Published August 2003

7E7 a part of county’s larger economic picture

And now, as veteran newscaster Paul Harvey says, the rest of the story:

In the last few months, the business community, along with groups from the city of Everett, Snohomish County, Paine Field, the Port of Everett, the state of Washington and others have been working diligently to convince the Boeing Co. to assemble its new 7E7 Dreamliner at the company’s Everett manufacturing complex.

Some of that work has been done with a megaphone, during news conferences to announce our determination to convince Boeing this is the best place to assemble the Dreamliner.

Some of that work was done at the state Capitol, where Gov. Locke and our legislators worked throughout the last, long nights to make changes to some of our business regulations and taxing structures that hampered the ability of companies such as Boeing to compete assertively in world markets.

And some of the work was done in silence, away from the spotlight, as we worked with organizations expert in putting together the types of presentations required in circumstances such as these.

The proposal has been presented to Boeing, and, by the time you read this, we may know if Everett has made it to the company’s list of finalists. My colleagues and I are confident we will.

Snohomish County has the facilities, assembly experts, engineering teams and will to make the 7E7 Dreamliner program a success here. Just as important, the state of Washington showed it was willing to confront and repair a number of legislative and bureaucratic issues that were hampering the ability of the state’s businesses to be competitive.

Sometimes it seemed as if the 7E7 campaign was the only business story around. That’s where the rest of the story comes in.

Because, while teams of people were putting together the Boeing proposal, scores of others were working on various projects that shared the same goal: to create a sensible and prosperous business climate for all members of our current business community and to create a positive economic future for those who follow us.

In just the last few weeks, we’ve seen the results of that work. For example:

Lake Stevens
A partnership between the Economic Development Council of Snohomish County, the Greater Lake Stevens Chamber of Commerce, area businesses and the city of Lake Stevens is fostering the concept of a civic facility, a view corridor from the city’s downtown area to the lake, and improved parking and traffic flow.

As a first step, the Greater Lake Stevens Chamber of Commerce, aided by additional private business donations, has voted to update a 1997 plan for downtown revitalization.

In its role as catalyst, the EDC made presentations to civic, business and community groups about the business and community benefits of such a plan, sponsored an Evergreen Crescent tour that included the similar communities of Langley and Port Townsend, and worked with the city to sponsor a study on the feasibility of a civic or business event center near the waterfront.

The work is part of the EDC’s Centers Project, which facilitates public and private partnering to develop world-class mixed-use urban and neighborhood centers in Snohomish County’s designated urban growth areas. Providing resource materials, research on community development and the tools to assist in building strong communities is an EDC priority.

The first step of the Lake Stevens project will be to create concept plans to visually demonstrate the civic improvements that could result from enhancements to the downtown street system that would give better access to the lake and strengthen the new view corridor. Those plans are expected to be completed by Sept. 15.

Mukilteo
Just a few weeks ago, Travis Industries announced plans to relocate to the Centre 41 complex in Mukilteo. Travis is the largest privately owned manufacturer of hearth products in the United States, producing stoves, fireplace inserts and fireplaces that burn gas, wood and wood pellets, including brands such as Lopi and Avalon. Travis will be consolidating five separate facilities in Kirkland and Woodinville into 476,000 square feet at Centre 41.

In making the announcement, Travis President Kurt W.F. Rumens cited the quality of the manufacturing and distribution facilities, obtainable at a good value.

The Travis decision was an excellent example of various groups working together for the economic benefit of all. As Boeing Realty Vice President Collette Temmink said at the time, the agreement demonstrates Boeing’s continuing commitment to transitioning surplus real estate in a way that creates new value for employees, communities and Boeing shareholders.

Granite Falls, Darrington, Sultan
Carolyn Eslick, of the EDC’s circuit rider program, is working with the communities of Sultan, Granite Falls and Darrington to enhance each city’s local economy and to stabilize its business community.

Whether it is cutting through red tape, finding an expert to solve a business conundrum or pulling together groups of business colleagues to tackle old challenges in new ways, Carolyn Eslick and these cities are combining forces to diversify economies, create appealing downtown districts, support existing merchants and attract new business.

Our economic future is up to us. Large or small, successful business communities that work together to pool effort and expertise will always come out ahead. That’s why, whether it is working to win the 7E7 Dreamliner assembly or enticing more travelers to spend time exploring Granite Falls, the EDC is committed to programs that enhance sensible business decisions and provide economic opportunity for all.

Because, in the end, that will be the story.

Deborah Knutson is president of the Snohomish County Economic Development Council. She can be reached at 425-743-4567 or by e-mail to dknutson@snoedc.org.

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