Local home availability remained tight in June, Corvallis had only 1.27 months of inventory, Albany had 1.39 months, and Lebanon was at 2.26 months of available homes. For perspective, most experts believe a healthy market has five or six months of available inventory.
In Corvallis, the median asking price was $555,193, and the median sale price was $563,000. Median sale prices in Albany and Lebanon were $435,000 and $384,524, respectively.
“These statistics underscore a consistent trend of low inventory and strong demand in the real estate market. While there were minor fluctuations between May and June, the market remained favorable for sellers,” according to Samantha Alley of Re/Max Integrity Real Estate. “The number of active listings and homes under contract or pending remained steady or slightly increased, indicating that buyers might face fierce competition and potentially encounter higher prices when searching for their dream homes in these areas. It’s a challenging market, but with perseverance and a keen eye, buyers can still find their perfect piece of real estate.”
New C-Suit Hire at NuScale: Carl Fisher has a new job at everyone’s favorite hometown nuclear energy company, NuScale Power. He’ll start work as the new Chief Operating Officer on July 24.
Fisher has been in the nuclear field for more than 20 years. He began his career with the United States Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, where he was involved in naval nuclear reactor operations and managed instrumentation and control startup, operations, maintenance, and commissioning activities.
He continued his nuclear industry career with Framatome in various management roles in instrumentation and control, electrical systems, hardware and product modernizations, engineering, and customer accounts and government affairs over a 20-year period.
“We are very pleased to welcome Carl to our senior leadership team,” said John Hopkins. “His two plus decades of experience in the nuclear industry will be pivotal to NuScale as we advance to the manufacturing phase of our VOYGR™ small modular reactor.”
As COO, Fisher will lead operations, engineering, project management, quality assurance, information technology, and regulatory affairs functions and report to John Hopkins, NuScale’s President and Chief Executive Officer.
Like many of NuScale’s recent hires, Fisher has global experience, which started when he was at Duke Energy International in Hong Kong, where he managed energy commercial development efforts in Australia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Thailand, and the Philippines.
Fisher holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Queens University.
Karin Feldman, who has served in the role of interim COO since January 6, 2023, will return to her previous position as Vice President, Program Management Office.
Child Care Opportunities: Oregon lawmakers passed two bills this year that may spell opportunity in the child care field. The first is geared for small startups, SB 599 requires landlords to allow child care services to operate in rental homes when tenants meet certain requirements.
The second bill aims to help facilities expand. HB 3005 creates the Early Childhood Infrastructure Fund, a $100 million grant and loan program to help eligible child care providers increase capacity. The program will be administered through Business Oregon in coordination with the Department of Early Learning and Care.
Child Care Future: HB 2727 won’t impact anything now, but it will probably mean increased child care facility build-outs later. The bill directs the Department of Land Conservation and Development, in consultation with the Department of Early Learning and Care, to convene a workgroup to examine the impact land use regulations, zoning ordinances, building codes and permitting practices have on the supply of child care services and facilities.
And, here’s your business events calendar….
Property Manager Pre-License Class: If you love problem solving, working with people and multitasking, then this in-demand property management class is for you. This course prepares you for the State of Oregon Property Manager License Exam and covers the role of property managers, tenant relations, fair housing, lease agreements, and more. You must attend all class sessions through Zoom and have online access to complete the self-study portion of this course.
Offered through Zoom video conferencing by the Linn-Benton Community College Small Business Development Center. Starts Tuesday, July 11, from 6 to 8 pm, this class runs for seven sessions ending Aug. 22. $600. Click here for more information and to register.
Free Going Into Business Class: Offered by the LBCC Small Business Development Center – in just one session, you’ll get all the basic information you will need to begin planning a successful business. Rules, regulations, financing, customers, markets, and feasibility will all be discussed in this FREE seminar! This seminar is offered through Zoom video conferencing.
6:30 to 7:20 pm, Tuesday, July 11. Click here for more information and to register.
40th Annual Chamber Golf Scramble: 9 am to 2 pm, Tuesday, July 13 at Trysting Tree Golf Course
Women in Business: Sarah Matson has been coaching and growing leaders for 14 years as a Holistic Life Guide. She is a certified NLP Practitioner and Time Line Therapy Guide. She loves supporting people as they breakthrough their negative limitations and live into a future that is free and purposeful.
12 to 1 pm, Wednesday, July 19, at The Vue Corvallis, 517 SW 2nd Street. Click here to register.
By The Corvallis Advocate staff, with statehouse reporting from Oregon Business & Industry
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