Images Cowlitz County, WA: 2008 by Journal Communications

2008 | IMAGESCOWLITZCOUNTY.COM | VIDEO VIGNETTES TM

OF COWLITZ COUNTY, WASHINGTON

WHAT A BLAST Annual bike fest has riders pedaling to Mount St. Helens

WAITER, I’LL HAVE THE WILD SALMON

Bottle Your Enthusiasm Wine industry announcement draws nationwide attention SPONSORED BY THE KELSO LONGVIEW CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND COWLITZ ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL

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1401 Industrial Way, Ste. 400 Longview, WA 98632 (360) 414-8084 Fax: (360) 414-8196 www.pacifictech.info

REGIONAL OFFICES HAWAII • FLORIDA • CALIFORNIA • MISSISSIPPI Certified Participant – SBA 8(a) Business Development (BD) Program. SDB Certification. HUBZone Certification. JV Affiliate – SDV Certification

2008 EDITION | VOLUME 3 TM

OF COWLITZ COUNTY, WASHINGTON

30 CO NTE NT S F E AT U R E S 16

BOTTLE YOUR ENTHUSIASM

30 GO FISH

Wine industry announcements are drawing national attention to Cowlitz County.

Cowlitz County is home to some of the state’s most abundant runs of ﬁsh.

32 20 SHINING DIAMONDS & COMMUNITY JEWELS Stan Rister Stadium at Tam O’Shanter Park is the latest grand addition to the area’s impressive recreational facilities.

24 WAITER, I’LL HAVE THE WILD SALMON

DISTINCTIVE DOWNTOWN Historic Kalama offers a unique shopping experience for the whole family.

WHAT A BLAST A Rotary Club bicycle excursion leads participants along scenic routes near Mount St. Helens.

Local restaurants attract loyal customers from throughout the region.

28 HOMES WITH PERSONALITY As the area has developed over the years, smaller developments and unique homes ON THE COVER Cover description have been thegoes order ofPhoto the day here. here by Photographer COWLITZ CO U NT Y

ON THE COVER Photo by Michael W. Bunch Otter sculpture titled Bert & Ernie on the Allen Street Bridge

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Working Together: Site Location Permit and Process Facilitation

The Voices of Business â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Facilitating Growth Through Leadership & Action

Incentives Policy Development

Cowlitz Economic Development Council and Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce

Demographics Industrial Revenue Bonds Washington Manufacturing Services Foreign Trade Zone HUB Zone Certification

Networking and New Business Contacts Business Advocacy on Legislative and Government Issues Business and Community Information Referrals and Marketing Opportunities Business Seminars, Workshops and Counseling Services

U.S. Bank Building 1452 Hudson St., Ste. 208 Longview, WA 98632 (360) 423-9921 www.cowlitzedc.com

1563 Olympia Way Longview, WA 98632 (360) 423-8400 www.kelsolongviewchamber.org

O F COWLITZ CO U NT Y, WA S H I N GTO N

COWLITZ COUNTY BUSINESS 34 Minding the Mill For 80 years, Longview Fibre has been an integral part of the city and region.

36 Biz Briefs 39 Chamber Report 41 Economic Proﬁle

D E PA R TM E NT S 11 Almanac: a colorful sampling of Cowlitz County culture

46 Image Gallery 53 Portfolio: people, places and events that deﬁne Cowlitz County

57 Arts & Culture 59 Health & Wellness 63 Education 67 Community Proﬁle: facts, stats and important numbers to know

Inside:

COWLITZ CO U NT Y

ST. JOHN MEDICAL CENTER – PEACEHEALTH SPECIAL SECTION

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What’s Online More lists, links and tips for newcomers

OF COWLITZ COUNT Y SENIOR EDITOR LISA BATTLES COPY EDITOR JOYCE CARUTHERS ASSOCIATE EDITORS SUSAN CHAPPELL, KIM MADLOM, ANITA WADHWANI ASSISTANT EDITOR REBECCA DENTON STAFF WRITERS CAROL COWAN, KEVIN LITWIN, JESSICA MOZO DIRECTORIES EDITORS AMANDA KING, KRISTY WISE CONTRIBUTING WRITERS ANNE GILLEM, MELANIE HILL, DAN MARKHAM, JOHN McBRYDE, JOE MORRIS, VALERIE PASCOE

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ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER TODD POTTER INTEGRATED MEDIA MANAGER ELIZABETH WEST SALES COORDINATOR SARA SARTIN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS WES ALDRIDGE, ANTONY BOSHIER, MICHAEL W. BUNCH, IAN CURCIO, BRIAN M CCORD PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANT JESSY YANCEY CREATIVE DIRECTOR KEITH HARRIS WEB DESIGN DIRECTOR SHAWN DANIEL PRODUCTION DIRECTOR NATASHA LORENS ASST. PRODUCTION DIRECTOR CHRISTINA CARDEN PRE-PRESS COORDINATOR HAZEL RISNER SENIOR PRODUCTION PROJECT MGR. TADARA SMITH PRODUCTION PROJECT MGRS. MELISSA HOOVER, JILL WYATT SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNERS KRIS SEXTON, VIKKI WILLIAMS LEAD DESIGNER LAURA GALLAGHER GRAPHIC DESIGN JESSICA BRAGONIER, CANDICE HULSEY, LINDA MOREIRAS, AMY NELSON WEB DESIGN RYAN DUNLAP WEB PRODUCTION JILL TOWNSEND DIGITAL ASSET MANAGER ALISON HUNTER COLOR IMAGING TECHNICIAN CORY MITCHELL AD TRAFFIC SARAH MILLER, PATRICIA MOISAN, RAVEN PETTY CHAIRMAN GREG THURMAN PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER BOB SCHWARTZMAN EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT RAY LANGEN SR. V.P./CLIENT DEVELOPMENT JEFF HEEFNER SR. V.P./SALES CARLA H. THURMAN SR. V.P./PRODUCTION & OPERATIONS CASEY E. HESTER V.P./SALES HERB HARPER V.P./VISUAL CONTENT MARK FORESTER V.P./TRAVEL PUBLISHING SYBIL STEWART EXECUTIVE EDITOR TEREE CARUTHERS MANAGING EDITOR/BUSINESS MAURICE FLIESS PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR JEFFREY S. OTTO CONTROLLER CHRIS DUDLEY ACCOUNTING MORIAH DOMBY, DIANA GUZMAN, MARIA McFARLAND, LISA OWENS, JACKIE YATES RECRUITING DIRECTOR SUZY WALDRIP COMMUNITY PROMOTION DIRECTOR CINDY COMPERRY DISTRIBUTION DIRECTOR GARY SMITH MARKETING COORDINATOR AMY AKIN ONLINE SALES MANAGER MATT SLUTZ IT SYSTEMS DIRECTOR MATT LOCKE IT SERVICE TECHNICIAN RYAN SWEENEY HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER PEGGY BLAKE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR NICOLE WILLIAMS SALES SUPPORT MANAGER/ CUSTOM MAGAZINES PATTI CORNELIUS

Images of Cowlitz County is published annually by Journal Communications Inc. and is distributed through the Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce and its member businesses. For advertising information or to direct questions or comments about the magazine, contact Journal Communications Inc. at (615) 771-0080 or by e-mail at info@jnlcom.com. FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce 1563 Olympia Way • Longview, WA 98632 Phone: (360) 423-8400 • Fax: (360) 423-0432 E-mail: info@kelsolongviewchamber.org www.kelsolongviewchamber.org Cowlitz Economic Development Council 1452 Hudson St. Ste., 208 • Longview, WA 98632 Phone: (360) 423-9921 • Fax: (360) 423-1923 www.cowlitzedc.com VISIT IMAGES OF COWLITZ COUNTY ONLINE AT IMAGESCOWLITZCOUNTY.COM ©Copyright 2007 Journal Communications Inc., 725 Cool Springs Blvd., Suite 400, Franklin, TN 37067, (615) 771-0080. All rights reserved. No portion of this magazine may be reproduced in whole or in part without written consent. Member Magazine Publishers of America Member Custom Publishing Council Member Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce

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VIDEO TOUR INSIDE LOOK Join us on a virtual tour of Cowlitz County through the lenses of our award-winning photographers at imagescowlitzcounty.com.

EVEN MORE Read full-length versions of the magazine’s articles; ﬁnd related stories; or read new content exclusive to the Web. Look for the See More Online reference in this issue.

GARDENING IN COWLITZ COUNTY Images of cornucopias spilling beauty and variety come to mind when we visualize gardens in Washington. Find out more at imagescowlitzcounty.com.

SERVING IT UP FRESH IN THE NORTHWEST In the Paciﬁc Northwest, you’ll ﬁnd food that is as spectacular as the scenery. From the region’s many wines to seafood from the coast, fresh ingredients are key. Get a taste of regional cuisine at imagescowlitzcounty.com.

A B O U T T H I S M AG A Z I N E Images of Cowlitz County is published annually by Journal Communications Inc. and is sponsored by a partnership of the Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce and the Cowlitz Economic Development Council. In print and online, Images gives readers a taste of what makes Cowlitz County tick – from business and education to sports, health care and the arts.

“Find the good – and praise it.” – Alex Haley (1921-1992), Journal Communications co-founder

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Almanac

Saucy Story Shhh. Their recipe contains more than 20 ingredients, and it’s a secret. An Italian vegetable sauce called Mama Nano’s Caponata made its debut in 2001 at the Kelso Farmer’s Market, and it is produced these days in Longview. A woman known affectionately as Mama Nano invented the recipe decades ago in Idaho, and the family eventually brought the spicy sauce to Washington. Some of the ingredients are tomatoes, celery, cauliflower, mushrooms, green beans, carrots, onions, garlic, cucumbers and jalapeno peppers. The product is available through the company’s Web site as well as several retail stores throughout Washington, Oregon, Montana and Alaska.

See It To Believe It There are plenty of oohs and aahs uttered by the more than 500,000 tourists who visit Mount St. Helens each year. Several visitor centers are perched along roadways leading to the renowned volcano, and tourists can hike, bike, fish and camp in the rugged landscape surrounding the mountain. Some of the best roadways leading to Mount St. Helens are in Cowlitz County, including the Spirit Lake Memorial Highway (State Route 504). Cowlitz County is also home to the Lewis River Highway (State Route 503), which allows views of three lakes and access to Ape Cave and Lava Canyon, which are situated along the south side of the mountain.

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The Merk Perks Up A landmark of the Roaring ’20s is alive and well in the 21st century. In 1923, the Long-Bell Lumber Co. constructed The Columbia River Mercantile Building, and its current owners have restored the structure to its original appearance. Nowadays the 70,000-square-foot downtown building at the corner of Commerce and Broadway is home to several retail shops and a café, and its architecture still garners much attention. The design of the building that is affectionately known as “The Merk” includes white terra cotta and mezzanine windows, plus interior wall murals and historic photos that offer a peek into the 1920s process of constructing the planned city of Longview.

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Almanac

Wow, Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re Tall Trivia answer: The tallest onepiece totem pole in the world is in Kalamaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Marine Park. The late Northwest Coast artist Don Smith carved a colorful 140foot-tall pole that today is situated near the Columbia River. The pole is accessible to the viewing public via a walking bridge that crosses the railroad tracks on the south end of Kalama. Smith was not an American Indian but was fascinated by the culture, and the Kwakiutl tribe adopted him as an honorary chief in the 1970s. He took the name Chief Lelooska and carved the large totem pole as a show of respect to the American Indian tradition.

Cowlitz County

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Cowlitz County | At A Glance POPULATION (2005 ESTIMATE) Cowlitz County: 99,905 Longview: 36,137 Kelso: 11,854 LOCATION The Kelso-Longview area is a scenic corner of southwest Washington, situated at the confluence of three rivers, and with a backdrop of green forests and white-capped mountains. BEGINNINGS Cowlitz County was officially established in 1854, and its current county seat, Kelso, was designated in 1922. The county takes its name from the Cowlitz Indian tribe. FOR MORE INFORMATION Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce 1563 Olympia Way Longview, WA 98632 Phone: (360) 423-8400 Fax: (360) 423-0432 www.kelsolongviewchamber.org

COWLITZ CO U NT Y

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Almanac

By Road or Rail If you need a ride, head to the old depot. The historic Kelso Train Station is now home to the City of Kelso Multi-Modal Transportation Facility. The stately brick building that originally opened in 1912 is today served by Amtrak, and also is home to national and regional bus services, taxis, shuttle vans and rental cars. Besides the convenience of the Multi-Modal Transportation Facility, getting around the area is made easy by well-maintained highways such as Interstate 5 and State Routes 4, 411, 432 and 433.

