(A 6,000-square-foot business incubator has broken ground in La Pine’s Industrial Park | Photo courtesy of Patricia Lucas, SLED)
“This is an exciting time to be part of La Pine’s economic development, said Patricia Lucas, executive director of SLED. “As the fastest growing community in Central Oregon over the past five years and one of the fastest growing in Oregon, La Pine is showing continued momentum in a variety of fronts — as affirmed by the fact that SLED currently has nine potential businesses in our project pipeline.”
SLED’s Focus on the Traded Sector
“To better understand the role that SLED plays, it’s important to explain our focus on traded sector businesses,” Lucas said, “which are the backbone of Centra Oregon’s economy.
As she defined, the traded sector consists of companies that produce goods or services primarily for sale outside of its local region — generating outside revenue, supporting employment, and contributing to economic resilience.
“This sector, she said, “is typically dominated by manufacturing, engineering, high tech, and science. In contrast, the non-tradable sector mainly comprises local services such as health care, education, retail, hospitality, and construction.”
Lucas said that while attracting new growth in both segments is key to an area’s economic development, SLED concentrates on expansion in the traded sector, which often stimulates growth in non-tradable sectors through increased spending at local restaurants, entertainment venues, and retail stores.
Western Metrology’s Move to La Pine
A primary example of SLED’s traded sector success was the relocation of Western Metrology Sales LLC’s headquarters from Wilsonville (where it had been for 25 years) to La Pine’s Industrial Park — where the company built a 15,200-square-foot manufacturing facility on 2.95 acres of land purchased in the town’s industrial park. (Western Metrology manufacturers titanium castings and advanced inspection technologies for the aeronautics industry.)
As Lucas said, “The move here will show others that they can serve their customers from this location. La Pine is a very pro-business community offering the lowest cost for fully infrastructured industrial property in the region. Western Metrology’s decision to locate here shows confidence in our workforce, infrastructure and vision for sustainable growth.”
Business Incubator Breaking Ground
Supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs, a 6,000-square-foot business incubator has broken ground in La Pine’s Industrial Park, Lucas 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 through a grant — was constructed by the City of La Pine, which will manage and maintain the building.
“Tenants in La Pine’s business incubator will be surrounded by resources such as individualized counseling and mentoring assistance to help them be more successful,” 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.” (Western Metrology, for example. envisions hiring ten employees at its Industrial Park facility.)
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 this environment can have for entrepreneurs — adding that many of today’s market leaders began their journey in incubator programs. These include Airbnb, Dropbox, Uber, Slack, and Spotify.
She recalled working with a man in Michigan who had been chief engineer for a Big Three automobile manufacturer, and “walked away from a great job to start his own business” — filled with the excitement and energy shared by his fellow entrepreneurs.
“And while not everyone succeeds, some companies I worked with subsequently grew to 100+ employees, and we’re eager to see the incubator’s long-term effect on La Pine and south Deschutes County.”
