The Weekly Upbeat
Here’s the latest in economic development news for Yakima County:
04.25.08 New Vision Appoints James Morrison as Business Development Director
New Vision is pleased to announce that
According to New Vision President Dave McFadden: "We are excited to have James join our team. He has a great business background and has excellent customer service skills." Morrison is also pleased with the new job. "I want to build upon my business experience but also make a difference for the
Morrison will be in charge of New Vision’s marketing initiatives and a primary point of contact for new businesses looking at
04.18.08 Canadian RV manufacturer moving to Yakima
YAKIMA, Wash. – A British Columbia recreational vehicle manufacturer announced plans today to move its operations to Yakima, Wash. Adventurer Manufacturing LP of Abbotsford, B.C. plans to begin production on its 2009 product line in Yakima by mid August, according to CEO James EPP.
The family-owned company has manufactured its Adventurer, Slumber Queen, and Diplomat truck campers, motor homes, travel trailers and fifth-wheel lines since 1969. “Adventurer Manufacturing is attracted to Yakima Valley business advantages that drive costs down and promote company growth,” said David McFadden, president of the Yakima County Development Association. “The company will be a welcome addition to our manufacturing industry.”
Adventurer Manufacturing is known for building quality recreational vehicles using its TRU-COMPOSITE© technology. Its products are distributed throughout North America and in Mexico and Australia.
Rising costs associated with the high-value Canadian dollar and the continual inflationary pressure in the greater Vancouver area have overwhelmed cost cutting initiatives and made it increasingly difficult to operate a manufacturing company, according to the company. Relocation to Yakima will allow Adventurer Manufacturing to reduce costs and creating an opportunity for future growth.
“Yakima has an entrepreneurial style that companies find very inviting,” McFadden said. “That kind of supportive environment and the realization of business efficiency keeps them here to grow.”
Adventurer Manufacturing is expected to begin the relocation process in late June when production of current products is completed and the company’s Abbotsford plant is closed. Adventurer Manufacturing’s 2009 line will be available to dealers by late August.
04.11.08 Everts Participates in Trade Mission to Southern California
New Vision Business Development Manager Tammy Everts recently participated in the Team Washington trade mission to the Los Angeles area. Washington State’s Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development (CTED) coordinated the delegation, which included 17 economic development partners from throughout the State and the Director and staff of CTED. Activities included individual appointments, purchasing calls and meeting with targeted prospect companies to support recruitment, retention and expansion in and to Washington State and Yakima County.
The purpose of the mission was to continue to build on marketing Washington State and Yakima County as a place to do business. Southern California is not only prime recruiting territory but it also holds promise for Washington’s existing businesses. “In addition to individual appointments with prospective businesses, I was also able to visit the headquarters of one of our local manufacturers and visit with a corporate site selector”, said Everts. “We were pleased with the caliber of companies that are considering locating outside the Southern California region.”
Senior VP and Chief Economist of the LA County Economic Development Corp Jack Kyser was the featured speaker at a team breakfast. Kyser spoke about trends in the aerospace industry in Southern California, and noted that the indirect job multipliers for aerospace jobs are 1 to 1.8, compared to retail of 1 to .6, meaning that for every aerospace job, there are 1.8 indirect jobs created. “In light of our recent target industry study that identifies the aerospace industry as a potential cluster that is well positioned for our region, we think this is great news,” adds Dave McFadden, New Vision President.
Kyser also noted that industrial vacancy rates are the tightest in the nation; LA County has a 1.5% vacancy rate, and downtown LA is at 0.8%. “This really validates our belief that companies are looking outside the area because of lack of available land and exorbitant land prices. I read something just this week that said if you’re looking for a home, start with the ABC rule…Anywhere But California”, comments Everts. “With a median home price of over $600,000 in the LA area, compared to $160,000 for Yakima County, it’s no wonder companies are interested in other areas.”
