Economic Development

Welcome…
The business opportunities are as boundless as the beauty!

Less than 25 minutes east of downtown Portland, OR and PDX International Airport, we represent East Multnomah County and West Hood River County.

RELOCATE

There is a magic created by combining natural resources, metropolitan access, and small community caring and capacity. That magic is present in the West Columbia Gorge. From outstanding locations for business opportunities to great living for families, the West Columbia Gorge is the place for you to relocate your home and your business.

The Columbia River Gorge stretches for more than 80 miles through the Cascade Range. The Columbia River separates the States of Oregon and Washington with this amazing geographic wonder. Recreation in the gorge is abundant, with activities including hiking, camping, biking, golf, whitewater rafting and kayaking, windsurfing, kiteboarding, sailing, boating, fishing, skiing, and the list goes on. Indoor options are equally ple-tiful with world class museums, wine tasting, brew pubs, superb dining opportunities, shopping and entertainment opportunities. The Columbia Gorge is simply a great place to live and work.

If you have a business interest and would like to have an opportunity to find a great home, the West Columbia Gorge is the location for Troutdale, Wood Village, Fairview, and Cascade Locks. The presence of several of these communities in the Portland Metropolitan boundary gives that unique urban availability, while locating in friendly, small communities.

Our Economic Development Committee of the Chamber can help you with your questions about our communities, locate a place for your business, provide you with statistical research, or give you access to the programs available to assist your location into our region.

If you wish to Start a Business Here, Know more about Education and the Workforce, or make direct contact with one of our Cities’ Economic Development Programs, just click on the link.

Let us show you why a decision to relocate to the West Columbia Gorge region is one of the best decisions you will ever make!

START A BUSINESS HERE

Small communities in the midst of a metropolitan area are a perfect mix for entrepreneurs seeking to start or relocate their business. The communities of Cascade Locks, Troutdale, Wood Village and Fairview are all located either in or near the Portland metropolitan boundary, and have that mix of lower cost land, willing labor forces, and living opportunities that allow a small business to start, or to flourish. Equally important, you will have the ability to live work and play in a wonderful natural environment.

Small communities utilize a customer oriented approach to our business partners. You are not a number or “another”, you are an individual that will receive individual attention and support. Our communities have incentives in place in to help get you started, you can initiate tenant improvements with fees for permits waived in Troutdale and Wood Village, and receive other special support in the other communities. In all our communities, the land use process is swift, and you can quickly get answers to your land use issues, building issues or other potential permitting and licensing issues. Along with our local programs, the State of Oregon offers a wonderful package of programs, including:

Oregon.gov Starting a Business in Oregon
Oregon Small Business Development Center Network www.bizcenter.org
www.oregon4biz.com, State Economic Development Agency
www.worksourceoregon.org State Employment Agency

Come visit and let our region show you why this is the place for your small business.

Workforce and Education

Workforce

A ready and willing population of regional residents with diverse backgrounds makes the regional workforce a tapestry of talent. Employers can complete the full evaluation of all regional communities and potential sites, or contact one of the local government professionals identified in the Economic Development Services (highlight and take to the page with a click) to assist. Current evaluations of regional employment and the diversity of workforce talents are contained in the following report specific to the region:

Link to “Brief Economic Overview” February 20, 2014, Malcolm G Boswell

Standard data is also available on the communities from the U. S. Census through American Fact Finder, providing information from the 2010e following sources:

www.bls.gov		www.olmis.org
www.oregon.gov		www.dol.gov
oregonemployment.blogspot.com

Education

Mount Hood Community College is a major asset in our area, providing a diversity of curricula. Programs in general education and a number of certification programs are augmented by training programs designed by the faculty to meet the specific needs of regional employers. Public schools serving the region include:

Reynolds School District has eleven elementary schools, three middle schools, one general purpose high school, three charter schools, and the Reynolds Learning Academy. Reynolds has an average daily student membership in excess of 10,000 students in all grades, and seventy different languages spoken by students. The Reynolds High School is regionally recognized for their outstanding technical education programs. http://www.reynolds.k12.or.us/
Gresham-Barlow District has eleven elementary schools, 5 middle schools, 3 High Schools and 5 charter schools, with a total enrollment of over 11,000 students with 37 separate languages spoken by students. http://gresham.k12.or.us/
Corbett School District has 2 elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. Campus enrolls 1,100 students Grades 1-12. Consistently rated among the top high schools in the country by US News and World Report, News Week and Washington Post. http://corbett.k12.or.us/
Multisensory Learning Academy, a charter school sponsored by the Reynolds District, the school indicates a mission to serve the needs of students who seek to excel in both academics and life. At MLA, students will receive instruction that is designed to offer experiences in all academic areas with a focus on reaching their particular learning style. Not all people learn in the same way or on the same day. We value and recognize these differences and strive to be aware of learning opportunities that are Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic. What that means to us and your child is that they will have opportunities to touch, see, hear, say, sing, act out, partner with others and participate in movement and hands on projects throughout their school experience. http://www.greatschools.org/oregon/fairview/1683-Multisensory-Learning-Academy/
Center for Advanced Learning (CAL), is a charter school sponsored by Reynolds and Gresham-Barlow as well as private sponsors. CALmakes it possible for bright, engaged teens to become successful professionals in today’s most innovative industries. Each CAL student’s education is enriched by college-level coursework, hands-on learning, diverse program offerings, and real-world internships. All students have the potential to apply what they’ve learned at CAL as they move from high school to professional success, with programs for dental and health sciences, mechanical engineering and manufacturing, computer information systems and digital media and design. http://calcharter.org/
Academy for Architecture, Construction and Engineering (ACE), is a charter school sponsored by multiple districts and combines rigorous academic and technical education for juniors and seniors interested in the richly rewarding career paths in the design-build industry. www.acecharterschool.org.