Fast Facts ■ Moulton Taylor, inventor of the Aerocar, the first practical flying automobile, is from Longview. He designed the machine in 1949, and although six examples were built, the Aerocar never entered commercial production. ■ Films shot in Longview include Into the Wild (2007), Men of Honor (2000) and God’s Country and the Woman (1937). ■ The legend of Bigfoot lives on in the densely wooded areas near Yale and Cougar.

Dedicated to Squirrels The Nutty Narrows Bridge has been a Longview landmark for 40 years, and squirrels couldn’t be more grateful. In the 1960s, construction company owner Amos Peters noticed many squirrels being killed by vehicles outside his office on Olympic Way, and he decided to do something about the fatalities. He conceived a Nutty Narrows Bridge that would be engineered to span between the Longview Public Library grounds and the other side of Olympic Way. In 1963, the bridge was hoisted over the road between two trees. The structure, which cost $1,000, was 60 feet wide and fashioned from aluminum and a length of retired fire hose. The bridge was renovated and rededicated in 1983, and the city of Longview adds a small Christmas tree with lights to the center of the bridge during the holidays.

■ Cedar Creek Grist Mill was built in 1876 and is the oldest operating gristmill in Washington State. It has been restored, and mill workers will grind your grain if you bring it. ■ L.A. Dodgers pitcher Jason Schmidt is from Kelso.

SEE MORE ONLINE | For more Fast Facts about Cowlitz County, visit imagescowlitzcounty.com.

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Bottle Your

Enthusiasm WINE INDUSTRY ANNOUNCEMENTS DRAW NATIONAL ATTENTION TO COWLITZ COUNTY

STORY BY VALERIE PASCOE | PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL W. BUNCH

fter an exhaustive search to find the perfect location for the world’s largest eco-friendly wine bottle manufacturing facility – which also is the first new glass plant to be built in the United States in 30 years – Cameron Family Glass Packaging found a home in Cowlitz County. James Cameron, the company’s president and CEO, says it was the cooperative effort among area officials that was critical in the decision to locate here. “Absolutely everyone, from the governor to local and regional representatives, stepped up to the plate to help us make this happen. We’re looking forward to being good community partners,” Cameron says. The 175,000-square-foot, state-ofthe-art facility will be developed with $109 million in financing and is The growing popularity of wine-tasting events is evident at Rutherglen Mansion in Longview, where visitors sample wine and hors d’oeuvres to ambient music provided by a live band. Left: Capstone Cellars winery in Longview produces award-winning wines and expects to use Cameron Family Glass Packaging LLC for some of its bottles.

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Washington has a growing national reputation in the wine industry and is home to more than 500 wineries. Successful enterprises such as Capstone Cellars winery and the Cameron Family Glass announcement are fruits of the labor of Cowlitz County officials, who have committed themselves to diversifying the local economy.

expected to create at least 90 jobs when completed by the end of 2008. With construction already under way in the Port of Kalama, Cameron Family Glass Packaging’s hydro-powered electric furnace will be the largest in the world for wine bottle production and will operate from power generated by the northwest waterways of the Columbia River. “Being environmentally conscious is an absolute priority for us,” says the company’s chairman, Donald Cameron, whose family bottled products in Pennsylvania for Coca-Cola for more than 100 years. Cameron Family Glass Packaging will use recycled glass from Washington and Oregon and will recycle all water used during the glass-making process. The company also has announced plans to launch recycling programs in surrounding communities where glass is currently being dumped into landfills. For area entrepreneurs Roy Bays and 18

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Joel McNelly, owners of Capstone Cellars in Longview, the high-profile recruitment for Cowlitz County means new business opportunities on a variety of levels. “Not only do we hope to source some of our glass from them, we’re hoping that for the bigger picture, they will help attract even more players in the wine industry to the area. It’s a very big deal and helps to attract national attention to Cowlitz County,” says Bays. Since founding Capstone Cellars in 2003, Bays and McNelly have received numerous awards for their wines, which are made from fruit grown in the Yakima Valley less than 200 miles away. Most recently, the winery’s Barrel Select Sangiovese and Syrah won gold medals among 1,000 entries at the 11th annual Northwest Wine Summit. Capstone Cellars also won a gold medal for its 2004 Merlot and a silver medal for its 2006 Riesling at the Capitol Food and Wine Festival in Lacey. Ted Sprague, president of the Cowlitz

Economic Development Council, says the arrival of Cameron Family Glass Packaging and the success of Capstone Cellars demonstrates the organization’s success in helping diversify the local economy. “This is an economy that traditionally relied on the lumber industry, and while it is still the dominant economic driver in our community and very well respected, we now have a growing variety of industries that call this area home,” says Sprague. “The state is currently focusing on the wine industry, and the Cameron Family Glass Packaging announcement represents a key piece of that diversification effort.” According to the Washington Wine Commission, the state is home to more than 500 wineries, comprising a $3 billion industry that is second in the United States only to California. “It was a very competitive situation to land Cameron Family Glass Packaging, and we were fortunate enough that they chose our community,” COWLITZ CO U NT Y

Sprague says. “The family behind this is doing everything the right way.” At a time when unemployment is at record low levels and economic growth is strong, Cowlitz County is poised for the arrival of additional industry. “When I came here over six years ago, it was inevitable that Cowlitz was going to be discovered. Last year things really took off,” says Sprague, whose organization helped recruit 10 companies to the area in 2006, representing 920 new jobs over the next five years and more than a quarter of a billion dollars in capital investment.

Trina K. Little, an employee with Capstone Cellars, samples a glass of award-winning Merlot in the the winery’s peaceful garden. Above Right: Capstone Cellars welcomes visitors for tastings.

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Shining Diamonds

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Community

Jewels

TAM O’SHANTER AND LAKE SACAJAWEA PARKS SHOWCASE SPIRIT OF KELSO AND LONGVIEW

STORY BY JOHN MCBRYDE | PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL W. BUNCH

am O’Shanter Park has been the jewel of Kelso for 50 years, and now it shines brighter with the addition of a new diamond – a baseball diamond, that is. No question about it, the park has been a recreation paradise for Cowlitz County since it opened in 1958. “Everybody in this area has always called Tam O’Shanter Park the diamond of Kelso,” says Tim Mackin, director of Kelso Lead Park and Recreation. “We have a lot of stuff that goes on here. It’s just a big part of the community.” The newest feature of the 41-acre park is Rister Stadium, a $2.1 million facility named for the late Stan Rister, a youth baseball coach who was an active vol-

unteer for both Little League and Babe Ruth baseball before his death in 1974. His daughter Jolene McCaw, along with her husband, Bruce McCaw, donated approximately $1.4 million to the construction of the stadium, with an additional $700,000 coming from local donations and in-kind support. The stadium was dedicated in April 2006 before a crowd that included Hall of Fame baseball player Reggie Jackson and several current and former Seattle Mariners. The stadium, which has covered seating for 500, is home to the Kelso Babe Ruth League. It also is used by Kelso High School and hosts regional and national youth baseball events. In addition, Tam O’Shanter Park has

Stan Rister Stadium is the newest addition to Tam O’Shanter Park in Kelso, a long-standing site for recreation that has united the community since 1958.

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The Central All Stars prepare to play baseball at Tam O’ Shanter Park in Kelso. Right: Serene scenes and tranquil trails make Lake Sacajawea Park the recreational point of pride in Longview. Left: Kelso’s Babe Ruth League is thrilled to make its home at the new, first-rate Stan Rister Stadium.

a field for soccer, two horseshoe pits, three girls’ fast-pitch softball fields, one Babe Ruth field, five Bambino fields and a basketball court with six hoops. There is a large playground as well as a covered shelter for rentals. Residents also enjoy the park’s trail for walking, jogging or biking. The park hosts several events throughout the year, including the four-day Highlander Festival each September that attracts close to 10,000 people to celebrate Kelso’s Scottish roots. “The park is a busy, busy place,” Mackin says. Things also are busy in Longview at its 60-acre Lake Sacajawea Park. The lake opened as a park in the mid-1920s just after Longview was established. 22

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“What makes this park so unique is that it’s a facility right in the middle of town,” says Rich Bemm, City of Longview Parks and Recreation director. “It’s easily accessible, beautifully landscaped, and it has a variety of amenities.” Park users can walk, jog or bike 3.5 miles of trails and see many species of trees, plants and flowers, while the lake itself offers kayaking, canoeing and fishing. Several events are held at the park, including the annual Go-4th celebration during the Fourth of July holiday. Additionally, residents here also may enjoy various other recreational opportunities provided by the Cowlitz County Park and Recreation Department, including the 58-acre Riverside Park on the Cowlitz River and the 60-acre Willow Grove Park on the Columbia River. COWLITZ CO U NT Y

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Hungryfor

LOCAL RESTAURANTS DRAW LOYAL CUSTOMERS FROM THROUGHOUT REGION STORY BY VALERIE PASCOE

WES ALDRIDGE

t’s hard to miss the 28-foot boat that appears to have washed up at the corner of Commerce Avenue and Florida Street in Longview. That’s where Fred Kamp, a successful stockbroker-turned-restaurateur, opened Freddie’s Just for the Halibut in January 2005. Inside the popular seafood restaurant, Kamp has created the feel of an inland wharf with an authentic fishing boat built into the dining room ceiling and crab pots that serve as chandeliers. “We’re getting customers from all the way up and down the coast. The response has been so positive that we’ve more than doubled our menu since opening,” says Kamp, whose restaurant is known for its clam chowder and fish and chips as well as its homemade donuts and espresso for morning drivethrough customers. Nearby, Rick Carns and Don Maki also serve up memorable meals at the Masthead Restaurant on Ocean Beach Highway. What began as a roadside tavern in 1971 has expanded into a popular family dining spot serving seafood, 14 varieties of hamburgers and homemade desserts. For three years in a row, the Masthead Restaurant has been voted the best family restaurant and best local restaurant by readers of The Daily News. “We made the change from tavern to restaurant when all of our baby boomer customers started having kids in the 1980s,” says Carns. “We have a lot of longtime customers who don’t

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The chef at Rutherglen Mansion maintains a local flair with his fare, using ingredients from throughout the immediate region. Right: Country Folks Deli is known for delicious dishes like steak salad with Gorgonzola cheese. PHOTO BY MICHAEL W. BUNCH

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Business Development • Financial Reporting Estate Planning • Computer Consulting Tax Planning and Preparation • Formal Business Plans Management Advisory Services • Bookkeeping George H. Opsahl, Jr., CPA Terry Hodgkins Shepp, CPA

Lester A. Mischke, CPA, MBT

June T. Hoover, CPA

Lucie Camfield, CPA, MBA

Richard R. Moffett, CPA

Teri Elworthy, CPA

Susan E. Ellsworth, CPA

Debbie M. Ralston, EA

Michael G. Woods, CPA

James R. Gates, EA

Longview Office: (360) 425-2000 959 11th Avenue • Suite A • Longview, WA 98632 Vancouver Office: (360) 737-8007 PO Box 872347 • Vancouver, WA 98687-2347

gopsahl@opsahlco.com • www.opsahlco.com

“ S u p e r i o r H e a t i n g & A i r C o n d i t i o n i n g S i n c e 19 4 6 ”

Beginning in 1946 as Berts Refrigeration, then B&B Air Conditioning and now as Entek Corporation, we have been proudly serving the heating and cooling needs of our community. We would like to thank our loyal customers, friends and neighbors, without whose support we would not have grown into the company we are today. At Entek we are proud of our heritage and excited about our future. We look forward to serving future generations with cutting edge technology combined with the old fashioned customer service we have come to be known for.

