Collaborative EDO

10/08/2026

🔥 TONIGHT: WHAT IF YOUR LEADERSHIP COULD BECOME OWNERSHIP?

You’ve built a career. You’ve led people. You know how to create culture, solve problems, and get results.

What if the next thing you built was a business?

Tonight in Eugene, we’re opening the door to a conversation most people never get to have:

🐔 What does it actually take to become a Chick-fil-A Owner-Operator?

Hear directly from local Chick-fil-A Owner-Operators and the corporate support team about the opportunity, the selection process, what they’re looking for and what life on the other side of that decision really looks like.

And here’s something that may surprise you:
Restaurant experience isn’t required. Leadership is.

If you’re an experienced professional who has ever thought, “I’m ready to build something of my own”, this is the room to be in tonight.

📍 Farmers Market Pavilion & Plaza | Eugene
📅 TONIGHT — Thursday, October 8
⏰ 4:30–6:30 PM

Don’t overthink it. Come hear the story. Ask the questions. See if this path could be yours.

👉 There’s still time to join us: https://buytickets.at/collaborativeedo/2390707

Know someone who should be in this room? Send them this post right now. Sometimes one invitation changes the direction of a career.

10/07/2026

🚨 IF YOU WORK IN LANE COUNTY HEALTHCARE, THIS IS A ROOM YOU WANT TO BE IN.

The Lane County Healthcare Sector Partnership is coming back together Thursday, October 15, and this isn’t a sit-and-listen kind of convening.

👉 Register now and join us at the table! https://buytickets.at/collaborativeedo/2435428

Since our last gathering, partners across healthcare, workforce, education, and economic development have been moving shared priorities forward, building connections, and tackling challenges that no single organization can solve alone.

Now it’s time to bring the broader sector back into the conversation.

✅ Hear what’s moving forward
✅ Help shape what comes next
✅ Connect with people working on the same challenges you are
✅ Find where your voice, expertise, and organization can plug in

The future of healthcare in Lane County is being shaped by the people who show up.

Will you be one of them?
📅 Thursday, October 15 | 8am - 10am

👉 Register now and join us at the table! https://buytickets.at/collaborativeedo/2435428



Lane Workforce Partnership, Lane County Medical Society, Bushnell University

10/06/2026

WHAT IF YOUR LEADERSHIP COULD BECOME OWNERSHIP?

A different path to entrepreneurship may be closer than you think. ✨

THIS THURSDAY meet Jared Coleman, 🐔 Chick-fil-A Springfield Owner-Operator.

Jared’s journey started as an hourly team member in college. Today, he leads a business, develops people, and invests in his community.

On October 8, he will share what that path looked like, what he learned along the way, and why he believes the Owner-Operator model creates a unique opportunity to be 🗨️ “in business for yourself, but not by yourself.”

If you’re a strong leader who has ever thought about entrepreneurship, this is a conversation worth being in.

$10,000 initial franchise fee
No restaurant background required
Leadership experience matters

👉 Come meet Jared and explore what the Owner-Operator path could look like for you.

Learn more & Register HERE>>> https://buytickets.at/collaborativeedo/2390707

Lane Workforce Partnership, WorkSource Lane, Lane Small Business Development Center

10/05/2026

📸 FREE PROFESSIONAL HEADSHOTS. 10 YEARS OF LPC. UNA NOCHE DE COMUNIDAD. 🎉

Okayyyy… this is NOT your average Wednesday night. 🔥

This Wednesday, Latino Professionals Connect is celebrating 10 YEARS of connection, opportunity, representation, and comunidad and you’re invited to celebrate con nosotros. ❤️

✨ PLUS: We’re offering FREE professional headshots! ✨

Yep. FREE. Come camera-ready, update that LinkedIn profile, refresh your professional bio, or finally get the headshot you’ve been meaning to take. 📸🙌🏽

📅 Wednesday, October 7
⏰ 5:30–7:30 PM
📍 Springfield Chamber of Commerce
🎟️ FREE to attend

For 10 years, LPC has created a space where Latino professionals can meet, connect, abrir puertas, share opportunities, and help one another grow.

