Sec Brown: Finding ways to contribute to job creation
Salem Downtown Rotary
As Oregon’s Secretary of State I wear many hats. I am the chief elections officer, the auditor of public funds, the first stop for business registrations and the keeper of Oregon’s history. I also serve as lieutenant governor.
Each of these jobs is extremely important. However, in these tough economic times I am also working hard to find ways that my divisions can contribute to job creation in our great state.
I think it is fair to say that none of us has a silver bullet that will fix our economy. Yet there are several developments that keep me optimistic about Oregon’s future. The number of business registrations in Oregon is up from a year ago and our unemployment rate continues to drop.
On a national scale, Forbes labels Oregon sixth in the nation for most business friendly. And Oregon is also ranked second in the nation for the number of innovators filing for patents, with Utah being the first. These are all great indicators of progress and enough to give me hope for Oregon’s future prosperity.
Some of the projects helping to create jobs include a public private partnership with Chaves Consulting, a family owned business out of Baker City. This project will create nearly 100 jobs in rural Oregon. We are also in the process of creating an online business portal that will assist would-be business owners quickly set up shop and hire employees in Oregon. Our auditing function is also analyzing our workforce development efforts in community colleges, thus ensuring those looking for work have the skills they need to fill jobs.
As your Secretary of State, I am adding to my formal roles a focus on creating jobs and getting Oregon back on track to a bright and prosperous future.
For more information, please contact:
Andrea Cantu-Schomus
Communications Director
Oregon Secretary of State
503-986-2368
503-507-0082
