Hundreds of new jobs for area residents. Thousands of giddy tourists, falling over each other to spend their earnings in Coos County.

Not exactly sugarplum fairies, but these were some of the rosy images at Friday's 14th-annual Economic Outlook Forum, held at the Mill Casino-Hotel in North Bend.

For four and a half hours, business executives and economists provided presentations of anticipated developments as well as cautiously optimistic economic forecasts.

Additional airplane routes at Southwestern Oregon Regional Airport were juxtaposed with new tourist attractions along the North Bend waterfront by the Coquille Economic Development Corp. Executive Director Jeffrey Bishop described the efforts of the Oregon International Port of Coos Bay to attract a container terminal. Others talked of the need for enhancements to the area's infrastructure as well as professionals who could provide such growth.

John W. Mitchell, an economist with U S Bancorp, dismissed talk of an impending recession at the national and state levels. He did concede 2007 would probably see slower economic growth as a result of a weakening real estate market.

“People are borrowing against their house, which means, with housing prices going down, presumably it will have an impact on consumer spending,” he said.

As he gesticulated his way up and down the aisles in The Mill Casino's Salmon Room, Mitchell emphasized the need for businesses to adapt to an aging workforce.

“People are staying in the labor force longer. They play golf for two weeks, and then they say, ‘I got to find something to do,'” he said. “They may need to pick up new skills, especially at the community college level. Staying current is really important.”

Guy Tauer, the Oregon Employment Department's economist for Southern Oregon, agreed with this assessment of a graying workforce. He said the number of employees between the ages of 25 and 44 had decreased by 2,500 over the past 15 years, while those between 45 and 64 had increased by the same amount over that period.

“The composition of the population has made a significant change,” he said. “By 2020, a quarter of the population (in Coos County) will be 65 or older.”

Local projects

The sounds of construction work under way just outside the forum's walls provided a segue for Brady Scott, CEO of CEDCO, as he talked about upgrades at the Coquille Indian Tribe property.

The hammering and drilling are part of renovations at The Mill Casino-Hotel. They will include the expansion of the gaming area to include a poker room and more smoke-free areas. He also described two new lounge areas that will offer dining and entertainment for potential tourists.

Scott continued with a discussion about the development just north of the casino, which will eventually house a Home Depot and other retail stores. He explained paperwork is being processed to acquire an entrance from U.S. Highway 101 and that an official groundbreaking is scheduled for 2007.

Scott noted these projects would not only bring in tourist dollars, but produce more jobs.

Another engine for creating jobs was presented by Bishop, who discussed the potential implications of stationing a container terminal on the North Spit next to the proposed liquefied natural gas import terminal. While taking care to avoid naming any names, Bishop said the company recently had completed a feasibility study with positive findings.

As a result, he said the company will develop a business plan during 2007, and present a proposal for the corporation's board of directors to consider next December.

“This business is still a frog,” Bishop said, employing a fairy tale analogy. “Although we have been feverishly kissing it, it has not turned into a prince. But it is still a very attractive looking frog.”

Depending upon the decision of the corporation's board of directors, the permit and funding process is scheduled to take place in 2008 and 2009, with construction set to begin in 2010 and be completed some time in 2013.

“As long as everything runs smoothly,” Bishop added.

Once completed, a terminal would initially produce about 413 direct, indirect and induced jobs, according Bishop. Once it reached its full build out, the number of jobs would increase to 1,639 in Coos County and 4,528 statewide.

Gary LeTellier, general manager of Southwestern Oregon Regional Airport, outlined the Coos County Airport District's plans to attract new carriers and devise new routes to places such as Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Phoenix. As he described the work ahead for the district, a video provided a computerized tour of the airport's new terminal.

He noted the district was able to make the last payments on a $750,000 loan and should be self sufficient within a decade.

Dan Smith, president and CEO of Bay Area Hospital, said there was a notable drop in the use of his facility in the previous year.

“Evidently there is an epidemic of health in the community,” he said.

Despite lower revenues, Smith said the hospital has plans to increase its maternity services and will continue to work to attract local students into the health industry.

Electric success

The feel-good story of the day was provided by Randy Rema, owner of Reese Electric, Inc. He spoke about how he purchased the business in 2004 when it had 24 employees, and wrestled with whether to expand. Since then, he added locations in Florence and Gold Beach, while obtaining an office in Bandon with the acquisition of Yockey Electric.

Rema spoke about the individuals who provided their ideas and their energies to make a difference for the business.

He explained how the company was able to finish the year of 2005 with 4,866 work orders and expects to reach 6,300 by Dec. 31.

“You know how you have that employee who makes a real difference to your business?” Rema asked. “Well, I've got 54 of them.”