Firms' relocation adds to region's growth
SANDPOINT — The buzz over the extraordinary growth in the creation of new job opportunities in Bonner County in 2004 has not gone unnoticed.
Fueled by several businesses which have relocated to Sandpoint from around the northwest, the county's once stagnant economy is suddenly flush with a slate of new jobs, from manufacturing to an anticipated 200 - 250 retail positions at The Home Depot in January.
No one is perhaps more directly responsible for laboring to recruit companies like Cascade Toboggan, Molehill Mountain Equipment and Mac's Custom Tie Downs than Bonner County Economic Development Corporation.
The companies it recruited or helped grow added 298 jobs and $3.3 million to payrolls between the first quarter of 2001 and the second quarter of 2004. In the last three years, the number of employed residents in Bonner County grew 10 percent compared to three percent in the state and just one percent in the nation.
"It's no easy feat to go out there and try to convince companies we feel will benefit both them and the community to pick up stakes move here," said Mark Williams, BCEDC Executive Director. "We proactively go to trade shows in places like Salt Lake City, Denver and Anaheim and look at companies we think would be a good match and then try to sell them on the features of what Sandpoint has to offer."
Williams knows the stakes are high competing against bigger cities also trying to lure more businesses into their area. What's impressive, however, is BCEDC is the only economic development agency that doesn't receive government funding from the state or local level.
"We have an extensive relocation package, but the real credit has to go out to our members and directors for what we've accomplished so far," added Williams. "People don't really know much about us or what we really do."
Portage Communications certainly does.
A software company that has developed a product to optimize call center workforce management, Portage Communications is the latest new business to relocate here about a month ago from North Bend, Wash.
Founded in 1994, Portage has grown to include over 1,000 customers, many of which are Fortune 500 companies, including AT & T, GE Capital and IBM. It presently employs four full-time equivalent employees and plans to hire local contractors for programming, website development and local professional services.
Williams said Portage president Stuart Harris decided to move his company to a more business-friendly environment to reduce operating expenses and to fuel growth. After vacationing in the area with his wife and two children, Harris was convinced Sandpoint would be not only be a perfect fit for his growing company; he liked the quality of life it also offered.
"We felt that Sandpoint would be excellent for both building our business and raising our family," said Harris.
The Harris' seem well-grounded to making Portage Communication a strong and viable company.
With a MS degree in software engineering, Harris has over 20 years experience in the telecom and call center industries. His wife, Tina, was a senior product manager at Microsoft Corp. before joining Portage.
They've recently released a new product called AgentTime that creates optimal agent employee work schedules for small to medium-sized call centers.
"We're pretty excited about having them here," said Williams. "We think they are going add a lot both the community and the local economy."