Business is booming in Oregon’s Rogue Valley. Growth is expected to average nearly 20% over the next 10 years, with greatest expansion in the retail, health care and service industries. Other major industries and employers in the area include agriculture, manufacturing, wood products, tourism, education and government.

Some familiar companies with Rogue Valley headquarters or divisions include 3M, Lithia Motor Group and Amy’s Kitchen. The Rogue Valley is famous for its pear orchards, and Medford is home to Harry & David’s and Jackson Perkins, world-wide shippers of fruit, food gifts, and roses. Meanwhile, Southern Oregon is fast becoming one of the finest wine producing regions in the country, with at least 25 wineries in operation.

Medford’s city center is headquarters to several hundred businesses employing more than two thousand workers. As the Jackson County seat, agencies representing city, county, state and federal governments are all within walking distance.

Years of community renewal efforts have helped draw businesses, restaurants and cultural venues to downtown Medford. A focus on improved parking and aesthetic upgrades has given the city center a more vibrant atmosphere, aiding current businesses and inviting new development into the area. The proposed Middleford Commons project will add more corporate facilities, residential, retail and commercial space, as well as park blocks to downtown Medford. Lithia Motor Group, a corporate sponsor, plans to locate their headquarters at Middleford Commons by 2009.

Southern Oregon Regional Economic Development, Inc. (SOREDI) offers business assistance and industrial relocation services for both Jackson and Josephine Counties.