Southern Oregon Business Journal - Giving Back - December 2020

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December 2020

Giving Back

The Journal for Business in Southern Oregon

Southern Oregon Business Journal December 2020 | 1

SouthernOregonBusiness.com

Contributors

A Few Words from Jim

Thank you to everyone that contributed or let me interview you for this edition.

We made it.

Business Oregon oregon4biz.com Anna Johnson - Senior Economic Analyst Angie Ballard - Hope Equestrian Center SOU Small Business Development Center Southern Oregon University News - news.sou.edu Josh Lehner - Oregon Office of Economic Analysis Liz Merah Pat O’Connor - Regional Economist - Benton, Linn, Marion, Polk, and Yamhill counties Brian Rooney - Regional Economist - Douglas and Lane counties Janet Fratella - SOU Steve Lambert - Jackson County

The last month of 2020.

What a year.

COVID and statewide restrictions, PPP, PPE, Zoom, social distancing, Global Pandemic, Toilet Paper outages, Greg Retires, Riots, Wildfires and an election that redefined how we vote as a nation and that's just the small stuff. Regardless 2020 was not a bad year for us.

Yes, some of our small businesses were severely impacted and some of our businesses actually did well.

Our software company, Project A, was recognized by CIO magazine as one of the top 10 e-Commerce service providers in the world in 2020 and our online customers saw phenomenal growth throughout the year.

And my wife Dena and I became grandparents for the first time in the middle of the craziest year on record. So even though it was chaotic and disruptive and maddening at times, it was also one of our best years.

This issue is about Giving Back. There is an article inside on one of our favorite non-profits, the Hope Equestrian Center. A therapeutic horse riding facility that changes lives of children with autism and disabilities. I have seen it in action. They are in the middle of their first capital campaign and Dena and I want to challenge you to give toward that campaign. We will match every dollar you donate by the end of the year (up to $10,000 total).

(See page 14-15 for the story on Hope) or visit hopeequestrian.com.

Cover photo of Lake of the Woods

By Paul Steele - PaulSteelePhoto.com

Find the latest news on SouthernOregonBusiness.com

I'm also thinking about stopping the "magazine" format of the journal and only do the web version. It takes me a lot of time to layout the journal and there are more readers reading the website version than there are reading the "magazine" version. Let me know what you think.

Thanks for making the journal a success during a crazy year.

Looking forward...

Founder Greg Henderson ghenderson703@gmail.com Greg started the Southern Oregon Business Journal in 2015 and retired in 2020.

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Jim Teece Publisher of the Southern Oregon Business Journal Jim@SouthernOregonBusiness.com

SouthernOregonBusiness.com

A JOURNAL FOR THE ECONOMICALLY CURIOUS, PROFESSIONALLY INSPIRED AND ACUTELY MOTIVATED

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December 2020 - Table of Contents

Inside This Issue Economic Development - 10 Rural Community Projects Get A Boost From Business Oregon - 4 Employment - Oregon Employment Department - Fast Fact Dashboard - 7 Covid-19 - Labor Underutilization And The Effects Of Covid-19 - 8 Employment - Free PPE Supplies For Small Business And Child Care Providers - 13 Employment - By January 15, 2021 All Employers in Oregon Will Be Required To Offer OregonSaves - 13 Giving Back - Hope Equestrian Center - “All Children are equal in the saddle!” 14 Covid19 Support - Over $3.6 Million In Grant Funds Are Now Available For Eligible Businesses Impacted By Covid19 In Jackson And Josephine Counties - 16 Education - Southern Oregon University Recognized For Doing Well In Conversion To Remote Coursework - 18 Covid-19 - State Of Oregon Releases Economic And Revenue Forecast (Released On November 18, 2020) -20 Covid-19 - Governor Kate Brown Announces Launch Of 'Give The Gift Of Oregon' Campaign To Support Local Businesses 22 Housing - Land Conservation And Development Commission Adopts Housing Production Strategy Rules - 23 Covid-19 - Working From Home On The Decline, And Outlook For Downtowns - 24 Mid-Valley Employment - Long-Term Projections Show Broad-Based Job Opportunities In Linn And Benton Counties - 26 Lane County Employment - Lane County Jobs Projected To Increase 8 Percent By 2029 - 30 Regional Competitive Industries : Benton, Lane, Lincoln And Linn Counties - 34/35 Community Banking - People’s Bank Of Commerce And Willamette Community Bank Have Announced A Merger. - 36 Special Insert - People's Bank and Willamette Community Bank - Coming Together to Better Serve Our Communities 37/52 Unsung Heroes - Employees From Every Department In Jackson County Were Part Of The Fire Response And Running Of The Evacuation Center At The Expo.- 54 Southern Oregon Business Journal December 2020 | 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Business Oregon oregon4biz.com

Rural entrepreneurs, from Eastern Oregon to the coast, are awarded tens of thousands in funding RURAL OREGON – Business Oregon announced investments in ten rural community projects throughout the state under the Rural Opportunities Initiative (ROI).

10 Rural Community Projects Get a Boost from Business Oregon

The ROI is an initiative that works with communities to cultivate local environments that support entrepreneurs and small businesses. Through financial support, innovative partnerships, network expansion, and access to business development resources, ROI helps strengthen and consolidate entrepreneurial support within

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and across Oregon’s rural communities.

“We piloted this program with four communities in 2015, to empower local rural leaders to create and implement collaborative strategies that elevate entrepreneurship in rural economic development,” said Business Oregon innovation and entrepreneurship manager

Kate Sinner. “We didn’t want a cookie-cutter program. Oregon is made up of a collection of unique regional economies, and this program now has a track record of working with communities to stand up what works for them.”

ROI is designed to be proactively inclusive and community driven. The program empowers local leaders to define and implement collaborative strategies that elevate the role of entrepreneurship in rural economic development. It’s ultimately about enabling entrepreneurs to create rural businesses that in turn bolster rural economies.

In 2017, Business Oregon expanded the successful pilot to eleven communities across the state, distributing grants ranging from $30,000 to $80,000 to fund projects as diverse as establishing a shorthaul truckers co-op in eastern Oregon to helping develop a local foods movement to support small fishers, farmers, and restauranteurs on the Oregon coast. Although differing in approach, each ROI project reflects a commitment to serve the diverse needs of local entrepreneurs using strategies that build local capacity and strengthen the local entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The following projects applied for the recent round of funding and were chosen to receive the grant awards by a grant committee. Business Oregon will solicit additional applicants for the next round of funding the fall of 2021. The Oregon State Legislature has allocated $750,000 to ROI for the 2019-2021 biennium.

The following projects will be funded in this round: Mid-Columbia Economic Development District (MCEDD) $75,000 MCEDD and local partners will expand business planning resources, promote capital resources, and extend broadband availability to support entrepreneurs and grow markets. ROI funds will support staff capacity and programming.

EUVALCREE $75,000 Project will grow the co-op membership for independent truckers—build economies of scale to compete for contracts, wholesale purchase of supplies, and work toward permanent co-op truck yard.

ROI will fund staff, growing coop membership, developing competitive services, feasibility study for permanent facility.

