The Oregon Business Plan in Brief

• The Four-Part Framework for the Oregon Business Plan
• Who is Behind the Oregon Business Plan?

The Four-Part Framework for the Oregon Business Plan:

• The Goal: Quality Jobs. The Oregon Business Plan supports the vision of Oregon Shines II, in particular the key goal of creating more quality jobs for all Oregonians statewide.  Learn more about the goal of quality jobs.
  
  
• The Vision: Innovative Traded-Sector Industry Clusters.  To achieve this goal, we must pay special attention to the primary sources of Oregon’s prosperity – our traded-sector industries. Businesses in these industries sell their goods and services primarily outside the state, creating jobs and bringing in new dollars that benefit local communities. Learn more about traded-sector industries.
  
  
• The Strategy: Four Ps for Prosperity + Sustainability as an Economic Driver.  The ability of Oregon’s traded-sector industries to produce economic prosperity and quality jobs for Oregonians calls for creating an economic climate with the right mix of education and workforce capabilities, an attractive quality of life, reasonable business costs, and an innovative, entrepreneurial spirit statewide. We call these ingredients the four Ps – people, place, productivity, and pioneering innovation. They serve as a way to think about Oregon’s economic assets and liabilities, and potential strategies for our economic future. A fifth P, public finance, is also vital to our long-term success. We must find a way to fund public services that enable Oregon’s industries to thrive. 
  
  In 2006, Harvard Business School Professor and Economic Competitiveness expert Michael Porter reviewed the Oregon Business Plan and suggested that Oregon refine the plan by creating a "unique value proposition."  Essentially, Porter challenged leaders to determine what Oregon does better than any other place and to leverage that asset as part of our competitive economic strategy.  In 2007, plan leaders advanced sustainability as that proposition-arguing that by being better than other places embracing long-term economic, social and environmental health, Oregon's traded sector clusters will be more competitive in the global marketplace.  

• The Initiatives: The Action Items for the Plan.  The challenge of the Oregon Business Plan is to identify the best mix of the four Ps – and to craft policy recommendations to move the economy forward. The Oregon Business Plan Steering Committee currently has nine initiatives that it supports and tracks.  The initiative agenda is developed and refined by talking directly with representatives of Oregon's traded sector industry clusters.  Learn more about the initiatives.

We encourage business, community, and elected leaders to submit policy papers with suggestions for new Oregon Business Plan initiatives. See new initiative guidelines.   

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Who is Behind the Oregon Business Plan?

The Steering Committee

Development of The Oregon Business Plan is guided by a steering committee, which includes leaders from businesses, business associations, and public agencies with responsibility for Oregon's economic progress.

Every year the steering committee gathers information and views statewide about what Oregon needs to support thriving businesses that create more quality jobs. This information is gathered through this website, business interviews, industry focus group sessions, regional meetings with business and community leaders, and the annual Economic Leadership Summit.  View highlights and results from Business Plan meetings.

Steering Committee Members

Chair: Pat Reiten, Pacific Power 

Dan Harmon, Hoffman Construction; Associated Oregon Industries 

Kirby Dyess, Austin Capital Management; Board of Higher Education

Steve Powlowski, Intel; Engineering and Technology Industry Council

Margaret Kirkpatrick, NW Natural

Justin Delaney, the Standard; Oregon Business Association

Steve Pratt, ESCO Corportation; Oregon Business Council

Wally Van Valkenburg, Stoel Rives; Oregon Business Development Commission

David Chen, Equilibrium Capital; Oregon Innovation Council

Mike Nelson, Nelson Real Estate; Oregon Transportation Commission

Sam Brooks, S. Brooks and Associates; Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs

Eric Blackledge, Blackledge Furniture

Randy Miller, The Moore Company

Brett Wilcox, Summit Power Alternatives 

Tim McCabe, Oregon Economic Development Department Director;Ex-Officio Member:

Leadership Committee

This effort also receives critical input and support from a bipartisan Oregon Business Plan Leadership Committee.  The Leadership Committee hosts the annual Leadership Summit.  

The Leadership Committee is comprised of Oregon's two U.S. Senators, the Governor, the Oregon Senate President and the Speaker of the Oregon House

In addition to the Oregon Business Plan Steering Committee, the plan has been endorsed by many organizations.  Click here to view a list the groups and associations that have endorsed the Plan. 

Initiative Leaders

Initiatives are the specific action items of the Oregon Business Plan. 

Each major category of initiatives has a leader responsible for developing, advocating for and tracking progress on the recommendations, identifying opportunities for the broader community to support the effort, and  reporting to the Steering Committee on progress throughout the year.  Initiative leaders are also responsible for updating Oregon business, elected and community leaders on progress at the annual Oregon Leadership Summit.  

The current Oregon Business Plan initiative leaders are:

Economic Innovation:  David Chen, Equilibrium Capital; Chair, Oregon Innovation Council

Education and Workforce:  Eileen Drake, PCC Structurals; Sam Brooks, S. Brooks and Associates, Kirby Dyess, Austin Capital Management 

Health Care:  Peggy Fowler, Portland General Electric; Mark B. Ganz, The Regence Group  

Public Finance:  Malia Wasson, U.S. Bank

Transportation:  Steve Clark, Community Newspapers; Mike Nelson, Nelson Real Estate

Water:  Michelle Girts, CH2M Hill

Sponsors

Oregon Business Plan sponsors make this effort possible with their financial and in-kind contributions.  Click here to see the 2009 Oregon Business Plan sponsors and to learn about how you or your company can sponsor the Plan.

Endorsers

The Oregon Business Plan has been endorsed by many business and civic organizations who support the Plan's strategy for creating quality jobs in Oregon.  See who has endorsed the Plan and learn about how you can also endorse the Plan by clicking here.

Learn More and Contribute                    

Review the current Oregon Business Plan initiatives here.

Review Oregon Business Plan accomplishments here.

Provide comments on initiatives here.

Propose a new initiative, click here.

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