Serving the Mid-Columbia region of Oregon and Washington, providing regional economic development and business assistance.Mid–Columbia Economic Development District

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Mid Columbia Economic Development District strives to promote the creation of family-wage jobs, the diversification of the economic base, and the growth, development and retention of business and industry in Hood River, Wasco, Sherman, Klickitat and Skamania Counties

MCEDD is organized as a government non-profit in Oregon as an ORS-190 and in Washington through RCW 39.34.010.

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Mid-Columbia COVID-19 Economic Needs Assessment Project

May 27, 2021 – In early 2021, MCEDD conducted a COVID-19 economic needs assessment to determine local needs and priorities for recovery, understand the impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic, and identify opportunities for future collaboration around these issues. The assessment was developed in partnership with six economic development districts across the state of Oregon with support from University of Oregon’s Institute for Policy, Research, and Engagement. MCEDD conducted 17 interviews with 25 stakeholders across the region. Interviewees were chosen to reflect key industries and community organizations that support economic and workforce development. During the pandemic, MCEDD and Governor Brown’s Regional Solutions Coordinator convened the Mid-Columbia Economic Resiliency Team (MCERT), a group of local, regional, and state partners from Oregon and Washington, to share information, identify resources and coordinate efforts regarding the COVID-19 pandemic economic response. The findings in this report build not only on the interviews noted above, but also the conversations had during these meetings. The goal of this assessment was to apply a “listen to learn” framework to discover what community leaders feel are priority concerns and what actions will be needed to support an equitable recovery. This report summarizes those findings and makes recommendations for future action through existing and new partnerships. To read the full report, please click here: MCEDD COVID-19 Economic Needs Assessment   [Continue Reading]

Participate in Updating the Region’s Economic Development Strategy!

March 25, 2021 – You’re invited to participate in updating the region’s economic development strategy! Click here to register for the full series. The community is invited to participate as partners begin the regular updating of the Regional Economic Development Strategy for the Columbia River Gorge. Led by Mid-Columbia Economic Development District (MCEDD), the strategy will outline a five-year plan for the regional economic development covering Hood River, Wasco and Sherman counties in Oregon and Skamania and Klickitat counties in Washington. This strategy is updated every five years and serves as a guide to understand the local economy, strengthen partnerships, and improve overall quality of life. Monthly meetings will be held starting in March to bring together participants from around the region to identify economic development strategies based on current trends and areas best suited for growth to sustain and diversify the region’s economy, reduce unemployment and create family wage jobs. Information gathered at the monthly events will be pulled together with data and research to develop the final plan, the Mid-Columbia Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy for 2022-2027. MCEDD coordinates implementation of the regional strategy in partnership with local stakeholders. The first of the monthly events will be Wednesday, March 31st, 8:30am to 10:30am using Zoom. This session will be focused on COVID-19 impacts and what resilience looks like for the region going forward. In total, there will be seven sessions to develop a draft plan, with a specific focus on equitable economic outcomes and resilience. These sessions will be public, and attendance is encouraged across the five-county region. The schedule is as follows, with sessions beginning promptly at 8:30 AM: March 31, 2021: Economic Impacts of COVID-19, Resiliency: Present assessment of economic impacts of COVID-19 and set resiliency tone. April 28, 2021: Demographics and Data: More overarching economic data looking at longer-term trends to help us plan for the future. May 26, 2021: Sector Focus Areas, including more in-depth industry cluster analysis and discussion of sector resilience. June 30, 2021: Analysis of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats July 28, 2021: Vision and Goals September 1, 2021: Strategies October 6, 2021: Measuring Success, and Implementation November 5, 2021: Annual Gorge Economic Symposium, with draft presented.   Everyone is invited to participate in one or all of the sessions. To register for the sessions, please click here: https://forms.gle/wVNQGsheMurgV4xc7 MCEDD has been developing and implementing a regional economic development strategy since its formation in 1969 in order to meet its mission to promote the creation of family-wage jobs, the diversification of the economic base, and the growth, development and retention of business and industry within the five-county district. To learn more about MCEDD or this planning process, visit https://www.mcedd.org/strategy/our-region/ or contact Jane Allen at jane@mcedd.org.   [Continue Reading]

MCEDD

802 Chenowith Loop Rd,
The Dalles, OR 97058
Phone: (541) 296-2266

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