Key Bank Sales Manager Ron Moore was appointed as the Sweet Home Economic Development Group’s new president earlier this month.
“Obviously, my interest in economic development is from a community standpoint,” Moore said. Economic growth would benefit his own business as well as others financially, and it’s an important factor in community strength and survival.
Sweet Home’s “economy is not at its lowest its ever been,” Moore said. “It’s definitely not at its highest its ever been.”
Sweet Home, like Oregon, is gaining slower than the national average in terms of economic growth, Moore said. “But I see a lot of opportunity in Sweet Home for potential, more so than other rural communities.”
Sweet Home’s advantage is its location and its community profile.
The people of Sweet Home are well diversified, Moore said, and Sweet Home’s leaders seem to be making a difference.
“It’s a beautiful place to be,” Moore said. “I think it has a lot to offer form a recreation standpoint to just a quiet community, not a lot of the hassles of the bigger communities, the larger communities.”
Dan Desler’s proposed Resort at Salmon Run project, which includes two 18-hole golf courses, is a good direction for Sweet Home, Moore said. “It would add to the development of Sweet Home as far as staying small but having a lot to offer.”
In searching out growth, Sweet home needs to look for the right types of businesses, ones that are fit into the community, without detracting from it aesthetically, but providing good paying jobs.
“I think in the future, other industries would be something that should be considered depending on environmental issues and the economic issues they bring to the table,” Moore said. “It’s definitely a tough chore,” but to sell it, “we promote our community. We sell our strong points.”
Among those strong points are Economic Development Coordinator Karen Owen, who has been a liaison with other communities and industries and been a good representative of the Sweet Home community.
“The next step is the board finding ways to be more involved in it, helping Karen or enhancing her abilities,” Moore said.
Business retention is an important feature for economic development too, Moore said, and he would like to look at ways to keep local businesses from closing down or moving away.
Moore tends to look more at positives than negatives, but roadblocks to economic development do need to be addressed.
Among them, for Sweet Home, is its distance from Interstate Five and that travelers must go through Lebanon to reach it.
“There again, we do have industry that’s always been able to get around that,” Moore said.
The SHEDG board has done well using Jamboree funds to put money back into the community, and those funds could help promote economic growth, Moore said.
SHEDG has provided funds to the beautification committee, the Shea Point restroom project and the fire department for a thermal imager.
He would like to make sure community investments continue, but he would like to see SHEDG funnel money toward those through the Sweet Home Community Foundation, created by SHEDG. He would like to see SHEDG itself focus more directly on economic growth and is looking forward to working with the board.
“I’m looking forward to the challenge of being president of SHEDG,” Moore said. “I respect the work that has been done in the past by past presidents…. I am thankful to my wife and family for supporting me in my endeavors and that Key Bank supports me being in these kinds of organizations.”
Moore is also vice president of the Boys and Girls Club Board of Directors.
He wanted to thank Cascade Timber Consulting and Chamber of Commerce President Larry Blem for his guidance and help in making a decision in this process. Moore considers him a mentor.
“He does a lot for the community, and I hope that someday, I can do as much,” Moore said.
Moore has been sales manager at Key Bank for three years. He has worked in Sweet Home for the last two years. Prior to that he worked for Lloyd White at State Farm Insurance.
He grew up in Sweet Home, graduating from Sweet Home High School in 1986. He attended Linn-Benton Community College for two years.