PUT YOUR DOLLARS TO WORK
Super value on an immaculate 3 bedroom home in
the cul-de-sac of well kept homes just over a mile
from the U of O.
Interest
Lovely white brick rate under 12%
fireplace. 1230 Square feet. $57,900
Please call
Marge English
‘sales person is the owner.
344*4028
or 485-5166.
LET’S LOBBY
FOR THE
FUTURE OF OUR
EDUCATION
and support to
win the fight
Phone x3724
Suite 4 EMU
wO- ygO- Jg& j wO- igQ
The
economies
Can Eugene diversify?
Almost every
body agrees:
the Eugene area
desperately needs
to diversify its econ
omy
But that's where
the agreement
ends Eugene's
business communi
Graphic by Max DeRunqs I iy 3n0 pOIIIICdl
leaders are in sharp
opposition as to |ust how the process of
diversification should be approached
Experts agree that diversification is
necessary to lessen Eugene s depen
dence on the lumber industry As unem
ployment statistics point out, Lane
County's economy has long been riding
the roller coaster of the lumber industry
When housing starts are up. the local
economy booms But when high interest
rates slow down those starts — like right
now — Eugene's economy falls flat on its
face
Margaret Hallock of the State Em
ployment Division says layoffs in the
lumber industry have far-reaching
ramifications on the entire economy
Although jobs in that industry only
account for 13-15 percent of the entire
employment picture in the county, they
hurt business in related fields For
example businesses such as machine
shops (part suppliers for lumber factor
ies), paper mills, chemical industries
(which make adhesives for wood
products), and even transportation
companies feel the ill-effects of a slow
down in the lumber industry, she says
“Lane County s economy had been
growing throughout the '70s until the last
couple of years." Hallock says "We
have to stimulate other growth for this
trend to continue into the 80s
One group intent on reversing Lane
County's dependence on wood products
is a coalition of local businessmen who
call themselves the Lane Economic
Foundation LEF is a county-wide priva
tely-funded organization that wants to
bring new industry — probably from out
of-state — into the Eugene area
LEF plans to provide a professional
economic-development plan for Lane
County — expected to cost $500,000
annually for three years — to bring new
businesses into the area
"Only an affluent community can do
the things we want to do here," says
LEF's executive vice-president John
Alltucker "We must do something about
the economic base or we can't improve
socially "
The first step LEF plans to take is to
bring in a nationally-established firm to
conduct a county-wide economic audit
The audit will outline the good and bad
points of the county and isolate the types
of businesses and industry that would be
most suited to the region Results from
the audit, expected to cost
$40,000-$50,000, should be available by
the first of April
LEF president Tom Moreland says he
wants a firm from outside of the state to
perform the audit because "we need
someone who will not feel intimidated to
to be blunt
Jim Reinmuth, LEF s secretary and
dean of the University's business
school, says economic diversification
can best be achieved by bringing high
tech industries into the region He says
instrument manufacturers, computer
and electronic firms are the most likely
candidates to locate here
Reinmuth says the University can
assist in LEF's process of attracting new
industry by "simply supplying informa
tion on what the economic base is in
Eugene and to demonstrate to firms it
wants to assist them "
Reinmuth contends another problem
the county faces in trying to attract new
industry is lack of support from local
political leaders He says he knows of at
least 30 national firms who have ser
iously investigated the Eugene area"
over the last two years, some of these
deciding not to locate here because the
political climate was not supportive or
conducive to them
"Some of them (industry officials) I've
talked to said the degree of political
support here was less than desirable "
Reinmuth's comments brought a
heated response from Lane County
Commissioner Jerry Rust
“Everybody wants to place the blame
on somebody else The current thinking
is to blame politicians or the environ
mentalists” Rust says
"I placethe blame in the heart of the
business community They are greedy,
short-sighted and narrow-minded I have
the utmostcontempt for industries with a
cut and run’ mentality (and) the
Chamber of Commerce, who sold out
this region They are the ones who
brought this community to its knees "
Another county commissioner, Scott
Lieuallen, agrees with Rust