NE Oregon Economic Development District $65,000

Project will launch an entrepreneur center in partnership with Eastern Oregon University and grow local capacity. ROI will fund staff, leasing costs, EOU entrepreneurship degree development, and furnishing the center.

High Desert Partnership $70,000 Project will unify several programs under an ‘Idea to Ownership’ program—includes pipeline of services (technical assistance, legal support, business education, etc) for all ages and stages of entrepreneurs. ROI funds will support staff and programming, including 1-on-1 technical assistance.

City of Independence $60,000 Project builds on existing assets and a previous ROI grant to build a commercial kitchen and micro-retail space to support growth in the food industry. Aligns with other city initiatives (Indy Commons, Polk Co Food Trail). ROI funds will hire a part-time consultant to develop and manage the kitchen space, marketing, and coordination with partners to deploy programs.

Tillamook Coast Visitors Association $65,000 Project expands on previous ROI project, and funds market analysis of regional distribution

Southern Oregon Business Journal December 2020 | 5

10 Rural Communities (Continued)

center. This is a pilot project to test viability, and some marketing to increase product visibility and entrepreneur participation. ROI will fund a study for food hub distribution, outreach to users and partners, and public relations effort to grow customers/revenue.

Launch Pad Baker $65,000 Project grows capacity from previous ROI award to enhance services, staff capacity, and evaluation metrics that can be replicated. ROI funds will support staff, programming with North Eastern Oregon Economic Development

District (NEOEDD) and Foundry.

Klamath Idea $70,000 Project will fully implement and begin piloting a new software tool that connects entrepreneurs and resource providers. Klamath will employ staff to direct the project, staff a regional entrepreneur hotline, host events and pitch competitions, and hire a resource concierge to support entrepreneurs.

Cottage Grove $61,000 Project broadens opportunities for food-based entrepreneurship—especially for immigrants and youth—by

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supporting financial and business training, mentoring, food truck and retail pilots, and product line development. ROI funds will primarily go to staff and programming.

Warm Springs Community Action Team $44,000 Project creates opportunities for Native entrepreneurs through establishment of the Tananawit community artist retail store, the WSCAT café, and business incubator space in the soon-to-be relocated Old Commissary building. ROI funds will support staff to manage operations for the project.

Oregon Employment Department - Fast Fact Dashboard - qualityinfo.org/ed-d

Southern Oregon Business Journal December 2020 | 7

COVID-19

Labor Underutilization and the Eects of COVID-19

by Anna Johnson Senior Economic Analyst anna.l.johnson@oregon.gov

Public health measures related to COVID-19 began in Oregon in mid-March. Social distancing practices and workplace and gathering changes have severely impacted business practices all around the state. The National Bureau of Economic Research declared an official recession in the United States, beginning in February 2020. In October 2020, Oregon’s unemployment rate was 6.9 percent. April 2020 had the record high unemployment rate

of 14.9 percent, with comparable data going back to 1976. Before, the highest unemployment rate Oregon had seen was 11.9 percent in November and December 1982 and May 2009.

This high unemployment rate does not capture all of the economic distress Oregonians are experiencing. To understand more fully, we can look at other measures of labor underutilization.

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The official definition of unemployment used by Bureau of Labor Statistics is all persons within the civilian noninstitutional population (CNP) who do not have a job, but are currently available for work and are actively searching for work. The CNP consists of all persons age 16 years and over, excluding those on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces and the institutional population (e.g., prison inmates or those in homes for the aged).

Unemployment is sometimes thought to include only those individuals who both qualify for and are receiving unemployment insurance benefits. However, many outside this group are considered to be unemployed based on the official definition used by BLS. Examples include those who have exhausted unemployment benefits, new labor market entrants – including recent high school and college graduates – and those who are not covered by unemployment insurance, such as the formerly self-employed. These groups are considered unemployed as long as they are actively seeking work.

The official definition of unemployment also excludes

certain groups who are sometimes thought of as being unemployed or “underemployed.”

Those who would like to work and have actively searched for work sometime in the last 12 months – so-called marginally attached and discouraged workers – are not counted in the official definition because they are not currently seeking work. People working part time who would prefer fulltime work are also not counted as unemployed because they are working – albeit fewer hours than they would like. Finally, those who are not employed (i.e., did work for pay or profit) and do not fit the above definition of unemployed are classified as “not in the labor force.”

In recent years the “Alternative Measures of Labor Underutilization” published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics have grown in popularity as statistics for identifying slack in the labor market. These alternative measures, commonly identified by a “U” in front of a number from 1 to 6, provide both more narrowly (U-1 and U-2) and more broadly (U-4, U-5, and U-6) defined estimates of labor underutilization than the official unemployment rate (identified as U-3). The various measures range from very narrow to very broad definitions of “underutilization,” relative to the official definition of unemployment.

Southern Oregon Business Journal December 2020 | 9

Labor Underutilization (Continued)

The narrowest measure, U-1, tracks the number of persons unemployed 15 weeks or longer as a percent of the civilian labor force. In Oregon, U-1 was within a range of 1.3 and 1.9 percent from 2006 through 2008, before peaking at 6.7 percent in 2010.

Because this measure tracks those unemployed 15 weeks or longer, we did not see an immediate spike early into the pandemic. But in July and August, this measure increased significantly, to 3.6 percent and 4.5 percent, respectively. In September 2020, U-1 dropped slightly to 4.1 percent and again in October to 3.9 percent. Oregonians are remaining unemployed, even as

the state is reopening the economy.

The second measure, U-2, considers the percentage of job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs as a percentage of the civilian labor force. In October 2020, 3.8 percent of the Oregon labor force met this definition, down from 6.6 percent in September. In March 2020, the U-2 was only 1.6 percent, a record low. It then rose to a new record high of 10.4 percent in April and May of 2020.

The prior record occurred during the Great Recession and its aftermath, when the U-2 reached a high of 8.0 percent.

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The broader measures begin by adding discouraged workers to the unemployed. In the U-4 measure, discouraged workers are defined as those who want a job, are available for work and have searched for work in the prior year; however they are not currently looking for a job for reasons related to the job-market.

If these workers are added, the measure results in only a modest increase relative to the official rate. In October 2020 this measure was 8.3 percent, very close to the official unemployment rate. In April 2020 this measure peaked at 15.0 percent. Around the time of the

We’ve been here for you for over 20 years and we’re going to continue to be

.

Labor Underutilization (Continued)

Great Recession this measure reached a high of 12.2 percent.

Measure U-5 includes not only discouraged workers but all “marginally attached workers.”

Marginally attached workers are defined as persons who are neither working nor currently looking for work but indicate that they want and are available for a job and have looked for a job sometime in the past year. This group includes those who are not currently looking for work for reasons such as lack of child care or transportation. Using this definition, 8.1 percent of the Oregon labor force plus marginally attached workers meets these criteria in October 2020. This measure was at a record low in February and January of 2020, 3.9 percent, and at only 4.2 percent in March. By April 2020, this measure reached a record high of 15.6 percent.

During the Great Recession, this measure reached a high of 13.0 percent in May and June of 2009.

Finally, the broadest measure of labor underutilization, U-6, includes not only all unemployed and marginally attached persons, but also those employed part time for economic reasons. This latter group provides an objective measure of a portion of the underemployed (the so-called “involuntary part-time workers”).

