan. 

Like the Oregon Nanotechnology and Microtechnical Institute (ONAMI), the signature research center that was just granted $8 million in federal funding, Oregon, InC. is looking for big ideas to help form the state's innovation plan.  Oregon InC is looking for ideas that will:

*Accelerate the transfer of research and technology into high-value products and growth companies. 

*Develop the entrepreneurial and work force talent required for companies competing in highly innovative and global markets.

*Facilitate collaboration across sectors to leverage existing private and public resources and build on growth opportunities.

*Strategically position Oregon in the global arena based on our core strengths and unique regional identity.

*Increase exports and bring new investment, companies and high-paying jobs to our state.

We need your input.  Are you doing something innovative in your business or association that should be included in the Innovation Plan? Do you have thoughts on something Oregon can do first, best, or only to set itself apart to compete in the global economy?  What is the next big idea for Oregon?  Please contact the seeking input committee at Oregon.innovation@state.or.us. 

Oregon Business Plan and OECDD to work with Clusters on accomplishing "at least" one goal in 2006.

To continue the great progress from the Summit, the Oregon Business Plan Steering Committee and the Oregon Economic and Community Development Department have worked with a coalition of industry leaders to develop a goal for the year: help each of Oregon's industry clusters make significant progress on a priority initiative in 2006. 

Many clusters already identified key goals in their Oregon Business Plan Cluster Submissions.  In the coming weeks, we will be working with these clusters to hone in on at least one of their priorities and bring a measurable achievement to the Fifth Annual Summit this December.

For some clusters, the priority might be a big innovation idea, and for others it may be a fundamental concern that needs to be addressed in order to assure competitiveness.  In either case, we look forward to working with representatives of the Clusters to create connections and opportunities that can help them succeed at their efforts to achieve competitive advantage here in Oregon.

Wyden and Smith announce $8 million for Nanotechnology Center in Oregon (02/06/06)

White House includes nanotechnology center in the President's budget

Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith today announced White House approval of a proposed Oregon nanotechnology center - and $8 million in funding over three years - in the President's 2007 budget, which was released today. Inclusion in the President's budget is a major milestone for the state's burgeoning nanotechnology efforts and reflects the growing national recognition that Oregon 's nanotechnology sector is generating.

Nanotechnology involves the use of materials on the atomic and molecular scales, which often manifest physical, chemical, and biological characteristics quite different than they would otherwise. These materials have enormous potential for applications in medicine, manufacturing, information technology, energy and a whole host of other areas. By 2015, nanotechnology is expected to be a $2 trillion industry.

  "This decision demonstrates that our investments in Oregon nanotechnology are already paying off, and we are now poised to cement our position as a national leader in this field," said Wyden. "The state is now jumping to the head of the line for nanotechnology research, nanotechnology talent, and nanotechnology jobs for today and tomorrow."

"Critical investment in nanotechnology today will lead to discoveries tomorrow that are now beyond our own imagination," Smith said.  "Nanotechnology's potential to change the way we invent and create is almost limitless."      

The $8 million in federal funding will go to the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute (ONAMI) to oversee the new center. It is anticipated that the center will develop nanotechnologies which significantly enhance the performance of microelectronics for military applications. Possible areas of focus for the center include: 1) nanomaterials for thermal management, 2) hybrid nano/micro structures and devices, 3) transparent electronic devices and materials, and 4) active cooling.

ONAMI is a collaborative effort among Oregon 's three public research universities (the University of Oregon, Oregon State University, and Portland State University ), the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the state of Oregon , and the world-leading " Silicon Forest " high technology industry cluster of Oregon and southwest Washington .

"We are incredibly pleased that the Army has decided to fund this center," said ONAMI Director Skip Rung. "The center will draw on Oregon 's strong thermal systems and nanostructured materials research capacity to develop working technologies."

Wyden and Smith made landing a nanotechnology center a major element in their Bipartisan Agenda for Oregon in 2003 and 2005, and worked with ONAMI and industry leaders to position Oregon to take advantage of this new field.  The Senators have secured millions of dollars in federal funding for nanotechnology R&D projects in Oregon over the last few years.

