This article is a divergence from what an individual business might need or an area to develop, rather it focuses on us – who we are, where we may be going, and why we should consider going there.

From an economic development perspective, countless people in all kinds of different climates, economic conditions and resource availabilities all talk about why their area is the best to live in. Some people actually talk about opportunity for their progeny to grow up, live, and find success at home without having to move away in order to have economic opportunity. Economies are built on the foundation of the capital, energy, abilities and efforts expended through local entrepreneurs. Quite often, these people are community leaders and visionaries who want to see progress and success in others and in their communities. In essence: One person’s success begets another’s.

Even with energetic businesspeople within the region, being a sole visionary or entrepreneur can be a lonely endeavor. It can be a challenge connecting with other entrepreneurs and innovators who understand what a person goes through when travelling the path from idea to enterprise.

If you find yourself in this position and are looking for ways to connect with others or for areas that you can contribute towards building a more open, entrepreneurial economy in Southern Oregon, then you should know of a few options available to you.

The Southern Oregon Innovation Hub (SOIH) is a group of people who are working towards building a durable structure to house connectedness and information between innovators, entrepreneurs and the various organizations that serve these groups. As a committee of Southern Oregon Economic Development Incorporated (SOREDI), this group can be a good way to gain visibility for your project or organization that is entrepreneurial and innovative. The best way to access this group from Josephine and Jackson Counties is through either the SOIH Steward, Kim Freeze, or through Annie Jenkins, contractor to the SOIH. They can be reached by phone at: 541-414-4955.

If you are looking for exposure, networking and a chance to drink coffee, please consider attending a One Million Cups (1MC) event in Grants Pass some Wednesday morning at 9:30 AM. Each event features one or two speakers who resent their business model to caffeinated participants who are provided opportunity to ask the entrepreneur/presenter questions regarding their business model. As a part of the Kauffman Foundation, formats and content are worked with to provide knowledge and awareness of the business presenting. For more information, please CLICK HERE for the 1MC Rogue Valley website.

For a less formal approach to group business development, please consider The Entrepreneur Club, hosted by Ellen Holub of the Southern Oregon University Small Business Development Center (SBDC). The Entrepreneur Club meets monthly at the RCC/SOU Higher Education Center in Medford the first Monday of each month at 4:00 PM. Topics include business challenges shared by participants, questions regarding how to access resources, employment issues and more. There is also an on-going book study on relevant business topics. For additional information, please connect with the SBDC at: sbdc@sou.edu or 541-552-8300 and let Linda know you’d like to connect with The Entrepreneur Club.

On the immediate horizon is the Innovation Jam – Design and Build event hosted by Craterworks in Central Point Friday evening, November 8 and Saturday morning, November 9. This event features 2 days of designing and building prototypes while being advised by people with experience in this area. For registration and additional information, please contact Craterworks at 541-423-8250 or www.craterworks.org.  This event is free for college students to participate in. Of special note is this event is connected to InventOR from Portland State University, which is the event sponsor. Following the prototyping, there will be a pitch competition and the award of cash prizes.

In late Aug 2024, Southern Oregon Research and Innovation Network “SORIN” in cooperation with other regional organizations put on the first ever SORIN Innovation EXPO. As this is a large event, there is ample opportunity to get involved with the organization and preparations for next year’s event. This year’s theme was ‘Innovation Through Time’ and was positioned to connect innovators with resources, education and a fun time at the premier venue in the Medford area. To connect with the Innovation EXPO, please contact Dave Tribbett:    Dave.T@sorin.charity .

In September, Regen.AI was held at Ashland Hills and presented opportunity for people to connect to current work-life balance tools and a hard look at the state of the art with Artificial Intelligence. Please contact either Thor Muller or Ian Ingram for additional information at: info@regenai.co .

The SOU Small Business Development Center offers confidential business development services to innovators and entrepreneurs, having served the region since 1984. Innovators are advised and mentored on a personalized basis, from ideation through business succession planning. The SBDC offers classes from Introduction to Business through the Small Business Management Program, the premier business (bootcamp) accelerator in the region. Top of class market research services are available through the SBDC as well. For information, please call Linda at: 541-552-8300 or mail to: sbdc@sou.edu. Conversely, please register for services at the SBDC website at: https://sbdc.sou.edu/ ‘Register for Services’.

Coming in Spring 2025: The Inaugural Southern Oregon Hackathon is the centerpiece of a major-event week in the Rogue Valley. Rogue Week is coming! What does this mean? In a nutshell, it means some of the best computer programmers are going to converge on Southern Oregon to build new innovative apps and have a great time! The entire community is invited to join the fun. The atmosphere will be filled with innovative ideas and with networking opportunities for business and student development. This is an outstanding opportunity to connect with innovators, startups, and investors at one of 2025’s planned premier events.

As you are looking for other ways to connect to Southern Orgon Innovation please be aware that there are a number of individuals and organizations who can connect you with the SOIH. In addition to the organizations and programs listed above, other entities participating in the Southern Oregon Innovation Hub are listed below. Also, there are a number of individuals who are involved with the SOIH and the offer is for you to become involved and meet them at events and programs that are being ‘hubbed’.

Rogue Community College SBDC https://www.roguecc.edu

Jackson County Library: RDonald@jcls.org

City of Grants Pass Economic Development Economic Development

Medford Cowork Collective https://www.medfordcowork.com/

SOREDI https://soredi.org/

Project A https://projecta.com/

State of Oregon Regional Development Officer Regional Service Areas

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Marshall Doak is the Director of the Southern Oregon University Small Business Development Center and a supporter of innovation and the community that forms around innovation in the economy. In private practice as owner of Managed Successions, LLC, he develops and manages projects for public and private organizations for specific goal achievement success, including advising businesses wanting to transfer ownership and retain the value created over time. He can be reached through: mdoak06@gmail.com or 541-646-4126.