Business Digest.

Byline: The Register-Guard

CITY/REGION

Event to offer help on training grants

The Oregon Workforce Investment Board has $2 million available for grants to help Oregon employers upgrade the skills of their workers.

To brief grant applicants, the Lane Workforce Partnership is sponsoring a "bidders conference" on Thursday from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. It will be held at the Downtown Athletic Club at 999 Willamette St. in Eugene.

Businesses, industry associations, unions in partnerships with businesses and others are invited to submit grant proposals. The grants will be distributed in amounts of $150,000 or less.

For more information, call the Lane Workforce Partnership at 682-3800 or e-mail [e-mail].

Centennial to pay quarterly dividend

PORTLAND - Centennial Bancorp on Tuesday announced that it will pay common stockholders on Nov. 1 a four-cents-a-share dividend.

The Portland-based holding company of Centennial Bank said stockholders of record on Oct. 15 will receive the dividend, the sixth consecutive quarterly payout since last year.

Centennial has announced it will be acquired by Portland-based Umpqua Holdings Corp. in a stock and cash deal that is expected to close on Nov. 15.