Brand Oregon’ Launches Ad Campaign Focused on Industry     Clusters  (1/31/06)

Portland, Ore.—In keeping with Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s ongoing drive to promote Oregon-made products and create more jobs in the state, Brand Oregon has launched a new national advertising campaign to promote Oregon’s “industry clusters,” which are groups of businesses engaged in various aspects of a specific industry.

“I’m excited about this new ad campaign,” the Governor said, “because it kicks off a promotion for an important Oregon industry that I’m very proud of—the people who build computer display systems.  It’s a rising industry with a bright future, and it gives Oregon a real foothold in high technology.  It’s also an industry that creates exactly the kind of new jobs that help Oregon’s economy grow.”

The Governor noted that Brand Oregon has a proven track record, having logged two years of success in promoting Oregon seafood, agricultural products and tourism.  “Brand Oregon has made a real difference with these industries, and I’m confident it will do the same for the display systems industry,” Governor Kulongoski said.

The first print ad, which appears in national business trade publications this month, promotes the Oregon Display System Industry Consortium, an industry cluster that represents more than 25 technology companies and suppliers. (http://www.econ.state.or.us/display.htm)

The purpose of the campaign, as presented in a meeting of the Brand Oregon Board of Directors by Wieden+Kennedy last week, is to build awareness among out-of-state companies that Oregon is a great state in which to relocate and do business.

“This campaign focuses our development efforts on a few highly-marketable industry clusters in Oregon,” said Amy Keiter, Industry Cluster Manager for the Oregon Economic and

Community Development Department (OECDD). “If the campaign is successful, we can use that experience to promote more clusters in the future,” she said.

The total budget for the Brand Oregon industry cluster ad campaign is $250,000. Ads designed by Wieden+Kennedy, which has produced all creative work for Brand Oregon since the brand’s inception, will run through July 2007. If successful, Brand Oregon staff will request additional funding from the Oregon legislature for future efforts to promote Oregon’s industry clusters.

Wieden+Kennedy will create three ads for the campaign, promoting three industry clusters. “This first ad targets the display system cluster and features Allen Alley of Pixelworks” said Debby Kennedy, Director of Brand Oregon. “The next will target outdoor sporting goods manufacturing, and the third, recreational vehicle manufacturers,” said Debby Kennedy, Director of Brand Oregon.

OECDD chose to work with these three industry clusters because business leaders reported that more companies would significantly improve their competitive capacity. “We’re trying to grow these clusters by adding more complimentary business to them,” said Keiter. “We hope it will turn them into the productive economic engines they have the potential to become,” she said.

Ads direct interested businesses to call the OECDD or visit a website designed to promote business in Oregon (www.Oregon4biz.com).  To view the print ad and more details of the industry cluster ad campaign, visit http://www.oregon.gov/BRANDOREGON/marketing.shtml.

Brand Oregon and the Oregon Economic and Community Development Department work to strengthen the state's economy and put more Oregonians to work in good jobs. By partnering with private sector organizations and working closely with local communities, the Department creates opportunities for business expansion, creation and relocation. For more information about doing business in Oregon, call the OECDD at 1-(866)-4OREGON (1-866-467-3466), or visit www.oregon4biz.com

Coalition Launches Employer-Classroom Connection Challenge (1/9/06)

E3: Employers for Education Excellence, Chalkboard Project, and Oregon Business Plan have created the Employer-Classroom Connection Challenge.    

The Challenge: Adopt policies and practices that encourage school involvement by all of your employees — whether they have kids or not.  To succeed, we need more than 500 Oregon employers to participate in the challenge before January 2007.

Take Action: Companies that participate will be recognized and honored as Oregon Education Champions. Their names will be published in statewide media and on partnership websites.  Each company will receive an Oregon Education Champion logo to use on their website and marketing materials — demonstrating their commitment to making schools work in Oregon.

To Become a Champion: 1) Implement at least three of the Challenge activities in your company; and 2) Commit to recording the activities for three years.

Employers, click here to show your support for Oregon schools.

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