The BLS defines “part-time workers” as those who worked less than 35 hours during the reference week of the Current Population Survey. To be classified

as employed part time for economic reasons, an individual must also be working part time because of poor business conditions or because of the inability to find full-time work and must want and be available for full-time work. Involuntary parttime employment does not capture all underemployed, such as those whose education may qualify them for a more highly skilled position. However, these types of underemployment are fairly subjective and more difficult to quantify. Using the broadest measure of labor underutilization tracked by the BLS, U-6, 11.7 percent of the civilian labor force plus the marginally attached was either unemployed, marginally attached to the labor force, or underemployed in October 2020.

Oregon’s U-6 was at a record low of 7.4 percent in January 2020 and reached a record high of 23.4 percent in April 2020.

All measures tend to respond in a similar fashion to the business cycle.

Regardless of which measure is deemed appropriate, rates of

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labor underutilization have generally moved up and down together. While the rates for measure U-6 are high relative to the official definition of the unemployment rate (U-3), both U-3 and U-6 show very similar economic trends in Oregon’s labor market over time. All measures, except for the U-1, spiked to record highs in April 2020 and while trending down in the past couple of months, remained high in October 2020. In July and August the U-1 measure increased substantially and it has remained elevated, meaning not all Oregonians are going back to work quickly and many are remaining unemployed. It continues to be important to track these measures to see how Oregonians are being impacted

by COVID-19.

Small Bytes

By Jim Teece Southern Oregon Business Journal Publisher

SouthernOregonBusiness.com

FREE PPE SUPPLIES FOR SMALL BUSINESS AND CHILD CARE PROVIDERS The Governor’s office in partnership with the Oregon Legislature’s Emergency Board, allocated $10 Million from the federal CARES Act funding for the purchase of supplies including masks and gloves for small business. The State of Oregon is fulfilling orders at no charge until resources are depleted.

Due to impacts from wildfires across the region there may be a delay in shipments. Orders will continue to be processed. https://supplyconnector.org/ states/oregon/free-ppe/

By January 15, 2021 ALL EMPLOYERS WILL BE REQUIRED to offer OregonSaves to every employee. Only the employee can opt-out, not the employer.

OregonSaves is a state mandated retirement program that provides Oregonians a unique opportunity to save for the future. Whether you are an employer who will facilitate the program or an individual planning for the future, OregonSaves is a simple way to get started. https://www.oregonsaves.com

Be sure to visit SouthernOregonBusiness.com and sign up for FREE emails.

We don’t spam and we do not sell your email address. We will send you an email at least once a month to let you know that our newest print version is out and available online.

Southern Oregon Business Journal December 2020 | 13

GIVING BACK

By Angie Ballard Executive Director, Hope Equestrian Center

“All Children are equal in the saddle!”

www.hopeequestrian.com

HOPE Equestrian Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing therapeutic horseback riding to individuals with physical, emotional and learning disabilities. HOPE began in the Rogue Valley in 1988 and has been in operation since 1994. Each year HOPE provides services to individuals with a wide range of disabilities. We work with families and professionals to design a riding program that directly benefits each individual’s therapeutic goals.

Saddling up on a horse is an enjoyable experience for many people, but for an individual with a disability it can signify much more—a road to improvement and recovery.

Each year people with physical, cognitive and emotional disabilities benefit from equine-assisted activities.

Whether it’s a five-year-old with Down Syndrome, or a 45year-old recovering from a spinal cord injury, horseback riding provides challenges as well as rewards for many.

Because horseback riding gently and rhythmically moves the rider’s body in a manner

similar to a human gait, riders with physical disabilities often show improvement in flexibility, muscle tone, balance, posture, coordination and motor development. For individuals with mental or emotional disabilities, the unique relationship formed with a horse can lead to increased confidence, patience and self-esteem, as

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well as emotional well-being.

The sense of independence found on horseback benefits all who ride.

HOPE offers classes for all ages, in group or private lessons. Riders’ disabilities include autism, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, spinal cord injury, Down Syndrome, learning disabilities and developmental

delays. Our instructors and staff design and monitor individualized lesson plans based on input from doctors, therapists, teachers and parents. Students are evaluated regularly and goals are set to address their physical, emotional and social needs. Individual and class goals encourage each rider to be the best he/she can be, on and off the horse.

Volunteers form the backbone of our organization. Our community-based board of directors includes people in veterinary medicine, medicine, therapy, education, ranching, parents of special needs children, and local businesses.

Over 50 volunteers donate their time and energy to assist with horses and riders and to help with special events and clerical tasks throughout the year. As an affiliate center member with the Professional Association for Therapeutic Riding International (PATH), we abide by their high standards of professionalism and safety.

Our instructors are dedicated professionals, required to be members of PATH and currently PATH certified or in the process of certification.

HOPE is committed to providing a professional therapeutic riding program of the highest quality. Our goal is to offer our participants the opportunity to ride horses for

therapeutic benefits for a wide variety of physical, emotional and learning disabilities. Each year, many of the handicapped clients served at HOPE are low income/Medicare eligible.

Generous donations from individuals and businesses in our local communities, along with those from regional and national organizations enable

HOPE to continue to serve those with little or no financial resources. With support from people like you, our program here at HOPE can continue to serve the therapeutic needs of disabled and disadvantaged individuals in the Rogue Valley and surrounding areas.

Please consider making a donation online at www.hopeequestrian.com

Mission Statement To promote the well-being of disabled individuals through the provision of therapeutic horseback riding, subject to the consent of their medical advisors or other appropriate professional counsel, and to provide proper training for instructors and volunteers for the above purposes.

Impact and Facts From 2007-2020 HOPE has grown from an annual total of 36 riders to 382 riders.

These 382 break down to: • Veterans (this number will rise to over 30 in 2018) • At Risk Youth • Kids in the Educational Horse Camp Program in partnership with KUA Charter School • Special needs/disabled kids and adults Equine-assisted activities and therapies are gaining more attention as beneficial therapy options for people with physical, developmental, and emotional difficulties. Horses can perceive minute changes in people through body language, tone of voice, and even biochemistry. http://health.allwomenstalk.com/facts-about-equine- assisted-activities-and-therapies A study done called “Effectiveness of Therapeutic Riding on Social Skills of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder” published in the Journal of Education and Learning concluded that horseback riding improves the social skills of children with autism spectrum disorder significantly.

Capital Campaign Hope is raising money for its new home. They have simply outgrown the space they are in.

The capital campaign is well underway and they have purchased the land and now need funds to help build the facility needed to run the program.

Please consider making a donation online at www.hopeequestrian.com Southern Oregon Business Journal Publisher Jim Teece and his wife Dena Matthews (Hope Board President) will match your contributions made this year to the capital campaign (up to $10,000).

Southern Oregon Business Journal December 2020 | 15

COVID19 SUPPORT

Over $3.6 million in grant funds are now available for eligible businesses impacted by COVID19 in Jackson and Josephine Counties

By SOU Small Business Development Center

Applications for this new “Southern Oregon CARES Business Grant” (“SOCARES”) fund may be accessed through SOREDI, which has contracted as grant administrator for both counties.

