Pacific County Economic Development Council

211 Commercial St. • Raymond, WA 98577

360.875.9330 • 360.642.9330

To receive a paper copy of the newsletter, please call

(360) 642-9330 or (360) 875-9330

or email edcpcog@pacificedc.org

Presidential Perspective

By Nancy Gorshe, EDC President, The Depot Restaurant

J oin me fellow business owners, directors and managers of public and

private organizations throughout our County in supporting our Pacific County Economic Devel-opment Council (PCEDC) through membership and partic-ipation!

Our fall membership drive is upon us, which always reminds me that we are stronger as a group than we are operating alone!

It has been a privilege to op-erate The DEPOT Restaurant in Pacific County for the last thir-teen years. We could not be here without our supporting customers who live here full time, our weekend homeowners and our once-a-year family reun-ion visitors staying in hotels and rental homes! The DEPOT would not be successful without our amazing, dedicated loyal staff. And it would not be possible without our packaging “partners” who operate hotels, inns, B&Bs and RV Parks throughout our County. We could not offer our fare without our local fishermen, crabbers, oyster, cranberry and vegetable farmers, brewers, food brokers, berry and mushroom foragers. We are an interdependent com-munity!

Our daily lives are filled with routine focusing on our own

Vital Statistics Latest (July) Pacific County Unemployment: 7.7% from 8.1%

New Business Licenses YTD: 63

Sales Tax Distributions through July: $1,387,958.79

Lodging Tax Distributions through July: $430,951.36

Minding the Store

Meeting schedule: EDC South: Noon, Oct. 1, El Compadre, 1900 Pac. Hwy. EDC North: 8 a.m., Oct. 5, Chens, 206 Robert Bush Dr. TAC/PCOG: 10 a.m./1 p.m. Oct. 28, PUD Auditorium, 9610 Sandridge Road, Long Beach

Fosse Farms

Owner: Elaine Fosse

Raymond Wash.

Established: 2005

No. of employees:

owner, partner

Key product: Organic salad dressings/

marinades

Key demographic: Upscale buyers

www.fossefarmsinc.coElaine Fosse was known for her homemade dressings be-fore she started her own business.

RAYMOND —Elaine Fosse is generating profit and cre-ating smiles, one bottle at a time.

Fosse began bottling mari-nades and salad dressings under the Fosse Farms label in 2005. Her homemade dressings had already devel-

oped a strong following, but something clicked in 2005.

She was asked to contrib-ute something to a bake sale to benefit military families. At the time Fosse was getting a bachelor’s degree in social science from Washington State University, and the

bake sale deadline loomed large. She whipped up sever-al bottles of dressing that quickly sold out.

She spent the next 18 months selling her products at farmers markets in the region and donat-ing the money.

Continued on Page 4

President, Continued on Page 3

Membership

highlights:

Cold Reality The Port of Peninsula ice

plant is producing one to four tons of ice daily, ac-cording to demand, with a maximum capacity of 14 tons per day. The service has increased part-time employee hours; those hours could eventually in-crease to full time, said Jay Personius, a consultant who worked on the project.

The ice machine cost $250,000 to purchase, in-stall and test with most of the money spent in state.

Share the news! Personnel promotions, production highlights,

physical plant upgrades or anything you’d like to publicize. Call 360-642-9330, 360-875-9330 or

email edcpcog@pacificedc.org.

Page 2 ___________________________________________________________ October 2015

Quarterly

Forms due Oct. 31

941 – L&I – ESD

— OMG!

From the federal level: U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell

“This August, much of my time was devoted to developing solutions to combat the many wildfires raging across the state and highlighting the im-portance of freight to Washington. In the Pacific County region, at a signifi-cant freight export milestone, I celebrated the 400,000th vehicle shipped by Pasha from the Port of Grays Harbor. And in Wahkiakum County, I met local leaders to discuss local challenges from logging and fishing industries to rural utilities projects. I will continue to fight for funding to small ports, and ensure continued economic prosperity of the Columbia River for all users.”

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray

"I am proud to be a voice in the Senate for Washington state families and do everything I can to break through the gridlock and dysfunction to deliver results. As I traveled across our state this summer, from Long Beach, to Walla Walla, and beyond—I heard from so many people who want their elected officials working together, not just fighting. I couldn’t agree more. So when Congress reconvenes this month, I am going to be working to build on my bipartisan budget deal to create jobs and economic growth built from the middle out, not the top down. I will be working to finally fix the Broken No Child Left Behind law. And I will make sure Washington state

families have a seat at the table. "

U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera-Beutler “Nothing beats meeting with residents of Southwest Washington face-to-face. During the August district work period, I hosted a ‘community coffee’ at the Raymond American

Legion for Pacific County residents. Transit, government regulations and immigration were all topics of discussion, but jobs and the economy remain on everyone’s mind.

