Oct 29, 2025 | AOC Business Partner
Sponsored content contributed by AOC Business Partner: NW Natural
Our region is at a critical energy juncture, and there is a growing need for coordinated energy sector planning. While historically, gas and electric utilities have done their planning separately, more stakeholders are recognizing the interdependence of today’s energy landscape.
Electricity demand in the Pacific Northwest continues to grow in large part due to data centers, manufacturing, and electrification. As that demand grows, natural gas plays a vital role in filling the power gap, especially during extreme weather events. January 2024’s winter storm illustrated just how vital coordination across utilities—and investments in both gas and electric infrastructure—continue to be.
How do we meet the region’s growing energy demand while maintaining reliability, affordability, and resiliency? That is what a group of regional gas and electric providers are coming together to address.
Last month, this work was showcased at the Regional Energy Symposium, a gathering hosted by Pacific Northwest Utilities Conference Committee, Northwest Gas Association, Western Power Pool, and Public Generating Pool. The symposium convened policymakers, utility leaders, regulators, and other stakeholders to discuss the challenges of joint energy planning and how to address them. This work will continue to be a significant priority for NW Natural and our partners over the coming years.
As NW Natural readies our system and storage facilities to meet winter’s energy demands, there are also things you can do to prepare for the winter!
Going without electricity for more than a few hours can turn an inconvenience into a significant concern. Many natural gas appliances work in a power outage including:
- Cooktops
- Fireplaces
- Many hot water heaters
- Backup natural gas generators
Click here for helpful videos on how these natural gas appliances can operate safely even when the power is out.
An appliance inspection and tune-up can lower gas bills, improve equipment efficiency, and extend the life of appliances.
We know people are experiencing higher costs of living, and bills can be challenging. NW Natural offers a variety of payment assistance programs including our income-eligible bill discount program.
*NW Natural works in the following Oregon counties: Benton, Clackamas, Clatsop, Columbia, Coos, Douglas, Hood River, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Multnomah, Polk, Tillamook, Wasco, Washington, and Yamhill.
Oct 29, 2025 | AOC Business Partner
Sponsored content contributed by AOC Business Partner: The Partners Group
As a commercial insurance broker specializing in public entities, we often hear a familiar refrain: “We don’t handle sensitive data directly, our vendors do.” Whether it’s a county outsourcing tax payment processing, a city using a cloud provider for record storage, or a school district contracting payroll to a third-party app, many organizations believe that shifting operations to vendors also shifts the cyber risk. Unfortunately, that assumption can be costly and dangerous.
Third-Party Reliance Doesn’t Eliminate Liability
When a public entity uses outside vendors for IT, billing, data management, or any other online activity, the exposure doesn’t disappear. Most contracts with third-party providers include liability limitations and hold-harmless clauses that protect the vendor, not the municipality or district. If a vendor’s system is breached and residents’ personal data is exposed, your entity will likely still bear the brunt of public scrutiny, notification obligations, regulatory fines, and legal costs. Even if the vendor bears the costs of repairing data, your organization may be unable to provide essential services for weeks or months. The time it takes to return to business in ransomware attacks ranges from three weeks to up to many months.
You can outsource operations, but you can’t outsource accountability. Cyber insurance ensures that when a vendor fails, your services remain financially protected, and most policies also provide forensic and IT experts and communications professionals to get services up and running as soon as possible with appropriate public and internal communications.
Real-World Example: Business Interruption From Vendor Outage
Consider a regional water district that relied on a third-party software vendor to manage billing and service requests. When the vendor’s servers were hit by ransomware, the district couldn’t issue bills for over six weeks. The disruption didn’t occur on their own network, but the result was the same: lost revenue, overtime for manual workarounds, and reputational damage.
A well-structured cyber policy covers these business interruption losses, even when caused by a third-party service provider. Without that coverage, the district must absorb the financial hit while still fielding angry calls from residents.
Phishing: The Human Element
Cyber incidents are often sophisticated but bad actors’ access is often very basic and relies on human error or psychology. One small Oregon city fell victim to a phishing attack in which an employee received an email appearing to be from a vendor requesting updated banking information. Payments were redirected to a fraudulent account for nearly a month before detection. The funds were unrecoverable.
This is a classic case of social engineering, a coverage extension under most cyber policies. Even well-trained staff can make mistakes under pressure. Cyber insurance helps recover the financial losses from these scams and can also cover forensic investigation, notification, and legal response.