So whether you’ve been part of LPC desde el principio or this will be your very first Networking Night esta es tu invitación.

Come for the headshot. 😉
Stay for the food.
Make a new connection.
Reconnect with your gente.
And help us celebrate TEN incredible years of LPC.🥳

💛 A very special GRACIAS to Lane Small Business Development Center (Lane SBDC), our event sponsor, for helping us bring this celebration to life and for continuing to invest in Latino professionals, entrepreneurs, and opportunity in our community.

10 años de comunidad. 10 años de conexiones. Y apenas estamos comenzando. 🚀

Tag your coworkers. Text your friends. Bring your business cards.

Nos vemos Wednesday! 🎉📸



Collaborative EDO, Oregon Community Foundation, Lane Workforce Partnership

10/02/2026

📣 Lane County employers: Your experience could spark a student’s next big idea.

New school year, new connections!
Join us at the CareerReady Lane Networking Event to meet local educators and community partners and explore ways to bring your industry into the classroom.

Share the skills your business needs, build relationships, and help students discover career possibilities right here in Lane County.

Whether you’re already involved or just curious about getting started, come grab a bite and meet your future classroom partners!

🗓️ Thursday, October 15
🕟 4:30–6:30 PM
📍 Ninkasi Better Living Room | 155 Blair Alley, Eugene
🍴 Light refreshments provided!

Your knowledge. Their potential. Let’s make the connection.

👉 RSVP here: https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLSdwdonTcdDtQJ.../viewform



Lane Education Service District, Lane Workforce Partnership, PIVOT Architecture, Collaborative EDO

10/01/2026

Your Notes app is not a business partner. 👀

Neither are those 27 open browser tabs.

You’ve brainstormed. Googled. Talked yourself into it. Talked yourself out of it. Now try a conversation with someone who gets it.

☕ Startup Coffee Meetup is your invitation to get out of your own head and into the room!

Whether you’re building a business, exploring an idea, or working through a “what now?” moment, join fellow entrepreneurs for a morning of real conversations and fresh perspectives.

Bring your “Has anyone tried this?”
Your “I could use another perspective.”
Your “I think I might be onto something.”

You don’t have to have it all figured out to pull up a chair.

📅 Thursday, October 8
🕘 9–10 AM
📍 Lane Community College SBDC Downtown Campus

Close a few tabs. Open a few conversations.

LEARN MORE HERE>>> https://www.collaborativeedo.org/events/2026-10-08-startup-coffee-meetups



Lane Small Business Development Center, Lane Workforce Partnership, Cascades West Innovation Hub, University of Oregon Lundquist College of Business, Regional Accelerator & Innovation Network

09/30/2026

☀️ Veneta showed up and so did the sunshine! 🙌

What a fantastic evening for our Veneta PubTalk on Business Formation!

Against the backdrop of the beautifully renovated Smitty’s in downtown Veneta, entrepreneurs, business leaders, community partners, and neighbors came together to connect, learn, and share.

And that’s exactly what happened. 💡

🤝 Real connections were made.
💬 Honest conversations were had.
🧠 Knowledge and experience were shared.
🌱 And hopefully, a few new ideas were sparked along the way.

A huge THANK YOU to our incredible panelists and moderator for sharing their time, expertise, and real-world perspectives and to Shannon Baldwin of House of Ember & Huggenkiss Bakery for taking the stage, sharing her pitch and her incredible chili crisp foccacia! Do not miss her at the next Saturday market.

And most importantly, thank you to everyone who joined us! Events like this work because people show up ready to meet someone new, ask questions, share what they know, and support the people building businesses in our communities.

Beautiful weather. A beautiful space. An event full of great people.

Veneta, you were a pretty great place for a PubTalk. ❤️



Cascades West Innovation Hub, Lane Small Business Development Center, SCORE Mentors, Oregon Entrepreneurs Network, Lane Workforce Partnership, City of Veneta, WorkSource Lane, Mid Lane Cares, Regional Accelerator & Innovation Network

09/28/2026

🍻 PubTalks is coming to Smitty’s TOMORROW and you’re invited.

