Plastics firm relocating to Othello

Extrustion Technology has been 20 years in the moving

There's one word for the future of Othello: Plastics.

The Extrusion Technology Company will be moving from its base in Lakewood to Othello later in the year.

"We started talking to people over there, and they've been the most helpful and very interested in having us there," said Extrusion Technology spokesman Lonnie Force. "We love the whole area, and met a lot of nice people in Moses Lake as well."

Force said that the people he met with in Moses Lake did not seem very interested in having the company move to town.

"They were maybe just busy with other things, I don't know," he said.

Force said there are "a myriad" of reasons to make the move, including the quality of life in the area and the cost of doing business, including real estate, electricity and utilities.

"Our goal is to have very good, loyal employees and we don't mind paying them," Force said. "We're not coming over there to save money on employees, that's not the purpose."

"Their payscale on the payroll is either comparable or higher than most local start-ups," said Maxine Taylor, administrator of the Port of Othello. "One of the reasons I think he's coming here is Mr. Force is interested in a place that supports industry as opposed to some of the trouble he's had where he's currently located."

The move to Othello began about 20 years ago, said Othello city administrator Ehman Sheldon.

Sheldon said he was with another city, and had applied for a community development block grant. He needed an anchor tenant to qualify for the grant, and found Force, who had a business on the west side, and agreed to move to eastern Washington.

But before Force could receive approval on the grant, Force sold his company. The two remained acquaintances over the years, and Sheldon invited Force to his son's wedding reception. Force shared his frustrations with the electrical rates and congestion of his current location, and Sheldon said he told Force, "I've got a deal for you."

"It's a diversity from agriculture, and any diversity from agriculture is welcome as long as it's not some sort of polluting company," Sheldon said. "There are no pollutants in this company."

Taylor reiterated that fact, and said that the plastic material the Extrusion Technology Company uses is based on polylactic acid, and is a vegetable-based plastic rather than one that is petroleum-based.

Force said that plastic extrusions include vinyl windows and items for boats and agriculture.

"It's pretty varied and there's some new things that are going to develioment that will bring about a lot of new business," he said.

The Port is going to use revenue bond financing to buy the property that Force wants, build a building and construct a rail spur, Taylor said. The facility will be served by Columbia Basin Railroad, and will be adding rail cars as the plant expands, she said. The company will primarily use rail to ship.

Sheldon said that there are two sites Force is looking at, both in the south part of Othello, one that is privately owned and one owned by the city.

Over the next few years, Force said that the company will hire somewhere between 250 and 300 employees.

The hope is to have the company open and operating by winter or spring, Force said.

"We will be over there taking applications and doing interviews in the next few weeks," he said.

"I feel that if they come and are successful, there's a good chance they will attract additional industry of the same type," Taylor said.