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This article was in Thursday’s (April 21st, 2016) Herald and News
Written By: Holly Dillemuth, H&N Staff Reporter
It’s been a celebratory week for local leaders in the Klamath Basin.
Applause broke out at the South Portal building Thursday morning as Klamath Falls Mayor Todd Kellstrom announced to a room full of community members and leaders that the Transportation Security Administration will return to Klamath Falls this year.
“We have it on good authority that TSA is coming to Klamath Falls,” Kellstrom said.
“It’s a good day to be alive and be in Klamath Falls.”
Pen Air will follow suit and is expected to kickstart operations in Klamath Falls in October, according to City Manager Nathan Cherpeski.
“TSA will still need some lead time to come back and reoccupy their space here,” Cherpeski said.
The U.S. Senate on Tuesday passed legislation renewing and updating the Federal Aviation Administration’s authorities, according to a news release, which includes a bipartisan provision pushed by Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, both Oregon democrats, called the Treating Small Airports with Fairness Act.
John Barsalou, manager of the Crater Lake-Klamath Regional Airport, said the city is waiting for a written response from the TSA as to when they will arrive.
Less than 24 hours after the passage of the TSA Fairness Act, the U.S. Senate also passed an energy bill that includes a provision that provides tools to better manage water, and to encourage water and power conservation to benefit agriculture and wildlife. The bill, sponsored by Merkley and Wyden, passed 85-12.
“Klamath was included in an amendment to the Senate energy bill that contains key measures for our Klamath farmers and ranchers,” said Scott White, executive director for the Klamath Water Users Association. “Those measures cover improving infrastructure, addressing the rising cost of power and also improving water efficiency within the Klamath Project.
Since 2001, White said Klamath County has faced 10 governor-declared droughts.
“Our water users are facing more issues than ever and there is fear in our water user community for the security of their families and their way of life,” White said.
“This week marks a step in the right direction that we all want to be going.”
Wyden’s field representative Wayne Kinney and Merkley’s field representative Amy Amrhein also spoke at the event on behalf of the Senate delegation.
To learn more, check out the Friday edition of the Herald and News in print or online at www.heraldandnews.com.
This article was in Wednesday’s (April 21st, 2016) Herald and News
Written By: Courtney Anderson, H&N Staff Reporter
Sky Lakes Medical Center and Oregon Health & Science University announced a partnership to launch a $50 million project for a new clinical and education building.
The facility will host clinical care, provide training to students in OHSU’s Family Practice Residency Program and be the academic center for OHSU’s Campus for Rural Health.
President of OHSU Joe Robertson said the collaboration formed last fall, but Wednesday marks the announcement of the new building plans and fundraising campaign to make program goals a reality.
“We envision a building that will be a place for primary care to be delivered in an educational setting,” Sky Lakes CEO Paul Stewart said, “where a variety of health care providers will participate in the clinical care while they are participating in their educational training program.”
Clinic consolidations
The new building, to be located on the west side of the Sky Lakes campus, will also consolidate Sky Lakes clinics around Klamath Falls.
“We have been opening primary care clinics but they are kind of scattered and diffused, and implementing transformational changes in how care’s delivered became more difficult and complex when it’s in small clinics scattered all over.” Stewart said.
“So we had the idea that it would be great to consolidate some of our primary care in close proximity to the residency clinic.”
Sky Lakes, OHSU and Oregon Institute of Technology Foundation have formed an organization for fundraising the project. The three foundations are working together to reach $50 million and begin breaking ground to build the 88,000-square-foot building by 2018.
Sky Lakes has pledged $15 million to kick-start the fundraising campaign. OHSU has also committed at least $5 million.
OIT Foundation involved as well
Oregon Institute of Technology Foundation is part of the organization for fundraising on the project. OIT may also be part of the education component of the project, but there’s nothing formal yet.
Stewart said he hopes the partnership will be the springboard to create new programs, for example adding a doctorate in physical-therapy degree with OHSU and OIT as partners.
He said adding more programs can lead to more jobs in the community.
“Not just jobs directly but more intellectual stimulation in our community. OIT is a great asset and OHSU is a great partner. Overall, I think this is going to make our community more attractive and easier to attract other businesses, students and others to come to our community,” Stewart said.
