Regional Economic Development

The following are projects, initiatives and economic developments that are making news in eastern Washington and northern Idaho.

In an industry where retirement tends to come early and knowledge is passed down on the job, that trend presents a potentially paralyzing problem — especially as demand for workers continues to rise.

“The formation of this advisory board, comprised of extraordinary scientists and physicians, represents a significant milestone in the progress of the ISM and for the future success of biomedical research in Spokane,”

Power-generating costs already have risen sharply in recent years, and with the big volume of power-line projects that’s planned, “the same thing is going to happen with the transmission,” Kopczynski says. “It’s bad, but it’s inevitable. It has to be done, or the region won’t survive.”

“We need to recruit engineers from a broad cross-section of society, and this means reaching out to populations that are underrepresented in the engineering professions. Only 11% in the United States today are women, 3% Blacks and 4% Hispanics. These statistics reveal a large reservoir of potential engineers that is not being fully tapped.

—The Western Rural Development Center has released a DVD training video to help extension educators and agriculture producers increase the profitability of their sustainable agriculture enterprises.

The Green Manufacturing Certificate Program will educate workers in the principles of clean manufacturing, energy conservation and waste reduction. Hourly and salaried workers who go through the training will receive certificates of completion.

Right now, the U.S. is failing that mission.
The investment in R&D from the federal government is less than one day of revenues for Exxon, added John Doerr. The budget for renewables is only $1 billion.

http://www.sba.gov/region8/index.html

Affordable housing is the latest victim of the credit crunch that is reverberating through financial markets.