The PDC interview came up with 3 critical areas that impact software professionals: 1) Education 2) Political Engagement 3) Taxes & Fees

The goal of the meeting will be to break into small groups, read some of the written ideas from the online interview and brainstorm ways for the PDC to address these issues.

Each of the 3 groups will share with the larger group with the goal of reaching consensus around a few ideas for the PDC to pursue.

We'll then go out to the larger community with a second online interview to make sure that we're giving the PDC advice that reflects the entire region.

This is our second community gathering in the process of identifying the elements the City needs to develop in order to have a thriving software cluster in the Portland region.

Our first survey in April helped identify the critical areas the city needed to focus on in order to build the cluster.

Our second survey in July drilled down into some specific ways to address these areas. At this meeting we will share the results of the July survey: • User group support • Creating a directory of local software companies and coders • Mentoring matching • Software company financing

Software is one of only four clusters that the Portland Development Commission is focusing on, so your input on this topic will have a large impact on what ultimately becomes our region's future for software success.