Herald and News: Sky Lakes, OHSU Announce $50 Clinical, Educational Center
Sky Lakes Medical Center
Community-owned, Internationally Accredited
Sky Lakes Medical Center, a community-owned, internationally accredited acute-care hospital located in Klamath Falls, Oregon, is the only hospital in a 10,000-square-mile area in south-central Oregon and northeastern California.
Sky Lakes combines small-town charm and neighborliness with big-city medical expertise in our main facility, which is licensed for 176 beds, at a variety of primary care and specialty physician clinics, and a home health agency.
The medical center family also includes the award-winning Sky Lakes Cancer Treatment Center with its state-of-the-art radiation treatment suite, the Center for Total Joint and Spine Care, and Cascades East Family Medicine Residency. The joint-care program was the first on the West Coast to be designated as a Center for Advanced Recovery by Stryker Performance Solutions.
The local community widely recognizes Sky Lakes as a leader in social and economic issues as well as in the healthcare industry, and Sky Lakes routinely invests in projects and partnerships to help the community thrive.
Lab analyzer
For example, recognizing that people who live in rural areas face unique challenges of distance and terrain when it comes to health care—and so do their healthcare providers—Sky Lakes worked closely with Oregon Health & Sciences University to bring to Klamath Falls the OHSU Campus for Rural Health located in the Cascades East building.
The OHSU Campus for Rural Health brings together local providers with dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, physician assistant and medical students in rural settings to better learn about healthcare in a rural setting.
Working in teams enhances students’ educational and clinical experiences, and having these teams learn and serve in local communities has the potential to increase the number of graduates who will work there.
Joyce Hollander-Rodgriguez, MD, a graduate of the Cascades East program, is the regional associate dean of rural health for OHSU’s Klamath Falls-based rural campus, the so-called “hub” for rural medicine in Oregon.
“The rural campus office is in Klamath Falls because of the strength and diversity of our local medical community, the Cascades East Family Residency Program, the OHSU nursing program at Oregon Tech, and because of a strong champion in Dr. Hollander-Rodriguez.”
Sky Lakes also has invested in an assortment of programs intended to help the community be healthier. In addition to hosting smoking cessation classes and organizing the Sky Lakes Wellness Center, Sky Lakes played an important part in bringing the Blue Zones Project to Oregon — Klamath Falls is the state’s demonstration community – and actively promotes many of the key concepts of healthier lifestyles.
During its 50th anniversary celebration in 2015, Sky Lakes helped the community in other health-related ways by providing funding to enhance city parks and the municipal swimming pool; contributing resources to help build hiking trails and consolidate social service agencies on a centrally located site; and provided leadership to help create a protected bike lane between downtown and Moore Park.
Health is not merely the absence of illness, Mr. Stewart told a crowd at the March 12 kickoff for the Blue Zones project. “We want to make it easier for everyone to make better choices, healthier choices,” he said. “The Sky Lakes investments and the other initiatives are all helping our community to be better.”
The Carriage Works
Using Local Supplies to Manufacture
and Sell Nationwide
The Carriage Works began in Klamath Falls in 1978 as a supplier of charming horse-drawn carriages, sleighs and wagons. Their reputation for fine craftsmanship captured the attention of notable customers like Disneyland and Hollywood moviemaker George Lucas.
While building carriages for Disneyland, founding owners John and Barbara Evensizer were asked to design a covered wagon hot dog stand. That success led to a request for a buffet kiosk at another Disney attraction — Goofy’s Kitchen. Over the years, their skillful adaptability transformed this quaint, niche business into a global designer and manufacturer of more than 10,000 kiosks, carts and retail merchandising units for use in shopping malls, cruise ships, universities, amusement parks, and numerous other attractions. So if you’ve ever shopped, ridden a roller coaster, or enjoyed food you can eat without a plate, you’ve undoubtedly come across their handiwork.
Brian and Debbie Dunham bought the business in 2015 and have since hired five more employees with plans for adding even more. Klamath County’s rich history in wood products has produced a high-quality workforce of skilled craftspeople who are the cornerstone of The Carriage Works. Brian has an extensive background in manufacturing, so when he saw the expertise and commitment of the employees at The Carriage Works, he knew they had something special.
While the company’s origins are in wood, their business today also requires employees skilled in metal fabrication, electrical, plumbing, finish application, 3D rendering and more. Having local schools like Oregon Tech and Klamath Community College ensures a steady source of educated employees for years to come.
