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NEW COVID GUIDANCE FOR OREGON
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Hood River and Wasco in the "Extreme" County Risk Category, Effective December 3
More guidance by activity can be found here
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The video of the COVID Down Under Panel is now available
Click here to view
A huge thank you to CEO of Destination Queenstown, Ann Lockhart, and Visit Victoria Regional Manager, Dave Evans, who shared their lessons learned since March including each country’s response to the crisis, how tourism was affected, their strategies for supporting business, and the communications they used along the way.
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Thank you for joining us for our Annual Planning Network Meeting. We had some exciting new ideas emerge with teams already working on them. We'll send out a master list soon with how to get involved.
Stay tuned!
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WORKSHOPS, GRANTS, EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES
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Oregon Business Plan – Tourism Industry Cluster Session
December 3 @ 3p.m.
REGISTER HERE
This webinar is hosted in partnership by Travel Oregon and the Oregon Business Council. The Tourism Cluster Session concludes a number of industry cluster events held this year as part of the 2020 Oregon Business Plan.
This session will be co-moderated by Travel Oregon CEO, Todd Davidson, and Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association (ORLA) CEO, Jason Brandt.
Panelists include: Erin Stephenson, Atticus Hotel; David Penilton, America’s Hub World Tours; Patrick Nofield, Escape Lodging; and Megan Conway, Travel Portland
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Grants for Washington Businesses
Click here to apply
Gov. Jay Inslee announced an additional $70 million for business grants. $50 million of this is for Round 3 of the Working Washington Small Business grants. The remainder will go towards funding qualified businesses that applied in earlier rounds of our resiliency grant program.
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A collection of articles and workshops (both live and recorded) to help businesses pivot, reopen, fund and promote during the pandemic. Upcoming seminars include:
December 8:
The 5 Step Marketing Strategy During a Pandemic
December 29:
Disaster Preparedness for Small Businesses
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Navigating Racism and Oppression in Indian Country While Being an Ally
Dec 10 & 11, 8:30 - 12pm
Register here
Many non-Natives work in various capacities in Indian Country- from tribal administrators to front line workers to urban Indian center employees. In addition, other non-Natives work in other agencies that serve or collaborate with Indian Country. Learning by doing is the way most allies become allies. This interactive training will be facilitated by a team of NWI trainers and is intended for non-Natives and Natives who want to learn more about being an ally in Native Country. The training will include large and small group discussion, opportunities for reflection and assessment, and tools to take back to the workplace. The goal of the training is to better help you to help the tribe/organization you are working for.
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Meet Your Neighbor: A Conversation with Gladys Rivera December 16th, 7pm
Register here
As a bi-racial, bi-cultural, and bi-lingual member of the Gorge, Gladys brings a unique perspective on this place we call home and will share some of her history and experiences in a conversation with Sense of Place host, Sarah Fox. Join us for the conversation and Q & A that follows.
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3 Simple Gorge-To-Mountain Winter Marketing Opportunities for You
You’re invited to join Columbia Area Transit (CAT) and Mt Hood Meadows (MHM) in a Gorge winter marketing collaboration.
3 Ways to Tell Customers About Your Business:
1.MHM Ticket Discount Program
- Simply offer a discount when customers show you their MHM annual or day pass, and CAT & MHM will actively market this program throughout the winter.
2.CAT Fare Widget Program
- Upload to your site a link to CAT’s website and receive a 10% commission on all resulting Pass sales from your website.
3.CAT Gorge-To-Mountain Express Fare Sales
- Purchase Gorge-To-Mountain Express fare tokens from CAT for $3 (regular price $5) to use for customer package promotions.
Call Amy at Columbia Area Transit (541) 386-4202 to get started!
rideCATbus.org
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Give the gift of Oregon Campaign
This state campaign encourages folks to support local this holiday season. Click here for a social media tool box to share the idea
Oregon Businesses can still participate by reaching out to Lizzie Keenan of the Mt Hood and Columbia Gorge RDMO here
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Friends of the Gorge Fund Supporting Water Access
The people of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs—the largest reservation in the state of Oregon—are now in the second year of a devastating water crisis due to a series of pressure breaks in key community water lines. Over 60% of Warm Springs residents currently do not have regular, consistent access to clean water—preventing many families from regularly showering, doing laundry, or providing adequate water for livestock or crops.
Click here or here for more information and to donate.
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Business Resiliency Training Sessions
This winter, MCEDD and CGCC SBDC are hosting free training sessions on tools to manage your business online and plan for business resiliency. Including:
Preparing for Accessing Capital
January 12, 2021 (1:00 pm – 3:00 pm)
In this session we will cover what you can do to prepare for and apply for funding opportunities, with a focus on entrepreneurs seeking to start, grow, or transition a business.
Lenders’ Round Table Session
January 19, 2021 (1:00 pm – 3:00 pm)
This session will feature local lenders who will discuss the gaps and opportunities for businesses to access capital in the region.
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Request for Support to Host the 2029 Road Cycling World Championships in Portland
The Road Cycling World Championships are the biggest annual single-city sporting event in the world. Hundreds of thousands of people show up for these 11 races, which are also broadcast to over 120 countries, and watched by 300M people. More than 200,000 Oregonians will be lining the roads to watch the races, and over 30,000 out of state visitors will be coming to the state also.
PDX Cycling Worlds are a 501c3 bidding to host the races in 2029 and would like Gorge organizations and businesses to show their support by signing this petition.
The races occur in late September, and they hope to use roads between Multnomah Falls and McMinnville.
Some fun facts:
- 1,000 Men & Women from 70 countries compete for their countries, not their trade teams. And they bring along 4,000 guests and officials.
- Hosting this event will bring the community together, re-energize the bike-movement, provide a lasting economic boost, and showcase the region to millions of people around the world, which will contribute to tourism, business development, and future athletic events.
- Proceeds will be donated to programs around the state that inspire and enable girls, youth, women and people of color to become cyclists- for their health, for the environment, and for fun.
- For additional information, please contact Kevin@pdxcyclingworlds.com or see our website- www.pdxcyclingworlds.com
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Lights are popping up all over the Gorge. A great chance to visit a different Gorge town, grab take out from a local restaurant, and drive around to look at the sites.
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KATHY FITZPATRICK, MOBILITY MANAGER, MCEDD
WINS TRANSPORTATION AWARD
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So proud of our board member, Kathy for all of the great work that she'd doing on our regional transportation system. Here is the write up from MCEDD's Newsletter:
Congratulations to Kathy Fitzpatrick, who was awarded the 2020 Public Transportation Hero award by the Oregon Transit Association. The Oregon Public Transportation Awards are intended to recognize those individuals and agencies that have made significant contributions to public transportation in Oregon.
Kathy accepted the award, but noted that she was accepting on behalf of the five transportation providers that she serves: The Link Public Transit, Sherman County Community Transit, Columbia Area Transit, Mt. Adams Transportation Service, and Skamania County Transit. “These five transit agencies are the everyday heroes, making sure that our families and neighbors can access medical appointments, groceries, school, work–many times bringing food and prescriptions to the door of those who are especially vulnerable.” Kathy said in an award acceptance video. You can watch the video here.
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