Corvallis Chamber of Commerce CEO Simon Date will be leaving at the end of May, he’ll be moving on to become Executive Director of the Oregon Youth Soccer Association.
Date made the announcement in a Monday afternoon email, writing “For those of you who know me best, you’ll know that there are very few positions that would tempt me away from a role here that I love …. but soccer has always been a huge part of my life, and indeed it’s what brought me to this country, and Corvallis as my first home, as a scrappy midfielder playing for Oregon State in 1993.”
Date also reflected on his four years at the Chamber, recounting the challenges of a building remodel, personnel turnover, and the pandemic.
Impressively, Date has grown the Chamber during a period that’s been difficult for business support and advocacy groups in Corvallis.
Notably, the Chamber saw 63 new memberships during Date’s tenure, while both the Downtown Corvallis Association and Corvallis Independent Business Alliance have shuttered, and the city’s economic development office has seen its staff approximately halved.
NuScale Powers Up Again: This Small Modular Reactor, or SMR, company with offices in Corvallis recently added two well connected board members from the Asian-Pacific region, and is now realizing some reward internationally.
Industry watchers swooned as NuScale Power officials met with Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in Washington DC last week.
The NuScale people present in the meeting were Clayton Scott, executive vice president for business, and Cheryl Collins, director for sales. Filipino officials included Speaker Martin Romualdez, Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual, Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla, Special Assistant to the President Secretary Antonio Lagdameo Jr., Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil, and Philippine Ambassador to the U.S. Jose Manuel Romualdez.
The Philippines are experiencing an energy shortfall.
“We need everything. We just have to have everything and this new technology is something.” said President Marcos. NuScale Power has now announced they are studying potential plant sites in the country.
Also, Korea: Just weeks before the meeting with Marcos, NuScale also signed a Memorandums of Understanding with Korea’s Doosan Enerbility and Export-Import Bank of Korea. Notably, NuScale is also looking at projects in Poland and Romania.
But, Back Here at Home: Back in 2017, it was announced that NuScale Power’s first plant would be sited in Idaho. But, this has been a good news, bad news kind of situation. The positive, NuScale has cleared more Small Module Reactor regulatory hurdles than its competitors. The negatives, inflation, and the increasing efficiency of wind and solar.
According to a report in the MIT Technology Review, “NuScale announced that its planned price of electricity from the Idaho plant project had increased, from $58 per megawatt-hour to $89. That’s more expensive than most other sources of electricity today, including solar and wind power and most natural-gas plants.”
Stock Price: At one point last week, NuScale shareholders took a 23% hit in value. On the other hand, Barchart advised that just maybe, thinking longer term, Small Module Reactor tech generally presents a compelling high risk and high reward opportunity – and that among SMR companies, NuScale is positioned quite well. And no, we’re not saying anything positive or negative about Barchart, but we do think their argument makes sense. For instance, the MIT Technology review points out that cost per megawatt-hour may be high over the first few plants brought online, but that it could become more cost effective over time.
Henderer Design+Build Scores Award: Among 2023 Excellence in Family Business Awards recipients, Corvallis contractor Henderer Design+Build has been announced for a Harmony Award.
Every year since 1988, the Center for Family Enterprise has recognized family businesses that exemplify the values they foster in their work: harmony, generational development, leadership and growth.
This Excellence in Family Business Awards program is the only one of its kind in the region. An awards luncheon is scheduled for Friday, May 12 in Portland. Click here for more info or to register. Here is the complete list of this year’s winners:
- Dean’s Leadership Award in Family Business and Keynote Speaker: Mo’s Seafood & Chowder
- Family Harmony Award: Henderer Design + Build
- Business Renewal Award: Colas Construction, Inc.
- Generational Development Award: Koeber’s Interiors
- Family Business Student of the Year Award: Kaitlyn Schumacher
And now, it’s your calendar of business events…..
