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OEDA CONFERENCE Economic developers to converge on Medford Oct. 19-20 Comment By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Posted Oct. 16, 2015 at 3:06 PM Updated Oct 16, 2015 at 4:19 PM By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Posted Oct. 16, 2015 at 3:06 PM Updated Oct 16, 2015 at 4:19 PM » Social News Oregon's economic development professionals will gather in Medford Monday and Tuesday to gain insight on trends, opportunities and obstacles in the recruitment of new businesses and growing existing companies. The conference is centered at Inn at The Commons, with side trips to Bigham Knoll in Jacksonville and Harry & David. "A lot of the things that we look forward to in these conferences is that one takeaway we can take back to our community," said Colleen Johnston, Southern Oregon Regional Economic Development Inc.'s senior business development manager. "It may be learning how to market our region or city better. It may be learning how to bring a new tool or new incentive to a business that needs it for that next step in growth." Economic developers contend with long-standing images and perception of what businesses face in Oregon, here and elsewhere. "We have had some success, but we still have a lot of constraints out there that we have to either live with or choose to fix," Johnston said. "I'm sure that's true in every community. Overall, Oregon's image seems to be regulatory or not business friendly. We're not an incentive-rich state. But I find one business owner will say we're very friendly, and they love it, while the next will say we're not business friendly because of land-use laws or taxes. Then the next one would propose having a sales tax. Everybody comes from a different perspective." The event is the first such in the Rogue Valley, said Gordon Safley, SOREDI's executive director from 1992 until 2006. "It's a great thing — this lets the rest of the state see what we do down here," Safley said. Organizers expect 100 to 125 attendees, including vendors. Travel Medford will be an interested party at the event. "We've never been to it before, but it's here in Medford, and one of our jobs is to make sure people have a great stay and have the information they need," said Anne Jenkins, Travel Medford senior vice president. "There's an economic impact on the Rogue Valley having OEDA staying at our hotels, using our restaurants and caterers, who are getting business they wouldn't have otherwise expected." Creative consultant Andrew Dickson, the Monday breakfast keynote speaker, will discuss better ways to tell the story of a community or idea, such as doing business in Oregon. Steven Lightman, Harry & David president, will give the keynote noon presentation, discussing the company's legacy and the changing value-added landscape. Erickson President and CEO Jeff Roberts and Naumes Inc. President and CEO Mike Naumes are Tuesday keynote speakers. For more information, see www.oeda.biz . Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 541-776-4463 or [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GregMTBusiness , on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/greg.stiles.31 , and read his blog at www.mailtribune.com/EconomicEdge . - By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Posted Oct. 16, 2015 at 3:06 PM Updated Oct 16, 2015 at 4:19 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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