2023 Eastern Oregon Economic Summit

The Eastern Oregon Economic Summit features industry tours, speakers, and discussion panels focused on the regional economy, federal and state legislation, program and industry updates, and more.

Hosted annually by the Eastern Oregon Women’s Coalition, the Summit is for private and public sector leaders throughout Oregon interested in learning how to tap into the growth and potential of Eastern Oregon’s economy.

Industry experts and state and federal lawmakers will provide updates on current legislation and economic trends and emphasize leveraging Eastern Oregon’s growing economy to develop stronger communities. 

 
2023 Eastern Oregon Economic Summit - General Session

Photos from the 2023 Eastern Oregon Economic Summit are now available on Facebook!
Please feel free to use these photos as needed with credit to the photographers.

 

2023 Eastern Oregon Economic Summit – Industry Tours

2023 Eastern Oregon Economic Summit – Thursday Reception

2023 Eastern Oregon Economic Summit – General Session

2023 Eastern Oregon Economic Summit – Breakout Sessions

 

Thursday, August 3rd

Please meet at Dorian Park (7th Street in-between I & H Avenues) on the Eastern Oregon University campus for tour registration and pick-up. Buses will depart from the university at 8:00 a.m. and return by 4:00 p.m. Lunch is provided on all of the tours.

 

View the map for parking and the pick-up location here.

Economic Development & Workforce Tour

City of La Grande Downtown Revitalization and Economic Development walking tour. Homegrown rural economic development requires downtown investment. But, strategies to promote main street revitalization efforts often involve navigating and leveraging various funding sources, and comprehensive renovation projects with notable impact often endure long timelines. To be successful, these efforts must not only invest in small businesses and built environment improvements but also foster vibrant, reflective, and cohesive social environments where existing residents want to stay and new residents want to live, and people want to visit. Participants on this walking tour will learn more about the City of La Grande’s approach to downtown revitalization, economic development, business recruitment, and resources.

 

Tour Highlights

·       Brickyard Lanes

·       The Local

·       The Liberty Theater

·       Jefferson Street Redevelopment Plan – Makers Row

·       The Mountain Works / Apartments

·       Fire Station conversion into business incubator

·       Former NAPA building

 

What You Need to Know

 

Participants will register at Dorian Park with the other tours and then meet at the tour starting point downtown at Max Square (corner of 4th and Adams; across the street from City Hall.) The tour starts at 8:30 a.m. Lunch is provided and the tour will end by 4:00 p.m.

 

View the map for parking and registration here.

 

Please note that this is a walking tour. Participants need to wear appropriate footwear and comfortable clothing for walking outside from business to business.

 

Tickets

Tour tickets include transportation and lunch for the tour you select. They also include admission to the Thursday evening dinner and reception. They do not include access to Friday’s General Session. General Session tickets must be purchased separately. Purchase tickets here.

Housing Tour

Tackling the housing shortage in rural Oregon means increasing housing availability in all types and incomes and providing innovative, affordable housing options that support economic growth and quality of life. Getting this accomplished presents an even more unique challenge to communities that are more geographically isolated, face persistent local economic strain, lack equitable access to capital resources and services, especially in the contracting trades. Participants on this tour will learn more about the various housing projects in Union County that provide community-driven solutions to address housing needs.

 

Tour Highlights

·       Elevation Pointe

·       Veteran’s Village

·       Avenue H Rentals

·       Mountain Works Apartments

·       Timber Ridge Apartments

·       Eastern Oregon Home Center

·       La Grande High School Construction Careers Program

 

What You Need to Know

Please meet at Dorian Park on the Eastern Oregon University campus for tour registration and pick-up. Buses will depart from the university at 8:00 a.m. and return by 4:00 p.m. View the map here for parking and the pick-up location. Lunch will be provided.

 

Required

·       closed-toe shoes (No open toe sandals)

 

Tickets

Tour tickets include transportation and lunch for the tour you select. They also include admission to the Thursday evening dinner and reception. They do not include access to Friday’s General Session. General Session tickets must be purchased separately. Purchase tickets here.

Water Tour

The water tour will feature several water projects in Union County. Union County Commissioner Donna Beverage will join the tour to discuss how each water project was featured in the Union County Place Based Process. The buses will begin at EOU and drive to the city of Union to look at the water reuse project at the municipal golf course and then drive to Catherine Creek to look at fish passage projects. Next, we will go to the city of Cove hydropower plant and then take a lunch break. The final stop will be to the Grand Ronde River to look at fish passage projects.

