Building the Local Economy

Developing Advanced Manufacturing Opportunities in Rural Communities

On November 29th at Hearth and Home in Colville, Brian Kraft from the WSU Research Foundation will be presenting information on "Advanced Manufacturing Opportunities for Rural Communities." He will be joined by Joe Harris, Business Development Specialist, from the WSU College of Business and Economics for this 1:30 meeting. Anyone interested in the economic vitality in this region is encouraged to attend, both those who have developed businesses here as well as those who may be looking for an opportunity to develop. Advanced manufacturing holds great promise for rural regions. The U.S. is a global leader din developing and adopting technology, creating opportunity for rural manufacturers.

The economic vitality of rural communities depends on the presence of a manufacturing sector that is locally owned and enjoys a national or international market. Companies without close ties to a community have little incentive to continue operation when their costs go up. The stories of rural manufacturing leaving town have become very familiar in the past decade. This community is fortunate to have the presence of several companies that match these well-researched requirements. How is it that these companies are here and what can we do to encourage the development of new manufacturing firms?

Colmac Coil and Colmac Manufacturing, Hearth and Home, and Hewescraft were all conceived, created and developed by local "entrepreneurs." An entrepreneur is someone who sees an opportunity to develop a product and then has the ability and support to bring it to market. The roots of opportunity are unexpected events, changes in the market or industry, changing demographics, changing values and interests, and new knowledge. A good example of changing values and interests is the recent surge in the organic food market. We are sure that the baby boom wave will create many new opportunities as they move towards retirement. According to a recent study funded by the Kellogg Foundation, many observers see entrepreneurship as being a critical, if not the major piece for rural economic development.

Our task is to make sure that a supportive environment is in place so entrepreneurs can flourish and grow. The same Kellogg study emphasized a "new framework" for entrepreneurship development in rural America. (1) This effort must be community driven. Local communities need to build on their assets, to learn from the experiences of others and to be open to innovation. (2) These efforts must be regionally focused. Regional cooperation across multiple jurisdictions and institutions needs to be of sufficient scale to garner resources and engage expertise that allow individual communities to play their full role. (3) These efforts must be entrepreneur-focused. Necessary training, technical assistance, and financing programs must be available to meet the needs of a variety of entrepreneurs. (4) This effort must be based in continues learning. As markets change and new ideas emerge, there is a pressing need for networking and learning.

Almost all successful economic development in rural America has involved a connection with a university. Colville was on the map for Washington Dental Service because of its long association with WSU. One of the most well-known of these connections is the immensely successful Research Triangle Park in North Carolina. This event at 1:30 on November 29 follows this pattern. Brian Kraft from will be here to explore some ways to take previously designed and tested products from Washington State University into a viable manufacturing business. Brian and Joe will also be address the Colville Chamber of Commerce on November 29 at their noon meeting. If you have any questions please call Al Kowitz at 684-2588 or email him at akowitz@wsu.edu.