SOREDI Executive Director Opportunity Profile

As chief executive officer, SOREDI’s Executive Director plans and supervises all activities of SOREDI under the policy direction of the SOREDI Board of Directors; is responsible for leading the economic development activities in Southern Oregon region and oversees the work of SOREDI, with an emphasis on maintaining close relationships with Executive Committee, SOREDI Board of Directors, private and public stakeholders, state and regional governments, existing and potential businesses; establishes organizational goals and objectives, overall financial responsibilities and formulate plans, policies, and programs to attain those goals and objectives.  The Executive Director acts as the executive of the corporation and signs commitments on behalf of the corporation with the advice and consent of the Board.  The Executive Director has general charge of the property of the corporation.  Directs and supervises the activities of all SOREDI staff.  The Executive Director hires all employees and agents of the corporation and fixes their titles, terms of employment, powers, duties and compensation and discharges employees or agents.

Specific Responsibilities:

• Directs the activities of all staff including delegating authority, assigning and reviewing work, providing guidance, direction, and assistance, evaluating performance and making hiring and termination determinations.
• Responsible for staff adherence to SOREDI’s published policies and procedures.
• Develops employee job capability and encourages employee advancement in the organization through continuing education and job expansion.
• Informs and engages public and private stakeholders of SOREDI activities and successes through regular dialogue.
• Encourages public and private stakeholder engagement when considering tactical approaches to executing organizational objectives.
• Coordinates SOREDI programs and personnel activities with external stakeholders, and with local community, state and federal agencies.
• Maintains SOREDI’s image in the community by representing SOREDI in written and oral presentations including primary responsibility for all media contacts.
• Represents SOREDI on community, state, and national associations and organizations on issues of mutual concern. Coordinates with various agencies to assure SOREDI’s and the local communities best interest is being served.
• Develops mission, goals and strategies with approval from Board of Directors.
• Directs actions to achieve mission objectives to as well as special projects as appropriate.
• Develops new plans and programs to increase SOREDI’s ability to enhance job creation and retention in Jackson and Josephine Counties.
• Promotes economic development skills and related capacity building in communities throughout Jackson and Josephine Counties.
• Coordinates industrial/manufacturing expansion, retention and recruitment efforts and responds to opportunities.
• Responsible for direction for SOREDI’s business finance programs as well as developing new capital access programs as appropriate.
• Prepares and recommends the annual SOREDI budget, analyzing future needs, estimating resource requirements and making determinations as to appropriate allocation of resources.
• Prepares or approves all SOREDI reports, applications, proposals and any other significant written presentations.
• Develops sources of revenue and controls cost consistent with resources and SOREDI goals and objectives.
• Facilitates the activities of the Board of Directors by preparing meeting agendas, prepares and/or reviews all staff recommendations presented, and advises and assists in setting and evaluating overall SOREDI goals.
• Serves as a member of the Executive Board.
• Consults the Executive Board on board membership; recommends potential board members and board member duties and responsibilities.
• As appointed by zone sponsors – acts as the enterprise zone manager for established enterprise zones in the region; promotes business and public awareness as well as encourages enhancements to enterprise zone procedures with the State of Oregon.
• As appointed – serves as SOREDI member of regional workforce development committee and efforts.
• Other special assignments as appointed by local jurisdictions or designated by the board of directors.

Requirements for this Position:

• A university degree in business, economics, finance, marketing or equivalent in training and experience.
• At least seven years of progressive experience in a broad range of community and economic development programs, projects and services.
• Working knowledge of strategic planning processes and their relationship to economic development programs.
• Extensive knowledge and experience in management and administration of federal agency funded revolving loan fund programs.
• Extensive knowledge and experience in management and administration of Economic Development Administration designated Economic Development District requirements.
• Demonstrated management, administrative, supervisory, oral and written communications skills.

Compensation and Benefits

• Salary will be competitive and commensurate with experience and qualifications
• Health, Dental and Vision benefits coverage provided to Executive Director; spouse and family coverage may be purchased by employee.
• Benefits include access to retirement plan; SOREDI 401K program with a match of up to three percent of direct salary contributed to retirement plan.
• Business travel and expenses on behalf of SOREDI are reimbursed per SOREDI Employee Handbook.

Application Process

To apply send resume, application letter and references via email to careers@soredi.org “Attention: Executive Director Opportunity.”

About SOREDI

Southern Oregon Regional Economic Development Inc. (SOREDI) is a private, non-profit, economic development organization, serving Jackson and Josephine Counties since 1987.  We represent private companies, public utilities, and local governments from throughout our region. SOREDI exists to help business create and sustain good jobs and to diversify the economy of Southern Oregon.  With an annual operating budget of slightly over $692,000 and a staff of six full time employees SOREDI serves to fulfill its three primary strategic goals: LAUNCH new businesses; PROSPER existing area businesses; and RELOCATE new traded sector businesses.

The SOREDI Board of Directors is an energetic board of 22 members.  The Board Director members have the responsibility of leading the development and cultivation of partnerships among private, community and public entities to help businesses prosper and to advance economic opportunities, compatible with the values of our community.

Our region is blessed with strategic location, abundant resources, and infrastructure which are the equal of any region.

