Pearl Street Sand and Gravel
Starting to miss that old City Hall
It’s been five years since the Eugene City Council tore down the Eugene City Hall for no apparent reason. Heading south on Pearl Street from … Continue reading
Bob Warren
Bob Warren retired in 2012 as the regional business development officer for Business Oregon for Lane, Lincoln, Linn and Benton Counties. Prior to that, he was senior policy advisor on forest policy for Gov. Barbara Roberts and district aid and natural resource advisor for Rep. Peter DeFazio. He is currently a member of the board of directors for McKenzie River Trust.
Author: Bob Warren
My Favorite Place
What makes Eugene home
What’s your favorite place? Sounds like a simple question, but it’s not. It was the first day of class in University of Oregon Professor Shaul … Continue reading
They Saved Our Butts
A generation ago, activists protected Lane County from a proposed nuclear plant
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” — Margaret Mead … Continue reading
The Long Con
Oregon government and the land of make-believe
My son Chris recently gave me a poster from the 1973 movie The Sting, starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford, as a couple of conmen … Continue reading
What is Business ‘Recruitment’ Anyway?
Local economic development agencies don’t actively recruit companies
There is a major business “recruitment” project going on right now in our community, it’s called Project Titan, and I have absolutely no clue about … Continue reading
It’s Déjà Vu All Over Again
It was bad under Reagan, but this is much worse
My biggest fears from a presidential election gone horribly wrong are coming to pass. For me, the major issue for a president has always been … Continue reading
A River Runs Through Us
There's something magical about the McKenzie River
I like to float rivers. That’s a huge understatement. There is almost nothing that I would rather be doing than floating on a river. There … Continue reading
It’s The Jobs, Stupid
Economic development should be about stable employment
Why write a column about economic development? Lots of people just yawn when they hear the term. But, as they say, write about what you … Continue reading
Bottom Feeders
Two kinds of business development
Here’s the deal: If you care about your community, you cannot afford to ignore economic development. Economic development is not a benign program implemented by … Continue reading
Any-Town, USA
Don’t turn farmland into industrial parks
Take a drive out Highway 99 to Clear Lake Road and turn west. As soon as you leave the busy industrial highway you are in … Continue reading