Public Entities Are Prime Targets
Public institutions maintain large databases of personal information, often with lean IT resources and outdated infrastructure. Hackers know that municipalities and school districts can’t afford extended downtime, making public entities prime targets for ransomware and extortion.
Even if your entity uses a vendor for email, payroll, and data storage, you’re still responsible for ensuring the continuity of essential services and protecting constituent data. Cyber insurance fills the gaps that neither general liability nor vendor agreements address.
The Bottom Line
Third-party vendors play a vital role in modern government operations, but they are not your safety net. A single breach, outage, or phishing attack can ripple across essential services, disrupt budgets, and erode public trust. Cyber insurance is a fundamental layer of protection for every public entity, regardless of size or sophistication. The Partners Group specializes in providing this coverage to match and protect your needs.
Oct 29, 2025 | AOC Business Partner
Sponsored content contributed by AOC Business Partner: Covenant Global
Not long ago, one of our clients — a mid-sized organization responsible for critical community services — had a wake-up call that changed how they viewed cybersecurity forever.
It started like any other week. Then, late one evening, unusual activity appeared on their network: a legitimate business program being used for malicious intent. Within an hour, our team, supported by Fortify’s layered protections, detected and contained the threat before it could spread.
By the next morning, the organization’s leadership was side-by-side with our engineer reviewing every device, seeing firsthand the difference between being caught off guard and being prepared. Exhausted but grateful, they said what so many organizations only realize afterward:
“Now I understand. Now I know why this matters.”
That incident could have led to weeks of downtime, disrupted operations, and a loss of public trust. Instead, it became a one-day lesson in why a strong cybersecurity foundation is not optional — it’s operational resilience in action.
Fortify: Strength Through Preparedness
Covenant Global’s Fortify framework was built for organizations that protect people, data, and public trust.
Fortify strengthens your Microsoft environment, hardens configurations, and establishes continuous monitoring and governance aligned with CISA and CIS 18 standards. It’s a proactive approach to compliance and security — ensuring your organization is not only protected, but ready to respond and recover when needed.
Cybersecurity isn’t about fear; it’s about foresight. And foresight is leadership.
Let’s Continue the Conversation at the AOC Conference
We’ll be at the AOC Annual Conference in November, and we’d love to connect in person. If you’re ready to take a more proactive approach to cybersecurity, this is the perfect time to start.
Ask us about your Security Score Assessment — a complimentary, data-driven review that benchmarks your Microsoft environment against CISA-recommended security standards.
Together, we can help you protect what matters most: your people, your data, and your ability to serve your community.
Schedule your Security Score Assessment today or stop by our booth at AOC to learn more.
Sep 29, 2025 | AOC Business Partner
Sponsored content contributed by AOC Business Partner: Pence
Public facilities, like courthouses and law enforcement buildings, are among the most complex projects a county can undertake. They must balance safety, accessibility, and functionality, reflect community needs and remain poised for growth. Just as critical, these projects bring together many important voices — commissioners, judges, court staff, law enforcement, architects, engineers, and the public.
To be a true partner, we believe the role of a general contractor extends beyond construction. Our value lies in helping these diverse groups align around a shared vision. This requires not only coordination, but also listening, building trust, and ensuring every partner feels heard and respected.
The expansion and renovation of the Deschutes County Courthouse illustrate this approach. With hard construction costs of $38 million, this 50,933-square-foot project nearly doubles the courthouse’s footprint by adding new courtrooms, jury assembly space, staff offices, sheriff’s offices, and updated security screening and holding facilities. A new entrance and lobby will seamlessly integrate the two buildings while keeping the courthouse fully operational throughout the construction process.
Managing the diverse interests of multiple stakeholders under such conditions is no small task. Pence Project Executive John Williamson explains, “Building courthouses requires consideration of many different voices. Our role is to listen to all parties and ensure every perspective is heard, while keeping the project moving forward.”
That balance begins by setting aligned goals at the outset of the project— a process we call our Project Charter. This combined vision of key project goals helps guide daily decisions, resolve differences, and ensure the project’s success.
During the preconstruction phase, we engage stakeholders in meaningful discussions about cost, schedules, logistics, and design. Throughout construction, we maintain alignment through clear communication channels, from regular OAC meetings to live project dashboards and regular site walks with key stakeholders. By ensuring information is transparent and accessible, we transform potential challenges into opportunities for collaboration. On site at the courthouse, Senior Superintendent Kurt Schwabauer has seen how this approach plays out daily.