Prepared for the F u

LONGVIEW (360) 423-3010 (800) 633-1354 Fax (360) 423-2091

ture

VANCOUVER (360) 883-5462 (800) 633-1354 Fax (360) 883-5465

COMMERCIAL • RESIDENTIAL • INDUSTRIAL

I M AG E S C O W L I T Z C O U N T Y. C O M

COWLITZ CO U NT Y

PHOTOS BY MICHAEL W. BUNCH

even have to look at a menu when they come in.” In downtown Longview, Keli Coszia is adding a tasty new twist to traditional favorites at Country Folks Deli, a lunch and dinner restaurant located in the historic Lumberman’s Bank building. Coszia recently hired chef Bryan Burt from Seattle to breathe new life into the menu. “We’re now doing fine dining every Wednesday through Saturday night in our back dining room with an innovative menu that changes monthly. The food and wine is on par with what you’d find in Seattle or Portland,” says Coszia, whose parents founded another area institution, Papa Pete’s Pizza, in 1974. For sushi, Fuji Teriyaki in Longview is a favorite among locals and visitors alike, while fans of Mexican fare flock to El Charrito in Kelso. According to Dean LaRoque, the head chef at Rutherglen Mansion in Longview, regional cuisine also remains popular with local diners. “We’re serving more northwestern dishes including wild salmon, trout and sole. There’s more of a regional emphasis on our menu,” says LaRoque, a classically trained French chef who recently joined Rutherglen Mansion. Diners and visitors to the historic bed and breakfast drive up a hillside through a 50-acre estate to reach the 15,000square-foot English colonial home built in 1927. Listed in the Encyclopedia of Haunted Places, Rutherglen Mansion is best known for its Sunday brunch.

At Rutherglen Mansion, guests may enjoy Beef Wellington with a glass of award-winning Merlot from Longview’s Capstone Cellars winery. Below: Country Folks Deli in downtown Longview offers outdoor dining.

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Homes With

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Personality TOPOGRAPHY CONTRIBUTES TO REAL ESTATE MARKET’S DISTINCTIVELY DIFFERENT LOOK

STORY BY JOE MORRIS | PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL W. BUNCH

ith plenty of rolling hills and a decided lack of broad, f lat stretches, Cowlitz County is not the place to find sprawling tracts of cookie-cutter homes. Instead, as the area has developed over the years, smaller developments and unique homes have been more the order of the day. This approach not only lends to the area’s distinct look, but also provides homeowners with a heightened sense of individuality. “The kind of development you see today in Portland or Seattle, they’ve got 100 homes with four floor plans,” says Gerald Flaskerud, broker/owner of Coldwell Banker Flaskerud Realty. “They rotate those around so it’s not totally one size fits all, but you’ve got a lot of identical houses. That’s not happening here.” In Longview and the surrounding area, developments are more likely to have 10 or more floor plans, offering more variety. Those developments also tend to be smaller, reflecting the region’s topography. “In those larger markets, they’re selling a house a day because of the demand, but here that doesn’t happen,” says Flaskerud, who began selling homes in the area in 1972. “The builders here have to focus on individual sales and buyers, so they’re putting out more variety and a better product.” That holds true especially when the

house is larger and aimed at the highend market, adds Roger Allen, a retired broker formerly with Windermere Allen & Associates. “When you get up into the more expensive lots, especially when the houses are being built on spec, they tend to be even more individual,” notes Allen, who got into the local market in the late 1970s and also serves as a commissioner for the Port of Longview. “But in any case, builders around here want things to be affordable, but they also want people to have a sense that they’re getting something that’s not average.” The Cowlitz County real estate market is a buyer’s dream, with housing prices that have remained well below state and national averages. According to Flaskerud, the median price for a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home is around $185,000 in the area, less than half what a similar property in Seattle would cost. While the topography can prove challenging, savvy developers are able to pick up good sites and custom-build with the buyer in mind. Allen, for example, is developing some property that overlooks the Mint Valley Golf Course, where the lots will range from 11,000 to 20,000 square feet. “They’ll hold almost anything, and I’m really excited about it,” he says. “People are building homes that are more unique, that have more of a look, and this is a really unique area.”

Prospective homebuyers in Cowlitz County can count on finding quality homes that provide a sense of individuality not found in many other areas.

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GO FISH AREA’S ABUNDANT WATERWAYS PROVIDE AMPLE ANGLING OPPORTUNITIES

The Cowlitz River in Longview is an angler’s delight and is best known for salmon and steelhead fishing.

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COWLITZ CO U NT Y

STORY BY MELANIE HILL | PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL W. BUNCH

ach morning in southwest Washington, anglers rise early to cast their lines in the clear waters of Cowlitz County, home to some of the state’s most abundant runs of fish. “This is a vital area for fishing because the Cowlitz River intersects with the Columbia River right at Longview and Kelso,” says Craig Bartlett, public information officer for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. The Cowlitz River provides worldclass fishing year-round. Spring brings the emergence of chinook and coho salmon, while steelhead are plentiful in summer months. The Cowlitz also is considered the best winter steelhead river in Washington, Bartlett says. Another popular year-round fishery – the Columbia River – is home to one of largest sturgeon populations in world. Sturgeon commonly grow up to 5 feet long, in contrast to the 6- to 7-inch smelt often netted here by commercial fishermen. The small fish turn out in record numbers between January and February, making Kelso the Smelt Capital of the World. Steelhead, chinook and coho salmon also thrive in the Columbia. Bartlett says the river’s abundant fish supply is a result of location and lack of interference from dams and other manmade developments. “Because the Lower Columbia spills right into the Pacific Ocean, there’s not a lot of interference with those runs,” Bartlett explains. “It’s a direct shot.” The Columbia also carries an abundance of yellow perch, crappie, and large- and smallmouth bass – perfect for avid warm-water fishermen like Chuck Downer, outdoor columnist for The Daily News in Longview. “No matter what type of fishing you prefer, you can find it here,” Downer says. He says the Kalama and Lewis rivers also are favorites of local fishermen, carrying both summer and winter steelhead, spring and fall chinook, early- and

late-stock coho and sea-run cutthroat trout. The Toutle River supports fishing for summer steelhead, while the Coweeman River tributary is an excellent source for winter steelhead. Additional lakes and rivers provide seemingly end less fishing options throughout Cowlitz County. While the region’s ample variety of fish species lures anglers from across the nation, Bartlett says visiting fishermen first should familiarize themselves with the many regulations protecting local water life. Rules have become more stringent for endangered species of certain salmon and steelhead. In most areas, anglers can catch no more than two a day, and wild fish – characterized by an intact

atapose fin – must be released. “We’ve developed a fishing strategy to take advantage of hatchery fish on the rivers without compromising the wild fish,” Bartlett says. “That can be tricky for people from out of town.” Whether angling from the bank or anchored in one of the nearby rivers or lakes, fishermen here are sure to be reeled in by the promise of the next big catch. “There are plenty of fish to catch and plenty of seasons to catch them in,” Downer says. “It really is some of the best fishing in the country.” For fishing regulations and additional information, visit the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Web site at http://wdfw.wa.gov.

Many residents enjoy fishing at area lakes as well as on the river. Chad Westin and John Linnell cast their lines at Lake Sacajawea in Longview.

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Distinctive

Downtown KALAMA’S MAIN STREET AREA OVERFLOWS WITH ART, ANTIQUES AND CULTURE STORY BY MELANIE HILL

rom rare collectibles and one-of-a-kind gifts to native artwork and fresh produce, historic Kalama offers a unique shopping experience for the whole family. A stroll down vibrant Main Street takes residents back in time with a glimpse into the community’s rich cultural past. More than 200 antique dealers, artists, restaurants and specialty shops line the picturesque quarter-mile district. Summer is an especially memorable time in downtown Kalama, as locals and visitors gather the first weekend of each month from June to October for the Saturday Market and Antique Street Fair. “The antique district is such a big part of Kalama, and the idea of an antique street fair just made sense,” says event founder and organizer Georgia Knight. In addition to promoting local commerce, the street fair provides a social outlet for the close-knit community.

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COWLITZ CO U NT Y

PHOTOS BY MICHAEL W. BUNCH

“The event is good for locals and for new vendors,” Kalama native Knight says. “Residents come to the market to get produce, and since many are also antique collectors, there’s a lot of local participation.” Business owners and antique dealers run specials on fair days, and as many as 15 out-of-town vendors participate each month. Knight receives inquiries from vendors as far away as Portland, Ore., and has met visitors from as far as Canada and Germany. The much-anticipated highlight of the monthly antique extravaganza is the Kalama Artwalk, which kicks off the yearly event. Hundreds turn out for a weekend of local art, live music, fresh strawberries and an unforgettable seven-course Italian dinner. The Artwalk, says event coordinator Shelley Hickman, is a celebration of Kalama’s deep cultural roots. “Living close to the land brought out COWLITZ CO U NT Y

a lot of values,” she says of Kalama’s earliest residents. “The Artwalk focuses on the values and interests of a prior generation. There’s a lot of emphasis on work, integrity and the farming culture.” Hickman says the family-friendly event, which first began as a fund-raiser for the Kalama Fair, now includes more than 20 artists displaying watercolor, oil and acrylic paintings; drawings in pen and pencil; crafts; fiber; cloth and quilt arts; paper arts; jewelry; glass; and much more. “The Artwalk promotes rural enterprise, and artists are a very significant part of that,” Hickman says. While many of the area’s most notable and highly praised artists attend the yearly event, perhaps the most celebrated works on display are those created by Kalama’s elementary students and displayed proudly in store windows along Main Street. Knight says newcomers of all ages

STAFF PHOTO

Heritage Square is one of more than 200 antique shops located in Kalama. Left: A windmill leads the way to collectible treasures, such as these at right, which are stocked throughout Kalama’s vibrant Main Street district.

typically are impressed by the selection of art, antiques and much more found in this distinctive community. “People stroll up and down our very walkable streets and are very excited by what they see,” she says. “It really is a family environment.” I M AG E S C O W L I T Z C O U N T Y. C O M

Business

Minding

Mill

STORY BY JOE MORRIS

or 80 years, Longview Fibre has been an integral part of the city and region. And even after its recent sale to a Canadian firm, it remains one of the areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest employers and continues to be a dominant player in the local economy. The company generates an annual payroll of nearly $90 million, and local purchases and taxes paid generate an additional $80 million for the economy, says Curt Copenhagen, director of public affairs for Longview Fibre. The 1,700-employee mill in Longview

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the

LONGVIEW FIBRE TURNS A PAGE IN PLANTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S HISTORY

produces containerboard for seven of its plants in Western states, which turn that material into packaging for products ranging from food and wine to computers and appliances. Those plants are located in Seattle, Yakima and Longview, Wash.; Spanish Fork and Cedar City, Utah; Twin Falls, Idaho; and Oakland, Calif. The company also is an industry leader in the manufacture of kraft papers, which are converted by other firms into retail bags, multiwall sacks, fast-food takeout bags, papers for construction such as fiberglass insulation facing, food packaging, masking paper and other niche products, Copenhagen says.

Longview Fibre was founded in 1927 on the utilization of wastewood and continues to use those fibers in its production processes. It pioneered the utilization of Douglas fir chips in the commercial production of kraft board, wood that previously had been burned following lumber-plywood manu facturing. That innovative process was one of many pioneered by the company over the years as it grew to dominance in the industry. Over time, the company also has employed generations of Longview and Cowlitz County residents, including president and CEO R. H. Wollenberg, who COWLITZ CO U NT Y

Longview Fibre’s mill has been a longtime fixture on the Cowlitz County landscape. Right: Thousands of children enjoy a day of learning about sustainable forestry and timber harvesting at an “In the Woods” show presented by Longview Fibre. Above Right: Production Supervisor Brian Hockett (left) discusses a customer order with fellow employee George White.

represented the third generation of his family to run the company and recently oversaw the $2.15 billion sale of Longview Fibre to Toronto-based Brookfield Asset Management. That transaction split the company into two components: Longview Fibre Paper and Packaging and Longview Timber Corp., which owns 588,000 acres of timberlands in Washington and Oregon. Local economic development officials say that so far, all indications are that the local facility’s operations largely will remain the same. “We do anticipate that there will be some changes at Longview Fibre, and they won’t be transparent right away, but the new owners have indicated that the current management team will be retained for a while, and everything we’ve been hearing has been positive to this point,” says Ted Sprague, president of the Cowlitz Economic Development Council. COWLITZ CO U NT Y

I M AG E S C O W L I T Z C O U N T Y. C O M

MICHAEL W. BUNCH

Business | Biz Briefs

Shoppers will find an unusual selection of fine arts and products from Hawaii, such as this painting titled Hawaiian Story Dance by Angela Kanas at The Kalama Hawaiian Trading Co. in Kalama’s vibrant downtown district.

