Klamath County Economic Development Association Welcomes Oregon Governor to Region

Governor Brown in visit praises innovative public-private partnership and discusses multiple initiatives including ambitious Klamath Cyber-Security Area Plan

Klamath Falls, Oregon (January 24, 2017) – Governor Kate Brown spent several hours today with representatives from the Klamath County Economic Development Association (KCEDA) discussing a variety of pro-business initiatives.  Brown met with KCEDA representatives at their offices and took a tour of regional economic opportunities presented by KCEDA.

During the visit Brown expressed her enthusiasm for the kind of public-private partnership that KCEDA represents and for several of the economic development opportunities KCEDA and its members were working on.

One of the plans that Governor Brown was particularly interested in is the Klamath County Cyber Security Zone plan.  Klamath County has military and intellectual property assets that need to be protected from foreign hacking and the zone would provide for additional security efforts on a regional basis.

“Our message to Oregon’s Governor was strong- we shared with her the importance of talking about the opportunities, rather than the struggles, of rural Oregon.  We asked her for help in leveraging our significant strengths. We have strengths like Oregon Tech, opportunities in renewable energy, an Air Base, and plenty of industrial land ready for development.” Said Kelley Minty Morris, Klamath County Commissioner

Another ambitious economic development site the Governor toured is the Tech Hills Business Park.  Tech Hills consists of 400 acres of potential business sites from 1 acre to much larger plots that will be designed to attract advanced manufacturing and other hi-tech companies that will be able to employ graduates of the Oregon Institute of Technology and others in the region looking for good-paying jobs.

“OIT is just such a great asset for the area that we must find a way to jump start companies coming here and employing those graduates locally,” said Greg O’Sullivan Director of KCEDA.  “The kind of companies that would need graduates of OIT’s caliber and skill sets include those that would work in advanced manufacturing, software development and other intellectual properties, cyber security and more industries that pay well and would provide a real economic boost to the region.”

About the Klamath County Economic Development Association (KCEDA)

Since 1975, KCEDA has reflected the best of private enterprise, responsibility and dedication. Its mission is to provide tailored recruitment and retention/expansion programs, new opportunities for jobs, and a diversified, value-added industrial base/expanded economic development climate in southern Oregon. Learn more at www.ChooseKlamath.com.