|
|
Bend Chamber Weekly
September 11, 2009
By Courtney Linville, Communications Coordinator
This Week's Highlights
|
Chamber office will be closed on Monday
The Bend Chamber of Commerce will be closed on Monday, September 14 due to the 12th Annual Member Invitational Golf Tournament held at Brasada Ranch.
The Chamber will reopen on Tuesday at normal business hours. |
Sign up now for Business Showcase
Only once a year, the Bend Chamber offers the opportunity for small and/or home-based businesses to co-host a Business After Hours. These extremely successful events "showcase" small businesses that would often otherwise be unable to "host" a networking event due to the size of their facilities. This event provides great visibility as well as an opportunity to highlight your products and services while networking one-on-one with potential new clients.
The next Business Showcase is coming up on Tuesday, October 27 at the Bend Golf & Country Club, and we have openings for hosts. The cost for members to host a space is $150.
We have a limited number of booths available, and last year they filled up fast, so if you are interested in the details of participating, please contact Chris Boyle at chris@bendchamber.org or call 382-3221. |
Town Hall, Get your questions answered
Get your questions answered at the next Bend Chamber Town Hall Forum. The Chamber would like to give members the opportunity to have their questions answered by sending in questions about the upcoming Town Hall. This allows members who can't attend the breakfast an opportunity to have their questions answered.
This month, the Town Hall topic is "Legislative Impacts on Labor and Employment Law." Bureau of Labor and Industry Commissioner Brad Avakain will talk about the impact of the 2009 Legislative session on employers, discuss BOLI's role, look at the future of the organization, and share some information on BOLI's Technical Assistance for Employers program.
If you have questions surrounding this topic, please send them to courtney@bendchamber.org by Thursday, September 17. The answers to questions we receive will be published in the Chamber Weekly on September 25.
For those who would like to attend the event, Town Hall will take place at Bend Golf & Country Club on September 18 at 7:30 a.m. More information about the event can be found in the Upcoming Events section of this newsletter. |
National unemployment increased in August
Unemployment continued to rise nationally in August to 9.7 percent. According to a recent release, this is one of the all-time high numbers since June 1983 when the unemployment rate reached 10.1 percent.
Around 216,000 jobs were lost nationally, which is lower than economists predicted, according to a survey by Dow Jones Newswires. Many of the lost jobs were in the major industry sectors.
Oregon's unemployment actually dipped slightly in July to 11.9 percent. |
Oregon law requires some businesses to have automated external defibrillator
Oregon businesses only have a few months left to comply with a new law that would require businesses to have a working automated external defibrillator.
According to Senate Bill 556, states places of "public assembly" with 50,000 square feet or more of floor space where the "public congregates for purposes such as deliberation, shopping, entertainment, amusement or awaiting transportation; or business activities are conducted; and at least 25 individuals congregate on a normal business day" must have at least one defibrillator on the premises by January 1, 2010.
Currently, the Mountain River Chapter of the American Red Cross is helping businesses meet this compliance. The staff at the Red Cross can help businesses purchase an appropriate unit, train staff, and ensure ongoing maintenance on the machine.
For more information or help, contact Tamara Mathiesen, Directory of Health and Safety, at tamaram@mountainriver.redcross.org or by phone at (541) 382-2142.
The new law does not apply to facilities owned by the school district, private or charter schools, and worship facilities. |
In the News
Productivity at six year high for workers: According to a recent U.S. Labor Department report, though employee earnings are falling, workers are being more productive. During the second quarter, productivity increased at an annual rate of 6.6 percent. The Labor Department reports this is the best performance since summer 2003. Labor costs did decline by 5.9 percent due to aggressive cost-cutting efforts by companies.
Government to hire more workers by 2012: Partnership for Public Service recently reported federal agencies are expected to hire more than 270,000 workers by the end of September 2012. The workers will be hired for "mission-critical jobs" concentrating in areas like medical and public health, security and protection, compliances and enforcement, legal, and program management. This is a jump of over 40 percent from fiscal year 2010 to 2012. The report was compiled from a survey of 35 federal agencies about projected hiring needs for the next three years.
Free tire collection event: On September 19, residents can dispose of unwanted tires free at the Knott Landfill Recycling & Transfer Facility. The event will take place from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Knott Landfill, 61050 SE 27th St. Tires both on-and-off the rim can be dropped off, however, no tires over 24.5" (wheel diameter) can be accepted. No farm equipment tires, tires from businesses, fleet tires, or heavy equipment tires will be accepted. A limit of 12 tires per household has been set so if you have more than that please contact the Solid Waste office for approval. For more information, contact the Deschutes County Solid Waste Office at 317-3163 or visit the Solid Waste Web site at www.co.deschutes.or.us/solidwaste. |
Upcoming Events
September 15- Professional Development Series - Boosting employee morale in a down economy - How do you keep employees engaged during an economic downturn? This can be challenging, especially during all the uncertainty. Employee morale and focus can wane. More than a decade ago, The Gallup Organization published a report that pointed to a sobering calculation: disengaged employees cost the American economy up to $350 billion a year in lost productivity. Imagine the costs today! As businesses look to get the biggest bang for the buck these days, no one can deny the greatest investment companies make is in their human capital. Join presenter Dana Barz, principal of danamics, to discover how you can reignite your team's passion, creativity, and productivity by using low and no cost techniques. Please RSVP for this event by Monday, September 14 at www.bendchamber.org.
September 16 - Young Professionals Network - Mid Oregon Credit Union- Mid Oregon Credit Union is a full-service, member-owned, financial cooperative that has served Central Oregonians for over 52 years. Mid Oregon is the only credit union headquartered and doing business solely in Central Oregon. Today they have five full-service branches; two in Bend, Redmond, Prineville, and the newest branch in Madras. For more information about Mid Oregon Credit Union, their services, and branch locations please visit www.midoregon.com. September is Community Awareness Month and the Young Professionals Network has chosen to support SMART (Start Making a Reader Today). Please bring new or gently used books to drop off at the September YPN event. Books should be for ages K-3rd grade. Please no religious books or books about holidays. For each book you bring you will get to place a business card in the drawing to win one of many prizes. Join the staff of Mid Oregon Credit Union for an evening of networking, great food, and more. Please RSVP by Tuesday, September 15 at www.bendchamber.org. If you have trouble signing up, call 382-3221.
September 18 - Town Hall Breakfast - Legislative Impacts on Labor and Employment Law- There were many issues surrounding labor and employment law during the 2009 Legislative Session. How do the newly enacted laws affect your business? What is the Bureau of Labor and Industry (BOLI) doing to help employers? How is BOLI strengthening workforce development and civil rights? In this month's Town Hall, BOLI Commissioner Brad Avakian will talk about the impact of the 2009 Legislative session on employers, discuss BOLI's roll, look at the future of the organization, and share some information on BOLI's Technical Assistance for Employers program. Attend this Town Hall and get your questions about BOLI or any employment laws answered. Please RSVP for this event by September 17 at www.bendchamber.org. |
|
|