The Carriage Works is the kind of business that’s critically important for the Southern Oregon economy because it sells products mainly out-of-state, but buys a great deal of its supplies and professional services locally. So, revenue comes into Klamath County from afar and generates significant wages and local spending.
As the Dunhams consider their future needs for more space they are pleased to say the expansion will happen here in Klamath Falls because it’s a great place to do business.
This article was in Thursday’s (April 14th, 2016) Herald and News
Written by: Holly Dillemuth, H&N Staff Reporter
Klamath Falls is a step closer to the return of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screenings for commercial air service after a U.S. House bill unanimously passed on Wednesday.
The bill, if it becomes law, would help return TSA screening services to Klamath Falls. The legislation in effect clears a path to return commercial air service to Klamath Falls after a nearly two-year absence.
The bill is the Treating Small Airports with Fairness Act and would require the TSA to restore screening services to any airport that lost service after Jan. 1, 2013 and that has a commitment from a commercial airline to resume service within one year. Klamath Falls is one of at least six airports nationwide that fits into both categories.
PenAir commitment
Peninsula Airways, known as PenAir, has continually committed to offering commercial flights from Klamath Falls to Portland from Crater Lake-Klamath Regional Airport.
“The people of Klamath County deserve safe, reliable air service. That’s why unanimous approval of our plan is excellent news for Oregonians living in and around Klamath, our local economy and tourism, and the Oregon National Guard operating out of Kingsley Field,” said U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Hood River, in a news release.
“The TSA Fairness Act will help make sure the TSA is not able to stonewall an agreement between the local community and a commercial air carrier who wants to resume flights at a small airport. I’m proud of the bipartisan support this bill has received in the House, and will continue to work with the Oregon delegation to get this across the finish line in the Senate,” Walden said.
“Let’s be safe and secure. Let’s be smart and prudent. Let’s pass this legislation and allow our communities to have the air service they need, and our country to have the security that we demand. This is common-sense legislation that needs to become law. Together we’re going to do the right thing even when the TSA will not.”
Alternate service
TSA had offered Klamath Falls an alternative service by way of reverse screening that would have allowed unscreened passengers from Klamath Falls to fly to Portland for traditional screening services.
Walden introduced the legislation along with Oregon Rep. Peter DeFazio. The bill is also cosponsored by Reps. Will Hurd (R-Tex.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.), Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), Blake Farenthold (R-Tex.), Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), and Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.).
Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley have introduced identical legislation in the U.S. Senate, but a timeline is not certain, according to Walden’s office.
The Senate Commerce Committee has approved inclusion of the bill in aviation legislation that is pending, according to the news release.
To access this article on the H&N website, please refer to this link:
Originating from KCEDA’s Quality of Life Committee, Klamath Excellence has since evolved into an organization of its own, tasking itself to oversee the rejuvenation and beautification of Klamath Falls in conjunction with economic growth and recovery. Recently, Klamath Excellence just launched a new website, giving online visitors opportunities to learn about volunteer opportunities, seek assistance, donate to the organization, or educate themselves on information relevant to the organization’s mission such as code enforcement. To check out this new website, please refer to the link provided just below:
KCEDA staff is very excited to announce that they have recently added a new staff member to serve as Administrative Assistant. Her name is Kara Gegner, and she recently moved here from Wichita Falls, Texas with her husband Jordan who is learning to fly the F-15 at Kingsley Field.
Previously, Kara spent most of her early professional career working for a variety of businesses in Des Moines, IA. In this time, she worked at places such as Wells Fargo, where she was a Project Coordinator, Mortgage Compliance Advisors, where she served as an Executive Assistant, and Eyerly Ball Community Mental Health, taking on duties as an Administrative Assistant.
She is a graduate of Central College, receiving a degree in sociology, and has stated that she is currently working towards obtaining a Project Management Professionals Certificate. Looking at some other fun facts, Kara’s favorite hobby is yoga where she invested over 200+ hours to earn a certificate that gives her the ability to teach anywhere. She also happens to be a distant relative to aviation legends, the Wright brothers. KCEDA believes Kara will be a great fit for the organization, and is pleased to have her be involved in its efforts to further strengthen Klamath County’s economy.