$1.2M has been allocated to Josephine County.

Applications will open for Josephine County at 12 pm PST on Saturday, December 5.

Small business owners are eligible for free, confidential, one-on-one business advising from the Southern Oregon University SBDC.

ONLY complete applications, with all required documentation, will be considered. Applications will be accepted until funding is exhausted or 12 pm PST on Tuesday, December 29, whichever comes first. Only electronic submissions will be accepted. Due to the amount of potential grant awards and short timeframe to apply, SOREDI staff will NOT be able to accept questions by phone.

Those needing assistance may schedule a 15-minute appointment with SOREDI via the website. This is a new program with new requirements different from the previous matching grant programs. Businesses who applied for other funding or were placed on a wait list for funding will need to reapply and resubmit documentation.

Register for free advising at https://sbdc.sou.edu.

These new grant funds are available in all 36 Oregon counties through a $55 million allocation made by the State of Oregon. These funds are intended to be equally accessible to all businesses including the historically disadvantaged population groups (Asian, Black, Hispanic, Native American, and Womenowned businesses).

Application preference will given to those who were mandated to be closed due to Executive Order 20-65.

SOCARES Business Grant applications and FAQs may be accessed here: https:// soredi.org/socares/

$2.4M has been allocated to Jackson County. Applications will open for Jackson County at 12 pm PST on Friday, December 4.

The SOREDI Press Release can be found at https://soredi.org/ news-socares/.

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The SOU Small Business Development Center is located at the RCC/SOU Higher Education Center, 101 S. Bartlett Street (between Central and Riverside off 8th Street), in Medford. We offer local business advising for every stage of your business: from idea, to launch, to expansion--even help guide you through an exit or succession plan. Call for an appointment today: (541) 552-8300.

Oregon Small Business Development Centers are funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, and by the Oregon Business Development Department.

Sponsors The Southern Oregon Business Journal extends sincere thanks to the following companies for their continued presence as important cogs in the wheels of industry in southern Oregon.

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Southern Oregon Business Journal December 2020 | 17

EDUCATION

Southern Oregon University recognized for doing well in conversion to remote coursework

By Southern Oregon University News news.sou.edu

SOU was recognized by the rankings website niche.com as one of “Eleven Schools That Did Online Learning Well This Spring.” Universities that made the list were from all parts of the U.S., but SOU was the only one mentioned from the West Coast.

“We used the Moodle platform as well as Zoom call platforms to communicate,” SOU senior Kaylyn Jordaan told the website. “This resulted in only two different logins and clear communication and expectations.

“I had three of my five classes require Zoom meetings and logins,” she said.

“The other two had weekly check-ins, and due dates that stayed consistent.”

SOU’s experience in shifting to remote and online classes for spring term, combined with the professional development opportunities that many faculty members engaged in over the summer, are expected to result in improved fall term experiences for students.

Niche.com was founded in 2002 as College Prowler, producing print guidebooks for prospective students.

It began offering free online content in 2009, and now provides research services for home-buying, job searches, parenting and coronavirus support – along with college guidance.

“The COVID-19 pandemic turned college life upside down for administrators, faculty members and students across the globe,”

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niche.com said in introducing its online learning list.

“Though every institution faced intense challenges pivoting to fully online instruction nearly overnight, some rose to the occasion,” the website said. “We talked to students at 11 different schools that went the extra mile when it came to making the switch.

Other institutions that made the list are Mississippi State University, Florida International University, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, Howard University, Rutgers University-New Brunswick, Rutgers University-Newark, Trine University, Brigham Young University, University of Connecticut and University of Nebraska-Omaha.

Leadership Begins at Southern Oregon University.

“My time at SOU helped shape my career path, giving me the confidence to pursue a career in the business world.”

Fred Mossler, ’90, first employee of Zappos.com

sou.edu

• 855-470-3377 Southern Oregon Business Journal October 2020 | 19

COVID-19

State of Oregon Releases Economic and Revenue Forecast (released on November 18, 2020)

By Josh Lehner Oregon Office of Economic Analysis

While the economic recovery continues, the virus remains in control. Expectations were already that growth would slow noticeably over the colder, wetter months ahead. The latest surge in COVID cases all but ensures it. Businesses and consumers are likely to pull back out of fear of the virus, and more restrictive public health policies are being implemented such that the health care system does not breach capacity. When the weak labor market and spreading virus is combined with months of federal inaction

regarding both the pandemic and the economy, it brings the recovery to its most challenging point yet.

Even so, expectations remain that the economic expansion will endure. The recovery will be faster overall than in past severe recessions. This is due to a key assumption regarding a widely available medical treatment by next fall. After that, economic growth should accelerate. Schools will reopen, workers will return to the office in greater numbers, and

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travel and tourism will pick up.

With the end of the pandemic likely in sight, the key macroeconomic risk remains minimizing the amount of permanent damage done the economy in the meantime. As such, additional federal aid to support small businesses and the laid off workers who face dim job prospects until the pandemic is over will ensure the recovery is faster, and disparities do not widen. Oregon’s economy is expected to return to health by mid-2023.

population and prices will have continued to grow.

It is not unheard of for Oregon’s tax revenues to remain flat for several years. The 1991 recession and recovery provides the most recent example.

That said, the typical recession in Oregon has brought with it a much larger swing in revenue collections. Significant risk to the revenue outlook remains.

Oregon’s primary revenue sources have tracked very closely with expectations since the previous forecast was released.

Even so, a considerable amount of uncertainty remains due to the virus and government policy responses. Despite the uncertainty, General Fund revenue collections have been surprisingly healthy since the recession began. Total spending and income have been propped by the first round of federal fiscal aid. Also, the fact that highincome households have been relatively spared so far has supported tax collections.

Corporate excise tax collections, lottery sales and taxes on investment forms of income have shown the strongest recoveries.

While those sources stand out, all major forms of revenue have bounced back, including laborrelated income taxes. In fact,

given the extraordinary growth, a personal income tax kicker for the current biennium is not out of the question, although it would take a big April 2021 tax season to get there.

Oregon’s budget process for the next biennium is getting started next month with the release of the Governor’s Recommended Budget. Oregon’s primary revenue sources are expected to grow by a 5% during the 2021-23 budget period. The losses of jobs and business income due to the recession have yet to completely flow through to tax collections.

While the revenue outlook is uncertain, Oregon is in a better position than in the past to manage this risk.

Encouragingly, Oregon has saved a larger amount of reserve funds than ever before.

Automatic deposits into Oregon’s Rainy Day Fund and Education Stability Fund throughout the long expansion have added up.

Oregon’s budget writers have never had access to significant reserve funds during past recessions. Although today’s reserves will not cover all of the likely shortfall caused by a recession, they are large enough to ease much of the pain.

Such growth is quite modest from an historical perspective, and not sufficient to keep up with the rising cost of providing public services. Should the baseline outlook come to pass, state resources will have remained roughly unchanged for three budget periods, while Oregon’s Southern Oregon Business Journal December 2020 | 21

COVID-19

Governor Kate Brown Announces Launch of 'Give the Gift of Oregon' Campaign to Support Local Businesses

Liz Merah elizabeth.merah@oregon.gov

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

Oregon retailers are prepared for Oregonians to shop safe, shop local Salem, OR—Governor Kate Brown today announced the launch of the “Give the Gift of Oregon” campaign as part of a comprehensive effort to support local businesses statewide.

