Another '03 alum sends greetings and has good advices for anyone interested in working/interning in Oregon:
Professor O'Neil:
Professor O'Neil:
This is Jeremy Rogers, '03. I hope that all is well in Tacoma!
I wanted to update UPSers on my current project:
I work at the Oregon Business Council as the project manager for the Oregon Business Plan (www.oregonbusinessplan.org). The Business Plan is about 5 years old, and represents a statewide collaboration between business leaders and elected officials to create jobs and build long-term economic prosperity in Oregon.
Oregon's economy is performing well right now, but when the plan started we were at the depths of a recession, as were most places in the United States. The Business Plan was born when leaders realized that Oregon needed a roadmap to carry itself out of the recession and to moderate the state's extreme boom and bust economic cycles over the long term. The plan began with a goal, a vision, a strategy and a set of 12 key policy initiatives aimed at enhancing Oregon's economic competitiveness--ranging from increasing aid for students to go to college to securing international air service to Europe and Asia.
Since that time, many accomplishments have been made, and we now focus on five key policy areas. I helped write the 2007 Policy Playbook, which is meant to be a go-to guide for policy-makers on how to grow the state's economy over the long term. Every legislator has a copy (I don't know how many have read it) as do many of the state's CEOs. All of the policy initiatives deal with long-term issues--economic innovation, health care, education--and are tracked on the Oregon Business Plan website.
We also just came off our fifth successful "Leadership Summit," the event where we unveil the policy initiatives and bring the state's top elected and business leaders together for one day meeting. This year's Summit focused on the opportunity for Oregon to distinguish itself in the global economy by capitalizing on its reputation and assets related to sustainable development.
It has been a great experience, particularly because of Oregon's collaborative business environment. The sharing of best practices and belief that a rising tide lifts all boats is strong among our business leaders. Also, our state's elected officials from both parties have been extremely supportive of the effort. It feels great to be part of a business-led effort that is truly progressive.
I'd love to talk more with anyone who is interested in this project. Also, more information and materials can be found at www.oregonbusinessplan.org. If any students are interested in coming to Oregon for the summer or after graduation, I'd love to help them out in finding jobs and/or internships. I can be reached anytime at jrogers@orbusinesscouncil.org
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