SOREDI Tours Southern Oregon Companies

Medford OR – On Thursday, June 1, 2017, SOREDI will host a full bus of local educators and business leaders on a tour of some of the region’s most fascinating companies. The morning will begin a morning snack and coffee at the Holiday Inn Express, Grants Pass. The bus will leave at 8:45 am. The bus will return to the Holiday Inn Express by 3:00 pm. The cost for the tour is $45 and all SOREDI members are invited. These tours are made possible by generous co-sponsors BlueCross Blue Shield of Oregon and US Bank. Local educators and elected officials are invited to attend at no charge, compliments of our sponsors. Space is limited, so register early at www.soredi.org/events. Guests on SOREDI Industry Tours are always surprised by the amazing companies that are working away on some of the less traveled roads in our region.

The bus will stop at Marzi Classic Sinks, a family owned company that creates custom bathroom sinks with the kind of care, craftsmanship and superb attention to detail that one normally associates with the finest of art objects. Each Marzi sink is a unique, individual piece, manufactured completely by hand, supervised at every step by the Marzi family and signed in the wet clay by the artisan who made it.

Next, guests will tour Oregon Swiss Precision, where guests will tour a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility that offers screw machine products, precision turning, light machining, 3D printing and CAD design. Oregon Swiss Precision employs a highly trained and experienced workforce that expertly creates a variety of screws and fasteners for their world-wide clientele.

Continuing with a tour of Rogue Creamery’s Dairy and Farmstand, guests will be amazed that one of the oldest activities of humanity has integrated some of the newest technologies. Robotic milking is in use on the dairy, as well as a barn uniquely designed to capitalize on natural light and fresh air to reduce the need for electricity in providing light and air circulation. If you haven’t been on a farm in a while, prepare to be surprised by the innovation you’ll see in practice.

The afternoon will conclude with a tour of Allcare Health’s new building. Allcare Health is a physician-led organization that coordinates and integrates medical, dental and mental health care for patients. Their state-of-the-art facility includes communication and security technology that allows Allcare to coordinate transportation and appointments for patients in a way that fits into their lives and respects their privacy. Guests will enjoy a discussion of the benefits of coordinated care.

“These tours are fantastic!” says Rob Merriman, Community Development Manager at SOREDI. Merriman continues, “It has been one of the best parts of this job to be exposed to things I never knew were there. It is such a benefit to guests on the tour when they’re able to learn about the companies operating in our area. Sometimes I have my eyes opened to something I never heard of before, other times I have a better understanding of the gravity of what a business is doing, or the specifics of the technology and workforce that goes into something. I’m so glad that educators and our municipal partners are able to see all this. I wish I could go on every one of them.”

About SOREDI: SOREDI is a private non-profit organization, funded by its members and governed by a board of directors. Its seven-person staff is charged with local business expansion and new business recruitment efforts, financial assistance to start-up companies, through its business loan fund and management of Enterprise Zones in Jackson and Josephine Counties. The agency was formed as a regional economic development agency in 1987. Learn more at www.soredi.org.

Download PDF