Oregon's two major corporate lobbying groups completed their merger Friday, establishing a new organization to serve as the primary voice of the state's business community.

Oregon Business & Industry replaces the state's oldest business organization, Associated Oregon Industries, and the 17-year-old Oregon Business Association. It claims 1,600 members, and says a larger organization will enable it to lower expenses and amplify its voice.

The two groups completed their merger as legislators wind down the current session, having abandoned plans to overhaul the state's corporate taxes with a new revenue tax that businesses had largely opposed. Both AOI and OBA opposed Measure 97, a business tax rejected by Oregon voters last fall.

OBA formed in 2000 as a more "progressive" alternative to AOI, with founding members that included Portland home remodeler Neil Kelly Co., clothier Norm Thompson, Powell's Books, Sokol Blosser Winery and hardware maker Rejuvenation.

When the two groups agreed to combine last fall, though, they said their interests had converged. OBI's board comprises an equal number of members from each of the prior associations and will retain offices in both Salem and Portland.

Sam Tannahill, chairman of A to Z Wineworks and prior chairman of OBA, chairs the new organization. OBI said it plans to announce a new director in September.

The Portland Business Alliance is also seeking a new director, with longtime leader Sandra McDonough planning to retire next year.

And other voices are emerging in the state's business community, such as Business for a Better Portland, an association of small businesses and tech companies in the metro area. That newly formed organization supports "grassroots social change," and backed the Legislature's efforts this spring to overhaul corporate taxes.

-- Mike Rogoway; twitter: @rogoway; 503-294-7699