HAWAIIAN VOYAGE FOR MAINLANDERS Bill and Gloria Nahalea are repeating history. In 1830, native Hawaiian John Kalama got off a fur-trading ship and arrived near the Cowlitz County town that now bears his name. One hundred seventyfive years later, the Nahaleas followed suit, accepting an invitation to showcase merchandise from their Seattle boutique at Kalama’s Days of Discovery festival. That invitation turned into a permanent stay. Like John Kalama, the Nahaleas opted to settle in the community and put down roots by opening Kalama Hawaiian Trading Co. at 175 N. First St. in July 2006. The store features a variety of Hawaiian products, including leis, tropical flowers, books, coffees and other gifts. And in the spirit of their predecessor, they engage in the occasional bartering. “We’re following in John’s footsteps as a trading company,” says Gloria Nahalea. Kalama Hawaiian Trading Co. has been building a loyal customer base 36

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since its opening. “Word is getting out,” Nahalea says. The store is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and from noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays. MAKING A MINT The City of Longview is planting the seeds for economic prosperity at Mint Farm. In 1996, the city partnered with Weyerhaueser Real Estate to develop a 400-acre industrial park to help the region’s recovery from the eruption of Mount St. Helens and a recession in the 1980s. Of the 400 acres available, more than 100 are developed and in use. The remaining acreage is f lexible, with tenants able to use parcels as small as three acres up to 175 acres, all with easy access to rail, highway and water. The city recognizes that attracting tenants to commit to the property is a time-consuming process, though it is pleased with the progress in filling the property to date.

“The idea was to build the tax base and provide job opportunities,” says Bob Gregory, Longview city manager. “We’ve been able to do both of those.” Just as important, the city has developed the project responsibly, turning 25 acres of existing wetlands into 80 acres of high-grade wetlands and providing plenty of buffering between the development and its existing neighbors. GENERATING GOOD WILL A Cowlitz County company is meeting much of the Pacific Northwest’s chicken needs and generating plenty of goodwill with its hiring practices. Foster Farms, a family-owned poultry company, delivers more than 140 million pounds of poultry to the region annually. The California-based company opened its Kelso plant in 1998 to continue its mission of delivering only fresh, locally raised poultry. Chickens from Oregon and Washington are processed and packaged at the company’s 110,000square-foot facility. More than 800 people work at this COWLITZ CO U NT Y

local operation, which has three primary divisions: receiving and processing, packaging and weigh/price/shipping. In 2006, Goodwill Industries of Tacoma honored Foster Farms as the sole winner of its Large Employer of the Year. The award was granted based on the company’s employment of more than two dozen Goodwill clients. “As a family-owned business, we share Goodwill’s commitment to promoting excellence in individuals and the community, and we look forward to many years of continued partnership for the benefit of the region,” says Tom Hendrickson, Foster Farms Kelso facility manager. A TASTE OF JALISCO The Pacific Northwest and Jalisco, Mexico, have come together in the kitchen at El Charrito. The Contreras family opened the restaurant at 300 S. Pacific Ave. in Kelso 14 years ago. Jose Contreras recruited a chef from California and put his wife,

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Hilda, in charge of the operation. The restaurant’s authentic, freshly prepared food quickly won over Kelso customers. “We try to do everything fresh. We make our own sauces, we use vegetable oil for refried beans, and our salsa has earned a lot of compliments,” Hilda Contreras says. Though the restaurant has built a devoted following, the Contreras family has resisted the urge to expand. “We had an opportunity to open another one in another city,” she says. “I don’t want one. I like it here.” El Charrito opens at 11 a.m. daily and closes at 9 p.m. The restaurant stays open an hour later on weekends. THE FINAL ANALYSIS In 1985, two former employees of the Weyerhaueser Co. set out to form a small testing and analysis laboratory in Longview. The company they formed, Columbia Analytical Services, has grown exponentially since.

The company, founded by Steve Vincent, company president, and Mike Shelton, is now owned by its employees and is regarded as one of the country’s most prominent chemical laboratories, operating facilities throughout the United States, including a half-dozen other labs and two service centers. The Longview operation remains the hub and is where the most difficult testing is done. While the company’s other facilities are able to handle local analysis, the 24,000-square-foot facility in Cowlitz County is reserved for nonroutine chemistry. “Most of the environmental laboratories do not have our capabilities,” says Jeff Christian, CAS vice president of Northwest operations. “It’s generally more complex chemistry we perform here.” And the company’s reach is growing. CAS currently employs 125 and is in the process of adding 20,000 feet and 30 employees as part of a new, pharmaceutical analysis operation. – Dan Markham

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PHOTO COURTESY OF MR. C’S PHOTOGRAPHY

Business | Chamber Report

CEDC President Ted Sprague and Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Rick Winsman celebrate the groundbreaking of Cameron Family Glass Packaging, LLC.

Shared Goal, Different Approaches CHAMBER AND CEDC AIM TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN BUSINESSES OF ALL SIZES

hether it’s a distribution center with hundreds of employees or a two-person startup, Cowlitz County wants the busi ness. And the Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce and Cowlitz Economic Development Council are working to make sure they get it. “I firmly believe that the answer to effective organization is partnerships that can perform,” says Rick Winsman, president and CEO of the Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce. “When I came here and saw what the Cowlitz Economic Development Council was all about, I saw no sense for the chamber to be duplicating those efforts. Where we are a real partnership with them is working on the smaller businesses, attracting and acquiring those, and working on the sustainability of the businesses that are already here.” The two organizations work closely together, but no one familiar with the operations of both entities would say that they do the same thing, Winsman adds. “It’s two entirely different markets, but we do a lot of things together,” he says. “We serve on each other’s board and produce things like roundtable discussions on employment issues together as a joint venture.” The CEDC is then freed up to work on recruitment and retention of manufacturing jobs, says Ted Sprague, president. “We’re looking for above-average jobs for the county,” he says. “For instance, we had Lowe’s looking to put a store in town, and at the same time they were looking to place a distribution center. We worked with the folks on the distribution center project and didn’t have anything to do with the retail site.” The CEDC works on large-scale projects in which a new or relocating business is scouting multiple markets, rather than

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something like a retail venture focused on penetrating a new demographic, he adds. “These large manufacturers can set up shop here, or Seattle or Iowa,” he says. “It’s our job to bring them here and get them to stay here. We’re working with companies who have a choice about where they want to go, but the jobs they bring drive the other, smaller businesses which are helped by the chamber.” One project in which both entities have been involved is the newly created Small Business Development Center, which opened in July 2007 at Lower Columbia Community College. “We lobbied very hard for that,” Winsman says. “It’s our ultimate goal to have a one-stop business shop, where all related offices, like permitting, are under one roof. This is one step toward having everything in town, and hopefully we can get everything together at some point.” The center will be of immediate benefit to CEDC staffers, who often field calls from people looking to start up a business and are generally referred to the chamber. “Up until now we’ve had to send them to other people, and they’ve usually had to travel 45 minutes north or south, so now we not only have somewhere to send them, but it’s a nice, local operation.” In the end, it all comes down to the goal of a well-run and effective partnership. “We need to be advocates for economic development, like the CEDC is, but in a different way. At the same time, we can work on programs that help them with their goals,” Winsman says. “When we combine our efforts, we have a much greater effect on the area’s economic development in the area that we both serve.” – Joe Morris I M AG E S C O W L I T Z C O U N T Y. C O M

Business | Economic Profile

COWLITZ COUNTY BUSINESS CLIMATE The economy in Cowlitz County has been timber-based historically, but the city has been busy attracting new manufacturing business and building a thriving riverfront industry based on its location on the Columbia River.

MAJOR EMPLOYERS Company

Product Service

Employees

Wood products

1,850

Longview Fibre Co.

Kraft Paper

1,743

PeaceHealth â&#x20AC;&#x201C; St. John Medical Center

Health care

1,500

Longview School District

Education

925

Kelso School District

Education

850

Chicken processing

700

Government

570

JH Kelly

Contractor

500

Safeway

Grocery stores

475

Newsprint

450

Community college

400

Steel coating

350

Discount store

350

Government

295

HMO

263

Steel coating

253

Department store

242

Forest products

236

Weyerhaeuser

TRANSPORTATION Ports Port of Longview (360) 425-3305 In operation since 1921, the port has eight main terminals and 300 acres of available industrial property over the deep-draft Columbia River, 66 miles from the Pacific Ocean in southwest Washington state. The water depth is maintained at 40 feet. Tonnage in (2005), 105,787 Tonnage out (2005), 1,296,073 99 vessels Port of Kalama Port of Woodland

DISTANCE TO MAJOR CITIES

Foster Farms Cowlitz County

NORPAC Lower Columbia College Steelscape Wal-Mart City of Longview Kaiser Permanente PNE Corp. Fred Meyer RSG Forest Products

145 miles south of Seattle

Koelsch Senior Communities

Retirement communities

200

50 miles north of Portland, Ore.

Noveon Kalama

Chemicals

150

Warehousing Sales/ Use Tax Exemption

Rural Enterprise Zone

TARGETED TAX INCENTIVES New and existing manufacturers, research and development firms, and certain high-technology companies in Washington can benefit from several targeted tax incentives. These incentives are intended to encourage the preservation and creation of family-wage jobs.

Rural County Manufacturing Sales/ Use Tax Exemption

New Business Sales/ Use Tax Exemption

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High-Technology Sales/ Use Tax Exemption Rural Area B&O Tax Credits

Foreign Trade Zone Labor Force Training

ASSESSED VALUATION 2005

Rural County B&O Tax Credit

Longview $1,919,495,278

High-Technology B&O Tax Credits

Kelso $564,395,284

Rural County High-Tech B&O Tax Credits

Cowlitz County $6,898,117,628

I M AG E S C O W L I T Z C O U N T Y. C O M

We treat family like customers. Community, country and you. A commitment to our country begins here – in our community. Where we work and where we live. U.S. Bank is dedicated to being your hometown bank with the financial strength, support and Five Star Service you deserve. We are proud to celebrate the spirit that makes us strong as a community ... and as a country.

The treatment you deserve, plus our Five Star Service. How many stars does your bank have?

State Fiscal Year, Tax Collections 2002 $3,141,387.70 2003 $5,737,231.69 2004 $4,508,070.40 2005 $6,407,290.17

FACTS/STATISTICS Cowlitz County (2005) Population, 95,900 Real estate sales, $626,163,013

Proudly serving Cowlitz County for over 30 years. Longview – Main Branch

REAL ESTATE EXCISE TAX COLLECTIONS – 1% OF SALES

Building permits, $89,933,752 Woodland Branch

Longview (2005) Population, 35,430 Building permits, $72,687,614 Kelso (2005) Population, 11,820 Building permits, $204,871

COWLITZ COUNTY RESIDENTIAL SALES Area

Avg. Sale Price

Entire county

No. of Sales

$171,302

1,933

Longview city limits

$148,033

715

Longview

$156,660

821

Kelso city limits

$111,628

217

$150,763

529

Castle Rock $110,440

Kelso

Kalama

$193,540

Woodland

$202,691

260

$78,750

$258,286

208

Ryderwood Outlying areas

Based on sales from Jan. 1, 2005, to Dec. 31, 2005 Source: Cowlitz County Assessor’s Office NOTE: Multiple parcel sales and sales invalidated for state ratio studies (such as quit claim deeds, foreclosures sales, family sales, etc.) are not included in these averages.

