Edco Welcomes Kip Barrett As New Bend Area Director

BEND, OR (August 15, 2017) – Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) is pleased to welcome the addition of Kip Barrett as Bend Area Director, effective immediately. In his role, Kip will be responsible for supporting EDCO’s mission of creating a diversified local economy and a strong base of middle-class jobs in Central Oregon. In this role, he will focus on guiding employers outside the region through the relocation process of moving to Bend, manage and help administer incentive programs, and work closely with local traded-sector companies to help them grow and expand. Over the past decade, Kip has held a variety of roles in the renewable energy industry, most recently leading a solar project company Mergers & Acquisitions team for Tesla. Prior to Tesla, he was actively developing varied wind, solar and other renewable energy projects at the federal, state and municipal level, including multi-million dollar projects for Fortune 500 companies. “Kip’s varied experience and past engagement in economic development make him a perfect fit with our mission at EDCO,” said Roger Lee, EDCO’s CEO. “He’s been actively involved in the BVC and has worked with other EDCO directors through his previous endeavors. We’re excited to have Kip’s entrepreneurial experience and ability to relate to our local business owners.” Kip holds an MBA from Portland State University and an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. He’s lived in Bend with his family since 2005 and enjoys many, if not all the outdoor activities available in our region. An active member of the community, Kip was also a founding Board Member and Board Treasurer for the Oregon Small Wind Energy Association, co-founder of New Roots Energy, an Adjunct Faculty member at OSU-Cascades, and has been actively involved in the Bend Venture Conference for the past decade. Mid Oregon Personnel conducted the professional search for the Bend Area Director position on behalf of EDCO, spearheaded by Vice President Sam Lambert. A hiring committee representing different community and business perspectives reviewed and interviewed finalists.

About Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) EDCO is a non-profit corporation supported by private and public members and stakeholders, whose mission is to create middle-class jobs in Central Oregon by: recruiting new employers to move to the region; helping entrepreneurs start new, scalable businesses; and working with businesses already located here to grow their operations. For more information, visit www.edcoinfo.com.

About Mid Oregon PersonnelMid Oregon Personnel is a local Central Oregon staffing company with full-time offices in four major area communities: Bend, Redmond, Prineville, and Madras. Founded in 1984, Mid Oregon Personnel offers employers and employees customized service instead of applying a formula, aiming to fit the right person with each company’s culture, resulting in a higher retention rate than typical for the industry.