Great expectations given at Grant County EDC banquet

Ask.com discusses move

GRANT COUNTY - The Grant County Economic Development Council experienced the best of times and worst of times during the past year.

So said President Bob Trask Jr., during the council's annual banquet Wednesday evening at Big Bend Community College's ATEC Building before handing over the reins to Lynn Garza.

"The best of times is that Grant County is a terrific place to live, work and raise a family," Trask said. "I feel the EDC's accomplishments have made our lives better and those accomplishments have promoted our future."

Trask continued the reference to Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities," by addressing the worst of times.

"It was with heavy heart that I had to report to you, our members and supporters, that there was an embezzlement and it was on my watch," Trask said. "The EDC, however, has never been stronger. Our year produced new business starts such as Guardian Industries, Ask.com, Moses Lake Fab, Norco and Specialty Chemical, along with numerous ancillary support suppliers to our major industries already in Grant County."

Trask said he was proud of the county's quality growth, and offered thanks to the audience for those accomplishments and to the council's ex officio members, board members, staff and partners.

"Together our county will provide a better future for its residents," he said. "I trust the positive we've had will outweigh the negative and we can look forward to your support in future years."

Garza and Trask engaged in some good-natured teasing before Garza began to outline for members her plans as the council's new president.

"Now that we've succeeded in all the recruitment and retention of businesses here, expansion, we do feel it's our responsibility to help out with recruitment training efforts to help fill the employee gap," Garza said.

The council is working with a new economic modeling software program, which enables forecasts of future effects of the businesses coming in and the secondary jobs they create, Garza said, information available to any communities within the council.

The evening's first guest speaker, Greg Fennewald, senior director of data center strategy for Ask.com, told council membership why his company decided to locate in Moses Lake.

The climate of the area is conducive to the company's efficient cooling design, Fennewald explained.

Just as important was the business-friendly region, moderate real estate costs and the low cost of power.

"Which is quite significant," Fennewald said. "When our place is full, it's going to need about 4,000 kilowatts pretty much flat 24-7. That's going to cost about $70,000 a month. To have the same amount of demand in a higher energy cost place like Manhattan or San Francisco, over $300,000. That's a lot of money, and that's per month, so take that times 12, big bucks. There's some good reasons why you see folks going to Quincy, Wenatchee and other places within a 150-mile radius of here. There's a lot of things this area has to offer."

Many components factors into the siting decision, Fennewald said, including the risk of natural disasters, adjacent property use, zoning and environmental standards, taxing, cost of power and of real estate and connectivity.

Ask.com became operational in Moses Lake in December 2007.

Speaker George Sharp, marketing manager for the state's Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development, brought confetti down upon parts of the crowd after his speech, which outlined the five "P"s and a "Q" which lead to success: Passion, personality, a plan, partnerships, perseverance and quality.

Pride is the secret ingredient in the recipe, Sharp said, noting he saw a sign saying, "It's all about you," as he drove into Ephrata earlier in the day.

"It truly is all about you right now, you are in the national spotlight," Sharp noted.

The department proposed stories about REC Silicon's ongoing expansion and the growth in Grant County to business facility magazines earlier in the week, he added.

"Right now it's all about you," he said, also pointing to the word "legacy" on one of the wine bottles on the tables throughout the room. "That's what you're all about right now, is creating a legacy. What each and every one of you do for Grant County is your legacy."

Council Executive Director Terry Brewer promised a fun year ahead in 2008.

"We're going to get more done in 2008 than we did in 2007," Brewer said. "We did more in 2007 than we did in 2006, and there's only one way to go, and that's to keep going forward and up."

Brewer pointed to the quality and commitment of the people he gets to work with in Grant County. The 10 port districts and 13 cities and towns have built partnerships and worked closely together.

"And it's making a difference," he said, echoing Sharp's sentiments that economic development doesn't happen overnight. "It takes a long-term vision and approach, but because of people like you in this room, the agencies and organizations you represent and work hard for, we're enjoying success. That doesn't mean we're done."

There are still too many people who don't have family-wage-paying jobs, but the council is working on it.

"I just ask you all to keep the vision, keep the faith and work for tomorrow," he said. "2008's going to be a heck of a busy year around here, and I thank you for your support and appreciate it so much."