make room to grow

Ferrari, Economic Development Specialist with the city of Dallas.

The Hundred Acre Academy expects to move into the building in January 2023.

Industries continue grow in Dallas

Dallas continues to see growth and investment in its key traded sector employers. Ascentec Engineering officially began production in 2022 at its Monmouth Cutoff Road facility, and will continue to grow, adding new jobs and investment in the community in 2023 and beyond. Company officials say the Dallas facility will have some the most cutting-edge automated machining equipment in the industry.

“The area has a great reputation attracting hard-working employees, which aligns well with the Ascentec values. Ascentec strives to provide a safe and continuously improving work environment so that each employee can enjoy personal fulfillment and achieve their professional goals,” said Ascentec CEO Ian Ruef.

Meanwhile, at the north end of Dallas, OpenRoad Transportation is planning a major expansion project which will add more than 50 new jobs to Dallas. The company plans to triple its existing square footage with a $5 million building expansion project, expected to be completed later this year.

“We have always been proud to be a home-grown, Pacific Northwest business, so the opportunity to continue our expansion in Dallas is exciting to us,” said

CEO Mark Weisensee. Both companies plan to take advantage of the city’s Enterprise Zone program, which provides property tax relief on new investments for three years.

Dallas welcomes new Economic Development Specialist

In July 2022, Ferrari, joined the Economic and Community Development Department as the city’s new Economic Development Specialist. In this new role, Ferrari serves as support staff for the Dallas Downtown Association and Explore Dallas (formerly known as the Dallas Area Visitors Center). In addition to this support, Ferrari oversees the city’s new Dallas Business Inventory and the city’s historic preservation programs.

The DBI is a free new program for businesses provided by the city of Dallas. In the wake of the pandemic, the city prioritized finding a better way to communicate with businesses to make as many businesses aware of potential opportunities to help their business. As of Jan. 1, the city has opened up this optional and free service to the entire business community.

Businesses that sign up for the DBI will be the first to know about new grant opportunities, city-wide programs and events, and educational opportunities for business owners and their employees. Businesses interested in signing up for this program can visit www.dallasor.gov/ecd and click on the “DBI” tab. If you have questions on this program, please contact tyler.ferrari@dallasor.gov.

Dallas welcomes new businesses

In early 2022, Two Wolves Taproom, owned by Tyler and Dani Genovese, opened and has since become a popular spot for the entire community. Two Wolves regularly hosts fun events for the community at their business, whether its regular trivia nights, paint parties, or Saturday Morning yoga! They have worked to expand their hours and are now open Sunday for bunch, and on Monday for dinner.

Also on Court Street, Well Within Nutrition opened last year and has been providing the community with nutritious shakes and other healthy snack alternatives.

Over on Mill Street, the Thackeray family have opened Dreamies Creamery, an independent shop featuring ice cream made with sheep’s milk. Dreamies has been a great supporter of the community, showing up to various community events and providing the community with much needed relief during the summer months. Looking forward to 2023, the city is excited to be able to welcome Red Clover Public House to the community. They have been working hard to renovate the old Brixius home on Court Street and transform it into an Irish-themed pub that serves wonderfully made, slow cooked barbecue.

Dallas continues to welcome new and innovative businesses into the community, and we look forward to helping more businesses open in the year to come!