MCEDD Recent News Items

Public Input Opportunity for Wasco County’s 2026 Community Enhancement Projects

November 17, 2025 – The CEP (Community Enhancement Projects) list is Wasco County’s annual inventory of priority community and economic development projects. Projects can include water and wastewater upgrades, transportation and safety improvements, parks and recreation projects, broadband expansion, downtown revitalization, housing and childcare initiatives, public safety needs, and other infrastructure or quality-of-life investments. This list informs the County, MCEDD, Business Oregon, and state and federal partners of local needs, and it provides the basis for advocacy and funding coordination when grants and/or legislative dollars become available. The Wasco County Economic Development Commission is hosting a virtual open meeting on Monday, November 24, 2025 at 11:00 am for everyone interested in getting a project onto the 2026 Community Enhancement Projects (CEP) list. Date: 11:00am on Monday, November 24, 2025 Link: https://meet.google.com/rti-anop-qwm Or dial: ?(US) +1 302-492-5037? PIN: ?563 942 717?# Local governments, special districts, nonprofits, businesses, and community members are all welcome to attend. If you have been specifically contacted for CEP updates, you do not need to attend this meeting. This open public forum is intended to capture potential projects that have not yet been identified by allowing project sponsors and community members to briefly explain their project ideas and ask questions about the CEP process. If you would like to present a project, please be prepared to share a short overview that covers: What the project is and where it is located. The community need it addresses. Rough order of magnitude for cost (if you have it). Any progress made so far, such as planning, design, or prior funding. You do not need a complete application or formal packet to attend. This is a chance to get ideas on the table and into the conversation for 2026. For more information, or to let us know you plan to attend, please contact: Andrew Danies at andrew@mcedd.org or call 541-296-2266, ext. 1005 2025 CEP List   [Continue Reading]

Mid-Columbia Active Transportation Needs Assessment Survey

October 29, 2025 – MCEDD is working with FHWA (Federal Highway  Administration) and their contractor, DEA, on a regional active transportation needs assessment (including transit) that covers all five of MCEDD’s counties.  Read the project’s overview below to learn more! Please take a moment to fill out the survey at tinyurl.com/Mid-Columbia-Survey Please take a moment to fill out the survey at tinyurl.com/Mid-Columbia-Survey   [Continue Reading]

Hookum Good, LLC Brings Successful Home-Based Manufacturing Business to Centerville, WA

October 9, 2025 – Anglers TJ Wilder and Mike Smith purchased Hookum Good Co., LLC, from the original owners earlier this year with a MCEDD small business loan. Their business plan to revitalize and scale the company through improved marketing, expanded distribution and product line extension had clear top priorities for the first year: to rebrand the website, build a direct-to-consumer presence, grow their social following, and secure new wholesale accounts. Hookum Good Co. designs and manufactures a trademarked fishing tackle organizer called the Bait Buoy. With an adjustable mount system for boats, the Bait Buoy holds leaders, pliers, cutters, scent bait, towel and fish club. Interchangeable leader rolls and an optional rod holder adapter for mounting extend the versatility of the Bait Buoy.  Production utilizes plastic injection mold parts that are manufactured off-site, with the finishing CNC machining and assembly taking place in the home workshop located on Mike’s property in Centerville, Washington. The company website at  https://hookumgood.com/ offers their full line of products for sale.  Following  their business plan for marketing expansion, Hookum Good’s equipment can also be purchased through Bass Pro Shops. The website rebranding shows how family activity and love for the sport of angling have created the foundation for this business venture. To become a Pro-Staff Affiliate that uses this gear on guided fishing trips, or to become a retail partner, contact Mike Smith at mike@hookumgood.com Timothy Wilder at timothy@hookumgood.com       [Continue Reading]

Registration Open for Annual Regional Economic Symposium on Nov. 7, 2025

September 30, 2025 – Mid-Columbia Economic Development District (MCEDD) invites everyone to attend the 2025 Columbia Gorge Annual Economic Symposium on Friday, November 7th, at The Ruins event space in Hood River, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. This event brings together leaders across the region in the areas of government, economic development, workforce development and business to learn together and network. With “Resilience” as the 2025 theme, the Symposium will feature Keynote Speaker Erin McMahon, Director of Oregon’s Office of Emergency Management, as well as a review of changes in the regional economy over the last year, and a panel discussions sharing what resilience means to different industries and economic sectors across the Mid-Columbia region. The event starts with an hour of networking over a full breakfast, and this year’s event is free to attend, thanks to sponsorship from the Office of the Oregon Governor’s Plan for a Resilient Oregon.  Additional event sponsors include Columbia Bank and NW Natural. Reserve your free ticket or find more information at www.mcedd.org/symposium. ### Sherman County Judge Joe Dabulskis addresses 2024 Economic Symposium Register Here!   [Continue Reading]

NVC Painting, LLC Loan Program Spotlight

September 22, 2025 – With over a decade of experience hanging drywall and painting homes in the Columbia River Gorge, (Juan) Carlos Solorio-Estrada acquired his contractor’s license and registered his business with the State of Oregon in 2024 as NVC Painting, LLC. His company tackles both residential and commercial drywall installation, sanding and staining interior walls and floors, as well as interior and exterior painting.  Learn more about the company on their website. By 2025, NVC Painting needed a pickup truck to carry equipment to job sites. Mount Hood Economic Alliance was able to provide Juan Carlos with a microloan to finance this purchase and help the business continue to grow. Website: https://nvcpaintingllc.com/ Phone: 541-324-5026   [Continue Reading]

