Governor to visit growing Eugene company
EUGENE, Ore. - Gov. John Kitzhaber plans to visit a Eugene company that employees 60 percent more workers now than a year ago.
Kitzhaber will tour Bulk Handling Systems on North Danebo Street.
KVAL News profiled the company, which makes automated sorting systems for garbage and recyclables, in 2007.
At the time, total employment was under 80 workers, but the company expected foreign exports to drive demand for their product. They expected to double their workforce in just a few years.
Mission accomplished: The Eugene company has grown from 125 employees to just shy of 200 in the past year alone, the governor's office said.
Economic development meeting
Kitzhaber will also kick off the first meeting of the South Valley Regional Advisory Committee, according to Mayor Kitty Piercy's office.
Piercy and other regional leaders are on that committee. The governor's goal is to approach community and economic development by recognizing the unique needs of each region in the state and working at the local level to identify priorities, solve problems and seize opportunities to get specific projects completed, according to the mayor's office.
The regional advisory committee will serve two purposes.
First, the members will help coordinators and solutions teams identify high level priorities for the region. At least for the next two years priorities will be focused on economic development and job creation. Second, the advisory committee will help connect resources from the community to expand the collective capacity to solve problems and seize opportunities.
Five regional teams have been created throughout the state of Oregon.
The convener of the South Valley Regional Advisory Committee is State Sen. Frank Morse of Albany. Other leaders on the committee include Lane County Commissioner Faye Stewart; Julie Manning, Mayor of Corvallis; representatives of the University of Oregon, Oregon State University and Linn-Benton Community College; and Jack Roberts, executive director of the Lane Metro Partnership.