SOREDI is focused on bringing community and business leaders together in venues that will foster growing start-up businesses, while facilitating broad conversations about our regional priorities.  SOREDI makes direct contact with business leaders, contacting each traded sector firm, at least once every 18 months.  We provide direct financing to some of these firms annually, approximately $1.5 million per year.  SOREDI sponsors industry groups like the Oregon Heavy Lift Helicopter Consortium and the Southern Oregon Business Innovators Group.  We sponsor the A&E Grapevines, which brings business and community leaders to entrepreneurial and business specific forums, attracting business and community leaders to each event. The Southern Oregon Angel Network, involving 100 private investors from Southern Oregon, provides capital and networking opportunities to fast growing start-ups.

We attract entrepreneurs, and creative businesses from all over, especially urban centers in California. People bring their small business here; seeking a simpler, better quality of life, and the opportunity to grow their businesses.   A major challenge we face is to keep those businesses here, after start-ups have succeeded and grown large, and have developed more complex demands of their workforce.

Total membership in SOREDI includes 165 businesses, agencies, and institutions from the two-county region.  Our dues paying members are an important part of our funding as memberships provide a majority of our operating funds.

SOREDI has been recognized numerous times by national and regional organizations with awards for new, innovative programs and achievements.  Among those awards are four from National Association of Development Organizations, NADO, for SOREDI Industry Tours, Southern Oregon Angel Conference, Emerging Business/TAG Team initiatives and the Jefferson Grapevine events.  Oregon Economic Development Associations has recognized SOREDI efforts with several achievement awards including the most recent in 2014 in honor of the SOREDI Edge Business Profiles program as the leading economic development marketing initiative.

About our Region

Our region is blessed with strategic location, abundant resources, and infrastructure which are the equal of any region.

SOREDI serves Josephine and Jackson Counties in Southern Oregon.  Almost 300,000 people live and work in both urban and rural settings across two counties, covering 4,442 square miles. The region’s two urban centers, Medford and Grants Pass, and 13 incorporated cities, are located approximately 273 miles by major highway from the nearest major city, Portland, Oregon.  Distant from major cities, the region has been a fully integrated regional center since the 19th century.  Natural resources and agriculture formed the nexus of the economy from the 19th century until the 1990s, when timber production on Federal Lands was curtailed, what we call, the ‘Timber Crash.”  Infrastructure developed prior to the crash to serve a world class forest products industry, remains and has been improved, as the community transitions from a natural resource base to a diversified and high tech base of manufacturing and services. The region has been ranked as one of the nation’s top ten small metro regions for development and concentration of high technology jobs and high tech business output by Milken Institute’s annual Best Performing Cities reports.

Medford, Grants Pass, Ashland, and Central Point, serve as the professional and service hub for a wider region, comprising communities with over 500,000 people, includes neighboring counties in both Oregon and California.

Our Population

Southern Oregon has historically been a diverse, fast growing, and self-sufficient economy.  The community provides services and infrastructure equal in quality to major west coast urban centers, while maintaining the low cost of living and lifestyle of the rural west.

Medford, Grants Pass, Ashland, Central Point and the regions other smaller cities have facilitated rapid population growth through the 20th century and into the early 21st century.  Demographics in Southern Oregon are a mix of urban and rural trends, in which retirees continue to choose outlying areas for the quality of life, and people in the first half of their careers migrate to Medford, Grants Pass, Ashland, and Central Point, and importantly, to larger urban areas to the north and south.

About our Businesses

Growing niche industries such as value added foods, electronic commerce, advance manufacturing, electronic components and software with relatively high wages and opportunity, are helping to offset the draw of larger cities for young talent.  Specialized niche industries in Medford and the other urban areas, are the key to reversing demographic trends in which our future leaders are drawn to leave the region.  The region also provides competitive investment and job creation incentive for eligible businesses through the area’s three Enterprise Zones.  The Medford, Jackson County and Rogue enterprise zones offer qualified traded sector businesses to the opportunity to receive property tax exemption benefits for new capital investments supported with the creation of new jobs.  All three enterprise zones provide income tax credits of up to 25% of eligible new investments – with a maximum benefit up to $2 million- for investments in facilities and equipment for businesses meeting the definition of “electronic commerce” enterprises.

Since 2008 our region’s manufacturing and export businesses have recovered all of their jobs lost during the great recession to return to our historical status as one of Oregon’s fastest growing regions.  Grow has also been robust for our newly “RELOCATED” businesses.  Based on an aggressive outreach and marketing initiatives SOREDI has landed new businesses in the communities across the region nearly every year since the recession. Last year, 2015, was an all time winner for both expansions and new business relocations to our region.

Working in partnership with the region’s workforce readiness organizations SOREDI has been a leader in guiding the workforce readiness efforts to develop a workforce ready to join our expanding and newly located businesses.  We are active in support of our region’s two workforce target industry sectors, advanced manufacturing and electronic commerce/computer components. These two workforce readiness focuses bring together our K-12, community college and university partners to determine industry needs and to build the training and educational pathways for worker readiness.

Our region enjoys the presence of two universities and a community college to provide the training and educational needs to support our existing businesses as well as those sectors we expect to be the region’s future growth opportunities. Southern Oregon University, with their campus in Ashland, Rogue Community College, with campuses in Grants Pass, Medford and White City and Oregon Institute of Technology, in neighboring Klamath Falls, are important pieces of our region’s infrastructure that support our growing new industries.