Archive for March 2021
A Few Words from Jim
March already!? This month marks the 1 year anniversary of working from home via zoom for millions of workers. Vaccinations are rolling out at a brisk pace now and with spring flowers blooming, our desire to be outside and away from the computer 24×7 is stronger than the typical spring fever. I look forward to…
Read MoreLocal Innovation Lab prepares SOU interns to address disaster issues
from SOU News If you’re looking for a silver lining somewhere deep within the dual catastrophes of COVID-19 and last fall’s southern Oregon wildfires, look no further than the Local Innovation Lab. The collaborative project of Southern Oregon University and the Humane Leadership Institute is finding student interns and training them as leaders to tackle some of…
Read MoreFiber Optic Internet : A Conduit for Economic Transformation
By Bruce Arnold Who Will Stay? That’s a common refrain when parents, educators, employers and regional officials discuss the future of young people growing up in Southern Oregon. Increasingly, rural areas are losing young, talented people in search of opportunity and better employment prospects. The current reality is that 55 percent of the U.S. population…
Read MoreHunter Communications Awarded $19.2 Million in FCC Rural Digital Opportunity Funding to Boost Broadband Services in Oregon and California
Hunter to provide up to 1 Gbps symmetrical fiber broadband internet Hunter Communications (Hunter), the premier fiber-optic communications services provider in southern Oregon and northern California, has been awarded $19.2 million through the Federal Communication Commission’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) Phase I auction. Hunter will deploy 100% fiber-optic broadband networks to offer up to 1 gigabit symmetrical internet services to…
Read MoreGo, Set, Ready
By Greg Henderson Luck resides at the intersection of preparation and opportunity. You and I have heard it a thousand times, but seldom say no to a bit of luck that may come our way. Too, bad. Undeserved luck is addictive and unreliable. COVID-19 is blamed for thousands of business failures whose customers suddenly disappeared…
Read MorePeople’s Bank Announces Completion of Merger with Willamette Community Bank
By Press ReleaseKen Trautman, CEO of People’s Bank of Commerce Medford, Oregon – March 1, 2021 – People’s Bank of Commerce (OTCBB: PBCO), announced that effective March 1, 2021, it completed the merger with Willamette Community Bank. Ken Trautman, CEO of People’s Bank of Commerce, stated, “We are fortunate to have the opportunity to partner with…
Read MoreMarch 2021 Oregon Economic and Revenue Forecast
By Mark McMullen and Josh LehnerOregon Office of Economic Analysis ECONOMIC OUTLOOK The cycle is different. The nature of the pandemic induced recession lead the economy into a severe shutdown essentially overnight last spring. Since then nearly every economic indicator has looked better than first feared. While the broad contours of the economic outlook remain…
Read MoreInterview with Whitman Parker, Publisher of Southern Oregon Wine Scene and Jacksonville Review
By Chris Cook, Capiche, capiche.us When Whitman Parker and his wife, Jo, moved from Denver to Jacksonville, Oregon, they harnessed their backgrounds in real estate to embark on new career trajectories. Whit purchased the Jacksonville Review, and Jo set up WillowCreek Gifts in downtown historic Jacksonville. It wasn’t long before Whit realized he’d better seize the opportunity to…
Read MoreUniversity of Oregon Central Oregon Business Index®
By Timothy A. Duy Director, Oregon Economic Forum Department of Economics, University of Oregon 541-346-4660 · duy@uoregon.edu Fourth Quarter 2020 Analysis The Central Oregon Business Index continued to rise in the fourth quarter despite the winter wave of the Covid-19 pandemic and the associated restrictions on business activities. While a broad array of indicators have improved, the…
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