Pocatello in running to land four mega-projects
Businesses Eye Area
POCATELLO — The Pocatello area is in the running to land four mega-projects that would bring with them a lot of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in capital investment.
“There are several big projects that are just around the bend,” Bannock Development Corp. Executive Director
Gynii Gilliam told BDC board members and community leaders Wednesday during a presentation at the Holiday Inn.
Gilliam said three of the businesses are in the energy field and the fourth is in the health and medical sciences
sector.
She said the businesses would bring “lots of jobs and lots of capital.” If they locate here, the three energy
businesses would each bring with them well over $100 million in capital spending, she added.
“There are some real positive opportunities in the wind,” said Bannock Development board member Arlen Wittrock, a spokesman for ON Semiconductor.
Gilliam said she should know by June whether one of the energy companies will actually locate here, and she
could know about the other two by the end of the third quarter.
“I’m probably more impatient than any of you to have this happen,” Gilliam said. “I want them all to happen right
now, and I want to get every single one of them.
“If we land even one of them, it’s going to be a pretty big accomplishment.”
Gilliam could not release more details about the companies because of confidentiality agreements.
But she did say the impact of any of the three energy projects would be felt from the Magic Valley area to
Bonneville County.
“They will benefit Pocatello and Bannock County, but they will also resonate all around Eastern Idaho,” she said. Gilliam said one of the businesses has said it will definitely locate in Eastern Idaho, though the exact location isn’t known yet.
Gilliam also said the number of site visits by prospective companies is way up compared with last year. There had been 15 requests for site visits by the end of February, as many as all of last year.
Gilliam said her recent trip to China could result in several projects involving partnerships between companies in Pocatello and China.
“Those visits went very well; we hope a lot of those projects come to pass very shortly,” she said.
Gilliam said Bannock Development has 19 priority I projects, which is more than they’ve ever handled at one time before. A priority I project is a business that has made Pocatello one of its top three choices “and is just waiting for financing to come through.”
Bannock Development also has another 40 priority II or III projects. Priority III projects are companies that are
exploring Pocatello as a possible place to locate. Priority II projects include businesses considering Pocatello that have narrowed their search to the Pacific Northwest.
Gilliam also stressed that Bannock Development continues to focus primarily on retaining existing businesses and helping them grow.
Gilliam said Bannock Development worked hard on retaining local businesses during the recent recession “and we didn’t lose any of our big ones.”
“The (business) recruitment just happens to be the most sexy part of economic development and gets the most
news coverage,” Gilliam said. “But the bulk of our job growth comes from existing businesses.”
Wittrock agreed that Bannock Development does a good job helping existing businesses.
“Gynii focuses very hard on working with existing businesses to retain jobs and help them to expand,” Wittrock
said. “First, you keep the jobs you have. Second, you see if there are opportunities for expansion.”
April 30, 2010
BY SEAN ELLIS