Published: January 28, 2006
By YVETTE SAARINEN
Of the News-Register
Recruiting efforts and leasing activity topped the list of last year's success stories for McMinnville Industrial Promotions, outgoing President David Wiegan told shareholders during their annual meeting.
"With a coordinated effort, we were able to make timely responses to several requests regarding companies considering McMinnville for expansion," Wiegan said. "Most were referred through the State of Oregon Economic Development Department, and our coordinated efforts have been well-received there."
In one case, McMinnville ended up one of three finalists for a substantial new manufacturing operation providing family-wage jobs, he said. Although it did not get this one, the research that went into the effort is available for the next one, and that represents a success in itself, he said.
"We learned a great deal about the kinds of issues that play roles in the decision-making process," Wiegan said. "Additionally, we had opportunities to review several other projects, but ultimately decided we did not have a good match and did not submit proposals."
During the year, MIP worked with the McMinnville Economic Development Partnership, which spent almost six months developing a new website, and he said it has been very well received. He said someone researching McMinnville as a possible plant location can now find virtually everything at www.mcminnvilleedp.com.
Wiegan, who serves as executive director of Mid-Valley Rehabilitation Inc., also cited strong leasing activity as a sign of a good year.
MIP spent several months negotiating leases with some of its larger tenants for expanded space. The Rivergate 1 building now is completely leased to one company, Amerson Precision Sheet Metal, and negotiations are continuing with a client interested in a single-tenant lease for the Norwest Building.
The Rivergate 2 complex, consisting of a pair of subdividable 7,500-square-foot buildings, has drawn significant interest as well, Wiegan said. He said MIP has inked a deal for 2,500 square feet for a manufacturer that is new to the community and not yet ready for public identification.
"We have been extremely pleased to see this continued growth and significant numbers of new manufacturing jobs here in McMinnville," he said. "We are also very pleased that we were able to play a major role in accommodating that growth."
McMinnville businesswoman Carol Granger, longtime partner with her husband in Les' Appliance, now owned by their son, Randy, will succeed Wiegan as president.
She said one of MIP's top priorities, as a member of the McMinnville Economic Development Partnership, will be to win funding for a full-time economic development director to work on expansion of McMinnville's economic and industrial base while retaining the existing one.
"A town of our size absolutely needs a person in place to handle that," Granger said. "It's essential."
Rocky Wade of First Federal was elected vice president, Toni Chodrick of Oregon Mutual Insurance secretary and Alan Hay of Windermere Pacific Crest Realty treasurer. |
