Levy

LA GRANDE — Leaders from throughout the state soon will get a chance to take a deep look at the opportunities and challenges facing Northeastern Oregon.

The annual Eastern Oregon Economic Summit is Thursday and Friday, Aug. 3-4, in La Grande. Highlights include industry tours, speakers and discussion panels focused on the regional economy, federal and state legislation, and program and industry updates. Industry experts and state and federal lawmakers will provide updates on current legislation and economic trends.

This is the first time La Grande has hosted the event, put on annually by the Eastern Oregon Women’s Coalition.

State Rep. Bobby Levy, R-Echo, the president of the Eastern Oregon Women’s Coalition Board, feels good about the upcoming summit.

“There are going to be some really amazing tours this year,” she said. “This will be a very good deal for La Grande and all of Union County.”

The yearly event is for private and public sector leaders throughout Oregon interested in learning how to tap into the growth and potential of Eastern Oregon’s economy.

Those who were asked to attend this year include Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, who will not be able to come but has sent a video of herself making a presentation for the summit, Levy said.

Kotek attended the 2022 Eastern Oregon Economic Summit in Hermiston when she was a gubernatorial candidate. She appeared with fellow hopefuls Republican Christine Drazen and Independent Betsy Johnson.

The Eastern Oregon Economic Summit started in 2020 and has been conducted in Umatilla County the past three years before coming to Union County this year. Union County Commissioner Donna Beverage said it is important all of Eastern Oregon is represented and noted the event may be in Malheur County in 2024.

Although the summit is designed for private and public sector leaders throughout Oregon it is open to everyone, she said.

The summit will start Aug. 3 with a variety of tours, including a walking tour of the revitalization efforts and economic development of downtown

La Grande.

, according to the agenda for the event. There also will be housing, water and forest management tours.

Beverage will take part in the water tour, which will feature a number of water projects in the county, according to the agenda. The tour includes a look at the water-reuse project at the municipal golf course, the Cove hydropower plant and fish passage projects at both Catherine Creek and the Grande Ronde River.

Buses will leave the pickup location at Eastern Oregon University at 8 a.m. and return at 4 p.m.

A dinner and reception 5-7 p.m. in downtown La Grande follows the tours.

The summit concludes Aug. 4 with a general session hosted by EOU. It will run from 8:30 a.m to noon and 1-4 p.m. Keynote speakers and a panel of state legislators will be among those presenting.

Highlights include presentations on the future of groundwater in Eastern Oregon, efforts to address gaps in housing funding in rural communities, water quality in the Lower Columbia River Basin, lessons shared by small business owners in rural Oregon, the economic impact of partnerships between higher education and agriculture, and business recruitment and incentives.

Tickets for attending the general session are $50.

Tickets and the full agenda are available on the 2023 Eastern Oregon Economic Summit webpage.