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SEDCOR reports hazelnut, meadowfoam and small-business growth; flags large-scale data-center interest
Summary
SEDCOR representatives delivered a quarterly update to Marion County commissioners highlighting business retention successes, value-added agricultural processing expansions and emerging interest from data-center developers — and warned local energy and land constraints could complicate recruitment.
Sarah Reed, an economic development specialist with Marion County Community Services, introduced a quarterly report from the Strategic Economic Development Corporation (SEDCOR) at the board’s Jan. 29 meeting.
"Marion County has a grant agreement with SEDCOR that allocates $160,000 annually from the economic development program funds," Reed said. The current contract expires June 30, she said.
Eric Anderson, SEDCOR, told commissioners the organization helped move the Hazelnut Growers of Oregon project forward; the state approved a strategic reserve fund award (a forgivable loan) for acquisition of the HGO facility. Anderson said that action preserved processing capacity for local growers and "roughly 70 jobs were saved or created" as the project developed.
Kip Morris of SEDCOR described new activity around natural-plant products. "The Oregon meadowfoam growers co‑op is now fully up and running with respect to their meadowfoam oil extraction equipment," he said; meadowfoam oil is used in cosmetics and is largely exported to Europe and Asia. SEDCOR also reported business expansions at All In Meals, and said its region-wide entrepreneurship programming served 268 companies in the last quarter and helped attract about $3 million in investment funding.
SEDCOR staff warned about four active inquiries related to data centers. "We're just getting a lot of attention for data center projects," Anderson said, describing inquiries about 300- to 400-acre campuses and "billions of dollars in investment." Anderson and Morris both noted Marion County and the wider region currently lack large contiguous industrial tracts and guaranteed additional energy capacity such projects typically require. "My opinion is we can't put it on the backs of people who live here," one commissioner interjected during discussion, referencing energy-consumption impacts on residential affordability.
SEDCOR also outlined workforce-housing outreach and a regional workforce-housing summit scheduled for April 21 at the Eola campus of Chemeketa Community College (as stated by presenters). The group discussed other projects including Launch Mid Valley, the Acorn Construction Alliance renovating Gilbert House roofs, and coordination with Canopy on automated greenhouse projects.
Ending: Commissioners thanked SEDCOR for its work on retention and local manufacturing. No county budget or formal new commitments were approved at the meeting; commissioners asked staff to continue engagement and to provide required contract updates before the June 30 contract expiration.
