'Robust' year ahead for construction industry

GRANT COUNTY — With a tiny smile, Terry Brewer says things have been fun around the Grant County Economic Development Council.

And why not? The year 2006 was a full one for economic development, from the arrival of data centers in Quincy to the expansion of REC Silicon to the pending arrival of Washington Biodiesel in Warden.

Brewer foresees more positives in the coming year.

"I believe it's going to be another very robust year for the construction industry," he said.

Quincy's construction projects are already making an impact, with Intuit hopefully following suit, Brewer added, while REC Silicon will get larger each month.

He also fully expects Guardian Industries to begin construction in spring, as well as the Warden biodiesel project's groundbreaking around the same time. Things still look positive for Specialty Chemical, working toward their location in Moses Lake, and for Washington Ethanol, LLC, he added.

"All very large projects, all big capital projects," Brewer said. "Spending a lot of money, but also a lot of construction labor, and all lasting close to a year or longer."

Brewer would still like to see a data center locate in Moses Lake. The council continues to work with one, and he thinks an announcement is coming soon.

The opportunity for new jobs looks great as well, Brewer said. He pointed out a majority of the construction projects won't be hiring until 2008, but he expects Microsoft MSN and Yahoo! to begin hiring this year. Several industries located in Moses Lake may be looking at expansion as well.

"I think it's going to be a good year leading up to another good year," Brewer said.

Brewer expects workforce training and education to be a hot topic at a planned Jan. 10 strategic session for council board member. While the council isn't likely to be the leading force, Brewer said, it's willing to help.

The loss of commercial air service at Grant County International Airport has not proven to be as large a negative factor as Brewer and other community members may have originally feared.

"You know, that's an important item for some, and it's a casual topic for many," he said. "Fortunately, it has not been a negative for us and the clientele we're working with. We have not been told by any existing company or any prospective company, 'We can't do what we need to do if you don't have commercial air service.'"

But it remains important, Brewer stresses, noting the council is working as closely as possible with the Port of Moses Lake to develop solutions and bring back the service.

"I think air service is more important, probably, to the community as a whole than it is to key employers the (council) might work with," he said.