Reading this newsletter is a good thing, having  your news included is even better.  Just send us your economic development news, including activities, events and anything else of interest in the five county area by the third week of each month. Send it directly to Layne at: layne@mcced.org

THANK YOU!

 

The Oregon Raceway Park in Grass Valley has been funded. Phase one design is complete and ground work is scheduled to begin in June. Amenities will be scarce in the beginning but in the interest of moving this project forward it was decided that getting asphalt on the ground was a number one priority. ORP will be operational by 2009. 

Gorge Angel Investors Conference 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
7:30 am to 2:00 p.m.
Hood River Inn (Columbia Room)

Gorge Angel Investers Conference hopes to bring together the Mid-Columbia Gorge's brightest entrepreneurial talent with qualified Angel investors. This year's event promises to be exciting for the attendee, entrepreneur and investor. In 2008 there will be three companies competing for a minimum $70,000 prize. Money will be awarded to the company deemed the most investor ready by the Gorge Angel Investment Network (GAIN).

The Gorge Angel Conference is an event of the Hood River Office of Economic Development in cooperation with Oregon Entrepreneurs Network, MCEDD and SBDC

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Oregon Governor Kulongoski signed an executive order on May 12, 2008 reorganizing the economic development agency to deliver greater clarity and accountability. This is the first step toward restructuring the way the State of Oregon approaches two equally important economic development priorities, community development and business development, to better prepare Oregon for success in an increasingly competitive global economy. Click here to read more.

Register now for a weekend of touring, meteor watching, camping and merriment. The second Oregon Shooting Star Motorcycle Rally will be on August 9 & 10 at the Fairgrounds in Moro, Oregon.

MCEDD helps organize this event and a portion of the proceeds from this event benefit the Sherman County Fairgrounds. 

Hosted on May 13 & 14 by the Gilliam County Soil and Water Conservation District the Lower John Day Conservation Conference was a success. The purpose of this conference was to provide a forum for increased understanding and dialog between landowners, local agencies, conservation foundations, and organizations desiring to work in the Lower John Day River Basin and form an ongoing working group to coordinate needs and identify and procure additional resources for specific projects. Twenty initial projects have been identified that are acceptable by both landowners and conservation groups through the consensus process.

Additional information will be posted to the GIlliam County SWCD and MCEDD websites soon.

This conference was organized with the assistance of the National Policy Consensus Center and MCEDD.

Organizers of the 2008 Gorge Games have landed a high-profile television contract that will broadcast the games to as many as 84 million households.

The Gorge Games (July 17-20 in Cascade Locks) will appear on the 23 regional Fox Sports Networks nationwide, said Joshua Ryan, CEO and co-founder of Gorge Games, LLC. Fox will show three and a half hours of the games' events.

The Oregon Investment Board awarded Gorge Grown Food Network $3,000 to help fund a Mobile Farmers' Market. This will be the pilot season and the intent is to travel to The Dalles, Moiser, Celilo Village, Odell, Dufur, Bingen and Stevenson. Look for more information on the Gorge Grown Food Network website about this exciting project that'll bring fresh fruits and vegetables to your community this summer!

MCEDD provides staffing services for the OIB. To learn more visit the OIB website by clicking here.

The Oregon Economic and Community Development Department (OECDD) is announcing the 2008 call for project proposals for feasibility studies to be funded by the Renewable Energy Feasibility (REF) Fund, which is a
program within OECDD's Special Public Works Fund (SPWF).   The deadline for submission is 4:00 pm, Friday, June 27, 2008.

For more information about the program and elibility, click here.

June 2008 Events

• June 14 - Cycle for the Health of It! Goldendale, WA. For more information, click here.
  
• June 18 - MCEDD Board Meeting, 4 pm at the MCEDD Office, 515 East 2nd St, The Dalles, OR.
• June 24 - Gorge Technology Alliance meeting featuring Business Intelligence, 6:30 pm, location TBA. For more information, click here.
  
• June 27-29 - Sternwheeler Days, Cascade Locks, OR. For more information, click here.
  

July 2008 Events

• July 10 - Oregon Investment Board meeting, 10 am, Port of Hood River, Hood River, OR. For more information, click here.
  
• July 10 - The Dalles Young Professionals (YoPros) monthly Biz Showcase, 5:30 pm at Hot Yoga, 915 Garrison St, The Dalles, OR.
• July 17-20 - Gorge Games, Cascade Locks to The Dalles. For more information, click here.
  
• July 22 - Gorge Technology Alliance meeting, time and location TBA.
  

August 2008 Events

• August 7 - The Dalles Young Professionals (YoPros) monthly Biz Showcase, 5:30 pm at NW Aluminum Specialties, 2929 W 3rd St, The Dalles, OR.
  
• August 9-10 - Oregon Shooting Star Rally, Sherman County. For more information, click here.
• August 21-22, Eastern Oregon Rural Alliance Conference, Cascade Locks.