Written By: Paige Webster, Webster Global Site Selectors
This comes from an article published by Contact Center Pipeline
Recently, Paige Webster (Webster Global Site Selector) had his 1st article of a 4-part series published in in the Contact Center Pipeline. Using the unique online platform, Webster focused his first piece on educating those readers as to what site selection is, and what role it can play when companies are making location decisions. Primarily addressing the criteria commonly examined by site selectors, Webster has set the stage to have his remaining articles provide readers insight as to site selectors involvement with workforce issues, real estate transactions for expansion and relocation projects, as well examine the utilization of state and local incentives.
To read the full article, please refer to the link provided just below:
Site Selection: Do You Know the Process That Will Save You $$
This comes from an article posted by Josh Bays of Site Selection Group
Exploring trends related to increasing costs of labor for manufacturing operations, Josh Bays, of Site Selection Group, recently published an article examining how such growing expense could encourage new manufacturers to locate in smaller communities.
Taking common project specifications for manufacturing operations, the Site Selection Group conducted a 10-year operating analysis that estimated the average costs (includes: wages, salaries, benefits, real estate, utilities, training, and taxes) associated with population sizes using tiers. The tiers represented these population sizes:
- Tier 1: 1,000,000+
- Tier 2: 500,000 – 999,999
- Tier 3: 250,000 – 499,999
- Tier 4: 100,000 – 249,999
The results of this analysis indicated that investment in smaller communities versus metro areas could save manufacturers up to 10% in operating costs over a 10-year period.
In addition to the benefit of lower operating costs, Bays suggests that smaller communities will continue to become more attractive to manufacturers if they are capable of offering aggressive economic incentive packages. Bays identifies manufacturers that entered smaller communities, looking at investments that occurred in New York and Minnesota to illustrate how these types of companies are gravitating more and more to less populated areas.
Bays ultimately concludes that smaller communities will have the best opportunities to attract manufacturing companies if beyond lower operating costs and incentives, they can distinguish themselves by providing an attractive labor market, highlighting the importance of workforce development
To read Bays full article, please refer to the link just below:
April Press Release: KCEDA Opposes Recreational Marijuana Measure
Klamath Falls, Oregon (April 8, 2016) – The Klamath County Economic Development Association has formally come out against Ballot Measure 18-105, which would legalize the production and retail sale of recreational marijuana in the county. On April 1, the KCEDA executive committee presented a resolution to its board of directors that took a public position in opposition to the ballot measure. After a five-day voting period, the resolution passed by way of a two-thirds majority vote on April 7.
An excerpt from the resolution reads, “It is the purpose of KCEDA to foster a healthy economic climate for the area capable of providing primary employment opportunities that meet the needs of employers, employees, and the community, while retaining and enhancing the quality of life and expanding the tax base.”
The resolution states that KCEDA is among those who believe passing the measure would:
- Harm education and graduation rates in Klamath County, negatively impact the Klamath work force by creating a class of potential employees (comprised of recreational users) who would not be employable at any drug-free workplace
- Increase emergency room visits and increase health care costs
- Make Klamath County a less desirable, and a less competitive location for attracting new businesses to locate in Klamath County
- Harm families and quality of life for Klamath residents
KCEDA executive director Greg O’Sullivan stated that well-intentioned advocates of the measure have too narrow a focus. “Proponents and sponsors of Ballot Measure 18-105 advocate for its passage on the notion that it will increase the tax base and create jobs in the production and retail sale of legalized recreational marijuana,” he said. “But those aren’t necessarily the jobs we need here in Klamath County, certainly not if we want to stand out as a good place to set up roots for manufacturing, the tech industry, agriculture or hospitality.”
Ballot Measure 18-105 will appear on the May 17 ballot when Oregonians vote in the presidential primary election. If passed, the measure would override the county commissioners’ decision to outlaw sale and production of marijuana and allow the state to license marijuana dispensaries and producers in Klamath County.
About KCEDA
Since 1975, KCEDA has reflected the best of private enterprise, responsibility and dedication. Its mission is to provide tailored recruitment and retention/expansion programs, new opportunities for jobs, a diversified, value-added industrial base and expanded economic development. Because TEAM Klamath and Klamath County are aware of the needs of businesses, they have a collection of business incentives suited for companies looking to expand or improve their workforces.
