That liberal rag Forbes says Oregon is the 6th best state for business and careers, up from 10th last year... Guess they didn't get the Republican memo about how things have become so awful here - especially for business - under a Democratic government? barfo
Yes, that would be exactly what I meant by a negative nancy. Here's a clue for the unnamed nancy: things are bad all over. barfo
I'm not even sure what that poll means? It appears to me that Oregon's gross product is not in line with the available workforce. I was terrible in statistics, though.
That's right. What's on 2nd. Who's on first. What does it mean? It means that Oregon ranked 6th out of 50 based on a set of criteria that Forbes thought was relevant to the question of which states were more business-friendly. barfo
OK, then, where's the practical application? Do folks now, somehow, just run out and hang shingles on their vacant storefronts? Sounds all peachy cream, but I'm still more than a bit incredulous. I do know that the money is out there. It boils down to consumer confidence. Whomever is able to jump-start that is the winner. I'm hopeful that Chris Dudley is a good start.
I think you are confusing national and state issues. The economy is crappy all over. Chris Dudley isn't going to fix that. No governor of Oregon can do that. What this Forbes thing suggests is that the barriers to recovery are lower here than in other states. It doesn't say the economy is just great here on an absolute scale. There aren't currently any states where that's true. Now, if you want to throw away the relative advantages we have, in hopes that Chris Dudley will somehow inspire consumer confidence nationwide, be my guest. He is, after all, very tall. barfo
Incredulous of what? This isn't saying that anyone who starts a business in Oregon becomes an immediate millionaire. Just that if you want to run a business, Oregon is one of the six best states to do it, according to Forbes. It may be rough sledding still but, as barfo said, it's tough everywhere. Just a little better in Oregon.
My only wish is that they fix the streets here. It's sad, very sad, that I have had to carve out, and memorize, (and with great joy and feeling of accomplishment!) a nice little swervy path to my place of employment in order to miss most of the collective potholes.
Recent Business Announcements in Oregon: Garmin – Salem (8/24, Statesman Journal) Expanding call center operations Will add 200 workers at new facility (25-50 of these workers will be hired and working before the holidays at a temporary facility) Vestas – Portland (8/18, Oregonian) Building new North American headquarters, adding jobs Will add as many as 200 jobs, for a total of 600 in Portland (plus 674 construction jobs) FedEx – Troutdale (8/17, Gresham Outlook) Opening 450,000 sq ft distribution center 200 new package handler jobs for a total of 700 jobs (many jobs transferred from Swan Island facility); long term, facility may employ 1,000 Facebook – Prineville (8/2, Portland Business Journal) Doubling size of the data center that is currently under construction 35 long term jobs once center is complete (plus 150-200 jobs during construction, planned to last until early 2012) Solexant – Gresham (7/19, Oregonian) Building a manufacturing plant for thin film solar cells Will initially employ 100 people, increasing to 170 at full production Grape Solar – Eugene (6/2, Oregonian) Planning a solar panel assembly plant in Eugene Could employ 200 assembly workers SolarWorld – Hillsboro (5/5, Sustainable Business Oregon) Moving forward with hiring plans Adding 350 jobs at Hillsboro plant by the end of September, to about 1,000 in all Genentech – Hillsboro (4/5, Oregonian) Opened $400 million manufacturing center Adding 25 employees in 2010 and maybe 25 more over the next few years Hi-Tec -- http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2010/10/hi-tec_moving_us_headquarters.html Intel Expansion -- http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2010/10/intel_appears_set_to_announce.html Cabella’s to Open First Oregon Store -- http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2010/05/cabela barfo
That's awesome. Let's hope they kick a compelling dent into the economic woes this state has suffered for so long. Thanks for finding that, barfo.
Oregon ranks high in Business Costs (#18), which indicates to me that deals are to be had. High unemployment means a lower labor cost. An oversupply of commercial space means lower RE costs. Hydroelectricity keeps our energy costs low. No sales tax means that property taxes and income taxes pay for many business taxes. We're #4 in Labor Supply, because we have a highly educated and growing workforce. Unfortunately there are no jobs for those people. We're #34 in Regulation, which seems about right We're #14 in Economic Climate and #12 in growth prospects, which I just don't understand based on their definition. And #21 in quality of life? Are they nuts? New Jersey is #5, Pennsylvania is #7, New York is #11, Ohio is #12 and Nebraska is #14. If you love pollution, rust-belt industry and shitty weather, these are the states for you. There's so much with the rankings here that doesn't pass the smell test to me.
In the end, I think this survey is a reflection that there's a pretty severe labor supply/demand imbalance so Oregon looks like a decent place to have a business.
Dudley would have us imitate the approach these states have taken to attract business: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/29/11-poorest-states-in-the-_n_742967.html
It really boils down to an oversupply of skilled educated labor. If barfo thinks high unemployment is the key to having an attractive state business climate then more power to him.
