(503) 410-1061

About CET

Our mission is to promote the creation, retention, growth, and attraction of business and industry throughout the county.

Columbia Economic Team was founded in 2010 as CCET (Columbia County Economic Team). We are a private and public membership organization created to serve the entirety of Columbia County, Oregon.

We operate with these strategic goals in mind, guiding the work we do:

Expand, retain, and recruit businesses and industries participating in existing or new industry clusters.

Increase per capita income, diversify the economy and promote sustainable economic growth and family-wage jobs.

Coordinate the delivery of professional economic development services by leveraging relationships, partnerships, and the collaborative efforts of existing organizations.

Provide leadership to ensure a climate in which businesses thrive while attracting diverse new investment.

Meet our team

Our staff and board are passionate about the economic health of the region and the work we do together to move our communities forward as our county continues to grow.

Paul Vogel

Executive Director

Wela Negelspach

Administration & Program Manager

Robert Blumberg

Board Member

Greg Hinkelman

Board Member

Bob Short

Board Treasurer

Nina Carlson

Board Secretary

Sean Clark

Board Member

Deborah Hazen

Board Member

Tony Hyde

Board President

Dan Luckett

Board Member

John Walsh

Board Member

Michael Sykes

Board Member

Marc Farmer

Board Member

Jason Moon

Columbia County SBDC Director

Casey Garrett

Board Member

About Columbia County

They say location is everything, right?

Columbia County, located in NW Oregon, really is the ideal place for thriving businesses, industry, families, and the quality of life people are seeking in the Pacific Northwest.

Just 25 minutes from Portland, the largest metropolitan area in Oregon, and bordered by over 60 miles of the Columbia River, Columbia County benefits from being connected enough to the city without being in it. It’s this semi-rural way of life that draws newcomers to the area – proximity to the urban center, coast, mountains, plus all the perks of local life (river, foothills, nature, small towns), and why people have stayed for generations, with deep roots.

With an early history of commercial fishing, water transportation, marine, agriculture, and timber, the region has industrially diversified while maintaining its roots. We’re a place and people that have always worked; we make things; we produce. Times have changed and evolved, but our work ethic remains the same.

Snapshot

Population (2019)

0 K+

Average home price

0 K

Demographics

Population	53,817
2010-2020 Annual Population Change	1.01%
2010-2020 Median Age	43.9
Number of Businesses (2019)	1,422
Number of Employees (2019)	11,550

Proximity

Portland International Airport	42 minutes, 35.5 miles
Hillsboro Airport	36 minutes, 29.6 miles
I-5 North/I-5 South	25 minutes
Oregon Coast (Astoria)	75 minutes, 66.5 miles
Intel	40 minutes, 33 miles
Nike	30 minutes, 25 miles

Members

Advocates for economic growth, partners to make it happen.

Columbia Economic Team is funded by both private and public members, including local businesses, individuals, organizations, and governments.

Membership dues support our operation and investing time and energy into meeting our strategic goals on behalf of all residents and employers in Columbia County. Board Members are elected by the membership at our Annual Membership meeting.

On behalf of our county business base, workforce, and communities, we appreciate the involvement and financial support of existing and new members fuel the work on behalf of our communities and our region.

Join a growing, dynamic organization today by becoming a member of Columbia Economic Team – The Team that moves Columbia County forward.