Contact Information

  • Governor's Office, 360-902-4111

Governor Gregoire Announces Recipients of Local Economic Development Investments

For Immediate Release: August 2, 2006

Benton, Cowlitz, Douglas, Grant, Grays Harbor and Pacific counties to receive support for projects that will increase economic development

OLYMPIA � Governor Chris Gregoire today announced the recipients of $4,100,000 in public investments from the Washington Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB). These grants and loans will retain existing jobs and create new ones, boosting business growth across the state.

�Investing in Washington�s communities by supporting vital infrastructure improvements is a smart way to develop local economies,� said Governor Chris Gregoire.


  • In Grant County, CERB approved $1,000,000 in loan and grant financing to assist the Port of Warden in the upgrade of port facilities required for the new Washington Biodiesel facility, a biofuels and glycerin processor.
  • In Cowlitz County, CERB approved $1,000,000 in loan and grant financing to Public Utility District No. 1 of Cowlitz County to help provide electrical power for a new Cameron Family Glass Packaging facility.
  • In Pacific County, CERB approved $1,000,000 in loan and grant financing to help rebuild the Port of Peninsula�s service pier, which is used by nine local shellfish businesses.
  • In Grays Harbor County, CERB approved $1,000,000 in loan and grant financing to help the Port of Grays Harbor construct a new industrial building that will support the expansion of Paneltech International, an existing port tenant.
  • In Benton County, CERB approved a $50,000 matching grant to the Port of Benton to conduct a feasibility study of biofuel preparation and biomass gasification.
  • In Douglas County, CERB approved a $50,000 matching grant to Douglas County to prepare a Master Plan for the Pangborn Industrial Service area and the Obadashian Mixed Use Development Area.

CERB is Washington�s economic development infrastructure program targeted to support business and industrial job growth in partnership primarily with rural communities. CERB provides low-interest loans, or, in unique circumstances, grants to local governments to help finance the construction of public facility projects required by private sector expansion and for job creation.

To assist CERB in building successful communities and sustainable economies statewide, the Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development (CTED) provides management support.

�The Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development is pleased to work with CERB in support of Washington's industrial business climate,� said CTED director Juli Wilkerson.

�The CERB program is designed to respond to emergent business development needs for public infrastructure and provide long-range feasibility planning to help communities plan for future business development,� said CERB Chair Tom Trulove.

The release of CERB funds to these projects is contingent upon each applicant completing specific pre-contract requirements, such as finalizing other funding sources and obtaining necessary permits.

In Grant County, the Port of Warden will upgrade five existing corrugated metal grain storage silos with CERB funds. The Port also received a Department of Agriculture Energy Freedom Loan of $2,500,000 to purchase the silos and a 14-acre site. The grain silos and property will be leased to Washington Biodiesel, LLC. The company will invest approximately $73.5 million in private capital to construct and operate a 35 million gallon per year biofuel and glycerin production facility on port property. The project will create 44 new jobs. Total public support for the development is $3,500,000.

The Public Utility District No. 1 of Cowlitz County will design and construct an electric substation on Port of Kalama property and reroute an existing transmission line to provide Cameron Family Glass Packaging, LLC with the necessary power to manufacture, market and sell glass wine bottles. Cameron Family Glass will invest approximately $80 million in private funds to construct a 220,800 square foot manufacturing facility with an 8,400 square foot office building. The facility will have the capacity to produce 120 million wine bottles per year, which is approximately five percent of the west coast demand for glass wine bottles in 2005. CERB funds will be matched with $1,252,014 from other sources. The project will create 85 new jobs. Total public support for the project is $2,252,014.

In Pacific County, the Port of Peninsula will rebuild their aging service pier, which has been cited as unsafe by the Department of Labor and Industries. The service dock improvements will help sustain the shellfish industry on the Washington coast. Two thirds of Washington�s oysters are harvested from Pacific County and count for 23% of the nation�s annual oyster harvest. Improvements to the service pier include relocating utilities underground to improve access, expanding the pier footprint to provide an additional station and placing an additional hoist for the movement of product over the dock. Additional access will allow two loading or unloading operations to take place simultaneously, which will reduce scheduling bottlenecks that have slowed down productivity. CERB funds will be matched with $500,000 from other sources. Replacement of the pier is necessary to retain 54 existing jobs and allow for growth that may create up to 37 new full-time jobs by nine shellfish businesses that use the marina. Total public support for the project is $1,500,000.

In Grays Harbor County, the Port of Grays Harbor will construct a new 35,000 square foot industrial building that meets the business expansion needs of Paneltech International, LLC, a port tenant. Paneltech will build a new laminating facility to produce products such as kitchen countertops and rain screens that use proprietary, environmentally friendly paper and resins. Other new products that will be produced by Paneltech International include resin saturated bulletproof panels for military use. Grays Harbor Paper will produce the paper. The two companies in 2005 collaborated to develop a new product called �Kiptech Counter Tops,� a revolutionary product that uses Paneltech �green certified� resins and 100% recycled paper produced at the Grays Harbor Paper Hoquiam plant. The process creates a durable, attractive counter top that has received �green certification� and has been well received by the construction industry. CERB funds will be matched with $1,900,000 from other sources. The expansion will create 51 new jobs. Total public support for the project is $2,900,000.

In Benton County, the Port of Benton will conduct a feasibility study of biofuel preparation and biomass gasification to provide integrated energy and environmental services. The Port, FruitSmart Inc, The Center for Strategic Alliance, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and REL Associates have created a team to study the potential of converting agriculture waste into energy. They will determine the feasibility of using a variety of locally available agriculture wastes to produce renewable energy for small businesses in Benton County. The project will take samples of existing agriculture waste streams (biomass) and convert the waste to gas through a down-draft gasifier. The gasifier is a completely enclosed combustion system that extracts gas from the biomass and may be used to produce gas for heat generation or energy production. The project will determine the effectiveness of agriculture wastes as a feedstock and the viability of the gasifier for the production of heat and energy. CERB funds will be matched with $125,000 from other sources. Total public support for the project is $175,000.

The Douglas County Board of County Commissioners has identified two priority economic opportunity sites and is utilizing local and state resources to facilitate their development. These areas are the Pangborn Industrial Service Area, which includes nearly 400 acres of vacant industrial zoned land in the immediate vicinity of Pangborn Memorial Airport; and the Odabashian Mixed Use Development Area, which includes over 150 acres of undeveloped commercially zoned land at the crossroads of US 2/97 and SR 28. Upon completion of the Master Plan, both sites will be pre-approved for development in accordance with the provisions of the Greater East Wenatchee Comprehensive Plan and Douglas County development regulations. This process is commonly referred to as �quicksite� because it reduces permitting time and increases predictability for the developer. CERB funds will be matched with $25,000 from other sources. Total public support for the Master Plans is $75,000.

More information about the CERB program is available at www.cted.wa.gov.

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