Going Into Business Workshop: Free class from Small Business Development Center at LBCC. In just one session, you’ll get all the basic information you will need to begin planning your successful business. Rules, regulations, financing, customers, markets, and feasibility will all be discussed in this one seminar.
6:30 to 7:20 pm, Tuesday, May 9. Virtual, click here to register.
Susan Sokol Blosser, Family Business 360: Sokol Blosser Winery’s founder gives a talk tilted “Letting Go and Giving Back” She is a leader in Oregon’s wind industry, and she will discuss her decision to pass the business along to her children at the height of her career in order to focus on other ways that she could impact her community for good. Hosted by the OSU College of Business Center for Family Enterprise.
8:30 to 9:30 am, Wednesday, May 10. Virtual, click here for more info and to attend.
Farm Industry Suicide Prevention: QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) is an evidence-based suicide prevention program where participants are empowered to make a positive difference in the lives of others. Similar to CPR, QPR provides lifesaving knowledge and skills to help someone in crisis.
This particular workshop is for farmers and their business contacts. The suicide rate among farmers is higher than for most lines of work. Who should attend:
- Bankers or financial counselors
- Veterinarians
- Farm equipment and supply outlets, pesticide/chemical salespersons
- Those who know, love and care for farmers….family and friends
- Medical providers, including dentists
3:30 to 5 pm, Wednesday, May 10. Virtual event, click here to attend.
Recruitment & Retention: Address staffing shortages by learning strategies for finding and keeping great employees. This series will cover the job posting, screening, interviewing and selection processes followed by an overview of employee engagement and retention strategies. Participants will receive a 30-minute individual advising session upon completion of the series. Offered by the Small Business Development Center at LBCC.
6 to 7:30 pm, Thursday, May 11. Virtual, click here to attend.
Grad Business Programs: This virtual session introduces the Graduate Business Programs at Oregon State University. In this online session they will cover graduate program options in the College of Business, including the MBA, Master’s, and Graduate Certificates programs. They will also introduce the curriculum, program tracks, admission and financial aid, and what sets Oregon State apart from other programs. Oregon State University offers graduate business programs in Portland, Corvallis, and online.
12 to 1 pm, Thursday, May 11. Click here to register.
5:30 to 6:30 pm, Thursday, May 11. Click here to register.
Women in Business: Allison Lamplugh is founder of a Corvallis based marketing agency, Lamplight Creatives. In just a few short years, Lamplugh has assembled a team of professionals and become a full charge agency, which is not easy to find in community like Corvallis.
12 to 1 pm, Wednesday, May 17 at Courtyard Marriott, 400 SW 1st Street, Corvallis. Click here to register.
Brown Bag Event for Small Business Owners: Titled Five Reasons You Can’t Find a Good Bookkeeper….and what to do about it. Bring your lunch and learn from the accounting team at Brass Jacks cofounders: Jackie Shaw, CTO and Educator, and Jackie Rockwell and CEO, Business Coach.
12 to 1:30 pm, Wednesday, May 17 at the Chamber of Commerce office, 420 NW 2nd Street
Corvallis. Click here to register.
Impact of Stressful Life Events at Work: This iteration of the Though Leadership series looks at the impact of divorce on employees at work. Dr. Bori (Borbala) Csillag, an Assistant Professor of Management in OSU’s College of Business, will share her research on the importance of organizations understanding the emotional turmoil that employees experience when going through life stressors and crises outside of their workplace. The question becomes – “How and to what extent does going through a divorce affect individuals at work?”.
12 to 1 pm Tuesday, May 23. Virtual event, click here for further info and to register.
OSU Virtual MBA Program Application Workshop: This virtual session reviews the application process, offering tips and suggestions so you can make sure you are submitting the best possible application to MBA, MSB, or Graduate Certificate Programs at Oregon State University. It’s recommend (but do not require) that you attend an Information Session before attending an Application Workshop. Zoom information provided after registration.
5:30 pm to 6:30 pm, Wednesday, May 24. Click here to register.
