28th Annual Meeting on the Rogue River | Friday, June 19th

12 Adventure Sector Businesses Join SOREDI’s “Big Splash” Annual Meeting on the Rogue River

 MEDFORD, OR—Time to bundle up and grab a raincoat? Well, maybe, as Southern Oregon Regional Economic Development, Inc. (SOREDI) prepares for its upcoming “Big Splash” event. On Friday, June 19^th, the SOREDI team, its board, members, and the interested public will head to Hellgate Jetboat Excursions for the organization’s 28^th Annual Meeting.

Participants will embark on a Hellgate jet boat dinner excursion complete with a narrated river tour, jet boat spins and laughter before stopping at the company’s OK Corral where the famous all you can eat bbq and drinks will be served. Tickets for SOREDI’s Big Splash event, held from 1:30 to 8:30pm, are $60 for members and $75 for non-members.

Special guests of the Big Splash include Travis and Robert Hamlyn of Hellgate Jetboat Excursions, Brad Niva of Rogue Wilderness Adventures, Jon Bauer of Bauer Fly Reels, and Hugh Griffith and Chris Maitrejean of SOTAR, makers of inflatable rafts, catarafts, and kayaks. Additional local outdoor adventure-oriented companies such as Sawyer Paddles, Sunday Afternoons, United Bicycle Institute, DeSalvo Custom Cycles, New Tribe, and Sleadd Zipline Adventures will attend with their products or services, reminding attendees of the great companies doing business in our region. While the featured owners will speak briefly, SOREDI’s Big Splash event will be casual and fun. SOREDI Executive Director, Ron Fox stated it this way, “We’re all going on an adventure and celebrating Southern Oregon!”

Fox admits that this year’s theme and the location of the 2015 annual meeting were unusual for the private non-profit organization, but he explained why. “Who said annual meetings have to take place in conference rooms?” he asked. “We’re breaking from tradition to create an event that is as exciting as the businesses we work with at SOREDI. We want to enjoy an outdoor venue as we honor those in the community who help provide our area with outdoor adventure entertainment that has become known throughout the world.” SOREDI’s Annual “Prosper Awards” will be announced to four local companies during the event.

Each year, the annual meetings have attracted nearly 250 people interested in learning about SOREDI and taking advantage of the opportunity to network with a variety of Southern Oregon professionals. This year’s event title sponsor is AmericanWest Bank with co-sponsors including Josephine County, City of Grants Pass, Pacific Power, Spectrum Business, Hellgate Jetboat Excursions, Ausland Group and Moss Adams LLP.

SOREDI was founded in 1987 and is a private non-profit organization governed by a 21-member board of directors. Fox and his four-member staff focus on local business expansion, new business recruitment, financial assistance for start-ups and Enterprise Zone management in Jackson and Josephine counties.