This content was published: February 7, 2011. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
Willow Creek is setting for economic forum
Story by Dana Haynes. Photos by Ben Carlson.
At left, State Sen. Bruce Starr addresses Washington County elected officials and business leaders at PCC's Willow Creek Center.
Portland Community College’s Willow Creek Center was the venue on Wednesday, Jan. 26, for the second annual Washington County Economic Summit.
An estimated 100 people – mostly small-business owners and elected officials – attended the morning event, which featured an economist explaining the recession and recovery, a panel of local entrepreneurs and a question-and-answer session.
Willow Creek, PCC’s newest facility, is at 185th Avenue and Edgeway Drive in Hillsboro. Along with classroom space for PCC and Portland State University, it also serves up to 1,000 people per day through a state training program for the unemployed. The facility, which opened in March 2010, was funded both through PCC’s successful 2008 bond measure and a matching grant from the Oregon Legislature.
Organizers of the economic summit included the Greater Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce and the Westside Economic Alliance.
Hosts for the event were three state lawmakers: Sen. Bruce Starr, R-Hillsboro, a veteran of the Capitol in Salem, along with Reps. Katie Eyre Brewer, R-Hillsboro, and Shawn Lindsay, R-Hillsboro, both newly elected this past November.
Left, State Rep. Katie Eyre Brewer is new to the Legislature this year.
“We truly appreciate Sen. Starr, Rep. Lindsay and Rep. Eyre Brewer for hosting this event today,” said Deanna Palm, chamber president. “Washington County’s economic health is vital for our region and state. This was a great opportunity for our legislators to hear directly from small business how the economic recession has impacted them and their business and how legislators can assist them by removing barriers to job growth.”
Keynote speaker was economist Jerry Johnson of Johnson & Reid, a consulting firm that specializes in land-use economics. Johnson also is an adjunct professor at PSU’s School of Urban Studies. He discussed the economic trends in Washington County over the past decade.
A panel discussion featured four small-business owners, representing the arenas of landscape management, the high-tech industry, insurance and retail.