by Sara Odendahl, Director of Government Affairs, Bend Chamber
Advocacy and member engagement are at the core of the Chamber’s mission, “Creating an environment where businesses, their employees and our community excel together through collaboration, advocacy, resources and leadership to meet Bend’s business challenges.” To support these efforts, the Chamber relies on a diverse group of business leaders serving on the Advocacy Council to advise on local, state, and federal policies that have an impact on the business community.
We are excited to welcome five new members to the Chamber Advocacy Council in 2025:
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- DaWayne Judd, Mirror Pond Cleaners
- Hans LaForest, Sussman Shank
- Jason Myhre, Pahlisch Homes
- Rachel O’Rourke, Downtown Bend Business Association (ex-officio)
- Richard Reece, Compass Commercial Construction
The Council’s main goals are twofold:
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- Identify, evaluate, and recommend positions to the Bend Chamber Board of Directors on policy issues related to the Chamber’s strategic priorities. This includes local, state, and federal policy concepts.
- Promote community awareness and engagement on policy issues impacting the business community, including partnerships with other organizations.
Throughout the year and especially during the Legislative Sesson, the Council can be found reviewing and recommending positions on legislative concepts and introduced bills; engaging in discussions about state budget and local funding priorities; and partnering with other organizations to share information. All this work helps inform the positions taken by the Bend Chamber in advocacy efforts at various levels of government.
For more information on the Chamber’s Advocacy Council or advocacy programming, please contact Sara Odendahl, Director of Government Affairs.
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