EDCO names new Prineville development mgr.
Economic Development for Central Oregon announce Wednesday the hiring of Russell Deboodt to head up economic development efforts for the Prineville/Crook County area, starting October 1.
In this role, he will be working to help local traded-sector companies grow, helping with recruitment projects in a variety of industrial sectors and capitalizing on the data center cluster that is forming in the Prineville area.
A Prineville native, Deboodt is returning to the community via Portland and Corvallis after earning an undergraduate degree in Horticulture Business and later an MBA from Oregon State University.
“I was extremely impressed with the highly qualified finalists we interviewed,” said Steve Forrester, Prineville city manager. “Russ Deboodt was our standout. He is vested in the community with a history of service and understands our economics and culture from first-hand experience. These qualities—combined with his education, passion and enthusiasm—gave Russ the edge.”
As a volunteer, Deboodt has continued to be involved in his home town, volunteering for the Crooked River Roundup, the Crook County Future Farmers of America Alumni, and served as Director of Crook County’s Farm Bureau Scholarship Golf Tournament. In Portland, Deboodt has been involved with the nonprofit Catalyst Partnership, which assists those with physical or financial limitations with home repairs.
Mid Oregon Personnel conducted the professional search on behalf of EDCO for the position, which has become an important leadership role in the local community. “We were very pleased with the caliber of people and their sincere interest in the work of economic development,” said Greg Lambert, President of Mid Oregon Personnel.
“An excellent panel of top local leaders volunteered to help us interview for this position, and the selection of Russ was unanimous,” noted EDCO Executive Director Roger Lee. “We are eager to have him take the economic development program in Crook County to the next level.”
Deboodt replaces Jason Carr, who left the position last month to become the Executive Director of Partnership to End Poverty after nearly five years and considerable success in both recruitment and retention expansion efforts.
About Economic Development for Central Oregon
Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) is a private non-profit corporation founded over 30 years ago and dedicated to building a vibrant and thriving regional economy by attracting new investment and traded-sector jobs (manufacturing, professional, headquarters and high technology businesses) through marketing, recruitment and substantive assistance to existing companies. Learn more about EDCO at www.edcoinfo.com.
