Restoring Oregon’s Competitiveness: An Imperative for Economic Prosperity

The September meeting will feature Angela Wilhelms, President and CEO of Oregon Business & Industry (OBI), who will be giving a follow-up presentation on the economy and the effect of national and local legislative and executive actions.

The data is clear; Oregon is at an economic inflection point. Now is the time for state leaders to chart a new path to help Oregon’s business community thrive and grow. Learn more about the current state of the state’s economy, what unfolded during the 2025 legislative session with regards to Oregon’s business climate, and what’s on the policy and political horizon for 2026 and beyond.

Learning Objectives:

• The reality of our current economic and competitiveness picture – WHY we need to act.
• The disconnect between elected leaders’ priorities and what Oregonians need – WHAT needs to change.
• Policy recommendations to address our competitiveness slide – HOW we can get where we need to go.

Before the keynote, we'll kick things off with a PD Session: The Equipment Finance Industry – What you need to know! Sponsored by:

Join us for a high-level review of how and why companies finance their capital equipment needs, and the products they use to maximize their objectives. Presented by industry experts Jim Cochrane, Managing Director, Bank of America Leasing Sales Executive, and George Brumder, CSI Leasing Account Executive.

Learning objectives:

• Equipment Finance Overview.
• Strategic Capital Formation.
• Matching Needs with Solutions.
• Equipment Finance Products.
• The Benefits of Tax, Balance Sheet, and Cash Flow management.

Agenda:

5:00 - 6:00 pm  |  PD session
6:00 - 6:45 pm  |  Networking
6:45 - 7:00 pm  |  Announcements
7:00 - 8:00 pm  |  Keynote Presentation