CEDR is the acronym for “Clatsop Economic Development Resources”, Clatsop County’s Economic Development Organization. It is the only organization in Clatsop County whose sole focus is to create, grow and retain businesses. We have launched our 2017 membership campaign, and are reaching out to new and existing members to join and renew membership in our CEDR organization.
CEDR serves the need for a dedicated economic development services organization, and provides a central point of contact for coordinated efforts across communities, countywide. CEDR has the endorsement of the Astoria-Warrenton, Seaside and Cannon Beach chambers of commerce, the cities of Astoria, Cannon Beach, Gearhart, Seaside and Warrenton, as well as the endorsement of Clatsop County. CEDR provides more resources and service to local businesses than any one community in Clatsop County could provide alone.
We would like to publicly thank the 70 private sector members, both businesses and individuals, who invested in the CEDR organization last year. (Note the listing of businesses and individuals in the CEDR ad this month.) The investment in the CEDR organization has allowed us to expand services we can provide to the business community, many at no cost.
Recap of CEDR/CCC SBDC recent accomplishments. (Validated Results through the Clatsop Community College Small Business Development Center- Full year 2015 and YTD 2016 through Oct. 31.
• CEDR met with 261 clients in free and confidential advising sessions, totaling 2116 hours.
• CEDR contributed to the creation and retention of 80 jobs.
• CEDR contributed to 16 new business starts.
• CEDR assisted in securing over $2,979,509 in financing for local businesses, more than the prior four years combined.
• The CEDR/Clatsop Community College SBDC Small Business Management Program has 26 business owners and managers enrolled in this flagship program, which has been part of Clatsop Community College since 1979.
• CEDR presented 87 educational workshops serving 601 people.
The Clatsop Community College Small Business Development Center, under the CEDR umbrella, is part of the statewide OSBDCN (Oregon Small Business Development Center Network), one of nineteen Centers in the state of Oregon that are affiliated with every community college in the state, as well as two universities. We are also a member of the national organization, “America’s SBDC”
(We were the winner of the Small Business Administration’s 2015 District 10 “Excellence and Innovation Award” for the states of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.)
The core mission of the SBDC is free and confidential one-on-one business advising, training and information resources for new and existing businesses. (We continue to search out more funding for CEDR as our advising is at no charge and we are growing at a rapid pace, and don’t want to turn away any advising request from our business community because of budget constraints).
CEDR has been spearheading the housing effort in Clatsop County, working with each city, Clatsop County, our local, state and federal partners, along with the private sector, to address the critical issue of finding solutions to the chronic shortage of affordable, workforce and market rate housing in our region that will impede economic growth if solutions cannot be found.
CEDR/CCC SBDC is working with President Chris Breitmeyer of Clatsop Community College and the college cabinet and staff members to spearhead a business plan for the Patriot Hall project at the Lexington Campus in Astoria, slated to open in Spring 2017, as well as the strategic plan for Clatsop Community College, addressing the specific needs of the business community in our region now, and in the future
CEDR meets monthly on economic development issues with Clatsop County’s Manager, and all city managers, is an advisory member of the Governor’s Regional Solutions Advisory Committee and Col-Pac Economic Development District, serves on the Clatsop Forestry Economic Development Committee (Kevin serves as the chairman for this year) and is a member of the Columbia Pacific Preservation/CCC Historic Preservation Program Committee.
CEDR represents the Clatsop County Business Community with the newly formed S.T.E.M (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Northwest Regional Stem Partnership through the regional E.S.D. (Economic Service District) district which includes Clatsop, Columbia, Tillamook and Western Washington counties.
Kevin was also appointed a member of the Oregon State University Extension Citizen Advisory Network this year, and has also been named to the OSU extension statewide steering committee representing the entire Oregon coast.
CEDR is a member of the Astoria Downtown Historic District Association Business Development Committee, Clatsop Community College and Astoria High School Business Advisory Committees, and is an active member of the Astoria-Warrenton, Cannon Beach and Seaside chambers of commerce, the Seaside Downtown Development Association, and others.
CEDR was the primary organizer, along with the local Oregon Employment Department office, of the Clatsop County 2016 High School Career and Job Fair which was held in April with over 650 students participating from all five county high schools and 68 employers, with plans to expand this in 2017.
CEDR’s operating budget is funded by multiple sources, including our public sector funders Clatsop County, Clatsop Community College, the cities of Astoria, Seaside, Warrenton, Gearhart and Cannon Beach, Port of Astoria and Sunset Empire Transportation District, but additional funding from the private sector is required in order to carry out the work to the fullest extent possible, generating an even more powerful impact.
Membership is available for as little as $50 per year for individuals, and $100 per year for businesses. Six levels of membership are available, and benefits accrue with each upgrade in membership.
For more information, go to the CEDR’s website at clatsoped.com, send an email to sbdc@clatsopcc.edu or call me, CEDR Executive Director Kevin Leahy, at 503-338-2342.