(Shown is a design for the 6,000-square-foot incubator building being constructed in La Pine’s Industrial Park | Photo courtesy of SLED)
“I’m a connector,” said Patricia Lucas, executive director of SLED (Sunriver La Pine Economic Development), “and in helping businesses grow and succeed, my job is to provide guidance and advice, with the goal of facilitating capital investments and creating jobs that will really advance the local and regional economy.”
Serving in this position since March 2020, Lucas is quick to point out that while she “is involved in many leases and sales of commercial and industrial property, these development efforts always take a team, and I have great support for what I do.”
Business Incubator ‘Is Such an Exciting Project’
The 6,000-square-foot incubator building being constructed in La Pine’s Industrial Park “is such an exciting project,” she said. Targeting small, traded-sector operations that may lack the management, technical and financial skills necessary to run a small business, the project — made possible by a successful grant application — is being constructed by the City of La Pine, which will subsequently manage and maintain the building.
Having previously managed an incubator project in Michigan for more than three decades (before being lured to Central Oregon), Lucas witnessed first-hand the powerful impact incubators can have for entrepreneurs — people she described as “so excited and energized to start and grow their business.”
As she recounted, “One client, a machine shop owner, was doing a great job, and customers really liked him. The man asked for advice because customers weren’t paying him. The reason? He hadn’t been invoicing them — a problem that was soon remedied thanks to the incubator’s assistance.”
To expand upon this example, Lucas continued, “Let’s say a business knows how to manufacture a widget. As an incubator tenant, the owner will be connected with resources that can help with hiring, obtaining financing (banks may be a little leery about loaning to start-ups), developing a business plan, accounting, registering with the state (which covers how best to incorporate (e.g., sole proprietor, partnership, C Corp, or LLC — as the choice results in different liabilities), increased networking opportunities, and access to potential investors and partners.”
In addition, plans for La Pine’s incubator include the availability of individualized business counseling in collaboration with the Central Oregon Community College Small Business Development Center, and the Deschutes Public Library. Mentoring assistance will also be available from the Economic Development for Central Oregon Venture Catalyst on concept, critical expertise, and strategy.
“In effect, incubator tenants will be surrounded by resources to help them succeed,” Lucas said. “The project will also enhance the local economy as a result of subsequent capital investment and creation of new jobs by companies locating in the facility.”
Referring again to her previous decades of incubator involvement in Michigan, she said that “while not everyone succeeds, some companies I worked with subsequently grew to 100+ employees. This project will have a long-term positive effect on the economy in La Pine and South Deschutes County.”
Two New Businesses Choose La Pine’s Industrial Park
One of Lucas’s primary objectives is assisting her clients relocate, build or expand in La Pine’s 330-acre, fully-infrastructured Industrial Park, and her success can be quantified by the fact that businesses already located there have invested more than $11.8 million and created 141 local jobs.
Most recently, Western Metrology — described as “a leader in the precision metrology industry,” has purchased 2.95 acres, and is about to break ground on a 15,200-square-foot building. Relocating from Wilsonville, the company manufactures titanium investment castings for the aerospace industry, and according to Lucas, “was drawn by the low cost of land and the incentives available.”
“The City of La Pine is very pro-business, and wanted to work collaboratively to facilitate the project,” she said. “Along with Deschutes County, it approved an Enterprise Zone based on Western Metrology’s proposed capital investment and the approximately 10 family living-wage jobs that will result.”
“Currently, Western Metrology is working to obtain permits from the county for HVAC, plumbing, and electrical,” Lucas added. “The process has been pretty great for them. Everything is in place, and design is underway. We’re anticipating a groundbreaking this fall.”
A second new addition to the Industrial Park, Linnius Construction, is undertaking its first project in La Pine — a multi-tenant building of 8,000 square feet. As Lucas explained, the building is spec (short for “speculative”), which means that the industrial property is built before tenants are secured, with the expectation that it can be quickly leased once completed.
A full-service general contractor, Linnius Construction serves residential and commercial clients throughout Central and Southern Oregon.
Workforce Development Efforts
Lucas is also involved in enhancing workforce development in collaboration with COCC and La Pine High School, which are developing apprenticeship programs in various skilled trades such as construction and small engine repair. “We’re seeing a lot of movement to create opportunities for students so they can learn job-ready workforce skills that enable them to both live and work in the area, where it has historically been difficult to find a job that aligns with a person’s passion and education. Our overall goal is to develop an entire ecosystem that will strengthen and diversify the local, under-resourced economy.”
Lucas honed in on the word “collaboration” — which she considers a key component to her success in La Pine and Sunriver, and to those economic development efforts in the region overall that have proven most effective. “When businesses and communities join forces,” she said, “we don’t just grow economies, we build futures.”
