MEDFORD, Ore. – The Jackson County Chamber of Commerce is planning to represent and advocate for local businesses in Oregon’s 2023 Legislative Session.
The Chamber surveyed local businesses to find out what issues were a priority this year. 150 businesses – both members and non-members – participated in the survey. The Chamber found that housing, education and the economy were the top issues for Jackson County’s local businesses.
Eli Matthews, President and CEO of the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, says the survey helps ensure local businesses, the Chamber and Oregon’s lawmakers stay on the same page.
“It’s important for us to have a gauge of what’s going on because on January 17th, we’re going into the legislative session in Salem,” Matthews said. “One of our aims is that we fight for business on the lobbying front, so we want to make sure that we know the priorities going in.”
Matthews says the Chamber will also be advocating for small businesses, since they make up a vast majority of the organization.
“Over 1,200 members are small businesses,” he said. “When you say ‘small business,’ we’re talking 10 employees or less – over 80% of our members.”
Of those small businesses in the Chamber, Matthews says over 80% of them make less than $1 million a year.
It’s part of the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce’s mission to advocate for local businesses, including the small ones. This is why Matthews says it’s important to participate in this year’s legislative session and ensure lawmakers in Salem are on the same page.
“We all know that small businesses across this country are really the lifeblood of the American economy, so it’s so important that we have a pulse on what’s happening at the smallest level,” he said.