Shopping local is more important than ever due to the significant economic hardships that COVID-19 has created for Oregon businesses across the state. As Oregonians do their part individually to contain the spread of the virus, businesses are implementing necessary health and safety measures to protect customers and employees so they can get back to business and stay open.

“Oregon’s businesses are the backbone of our communities and our economy, and I am encouraging all Oregonians to shop locally this holiday season," said Governor

Brown. "Strengthening our economy starts here at home. One way Oregonians can help is to spend locally to keep dollars with our homegrown businesses that are run by our neighbors, family, and friends.

Many local retailers are offering online, curbside pickup, and ‘takeout’ shopping options, making it easy for Oregonians to shop safely.”

Travel Oregon and Business Oregon, the state’s tourism and economic development agencies, are collaborating to carry out this consumer campaign, which runs from November 18 through December 31.

The project aims to inspire Oregonians to keep it local and support their favorite businesses as they check off holiday gift lists. There are many ways to shop locally online, and through safe retail operations.

Travel Oregon is also appealing to Oregonians to help offset a nearly

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60% reduction in direct travel spending, including shopping and restaurant business, that has affected the entire state.

Oregonians will be able to find featured businesses across the state, along with gift ideas on traveloregon.com/giftoforegon . The campaign also highlights the Oregon Wine Board's The Giving Season efforts, as well as the Built Oregon Marketplace , an online platform that provides consumers with an opportunity to discover products from Oregon makers.

“Oregon’s local businesses are the bedrock of the state’s tourism economy – boutique Oregon accommodations, restaurants, coffee shops, breweries, wineries, attractions, tour operators, and retail shops that promote and sell Oregon-

made products comprise the fabric of tourism in Oregon,” said Todd Davidson, CEO of Travel Oregon. “COVID-19 continues to have a devastating impact on these businesses and, now more than ever, they need support. We encourage Oregonians to shop local this holiday season and to share hope by giving the gift of Oregon.”

“The spending power of all of us this season can make a big difference,” said Business Oregon Director Chris Cummings. “We continue to push out as many resources as we can, through funds from the CARES Act and our existing programs, and this promotion is just another way we can help.

This also provides a great opportunity to discover incredible local products throughout Oregon.”

There are many “buy local” campaigns happening throughout Oregon, and this statewide promotion will highlight many of these during the season on social media with the #GivetheGiftofOregon hashtag. Oregonians are encouraged to share their support on social media by sharing their purchases or favorite local businesses and using the hashtag. Oregon businesses and communities can learn more about participating in the campaign by visiting Travel Oregon’s website: industry.traveloregon.com/

Land Conservation and Development Commission Adopts Housing Production Strategy Rules At their meeting on November 12, 2020, the Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) passed new rules to implement House Bill 2003 from the 2019 legislative session. The primary goal of the bill is to help satisfy unmet housing needs in Oregon through the development of housing production strategies. Forty-nine (49) cities in Oregon with a population over 10,000 will be subject to these new rules. The adopted rules require cities to develop housing production strategies to achieve fair and equitable housing outcomes. These strategies seek to increase housing production while addressing the location of housing, fair housing, housing choice, housing options for residents experiencing homelessness, opportunities for affordable rental housing and homeownership, gentrification and displacement, and encouraging housing stabilization for historically marginalized community members.

“This is a historic moment - created by a diverse volunteer Rules Advisory Committee and staff. We are grateful for their extensive contributions. It’s rare that we have cities telling us we did everything right,” said Chair McArthur after hearing a range of testimony.

Director of the Homelessness Research and Action Collaborative, PSU Professor Marisa Zapata served on the state’s advisory committee. Dr. Zapata advised commissioners of the far-reaching implications of this work: “Oregon has set a standard on homelessness and housing that is the first of its kind in the country. These new rules will incorporate the needs of people experiencing homelessness for the first time in planning for unmet housing needs.”

Commissioner Anyeley, the commission’s liaison to the advisory committee, made the motion to approve the new rules. Commissioner Nick Lelack seconded the motion which passed 5-0.

“The rulemaking process has been very intentional on encouraging equitable housing outcomes for all Oregonians. This work has required the participation of diverse stakeholders not traditionally included in land use decision making processes and a deliberate focus on providing opportunities and eliminating barriers to the production of needed housing”, said Commissioner Hallova. “We look forward to partnering with cities, housing providers, and community organizations to implement these new rules”.

Adopted without amendment, the new rules to implement House Bill 2003 may be found on DLCD’s website here: https://www.oregon.gov/lcd/Commission/Documents/2020-11_Item-5_Attach-BProposed-Housing-Production-Strategy-Administrative-Rules.pdf With funding provided by the Oregon Legislature via the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD), two cities are currently working on prototype versions of Housing Production Strategies this year.

Last year, the Oregon Legislature also passed House Bill 2001 aimed at providing Oregonians with more housing choices, especially housing choices more people can afford. This new law lets people build certain traditional housing types, like duplexes, in residential zones. These housing types already exist in most cities, but have been outlawed for decades in many neighborhoods. The Land Conservation and Development Commission continued the hearing to implement House Bill 2001 to December 9, 2020 where final rules are expected to be reviewed and approved by the commission.

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Working from Home on the Decline, and Outlook for Downtowns

COVID-19

By Josh Lehner Oregon Office of Economic Analysis

W

orking from home has been a key economic response to the pandemic. As detailed before, about 1 in 3 workers are theoretically work remotely. We know that number was higher earlier this year as working from home wasn’t so much about optimal business operations as it was to stop the spread of the virus and still get some work done. The key question remains just how large of a permanent shift we will see in the years ahead. It will increase. And recessions have a way of speeding up structural changes, but where exactly it lands is still very much to be determined.

While we know working remotely wouldn’t stay at these high levels forever, even if telecommuting a day or two remains an employee perk, the question was how quickly would workers be recalled to the office?

The answer it turns out is, at least to me, sooner than expected.

Since May, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has been asking some supplemental questions about the

virus and remote work. If you look at Americans with a job, the share who are teleworking due to the pandemic has been declining in recent months. It has fallen by more than a third, going from

in leisure and hospitality as bars and restaurants reopened. That sort of industrial or occupational mix accounts for less than 10% of the decline, while the within industry or within occupational

roughly 35% to 20% of all employees.

declines resulting in more than 90% of the overall drop in telecommuting. We’re still on track for remote work to set all sorts of records in 2020, but workers being recalled to the office is maybe happening even sooner than expected.

If you dig into the data, it shows this decline is across the entire economy. The share of workers in every industry, or in every occupational group has fallen.

The overall decline is not due to compositional factors, like the fact a lot of the job growth recently is

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This issue has big implications for downtowns, or commercial centers more broadly across the

country. These hubs of economic activity are reliant upon demand from local residents, yes, but also from commuters who spend the workday in the area, and also demand from being destinations for those looking to shop, eat, and partake in nightlife and entertainment. This destination demand includes both those traveling from within the regional economy and also tourists.

