Grant County included in manufacturing designation

MOSES LAKE - Projects that help grow the state's aerospace industry will now be given funding preference thanks to a recent designation by the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The agency announced this week the first 12 communities in the country that will be designated as Manufacturing Communities - part of their Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership initiative that aims to accelerate the resurgence of manufacturing in various communities.

According to Commerce, 70 communities applied for the designation. Among those chosen were the Southwest Alabama, Southern California, Chicago metro and Washington Puget Sound regions.

Grant County Economic Development Council Executive Director Jonathan Smith said that's good news for the Basin as Grant County is one of eight counties in the state included in the Puget Sound region.

The Puget Sound Regional Council, the group that actually applied for the designation, represents more than 132,000 aerospace related employees and more than 1,350 aerospace firms.

Smith said the council reached out to the EDC at the beginning of the application process for the designation.

The EDC, as well as the Port of Moses Lake, Big Bend Community College and Representative Doc Hastings' office, provided the group with letters of support, he said.

Smith said the EDC is interested in growing the county's aerospace industry.

In fact, the aerospace industry is one of the targeted industries mentioned in the group's Building Prosperity campaign, he said.

And the new designation means Grant County, as well as the other designated Manufacturing Communities, will be given preference on the $1.3 billion available for economic development assistance.

The funding is coming from 11 federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Transportation.

In addition to being given preference on federal funds, each of the manufacturing communities will get a liaison at each of the 11 agencies who will help the groups navigate available federal resources.

Smith said in order to earn the designation of Manufacturing Community, the Puget Sound council had to demonstrate the significance of the aerospace manufacturing already present in the region and develop strategies for investments in areas like workforce and training, infrastructure and site development and operational improvement and capital access.

He said it was exciting for the region to be selected for the designation.

"It's nice to be recognized, for them to say hey, you guys are on the right path," said Smith. "One of the requirements is you can't just be a city or a county, you have to be a real manufacturing region - which we truly are."

He said the designation covers areas in the state where airplane parts are manufactured and assembled as well as areas where flight testing and airplane maintenance takes place.