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Is Portland a Slacker City?

Is this reputation harmful to gaining new companies to move here and stay here?

The new TV show Portlandia debuts on IFC tomorrow night, Jan. 21, 2010. It satires Portland culture in a way that many people would not like to see broadcast on cable television.

To get a taste of the show watch this music video by Fred Armissen of SNL and costarring Sleater-Kinney’s Carrie Brownstein. (it's starting to get around Portland).

http://bcove.me/ktrt5nu0

It is a hilarious video but quite damaging to the efforts of Oregon and the city to get more business in Oregon.

Folks to invite to the conversation could be Greenlight Greater Portland, Sam Adams, Carrie Brownstein, etc.

Questions:

Is the reputation Portland has for culture, one that we have been working on for years, damaging to business?

Do we have a slacker culture or is that overblown?

Are 20-30 somethings lazy like the video portrays us?

Is it time to start promoting and working towards a more business friendly culture?

Thank you for your time.

Jerry Ketel

posted 2 years, 5 months ago
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The Oregon Business Plan 2010

Yesterday the Oregon Business Plan 2010 was presented to the business community, non-profits and state elected leaders. It is a far ranging strategy to get Oregon back on its feet.

The goal of this plan is to create 25,000 jobs by 2020. 

This is important because Oregon has been on a 30 year slide in average income per capita. Today we are at 91% of the national average. Below average. In rural areas the number is 75%.

This is hurting schools and important social services which are rising in cost. It is a large part of the reason why the state is in a fiscal crisis.

The plan was developed through meetings across the state with business leaders, community leaders and elected leaders. It has a broad base of support.

Still, the plan will be difficult to implement as it requires not just a strategy for business development but a redesign of government to get greater value from the money we have now. It also requires that we redesign the tax structure. A difficult proposition at best.

All of this deserves the kind of discussion that only Think Out Loud can provide Oregonians. In fact, I would suggest that this could be a recurring series.

The contact for guests would be Jeremy Rogers at the Oregon Business Plan. jrogers@orbusinesscouncil.org 503-484-8678

Thank you for your consideration,

Jerry Ketel

jerry.ketel@gmail.com

posted 2 years, 5 months ago
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I'm glad that Portland actually has a strategy to compete in the global marketplace. This kind of thinking is critical to the success of the region. Let's continue to play up our strengths and broaden this cluster. It's the smartest way to continue forward.

I'm interested in hearing about the Portland Center for Design and Innovation, a materials resource lab that the PDC is starting up. Where are we with that?

posted 2 years, 5 months ago
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If John Muir could see these machines in our preserved wilderness lands he would be aghast. It is unnatural and therefore not deserving of the right to use and destroy our great National Park system.

posted 2 years, 8 months ago
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What's really great about this conversation is that no one disagrees that art and art education is important to the lives of our children and our communities. This is a great place to start towards finding solutions to the problem.

Jerry Ketel

posted 2 years, 11 months ago
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Google Fiber for Portland

Google has put out a request for information (RFI) for municipaties to compete for a 1 gigabyte fiber test project. This test will be for 50 to 500 thousand homes. Portland is competing for this project.

On March 15th, the City will vote on a resolution to authorise the response to Google's project hoping to get an investment worth hundreds of millions of dollars to test the viablility of high-speed internet access.

Google is interested in how municipalities will respond but also how communities will respond as well.

Should Portland compete for this project?

Why would a 1 gigabyte pipeline be important to a community such as ours?

Isn't our internet connection fast enough? Is there enough competition for market forces to allow better service?

What is Portland's edge in this competition?

Other communites are doing stunts like changing their name to Google. How do we get our community excited by this prospect?

Why should citizens be skeptical of the Portland Fiber Community Project?

What does the tech and business community think about all this?

The players:

David Olsen and Mary Beth Henry of the City of Portland's office of Cable Communications and Franchise Management

Interested citizens:

In Tech:

Sheldon Renan (Tech strategist, consulting with the city)

Ward Cunningham (father of Wikis)

Michael Weinberg (of PDX Community Fiber)

In business:

Jerry Ketel (Creative, President of Portland Advertising Federation)

Jason Glaspey (Web and social media strategist, member of PIE)

links

http://www.google.com/appserve/fiberrfi

http://www.pdxcommunityfiber.com/

http://www.portlandonline.com/cable/index.cfm?c=45468

posted 3 years, 2 months ago
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Jon, congratulations on your award. Regarding the creative class idea being oppressive, I have to disagree. I believe the distinction gives Portland an idea to rally behind. We are still independent thinkers here, it is part of our DNA yet the conept of creative class has given us a lense to magnify our particular uniqueness as a region.

This is worthy of a debate on Think Our Loud

Jerry Ketel

posted 3 years, 6 months ago
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Oregon has a much longer history in spirits than most people realize. Hood River Distillers began in 1935 by distilling fruit grown in Hood River. As the story goes, the founders watched as seagulls and other birds were getting drunk at the leftover piles of fruit at the cannery, and they thought, "Maybe we have something here". Hood River Distillery was soon born.

Today Hood River Distillers is the largest spirits company west of the rockies. They produce Pendleton Whisky (among others), it is the fastest growing whisky in the US.

Jerry Ketel

posted 4 years, 11 months ago
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According to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, the tax rebate go to the top three quintiles of economy. Specifically, those who don't need it, and possibly won't spend it in such a way as to relieve the economy. We should give the money to those who would spend it immediately. That will give the economy the boost it needs.

Jerry Ketel

posted 5 years, 3 months ago
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