Rural Economy Project

A partnership between community organizations—Rural Development Initiatives, Sustainable Northwest, the Oregon Consortium/Workforce Alliance, WorkSource Oregon—and Oregon Public Broadcasting, the Rural Economy Project showcases the stories of successful entrepreneurs, people trying to make ends meet, and communities working to build stable, vital economies in Oregon’s rural towns.

Rural Economy Project bloggers contribute their perspectives on economic and employment issues facing rural residents, while OPB produces shows on rural economies across Oregon. These stories and commentaries are designed to inspire sustainable community building and raise awareness of resources available to rural small business owners and the unemployed.

Additional news stories and commentary can be found on Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Rural Economy Project web page. Rural employment and small business resources contributed by project partners are collected here on RIPPLE.

For more information about helping rural communities thrive, visit the project partners’ websites. Project funding generously provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Rural Small Business Resources

STATEWIDE OREGON RESOURCES

Building Opportunities for Oregon Small Business Today
Business Oregon
Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs (OAME)
Oregon Business Association
Oregon Entrepreneurs Network
Oregon Microenterprise Network (OMEN)
Oregon Native American Business and Entrepreneurial Network Inc. (ONABEN)
Oregon Small Business Association
Oregon Small Business Development Center Network
Small Business Administration of Oregon
Small Business Administration's Program for Investment in Micro-Entrepreneurs (PRIME)

LOCAL RESOURCES

Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians
Cascades West Economic Development District 
CCD Business Development Corporation
Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council
Columbia-Pacific Economic Development District
Greater Eastern Oregon Development Corporation
Mid-Columbia Economic Development District
Mid-Willamette Valley Community Development Partnership
Northeast Oregon Economic Development District
Portland-Vancouver Economic Development District
Rogue Community College Small Business Development Center
South Central Oregon Economic Development District
Southern Oregon Regional Economic Development, Inc.

NEWS

USDA Announces Loans and Grants to Help Rural Businesses Create Jobs and Get Expanded Access to Capital
USDA Business Assistance Grants
USDA Funding Assistance Available to Microentrepreneurs in Rural Communities

Rural Employment Resources

STATEWIDE OREGON RESOURCES

Green and Sustainability Jobs
The Job Council/WorkSource Oregon
Mac's List, a Weekly Update on Job Openings, Networking Events, and Job-Hunting Resources
Northwest Renewable Energy Institute's Wind Energy Training
Oregon Employment Department Job Listings
Oregon State Fact Sheet
Renewable Northwest Project's Renewable Energy Jobs and Education

LOCAL RESOURCES

Community Action Program East Central Oregon Employment & Training Services
Southern Oregon Job Finder

NEWS

Are There Jobs? The Daily Yonder Compares Rural Counties to the National Average Unemployment Rate
OPB News: Gorge College Trains for Green, Wind Energy Jobs
Tracking Recovery Act Dollars in Oregon
White House Report on Strengthening the Rural Economy 

Rural Community & Economic Development Resources

BEST PRACTICES & MODELS

American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA)
The Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE)
Buy Local Lincoln County
Illinois Valley Business Entrepreneurial Center (IVBEC)
Illinois Valley Community Development Organization (IVCDO)
International Economic Gardening Conference
The Navigator: The Rural Oregon Guide to Saving Money by Saving Resources
OPB's Think Out Loud, Sustaining Business in Rural Oregon
Oregon Coast Community College Small Business Development Center
Oregon Main Street
Seven Ways to Boost Rural Economies From RDI's Executive Director Craig Smith
Think Local Umpqua

TOOLS

Community and Economic Development Readiness Assessment Guidebook
Community and Economic Development Readiness Assessment Tool
Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats Organizational Analysis (SWOT)
Community and Economic Development Readiness Assessment Guidebook

NEWS

Recovery Tracker on ProPublica: Break Down for Oregon by County on Where the Stimulus Funding Has Gone
Tracking Rural Stimulus Dollars, Daily Yonder
USDA Announces Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers
USDA Highlights Impact of Recent Recovery Act Broadband Loans and Grants