We know that agriculture – fishing, timber, cranberries – and small busi-nesses are the backbone of this ar-ea’s economy. As Congress resumes this month, I’ll continue to champion smart spending on dredging and our ports that provide a critical lifeline to these industries. My focus also re-mains on reducing the most burden-some government regulations on our businesses and in our forests so that responsible employers can do what they do best – create jobs.”

2015 Business Series: Exporting FREE! The final session, Contracting with Government, is Sept. 22 with Stephanie Scott, Procurement Technical Assistance Center.

10 a.m.: Raymond Education Center, 600 Washington Ave. Raymond 1 p.m.: Columbia Education Center, 208 Advent Ave. SE, Ilwaco Contact Nancy Estergaard, 360-538-4012 or 800-562-4830 Ext. 4012 OR Paul Philpot, 360-875-9330 or 360-642-9330 Presented by Grays Harbor College and the Pacific County Economic Development Council

October 2015 ___________________________________________________________ Page 3

Director’s Dispatch

For the last quarter of 2015, the staff and Board of Directors of the Pacific County EDC is pleased to introduce two new business councils, the Retail and Hospitality Council and the Natural Resources Council. We anticipate that restaurants, lodging, attractions and muse-ums, retail and commercial, and maybe even some profes-sionals will want to join the first group, and those who farm, process, harvest, fish, mine, transport, or are other-wise involved in moving natu-ral resources to market will be part of the second group.

The Retail/Hospitality Council will launch in October, while the Natural Resources Council will launch in Decem-ber. A few of the objectives for both groups include com-ing together to identify and address common issues, to create dialogue and to develop better communication among members, to network, and to work together to plan and implement strategies to grow and expand their business-es. So, one function of a coun-cil might be to address a com-mon concern, such as labor issues (that is, to find enough labor); or, a council might dis-cover that its members could benefit from a certain pro-gram, and they could work together to maximize the ben-efits for all of the members.

Because we are fairly spread out yet our businesses face common issues, we think it is important to offer these services to the EDC’s mem-bers. Please look for more information on the business councils coming soon.

businesses, a routine we need in order to be available for the public and required by our regulators. So often we are so busy we can’t see well beyond our own walls.

Participation in the PCEDC has helped me get out of my own routine to follow the

happenings and trends of my neighboring businesses. It is a safe place to network, com-pare stats and problem solve. It is a place I can keep up with our local economic indicators watched by our regional banks. It is a place I can monitor county, city and

port issues important to all of us. It is a place where I learn and a place where I can share my voice.

Join us this year to help continue to grow our county and to continue to grow your business.

President Continued from Page 1

Rockin’ the Jetty Critical repairs costs: $9.83 million forecast; Logoon fill $5.32 million;

Materials North Jetty: Approximately 54,000 tons of rock on the project. As of Aug. 31, approximately 39,060 tons had been imported and 37,433 tons had been placed;

Lagoon fill: Approximately 40,000 cubic yards of sand were excavat-ed and used onsite as fill. Approximately 48,000 cubic yards of sand and 69,000 tons of rock and gravel were imported and used as fill.

Time involved North Jetty: Onsite work started April 13, 2015. First jetty stone placed May 23, 2015. Completion expected by Oct. 31, 2015.

Lagoon fill: Onsite work started Oct. 27, 2014. Heavy construction mostly completed by March 17, 2015. Site planting and restoration ongoing intermittently.

Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Special thanks: Port of Ilwaco

Congressional staff from the offices of U.S. Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera-Beutler viewed the repair work on the North Jetty on Aug. 24. Local port and government offi-cials along with business representatives toured the jetty and Ilwaco channel dredging operations separately.

Farm

Tour

2015 The EDC’s

2015 Farm Tour

is set for Oct. 2.

We will meet

in the parking lot

at the Pacific

County Court-

house Annex,

1216 W. Robert

Bush Drive,

South Bend, at

8:30 a.m.

Transportation

to the sites will

be provided.

The tour will

include an oyster

processing plant,

a beef farm, a

marijuana grow-

ing operation, a

lumber dry kiln

and a privately

owned tree farm.

Lunch will be

provided. Call to

reserve a spot; $5

per person.

Call 360-642-

9330 or 360-875-

9330.

42nd Street Café Active Enterprises

Adrift Inn & Spa; Discovery

Coast Inn Andrew Monson, Attorney

Anita’s Café

Appelo Archive Center ARK Plumbing Services

Arthur Strand Insurance

B.T. Wilson Construction Baker & Son Construction

Bank of the Pacific

Bay Center Mariculture beachdog.com Inc.

Beacon Charters & RV Park

Bell Buoy Crab Inc.

BJ & R Inc.

