Each year, the Port of Walla Walla with input from the Port's economic development advisory committee produces an annual economic development plan for Walla Walla County. The goal of the plan is to enhance the economic vitality of Walla Walla County through the creation and retention of family wage jobs. We thought we would share with you in this month's column our six point plan for 2012.

Small Business Development
Small businesses create the majority of new jobs in the United States. So we are pleased to report a WSU Small Business Center has now reopened its offices in Walla Walla. The Port is providing office space and a $10,000 annual contribution towards the center which is focused on free one on one small business counseling. Our goal for 2012 is to promote the utilization of the center to grow new businesses in Walla Walla.

Existing Business Retention/Expansion
Last year the Port met with some 33 local businesses. The purpose of the visits is to thank them for doing business in Walla Walla and ask if there is anything the Port can do to assist them in expanding their operations. These meetings are always insightful. Last year the Port was able to assist Reiff Manufacturing and Walla Walla Foundry expand their operations in Walla Walla County. In 2012 the Port is committed to continuing its business outreach efforts. Working to retain our existing businesses is critical to any well balanced economic development plan.

Business Recruitment
Recruiting new businesses is a highly competitive proposition with multiple communities often vying for the same business. Some may question, is it worth it? We believe it is. In 2003, the Port recruited the Cliffstar juice processing plant to Walla Walla. Today it is the 47th largest employer in the valley with 60 jobs. In 2006, the Port recruited the Railex produce distribution center. In addition to their positive economic impacts of shipping Pacific Northwest produce to East Coast markets, Railex today is the ninth largest property taxpayer in the county paying $216,000 annually. These two examples make it clear that business recruitment should be part of our economic development strategy even though we may not be successful in any one given year.

Site and Infrastructure Development
Progressive communities are continuously reinvesting in their infrastructure. In 2012, the Port has set aside $3.6 million in its annual budget for infrastructure improvements. The majority of the improvements will take place in Burbank with the largest capital item being the installation of a sewer transmission line to the City of Pasco. This will enable the Burbank Business Park to proceed. The 2012 Economic Development Plan also contains a listing of proposed City infrastructure investments along with Walla Walla County infrastructure investments.

Economic Profiling
Having a clear understanding of the community's demographics is essential in understanding the weaknesses and strengths of a particular community. The Port is particularly proud of the extensive economic and social demographics it maintains. The Walla Walla Trends website is an excellent example of our efforts to provide timely demographic information. The Port is committed to maintaining and updating this community resource in fiscal year 2012.

Economic Development Advocacy
The Port believes it is essential to communicate to the public and our elected officials the value of maintaining and developing pro economic development policies for the Walla Walla Valley. This includes working with our Cities and County on timely permitting of projects and overall policies that portray Walla Walla County as open for business.

Conclusion
If you would like a more complete copy of the Port's 2012 economic development plan, please contact the Port office at (509) 525-3100. We can mail or e-mail it to you. We would also like to encourage you to attend our bi-monthly Economic Development Advisory Committee meetings.

Port of Walla Walla Commission

Mike Fredrickson
Paul Schneidmiller
Ron Dunning

County taxable retail trade sales lags behind
Walla Walla County may be losing a lot of its potential retail trade sales to neighboring Benton County, but not to Franklin County. This is a preliminary finding from one of the Trends' newest indicators, taxable retail trade sales per capita. Generally, taxable retail trade sales represent one of the most important measures of the size and changes in Walla Walla County's economy. Trend 2.4 further examines these figures on a per capita basis for the three counties. more...

Share of the population with higher education increases, lags behind benchmarks
It's no secret that the way to a higher earning potential is to further one's education. And the individual benefits of completing post-secondary education don't stop at higher wages. Those who complete at least a four-year degree also often have better employer-sponsored benefits, higher levels of savings, increased personal and professional mobility, better consumer decision-making ability, and all of the other indirect benefits that come with earning a higher income. Higher education also brings broad social and economic impacts for communities and society as a whole. Trend 3.11 looks at the share of the population over age 25 who have earned a bachelor's degree or higher in the county, state and nation. more...

City of College Place measures highest population density in the county
One of the many elements that make the cities in Walla Walla County attractive to its residents is how much elbow room one has around one's neighbors. For people that enjoy rural living, population density, or the number of people per square mile of land, can be an important factor in deciding where to live. On the other hand, for local government, population density can be an important factor in determining whether or not a community can offer certain services. Trend 4.10 measures population density over time for the cities of College Place, Walla Walla, Prescott, and Waitsburg, as well as Walla Walla County. more...

County traffic fatalities generally higher than state rates, but declining
Although volatile due to the county's small population, Walla Walla's traffic fatalities statistics are still cause for concern. In thirteen of the last seventeen years, the county's traffic fatalities rate has surpassed either the state or national benchmarks, or both. Often avoidable, traffic fatalities bring grief and devastation to families and communities. Trend 5.4 takes a deeper look into the number of local traffic fatalities per 100,000 residents. more...

New indicators added to the Trends site
There are six new trends that have recently been added to the Walla Walla Trends website. The Economic Vitality category now measures Taxable Retail Trade Sales per Capita, Trend 2.4, which gives a better understanding of per capita retail sales figures compared with other nearby counties. Additionally, Percentage of Firms with 0-9 Employees, Trend 2.14, measures the number of smaller firms in the county as a share of total firms.

The Education category now measures academic achievement in its residents over the age of 25: Share of the Population with a High School Diploma or Less, Trend 3.9; Share of the Population with at Least Some College Coursework or an Associate's Degree, Trend 3.10; and Share of the Population with at Least a Bachelor's Degree, Trend 3.11. Finally, the Public Safety category now measures the Number of Commissioned Police Officers and Number of Officers per 1,000 Residents, Trend 7.9.

Download the data behind your favorite trends
Are you a numbers person? Do you want to see the different components that make up the calculations you see on the Trends graphs? Using the "Download Data" tab, users are able to download spreadsheets that contain the data used to create each Trends graph. Simply click on "Download Data" to the right of the graph, and save the file to your computer. The file will appear with a .csv extension, which can easily be viewed in Excel, and can be saved as a .xls or .xlsx file for later use.

National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership launches new website
The National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership (NNIP), a collaborative effort led by the Urban Institute that works to further development and use of community indicators in local policymaking and community building, recently launched their new website. A resource to learn how local partners have used neighborhood data to address community issues, and to share capacity building around information sharing, the NNIP seeks to collaborate in democratizing information.

To learn more about the NNIP and its partners, point your browser to http://www.neighborhoodindicators.org.