The economic outlook for the Tri-Cities in 2008 is a lot better than in many other regions across the country. Large projects are going strong, with the construction of the vitrification plant at Hanford and the expansion of the Coyote Ridge Corrections Center in Connell. The wine industry continues to boost the entire state economy, with Washington vineyards setting a record for production in 2008.
Hay, wheat and other often volatile crops brought big money to area farmers as well. Health care is leading economic growth in our community as it is in many others. Those are the kinds of jobs that bring salaries closer to the range we see at Hanford. Food processing is also bringing a lot of jobs to the Tri-Cities. Wages there are not Hanford-like but some jobs come with good benefits, which can be invaluable in today’s world of rising health care costs.
The wineries keep coming, helping boost tourism and thus far avoiding any significant setbacks that can occur when an industry expands faster than markets or the available work force. retail sales are strong, and it seems we see another chain store or restaurant opening every week. It would be nice if we could develop the same strong support for locally owned enterprises.
We still haven’t exhausted our retail possibilities, and Tri-Citizens continue to draft wish lists of businesses they’d like to see in our community. Some past winners are now here, and others will soon be on the way. But we can’t afford to become complacent. TRIDEC, the chamber of commerce, the port districts and everyone else involved in economic development already know that the job is never done.
The need for long term economic development still exists in the Tri-Cities as we continue to wean our economy off its long lasting dependency on Hanford. Efforts, formal and otherwise, to recruit and foster new businesses in our community remain critical to our long-range future. We’ll need more diversity, including some bigger businesses with lots of jobs to keep our economy moving forward. Meeting that challenge will require a commitment to the future from nearly every segment of our community – business, education, health care, labor, even the arts and recreation.