OREGON

This city in Oregon’s scenic high desert once had one of the nation’s hottest economies. Resort developers, bankers, construction workers and luxury car dealers rushed for a piece of the action.

Now some locals call Bend “poverty with a view.”

The project will provide guidance for programs underway and will help launch new programs with a goal of connecting private equity investors with promising entrepreneurial companies.

"Oregon has the second-highest unemployment rate in the nation and our challenge is to help entrepreneurs create jobs," said Tom Lowles, director of the Portland SBDC. "Cutting funding for a program with a demonstrated ability to do that is very frustrating, frankly."

The new position at EDCO will coordinate the region’s venture capital needs for the next three years — will help the region attract technology startups, grow its aviation sector and establish Central Oregon as a national hub for renewable energy.

In a file released Monday with no news release, the state reported that more than 15,000 students who began high school in fall 2004 or joined the class of 2008 along the way did not earn a diploma.

Reductive Labs’ technology is designed to help manage large computer networks.

If you think Portland has done well without an economic
development strategy, just imagine what the city could do with one.