Oregon Higher Education options, available in the northwestern portion of Oregon, include:

Oregon Health Sciences University 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd Portland, OR 97201 Phone: (503) 494-8311 Fax: (503) 494-8935 Web Site: http://www.ohsu.edu/		Oregon State University Corvallis, OR 97331 Phone: (541) 737-1000 Fax: (541) 737-2400 Web Site: http://www.orst.edu/

Portland State University 1825 SW Broadway Portland, OR 97207-0751 Phone: (503) 725-3000 or 1-800-547-8887 ext. 5256 Fax: (503) 725-4882 Web Site: http://www.pdx.edu/		University of Oregon Eugene, OR 97403 Phone: (541) 346-1000 Fax: (541) 346-3017 Web Site: http://www.uoregon.edu/

Western Oregon University 345 N Monmouth Ave. Monmouth, OR 97361 Phone: (503) 838-8000 Fax: (503) 838-8474 Web Site: http://www.wou.edu/		Cascade College 9101 E Burnside St Portland, OR 97216 Phone: 1-800-555-PORT Fax:503-257-1222 Web Site: http://www.cascade.edu/

Concordia University – Has Permanently Ceased Operation 2811 NE Holman Portland, OR 97211 Phone: (503) 288-9371 -Message Phone Web Site: http://www.cu-portland.edu/ Presently Operational		Corban College and Graduate School 5000 Deer Park Dr Salem, OR 97107 Phone: (503) 581-8600 Web Site: http://www.corban.edu/

George Fox University 414 N Meridian Newberg, OR 97132 Phone: (503) 538-8383 Web Site: http://www.georgefox.edu/		ITT Technical Institute 9500 Cascades Parkway Portland, OR 97218 Phone: (503) 255-6500 Web Site: http://www.itt-tech.edu/

Lewis and Clark College 0615 SW Palantine Hill Rd Portland, OR 97219 Phone: (503) 768-7000 Web Site: http://www.lclark.edu/		Linfield College 900 SE Baker St. McMinnville, OR 97128 Phone: (503) 883-2200 Web Site: http://www.linfield.edu/

Pacific University 2043 College Way Forest Grove, OR 97116 Phone: (503) 352-6151 Web Site: http://www.pacificu.edu/		Reed College 3203 SE Woodstock Blvd Portland, OR 97202 Phone: (503) 777-7769 Fax: (503) 777-7769 Web Site: http://www.reed.edu/

University of Portland 5000 N Willamette Blvd Portland, OR 97203 Phone: (503) 943-8000 Web Site: http://www.up.edu/		Warner Pacific College 2219 SE 68th Ave Portland, OR 97215 Phone: (503) 517-1000 Web Site: http://www.warnerpacific.edu/
Willamette University 900 State St Salem, OR 97301 Phone: (503) 370-6300 Web Site: http://www.willamette.edu/

Community Colleges:

Chemeketa Community College 4000 Lancaster Dr Salem OR, 97309-7070 Phone: (503) 399-5000 Web Site: http://www.chemek.cc.or.us		Clackamas Community College 19600 S Molalla Ave Oregon City, OR 97045-9049 Phone: (503) 657-6958 Web Site: http://www.clackamas.cc.or.us/

Lane Community College 4000 E 30th Ave Eugene, OR 97405-0640 Phone: (541) 463-3000 Web Site: http://www.lanecc.edu/		Linn-Benton Community College 6500 SW Pacific Blvd Albany, OR 97321-3774 Phone: (541) 917-4999 Web Site: http://www.linnbenton.edu

Mt. Hood Community College 26000 SE Stark St Gresham, OR 97030-3300 Phone: (503) 491-6422 Web Site: http://www.mhcc.cc.or.us/		Portland Community College PO Box 19000 Portland, OR 97280-0990 Phone: (503) 244-6111 Web Site: http://www.pcc.edu/