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Welcome to MCEDD's August
newsletter! In an effort to keep you informed of regional
events related to economic development, we have included
news from across our five-county district. Have a great
month!
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Gorge
Analytical |
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Over the years, MCEDD loan funds
have helped to start and grow businesses in the Columbia
River Gorge. Recently, MCEDD provided a loan to start-up
business, Gorge Analytical which is located in Hood River.
With this assistance, Gorge Analytical is positioned to
start and operate with necessary state of the art testing
equipment.There are two individuals with the company- Jeff
and his wife Michelle- but the company plans to expand to
four employees within the next 18 months.
Gorge
Analytical provides consulting and analytical services to
the biofuels industry. They are one of the few labs in the
Pacific Northwest equipped to analyze and certify biofuels
to the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
standards.
Currently, there are thirteen tests which
are required for biofuels, about half of which are necessary
for every production lot. The remainder must be completed
monthly, semiannually or annually.
In addition to
testing, Gorge Analytical provides consulting services to
new producers to help them understand necessary tests and
optimize the process. They are committed to providing these
services initially to ensure that biofuel lots produced will
meet ASTM standards, decreasing the cost to the producers by
reducing the need for reprocessing material.
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Klickitat
County Awarded $1 Million |
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Klickitat County has been awarded a
million dollar grant/loan package to develop 35 acres of
industrial property at Columbia Gorge Regional Airport in
Dallesport, Washington. Project funding is made available
from the Washington State Community Economic Revitalization
Board (CERB) which provides industrial development
assistance in rural Washington.
The Dallesport
project includes providing domestic and fire flow water,
sewer, roads and communication lines to a planned 17 lots to
be made available for lease to airport related and light
industry tenants.
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Cascade
Locks Undergrounds Utilities in Southbank
Area |
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In the fiscal year 2006 the City of
Cascade Locks received appropriations funding to bury a
critical and often disrupted utility line in the Southbank
area. The line currently serves all the residents and
businesses in an 18 mile stretch of the Columbia River Gorge
designated as a National Scenic Area. The City was able to
engineer the project thanks to a generous grant from the
USDA Forest Service.
Currently, construction has
begun on a 2.1 mile section of the project funded by the
Federal Emergency Management Agency's Hazards Mitigation
Program. This phase of the project is scheduled to be
completed by September 30th, 2007.
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ABC
Huskies Day Care in Sherman County |
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The Sherman County Child Care
Foundation is pleased to announce the ABC Huskies Day Care
Purchase/Renovation project is now fully-funded with recent
grant awards of $20,000 from the Meyer Memorial Trust and
$2,500 from Wasco Electric Cooperative.
The property
was purchased from the school district in March, 2007, and
the renovation began the week of June 18th. This project
will improve traffic flow, create a more open floor plan,
enhance the energy efficiency of the building, expand the
playground and purchase new playground equipment.
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Shooting
Star Motorcycle Rally in Moro |
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Oregon Shooting Star Rally will be
held August 11th and 12th, 2007 at the Sherman County
Fairgrounds in Moro, Oregon
Motorcyclists, friends
and locals are invited to join us for a weekend of twisty
rides, meteor watching and merriment. Cost for the event is
$35 for riders and $25 for passengers. Cost includes
camping, Saturday morning biscuits and gravy, Saturday chuck
wagon dinner, Sunday coffee & donuts, maps, eligible for
prizes, poker run, etc.
Electronic registration is
preferred, but paper forms are also available. Register
online at http://www.oregonshootingstarrally.com/. For more
information contact Link Shadley at 541-296-2266 or
link@mcedd.org
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For more information and schedules,
click here. |
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Port of
Cascade Locks Sail Park |
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The Port of Cascade Locks Sail Park
Project was included in the House Transportation/HUD
Appropriations Bill. The $100,000 can be used for
engineering, design, and permitting services surrounding the
Project.
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2007 AeA
Report on Trade of High Tech Goods |
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AeA released a report on July 17,
2007 detailing state and national trends in the
international trade of high tech goods. Oregon's 2006 tech
exports were up 41% from 2005 to a total of $6.9 billion.
Washington also showed positive growth in high tech exports,
with an increase of 7% to reach $3 billion in tech exports.
Visit http://www.aeanet.org to learn more or to
order the full report "Trade in the Cyberstates 2007."
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AeA website. Click
here. |
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Skamania
County Performing Arts Foundation |
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Skamania Performing Arts Foundation
(SPAF) has been extremely successful in bringing quality
productions to the Columbia River Gorge. New in 2007, their
"Guest Artist Series" provides Sunday Afternoon Concerts
once a month at Skamania Lodge's new amphitheater in
Stevenson. For more information on SPAF and its wide variety
of cultural entertainment, visit www.skamaniaarts.org.
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Forbes
Ranks Washington as 5th Best State for
Business |
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Forbes magazine has ranked
Washington as the 5th "best states for business." Washington
jumped from its rank of 12th nationally in Forbes' 50-state
survey last year.
Forbes noted that Washington is
"The biggest mover" by "rising from 12th to fifth place."
Forbes further noted, "Washington is also the only state to
finish in the top five in three main categories (labor,
regulatory environment and growth). And Washington's numbers
are up across the board when you look both backward and at
projections into the future."
