EDCO: Crook County leads Oregon in recent job and income growth; pipeline lists $1.3B in 'move' projects
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Summary
EDCO leaders told commissioners Crook County ranks first in state job and population growth and described a regional pipeline including $1.3 billion of new 'move' projects, $961 million in expansions and several large local investments.
Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) representatives gave a regional update highlighting sizable project activity affecting Crook County.
"We have 10 pending projects in the pipeline," said Kelsey Haskett, EDCO local director, and she presented anticipated capital investment numbers with move projects at approximately $1,300,000,000 and grow projects at roughly $961,000,000. John Stark, EDCO chief executive, said the region has seen about 70% GDP growth since 2019 and noted the area's strong performance on multiple economic metrics.
The presenters highlighted three large Crook County projects: Lexington (a reuse of a former Owens Corning facility, reported to be ramping toward more than 80 employees), a CB International 70,000-square-foot building with an initial projection of about 50 jobs, and an Oppiden backup data center reported at about $250 million in investment with roughly 20 permanent employees. EDCO also described efforts to expand startup support through a regional innovation hub funded by Business Oregon and to advocate for changes to state tools such as urban area reserve policies.
Commissioners and staff asked follow-up questions about project timelines, job counts and how EDCO tracks investment and job-creation metrics. The presentation concluded with an invitation to county staff and commissioners to attend upcoming EDCO events and a note that some numbers will be updated as quarterly data are reconciled.
Next steps: EDCO will provide updated pipeline metrics as quarter-end reconciliations are completed and staff will continue partnership on recruiting and workforce efforts.
