Business News
Legislative News:
North Douglas, South Lane Business Resources
Businesses in our area
Business Cube Networking
Small Business
Finished Incredibly
Strong with some
Big Victories
NFIB Oregon State Director An-
thony Smith follows up on a previous
wrapped-up story and post-session
Roseburg, OR - Business Cube Networking of Douglas County
comment news release with the follow-
is built on the foundation of business professionals that desire to ing more comprehensive report on the
engage and create dynamic partnerships while conveying ideas
small-business agenda following the
and sharing their experiences and education for the betterment of Legislature’s adjournment for the year.
the whole.
https://www.businesscubenetworking.com/
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Governor Kotek Announces
Appointment of Oregon Lottery Director
August 23, 2023
Previously, he held positions in
leadership at the Oregon Lottery as
the Assistant Director for Security &
Compliance and as a Cyber Crime
Manager.
Prior to joining the Oregon Lottery,
Wells spent more than 24 years
working in local, state, and federal
law enforcement. Most recently, he
served as a special agent for more
than 10 years in the organized crime
section of the Oregon Department
of Justice and was a member of
the FBI’s Cyber Crime Task Force
conducting computer intrusion in-
vestigations. Wells has served as
a police officer for various agencies,
including Oregon State Police.
Terrebonne, OR—Governor Tina
Kotek today announced that Mi-
chael Wells, interim director of the
Oregon Lottery, has been appointed
to lead the agency as permanent di-
rector, pending confirmation by the
Oregon Senate in September.
Wells has been a member of Cyber
Oregon, Oregon’s Cybersecurity Ad-
The director serves as the Secre- visory Council and is a board mem-
tary and Executive Officer of the ber of the Oregon Peace Officer As-
Oregon Lottery Commission and is sociation. He has previously served
responsible for the administration on the Public Safety Fund Memorial
and management of the agency.
Board, the Police Policy Commit-
tee and the Board on Public Safety
“The Oregon Lottery funds critical Standards and Training (BPSST)
state services like education, state Committee.
parks, and veteran services,” Gov-
ernor Kotek said. “It is imperative “During my tenure as interim direc-
that the director is an experienced tor, I’ve had the privilege of leading
leader who will champion transpar- an exceptional team dedicated
ency and accountability. During his to ensuring the Lottery’s ongoing
time at the Oregon Lottery, Michael support of its beneficiaries and key
has worked closely with staff, the programs across our state,” Interim
Commission, and stakeholders to Director Wells said. “I appreciate
lead with the highest standards of Governor Kotek’s trust in my lead-
security and integrity.”
ership and look forward to leading
the work of the Oregon Lottery in
Michael Wells (he/him) has held the funding critical programs that serve
interim director role at the Oregon Oregonians.”
Lottery since December 2022.
The Oregon Legislative Assembly ad-
journed the 2023 legislative session
on Day 160 as lawmakers finished
their work Sunday, June 25, with just
hours to spare. As required by the Or-
egon Constitution, legislative sessions
in odd-numbered years may last no
more than 160 days. Unless a special
session is called for some unforeseen
reason, the Legislature will not meet
again until February 2024.
Small business finished the 2023 ses-
sion incredibly strong. We passed two
important tax bills – HB 2083, which
extends Oregon’s state and local tax
(SALT) cap workaround program, and
SB 498, which creates a $15 million
estate tax exemption for business
owners engaged in farming, fishing,
and forestry. The final days of the
session also saw the demise of two
harmful insurance bills (HB 3242, HB
3243), which would have both resulted
in more lawsuits and higher insurance
premiums for small-business owners.
A few bad-for-business bills made it
across the finish line this year, and the
Legislature could have done far more
to help small business. At times, it felt
like lawmakers were content to accept
the missed opportunities. But most of
the truly objectionable ideas failed to
pass – and on the whole, the 2023 ses-
sion was arguably the best for small
business in more than a decade!
Scam Alert for
Oregon Businesses!
There is an alert out to watch for official
looking paperwork asking businesses to file
a 2014-Annual Minutes Form for Oregon
Corporations, along with a $125 filing fee
(Specifically, a Limited Liability Company,
or LLC). Knowing that Oregon law doesn’t
require businesses to officially file their annu-
al minutes, you should immediately suspect
that the request is a scam.
The request comes from a company called
“Annual Business Solutions” and contains
a Salem, Oregon mailing address – but the
company is not affiliated with the Oregon
Secretary of State Corporations Division.
And you don’t need to send them any infor-
mation.
Businesses need to keep annual minutes as
part of their regular corporate compliance in
order to maintain their limited liability status.
But these minutes are internal documents that
don’t need to be filed with the Corporation
Division. Official correspondence from the
State of Oregon will always include:
An image of the Oregon state seal. The words
“Secretary of State Corporation Division.”
The Corporation Division phone number,
503-986-2200.
Umpqua:
11
Small Business
Development Center
The Umpqua Small Business Devel-
opment Center can help your business
grow and thrive. With resources dedi-
cated to making you a successful part
of Douglas County’s entrepreneurial
ecosystem.
Take advantage of no-cost advising,
access to capital, online courses and
resources for your business. Whether
yours is a startup or an existing busi-
ness, SBDC can help.
Umpqua SBDC has assisted many
local businesses, including Umpqua
Oats, Smokin’ Friday, Two-Shy Brew-
ing, Tropiceel, Wrappin N Rollin, Sha-
ron Sawicki Jewelry, The Water Depot
and many more.
There is guidance in every aspect of
business development and manage-
ment, including:
Access to capital
Digital media
Marketing
Accounting and finance
Starting a business
Business planning
Business management
Contact SMBDC today at 541-440-7824
https://oregonsbdc.org/center/umpqua-sbdc/