Bruce Kendall, president and CEO of EDB for Tacoma-Pierce County proffered some good news at the packed annual EDB meeting under the theme of resilience and innovation. He also chairs the Washington Economic Development Commission Link: www.wedc.wa.gov. He highlighted ten projects that are tacking against the headwinds of recession. Here is the list (as reported by Dan Voelpel of the News Tribune):
1. Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics, which recently announced a move to Puyallup. The company, which makes high performance products for the aerospace industry, will employ 115 people.
2. IKEA, the Swedish products retailer, which opened a regional distribution center that serves seven stores in the U.S. and Canada from Frederickson.
3. Art Morrison Enterprises, the maker of top-notch hot rod frames and parts, which plans a move to a $6 million plant in Frederickson later this year.
4. St. Anthony Hospital, the new Franciscan medical center that opened this month in Gig Harbor.
5. Multicare Health Systems' ambulatory surgery center in Gig Harbor, which employs 200 people in a $51 million medical park.
6. South Hill Business & Technology Center, a former microchip manufacturing plan now owned by Benaroya Co., which has started remodeling it into an office and tech center.
7. Pacific Plaza, the former downtown Tacoma eyesore parking garage undergoing an adaptive reuse for office and retail space by PCS Structural Solutions and Absher Construction.
8. The Joy Building, a University of Washington Tacoma building on Tacoma's Pacific Avenue that has renovation funding included in the proposed state budget.
9. Hotel Murano, the former Tacoma Sheraton Hotel, which underwent a massive remodeling into a glass art-oriented destination hotel.
10. Chambers Bay, the Pierce County golf course in University Place, which will host the 2015 U.S. Open.
Billy Glover, managing director-environmental strategy for Boeing gave a keynote speech focusing on the company's commitment to a carbon free future. Of particular interest was developing aviation fuels from various kinds of biomass that does not compete as food source (e.g. algae, camellia, and halophytes).
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