Got a business idea? Building something of your own? Or just curious about what it *actually* takes to turn an idea into a business?

Join us for Make It Official: A Veneta PubTalk on Business Formation, an evening of good conversation, local connections, and practical insight for entrepreneurs at every stage.

🔥 Hear a live pitch from Shannon Baldwin of House of Ember & HuggenKiss Bakery
🎤 Dig into business formation with a panel of local experts
🤝 Meet the people and organizations that can actually help you move your business forward
🍻 And check out the newly renovated **Smitty’s Veneta!**

📅 TOMORROW - Tuesday, September 29
⏰ 4:00–6:00 PM
📍 Smitty’s | 24993 W Broadway, Veneta

No stuffy conference room. No endless PowerPoints. Just entrepreneurs, experts, resources, and real conversations.

👀 Tomorrow after work. Smitty’s. Be there.

🎟️ Grab your spot: https://buytickets.at/collaborativeedo/2381876



City of Veneta, Lane Workforce Partnership, Lane Small Business Development Center, Regional Accelerator & Innovation Network. Oregon Entrepreneurs Network, Veneta - Fern Ridge Chamber of Commerce

*PubTalks is a registered trademark of Oregon Entrepreneurs Network

PubTalks: Make it Official ~ A Veneta PubTalk on Business Formation – Smitty's 24993 West Broadway, Veneta, OR 97487, Tue Sep 29, 2026 - Have a business idea, a side hustle ready to grow, or a venture you are finally ready to make official? Join us for a special PubTalk on Tuesday, September 29 fr...

09/25/2026

FRIDAY CHECK-IN: Weekend plans? ✅

But… what are you doing Tuesday? 👀

If your calendar is looking a little too empty, we’ve got you.

🍻 Veneta PubTalk: Make It Official!
📅 Tuesday, September 29
⏰ 4–6 PM
📍 Smitty’s Veneta

Come grab a drink, meet some great people, hear a local founder pitch, and get the real scoop on what it takes to turn a business idea into an actual business.

Thinking about starting something? Already building something? Just entrepreneur-curious?

This is your Tuesday night.

Tag your business buddy, send this to the friend who’s always saying “I have an idea…,” and come hang out with us in Veneta.

See you Tuesday. 🍻✨

Learn more and register here: https://buytickets.at/collaborativeedo/2381876



Oregon Entrepreneurs Network, Cascades West Innovation Hub, Lane Small Business Development Center, SCORE Mentors, Jones & Roth CPAs and Business Advisors, odr.com, Lane Workforce Partnership, Regional Accelerator & Innovation Network, City of Veneta

09/24/2026

One of the most sought-after franchise opportunities in the country is also one of the least understood.

So we’re bringing the people who actually know how it works to Eugene. 👀

On October 8, Collaborative Economic Development Oregon is hosting an in-person conversation with local Chick-fil-A Restaurants Owner-Operators and a member of Chick-fil-A’s corporate support team about what it really takes to pursue this opportunity.

🐔 Not the internet version.

✅ The actual expectations
✅ The leadership commitment
✅ The selection process
✅ The misconceptions
✅ And the realities of operating the business day to day

For our network, this is the part we think is especially interesting:

💡 Chick-fil-A isn’t simply looking for someone who wants to own a restaurant. It is looking for people prepared to lead teams, build culture, operate a business hands-on, and invest deeply in their communities.

That means the right person may already be in our network and may not have ever considered themselves a “restaurant person.”

Maybe they’re an executive. 💼
A nonprofit or community leader. 🤝
A seasoned manager. 📈
An entrepreneur. 🚀
A veteran. 🎖️

Or simply an exceptional people-leader wondering what their next chapter could look like.

If that sounds like you, come ask the questions yourself.

And if someone came to mind while you were reading this, send this their way. 👋

📅 October 8
📍 Farmers Market Pavilion | Eugene
🎟️ Learn more + register: https://buytickets.at/collaborativeedo/2390707