Airbus, Asian markets spotlighted at GCEDC banquet

Synergy, translations key for county to compete overseas

MOSES LAKE — When it comes to the economic future of Grant County, optimism reigns supreme, but there are still many steps to be undertaken to achieve international success.

Members of the Grant County Economic Development Council gathered Thursday evening in the Big Bend Community College Advanced Technologies Education Center (ATEC) to hear from GCEDC Executive Director Terry Brewer about the past year and plans for the upcoming 12 months.

Brewer also informed members of his trip to Washington, D.C., earlier in the week, as part of a Grant County delegation to the informational session hosted by the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. (EADS), regarding its plans to open a U.S. manufacturing site within a year, with hopes of building a refueling tanker to compete with the Boeing 767.

Washington, amongst other states, is allowed three possible markets to present three potential sites to EADS for the manufacturing site.

"The board agreed that we measured up very well in 2003 on the Boeing 7E7 — now we need to start calling it the 787 — program, and we thought we could be very competitive in this one," Brewer said of an EDC meeting following EADS' announcement.

Thirty-nine states have indicated to EADS that they will submit information in hopes of being considered for the project. The Washington, D.C. meeting earlier in the week presented a list of criteria that EADS is looking for.

Brewer called the desired criteria "very similar in many ways to the same kind of information and data we had to gather to present to Boeing two years ago, so I think we're in pretty good shape as far as the work goes."

The data will be refreshed and submitted again as part of the state's team. Only states could submit projects. The mayor of Everett, Wash., is saying that city will not participate in the program, Brewer said, so Moses Lake/Grant County International Airport and Spokane may be the only two sites Washington submits.

A decision will be made by EADS by the end of 2005, Brewer said.

He also addressed several other GCEDC's projects over the past year, including present work on two ethanol projects and several manufacturing projects that have placed the area on their short list.

Brewer said that a corporation has put a large distribution center project, now two years in the works, on indefinite hold. He said he called the lead out-of-state person on that project to ensure that the county had done nothing wrong or had not been beaten by another community.

"He said, 'No way — honestly, the corporation just doesn't know when they will do the project, or if they will at all,'" Brewer shared with the audience. "(He said), 'If it does come back, trust me, you will be the first that we come back to visit. We like your site, we like your community and all things about it.'"

Gary Miller, GCEDC chief consultant on the program to market Grant County to Japanese companies and keynote speaker for the evening, outlined for members steps already taken to attract interest in Grant County from Japanese companies, including a video using Japanese style to promote the area, attendance at the Yokohama Air Show and meeting with 80 to 90 different companies.

Upcoming movements include participation in a large chemical trade show in April and an upcoming food show in Utage, Japan in April and May, as well as working with Japan's agricultural newspapers.

Miller noted that Grant County agriculture is threatened in Japan by Chinese competitors, including potato and onion producers, and advised that Grant County companies need to know Japanese government regulations and requirements, and have their food products tested by a Japanese government approved testing facility, as well as research and understand Japanese consumers, traditions and cultures and have products translated into Japanese.

What sells in the United States won't do so well in Japan, where smaller, high-quality packaging is preferred. Bulkier packages and non-translated American products aren't well designed in the quest for crowded Japanese shelf space, Miller explained.

"We need to work closely with the Japanese to get what they want," he said. "Let's sell them what they want, not what we think they need."

In summarizing his speech, Miller said that the marketing information materials need to be translated into Korean, Chinese and English to increase awareness in those markets, improving upon the county's weak point: public relations.

The county also needs to continue to work with partners in Japan and Korea, and will continue to work in aerospace, chemical, manufacturing, agricultural and tourism industries, Miller said, adding that Grant County companies, associations and organizations need to work together to create synergy in communications in order to compete.

"Without synergy, it's going to be very difficult for us to compete as a group," he said. "Grant County has a lot to offer, not only to Japan, but the rest of the world, but we need to work together on the PR and also on communication."

The banquet also saw the passing of the presidential gavel from Brian Kuest to Ralph Kincaid, and the naming of Brian Meiners, Bob Trask, Jr. and Tom Heath as officers for 2005.