“We’re building right alongside active court proceedings. It only works because of the open communication and trust we’ve built with courthouse staff and county leadership. We recognize that those proceedings are critical, and the first priority on site.” says Kurt.
For Deschutes County, this collaborative approach helps ensure the courthouse project — set for completion in 2026 — delivers secure, functional, and future-ready space for the Central Oregon community. For Pence, it reflects what we do best: transforming complexity into clarity, and many voices into one shared vision that leads to successful outcomes.
Sep 25, 2025 | AOC Business Partner
Sponsored content contributed by AOC Business Partner: Covenant Global
Counties are under constant pressure to keep sensitive data secure, yet the question many leaders ask is: “Where do we start?” The good news is there are simple, proven steps to get a clear picture of your current security posture and reduce your risk.
- Email Domain Health
Your email system is one of the most common entry points for attackers. Ensuring that SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting & Conformance) are properly configured protects your organization from email spoofing and phishing attacks. These checks are quick and can reveal whether your email is fully protected—or leaving the door open.
- Dark Web Credential Scan
Compromised logins and passwords are regularly traded on the dark web. A periodic scan can identify if your staff credentials have been exposed. If so, the solution is straightforward: change the password on the compromised site and enable multifactor authentication (MFA) for added protection.
- Security Score Assessment: https://covenant.global/services/whats-your-security-score/
Microsoft’s Secure Score tool benchmarks your security posture against regulatory frameworks such as CJIS, HIPAA, and NIST. This gives you a baseline measurement and a prioritized list of improvements to harden your environment:
Recommended Next Steps
- Request an Email Health Check
- Run a Dark Web Credential Scan
- Get your Secure Score and Action Plan
- Remediate vulnerabilities with qualified support
This proactive approach offers peace of mind and a roadmap for continuous improvement. With high-profile cyber incidents regularly in the news, now is the time to act so your county stays protected—and out of the headlines.
For more information, call (503) 496-4431 or email tellmemore@covenant.global
Aug 26, 2025 | AOC Business Partner
Sponsored content contributed by AOC Business Partner: Energy Trust of Oregon
With support from independent non-profit Energy Trust of Oregon, Clackamas County has opened a modernized, energy-efficient courthouse designed to meet the needs of a growing community while reducing environmental impact and long-term costs.
Located in Oregon City, Clackamas County’s new courthouse was developed through a Public-Private Partnership (P3), an innovative model for a project of this scale. Once the final project design was selected, the county enrolled with Energy Trust to help bring its energy goals to life.
From there, Energy Trust played a key role in helping the county take a holistic approach to energy efficiency. Energy Trust experts looked at the building’s design and identified all potential energy-saving opportunities for the building, both inside and out.
“Energy efficiency was a priority from the start, and we worked closely with the county to make sure smart, cost-effective systems were part of the plan,” said Shelly Carlton, senior program manager at Energy Trust. “The result is a building that’s more affordable to operate, comfortable for staff and visitors, and sustainable for the community.”
Key energy efficiency features in the new courthouse include high-efficiency heating and cooling systems that recover and reuse waste heat, high-performance windows and insulation that minimize energy loss, and long-lasting LED lighting that reduces maintenance needs and energy use. Cash incentives from Energy Trust helped offset the cost of these upgrades.
These features are estimated to reduce energy use by as much as 140,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity each year – enough to power at least 10 Oregon homes – and cut natural gas use by up to 25,000 therms, the equivalent of what dozens of homes might use in a year. In addition, a large solar array on the roof and carport structures will generate clean energy and further minimize energy bills for the county.
“Energy efficiency is a smart way to manage public dollars,” said Scott Anderson, Clackamas County Public Information Officer. “With support from Energy Trust, we’ve built a modern facility that’s not only efficient and cost-effective but also designed to provide significantly more room and security for courthouse staff and visitors, and to serve the community for decades to come.”
Energy Trust works with communities across Oregon to improve public buildings and invest in infrastructure that works better now and in the future. Support is available at every stage of a project – from early design through construction – and includes expert technical guidance, help identifying funding opportunities and cash incentives that reduce up-front costs.
Have a public building in need of upgrades? Energy Trust can help. Learn more at www.energytrust.org/newbuildings or visit Energy Trust’s booth at the upcoming AOC Annual Conference in November.
(Photo courtesy of Clackamas County.)