Cups & Memories: Tea & Handmade Flour Tortillas

August 22, 2025 – ~Reimagined in Hood River~ Enrique and Maria Ortega own and operate Lake Taco, a popular traditional Mexican restaurant located in Hood River, OR. Lake Taco’s authentic homestyle foods have been well received in the community and the restaurant enjoys success with a large local customer base. When Lake Taco’s lease at 1213 June Street expired late in 2022, Enrique and Maria moved their restaurant into a larger space at 606 Oak Street with support through the Next Door’s Promoting Prosperity Program.  The opportunity presented by the vacant space at Lake Taco’s original location began the journey to open Cups and Memories, Enrique’s vision of a tea-centered café that would serve the family’s signature tortillas. With his wife and brothers in full support, Enrique leveraged the support gained through his experience with The Next Door’s PPP program to apply for and receive financial assistance from the Mount Hood Economic Alliance, which provided the capital needed to build out and open the Ortega family’s newest  venture. Cups & Memories opened in August 2025 at 1213 June Street in Hood River, OR. “It’s not a café. It’s not a restaurant. It’s not what you’re used to. It’s something designed to make you pause… and feel.” Instagram: Cups & Memories   [Continue Reading]

Link Public Transit Announces Changes to Bus Routes in The Dalles

August 19, 2025 – Effective September 13, 2025, The Link will introduce redesigned bus routes in The Dalles, known as the Blue and Red Deviated Fixed Routes. Operating weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on an hourly schedule, this new bi-directional design will provide faster, more efficient travel within The Dalles by eliminating stops on the outskirts and offering travel in both directions. The Link will continue to serve Water’s Edge and Port of The Dalles through our Dial-a-Ride service. Frequent riders are encouraged to consider the Gorge Transit Pass, which offers unlimited travel on fixed route service offered by The Link, Columbia Area Transit (CAT), Mt. Adams Transportation Services (MATS), and Skamania County Transit. To purchase a pass, visit the office at 802 Chenowith Loop Rd. The Dalles, OR 97058 or visit gorgepass.com. Updated printed brochures and an online version will be available a week prior to the effective date at www.mcedd.org/link-public-transit. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact The Link’s Transportation Operations Manager, Jesus Mendoza, at (541) 296-7595 or by email at Jesus@mcedd.org. As operator of The Link Public Transit service in The Dalles, Oregon, Mid-Columbia Economic Development District (MCEDD) is committed to ensuring that no person is excluded from participation in or denied the benefits of its programs and services on the basis of race, color, sex, or national origin, as protected by Title VI in Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Circular 4702.1.B. # # #   [Continue Reading]

Oregon Investment Board Supports Guided Recreation Business

July 21, 2025 – Trisha Schales began living her passion as a wilderness therapy field guide in 2020. She spent the pandemic years in the Utah wilderness, and in 2021 moved to Oregon where the trees, rivers and mountains quickly became home. By 2022, she had hired on as a guide with REI Experiences. In January 2025, REI’s decision to eliminate its Experiences (guiding) department to focus on retail came as a shock. In response, Trisha formed Trails Diverged to allow herself and her fellow displaced co- guides to continue guiding and to improve the guiding industry.  Based in the Portland area, the company offers guided kayaking, backpacking, mountain biking, and snowshoeing adventure tours in the Columbia River Gorge, Mt. Hood, and Mt. St Helens areas. Services are targeted primarily at beginners and tourists, with all the necessary gear provided, along with experienced guides who are committed to ensuring safety and respect for the outdoors by providing skills assessments and training as needed. Read more about the company and its mission in the Outdoors NW Magazine article. As a first-time, woman-owned business, Trails Diverged qualified for the OIB’s business lending program to refinance the company’s initial outdoor equipment purchase, purchase a passenger and a tow vehicle, plus provide sufficient working capital to allow the company to start offering services immediately.   Learn more about the company and book your adventure trip this summer on the company’s website: http://www.trailsdiverged.com/.   [Continue Reading]

Savory Pepitas Supported through MCEDD Loan

June 26, 2025 – Benjamin Brandt was an Executive Director for an Assisted Living Facility for 20 years until the Covid-19 pandemic made his work so stressful that he took the leap to start his own business. The business idea for Soul Seeds evolved naturally from a close examination of what was already established in his life that could be turned into a viable business.  Ben had been making Savory Pepitas (pumpkin seeds) with organic, non-GMO Seeds and whole food ingredients for years, as a power snack to get him through afternoon energy lulls and times of high stress at work. With encouragement from his friends and family, Ben began selling Soul Seeds at the Hood River Farmer’s Market.  This spring, Ben approached MCEDD for a loan to purchase the equipment needed to increase production to meet the rising demand from his established online market. Soul Seeds can be purchased at some select local stores, the Hood River Farmer’s Market, and online at https://www.soulseedslove.com/.     [Continue Reading]

Link Discontinues Mobile Ticketing App

June 24, 2025 – Link riders will no longer be able to purchase fares via the Journey Mobile Ticketing App. after June 30, 2025 Fares already purchased on the app will remain active through July 31st. As of July 1st, Options to purchase fares are: Gorge Pass for Unlimited Fixed routes service with all Gorge Transit providers. Tickets – which can be purchased with cash, checks or credit cards at The Dalles Transit Center. Cash – please have exact change!   If you have questions, please call the Link at (541) 296-7595, or email jesus@mcedd.org.   [Continue Reading]