Item 3: Regional Economic Development Plan

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PROGRESS Though the initial discussions were driven by the three JEO jurisdictions, the work to implement the strategies necessitates a much broader partnership of institutions and organizations. The matrix in Attachment B lists the strategies and a summary of the actions (based on initiatives/tactics) that are progressing with the lead organization(s) and the status. The 17 individual actions are led by 10 different organizations. Some of the actions reflect previously implemented or ongoing work that is now set in the context of the regional economic development plan. Many of these actions, however, are new and being implemented in direct response to the JEO’s work. Lane County, the City of Eugene, and the Eugene Chamber of Commerce have also each taken action or are scheduled to increase resources to support economic development. Below are a few highlights of the work in progress for each strategy. 1. Business Retention and Expansion: The Lane Community College Small Business Development Center is the lead in convening a group of service partners to form a one-stop service center to assist area businesses. Participating partners include: Lane Council of Governments, City of Eugene, City of Springfield, Lane County, and eDev. Plans are underway to provide a centralized service and referral program for businesses in the region with both physical locations and a well developed web presence. The combination of LCC’s presence throughout the county, together with dynamic web-based education and information tools will greatly enhance businesses’ access to and benefit from these services. A seamless referral system will create ready access to the variety of assistance and financial programs offered by the other partners. 2. Entrepreneurial Infrastructure: The Eugene Chamber of Commerce sponsors both the ongoing Southern Willamette Angel Network and the annual Willamette Angel Conference. The Network hopes to stimulate regional investor interest to work with and fund emerging enterprises. The conference is designed to generate interest and participation among both investors and emerging enterprises. The conference was successfully completed in May and included the recruitment and training of 33 angel investors from the Willamette Valley, 17 from Eugene/Springfield. The Chamber is committed to growing this effort. 3. Workforce Development: The Lane Workforce Partnership has undertaken a wide variety of actions to support the training needs of both workers and industry. The importance of matching training offerings with the needs of regional industries was stressed during the Summit. Lane Workforce has convened a number of industry-interest panels to help calibrate training curricula to the needs of industry. Lane Workforce is currently convening the following industry groups: Lane Manufacturing Skills Alliance, the Community Healthcare Education Network, and the Green Jobs Taskforce. 4. Land and Physical Infrastructure: Both the cities of Eugene and Springfield have been assessing commercial and industrial land supplies. Eugene has completed its Comprehensive Land Assessment (ECLA) process. During the Envision Eugene process, the City will consider land supply together with economic development goals. The City of Springfield has concluded its commercial/industrial lands analyses. Springfield is working on local Economic Development objectives and strategies that will factor into discussions of supply adequacy, redevelopment goals and discussion of the urban growth boundary. 5. Economic Identity: A robust marketing/branding effort led by Travel Lane County will enhance business awareness of assistance resources and contribute to the region’s economic identity. Both the cities of Eugene and Springfield continue to work on downtown vibrancy as part of the strategy to attract and retain business investment and a talented workforce. Eugene is moving ahead with the Beam redevelopment, the construction of the LCC downtown center, improvements to the public markets and expanded public safety services. Springfield is working on a Downtown District Urban Design Plan and Implementation Strategy to help guide upcoming urban renewal investments.