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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 27, 2017)
10 Wednesday, September 27, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Setting goals for Sisters’ economy By Sue Stafford Correspondent The E c o n o m i c Development of Central Oregon (EDCO) Sisters Advisory Board is meet- ing on a regular basis with Caprielle Foote-Lewis, the Sisters EDCO manager, to establish specific goals, monitor efforts to recruit new traded-sector businesses to Sisters, and encourage internship opportunities for students from COCC, OSU- Cascades and the University of Oregon. Greg Willitts, general manager of FivePine Lodge and Conference Center, reported on the successful employment of an OSU- Cascades intern from the hos- pitality program who worked for 120 hours at FivePine. Willitts was so impressed with her abilities and the contributions she made, he is hoping to hire her at some point. “Having an intern allows a business to get a perspec- tive on millenials, and they provide us with a fresh per- spective on our business,” he said. “She provided us with a stellar report. She loved doing projects like crunching numbers on our food costs and cleaning costs, providing accurate information for us to use.” Roger Lee, EDCO execu- tive director, concurred with Willitts’ assessment. “Interns add so much value and do things faster, especially anything to do with technology.” Lee reported that the Redmond and Bend pro- grams have full-time intern- ship coordinators and Madras has a part-time coordinator. “The emerging workforce needs job experience and the program adds value for the businesses,” Lee said. He said in some places in the country, chambers of commerce facilitate the internship programs as well as serving as the economic development office. T h e S i s t e r s E D C O Strategic Plan 2018-2020 outlines four goals for eco- nomic development and mul- tiple objectives and detailed actions to achieve the goals. One goal is to move to the Sisters area 10 new com- panies that will create 100 new, well-paying jobs and invest $8 million in new capital investment by the end of 2020. This will include the targeting of marketing and recruitment efforts geo- graphically and by industry for greatest effectiveness. Another goal is to facili- tate the start of eight local, scaleable, early-stage com- panies as the next generation of employers and jobs. The idea would be to create an entrepreneurial ecosystem to generate at least 50 jobs from those startups, and help them raise $4 million in growth capital by the end of 2020. Also by the end of 2020, EDCO will help grow 10 local traded-sector employ- ers with a robust Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) Program that cata- lyzes $8 million in new capi- tal investment and 100 new, well-paying jobs. The fourth goal is to work with private and public part- ners to catalyze development of at least 30,000 square feet of new light-industrial space in Sisters to help both new and existing companies. There are five local program initiatives for 2 0 1 8 - 2 0 2 0 : i m p r o v e EDCO and local program communication to partners, stakeholders, and commu- nity; raise $5,000 in private- sector donations to local pro- grams; hold an annual busi- ness luncheon and tour event; assist with local internship program coordination; and encourage use of the Sisters Country brand on Sisters- made products. Lee spoke about the need to create jobs because people want to come here to live, and there needs to be work for them to do. He said a lesson learned from other areas of the country is the importance of business diversification. “We need to not put all our eggs in one basket,” he said. By diversifying, the local economy is better protected from a downturn in one busi- ness sector. T h e B e n d Ve n t u r e Conference is scheduled for October 19-20, at the Tower Theater. The confer- ence connects social impact, early stage, and growth stage companies with investment opportunities. It is the larg- est Angel Conference in the West. The premier regional event attracts more than 450 top entrepreneurs, investors, and business leaders who, in 2016, awarded nearly $4 mil- lion in investments, awards and prizes to 10 companies. Advanced registration is available online at eventbrite. com or through the EDCO website, https://edcoinfo. com. Tune into new medical talk radio show, Prescribed burns are in the forecast Fire managers with the Sisters Ranger District plan to take advantage of recent rainfall and start working on prescribed burn projects as early as next week. Ignitions are planned to occur when forest fuel mois- ture and weather conditions permit. “We realize most peo- ple are just now breath- ing a sigh of relief that fire season is winding down,” fuels specialist Jinny Reed reported. “Fall-like envi- ronmental conditions often provide an ideal opportunity to reduce hazardous fuels while improving forest health during a time of our choos- ing, rather than waiting for a lightning strike or an escaped campfire to burn hazard- ous fuels during the summer months.” According to fire manag- ers, objectives for prescribed burns are to improve wildlife habitat, riparian habitat, and to reduce hazardous amounts of forest vegetation. “Prescribed burning is a proactive Forest Service approach to fire management, reintroducing fire in a planned, low-intensity fire behavior atmosphere which benefits ecological resources, instead of waiting for an unplanned ignition, such as lightning, to start a wildfire often requiring an expen- sive suppression response and can burn with destruc- tive fire behavior,” Reed stated. Fall-like environmental conditions often provide an ideal opportunity to reduce hazardous fuels while improving forest health... — Jinny Reed The Forest Service says they appreciate public toler- ance of short-duration low- particulate smoke impacts in support of forest restoration goals, utilizing prescribed fire as a restoration tool. s Siste e r d! n w O A lab of lov or e “Peter is a perfectionist and master of his trade. He worked tirelessly on our carpets until they were immaculately clean. His work is top-notch and we’ll definitely have him back.” — Donna and Paul Lipscomb 541-549-6471 35 Years Experience | Peter Herman, Owner YourCare ~ YourHealth on KBND every Sunday 4 to 5 p.m. Hosted by Sisters’ own Eric Wattenburg, MD. Call in, 541-388-1110. Stream live at www.kbnd.com 541-548-2899 3818 SW 21st Pl., Ste. 100 Redmond • Open every day yourcaremedical.com WALK-IN • URGENT CARE• OCCUPATIONAL MEDICINE • X-RAY Delicious European pastries, cakes, treats, artisan breads, sandwiches, soups and more. Eat in, grab to go if you’re short on time and want something special, or come by to hang out/ study and enjoy our free WiFi. Tues.-Sun. 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m. 541-549-6562 473 E. Hood Ave. www.lamagiecafe.com Breakfast • Lunch • Bakery WOMEN’S FALL MOUNTAIN BIKING Join local LIV Cycling USA Ambassador and MTB enthusiast Brittany Simonis for her beginner/intermediate Women’s MTB Class – with Emily Ford. Learn the basics of mountain biking while improving your skills out on the trails. We will cover body positioning and balance, climbing, descending, cornering, and much more! Whether you’re new to the sport or looking to take your skill to the next level, this class is made for you! Look for this great class in October 2017 1750 W. McKinney Butte Rd. | 541-549-2091 View activities & classes and register online! www.SistersRecreation.com SNO CAP Vegan & Gluten-free Options MINI STORAGE Sisters Industrial Park 157 Sisters Park Dr. • 541-549-3575 www.SistersStorage.com • State-of-the-art Security Technology • Sizes from 5x5 to 12x40 • Individual Gate Codes • Long-term Discounts • On-site Manager