With the pandemic, working from home lowered the daytime demand for restaurants and shops as workers commute less. This removed one key source of sales for businesses in downtowns and commercial districts. It also means it boosted relative demand in suburban areas as the workers stayed home. Then on top of commute trends, the drop in tourism — particularly air travel — and local residents staying home more to socially distance themselves, it all hit these hubs of commerce especially hard.

Note: Other Services includes things like barbershops, nail salons, parking lot/garages, and laundry services which are more prevalent in downtowns.

So what does all of this mean? It’s still too early to know for sure. On the one hand, the fact workers are being recalled to the office in recent months bodes well for businesses in these commercial districts, leaving to the side any discussion of pubic health. It is also likely an indication that there is no massive change in business operations on a permanent basis*, or at least not yet.

On the other hand, a partial rebound in the lunch crowd, while helpful, is unlikely to keep all of these restaurants and shops afloat. At best it is a necessary, but insufficient condition for jobs centers and commercial districts to rebound.

There remains key risks to the outlook for these locations and commercial real estate more broadly given the ongoing shift away from brick-and-mortar retailers and a potential drop in demand for traditional office space and high rise apartments.

We know a full rebound is unlikely until the pandemic is over. At that point, people will go out to eat more, take in a concert, go on vacations, and the like.

While our office expects no real long-run damage to cities and downtowns, that doesn’t mean there won’t be issues this year and next. As City Observatory notes, there are a lot of reasons to be optimistic about cities. In the meantime our office is watching employment trends in office-based work, and tracking measures regarding working from home, dining out, and travel. To the extent there are larger, permanent changes, it provides opportunities to repurpose existing spaces to meet whatever that future demand is. *Note that the BLS data only refers to workers who telecommute due to the virus. It does not include those working remotely not due to the virus. As such, to the extent permanent full-time remote work is already increasing, that is not captured here.

Southern Oregon Business Journal November 2020 | 25

MID-VALLEY EMPLOYMENT

Long-Term Projections Show Broad-Based Job Opportunities in Linn and Benton Counties

By Pat O’Connor Regional Economist Benton, Linn, Marion, Polk, and Yamhill counties patrick.s.oconnor@oregon.gov

L

inn and Benton counties will combine to add 6,670 jobs between 2019 and 2029, according to new projections from the Oregon Employment Department. This represents a 7 percent increase in employment over 10 years. The anticipated growth stems from private-sector

gains of 5,650 jobs (8%) and growth of 790 jobs (4%) in government. This projected 7 percent growth rate is slower than the near 18 percent growth seen over the past decade in Linn and Benton counties. One reason for the strong 18 percent growth is that 2009 was in the depths of the

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Great Recession, and 2019 was prior to our current recession, and marked the high point in the business cycle.

Beyond gains from economic growth, an additional 116,141 job openings will be created by 2029

as workers change occupations or leave for other reasons, such as retirement.

The 2019 to 2029 employment projections bring together several trends that have been building over the past few years: a strong health care sector, due in part to an aging population; continuing strong growth in Linn and Benton counties’ construction sector, which was hard hit during the Great Recession; and continuing baby boomer retirements.

Industry Projections There will be job opportunities in most of the broad private-sector industry groups. The region’s private educational and health services sector – of which hospitals are a big part – is

projected to add the most jobs (+2,570 jobs). This is followed by the trade, transportation, and utilities sector (+1,050 jobs). This industry includes retailers and wholesale trade, as well as distribution centers. Only information and manufacturing are expected to lose jobs (-40 and -30, respectively) by 2029.

Information includes newspapers, directory, and book publishers, as well as software publishing.

The construction industry will continue its recovery from large job losses during the Great Recession and is projected to grow 11 percent and add 500 jobs by 2029. Construction’s 11 percent growth is the secondfastest rate of any sector, second only to private educational and health services.

In the public sector, federal government employment is projected to shed 70 jobs from 2019 to 2029, declining 9 percent. State government is projected to be essentially flat, adding 10 jobs over the decade.

Local government employment is projected to grow by 850 jobs over the decade, with 530 of them within local government education. Local government education includes local school districts (K-12) as well as Oregon State University, which moved from state government to local government in 2014.

Occupational Projections Between 2019 and 2029, there will be job openings in most occupations. In addition to the nearly 6,700 occupational openings from new or expanding

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Mid-Valley Employment (Continued)

businesses, Linn-Benton employers will also need sufficiently trained workers for the more than 116,000 openings due to the need to replace those workers leaving their occupations.

Replacement openings will make up a majority of total job openings in all major occupational groups in Linn and Benton counties.

Linn and Benton counties’ economic diversity is demonstrated by the occupational group projected to have the most job openings: service occupations are expected to have nearly 28,400 openings from 2019 to 2029. Service occupations – which include jobs as varied as emergency services, pest control workers, and fast food cooks – generally pay lower wages and require lower levels of education.

Other large occupational groups are professional and related occupations, office and administrative occupations, and sales and related occupations.

Professional occupations, which

experience some openings due to economic growth and many more due to the retirement or other departure of existing workers.

include web developers, engineers, and lawyers, tend to pay higher wages and require higher levels of education.

Health care, construction, and service occupations are the three groups growing fastest, driven in large part by the aging population and recessionrecovery trends. Seven of the top 10 fastest-growing specific occupations with more than 50 openings are in health care.

In terms of actual job counts though, food preparation and serving workers, cashiers, retail salespersons, personal care and service workers, and personal care aides are the five occupations with the most job openings anticipated in the coming 10 years. These are all large occupations, and they will all

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About half (52%) of the projected job openings will require some sort of education beyond high school in order for candidates to be more competitive in the hiring process.

A bachelor's degree or higher will be needed for about 25 percent of the openings at the competitive level in Linn and Benton counties.

Other Regional Projections Central Oregon and the Portland tri-county area will record the fastest employment growth over the 10-year period, according to projections made by the Employment Department’s regional economists. The Portland tri-county area consisting of Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas counties anticipates 11 percent employment growth by 2029. The Central Oregon region expects employment gains of 12 percent. Statewide, Oregon’s employment is projected to grow 9 percent from 2019 to 2029.

LANE COUNTY EMPLOYMENT

Lane County Jobs Projected to Increase 8 Percent by 2029

By Brian Rooney Regional Economist Douglas and Lane counties brian.t.rooney@oregon.gov

Lane County’s total employment will grow by 14,400 jobs between 2019 and 2029, according to new projections from the Oregon Employment Department. The projections point to modest job growth between 2019 and 2029, although many job openings are expected due to the need to replace workers who leave their occupations.

In 2019, there were 173,800 jobs in Lane County. The 8 percent increase in employment between 2019 and 2029 includes privatesector gains of 12,000 jobs, 1,800 jobs in government, and an additional 600 jobs for selfemployed Lane County residents.

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The Employment Department’s 2019-2029 employment projections are long-term projections intended to capture structural change in the economy, not cyclical fluctuations. As such, they do not project the full impacts of the COVID-19 recession and its recovery.

