Archive for November 2020
Thank you Congressman Greg Walden for your service to our state and for being so nice.
I sat down, virtually via Zoom, with Congressman Greg Walden, a year to the day after he declared that he would not seek re-election to thank him for his service and ask him a few questions about what it has been like for him during the last year in office. Greg serves as the only…
Read MoreThe Staff at the Jackson County Expo are some of the unsung heroes in the Almeda Fire.
When Helen Funk arrived at the expo on September 8, she knew it was mowing day. Since COVID shutdown the expo in March, she had laid off maintenance staff and the job of grounds upkeep fell to her. She learned how to safely drive the tractor and mow the lawns. As she was mowing, she…
Read MoreWillamette Community Bank to Merge With People’s Bank of Commerce
People’s Bank of Commerce (OTCPK: PBCO) (“PBCO” or the “Company”), and Willamette Community Bank (OTCPK: WMCB), headquartered in Albany, Oregon, announced the signing of a definitive agreement whereby Willamette Community Bank will merge with and into People’s Bank of Commerce. Highlights of the Announced Transaction Pro forma assets of approximately $710 million 4th largest bank…
Read MorePeople’s Bank posts results for 3rd quarter.
People’s Bank of Commerce (OTCBB: PBCO) announced today its financial results for the third quarter and year-to-date 2020. The bank reported net income of $1,937,000 or $0.55 per basic and diluted share for the third quarter of 2020, compared to net income of $947,000 or $0.30 per share in the same quarter of 2019. Earnings…
Read MoreLooking Forward
By Jim TeeceSouthern Oregon Business Journal Publisher I stumbled into a rabbit hole. Someone sent me a report about how Oregon places next to other states as far as supporting small business and it didn’t do very well. So I started thinking about how to minimize risk and still start a business in Oregon and…
Read MoreAshland community launches new site to attract the next generation of workers and employers to town
When the pandemic sent us all working from home, many of the high tech workers in the big cities realized that they could work from anywhere and many started looking. A group of folks came together in Ashland to create a video series that told the story of living and working remotely in Ashland with…
Read MoreSouthern Oregon University Launches New Esports Management Minor
A minor in esports management? Information about the soon-to-be-launched Esports Hub in SOU’s Student Recreation Center? The university’s new esports website brings all the information about SOU’s trend-setting programs together in one place. The university is launching both an academic program and a competitive team in esports this fall, becoming one of the first institutions…
Read MoreZoom Towns Are Real
Stories about pandemic migration and working from home abound, even as we are months away from any hard data. This can be a struggle, balancing these anecdotes and speculation when we lack any real evidence. And the issue isn’t that these things are not happening. They clearly are. The issue is that Oregon sees hundreds…
Read MoreEmployer Costs for Employee Compensation in the U.S.
Employer’s total costs for employee compensation include wage and salary earnings, along with multiple categories of benefits. In June 2020, total compensation averaged $38.20 per hour worked among civilian workers in the U.S. Wages and salaries amounted to $26.17 per hour, while benefits totaled $12.04. Wages and salaries accounted for 69 percent of employees’ total…
Read MoreRecent large fires fed by forest management issues and climate change.
There is a lot of misinformation about the state of our forests, especially in the intense political climate we are in regarding the causes of the massive forest fires in the West. Commercial thinning is a method used to open up the tree crowns to light as the trees are growing. There is usually one,…
Read MoreDisparate Impact: COVID-19 Job Losses by Sector and Gender in Oregon
Every recession is unique, with varying impacts on workers in different parts of the economy. The dot com recession in 2001 hit high-tech harder than other sectors. Construction bore the hardest brunt of job losses during the Great Recession. The COVID-19 recession, now in its eighth month, is showing its own set of disparate impacts…
Read MoreNew Telecommunications Firm Expanding in Klamath Falls
Klamath Falls, OR (November 5th, 2020) – Today, the Klamath County Economic Development Association (KCEDA) publicly announced that the KRTelecom Group has started new operations in Klamath Falls and is expected to expand substantially in the next few months. Working with partners such as Verizon, Spectrum, and AT&T, KRTelecom offers consulting services to help businesses…
Read More