Oregon Economic Development

The ORC began in frustration. Rural Oregonians have long felt what some term the "tyranny of the majority" in a geographically large state that has a majority of its population packed into just three counties. More recently, rural Oregon have had concrete reasons to feel, well, dissed.

The first Gorge Angel Conference on Sept. 23 will showcase local startups competing for $100,000 in seed money.

What does it take for a rural place to be economically vibrant?

"Some amazingly innovative work is coming out of Oregon State, and this venture funding, provided by the citizens of Oregon, will help translate new knowledge into viable business ventures," said John Cassady, OSU vice president for research. "This is just the beginning. As more people give to the venture fund, additional awards can be made, spurring more innovations like these."

"We think there is a real gap in the marketplace, here in Portland and in Oregon in general."

"There’s a tremendous opportunity in this region for green technology."

“This whole trip was leaning more toward policy development than just meeting with businesses,” Mangan said, adding that Scandinavia can be viewed as a template for what the city aspires to be.

Beginning with the class of 2012, students must meet state standards in reading, math, writing and speech to graduate

Called ”Envision Oregon,” these forums challenged more than 2,200 participants from over 140 towns and places in Oregon to describe their vision for Oregon’s future, and to help create strategies for making that vision a reality. They also formed the foundation for Blueprint for Oregon’s Future.

The Portland Ambassadors’ first European Best Practices visit is the latest in a series of trips to top-rated, forward-thinking cities.