Category Business
COLUMN: A diverse workforce mix helps Salem bounce back from recessions
Government workers are a far larger share of Salem’s workforce than average, shielding the city somewhat from the impacts of economic downturns. (Graphic by Pamela Ferrara/Special to Salem Reporter) Salem area workers are employed in a diverse mix of industries and that diversity has had…
High housing costs, low rental inventory are making Salem less affordable
Homes on Tierra Drives Northeast on Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Homes in Salem have become increasingly pricey, and renters are having a hard time finding available units with local vacancy rates below both Portland and national averages. A shortage of both homes…
Record employment posted in Oregon sectors, but recovery remains uneven
The Oregon Employment Department on Tuesday reported a record number of jobs in construction, wholesale trade and professional and business service sectors, but continued declines in employment at private hospitals, residential care facilities and in education. The monthly report is a snapshot, based on surveys sent to…
City grant aims to help Salem child care providers stay in business
Preschool students work on a paper mache project in class (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Leah Peay already had experience working in daycare when she had her first child. Rather than put her daughter in someone else’s care, she decided to open her own business: a small…
As Roth’s Fresh Markets goes corporate, leaders say focus will remain on customer service
Mitch Teal has one piece of advice for the new owners of Roth’s Fresh Markets: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Teal, a Salem commercial real estate broker who has worked with the Roth family since the 1990s, is among many locals with decades…
COLUMN: Pandemic aid helped thousands of Salem residents out of poverty
Poverty rates in the U.S. over time (Pamela Ferrara/Special to Salem Reporter) Government stimulus programs including expanded unemployment benefits and food stamps and payments to businesses and the self-employed helped bring some 70,000 Oregonians and 11 million people across the U.S. above the poverty line…
With interest from low-cost airlines, optimism grows about commercial service at Salem Airport
Empty seats at Salem Municipal Airport. (Troy Brynelson/Salem Reporter) Brent DeHart believes the Salem Municipal Airport is close to having commercial air service. DeHart is a leader in a contingent of local business owners and residents called Fly Salem that have been seeking to restore…
Pandemic, work culture will be guiding priorities for new SAIF leader
Chip Terhune was named president and CEO of SAIF starting July 1, 2021 (Courtesy/SAIF) Chip Terhune had a lot going for him when he applied for the CEO position of SAIF–a not-for-profit, state-chartered workers’ compensation company based in Salem. He had spent time around state…
Salem is eager to resume big events, but labor and supply challenges loom
Determined not to let their planned wedding day be disrupted by the pandemic, Sara Foreman and Alex Younger found a venue in at a West Salem home, keeping to the June 2020 date they set long ago. (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter) When Oregon’s pandemic restrictions lifted…