However, some short-term adjustments were made to the industries that were most affected

by the restrictions enacted due to the pandemic.

Big Industries Add the Most Jobs All major industry sectors are expected to add jobs except information, which has no change over the 10-year period. Private health care and social assistance will add 5,000 jobs, the most of any sector in the county. It is followed by professional and business services with 1,800 additional jobs by 2029. There may be little surprise seeing health care and professional and business services among the top

industries adding jobs, as they are two of the largest industries in the county. It’s notable that in addition to their size, these are also two of the fastest-growing industries.

Fast growth in private health care and social assistance (19%) can be attributed to the growing and aging county population. In addition, the county has become a regional health care center serving people from outside the county. Health care alone will account for over one-quarter of the new jobs created by 2029.

Construction is the second fastest growing industry (12%), adding 900 jobs between 2019 and 2029.

Demand for construction will be driven by population and economic growth and low residential vacancy rates and associated rising prices.

Rebuilding after the Holiday Farm Fire will add additional demand and job growth.

Professional and business services growth (10%) will be driven by gains in professional and technical services such as computer systems design and management of companies and

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enterprises. Management of companies and enterprises includes corporate offices headquartered in Lane County.

Peak Employment While overall employment and jobs in many sectors are expected to grow beyond their current peak levels, some sectors will fall short of their peak employment by 2029. Manufacturing employment is expected to grow by 6 percent to 15,000 jobs. That's well below its most recent peak of 20,300 jobs in 2006.

Financial activities should grow by 1 percent to 8,200, below its height of 8,400 in 2007. The information sector is projected to

add zero jobs and remain at 2,300, about 200 jobs below its last peak in 2007.

Each of these three below-peak sectors consist of different component industries growing in notably different ways. Some components of manufacturing – such as overall durable goods (4%) and transportation equipment manufacturing (14%) – show higher projected growth rates. Meanwhile, the relatively larger wood product manufacturing (-3%) shows a projected decline by 2029.

In financial activities, expected population growth and increased construction will cause a gain in real estate jobs. However, these jobs are expected to be

countered by losses in financial establishments primarily engaged in deposit banking and extending credit. In the information sector, growth in the software publishing industry will be countered by losses in print publishing.

Government Projections show relatively modest growth in all broad areas of government. Federal government should continue to grow (5%), largely due to forest management and federal postal employment gains. State government is expected to grow 6 percent. Local government is expected to grow 6 percent, largely from gains in local education including higher education.

All Industries Need Workers Whether growing rapidly or showing a net loss of jobs by 2029, all broad industries provide employment opportunities to Oregonians. The demand is clear in some industries. Together health care, professional and business services, and construction will account for nearly half of all new jobs in the county. Slower growing sectors and declining industries still offer job opportunities through replacement needs especially with an aging workforce and retirements.

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Welcome to Umpqua BroadBand!

High Speed Internet for Rural Douglas County.

Rural homes, farms, ranches and businesses now have an option. We have towers strategically located all over the Umpqua Valley. We have hundreds of happy customers that have made the switch to Umpqua Broadband™, replacing their slow DSL or Exede wireless service. umpquabroadband.com New Office : 845 Mosher, Roseburg, OR 97470 (541) 672-3793 customercare@umpquabroadband.com

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COMMUNITY BANKING

People’s Bank of Commerce (Medford) and Willamette Community Bank (Albany) have announced a merger.

By Jim Teece Southern Oregon Business Journal Publisher

Note : I proudly serve on the board of People’s Bank and offered to include the shareholder mailing about the merger in this months journal. This is not a solicitation or recommendation to any shareholders. It’s just a story and insert (by a sponsor of the Southern Oregon Business Journal - I’d do the same for any of our sponsors) about a Southern Oregon based bank growing by merging with another bank in this publications coverage area.

•

Market expansion for PBCO into Salem and Albany MSAs.

•

Increases diversification for loans, deposits, geographic footprint and revenue mix.

•

Larger size creates synergies and economies of scale.

•

Complementary offering of products and services – PBCO offers mortgage and factoring products which can be leveraged in WMCB’s markets.

Let me also recap for you what you will find inside: The combined bank will become the 4th largest bank headquartered in Oregon and will give People’s Bank new markets to serve.

Aligns with PBCO and WMCB’s strategic plan – focus on quality, sustainability and profitable growth.

By merging PBCO and WMCB, the opportunity to serve more clients along the I-5 corridor will grow. This new organization will have nine branch locations from Southern Oregon to the Willamette Valley.

Overview of People’s Bank of Commerce • Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Medford, Oregon.

• People’s Bank of Commerce stock trades on the over-the-counter market under the symbol PBCO. • Six branch locations in Jackson, Josephine, and Klamath counties.

• $500 million in total assets.

• $373 million in total loans, including • $95.1 million in PPP loans.

• PeoplesBank.bank

WMCB customers will continue to do business with the three existing branches as “Willamette Community Bank, a division of People’s Bank of Commerce.”

MERGER RATIONALE Strategically Attractive and Financially Compelling • Pro-forma assets of $710 million which ranks as fourth largest bank headquartered in the state of Oregon.

•

A larger, stronger community banking franchise pro-forma.

Overview of Willamette Community Bank • Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Albany, Oregon.

• Willamette Community Bank’s stock trades on the over-the-counter market under the symbol WMCB.

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• • • • •

Three branch locations in Salem, Albany and Lebanon, Oregon. $210 million in total assets. $147 million in total loans, including $26 million in PPP loans.

WillametteCommunityBank.com

Strategic goals for the new organization: • Continue to expand our services in our communities.

•

Continue to look for acquisition opportunities with banking institutions that align with our values and will help us achieve our goals and diversify our income streams.

•

Achieve operational efficiency and expand our market share by optimizing digital banking by providing new financial management technology to our customers.

•

Increase our portfolio of Individual, Partnership & Corporate (IPC) deposits.

•

Increase non-interest income generated by the mortgage department.

•

Continue to grow Steelhead Finance’s business and increase non-interest income.

•

Explore the process of taking the bank public to increase shareholder liquidity.

Special Insert

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UNSUNG HEROES

Employees from every department in Jackson County were part of the Fire Response and Running of the Evacuation Center at the Expo.

By Jim Teece Southern Oregon Business Journal Publisher

Photo of the cots at the expo by Mac Holbert rmh@artauthority.net

I wrote an article last month about the expo staff and what they did after the fire to stand up an evacuation center. Because I am on the fair board, it blew me away how a small team could react to crisis during a pandemic shut down and I wanted to share that story.

But I soon found out that was only a small portion of the whole story.

I personally visited the expo two times during the crisis to help out where I could without getting in the way. Both times it felt calm and organized and very well run to me.

It felt like a small city was stood up overnight.

There were big professional signs that were way points for services and I fell in love with

so many helpers especially the traveling nurses.

I had a chance to sit down (virtually) with Steve Lambert of Jackson County Parks to find out how much of the county responded that day and for weeks after the fire, under his calm and inspiring management.

Steve was very clear that this article should not be about him and asked that I mention him as little as possible. He wanted me to let you know, that it took the response of the entire county staff to pull off what they did.

So I’ll honor his request and I’ll only mention him at the beginning and at the end… and maybe a little in the middle.