I M AG E S C O W L I T Z C O U N T Y. C O M

COWLITZ CO U NT Y

Business | Economic Profile TAXES

AVERAGE MONTHLY EMPLOYMENT AND TOTAL WAGES (2004)

COWLITZ COUNTY EMPLOYMENT STATISTICS (2005)

Industry, Employers, Avg. # of Employees, Wages

41,260 employed

6.5% state tax

2,700 unemployed

Incorporated areas of Cowlitz County (county plus state tax) 7.7% combined

Personal income tax: none Retail sales and use tax

Accommodation & Food Services 235, 2,680, $31,801,482 Administrative & Waste Services 110, 984, $16,621,180 Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting 120, 1,075, $28,662,997 Arts, Entertainment & Recreation 30, 579, $8,485,060

43,960 total workforce

ANNUAL WAGE AND INCOME

Unincorporated areas of Cowlitz County (county plus state tax) 7.6% combined

Average annual wage $33,855 Per capita income (2004) $25,298

Unemployment insurance .50% to 5.42% of first $28,500 wage

Construction 327, 2,106, $85,867,900 Educational Services 29, 3,359, $98,766,432 Finance, Insurance, Real Estate 208, 1,423, $43,027,100 Government 43, 1,780, $73,173,011 Health Care & Social Assistance 214, 4,655, $151,052,299 Information 25, 417, $14,435,073 Management of Companies & Enterprises 5, 46, $1,746,901 Manufacturing 140, 7,193, $360,788,109 Mining 4, 135, $5,859,146

Providing Branded Motor Fuels & Lubricants to Area Businesses for Over 55 Years! Fuels • Retail • Commercial Cardlock • Industrial • Home Heating Oils Lubricants • Industrial • Commercial • Marine

Other Services, except Public Administration 954, 1,638, $24,553,714 Professional & Technical Services 139, 686, $20,894,087 Transportation & Warehousing 115, 1,576, $54,343,182 Utilities 9, 222, $14,154,661 Wholesale/Retail Trade 450, 5,440, $141,461,132

110 Panel Way, Longview (360) 423-3300 • (800) 438-9656 www.wilcoxandﬂegel.com

Total 3,157, 35,994, $1,175,693,466

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I M AG E S C O W L I T Z C O U N T Y. C O M

Congratulations! – You’re approved!

Workers’ comp – Employers can choose between selfinsured and state fund. For state fund information, call (360) 575-6900. Business and occupational tax (rates per $1,000 of gross sales) Manufactured and wholesale $4.84 Retailing $4.71, Services $15

BUSINESS EXPANSION AND RETENTION

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107 N.W. 5th Ave. Kelso, WA 98626

SWANSON BARK & WOOD PRODUCTS

The Cowlitz Economic Development Council has many programs for business expansion. Representatives are experts in their respective subjects and stay abreast of the latest processes and techniques that will position a company for more profits and improved services. For example, these programs can help a company obtain funding, sell its product/ service to government, or improve its manufacturing process. Currently, CEDC offers assistance with:

Yard & Garden Supply Headquarters

Site Selection

Open Year-Round!

Washington Manufacturing Services

Permit Assistance

Foreign Trade Zone Bark, Mulch, Compost, Soils Playground & Bedding Material

HUB Zone Certification Community Development Block Grant Float Loans SBA Loans and Loan Guaranties Rural Washington Loan Fund

Pond Supplies, Fish & Plant Food

HUD Section 108 Guaranteed Loans

Grass Seed & Supplies

Coastal Loan Fund

(360) 414-9663

Chemicals & Fertilizers

240 Tennant Way • Longview, WA 98632 www.swansonbark.com

Pavers & Supplies, Decorative Rock Firewood, Mill Ends, Kindling Garden Accessories, Pots & More!

Materials Available Bagged or Bulk • Blower Truck • Delivered • U-Haul

Washington State Forest Products Revolving Loan Fund Brownfields Redevelopment Loan Fund Loan Packaging Assistance for Certified Minority- and Women-Owned Businesses Child Care Facility Fund USDA Business & Industry Loans Lending Network Loans Industrial Revenue Bonds

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Business | Economic Profile INDUSTRY EMPLOYMENT & WAGES Cowlitz County 2005 Total Firms 3,029 Total Employment 36,690

CONSUMER PRICE INDEX

Year

Inflation Rate

Annual Index

1990

127.3

5.70%

1991

133.9

5.20%

1992

140.0

4.60%

1993

144.7

3.40%

1994

148.9

2.90%

1995

153.2

2.90%

1996

158.6

3.50%

1997

164.0

3.30%

1998

163.0

1.60%

1999

166.6

2.20%

2000

172.2

3.33%

2001

177.1

2.80%

2002

180.9

2.30%

2003

183.1

2.27%

2004

186.2

3.0%

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

FOR MORE INFORMATION Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce 1563 Olympia Way Longview, WA 98632 Phone: (360) 423-8400 Fax: (360) 423-0432 www.kelsolongviewchamber.org Cowlitz Economic Development Council 1452 Hudson St. Suite 208 Longview, WA 98632 Phone: (360) 423-9921 Fax: (360) 423-1923 www.cowlitzedc.com

Sources: www.kelsolongviewchamber.org www.census.gov

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Image Gallery

Longview Public Library

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL W. BUNCH

Sunlight filters through trees in Longview

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Image Gallery

First Presbyterian Church in Longview

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL W. BUNCH

Sculpture of a child and Longview founder R.A. Long, titled Thank You, Mr. Long

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Portfolio

Morelli Joins Columbia Cast NEW DIRECTOR AIMS TO RESTORE LUSTER TO LONGVIEW’S HISTORIC THEATRE

hen Gian Paul Morelli moved to Longview from Wisconsin in May 2007, he came with a clear vision: to bring the historic Columbia Theatre into the 21st century and ensure it remains a cultural icon in the community. “It’s an ideal place – a diamond in the rough,” says Morelli, executive director of the Columbia Theatre. “It has a lot of potential to attract people regionally to Longview.” Morelli, who also ran a historic theater in Wisconsin, moved to Longview with his wife, Mary Kay. “We have family in the Pacific Northwest, and we saw growth opportunity for Longview with its geographic location,” Morelli says. “I was also attracted by the challenge and opportunity of seeing the Columbia Theatre go to the next level from a renovations and administration standpoint. It made sense this was the place we should sink our roots in deep.” Built in 1925, the Columbia Theatre has a rich history of vaudeville acts and moving picture shows. The local landmark was almost torn down after Mount St. Helens erupted in the spring of 1980, but a group of determined citizens changed its fate. They raised enough money to purchase the building in 1982 and turned it back into a functional theatrical facility. Despite the fact that many consider the Columbia Theatre to be a gem in the community, it struggles for operating and renovation funds. Morelli hopes to secure a $10 million capital campaign that will help the theater continue to thrive. “These facilities don’t make money, so there’s a cultural value put on them by the community,” Morelli explains. “Our job is to maintain this facility, and our goal is to integrate the theater into the economic development of downtown Longview – to provide energy to draw more business downtown. I’m very optimistic.”

MICHAEL W. BUNCH

The Columbia Center for the Performing Arts on Commerce Avenue in downtown Longview celebrates its 25th anniversary season in 2008.

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Portfolio

Growing Places

Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens in Woodland is an 1880s Victorian farm house and national historic site that provides visitors the opportunity to purchase some of its gorgeous blooms during an Annual Lilac Festival. PHOTO COURTESY OF LEWISRIVER.COM

The House that Lilacs Built

he sweet scent of lilacs fills the air in Woodland every spring when the Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens blossom, creating a charming display of purple, pink and lavender. Located on the site of an 1889 Victorian farmhouse, the lilac gardens are named in honor of Hulda Klager, a German homemaker who lived in the house and started the lilac gardens in the early 1900s. “She married and moved into the house, which her father built, in 1905, and by 1915, she had registered six or seven lilac varieties,” says Ruth Wendt, president of the Hulda Klager Lilac Society. “She started having an open garden where people could come see her lilacs, and she grew starts for people in the community. She lived to be 97 and supported herself with lilacs most of her life.” The property was almost bulldozed in the 1970s, but a group of concerned citizens formed the Hulda Klager Lilac Society in 1976 and restored it. They also secured desig-

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nations of the house and gardens as a state and national historic site. The gardens are open to the public year-round, with the peak lilac season running for the three weeks and four weekends prior to Mother’s Day. During the Annual Lilac Festival, visitors pay a $2 gate fee to tour the historic farmhouse, wander through the gardens, purchase lilac plants and browse at a gift shop that offers “everything you can imagine that smells like lilacs,” Wendt says. The gift shop also is open the first two weekends in December, when the gardens are lit with luminaries and the house is decorated with six different Christmas trees. “We serve cookies and hot cider and have musical entertainment,” Wendt says. The Hulda Klager Lilac Society maintains approximately 80 varieties of lilacs at the gardens. For more information, please visit www.lilacgardens.com.

ot a green thumb? You’re in luck. Cowlitz County offers a variety of outdoor markets where area residents sell produce, plants, interesting crafts and artwork. The Longview Saturday Market is the newest addition, and it takes place in downtown Longview on Saturdays from Mother’s Day weekend through the first weekend in October. It began in 2007 and experienced huge success in its first year. “We had more than 97 different vendors participate over the first six weeks,” says Hank Sowerwine, director of the Longview Saturday Market. “There’s always a big variety, from plants, vegetables, fruits and berries to jewelry, art, seafood and unique food products. The only rule we have for vendors is you must be selling something you produce or create yourself.” That makes for some pretty creative shopping. “There’s a guy who makes pickled olives and garlic, and he hands out samples. There’s always a line at his booth,” Sowerwine says. “A group of Russian women sell Russian food in the food court, and they cook it from scratch right there. Another guy has a mining company and builds what he mines into furniture.” Shopping isn’t the only thing to do at the Longview Saturday Market. There’s also a children’s craft area and an entertainment stage that hosts everything from live orchestras to hot dog eating contests. “We’re creating an experience for everyone that’s unique and positive enough to be remembered as a place people want to go back to,” Sowerwine says. Many Longview Saturday Market vendors also participate in the Cowlitz Community Farmer’s Market, held Tuesdays (May through October) and Saturdays (April through October) at the fairgrounds and Wednesdays (May through September) in downtown Longview. Additional markets in the area include the Kelso Bridge Market and the Kalama Saturday Market and Antique Street Fair. COWLITZ CO U NT Y

hen Bill Ammons isn’t cutting hair at his Kelso barbershop, he’s probably out doing a good deed for someone in the community, whether it’s collecting food for needy families or giving a bicycle to a child. “I believe if we’d all take time and quit being so greedy, we could make this world a lot better place,” Ammons says. Ammons was born in Kelso in 1942 and grew up just three blocks from where his longstanding Pacific Barber Shop is located. His father started the barber shop in 1933, and Ammons took over in 1962. Since 1977, he has refused to raise his prices. “I charge $4 for a haircut or whatever you have down to a dollar,” he says. “The good Lord has blessed me with a good living, and I don’t believe in raising my prices.” Ammons has been saving his tip money for charitable causes for the past 30 years, using it for everything from buying jackets for kids in need to giving backpacks filled with school supplies to local schoolchildren. Every year, he grows 500 tomato plants and gives the fruits of his labor to area senior citizens. “I’ve always felt it was better to give than to receive,” Ammons says. “We all have something that excites us, and for some people it’s buying a new car. But seeing a smile on the face of a young boy or girl is something money can’t buy.”

Ammons organizes an annual food drive called Drive Away Hunger that collects thousands of pounds of food through the Lower Columbia Community Action Program Help Warehouse. The donated food is distributed to more than 200 needy families, the battered women’s shelter and Mountain Ministries. Ammons also partners with the local fire department each year to give away bicycles to low-income school children. “Kids need somebody to help them,” he says. “When I give, I feel 10 feet tall. Seeing a kid smile means everything to me.”

PHOTOS BY MICHAEL W. BUNCH

Benevolent Barber

For three decades, barber Bill Ammons has saved his tips and used them to fund community projects.

Planting Seeds of Artistic Inspiration R ichard Bacon is on a mission to help people reconnect with nature. The Kelso resident owns and oper-

Flowers bloom brightly in a quirky wagon planter at Richard Bacon’s All Seasons Garden Center in Kelso.

