Economic summit begins tomorrow

By on Wednesday, June 15th, 2022 in Columbia Basin News Featured Stories

HERMISTON – The 2022 Eastern Oregon Economic Summit is tomorrow (Thursday) and Friday in Hermiston. The 2021 summit had to be canceled due to the pandemic. The summit, which is organized by the Eastern Oregon Women’s Coalition, is for private and public sector leaders throughout the state who want to learn how to tap into the growth and potential of Eastern Oregon’s economy.

Tours will be held during the first day for those who preregistered. Those tours look at economic development and workforce, housing, water, and forest management. Thursday’s activities end with a dinner and reception at the Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center on South First Street. Those who purchased tour tickets have a dinner ticket included.

On Friday, there will be a general session with keynote speakers followed by breakout discussions. There will be video messages from Gov. Kate Brown, Sen. Ron Wyden, and Rep. Cliff Bentz. Sen. Jeff Merkley will speak in person. Other topics for discussion include wildfires and the Oregon Legislature.

Three gubernatorial candidates had committed to attend the session. At 12:15 p.m., Democrat Tina Kotek, Republican Christine Drazan, and Democrat Betsy Johnson (who is running as an independent) will visit with the attendees during the lunch hour and answer questions about how they plan to address issues facing the state.

For more information about the summit, visit https://eowc.biz/eastern-oregon-summit/.