Regional Economic Development

"One of OEF’s endeavors over the last couple of years has been to grow the local angel network," said Linda Weston, OEF’s president and executive director. "We think this sends a strong message that this many investors stepped up and said they’re ready to invest in a company that comes out of the competition."

The burrowing of broadband into the far corners of the country, many experts say, is decentralizing the opportunities for business expansion and startups, particularly in the tech industry.

Here are 10 New Year’s resolutions that could help spur an even more successful 2005, provided we’re all diligent enough to keep them.

Forget OPEC. Some experts say the next cartel will be an organization of water-exporting countries. Others see more danger in local privatization of water, which could restrict access to the poor within nations.

Their project, which they call the Fresh Food Partnership, is one of a small but growing number of efforts nationwide that are tackling two issues: The chronic hunger and nutrition challenges of people who can’t buy quality food, and the need of many family farmers for strong, stable markets in the face of low prices in the global commodities market.

Napolitano, a moderate, generally pro-business Democrat, also wants state agencies to develop annual plans to boost contracting opportunities for small business and women- and minority-owned firms. The governor is also ordering state agencies to track procurement patterns related to those types of businesses.

The toolkit can be used for community discussion forums or simply as briefing materials for public officials, community leaders, students and citizens.

There are a lot of reasons why the recession hit Oregon particularly hard. But the single biggest one, experts agree, is the state’s heavy reliance on a single, notoriously volatile industry — semiconductor manufacturing.

A $53-million revitalization of its once-dying downtown core helped Walla Walla to win a 2001 Great American Main Street award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. A year later, the trust chose the city as one of America’s Dozen Distinctive Destinations, or "pockets of serenity amid the sprawling clutter and homogenization that have overwhelmed so many American vacation spots."

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