 

Tour Highlights

·       City of Union municipal golf course water reuse project

·       Southern Cross Fish Project on Catherine Creek

·       City of Cove Hydro Electric Plant

·       Flooding Problems and the Impact on Agriculture

·       Bird Track Springs Stream Restoration Project on the Grande Ronde River

·       Upper Grande Ronde Planning Group

 

What You Need to Know

Please meet at Dorian Park on the Eastern Oregon University campus for tour registration and pick-up. Buses will depart from the university at 8:00 a.m. and return by 4:00 p.m. View the map here for parking and the pick-up location. Lunch will be provided.

 

 

Several stops on the tour are outside. Please wear comfortable shoes and appropriate clothing.

 

Tickets

Tour tickets include transportation and lunch for the tour you select. They also include admission to the Thursday evening dinner and reception. They do not include access to Friday’s General Session. General Session tickets must be purchased separately. Purchase tickets here.

Forest Management Tour

With the changing landscape of Oregon, wildfires are becoming more prevalent, and forestry management is becoming increasingly vital. In Union County, there is a long history of producing high-quality forestry products that the state and our economy rely on. This tour includes visits to Boise Cascade Elgin Plywood Operation and the Woodgrain Particleboard Plant and Sawmill. These tours will highlight their role in the industry and the bigger conversation around forestry management.

 

Tour Highlights

·       Woodgrain Island City Particleboard Plant

·       Woodgrain La Grande Sawmill

·       Boise Cascade Elgin Plywood Operation

 

What You Need to Know

Please meet at Dorian Park on the Eastern Oregon University campus for tour registration and pick-up. Buses will depart from the university at 8:00 a.m. and return by 4:00 p.m. View the map here for parking and the pick-up location. Lunch will be provided.

 

The tour includes ascending & descending stairs, walking on hard services, and potential exposure to a high-temperature environment (100-120 F) given the August tour date.

 

Required

·       Long pants

·       Avoid loose clothing or anything with drawstrings, as they pose a safety hazard

·       Flat-sole, closed-toe shoes (No open toe sandals)

·       Phones are not permitted out on the operation floor (Boise Cascade)

·       Photos only upon approval (Boise Cascade)

 

Provided Safety Equipment

·       Safety Glasses

·       Hearing Protection

·       Safety Vest

 

Tickets

 

Tour tickets include transportation and lunch for the tour you select. They also include admission to the Thursday evening dinner and reception. They do not include access to Friday’s General Session. General Session tickets must be purchased separately. Purchase tickets here.

Description

Your dinner/reception ticket is included if you purchased a tour ticket. Click here to buy a dinner & reception-only ticket and select “Thursday Reception Only.”

 

Time: 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Attire: Casual

Location: Scarfo’s Parking Lot (210 Depot Street) – across from the Union County Chamber Office.

 

The Union County Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a “Sip & Shop” from 5 p.m to 8 p.m. After the reception, purchase a tumbler and sip while you shop at La Grande downtown businesses. Proceeds from the event will support the Chamber’s “Touch-A-Truck” event.

Friday, August 4th

General Session & Breakout Sessions

Friday’s General Session will be hosted on Eastern Oregon University’s campus at the Field House. Breakout Sessions will be held at Zabel Hall. View the map for parking and session locations here. Breakfast and lunch will be provided.

Description

Eastern Oregon’s congressional delegation will address summit attendees and provide updates from Washington DC. 

Speakers

– Senator Jeff Merkley (via video)
Senator Ron Wyden
– Congressman Cliff Bentz 

Giving a video update.

Description

Alex Cheng, Deputy Administrator for Oregon’s Division of Financial Regulation (DFR), will discuss the impacts of wildfire maps, wildfire preparedness, what to do when disaster strikes, and new legislation impacting Oregonian’s insurance. 

Speaker

Alex Cheng serves as Deputy Administrator for Oregon’s Division of Financial Regulation (DFR). In that function, he oversees the division’s policy, enforcement, consumer advocacy and outreach, insurance product regulation, and drug price transparency programs. Alex has been with DFR since 2016 where he also previously served as policy manager and senior policy analyst, focusing on property and casualty insurance issues.

 

Prior to joining DFR, Alex served as a Policy Analyst for the FDIC’s Division of Depositor and Consumer Protection, where he helped implement mortgage reforms under the Dodd-Frank Act and worked on a number of other consumer protection and economic inclusion initiatives. Alex received his B.A. from Purdue University and his J.D. from American University’s Washington College of Law.