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Learn more... |
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Gorge
Rebuild-it Center |
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The Gorge Rebuild-It Center, located
in Hood River, is a location for donating usable building
materials. It also provides a location to purchase
affordable building materials. Gorge Rebuild-It's services
reduce the impact on landfills of unused construction
materials.
Among the items they take and have
available are:
- windows, screens, and doors
- roofing materials
- lumber-plywood-siding-trim
- flooring material
- lighting
- plumbing and pipe
- and much more
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Visit the Rebuild-It center website
to learn more. Click here. |
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PCTA
Regional Representative |
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The Pacific Crest Trail
Association's new Northern Oregon/Southern Washington
Regional Representative, Dana Berthold, is now located in
Cascade Locks. The Port of Cascade Locks has provided the
PCTA with office space in their Port Offices and the
community is hosting a special "Pacific Crest Trail Day" on
August 11th.
Dana has moved in to her new office in
Cascade Locks and started setting it up as a place
appropriate for coordinating trail operations and meeting
with volunteer leaders and agency partners. This is the
first time that that PCTA has established a public office on
the regional level.
On Saturday, August 11th at 10:00am,
a celebration of the PCT will take place at the Pacific
Crest Trailhead in Cascade Locks, beginning with a short day
hike on the PCT. Hikers can choose from a 1.8 mile hike to
Dry Creek or a 6 mile hike to Herman Creek Campground. Free
shuttle service will be provided back to the trailhead. For
those that are interested, a bit of light trail maintenance
will be done on the shorter hike. In the early afternoon,
participants can gather back at the trailhead for food and
drinks. For more information, contact Nick Kraemer at
541-374-2406
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Oregon
One-Stop Licensing Directory |
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The Oregon License Directory has expanded to include
federal licensing information in addition to state licensing
information. The site provides information on business and
professional licenses, certifications, permits, and
registrations. To visit the Oregon License Directory
website, click here.
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MCEDD Job
Openings |
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Loan Fund
Manager
MCEDD is seeking a full-time Loan Fund
Manager. Duties include managing existing loan portfolio and
exploring opportunities to increase program funding.
Position open until filled. Send resume and cover letter by
August 3, 2007 for first-round consideration.
Finance and Operations Manager
MCEDD
has a position open for a part-time or full-time finance and
operations manager. This individual will manage MCEDD's
finance and accounting activities and administer the benefit
and employee compensation program. Position open until
filled. Send resume and cover letter by August 3, 2007 for
first-round consideration.
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To view job descriptions for these
positions, click here. |
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Hood River
PubTalk September 11th |
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Join the Hood River Pub Talk on
Tuesday, September 11 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Horse and
Hound Pub in Hood River. Pub Talk is an informal event that
provides time for networking, a presentation by a keynote
speaker, and pitches to the audience by two early stage
companies. These early stage companies are most commonly
seeking advisors or capital investment. Horse and Hound is
located at 403 Oak Street in Hood River (look for the
British Flag).
5:30 p.m. networking; 6:30 p.m.
Keynote speaker; 7:00 p.m. early stage company
presentations. $10 in advance or $15 at the door.
To
RSVP contact Bill Fashing at bill.fashing@co.hoodriver.
or.us or 541-387-6863.
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PubTalk is seeking Business
Presenters. Click here for more
information. |
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Calendar
of Events |
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8/9/07: Oregon Investment Board
meeting at 10:00 a.m.
8/11/07: Pacific Crest
Trailhead celebration at 10:00 a.m. Meet for either a 1.8 or
6 mile hike at the Pacific Crest Trailhead in Cascade Locks
8/11/07 to 8/12/07: Shooting Star Motorcycle Rally
in Moro, Oregon.
8/16/07: Cascade Locks Action Team
Meeting at noon at Charburger Restaurant in Cascade Locks.
8/16/07: Free Senior Citizen Picnic in the Park at
Wasco County Fair from noon to 2:00 p.m. Everyone 60 and
over is invited. For more information, call Jean Hockman,
Mid-Columbia Council of Governments, 541 298 4101
8/15/07 to 8/19/07: Skamania County Fair in
Stevenson. Skamania County. The theme this year is "99
Reasons ..." as 2008 will find the Skamania County Fair
celebrating its 100th anniversary.
www.skamaniacountyfair.com.
8/16/07 to 8/19/07:
Wasco County Fair
8/18/07 to 8/19/07: Maryhill Art
Festival from 11:00 to 5:00 each day. Over 50 artists will
be displaying their art. Admission is free.
8/23/07
to 8/26/07: Klickitat County Fair
8/26/07: Trio Voronezh
at Skamania Lodge's new amphitheater at 2:00 p.m. Founded in
1993, the trio started their career playing in small concert
halls in Germany, France and The Netherlands.
8/26/07 to 8/29/07: Dualsport Northwest Rally in
Stevenson, Washington. Four day event featuring excellent on
and off-road riding. For more information, visit
http://www.soundrider.com
8/28/07 to 9/1/07: Sherman
County Fair
Wineries in the Columbia Gorge
Winegrowers Association have numerous events in the month of
August. Visit http://www.columbiagorgewine.com/events.htm
for details.
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Submit
your News! |
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Reading this newsletter is a good
thing, having your news included is even better. Send it to
us! Items are required by the third week of each month.
Please send items to amanda@mcedd.org.
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This email was sent to powderriver987@hotmail.com, by mcedd@mcedd.org