Events

Oregon Team

AeA Party in the Pinot another grand success
Several hundred AeA-member company executives, service providers and their guests gathered July 28 at Oswego Hills Winery near Portland for the annual AeA Party in the Pinot, which has grown over five years to become the premier summer high-tech networking event in Oregon.

Attendees enjoyed a fabulous Asian-themed dinner prepared by one of the area’s finest caterers, the music of renowned saxophonist Patrick Lamb, hours of high-caliber networking, and the well-received after dinner Scotch and cigar bar. In attendance were five former chairs of the Oregon Council (Scott Gibson, Keith Barnes, Milt Smith, Mohan Nair, and Allen Alley). Current council chair Bob DeKoning served as MC, and welcomed two Oregon Congressmen, Reps. Earl Blumenauer and David Wu. Also attending was incoming Oregon council chair Steve Sharp. Fine summer weather and plenty of good food and refreshment made for a perfect evening.

A Silent Wine Auction supported the First Robotics Programs for students in grades 4 through 12 that encourage young men and women to explore the worlds of science and technology
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AeA wants to thank all of those who attended as well as  the many event sponsors for making the evening a great success.  For those of you who attended a photo gallery will be made available soon.


Oregon Legislature adjourns - in June!
Oregon lawmakers wrapped up their 2007 session and adjourned on June 28 for the shortest session since 1995 and one could argue the most ambitious. Democrats controlled both houses for the first time in 16 years, and they were determined to have a productive and orderly session. 

By and large they succeeded. Not everyone will agree with everything they did, but they deserve credit for setting an agenda, getting most of it done, and letting lawmakers – and lobbyists – enjoy the summer.

They plan to return in February for a short 30-day session. But the goals and agenda for that return are not yet set. It’s all part of an effort by some leaders to show the voters of Oregon that it’s time for annual sessions.

By and large, it was a good session for the high-tech industry. Lawmakers invested in higher education overall and in the AeA-led engineering initiative specifically. They funded the road map of the new Oregon Innovation Council. They created a rainy-day fund (with a strong assist from AeA and the Oregon business community). They left in place a favorable Oregon corporate tax structure. And they avoided regulating emerging RFID and VoIP technologies. 

There are challenges ahead: lawmakers approved an ambitious statewide computer and television recycling program that AeA members will work to make happen. They failed to make much-needed investments in highway projects. And they passed a sweeping new mandate for alternative electric energy supplies that could impact rates for manufacturers in the future. 

Visit the AeA web site for a summary of legislative actions on the AeA state policy agenda.

Oregon high-tech exports leap, says AeA report
High-tech exports from Oregon leaped 41 percent last year, according to a new national report from AeA. The large gains make Oregon the 5th fastest growing tech export state and the 8th state overall in total tech exports.

The data are contained in a new study “Trade in the Cyberstates 2007: A State-by-State Overview of High-Tech International Trade.”

"The international technology trade story is amazingly positive for the state of Oregon," said Bob DeKoning, CEO of Routeware and chairman of the Oregon council of the AeA. "Nearly half of all exports from Oregon come from the technology sector. These international markets support thousands of well-paying jobs here in Oregon."

Oregon exports nearly $7 billion in high-tech goods representing 45% of total state exports. Leading sectors include semiconductors, industrial electronics, and computers and peripheral equipment. Major export destinations for technology products include Malaysia, China, and South Korea.

Details and information on how to obtain a copy of the report Trade in the Cyberstates 2007.  


AeA members award 9 new technology scholarships
Member companies of the AeA Oregon Council this spring funded nine new AeA Technology Scholarships for a total of $90,000. The awards are part of AeA’s strategy to encourage more bright Oregon high school students to attend public universities in the state and pursue careers in science and engineering.

Eight of the new scholarships were funded by Intel and one by FLIR. The scholarships are for $2,500 a year for four years and also provide an opportunity for students to apply for summer internships. This year’s recipients come from Hillsboro, Pendleton, Portland, Lakeview, Beaverton, Keizer, Salem, and Springfield.

Intel initiated the scholarship program in 1999, and it was adopted by the AeA Oregon Council the following year. Since then, $1.85 million in scholarships has been awarded to 185 students. Among the AeA members who are participating are Planar Systems, Timbercon, Barco Medical Imaging Systems, First Tech Credit Union, Frye Electronics, InFocus, Pixelworks, and HP.


Tech Tour set again for August
The Oregon Technology Investor Tour will once again bring institutional and personal investors to Oregon this August to get a close look at six Oregon publicly traded companies.

Participating will be AeA members Cascade Microtech, ESI, FEI Company, Lattice Semiconductor, Planar Systems and RadiSys Corporation.

Now in its fifth year, the event provides a unique opportunity for members of the investment community to experience Oregon companies first-hand, meet the management teams, see new products, and tour company facilities. Sessions will be held at individual company sites on August 21 and 22.

Among the attendees are institutional investors, research analysts, buy-side analysts, key portfolio managers, and venture capitalists. Registration for investors is complimentary. For more information, visit the AeA website or contact Kari Naone in the AeA Oregon Council office at 503-624-6050.

AeA to Offer Organizational Development Workshop by Linkage Inc.
Join FEI, Tektronix, MTI, WebTrends, Digimarc, RadiSys, Symantec and Komatsu Silicon for a 2-day Linkage Inc., Organizational Design Workshop right here in Oregon. Not available any where else on the West Coast, AeA will host an Organizational Analysis and Design Workshop, September 10-11, 2007 at FEI in Hillsboro, Oregon.

This workshop will provide the tools to learn how to:

• Identify key roles and phases in the organizational analysis and design (OAD) process.

• Differentiate the two critical domains of OAD work-managing both the design and the project.

• Define your organization’s business model and the implications for your design efforts, and plan for implementation.

• Compare, contrast, and choose among alternative systems models for describing, analyzing, and designing organizations.

Only 7 spaces remain so call today and register, 503.624.6050! Cost to attend: $1,000 member, $1,500 non-member. 

Looking for investors or capital? AeA can help
Don't miss your opportunity to make a powerful connection with investors at one of AeA's National Financial Conferences.

For Public Companies:
The AeA Classic Financial Conference, November 4-7, 2007, Monterey, California

Session 1: November 4-6
Companies with a market cap or revenues of $300 million to $4 billion conduct 11 presentations each.

Session 2: November 6-7
Companies with a market cap or revenues between $100 and $300 million conduct 9 presentations each. 

Get more information on the AeA Classic.

For Private Companies:
The AeA Technology Capital Conference, October 15-16, 2007, Newport Beach, California

This conference is for private technology companies with revenues from $5M to $75M. 

Get more information on the AeA Technology Capital Conference.

Welcome New Members:
Banner & Witcoff LTD
Client First Group, Inc.
UnitedHealthcare
USI Northwest

Thanks to renewing members
Ambric, Inc.
Audio Precision, Inc.
Babson College
Bank of America
Barco Medical Imaging Systems
Digimarc Corporation
Everest Consultants, Inc.
Frye Electronics, Inc.
Galois Connections, Inc.
InFocus Corporation
Kentrox LLC
Komatsu Silicon America, Inc.
Monsoon, Inc.
Pop Art Inc.
Rulespace, LLC
Serveron Corporation
Sunstone Circuits
The Brentwood Group Ltd.
TriQuint Semiconductor, Inc.
University of Oregon

OREGON COUNCIL EVENTS

August 21-22, Oregon Technology Investor Tour

September 10-11, Organizational Analysis and Design

September 13, AeA Salary Survey Orientation Webinar

September 13, CFO Forum

Complete Calendar of Upcoming Events