04.04.08 Pacific Steel to Double Staff Size
By Mai Hoang, Yakima Herald-Republic
A Montana steel and recycling firm will be expanding its Yakima location, doubling the num-ber of people it employs. Pacific Steel & Recycling has started construction of a larger facility in Terrace Heights that includes a new 20,000-square-foot steel warehouse and office space, along with a 12,000-square-foot building for recycling. Construction of the new facility is expected to be completed by October or November. The company has outgrown its current facility at 309 S. Front St., where it offered only steel services such as custom-cut steel for manufacturers.
Strong demand has made it necessary to increase capacity. The company expects sales to double over the next year, manager Tim Orth said. And with more than eight acres at its new location at 407 Butterfield Road, the facility has room for recycling services. The recycling center, which will have a drive-through, will accept steel, tin, aluminum, copper, brass, aluminum cans and paper products. "It will make us more efficient," Orth said. "We’ll be able to stock more product and serve more people in the area." The Great Falls, Mont., firm has more than 38 locations throughout the Northwest operating centers for steel service, steel distribution and recycling.
The company opened its Yakima facility eight years ago with a handful of employees. The expansion has led to the hiring of six more workers. Orth expects to have 20 full-time employees by next year.
The expansion was encouraging to Dave McFadden of New Vision, the county’s private nonprofit economic development arm. He believes that expansion of small to mid-size businesses, such as Pacific Steel, is key to sustainable economic development. "It’s great to hit the home runs and get big companies in the region, but sometimes it’s the small companies, even the branch offices (of larger companies) that are the engines of economic development," McFadden said.
03.28.08 New Vision Bids a Fond Farewell to Mark Mochel
Recently we received some sad news when Mark Mochel announced his retirement from the development association. Mochel was New Vision’s business development manager for 7+ years. He was responsible for helping local companies grow and stay competitive and Mark worked with over a hundred firms throughout the County during his tenure at our office. Mochel developed a lean manufacturing course for local companies and over 75 businesses have participated in these classes over the last six years. According to New Vision President Dave McFadden: “This is the most popular seminar we ever put on to help local firms and it became a model for other areas around the state. Mark did a fantastic job helping manufacturers learn more about how to modernize their operations.”
At New Vision’s annual meeting in March, Mochel was recognized for his outstanding accomplishments. He spent some great years in our office but also dedicated nearly 40 years of his professional and personal life to improve our community. We wish Mark well and hope he enjoys retirement.
03.21.08 New Vision Unveils Blueprint Yakima: Strategic Action Plan Shapes Future Economic Development Efforts
New Vision, the Yakima County Development Association, unveiled a new blueprint for economic development at the organization’s annual meeting on March 20, 2008. The strategic plan, prepared by AngelouEconomics, identifies the region’s economic strengths and challenges, establishes target industries for future growth and lays out an aggressive course of action to help diversify the regional economy.
New Vision recently retained nationally recognized AngelouEconomics to undertake a regional target industry study to identify potential industry clusters and provide specific recommendations and strategies to attract these industries. “We are excited about the results of this study,” notes David McFadden, New Vision President. “It not only reaffirms that we have been doing a lot of things right, but gives us a fresh perspective of our assets, some new target industries to seek and innovative strategies for economic growth”.
The final report is a culmination of a four month effort to develop an innovative five-year plan which provides a roadmap to increased prosperity while maintaining the area’s high quality of life. “Yakima County has a lot of economic momentum right now,” remarks Angelos Angelou, Principal, AngelouEconomics. “This strategic plan can help harness that energy and build on the current community efforts for economic development”.
The study identified the region’s strengths and opportunities, mapped out a strategic plan for implementation and also identified six potential target industries for recruitment efforts. Strengths include the county’s ideal location with close proximity to major northwest markets, strong labor market, low median age, affordable cost of living and diverse population. Opportunities to achieve greater economic development lie in the development of the former Boise Cascade mill site, fostering entrepreneurship and attracting and retaining young professionals and boosting internal pride. "The community has every reason to be proud of its accomplishments", noted Angelou.
