Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 5, 2003
Contact: Kirsten Kendrick, Governor’s Communications Office, 360-902-4136
Locke visited the Wood Stone Corp., which manufactures stone-fired cooking equipment for the food service industry. The company is currently expanding and is described as an “anchor tenant” of the Port of Bellingham.
Locke also spoke at Unity Day in Bellingham, a countywide meeting of law enforcement, government and community leaders to discuss issues relating to diversity and racial equality.
The governor also met with Whatcom County labor leaders in Bellingham, expressing his continued support for the state’s ergonomic rules to protect Washington workers.
Locke then traveled to Blaine to tour Nature’s Path Foods, an organic foods company headquartered in British Columbia. Nature’s Path opened its first U.S. facility in the Blaine Business and Industrial Park in 1999 with help from the Governor’s Office and the state Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development, and is currently expanding. The company is the top manufacturer of organic cereal in the country.
Nature’s Path has added a stable employment opportunity in the Blaine area. Sixty-four people are currently employed at the plant, 90 percent of whom live in the rural areas of Blaine, Birch Bay and Custer. The company has begun a $2.5 million expansion three years ahead of schedule, and plans to add 10-12 more full-time positions.
A loan from the state’s Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB) to the City of Blaine for sewer and industrial class street access to the industrial park made it possible for the company to open its U.S. location. The $428,258 CERB investment was leveraged by $2.9 million in other city, state, federal and private funds needed for electrical, water and sewer improvements.
Locke’s proposed 2003-05 budget calls for a permanent funding source for CERB. “This program is a strong source of good jobs for rural families,” Locke said.
Programs like CERB that give communities more effective tools to build Washington businesses are one facet of Locke’s seven-point economic recovery plan. His plan would also:
·Create thousands of new construction jobs through building new schools, higher education facilities and public works projects;
·Capitalize on Washington’s competitive advantage in international trade;
·Promote state businesses and improving the climate for new business;
·Promote Washington’s emerging technology strengths;
·Improve education to create and fill skilled jobs for today’s competitive marketplace;
·Push Congress and the President for an economic stimulus package that helps our state’s workforce.
Locke is calling on the Legislature to quickly pass his capital budget. “It is critical that we start creating new jobs now,” he said. “A number of the projects highlighted in the capital budget focus on new and existing construction that would put people to work right away.”
The governor’s capital budget supports new private-sector jobs at an annual average of 13,400 construction and related jobs during the next two fiscal years, and 11,000 jobs in the following two fiscal years.
These jobs would come from the $2.5 billion in spending for new public-works funding, including $223 million in new construction at universities and $312 million at community and technical colleges through bonding against lottery revenue and general obligation bonds.
Locke’s capital budget calls for $25.4 million in new construction and renovations at Western Washington University, including $4 million for a communications facility. His budget also calls for nearly $11 million for the construction of a Classroom/Laboratory building at Whatcom Community College.
The governor began his “Jobs Now” tour last month with stops in Seattle, Bremerton and Wenatchee. He plans to make stops in Federal Way, Yakima, Spokane, Tri-Cities, Aberdeen, Vancouver and other cities in the coming weeks.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 5, 2003
Contact: Kirsten Kendrick, Governor’s Communications Office, 360-902-4136
Gov. Gary Locke Touts ‘Jobs Now’ Plan during Visit to Whatcom County
Gov. Gary Locke today visited Bellingham and Blaine as part of a statewide “Jobs Now” tour, touting his economic recovery plan to create jobs now, spur the state’s economy and build for the future.Locke visited the Wood Stone Corp., which manufactures stone-fired cooking equipment for the food service industry. The company is currently expanding and is described as an “anchor tenant” of the Port of Bellingham.
Locke also spoke at Unity Day in Bellingham, a countywide meeting of law enforcement, government and community leaders to discuss issues relating to diversity and racial equality.
The governor also met with Whatcom County labor leaders in Bellingham, expressing his continued support for the state’s ergonomic rules to protect Washington workers.
Locke then traveled to Blaine to tour Nature’s Path Foods, an organic foods company headquartered in British Columbia. Nature’s Path opened its first U.S. facility in the Blaine Business and Industrial Park in 1999 with help from the Governor’s Office and the state Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development, and is currently expanding. The company is the top manufacturer of organic cereal in the country.
Nature’s Path has added a stable employment opportunity in the Blaine area. Sixty-four people are currently employed at the plant, 90 percent of whom live in the rural areas of Blaine, Birch Bay and Custer. The company has begun a $2.5 million expansion three years ahead of schedule, and plans to add 10-12 more full-time positions.
A loan from the state’s Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB) to the City of Blaine for sewer and industrial class street access to the industrial park made it possible for the company to open its U.S. location. The $428,258 CERB investment was leveraged by $2.9 million in other city, state, federal and private funds needed for electrical, water and sewer improvements.
Locke’s proposed 2003-05 budget calls for a permanent funding source for CERB. “This program is a strong source of good jobs for rural families,” Locke said.
Programs like CERB that give communities more effective tools to build Washington businesses are one facet of Locke’s seven-point economic recovery plan. His plan would also:
·Create thousands of new construction jobs through building new schools, higher education facilities and public works projects;
·Capitalize on Washington’s competitive advantage in international trade;
·Promote state businesses and improving the climate for new business;
·Promote Washington’s emerging technology strengths;
·Improve education to create and fill skilled jobs for today’s competitive marketplace;
·Push Congress and the President for an economic stimulus package that helps our state’s workforce.
Locke is calling on the Legislature to quickly pass his capital budget. “It is critical that we start creating new jobs now,” he said. “A number of the projects highlighted in the capital budget focus on new and existing construction that would put people to work right away.”
The governor’s capital budget supports new private-sector jobs at an annual average of 13,400 construction and related jobs during the next two fiscal years, and 11,000 jobs in the following two fiscal years.
These jobs would come from the $2.5 billion in spending for new public-works funding, including $223 million in new construction at universities and $312 million at community and technical colleges through bonding against lottery revenue and general obligation bonds.
Locke’s capital budget calls for $25.4 million in new construction and renovations at Western Washington University, including $4 million for a communications facility. His budget also calls for nearly $11 million for the construction of a Classroom/Laboratory building at Whatcom Community College.
The governor began his “Jobs Now” tour last month with stops in Seattle, Bremerton and Wenatchee. He plans to make stops in Federal Way, Yakima, Spokane, Tri-Cities, Aberdeen, Vancouver and other cities in the coming weeks.
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