Bank grant to COCC to spur job creation

A $25,000 grant from Wells Fargo to Central Oregon Community College will help facilitate business growth and create 12 to 13 jobs in Jefferson and Crook counties.

The college will allocate the funds to its Small Business Development Center, which works with local entrepreneurs through its Small Business Portable Assistance Project.

The center provides management and technical assistance to business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs through workshops and no-cost, one-on-one consulting.

The grant is part of $1.7 million awarded by Wells Fargo through its Rural Investment for Sustainable Economies (RISE) program. The grants assist organizations and programs in Oregon, Washington, California and Alaska that support workforce development and job creation.

“Creating jobs is one of the most effective ways to improve our economy. These funds will help people in rural Central Oregon find work, which has multiple benefits for the community,” said Steve Curley, director of COCC’s Small Business Development Center.

Wells Fargo also donated a $25,000 RISE grant to the nonprofit Neighborhood Economic Development Corporation in Springfield, Ore., for job creation in rural Lane County.

“Wells Fargo understands the importance of workforce development and helping create sustainable communities that have been hard hit with unemployment,” said James Weber, Wells Fargo’s Community Banking district manager for Central Oregon. “These grants will go a long way to reinforce the efforts of these organizations as they focus on helping entrepreneurs and creating jobs in our communities.”

Wells Fargo selected the RISE grant recipients based on their ability to deliver effective workforce development programs; their history of providing measurable, effective programs in their community; their sound fiscal management practices; their proven experience and skills of the management team and program staff; and their ability to accurately analyze program effectiveness.

Serving Oregonians since 1852, Wells Fargo is a diversified, community-based financial services company. It provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 9,000 stores; 12,000 ATMs; and the Internet. Last year Wells Fargo was named the most generous company in America and the most generous bank in Oregon.

For information, contact Steve Curley at (541) 318-3766.