Lt. governor tours local manufacturers

SANDPOINT — Idaho Lt. Gov. Brad Little believes Idaho could learn a lot from Sandpoint and its surrounding communities.

Fresh from announcing his reelection campaign for 2014, Little visited Sandpoint Wednesday for a tour of local businesses. With economic growth foremost among his concerns for the future, he pointed to Sandpoint as a potential model for diversifying Idaho’s economy. Traditionally a logging community, the local economy has expanded to include software development, technology, aerospace engineering, clothing retail and tourism among its industries.

“All the old, traditional industries here have become significantly more efficient, which makes it even more important that we diversify the economy,” Little added.

That’s a lesson that other from which other Idaho communities could benefit, he said. Leery of measures like the Affordable Care Act coming down the line, Little said the best course of action for the state is to pursue an aggressive program of economic growth.

“I’m very concerned about the effects of federal actions and what they’ll do to the state,” he said. “We’ve got to put our foot down on the accelerator and really grow our economy.”

That means attracting a variety of businesses into the state while simultaneous ensuring Idaho has an appropriately-trained workforce ready to step into the resulting jobs. Little advocates using state workforce training funds to ensure employers and entrepreneurs have the employees they need. For example, he said Jack Ambrosiani of Cygnus, Inc., told him there’s always a need for well-trained machinists and CNC operators at his company.      

“You kind of need to let the local economy tell you what it needs,” Little said.

A tour of local businesses reinforced that perspective. First, Little dropped by Cygnus, Inc., a manufacturer of high-quality sheet metal and parts used in aircraft production. During a tour of the production facilities, Ambrosiani told Little that the business could benefit greatly from an increase in skilled workers ready to step into the job without much additional training.

Next, Little visited Tamarack Aerospace Group to learn about the company’s active winglet technology, which are projected to yield huge increases in aircraft fuel efficiency.

Tamarack founder Nick Guida told Little it was federal and not state regulations that posed roadblocks for his business. He pointed to a lack of vision and cooperation among Federal Aviation Administration officials as a particular difficulty.

Little finished his Sandpoint visit with a campaign kickoff reception at Tango Cafe. The reception is the first of several as Little makes his way through several Idaho cities over the next two weeks. Today will keep campaign officials busy with stops scheduled for Coeur d’Alene, St. Maries and Lewiston.