December 29, 2005
Business Plan panel makes infrastructure progress
Medford Fabrication’s Thorndike has hopesfor January summit
By GREG STILES
Mail Tribune
In a relatively short period of time, a collaborative effort between Oregon’s business and government leaders has produced a framework for the state’s long-term economic growth.
"We’ve discovered having a unified agenda, agreed upon by most business folks, is a beneficial thing," said Bill Thorndike, president of Medford Fabrication and a member of the
Oregon Business Plan Steering Committee.
The Oregon Business Plan’s fourth annual Oregon Leadership Summit is expected to draw about 1,000 business and government representatives to the Oregon Convention Center on Jan. 9.
"We’re making some pretty good progress on a broad range of initiatives." Thorndike said. "Hopefully, we’ve helped a little bit with the strengthening of the economy. The
chief accomplishment has been dealing with what type of infrastructure we need to create in Oregon for quality jobs."
As the summit nears, the fruit born from previous summits is taking shape. Since the Oregon Business Plan came about in 2002:
The Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute has become a reality. The center has boosted research and commercialization of a cutting-edge field that will be a boon the
state’s economy for years to come.
A Metals Industry Consortium has emerged to foster job opportunities in the metals industry, including work-force recruitment and training tied to metals industry careers in Oregon and
Southwest Washington.
Brand Oregon has spurred sales growth in several agricultural areas.
Industry clusters of similar and related firms have developed in defined geographic areas that share common markets, technologies and worker-skill needs.
Harvard Business School professor Michael E. Porter, an expert on competitiveness in the marketplace, will address the assembly via satellite.
Porter will talk about industry clusters, Thorndike said, including the importance of research and development. He also will discuss the importance of nurturing core and advanced skills for
workers in targeted industries.
With all the progress made so far, however, the question of education and training looms large. To that end, Tom Vander Ark, executive director for education of the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation, will be on hand in the afternoon.
By day’s end, Thorndike said, the summit gathering hopes to produce a proposal for a revamped "PreK-20" public education system.
For those attending from Southern Oregon, Steve Vincent of Avista and chamber of commerce chief executive Brad Hicks will host a reception between 7:30 and 9 a.m. at the convention center.
Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 776-4463 or e-mail
business@mailtribune.com.