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S

teve Lambert got an urgent call from his daughter, in the early afternoon on September 8th, 2020, letting him know that she was being evacuated. He arranged to evacuate her to a hotel in Medford and he felt good about getting his daughter and grandson out of harms way so he could focus on the task at hand.

A few hours later, he got another call from her. The hotel in Medford was being evacuated as well, as the fire

raged through Talent and Phoenix and was making its way toward Medford.

He looked around and saw the chaos that was unfolding in front of him at the expo, as evacuees started showing up, cots were being setup and volunteers started to arrive and he told her to come there.

There was plenty of room.

A few hours later, there were thousands of evacuees spending the night in cars, in tents, under the stars, in makeshift hospitals and on cots in arenas.

At the beginning of 2020, Steve Lambert was the Jackson County Parks Director. He oversaw all the county parks which include 19 developed parks and over 700 campsites (RV and tent camping) and outdoor recreation areas on rivers and lakes. He moved here in 2009 after managing parks in Linn County, Oregon for 10 years.

In March of this year the state mandated a COVID shutdown of parks and he was reassigned to the EOC (Emergency Operations Center) under John Vile, director of Jackson County

Roads and the Emergency Operations Center Director.

not the thousands that showed up several hours later.

He was assigned in the spring to stand up a makeshift quarantine center in the OLSRUD arena at the Jackson County Expo as part of his duties, with cots surrounded by pipe and drape for privacy.

He focused his energy on being able to quarantine and provide care for homeless, LatinX, migrant farmworkers as well as handling many social and soft issues.

The first thing he needed to do was rally the troops and orchestrate the building of a duplicate setup of the migrant worker COVID medical facility they had in OLSRUD into the PADGHAM Pavilion. Parks, Expo and Central Point Public Works employees all worked together to pull this off.

It was because of his new duties that he built bridges to organizations he would have never have while just running the parks.

As they finished it, the evacuees from the Northridge Retirement Center, which burned to the ground, started to show up and were immediately housed in that building.

He told me that the irony of being sent onsite the day of the fire was that the first round of evacuees included migrant farm workers that spoke very little English and Steve was able to reach out to his contacts at UNETE and they came down and interpreted for them within 30 minutes of being called.

That was when he realized that the care needs of individuals was more than they were prepared to handle. The OSLRUD had high-care-need people assigned to it. Some were in hospice and only days away from passing away. They were the medical fragile.

Around noon on the the day of the fire, John asked him to head down to the expo to give Helen a hand and to get the facility ready from an EOC standpoint. He showed up thinking that they might have to deal with 30 to 40 evacuees,

They also setup a community center in the MACE building, so that evacuees could get out of their cars and relax in front of a TV for a little while and use the rest room, all while still maintaining social distancing.

Southern Oregon Business Journal December 2020 | 55

He called Danny Jordan, Jackson County Administrator, and asked for more help.

Danny got him in touch with Dr. Jim Shames, Jackson County Medical Director/ Health Officer and Dr. Shames sent Emergency Room Doctors to help from Providence Hospital, many of which ended up staying the night with these medically fragile people that first night.

Traveling nurses also started showing up.

needing medication and medical attention.

Steve even remembers driving to the Rogue Valley Manor to pickup oxygen at 3:30AM.

Ramping up was easy, ramping down was harder. They needed to find long term help.

Ali Lefler from the Expo went to local grocery stores and Costco, that she somehow got them to open at 2am, to get breakfast for everyone because they were worried that people would be angry if they didn’t have food for them when they woke up in the morning.

The second day gave them time to catch their breath and get organized. They got teams from Jackson County Public Health to help out. Dr. Mary Cutler and a COVID response team took over and ran the medical space for the following week and a half.

Doctors and Nurses from all over the valley started showing up. They had evacuees

He pointed out several times during the interview how he witnessed time and time again and how impressed he was with everyone rising to the challenge and rallying the troops. It really made a deep impression on him, how fast everyone came together and how well they worked together for the first emergency of this scale in Southern Oregon.

The first day was meeting the immediate needs of the masses, the second day he realized that they had to focus on the long term care of individuals. They needed to get the unstable to stable and then find ways to keep them stable for the long term.

Autumn Doshier and Rick Rawlins from Jackson County Mental Health worked hard to fi nd new care facilities for each person. It took them a week and half to empty out the makeshift medical center.

Steve went home that afternoon to finally get some sleep. An hour later he was called back to the expo. There was a fire in Central Point and it

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was growing out of control and they needed to evacuate the expo. Eventually, the fire was put out, before it got too close, but that second fire attack was scary and unsettling for the evacuees and the volunteers that were onsite to provide support for the first fire victims.

Steve was also quick to point out how many people from the health community showed up to provide care and he kept reminding me that these local unsung heroes did all the face to face work and most of Jackson County staff were onsite providing support.

That second day they reorganized and put J Domis, Deputy Director of Roads and Parks, in charge of operations, and Eric Spivak, the county auditor, tin charge of planning.

Steve was also thankful that Jenna Marmon from ODOT was loaned to the cause for 2 weeks.

After 48 hours he started to focus on long term structure and care.

• They had bathrooms to keep clean and people to feed.

• They had someone from facilities doing repairs and maintenance from 6am to Midnight.

• They had security from Community Justice department providing 24x7 roaming security.

• The OSU extension office connected folks to local resources They also had several nonprofits and local businesses on site providing support as well.

Jim DeBoer from the Sign Dude, just showed up and asked what was needed and then donated all the signs put up around the expo, creating way points and letting people know where to go for help.

La Clinica was onsite providing support and care.

Rogue Valley COAD (Community Organizations Active in Disaster) and United Way sent volunteers - They provided 1,000’s of hours of volunteers, managed and coordinated in guiding and providing interpretive services.

Phoenix/Talent School District was onsite every day, because everyone trusts the teachers, principals and partners of the schools.

Jackson County Animal shelter, evacuated by the fi re, ended up at the expo with all the animals and it was a godsend to have animal experts on

hand to help people cope and get reunited with animals.

Steve reached out to the state and asked for mobile laundry and showers and an office and they were delivered in 72 hours.

The Red Cross showed up the first day, but didn’t take over the effort for about 5 days. The Salvation Army sent a mobile kitchen and took over feeding everyone.

The shelter stood for a couple of weeks and thousands of people and animals were processed in and out, many with the sad reality of not having a home to return to.

It eventually relocated to the City of Medford because it was closer to the areas impacted and Steve and his crew started the long process of tearing it all down and getting some much needed rest.

loss to the community, with smiles on their faces knowing that they were helping each other, get through this, together.

Steve realized that COVID is the reason this was all able to happen so quickly and easily.

He spent months building relationships with outside organizations and building trust between them. It only took a quick call after that and they were able to get all the resources they needed.

And I realized during the interview that it also takes a great leader to rise from the chaos to “rally the troops” and I’m grateful that Steve Lambert was the one chosen.

Steve, a longterm government employee and man that manages parks for the county, will never forget the experience of watching all the county employees come together to help the community they serve, for several weeks, during a global pandemic and dealing with a huge wildfire Southern Oregon Business Journal December 2020 | 57

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