About Economic Development Central Oregon – South County

Founded in 1981, Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) is a non-profit corporation supported by private and public members and stakeholders. Our mission is to create a diversified local economy and a strong base of middle-class jobs in Central Oregon. To do this, we focus on helping companies do the following:

Move

EDCO attracts outside employers interested in relocating or expanding to the region by developing relationships with key company decision makers, site selectors, media professionals, and other influencers. We guide companies through the relocation process as a resource for regional data, incentives, site selection, and other services tailored to their specific needs.

Start

At the center of the region’s growing entrepreneurial network, EDCO mentors and advises promising, scalable young companies with support from concept to exit on issues such as access to capital, critical expertise, and strategy.

Grow

Our local businesses are the job engine of the region’s economy. Because of this, we have dedicated managers in each of the six Central Oregon communities who partner and advocate for existing companies as they grow and expand.

FUNDED BY MEMBER SUPPORT

As a membership organization, we are funded by both the public and private sectors. EDCO members represent the depth and diversity of our Central Oregon communities, as business leaders, supporters and advocates from across the region.

FOCUSED ON RESULTS

We primarily focus our efforts on traded-sector employers, which are companies that sell a majority of their goods or services outside the region. As these businesses export their products and offerings, they simultaneously import wealth into our Central Oregon communities and help to build a recession-proof employment base.
At EDCO, we keep close tabs on economic indicators such as job growth, total payroll and new capital investment made by traded-sector companies. The results of the last six years are as follows:
*payroll is reported by some companies, but others are estimated conservatively at the average wage for manufacturing for the region.

PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE: GOALS & OBJECTIVES
EDCO’s Strategic Plan provides an overview of our vision, mission and objectives. It guides us as we undertake new activities and initiatives, and is a source of information for those who want to better understand our organization. Download the 2019-2021 Strategic Plan.
Our Goals for 2019-2021:
1. Business & Industry Development:
– Move 25 traded-sector companies to the region
– Make Central Oregon a Top Ten Destination in the U.S. for scalable startups
– Grow our existing traded-sector companies and continue industry diversification

2. Work-Ready Talent:
– Cultivate Youth CareerConnect into a top internship program in the country
– Develop a robust trailing spouse employment network for Central Oregon
– Partner with other organizations to develop industry-relevant training and education

3. Setting the Table for Economic Development
– Facilitate construction of 500,000 sf of new office and industrial space
– Add five new daily flights and three new non-stop destinations to RDM airport
– Advocateforbusinesstopublicpolicymakers
– Work with private and public utilities on industrial capacity readiness
– Advocate for policies expanding the regional housing supply

FEATURES

• The EDCO Info Hub contains current, comprehensive data on Central Oregon.
• Up-coming events.
• Stable of Experts – a network of seasoned professionals with a passion for start-ups and small business.
• Hear stories from regional businesses EDCO has helped
• Read up on business related news on EDCO’s blog.

Contact us today!