Lieuallen lays the current econ
omic climate has caused many
people to #ok for a scapegoat, and
many arefebeling local politicians
as havmgi no growth' attitude
Both commissioners say they
would rather see small busi
nesses receive support than to
invest in irge national corpora
tions Small businesses are job
generators, Lieuallen says "Big
businesses do not create all that
many jobs
“It's time we get the stars out of eyes,"
Lieuallen lays about trying to woo out
of-state industries into the area
Instead of bringing in large industries
from outside of the region, Lieuallen says
"we ought to take whatever resources
and money are available in the local
economy and work with that
"It's time to ask local lenders How
come you re not investing in Lane
County7 "
But regmdless of what kind of diver
sified industry will be targeted for
Eugene - whether it be high-tech in
dustries or small businesses — area re
sidents w»t immediate results
But Lane Economic Foundation pre
sident Tom Moreland says they'll just
have to witt
"They must be patient," he says "It
takes comiderable time and effort to put
new industry in place "
Story by Don Coulter
Graphic by Max DeRungs
*1970
LANE COUNTY
UNEMPLOYMENT
*1981
Analyst backs small business
WITH A NAME like 'Thinking Incorporat
ed" one might imagine this Eugene busi
ness to be a collective of philosophers
Actually, Thinking Incorporated analyzes
the capabilities of small businesses and
attempts to locate financial backing for
them, says Peg Powell, a Chartered Life
Underwriter who started the business in
1973
With her extensive accounting
background, Powell says it was only natural
that she start the business
"I just started charging for my knowledge
instead of giving free advice," she says
"Just about everyone is looking to tighten
their ship," she says "I think they realize
they can't always do it themselves."
That economic climate will improve with
the "cooperation and understanding" of
the county, city and most importantly, the
financial institutions, she adds
"The banks are going to have to get
together and form a cooperative so no one
bank is taking all the risk ”
Organizations such as the Lane Econ
omic Foundation, a local group organized
to develop and diversify the county's econ
omy, are on the right track,” Powell says.
NATIONALLY, Reaganomics, Pres
Ronald Reagan's program of tighter money
policies and tax cuts designed to reduce
inflation and to increase long-term invest
ment, also may be on the right track, he
says
Powell says businesses lose incentive if
government policy provides everything for
them
'It makes them helpless cripples We
need to help only those who can't help
themselves,”
The predominate mistake small busin
esses make is 'they start a new business
under-capitalized and do not keep good
records so they have no idea of where they
are at any give point,'' Powell says.
FOR AN AVERAGE cost of $500, Powell
will help any business — from manufactur
ing to service-oriented agencies — keep
better records and arrange funding.
She likens her consultations to an in
surance plan
Finding financial backing for her clients
sometimes is tough, but usually Powell says
she usually can locate funding for at least
prime rate — that interest rate banks charge
their best customers In Eugene, that rate is
approximately 17 percent.
"If there’s no real estate, we usually get
prime rate and better," she says
Story by Marian Green
To Have and To Hold
HAND-HELD PRINT/DISPLAY
MODEL EL-1186
Hand-held print/display 10-digit calculator
with built-in paper holder
■ Full print-out of 10 numerals ana symbols on
plain paper tape
■ Built-in paper holder allows for greater
portability
■ Easy-to-read 10-digir bright greer display
■ independently accessible 3-key memory
• item counter key totals number of entries
■ Comes witr■ bi-Cad rechargeable battery
AC adaptor soft case and roll paper
UO
BOOKSTORE
13th & Kincaid
Mon-Fri 8:15-5:30
Sat 10:00-3:00
$69.95
Textbooks W6-3520 • General Books 6M-3510 . Supplies MO-4331
SANDY
BRADLEY
6 the
SMALL
WONDER
STRING
BAND
^ Cultural l-ofunt and l ugciw lolklorr S«>cuM\ pu-MMi
y " « H
SQUARE DANCE
Saturday. Dec. 12 8 p.m.
EMI Ballroom *2 admission
CONCERT
Sundjy. Dec I.) 8:00 p.m. '2.1)0 E.F.S. members.
Friends meeting hill '2.50 Kencral public
CASH
For Textbooks
Mon.-Fri.
Smith Family
Bookstore
768 E 13th
1 Bl From Campus
Ph 34S-1651
Better
Businesses!
The West University neighbors
I486 F#rry St • Eug«ne, Ora 97401 • 887-5386
DOSTOEVSKY
In English
Winter term
MWF 1:30-2:20
Russ 424
TLN 7342
Professor
James Rice
I
OFF ANY LARGE PIZZA (offer good Sun-Thurs only)
COUPON.