Yahoo signs agreement with Port of Quincy

Officials see benefits for entire county

QUINCY — Yahoo may be saying "Yippee" for Grant County.

Port of Quincy officials announced Wednesday that Internet giant Yahoo Inc. has signed a purchase and sales agreement with the port district.

"It's for about 40 acres of land out there," said port public affairs consultant Pat Boss, adding he cannot divulge the nature or size of the operation.

Port commissioner Curt Morris said Yahoo is in the due diligence period of the agreement. The company has an option of one of two sites in the port district's Industrial Park 4, one of which is about 39 acres, the other is 50 acres.

"They're trying to decide which one would work, if any of them," Morris said, adding Yahoo's agreement with Quincy is in addition to the company's deal with Wenatchee to open a data center, announced last week. Morris said he wasn't certain what Yahoo's overall plans are, but "one aspect is certainly the data center."

"The fact that they've signed a deal in Wenatchee is a good thing," he said. "They're still interested in central Washington. It wasn't an either-or. They're still looking at additional sites."

The latest news comes after previous announcements that Columbia Colstor would be expanding its operation in Quincy, and Microsoft had also entered into a purchase sale agreement with the port district.

Boss and Morris agreed the news is good for the port and all of Grant County.

"It means we're starting to see some economic activity occur that we haven't seen before," Boss said. "The reason Quincy is becoming a site that seems to be of interest for a number of companies is because of its location between Moses Lake and Wenatchee. Talk about an easy drive from both communities, it gives you a larger combined work force and there are some benefits to that."

"The notoriety of that type of company and the spin-off potential of the businesses that follow them is a great thing," Morris said.

Yahoo spokesperson Kiersten Hollars said the company has signed a letter of intent to purchase 50 acres in Quincy for future planning needs, and declined to comment further.