Oregon Prosperity Council ReportJune 2026 · progressive-disclosure index

Shared Vision

LeafSource PDF pp. 14–15 ↗view raw markdown

Shared Vision

Shared Vision Oregon’s economic competitiveness is restored through institutional reform, culture change, and strategic clarity. A high-performing, aligned economic development system, anchored by a modernized economic development agency with durable private-sector engagement, enables impactful interventions and leverages strong partnerships. Oregon is a competitive, welcoming place for entrepreneurs, small and medium-sized businesses, and major employers to start, grow, and invest, with a system that is responsive, easy to navigate, and capable of supporting projects at the speed and scale required in today’s economy. Prosperity reaches households across the state. Priority Recommendation Following best practices in other states, Oregon should enhance the public and private sectors’ role in economic development with the following changes: Oregon needs a lead agency in economic development oriented toward statewide vision, accountability, and leadership in the economy to restructure the way it delivers economic development. The state should transform Business Oregon into the Oregon Commerce Authority, governed by a board of business and innovation

  • 14 - OREGON PROSPERITY COUNCIL | RECOMMENDATIONS FOR OREGON’S LONG-TERM COMPETITIVENESS AND PROSPERITY | JUNE 2026

1 . STAT E W I D E E C O N O M I C D E V E L O P M E NT ST R AT E GY & ST R U C T U R A L R E F O R M leaders and the Governor and modeled on best practices for statewide economic development organizations. The Governor must ensure effective personnel and board members lead the transformation and the agency. The transition will consolidate and integrate Business Oregon’s economic and community development functions with workforce, energy, innovation, research, and other key functions into the new Commerce Authority. It should improve program delivery, service standards, response times, and accessibility for small and medium-sized businesses, as well as large strategic employers. The Authority should establish measurable statewide economic development goals and maintain a public-facing dashboard tracking key metrics such as business growth, job creation, project timelines, regional investment, customer response times, and economic competitiveness outcomes to improve transparency and accountability. Given the scale and complexity of this transition, the Legislature should authorize planning and implementation resources in the next biennium to begin the organizational development work necessary to establish a Commerce Authority and to ensure that the work of the Prosperity Council continues. BEST PRACTICES The Arizona Commerce Authority and North Carolina Department of Commerce offer examples of integrated economic development governance models. Arizona’s public-private authority structure emphasizes executive leadership, private-sector participation, and organizational agility. North Carolina complements a similar partnership-oriented approach with responsibilities spanning community development, rural economic development, workforce strategy, and energy policy, creating a more comprehensive framework for statewide competitiveness.

Parent: Chapter 1: Statewide Economic Development Strategy & Structural Reform · PDF: pp. 14-15