The county is well positioned for a number of possible clusters, or target industries for recruitment. The six types are:
• Logistics and distribution
• High value agriculture products
• Medical and health care
• Industrial supplies and machinery
• Aerospace
• Business and professional services
“This new blueprint has given us some specific steps and direction necessary to realize our economic potential”, adds McFadden, “We plan to establish target industry teams right away and work on building workforce partnerships to support key sectors. Our association recently held a retreat and we are also looking closely at the formation of an entrepreneur’s network and strategies to help the region recruit and retain skilled workers and professionals.”
To read more about this exciting project, you can download the full report (120 pages, large PDF) or a shorter executive summary.
03.14.08 Gateway to Yakima Changing: Plans for old sawmill site taking shape
The City of Yakima is working on the first phase of redevelopment of the former Boise Cascade sawmill site located at the edge of Interstate 82. The City is working cooperatively with the owners of the 200+ acre site to evaluate the location and identify costs of key public infrastructure needed to support redevelopment.
The first phase will be to identify initial costs and the location of public roads and utilities and complete a market analysis and economic impact assessment. In turn, the developers will conduct a traffic study and complete preliminary designs for a new interchange off of Interstate 82.
Completing the initial feasibility study is an essential first step towards redeveloping this area. The site is one of the few large undeveloped tracts of land on an interstate freeway in Washington State. “This is a major step forward; the mill owners and the city are quickly pushing forward the type of analysis needed to redevelop that site,” said David McFadden, New Vision President. “The mill has been such a fixture for Yakima that this is an enormous opportunity to redevelop the land that is such an important and visual entrance to the entire region”.
03.07.08 New Vision Annual Meeting Unveils New Action Plan
The long anticipated results of an extensive target industry analysis will be unveiled at the New Vision Annual Meeting on March 20th. The event will feature Angelos Angelou, Principal, Angelou Economics who will be presenting “Blueprint Yakima: A New Plan for Economic Progress in the Yakima Valley”.
New Vision retained Austin-based AngelouEconomics last fall to undertake a regional target industry study in order to identify potential industry clusters and provide specific recommendations and strategies to attract these industries.
“We think the plan is exciting,” comments Dave McFadden, New Vision President. “It really reaffirms that we have been doing a lot of things right, and provides some detailed strategies to address some of our region’s challenges.”
The New Vision Board is in the process of framing up the agency’s Five Year Plan and the organization is poised to begin implementation of the strategic plan.
The celebratory event on the 20th will be held from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., at the Yakima Convention Center and will feature heavy hors d’oeuvres, wine tasting and more. $25 per person or $200 for a table of ten.
There are still spots available for the event – if you would like to attend, please call 575-1140 or email newvision@ycda.com.
02.29.08 The glass is half full – economic trends indicate strong growth
The latest Yakima County economic indicators point to solid growth fundamentals in the regional economy:
- The rate of population growth is 23.3%, exceeding the national average of 20.3%
- The region has experienced strong employment growth over the past six years, growing at a rate (6.5%) more than double the national average (3.1%)
- Record low unemployment rates (6.3% average for 2007) and a rapidly growing labor force indicate the area’s growing economic strength and momentum.
Key demographics are also encouraging:
- Yakima County has a low median age (31.7 vs. 36.5 national).
- The low median age has increased very modestly since 1990.
- The low age and low rate of growth is a strong and unique asset for companies looking to locate or expand in a region with a young workforce.
Visit the ‘Weekly Upbeat Archives’ for 2007 updates or to read the PDF for these updates:
02.08.08 Italstone-U.S. Custom stone fabricator expanding to Yakima: Hood River, Ore.-based Italstone to open production, retail facility PDF
02.01.08 InfoTek Research Relocates Headquarters to Yakima County, Washington PDF
01.25.08 Blueline Manufacturing Expanding Operations in Sunnyside Business Park PDF
01.18.08 Yakima Region Housing Market Bucks National Trends PDF
01.11.08 Costco Purchases Plug & Play Site for Call Center Expansion PDF
01.04.08 Yakima County’s Assets Stack Up for Select Industries PDF
The latest news from YCDA President,