Whatever happened to Project "Vitesse" ….BMW coming to Montana?

So often the staff at Montana West Economic Development
http://www.dobusinessinmontana.com works on a project where the Flathead Valley is competing with communities all over the country to attract a new or expanding business. In most cases, the proposals are a long shot. As board members and investors you may occasionally hear about Project Cowbell or Project Sweetner or some other equally obscure name. Often we don’t even know the identity of the company that is asking for a proposal through a third party.

Perhaps you’ve wondered, "Whatever happened to Project Vitesse?" or "Why does Montana West put time and effort into these proposals that never pay off?" The answer is that they always pay-off for someone and if we don’t compete, there is no chance that it will pay off for us.

A project that Montana West worked on last summer for BMW http://www.bmwusa.com and The SGL Group http://www.sglgroup.com did not land here, but did end up in a nearby state. This is part of a press release announcing the project in Moses Lake, WA located west of Spokane on I-90 with a population of 18,500.

SGL Group and BMW Group: New Carbon Fiber Plant to be Built in Moses Lake, WA

*$100 million investment for the initial phase of production

*80 new jobs to be created in Moses Lake for the initial phase

*Green energy source is the critical decision factor

SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers LLC, will build a state-of-the-art carbon fiber manufacturing plant in Moses Lake, WA. During the initial phase, US$ 100 million will be invested and 80 local jobs will be created. The new facility is an important element of both companies’ strategy to commercialize viable manufacturing of ultra light weight carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) for use in future vehicle concepts. The fibers manufactured at Moses Lake will be used exclusively for BMW Group’s upcoming Megacity Vehicle http://www.bmwblog.com/2010/04/22/bmw-megacity-vehicle-to-launch-in-2013/ . In February of this year, BMW Group announced that this new vehicle for urban mobility – set to be launched before 2015 under a BMW sub-brand – will be assembled in Leipzig, Germany. Now, a key piece of the Megacity Vehicle has a base in the USA.

In line with BMW and SGL’s leading roles in sustainable business operations, the decision to build the carbon fiber plant in Moses Lake was based primarily on the availability of renewable clean hydropower and competitive energy costs in the state of Washington. Favorable infrastructure conditions, existing utilities, a skilled labor force and ease of working with the local government were also contributing factors in selecting Moses Lake as the location.

Montana West Economic Development / Flathead County Economic Development Authority

314 Main Street – Kalispell, MT 59901

Phone: 406.257.7711 – Fax: 406.257.7772

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Hydropower draws BMW carbon-fiber factory to Washington http://matr.net/article-38814.html

Cheap power can be magnet for industries http://matr.net/article-38881.html