By Strategic Economic Development Corporation, Salem, Ore. 29 June 2009 – The Strategic Economic Development Corporation (SEDCOR), the economic development agency for Marion and Polk Counties, has created an Alliance to create a competitive advantage to serve the needs of developers, companies and investors involved in the Mid-Willamette Valley’s construction […]

By Patrick Emerson Oregon Economics Blog A recent Oregonian article on the high prices at Farmers Markets raises an interesting question: just what are you paying for? The Oregonian article focuses on the high prices charged at the market and how this compares to CSAs and supermarkets. There is a […]

The Washington Post reported,”Foreclosure filings increased again in June as the weak labor market pushed more homeowners into delinquency and government efforts to prevent foreclosure efforts struggled to gain traction, according to data from RealtyTrac released today.The firm counted 336,173 filings nationally, which can range from default notices to bank […]

José Pinomesa, President Oregon Independent Auto Dealers Association Cash for Clunkers is now the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS).  This government program assists you in purchasing a brand new, more fuel efficient vehicle than the one that you are trading in.  This became law on July 1, but will basically […]

Court and Legislative Updates – JULY 2009 By Dunn, Carney, Allen, Higgins & Tongue The Courts and the Legislature have been very busy lately.  We provide you the following summaries of some of the most significant changes and developments.  If any of these summaries raise questions, please contact us to […]

According to the San Fransisco Business Times; “Venture firms raised $1.7 billion in the second quarter, the lowest quarterly raise in more than seven years. Only 25 firms reported raising money nationally, according to data from Thomson Reuters and the National Venture Capital Association. The venture capital industry raises money […]

By Bill Conerly, Businomics, Conerly Consulting LLC No leading indicator is perfect, but initial claims for unemployment insurance is fairly good.  Here’s the latest chart (data available here): It looks like the worst is behind us, but that the improvement has been very, very mild.  In other words, consistent with […]

Northwest Business Litigation Ater Wynne Attorneys at Law In an attempt to avoid some of the headaches associated with having employees, many businesses will hire workers as “independent contractors.”  The primary advantage to hiring an independent contractor is that the business does not have to pay or withhold for taxes, […]

Oregon Employment Department,6/23/09 Oregon’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 12.4 percent in May compared with 11.8 percent (as revised) in April. The 12.4 percent reading was the highest on record since the current series began in 1976, topping the previous high mark of 12.1 percent set in November 1982.  […]

Wells Fargo & Company: SAN FRANCISCO — July 7, 2009. Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC)’s web site has taken top honors for technological and digital innovation, ranking first out of 68 leading U.S. corporations, according to the Brookings Institution. The Brookings Institution evaluated nearly two dozen features of digital […]