OBC supports the vision of the Oregon Business Plan, a policy forum that we’ve shared nearly two decades with leaders from all sectors of Oregon life. This vision, recently updated, embraces three intertwined policy priorities for a coming decade of shared prosperity:
GROW Oregon’s Economy With Well Paying Jobs
INCREASE the Education and Work Skills of Oregonians
ENHANCE the Economic Mobility of More Oregonians
The Oregon Business Council embodies Oregon’s long history of business leaders who contribute their energy and expertise to civic life. A roundtable of top executives, OBC was founded in 1985 with the idea that a small, committed group of business leaders could make a significant contribution to Oregon’s well-being and future. Our mission is to enhance Oregon’s quality of life and economic prosperity — for all Oregonians in all parts of our state.
We do that through engagement in public issues in a range of ways – research and analysis, communication, convening, advocacy, and direct action with community partners. We’ve had an impact on some of Oregon’s most pressing public issues. These include public finance, economic development, education, poverty, health care, community health, and resource and environmental issues. We are non-profit, non-partisan, and independent, and our work is aimed at a broad public benefit.
New Report Released - Industrial Lands & Economic Competitiveness: A Framework for Action. Oregon has nearly 10,000 acres of “vacant” industrial land, but only 1,825 acres are ready for development, and more than 80% of jurisdictions surveyed report losing projects for lack of ready sites. The Oregon Business Council’s new white paper, Industrial Lands and Economic Competitiveness: A Framework for Action, examines the three barriers behind the shortage (supply, readiness, and regulation) and lays out a practical agenda to modernize Oregon’s land use system: prepare existing sites, reform rules that create paper supply rather than real opportunities, and give local governments the resources to plan for growth, while protecting Oregon’s productive farmland. Read the full report here.
