Job confidence growing

0313 Input 01The most encouraging thing about the results of our online survey in this issue is that confidence is growing about new jobs becoming available at companies.

Tourism drives economy

0313 BOB TravelIndustryJobs — the topic on everyone’s mind. At a time when business leaders and elected officials are seeking ways to stimulate economic recovery and job creation, one industry has been creating jobs at a faster pace than the rest of the economy, is creating solid career opportunities and has become America’s largest service export: the travel and tourism industry.

Growing Oregon business

0313 BOB BizMattersAs we kick off a new year, as well as the 2013 legislative session, I am pleased to debut this regular column to highlight specific tools and services available to help Oregon businesses grow and prosper. As director of Business Oregon, the state’s economic development agency, I oversee a wide range of tools available to help businesses grow in Oregon.

Tactics: Brammo

0313 Tactics 01In retrospect, it seems almost inevitable that a supremely innovative, self-confessed “gearhead” like Craig Bramscher would eventually conceive the idea of building the world’s most advanced electric-powered motorcycle.