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Three years after the Valley RV Company went out of business, its former RV sales and service site at the south end of McMinnville has been sold to CH Holdings.
Jody Christensen, head of the McMinnville Economic Development Partnership, said the local holding company was created specifically to make the purchase.
Christensen said the 11-acre site would house multiple tenants, creating new local jobs in the process.
She said she was not at liberty to disclose the purchase price, or, at this stage, the types of businesses the complex might house.
But she said, "It's exciting to have that facility purchased. It's a great asset to our community. It will be great to see it back up and running."
Details are still being worked out, Christensen said. She said she did not know when the principals in the endeavor would be ready to flesh out their plans publicly.
At its peak, Valley RV employed 90 workers. However, by the time of its demise in November 2008, it was down to 23.
Its facilities included a 20-bay garage opened in 1996.
Christensen sees purchase of the long-vacant site as an indication that, in McMinnville at least, the economy is picking up. "We're seeing movement of property, expansion of companies, more jobs on the horizon, and that's all good news for McMinnville and for Yamhill County," she said.
The McMinnville Economic Development Partnership, a collaboration between the city and the business community, works to help retain local businesses and attract new ones it believes would enhance the community. It tends to focus mainly on jobs in the manufacturing sector.
"We ultimately are about finding and supporting high-paying jobs," Christensen said. "Our focus is around manufacturing businesses, because we find they have a high return on our time.
"The jobs tend to pay more and have more opportunity for people to grow into different levels. Those companies we have in the industrial park now, while the economy is still cautious, those are hiring, and many have gone to pre-'08 employment numbers."
McMinnville has several other properties available for sale or rent, for both small and large businesses, she said, and she's hopeful she will soon have more to report.
"I feel really positive about the next few months," she said. "We have something to offer."
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