Archive for December 2020
Innovation Projects Throughout Oregon will Advance with New Grant Awards
December 21, 2020 Diverse innovation projects across the state are moving forward with new grant funding from Business Oregon and the Oregon Innovation Council (Oregon InC). Oregon InC approved 21 projects through two separate innovation programs, the High Impact Opportunity Projects grant program and Small Business Innovation Research matching grants. Business Oregon’s matching grants fill…
Read MoreAshland Chamber launches new eCommerce site for all Brick and Mortar stores in Ashland
Like the rest of us, the Ashland Chamber of Commerce has been hard at work pivoting to stay alive while continuing to reach out and help Ashland’s small business economy in every way it can, since the shutdowns started in March. Thanks to a Grant from Business Oregon, and a passionate and experienced online expert…
Read MoreFREE Personal Protective Equipment Distributed to Local Businesses in Jackson County
Jackson County EOC & Business Oregon Partner to get PPE distributed to Businesses Event date: 12/9/2020 7:30 AM – 12/16/2020 9:30 AM Event Location: Jackson County Expo Business Oregon and the Jackson County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) have set up a depot to distribute Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to Jackson County Businesses to help curb the current…
Read MoreEmployees from every department in Jackson County were part of the Fire Response and Running of the Evacuation Center at the Expo.
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…
Read MoreA Few Words from Jim
We made it. 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. …
Read More10 Rural Community Projects Get a Boost from Business Oregon
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). The ROI is an initiative that works with communities to cultivate local environments that support entrepreneurs and small businesses.…
Read MoreLabor Underutilization and the Effects of COVID-19
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.…
Read MoreBy 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
Read MoreFREE 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…
Read More“All Children are equal in the saddle!”
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…
Read MoreOver $3.6 million in grant funds are now available for eligible businesses impacted by COVID19 in Jackson and Josephine Counties
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. 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…
Read MoreSouthern Oregon University recognized for doing well in conversion to remote coursework
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…
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