 

Contact Info

Alex Cheng

Deputy Administrator

DCBS | Division of Financial Regulation

971-283-1958 | Alex.Cheng@dcbs.oregon.gov  

Description

State Policymakers will present a wrap-up of the legislative session. In addition, state budget and committee chairs will provide an update on policy and budget issues. Summit attendees will also participate in a Q&A segment with legislators. 

Description 

Oregon is on the precipice of a significant change in the state’s groundwater policy, and the changes to OWRD’s rules that will enable significant shifts are already underway. Driven by increased concern about groundwater availability and declines, OWRD is undertaking actions that will affect prospective groundwater right applicants, groundwater users in the Greater Harney Valley Groundwater Area of Concern, and groundwater right holders in existing Critical Groundwater Areas. This panel will highlight multiple recent rulemaking and OWRD policy changes and explore their current or expected impacts on groundwater users across Eastern Oregon.  

Description

How will state-wide efforts stimulate housing in rural Oregon? This panel discussion will be guided by community leaders and agencies who are supporting the work of the Housing Production Advisory Council. This conversation will complement our Thursday housing tour with a focus on the unique challenges, funding, and solutions in development for Oregon communities working on this persistent and pressing issue.

Description

Rural communities across Oregon face persistent local economic strain, lack equitable access to capital, resources, and services, are unprepared and uniquely susceptible to natural and human-made disasters, and lack agency over their energy future. This panel features leaders from tribal and rural communities involved in these strategic planning efforts. They are focused on their community’s energy vision to identify and prioritize local renewable energy, energy efficiency, and energy resilience projects – and position themselves to capture future funding. Participants will share how their plans developed and their current strategies to meet their goals. 

Description 

In 1990, Oregon declared the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area (LUBGWMA). In conjunction with the designation, a LUBGWMA committee of local area businesses, residents, agricultural representatives, and governments was formed. Both Umatilla and Morrow County Planning Departments have been involved in implementing Action Plans designed to mitigate impacts and reduce groundwater contamination over time. 

 

In 2022, a drinking water emergency was declared in Morrow County, which significantly changed the trajectory of public agency involvement, including county Planning and Emergency Management Departments, state agencies, and state and federal elected officials. The emergency declaration also raised many questions about how to chart a path forward for citizens, farmers, and businesses that live and work in and around the LUBGWMA. This presentation will highlight the role of public health interventions and the agricultural land base in addressing concerns and facilitating solutions to groundwater contamination concerns.

Description

What are some of the most prominent challenges women-owned small business owners face in small communities, and how do they overcome them? This panel of female entrepreneurs will discuss their strategy of working together to help their businesses thrive and grow. Topics will include how they navigate around unique obstacles from being heard, managing a work-life balance, finding the right network, and securing needed funding.

Description

This panel discussion will showcase the programs and partnerships between local government, Eastern Oregon University, Rural Engagement & Vitality Center, and Baker Technical Institute that provide regional economic benefits. Panelists will discuss how they develop programs and partnerships to advance community-driven projects and how to bridge academic and community resource gaps to address local workforce needs.

Description

New investment should be part of a community’s strategy because it is what pays for essential services and brings new jobs and benefits. Creating jobs, increasing private investment, and tax revenues provide stability and growth of a local economy. This session will focus on how a community can better prepare for new investments and provide updated information on Oregon’s incentive programs. 

Buy Tickets

Lodging

Union County

Super 8 – La Grande, 541-963-8080

Grande Hot Spring RV Resort – Yurts – Cabins, 541-963-5253

Best Western Plus Hotel – La Grande, 541-963-3100

The Lodge at Hot Lake Springs, 541-226-3944

Travelodge – La Grande, 541-963-7116

America’s Best Value – Sandman Inn, 541-963-3707

Union Hotel, 541-562-1200

 

AirBnB and VRBO Options

There are many AirBnB and VRBO spots in Union County that are happy to accommodate.

Baker County

Baker City Knights Inn, 541-523-6324 

Baker City Motel, 541-523-6381 

Baker City Super 8, 541-523-8282

Bridge Street Inn, 541-523-6571 

Eldorado Inn, 541-523-1889

Oregon Trail Motel, 541-523-5844

Umatilla County

Wildhorse Casino & Resort – Pendleton541-963-8080