June 1, 2026

What happened: The business leaders and elected officials who attended OBI’s inaugural Oregon Economic Summit on May 28 heard a message that is both familiar and increasingly urgent: Oregon’s economy and residents continue to struggle as state and local policies erode its competitiveness. Roughly half a dozen speakers and panelists examined Oregon’s economic and competitive problems from different perspectives, and OBI President and CEO Angela Wilhelms concluded by urging state leaders to start taking the steps needed to change the state’s trajectory.

The national context: Keynote speaker Ted Abernathy, a partner with North Carolina-based Economic Leadership, shared data illustrating Oregon’s slipping competitiveness relative to other states (view his slides here). Employment in Oregon, for example, increased only 1.9% from 2019-2025, less than in any of its neighboring states and well below the national average of 5%. Over the same period, state GDP growth (10.9%) also trailed all neighboring states and the national average (15.1%). The decline of Oregon’s manufacturing sector has been particularly steep. Oregon’s manufacturing index ranking fell from an enviable 7th in 2018 to 36th in 2025. Oregon has lagged even in measures of entrepreneurialism, historically a state strength. From January 2020 to December 2025, Oregon ranked only 40th nationally for new business formations. The takeaway: States are competing fiercely for business investment and for talented employees, and Oregon is being left behind.

Views from Oregon: Following Abernathy’s overview of Oregon’s competitiveness, a panel of Oregon experts addressed many of the same issues from differing perspectives. Moderated by Papé Group President and CEO Jordan Papé, the panel included Monique Cardwell, president and CEO of Greater Portland Inc.; John Horvick, senior vice president of DHM Research; Tim Inman, chief policy and public affairs officer with The Ford Family Foundation; and Mike Wilkerson, partner with ECOnorthwest (read their bios here). While there isn’t room here to capture the full conversation, there was general agreement on two points: Oregon continues to enjoy the same natural advantages that have drawn so many people here during periods of economic and competitive strength; and the notion that conditions that help businesses necessarily hurt workers is utterly false. Conditions in which businesses thrive, in fact, support the creation of more and better jobs, not to mention greater tax revenue.

Call to action: OBI President and CEO Angela Wilhelms concluded the summit by arguing that Oregon can, once again, become a beacon of opportunity and prosperity. For that to happen, however, policymakers must reconsider the harmful policies that have eroded the state’s competitiveness and bogged down its economy in recent years. In addition, they must check the habit of reflexively villainizing business. Broadly attacking the entrepreneurs, owners and investors who employ 1.7 million Oregonians and produce billions of tax dollars annually is deeply misguided.

Jobs champion recognized: Despite regulatory and other challenges, building a great business remains possible in Oregon, as Mike Keiser, the recipient of OBI’s Jobs Champion Award, has shown. Mike founded the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, a bucket-list golf destination on Oregon’s south coast that employs hundreds of people, supports many nearby businesses and generates substantial philanthropic activity. Mike was honored during the Oregon Economic Summit. Read the announcement here and watch a video tribute to Mike Keiser here.

Learn more: Much of the data, rankings and historical trends discussed during the Oregon Economic Summit can be found on OBI’s regularly updated Oregon Scorecard.