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ates All Seasons Garden Center, a six-acre nursery and display garden that features the most diverse botanical collection in southwest Washington. The center also offers an art gallery, gift shop, educational workshops and summer camps where kids learn to make birdfeeders, leaf prints and garden stepping-stones. “Because of computers, kids aren’t climbing trees, playing outside and connecting with the natural world anymore,” Bacon says. “I want to help kids appreciate nature.” Bacon lived in San Diego in 2004 when a wildfire destroyed his neighborhood. It was then that he began looking for a place to develop a nature art center. “I came up with the idea in 1994 when I lived in Kyoto, Japan,” he recalls. “I saw how the culture there lived in harmony with nature, and I saw the discord here. I wanted to reconnect people with nature – it has a healing effect.” Bacon chose to put down roots in

Kelso for several reasons. “There are three beautiful rivers here, and we’re only 45 minutes to the ocean. We’re surrounded by mountains, and the air is fresh and pure,” he says. “There’s also a unique climate for growing.” All Seasons Garden Center is home to many tropical plant varieties, banana trees, palm trees, angel’s trumpet, giant sequoias and redwoods, and a plethora of other unusual flora. Visitors to the gift shop will find nature-related artwork and gifts, including framed prints, jewelry, sculptures, woodcarvings, handpainted silk, blown glass, stained glass and T-shirts with illustrations of wildlife and nature. Bacon converted a detached garage into the EdenArts Gallery, where he showcases his line of nature greeting cards and the artwork of area artists. “A show called ‘Flower Power’ is up this year with 36 paintings,” he says. “Some were painted right here in the garden.” – Stories by Jessica Mozo I M AG E S C O W L I T Z C O U N T Y. C O M

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Arts & Culture

Visitors to The Broadway Gallery in downtown Longview will find a variety of works, all created by artists from throughout the region who participate in this 25-year-old creative cooperative, on display and for sale.

Cooperating and Creating THE BROADWAY GALLERY CELEBRATES A QUARTER CENTURY OF SUCCESS

he arts are alive and well in Longview, where The Broadway Gallery has showcased the creativity of area painters, potters, knitters, wood carvers, photographers and others for a quarter century. “We have everything from jewelry to textile arts to every fine art media – glasswork, everything,” says Susy Halverson, an artist in the cooperative for 19 years. “We’re a cooperative, and we take that very seriously. We have about 20 full members who run the gallery. The rest of the artists are commission members, who pay a bit higher commission to have their work displayed there.” Halverson says The Broadway Gallery currently has 57 members but usually no more than 60 at a time. Six original members of the cooperative are still involved in the cooperative, she adds. It started in a small building on Broadway Street in Longview and is now housed in a historic building on Commerce Street, which has space for artwork and art classes. A designated cooperative member arranges the variety of works, including paintings, quilting, jewelry, photos, decorative furniture, stained glass, baskets and dried flower arrangements so “it’s all in harmony,” Halverson says. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and artists teach classes on site. A celebration in September 2007 marked the gallery’s 25th anniversary. A birdhouse-decorating contest kicked off the

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weekend, with the birdhouses auctioned to benefit The Broadway’s class scholarship fund. The cooperative also hosted a party to celebrate the milestone. A jury of full-time gallery members accepts new members, says Halverson, who has wearable knits, afghans and oil paintings in the gallery. “I started painting when I was 12,” she continues. “It’s always been a part of my life. I sold my first painting when I was 14.” Halverson says the association with fellow artists is a key part of what makes the gallery special. “I think for all of us at the gallery, especially the full members, the best part of being here is the association with other artists – even if we’re entirely different in what we do,” Halverson says. “We encourage each other. We’re all likeminded creative people. We all grow very much with the association with other artists. I think the community feels that, too.” At the request of late gallery member Beverly Nelson, a potter, a scholarship was established to permit abused women and their children to attend art classes at The Broadway, starting in fall 2007. Halverson says Longview is very supportive of the cooperative. “We have a customer base we couldn’t survive without. Whenever residents want to buy a gift or even just have a relaxing afternoon, they come to the gallery. It’s terrific.” – Anne Gillem I M AG E S C O W L I T Z C O U N T Y. C O M

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Health & Wellness

BRIAN M C CORD

Pathways 2020 provides ongoing review of Cowlitz County’s progress toward community health goals.

2020 Vision of Vitality PATHWAYS PROGRAM WORKS TO ASSESS AND IMPROVE COMMUNITY’S OVERALL HEALTH

en years ago, the Cowlitz County Health Department published Project 2020: The Health of Cowlitz County, a report that examined the community’s health from a variety of perspectives. That was followed by the Cowlitz County Report Card, which rated various agencies and organizations in terms of how well community health needs were being met. Those efforts have evolved into Pathways 2020, an organization charged with reviewing the community’s progress toward a series of goals. It taps several entities for input, from the Cowlitz Economic Development Council to several health organizations, including Kaiser Permanente, PeaceHealth and the health department, and continues to produce the report card every two years. And while much work remains to be

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done, there’s also been a lot of progress on many fronts, says Paul Youmans, director of Pathways 2020. “We just completed our fifth report card, which looks at the indicators and benchmarks on the issues that affect the health and well-being of our residents,” Youmans says. “Pathways continues to be a place in the community where people can come together, create ideas and deal with some of the issues and problems that we have in common.” Early on, Pathways examined immunization rates for young children, the area’s domestic violence rate and the availability of after-school activities for child ren. While those items and others remain on the radar, the organization now has broadened its focus to include promoting healthy lifestyles and providing educational opportunities in

the community. “All of these things have a direct bearing on the health of our residents,” Youmans says. “ Youmans says the goal of Pathways is to keep its reach as broad as possible, from working directly with medical clinics and other health-care operations to assisting the economic development council and chamber of commerce in promoting the area’s economic health. “A strong economy is good for us, because if a person is working, then they have better educational and recreation opportunities than a person who is not,” he says. “At the same time, we’re working to promote early childhood development, family development, parenting education and other assistance programs so that we can reach as many people in the community as possible.” Some high-profile programs Pathways currently promotes include the Healthy Lifestyles Coalition, executed in tandem with the health department, and Plant an Extra Row, which encourages backyard gardeners to produce extra vegetables, which can then be donated to food banks and other need-based organizations. “We’re encouraging activities that promote healthier options,” Youmans says. “Plant an Extra Row is a great way to help meet the nutritional needs of a lot of families, and it also promotes gardening. When you’re out pulling weeds and growing your own vegetables, it’s easier to keep in shape.” As Pathways gears up to begin work on the next report card, Youmans says he remains encouraged by the vast amount of community input the organization receives. “Civic groups, businesses and local governments see the report card, but they also meet with us so we can have a greater discussion of the issues facing the community,” he says. “It looks at successes and shows how people have worked together to make improvements in the community socially, economically and educationally. At the same time, it puts out a call to action.” – Joe Morris I M AG E S C O W L I T Z C O U N T Y. C O M

Health & Wellness

Producing Paper ... and More Making value-added paper and packaging products is the forte of our large Longview operations, which have been a major contributor to the Cowlitz County and region’s economy since the mill’s startup in 1927: • Employs about 1,700 men and women. • Payroll nearly $90 million annually. • Local purchases and taxes paid about $80 million annually. • Produces containerboard for seven Longview Fibre box plants in West Coast and Intermountain regions for converting into corrugated and solid-ﬁber containers for packaging a broad mix of products, ranging from foods to computers to appliances. • A wide array of value-added kraft papers is made at Longview for conversion by other ﬁrms into countless end-uses, including retail bags, construction papers, food packaging and many specialty products.

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A Touch of Compassion COWLITZ FREE MEDICAL CLINIC AIMS TO ANSWER NEEDS OF AT-RISK INDIVIDUALS

ince opening in November 2005, the Cowlitz Free Medical Clinic has touched thousands of lives and brought much-needed health care to some of the area’s most vulnerable residents. Doctors and nurses volunteer their time at the clinic to provide free medical care to individuals with no health coverage. It is the brainchild of Community Health Partners, a coalition of medical professionals in the county who saw a need and moved to fill it. The clinic operates out of PeaceHealth’s Workplace Wellness Clinic, allowing it to forego an expensive rent payment. The clinic has seen more than 1,600 people since Jan. 1, 2006, with more than 268 of those individuals returning for other treatments, says Kathryn Robbins, parish nurse coordinator for PeaceHealth and a board member of Community Health Partners. Robbins adds that businesses and residents continue to volunteer tremendous amounts of time to help the clinic succeed. “When we started putting out our newsletter, we got a lot more people involved; and since they can work in the area of their expertise, we just have to train them from our handbook so they’ll know exactly what we do and don’t do,” Robbins says. The clinic is open every Wednesday from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., which means that patients and volunteers alike have to be able to get there in the evenings. The evening hours have worked out well for all involved, Robbins says. She also points out that awareness of the health-care crisis faced by many families isn’t limited to medical professionals. “I think the whole community understands the level at which we have uninsured people in our community, so it’s not like just the hospitals and doctors knowing about it,” she says. “I’m not at all surprised by how involved the business community has become and how many people really want to volunteer their time to help.” – Joe Morris

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Sports & Recreation

Events such as the annual Tour de Blast bicycling excursion provide the perfect opportunity to enjoy the area’s spectacular mountain scenery along with one of the most popular sports in Cowlitz County. PHOTO BY WES ALDRIDGE

Bicycle Event Is a Blast! TOUR DE BLAST PARTICIPANTS ENJOY PEDALING TO MOUNT ST. HELENS AND BACK

he Tour de Blast bicycle race has erupted in popularity, thanks to its biggest attraction – Mount St. Helens. Each June, the Longview Noon Rotary Club sponsors the 82-mile bike excursion that takes 1,400 riders from Toutle Lake High School to Mount St. Helens and then back to the high school. The event is a fun ride to appreciate the beautiful scenery along the way, highlighted by an up-close view of the famous volcano itself. “There is no competition at our event, although there are some enthusiastic people who start the ride at 6:30 a.m. and finish the 82 miles about three hours later,” says Brian Magnuson, Tour de Blast ride chairman. “It is a nice ride with Mount St. Helens as the big attraction, but it is also a rigorous event.” In fact, Magnuson says many of the stronger riders use the Tour de Blast as a tune-up for a Seattle-to-Portland bike race that occurs a few weeks later. “Many of those riders say the Tour de Blast is actually a more difficult event, even though the Tour is 82 miles compared to the nearly 200-mile Seattle-to-Portland race,” he says. “It’s because the Tour de Blast has a lot of elevation changes scattered throughout the route.” Once the riders begin from Toutle Lake High School, they proceed east for 41 miles along Spirit Lake Memorial Highway COWLITZ CO U NT Y

until the pavement ends at Mount St. Helens. Then the bicyclists return the same way. “There are four visitation centers along the way where riders can stop and turn around if the 82-mile trek is too much,” Magnuson says. The Tour de Blast has been occurring for 14 years, with the Longview Noon Rotary Club starting the event once the surrounding environment had healed somewhat following Mount St. Helens’ famous eruption in 1980. “After the mountain blew, it took about four years for Spirit Lake Memorial Highway to be rebuilt,” Magnuson says. “The visitor centers on the highway suddenly became hugely popular with tourists wanting to view the mountain, so the rotary thought it would be a good idea for an annual bike ride to be scheduled along the highway. We were right.” Magnuson says riders from all over the United States partake in the event, as do bicyclists from other countries. “This part of the Northwest is known for its incredible scenery, thanks to all the rain we get, and we also have excellent roads for bicycling,” he says. “The Tour de Blast raises a lot of money for charities, and the event ends with a pasta feast for all riders. It is a great day for many reasons.” – Kevin Litwin I M AG E S C O W L I T Z C O U N T Y. C O M

Education

Educational Dynamic LOWER COLUMBIA COLLEGE KEEPS INSTRUCTION RELEVANT TO WORKFORCE NEEDS

make themselves more marketable for jobs we open internally.” The college remains proactive about keeping abreast of workforce needs in the community. “We work hard to keep our professional and technical programs relevant,” McLaughlin says. “Working closely with local business and industry allows us to constantly modify our training programs to fit their needs.” Advisory committees help keep programs on the cutting edge and link employers with qualified graduates to fill job openings. The college has one of these committees for every professional/technical program offered, and each group is made up of faculty, employers and professionals in each trade represented. New programs develop when customized training grows into certification or even degree programs, like the new pulp and paper technology program, Amundson says. The college also recently developed a retail management certificate and health occupations core programs. Facilities at LCC also are expanding to accommodate such growth. The Rose Center for the Arts is set to open in early 2008. A science and technology center also is planned to house all the health-care and nursing programs. “We’re creating opportunities for Cowlitz County,” Amundson says. “Our commitment to education and training is a draw for employers and a boon to economic development.” – Carol Cowan

MICHAEL W. BUNCH

ork is definitely the operative word at Lower Columbia College, which has become an essential member of a workforce development team in Cowlitz County that is attracting industry and placing students into jobs. “Lower Columbia College is growing and changing right along with our community,” LCC President Jim McLaughlin says. “These are exciting times for LCC and our community as we continue to work together to make Cowlitz County a better place to live and work.” According to Lynell Amundson, program manager for LCC Business and Industry Services, several area industries such as Equa-Chlor LLC, Billhorn Northwest and Cameron Glass chose to locate in Cowlitz County because of its workforce team. Columbia Analytical Services President and CEO Steve Vincent reports that 30 percent of his employees are LCC graduates. Other companies that hire LCC graduates are Steelscape, Tri-County Truss, Weyerhaeuser, Longview Fibre, Georgia Pacific, NORPAC, Stimson Lumber, PeaceHealth and numerous nursing facilities. Red Canoe Credit Union is one of several companies that pays a portion of continuing education costs for its employees. “Lower Columbia College graduates make great employees,” Red Canoe Credit Union President and CEO Bob Kane says. “We have a tuition assistance program that pays 80 percent of the cost, so even our current full-time employees take classes to

Businesses look to Lower Columbia College for new, skilled employees, as well as programs for existing workers.