Blue Crab Graphics

Boreas Bed & Breakfast Bridgewater Logging

Bud's Lumber

Chen's Restaurant Chinook Coffee

Chinook Marine

Chris Johnson Crane Service City of Ilwaco

City of Long Beach City of South Bend

Coast Seafoods

Coastal Community Action Program

Columbia Pacific Heritage

Museum

Colvin's Quality Inspections Corner Café

CresComm WiFi

Cutler Management Davis Real Estate

Dee Dee Eaton Mead Ins.

Dennis Company Dilk Tire Factory

Discovery Coast Real Estate

Doc's Tavern Don Nisbett Art Gallery

Ekone Oyster Company

Elizabeth Penoyer, Attorney Enterprise For Equity

First American Title

Fosse Farms

Foxglove Enterprises

Funland

Grays Harbor College Great Northwest Federal Credit Union

Greater Grays Harbor

Hanner Enterprises Harbor Saw & Supply

Harborview Motel, Northern Oyster

Harmony Soapworks Hawk's Superior Rock

Heavenly Memories Heidi's Inn

Ilwaco Fisherman's Cove

Ilwaco Landing, LLC Jack's Country Store

Jessie’s Ilwaco Fish Co.

Key Environmental Solutions LLC

Kenneth J. Hurley, Western and Wild-life Artist

Lakeside Industries

Lead To Results Lighthouse Oceanfront Resort

Lighthouse Realty

Long Beach Commercial Security Long Beach Cranberry Growers Assoc.

Lost Roo Inc.

Marsalee's Thai Food Marsh's Free Museum

Michael Plato, CPA

Michael S. Turner, Attorney Mike Swanson Realty

Mike's Computer Repair

Mill Creek Nursery

Naselle Rock & Asphalt

Northwest Ins. & Financial Services

Ocean Park Area Chamber of Com-merce

Oceanside Animal Clinic

Oman & Son Pac. Mtn. Workforce Development

Council

Pacific Co. Historical Society & Muse-um

Pacific Coast Cranberry Research Found.

Pacific County PUD No. 2

Pacific County Title Pacific Eye Clinic

Pacific Realty

Pacific Salmon Charters

Pacific Transit Peninsula Pharmacies

Peninsula Sanitation Service

Pioneer Grocery Pioneer Market & Deli

Pitchwood Alehouse & Inn

Port of Chinook Port of Ilwaco

Port of Peninsula

Powell, Seiler & Co. Raymond Federal Bank

River's End Campground

Royal Heights Transfer Station Seaquest Motel

Security State Bank

Shane Resorts (Ocean Park Resort)

Shelburne Inn

Sid's Supermarket

Slater's Diner South Bend Pharmacy

South Bend Products

Sportsman's Cannery Sunset Air

The Breakers

The Depot Restaurant Timberland Regional Library

Weyerhaeuser Willapa Harbor Chamber

Willapa Harbor Health & Rehab.

Willapa Harbor Hospital World Kite Museum

2015 M

em

be

rship

list

It occurred to her that may-be dressings could be more than a hobby.

“I thought, ‘You know what? I think this would probably work,’ as dumb as I was; I had no idea, thank goodness,” she recalls with a chuckle.

Then came the complicated and costly work of getting the products certified organic and

gluten-free. It was worth it. She continues to sell her

products at the Bellevue and Cannon Beach Farmers Mar-kets as well as other outdoor venues, but stores throughout the Northwest, and in Los An-geles and Chicago also carry Fosse Farms products.

The first retail outlet was Pio-neer Grocery in South Bend.

Now the distinctive Fosse Farms bottles appear on the shelves of upscale Town & Country Mar-kets, Central Markets and natu-ral/organic standard bearer Whole Foods in the Puget Sound region.

The vegan products are all organic, gluten-, soy- and salt-free and contain no pre-servatives. While all that ap-peals to health-conscious buy-ers who want tasty dressings and marinades, it didn’t start out as a marketing decision; it’s just the way Fosse works. It’s part of a tradition.

“My mom cooked that way,” she said. “She just did. Every-thing when I was growing up was organic. It was from the farm. She had a garden and we just ate that way.”

Fosse prefers to clean with just soap and water, no harsh

chemicals. She uses steam to sanitize the bottles. She wants to have as little impact on the planet as possible.

That includes recycling bottles. A neighbor reuses the 55-gallon drums. The busi-

ness is profitable. Fosse continues to work part time at the Pacific County Prosecutor’s Office. She would like to devote all her time to Fosse Farms, but she’s not sure when that will happen.

She and her business part-ner hope to add an employee in the future, but for now the two of them are working to maximize profit.

“There’s a million different salad dressings on the mar-ket,” she said. “Not like mine, but you have to get it out there. But I’ve never had to pay for shelf space like some do.”

Fosse Farms spends extra money for organic ingredients, but the certified organic label offers a marketing edge. Besides, organic cooking is a tradition for owner Elaine Fosse.

Page 4 ___________________________________________________________ October 2015