Newberry Regional Partnership
Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Project
Supporting Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs Across Newberry Country
Building on the Strategic Action Plan
We envision a Prosperous Newberry Country where we support small businesses, create family-wage jobs, provide training for the local workforce, and develop housing so that residents can afford to both live and work in the region.
Key strategies under this focus include supporting the new La Pine Small Business Incubator, collaborating on workforce development with Central Oregon Community College (COCC) and Sunriver/La Pine Economic Development (SLED), recruiting businesses to the La Pine Industrial Park, creating a more defined and walkable downtown in La Pine, and strengthening the broader economic ecosystem.
The Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Assessment is a direct next step in implementing these strategies. By mapping the existing support available to local entrepreneurs and small businesses, we can identify strengths, gaps, and opportunities to better connect people with resources, build capacity, and design new or improved services that help businesses thrive.
This work advances the Prosperous Newberry Country goals in the Strategic Action Plan 2025–2030—supporting small businesses and creating family-wage jobs so residents can live and work in the region.
Funding
Funded by a Business Oregon Rural Opportunity Initiative (ROI) grant (2025–27 biennium). NRP was one of 18 organizations selected statewide.
“The Rural Opportunity Initiative (ROI) is Business Oregon’s strategic effort to empower rural communities to support entrepreneurs and small business growth. ROI helps strengthen and consolidate entrepreneurial ecosystems across Oregon’s rural communities, with an emphasis on diverse and low-income populations.”
Business Oregon describes the project as convening entrepreneurs and stakeholders “to conduct a comprehensive Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Assessment, working directly with local businesses and service providers to map existing assets and identify gaps that hinder entrepreneurial success.”
Learn more about Business Oregon’s ROI program →
Entreprenurial Ecosystem
- Identify existing services, assets, and resources available to small businesses and entrepreneurs
- Highlight gaps and opportunities for improvement
- Determine where stronger coordination or easier navigation could better connect entrepreneurs with support
- Identify where current services need additional capacity
- Pinpoint where new or redesigned services could help regional businesses thrive
Together, the ecosystem assessment and the incubator represent concrete progress toward the Prosperous Newberry Country vision—creating family-wage jobs, supporting local entrepreneurs, and ensuring residents can both live and work in this special place.
Get Involved
Contact Kathy DeBone at engage@newberryregionalpartnership.org
La Pine Small Business Incubator:
Construction of the approximately 6,000-square-foot multi-tenant incubator building in the La Pine Industrial Park is underway, with expected completion in Spring 2027. The facility aims to provide the right mix of affordable space, community, structure, and wraparound support to help early-stage traded-sector businesses grow. Services (at no cost to tenants) will include business planning, marketing assistance, counseling, financing guidance, workforce development, and more, delivered in partnership with EDCO’s Venture Catalyst, the Central Oregon Innovation Hub, and others. The incubator is currently seeking tenants.
For incubator inquiries: Contact Patricia Lucas, Executive Director, Sunriver/La Pine Economic Development (SLED), at (248) 693-3049 or sledexecutivedirector@gmail.com