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Education

An Apple for the Teacher CHAMBER HONORS SUPERINTENDENT HILL’S COMMITMENT TO EDUCATION

Learning] test scores, and our scores went up,” she adds. The two-part strategic plan, prepared by a group of community members, school officials, parents, students, and government and business representatives, has two goals. The first is to equip students to leave Kelso schools well prepared to “live, work, learn and participate in the world of today and tomorrow.” The second is to make sure facilities meet student, staff and community needs. “We’re training teachers with what we call ‘powerful teaching and learning’ techniques, which are strategies to encourage a relevant, rigorous and good relationship between the staff and students,” she explains. In addition to continuing work on the first goal, Hill says a schedule for repair work on buildings and replacing equipment is being finalized. The next step is to review physical needs at every

facility in the district. The Kelso Public Schools district has two high schools, two middle schools and seven elementary schools, with 550 to 600 staff members and teachers. – Anne Gillem

MICHAEL W. BUNCH

uperintendent Glenys Hill has a shiny crystal apple sitting on her desk in recognition of her tireless efforts on behalf of Kelso Public Schools students. Hill, heading into her ninth year at the helm of the 5,174-student school district, received the award in May 2007 from the Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce. More than two years into the implementation of a strategic plan to effectively prepare students for life after the classroom, Hill says the district is getting good marks – literally and figuratively. “We’ve done some wonderful work with our curriculum,” Hill says. “We’ve added new staff development programs training teachers on effective teaching practices. And we’ve done a lot of work with district data, trying to narrow down where our deficits are for students. We’ve made some wonderful progress. “We just got preliminary WASL [Wash ington Assessment of Student

Kelso Public Schools Superintendent Glenys Hill leads an 11-school district.

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For Education, Bigger Isn’t Always Better LONGVIEW COMMUNITY VOTES FOR MORE SCHOOLS, SMALLER CLASSES

t’s been said that you get what you pay for, and when it comes to Longview’s middle schools, the community is getting its money’s worth and more. In 2002, voters approved a bond issue to pay for the renovation of two existing middle schools and construction of a third so the student population at each could be reduced. The benefits of that decision now are evident. The declining physical condition of the Monticello and Cascade middle schools provided the original impetus for the district to consider a whole new approach. Most kids entering middle school come from elementary schools with populations of 500 to 600, says Sandy Catt, communications manager for the Longview School District. Moving to a middle school close to the same size makes the transition easier for students and also increases the likelihood that they will form more significant relationships with their peers and teachers. “We know that this is a critical piece,” Catt says, “that a student have at least one adult at the school that he or she can go to. Just one connection can keep a child from getting lost in the numbers.” The school board got behind a push to raise public awareness about the need for smaller schools, and the community responded, voting to tax itself to pay for Mt. Solo Middle School, as well as finance major upgrades to Monticello and Cascade. “Both existing schools were

COWLITZ CO U NT Y

brought up to current earthquake requirements and building standards,” Catt says, “but that’s just the boring stuff. We were able to provide learning spaces that are more in tune with how students learn. And we went from two schools with populations of 900 each to three with 650.”

The third year with the restructured system began in September 2007, and teachers and administrators are sold on the healthier environment. “The community made a move to do what is best for adolescents,” Catt says. “The community really is concerned about the kids.” – Carol Cowan

Community minded, just like you We’re a community Credit Union. That’s why we always try to approach things from a community minded point of view. When something is in the best interest of the communities we serve, it’s good for us as well. We’re community minded, just like you.

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800 Triangle Center Longview, WA 98632 (360) 425-4940 (800) 517-3737 www.1stcitizensfcu.org

I M AG E S C O W L I T Z C O U N T Y. C O M

Community Profile

COWLITZ COUNTY SNAPSHOT Cowlitz County offers a small-town lifestyle with the natural beauty of the nearby Cascades and the Columbia and Cowlitz rivers.

MEDIA Newspaper The Daily News, 577-2500

EDUCATION Longview Public Schools 575-7000, 2004-05 Figures

Middle school 1,754

Kelso Police Department 423-1270

Libraries Longview Public Library 442-5300, 1600 Louisiana St.

Longview Fire Department 442-5503

Kelso Public Library 423-8110, 314 Academy

Longview Police Department 442-5800

Total enrollment 7,107 Elementary 3,242

Kelso Fire Department 578-5217

Parks & Recreation, 442-5400

GOVERNMENT

Senior Center (Longview) 636-0210

Total employees 941

Kelso and Longview both have council-manager forms of government.

Kelso Public Schools 501-1900, 2004-05 Figures

UTILITIES

U.S. Post Office (Longview), (800) 275-8777

Cable Adelphia Communications (888) 683-1000

U.S. Post Office (Kelso), (800) 275-8777

High school 2,111

Total enrollment 5,265 Elementary 2,682 Junior high 1,332 High school 1,251 Total employees 900 Higher Education Lower Columbia College 442-2000, 2004 Figures

Electricity Cowlitz County P.U.D. 423-2210 Gas Cascade Natural Gas Co., 423-7470

Total enrollment 6,070 Total employees 560

CLIMATE Average Temperatures January Average low, 33 F Average high, 45 degrees F July Average low, 51 degrees F Average high, 77 degrees F 2004 annual precipitation 37.75 inches Elevation 12 to 4,965 feet above sea level

The area code for Cowlitz is 360.

Telephone Qwest (residential) (800) 244-1111 Qwest (commercial), 270-4516 Water/Sewer City of Longview, 442-5035 City of Kelso, 578-7915

IMPORTANT NUMBERS C & L Auto Licensing 577-3972 Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Department 577-3092 Cowlitz County Visitor and Community Services, 577-3137 Drivers’ licensing, 577-2235

Senior Center (Kelso), 577-9587 United Way of Cowlitz County, 423-5320

Work Source (state employment agency), 577-2250

COWLITZ COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM Visit a log cabin built in 1884 that was once inhabited by a Toutle River Valley settler. Also displayed are American Indian artifacts, quilts, logging equipment and much more.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce 1563 Olympia Way Longview, WA 98632 Phone: 423-8400 Fax: 423-0432 www.kelsolongview chamber.org

Sources: www.kelsolongview chamber.org

I M AG E S C O W L I T Z C O U N T Y. C O M

Visit Our Advertisers All Season Garden Center Bratrud Middleton www.bratrud.com City of Longview www.mylongview.com City of Woodland www.ci.woodland.wa.us Coldwell Banker Flaskerud www.cbflaskerud.com Columbia Bank www.columbiabank.com Cowlitz Bank www.cowlitzbank.com Cowlitz County Public Utility www.cowlitzpud.org Cowlitz County Title Company www.cowlitztitle.com DeFrancisco, Lampitt & Brado www.dlbcpas.com Dr. Peter C. Wagner, DMD Entek Corporation www.entekhvac.com Fibre Federal Credit Union www.fibrecu.com First Citizens Federal Credit Union www.1stcitizensfcu.org Foster Farms www.fosterfarms.com Interstate Wood Products JH Kelly www.jhkelly.com John L. Scott www.johnlscott.com Kelso Longview Chamber/ Cowlitz EDC www.kelsolongviewchamber.org Koelsch Senior Communities www.koelschsenior communities.com Larry L. Hansen Longview Fibre www.longfibre.com

Save Money. Smell the Flowers.

Longview Public Schools www.longviewschools.com Longview Radiologists www.longviewradiology.com Lower Columbia College www.lowercolumbia.edu Opsahl, Shepp & Company, PS www.opsahlco.com Paciﬁc Tech www.paciﬁctech.info Peace Health www.peacehealth.org/ lowercolumbia Port of Kalama www.portofkalama.com Port of Longview Port of Woodland www.portofwoodland.com

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I M AG E S C O W L I T Z C O U N T Y. C O M

Red Canoe Credit Union www.redcanoecu.com Red Lion Hotel www.redlion.com Schlecht Construction www.schlecht.com Swanson Bark & Wood www.swansonbark.com US Bank www.usbank.com Wilcox & Flegel www.wilcoxandﬂ egel.com

COWLITZ CO U NT Y

Leading the

Northwest

with qualityďš? compassionate care

St. John Medical Center

Patient-Centered

Progress

ST JOHN MEDICAL CENTER TRANSFORMS FACILITY & IDENTITY

Natasha Shetler, expecting her first child, discusses her pregnancy with Dr. Greg Wolgamott at the Sister Margaret Anna Cusack Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Health Pavilion. Doctors at St. John Medical Center deliver more than 100 babies each month.

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( 3 6 0 ) 414 -2 0 0 0 intervention services as soon as March 2009. The significance is huge. Previously, a patient from the Lower Columbia Region who experienced chest pains in the middle of the night might first stop at St. John to be examined. However, the most potentially serious cases would need to be hurried along to a hospital an hour away. “That is what we call the ‘golden hour’ for cardiac treatment,” Laubisch explains. “Receiving treatment during that first hour is critical for saving the heart muscle. What if the patient could receive treatment right here, close to home?”

St. John’s investments will mean that a heart attack or stroke can be prevented through catheterization on the spot. “Heart patients, stroke patients and cancer patients can receive the immediate attention they need, without having to travel out of the region,” Laubisch says. “The community is just beginning to realize the significance of that. They are probably well aware of all the construction activity that has been going on around St. John for the past couple of years. But that’s the reason why – we’re making ourselves into a more integrated medical center.”

PHOTOS BY CR A IG MI TCHELLDYER

or the past three years, St. John Medical Center has been undergoing very noticeable physical changes. But it has been far more than a construction project; it is a transformation of its identity. St. John is becoming a major regional health care center to serve a growing population corridor in southwestern Washington. What began as a community health care center with limited services is now emerging as a full-fledged medical center with a growing list of capabilities. The reason, according to Scott Laubisch, the center’s regional vice president for business development: The community demands it. “Our mission has always been to provide the health care services that this region needs,” says Laubisch. “Today, the region is growing and so are its needs. And in response, so are we.” In cardiac care, cancer treatment, obstetrics, orthopedics and other arenas of medical service, the story is the same – St. John has moved up to a whole new level with expanded services and more investment in its technical capabilities. In cancer care, St. John’s investment in advanced diagnosis and treatment tech nology resulted in national accolades this year, when the American College of Surgeons, an outside accrediting body, cited St. John’s cancer program. This recognition highlights St. John as one of the leading cancer care centers in the United States. In orthopedics, St. John is adding staff and new areas of expertise. To establish itself as a true alternative to surgery centers in other parts of the region, St. John requires all of the medical providers in orthopedics to be board certified – a step that many other centers do not take. And in a remarkable innovation in the field, the St. John center has developed a practice of bringing different disciplines together to consult jointly on patients. St. John has invested millions of dollars in its cardiac services department to install some of the state’s most advanced analysis and diagnostics technology. The investments make St. John a viable alternative to larger medical centers an hour or more away. Under new rules enacted by the Washington State Department of Health, St. John expects to begin performing cardiac

Radiology Tech Michelle Vedders assists Linsey Jarschek prior to Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy at the Lower Columbia Regional Cancer Center. This special section was created for PeaceHealth – St. John Medical Center by Journal Communications Inc.

