SOREDI Attends FabTech Show in Chicago

Statewide TEAM Oregon Advanced Manufacturing Launches 2015-16 Initiatives

Medford, OR. November 10, 2015: – TEAM Oregon Advanced Manufacturing has launched Year 2 of its targeted statewide business development program. SOREDI is a long-standing team member of 20 economic development organizations and utilities from throughout Oregon who have invested $40,000 in the program.  Over the next several months, representatives from nine regions of Oregon will be traveling to the Chicago and Los Angeles areas to participate in strategic industry tradeshows, including Colleen Padilla, Senior Business Development Manager for SOREDI. In addition, the team has over 10 business prospect appointments slated and a number of one-on-one meetings with national site selector firms.  The overall goals are to promote Oregon as a destination for expansion and to pursue supply chain opportunities for local manufacturers.  The TEAM will be hosting manufacturers in Oregon booths at FABTECH in Chicago November 9-12 and the Medical Device and Manufacturing Expo in Anaheim next February.

SOREDI has a long history or attending tradeshows to learn industry trends and serve as Southern Oregon’s ambassador. “We literally speak to company after company about the merits of doing business in Oregon and invite them to visit our respective communities… it is simply one-on-one relationship building,” states Colleen Padilla. “Attending with a team of professionals increases our capacity to talk to nearly every business, and helps us learn best practices from one another.”

When visiting cities outside the region for a tradeshow or other business activity, SOREDI also sets out to visit companies at their respective locations who have already expressed interest in Southern Oregon or have real expansion projects in the works.  Tradeshows and company visits are part of SOREDI’s overall strategy to help businesses relocate to Southern Oregon and create jobs in the region.

About TEAM Oregon Advanced Manufacturing: The TEAM is a collaborative, industry focused recruitment, retention and expansion initiative that leverages multiple organizations and investment to deliver an intensive outbound program.  Team members hail from all over Oregon representing  the City of Sheridan, Portland Development Commission, Lane County, Clackamas County, Oregon City, McMinnville Economic Development Partnership, Corvallis/Benton County Economic Development, City of Canby, SEDCOR, City of La Grande, SOREDI, EDCO, REDI, Union County Economic Development Corp., City of Wilsonville and City of Gresham. The TEAM also includes the Oregon Economic Development Association, Business Oregon, PGE and the Port of Portland.  Visit www.ormanufacturing.com to learn more.

About SOREDI: SOREDI is a private, membership-based, non-profit organization, governed by a board of directors. Its 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 https://soredi.org.

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