October 26th
HR Forum
Successful On-Boarding
5:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Wildwood Restaurant

November 2nd
Emerging Business Event
Innovation vs. Imitation
7:30-9:00 a.m.
Oregon Zoo
 

Events

Oregon Team

AeA comes out against Ballot Measures 41 & 48

The Oregon Council of AeA has come out publicly against Oregon Ballot Measures 41 and 48, which will be before the voters this November. AeA joins other leading business associations in Oregon in united opposition including Associated Oregon Industries, Oregon Business Council, Oregon Business Association, and the Software Association of Oregon. AeA arrived at its position after a polling of its member company executives.

Ballot Measure 41 would change Oregon’s tax code and result in over $800 million in cuts to the state general fund – 90 percent of which goes to fund education, health care and public safety. Measure 48 would insert a flawed spending limit formula based on growth in population and inflation into Oregon’s Constitution.

“Our organization believes that Oregon needs fiscal discipline over state spending and needs comprehensive reform of its tax system, but these measures are blunt instruments that would harm the state’s ability to invest in such areas as education, health care, and transportation,” said Robert DeKoning, CEO of Routeware and chairman of the AeA Oregon Council.

Click here for more information on the opposition campaign


Gubernatorial candidates visit with high tech

The leading candidates for Governor of Oregon met recently with high-tech executives in events sponsored by the Oregon Council of AeA and the Software Association of Oregon. Democratic Gov. Ted Kulongoski and Republican challenger Ron Saxton addressed dozens of local tech executives in separate events held at Electro-Scientific Industries in September.

Both candidates expressed strong support for improving education and the business climate in Oregon. And both said they expected to work closely with the high-tech industry in coming years. By most public polls, the Governor’s race is very tight with the outcome uncertain.

To learn more about the candidates, visit:

www.tedforgov.com
www.votesaxton.com


New members join Oregon Council Executive Committee

Under the leadership of Bob DeKoning, CEO, Routeware, three new members were approved for the AeA Oregon Council Executive Committee at its October meeting. The Executive Committee oversees the council activities in Oregon and sets the AeA’s state political agenda. The new committee members are:

Steve Rosenbaum, President and CEO, Pop Art, Inc.

Todd Bauman, partner, Stoel Rives LLP

Manpreet Khaira, CEO, Avnera Corp.

Click for to see the entire Executive Committee roster.


Silicon Forest Forum set for November 10

AeA is once again pleased to serve as a contributor for the upcoming Silicon Forest Forum, which is organized by Intel and White & Lee.  The event will take place at Intel’s Jones Farm campus in Hillsboro on Friday. Nov. 10.

The forum includes in-depth presentations, panel discussions, and networking sessions. Industry experts from the Pacific Northwest and Silicon Valley will share their observations on critical issues that emerging growth companies must address to be successful. Experts include entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and management executives who know what it takes to create and run successful ventures.

The event runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is followed by a post-conference gathering at the Cornelius Roadhouse Pub. Registration is $95 ($75 for additional registrants from the same company).

Visit the Silicon Forest Forum for more information.


Tech employment growing in U.S. and Oregon

A recent study by AeA shows the U.S. tech industry added over 140,000 jobs between January and June of 2006, a 2.5 percent rise, for a total of 5.81 million jobs. This is nearly double the 78,900 tech jobs added in the first half of 2005 and the strongest job growth of any six-month period since 2001. Nonetheless, January to June 2006 tech job growth lags that of the U.S. private sector, which rose by 3.5 percent over that period.

At the individual sector level, technology manufacturers added 33,100 net jobs in the United States in the first half of 2006 for a total of 1.37 million jobs, a 2.5 percent increase, the second consecutive year that high-tech manufacturing is seeing net job growth.

The high-tech services sectors (consisting of communication, software, and engineering and tech services) added 107,000 net jobs over the same time period for a total of 4.44 million jobs, a 2.5 percent rise.

In Oregon, the State Economist predicts that the technology sector will add jobs locally at a 3 percent rate for 2006, with a slowing in the following two years.

"The good news is that the U.S. high-tech industry is adding jobs for the second year in a row, and adding jobs across all tech sectors" said AeA’s President and CEO, William T. Archey.

This report, as well as all installments of the AeA Competitiveness Series, can be downloaded for free at: www.aeanet.org/cs


AeA holds China RoHS seminar in Bay Area

Learn what you must do to comply beginning March 1 of next year with the new Chinese Restrictions on Hazardous Substances regulations (RoHS). AeA will host a seminar October 26 in Santa Clara featuring a delegation from the Chinese government Ministry of Information Industries together with technology industry speakers.

The event includes a discussion of new regulations, explanation of the differences between the European and Chinese approach to this subject, technical requirements, and labeling and disclosure rules.

The seminar is at Sun Microsystems in Santa Clara on October 26 from 7:30 a.m. to noon. Cost is $295 for AeA members. Click here for more information and online registration.

New AeA Member Benefit: Press Releases via PR Newswire

AeA has teamed up with PR Newswire to offer a free PR Toolkit, which includes educational articles, press release writing tips, answers to common questions, and distribution information. Members who distribute their news through PR Newswire will have their releases placed onto AeA's heavily trafficked Web site, featuring an up-to-the-minute news feed. In addition, new PR Newswire customers will also receive a special package of free and discounted services valued at $1,400.

For more information or to start the enrollment process, please visit http://toolkit.prnewswire.com/aea/ or contact Catherine LeBlanc of PR Newswire at 617-239-4088.


Welcome New Members

Mercer Human Resource Consulting

Willamette University, Atkinson Graduate School of Management


Thanks to renewing members

CRESA Partners
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
Ernst & Young LLP
Morgan Stanely
RadiSys Corporation
VeriWave, Inc.