©Copyright 2007 Journal Communications Inc., 725 Cool Springs Blvd., Suite 400, Franklin, TN 37067, (615) 771-0080. All rights reserved. No portion of this magazine may be reproduced in whole or in part without written consent. Member

Magazine

Publishers of America Member

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FOR MORE INFORMATION:

PeaceHealth – St. John Medical Center 1615 Delaware St. Longview, WA 98632 (360) 414-2000 Fax: (360) 414-7550 ON THE COVER: Cardiologist Noel Santo-Domingo assists a patient prior to a scanning procedure in the new state-of-theart GE VCT 64-slice scanner. Photo by Craig Mitchelldyer

www.peacehealth.org / LowerColumbia

St. John Medical Center

Remission Accomplished LOWER COLUMBIA REGIONAL CANCER CENTER COMBINES ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY WITH COMPASSION IN DELIVERING QUALITY CARE

While the center doesn’t fix the flat, another source of funding is in place to answer the need for transportation. The radiation department actually operates a bus service that picks up patients from as far away as the Oregon coast and returns them home afterward. “Life is different with cancer,” Hawkins explains. “It affects everything in your life. Our attitude is that we want to take care of whatever we can to make sure patients receive the care they need.”

CR A IG MI TCHELLDYER

ancer care comes in many shapes and technologies at PeaceHealth-St. John Medical Center. From the most advanced tools to the latest breakthroughs in pharmaceuticals, St. John’s Lower Columbia Regional Cancer Center is making a name for itself among patients in the Northwest. It is a mission for both treatment areas at the facility, the radiation/oncology department and the infusion center. In recent months, the radiation center acquired its second linear accelerator. The $3 million system, which is used to deliver intensity-modulated radiation therapy, is considered state-of-the-art throughout the field. The medical center also has been aggressive in acquiring computerized tomographic scanners, known as CTs, which are sophisticated tools for peering into the human body to identify the precise shape and location of tumors. “We’ve always stayed on the cutting edge,” says Bev Eaton, radiation/oncology manager. “Cancer care is evolving so quickly, you have to stay ahead. As a nonprofit medical center, St. John is able to do that because we invest all of our profits back into what we’re doing.” The regional center, which welcomes about 400 new patients every year, is now preparing to invest in a promising radiation treatment called image-guided radiation therapy, which achieves a more precise application of radiation. Next door at the infusion center, staying on the cutting edge requires the staff to keep up with new developments in chemotherapy and pharmaceuticals, says Barbara Hawkins, cancer program manager. “Our physicians follow the newest drugs as they come out, and all the progress reported with combinations of drugs,” Hawkins says. “Our nurses have to stay current, too. If a treatment for colon cancer is proving effective in treating breast cancer, we will know about it.” But in the infusion center, patient needs usually require investments of a less technical nature. The center focuses on making it easier for patients to arrive for their therapy appointments and spend time there. A local caterer provides hot lunches, and DVD players and movies are available. This year, St. John approved funding to provide patients with day care services – to care for both children and older adults. “Families often face obstacles to coming in for treatment,” Hawkins says. “Having a flat tire on your car when you need to drive to the center can cause real problems.”

Doctors Zafer Vildirim, Dane Moseson and C.R. Kim are prepared to provide patients with the best in cancer care.

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P H O T O C O U R T E S Y O F P E A C E H E A LT H - S T. J O H N M E D I C A L C E N T E R

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InMotion patients can count on the collaboration of providers (left to right) Tim Kelly, MD; Robert Arnsdorf, MD; Natalie Squires, MD; Mark Reis, MD; Jonathon Wong, PA-C; Michael Brown, MD; James Nakashima, MD; Kim Christensen, DC; Linda Conaway, PhD; and Kirsten Iverson, DC.

InMotion

Gets You Moving CLINIC GAINS ATTENTION FOR INNOVATIVE COLLABORATIVE TREATMENT

hen St. John Medical Center opened its new InMotion physical rehabilitation clinic three years ago, something big began to happen. The clinic hit on a new approach to working with patients that is gaining attention across the region. The key word, according to InMotion Manager Julie Suek, is “team.” InMotion’s 13 medical treatment providers consistently collaborate to diagnose and treat patients. Whether the patient is in treatment for physical therapy, physiatry (medical and physical rehabilitation), chiropractic health, pain management, orthopedic surgery, rheumatology (arthritis) or health psychology, the various associates meet and discuss the treatment and brainstorm solutions. This type of intensive teamwork is a revolutionary approach to physical therapy. “In the muscular-skeletal system, all of these areas affect each other,” Suek explains. “Our philosophy is that the patient benefits when we consider all aspects of their well-being. It might be your foot that hurts you, but more than likely, it’s hurting you in more ways than one.” The approach was made possible by new investment in building, personnel and resources at St. John. The building that houses InMotion actually consists of offices that join a common area. A health provider from one discipline can simply walk out of his office and casually confer about a patient with a provider in the next office.

Beginning this year, representatives from all of the clinic’s muscular-skeletal disciplines also will come together for regular meetings to go over patient progress and solicit insight from one another on each case. “This is what smart medicine looks like,” Suek says. “You can’t practice medicine in a vacuum any more. We want to treat the whole person and all of the related issues. And to do that, we’re developing better ways of communicating with each other and learning from each other.” The approach is another improvement made possible by St. John’s expansion of services. InMotion not only is expanding the number of professionals working in orthopedic service–including the addition of a spine specialist; the clinic also has moved into the burgeoning new fields of health psychology and pain treatment. Health psychology stems from the more enlightened view that physical problems, such as joint aches or painful injuries, often have serious psychological echoes. “Chronic pain is depressing,” Suek says. “The frustration of slow recuperation affects your mental outlook. It begins to affect other aspects of your life. And in some cases, there really can’t be full recovery. So you must learn to say goodbye to the way you used to live, and hello to a new way of living. “These cases can get complicated,” she adds. “It’s difficult to know how to solve every aspect of a patient’s case coming at it from only one point of view. That’s why we want to involve an entire team.”

www.peacehealth.org / LowerColumbia

St. John Medical Center

We Mend Broken Hearts ST JOHN MEDICAL CENTER SHOWS CONTINUOUS COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY WITH MAJOR CARDIAC CARE TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENTS

he stated mission at PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center is healing – not technology. But nowhere do the two go hand-in-hand like they do in St. John’s cardiac services unit. The drive to keep St. John current is, in a word, expensive. The medical center must invest heavily in the most up-todate cardiac care technology available. But it is a clear sign of its commitment to healing. “Each piece of scanning equipment here costs between $1.3 million and $1.4 million,” estimates Kirk Raboin, the cardiac unit’s director of imaging. “This imaging technology is setting us apart in what we can offer in our region. Rather than just being a community hospital, we’ve really become a viable choice for people all over the region. Thanks to this technology, patients can receive treatment closer to home, without having to travel to a large city.” St. John must not only equip its cardiac department with the latest technology, but it also must deploy it in the emergency room, since that is where most cardiac patients enter the hospital. Many of them turn out to be suffering from less threatening problems, such as appendicitis. Only by using the new car-

diac tools in the emergency room can the staff identify the real cardiac patients. The heroic new tools in question are called multi-slice CT scanners. They are essentially imaging devices that obtain slice-by-slice photographs of the heart and all of its muscles and valves. Not long ago, the best available multislice CTs could manage to take four slices of a patient’s beating heart. Raboin explains, however, the technology is doubling its capability every 18 months. While St. John is equipped with three multi-slice CTs that scan the heart in eight slices, technology has moved since to 16-slice scanning technology and 32slice systems. Today, St. John has moved from eightslice to 64-slice scanners. But even as that happens, plans already are under way to make a broad new investment in state-of-the-art 256-slice scanners. “It is so expensive – and yet so critical,” Raboin says. “When a patient turns to us for answers, we have to be ready with the best tools to find out what’s happening.” The advanced new technology has an even more exceptional benefit. With exist ing scanner technology, an emergency department patient must first

Patient Credits Cardiac Center for Positive Progress

early 30 years ago, Marion Harlan suffered the kind of heart attack that could have killed him, leaving less than a quarter of his heart functioning correctly. Open-heart surgery saved him in 1978. But what has sustained him since then is the cardiac treatment center at PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center. Harlan, a retired machinist from Kelso who will turn 80 next year, has become a familiar face around the cardiac care center in Longview. For three decades, he has relied on technology advances to make his damaged heart muscles

receive a beta-blocker injection to slow the heart rate enough to capture muscles and veins in still images. But with the more advanced 256-slice scanners, there is no need for a beta-blocker. A patient experiencing chest pain in the middle of the night can be scanned without first waiting for the attending staff to administer an injection. “It enables us to move that much faster,” Raboin explains. “If that helps patients, then that’s where we’ll go.”

St. John’s patients have convenient access to high-tech diagnostic services.

more effective. One recently developed treatment is called enhanced external counterpulsation therapy, or EECP. The non-invasive procedure applies pressure to key points on Harlan’s legs, constricting and releasing his legs to increase blood flow. St. John’s ongoing expansion into new skills, diagnostic services and therapy procedures has been a lifeline for Harlan. But equally important has been finding the treatment he needs close to home. “I’ve spent a lot of time at St. John,” Harlan explains. “It’s 20 minutes from my home. I’m very comfortable that they’re close by. I couldn’t travel an hour away every time I need treatment.” There have been periods when Harlan required weekly visits to the center. Some visits have lasted up to two weeks. “They’re helping me,” Harlan affirms. “In the early days, I had to hold onto the hand rails just to walk down the halls. I can walk on my own now. That’s progress.”

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Women are Getting the

Message WOMEN’S HEALTH PAVILION STAFF CREATIVELY PROVIDE EDUCATION THROUGH ENTERTAINMENT

the gathering also allows staffers to present material about breast cancer awareness and urge the attendees to schedule their mammograms and to be mindful of examination. Motivational speakers discuss stress reduction and other topics. Every February, as part of the national American Heart Month, the Pavilion holds its Go Red Tea. It is a festival of heart-healthy activities to make women more aware of heart disease. Next year, the event will feature a professional chef who will create a Food Network-inspired event, showing a live audience how to prepare low-fat foods. “A lot of people think of heart disease as a man’s problem,” Hiatt points out. “But heart disease kills more women than the next seven causes combined. We want women to come in here and enjoy themselves. But more important, we also want to make sure they get the message.”

PHOTOS BY CR A IG MI TCHELLDYER

he women of southwest Washington are getting the message about health care at PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center, and that is precisely the plan. In addition to treating women for a wide range of issues and delivering more than 100 babies a month, the center has spent the past few years with another mission: making the region’s women more aware of health issues in general, and more alert to their own medical needs in particular. Jan Hiatt, health education assistant at the St. John Medical Center Women’s Health Pavilion, says it is not a marketing effort to showcase the center’s services, but an ongoing program to educate women about health risks and opportunities for healthier living. And it is happening in some very delightful ways. Since it opened three years ago, the Pavilion has been using every creative idea it can to communicate women’s health information. Recently, the center held a mother-teen conference that offered, among other highlights, former Miss America Katie Harman speaking about lifestyles for success. In addition, a kung fu expert gave a self-defense presentation. The event also included a luncheon and a package of spa services. But in the midst of it all came a more critical message: Last year, the federal government approved a new vaccine to prevent the spread of HPV, the human papillomavirus. The sexually transmitted HPV can lead to cervical cancer in young women. An estimated 3,500 American women – many of them young – die each year from cervical cancer. Physicians are recommending that the vaccine be given to girls as young as age nine. “We tell our guests, we’re going to pamper you and make sure you have a good time,” Hiatt says. “But there is also something very important we want you to hear.” Every October, the Pavilion also hosts its “Crop for the Cure.” The event packs in women of all ages to attend classes on scrapbook techniques and art programs. But

Bev and Janae Hamlik scrapbook together at the Sister Margaret Anne Cusade Women’s Health Pavilion.

www.peacehealth.org / LowerColumbia

InMotion Clinic Our community’s only full-service, hospital-accredited provider of: Pain Management • Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation • Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine Orthopedic Surgery • Chiropractic • Rheumatology • Health Psychology

The team that gets you moving again!

1615 Delaware St. • Longview, WA www.peacehealth.org/inmotion An affirmative action, equal opportunity employer For an appointment, consultation or second opinion, call (360) 414-2700