Technology

Wenatchee is the urban center in a region that has traditionally been dependent on agriculture as a mainstay of the economy. While agriculture does maintain a major share of the economic activity in the region, during the last decade great strides have been made to diversify the economy. The area’s largest employers reflect the region’s agricultural heritage, as well as other strengths, including hydroelectric power, health care, technology, education, and tourism.

The valley now boasts multi-million-dollar datacenters for Verizon,Microsoft and the Sabey Corporation, as well as numerous hightechnology businesses and entrepreneurs that are flourishing, thanks to the Chelan PUD’s commitment to a fiber backbone for the region that boasts connectivity equal to the I-5 corridor.

Chelan County PUD

Chelan County Public Utility District (PUD) was formed in 1936 by local voters who wanted affordable power for all county residents. The first electricity was delivered 11 years later, to a small group of customers near Lake Chelan. Today, it operates three hydro projects that deliver clean, renewable, low-cost energy to residents and to other utilities that serve millions of residents of the Pacific Northwest.

Chelan County PUD has built a fiber-optic network to most of Chelan County, where many residents have access to the fastest connection anywhere in the world, including high-speed internet (up to 1 Gbps / 1,000 Mbps), telephone and HDTV television. ChelanPUD.org

Douglas County PUD

The Douglas County Community Network (DCCN) is an ultrahighspeed broadband network originally designed for Douglas County PUD’s electric system. The network includes hundreds of miles of fiber-optic cables lit by cutting-edge Ethernet network equipment. This network enables Douglas PUD to safely and effectively monitor and control its electric system. As an added benefit to the customer owners of Douglas PUD, the DCCN makes available high speed broadband services such as internet access, Internet Protocol TV (IPTV), and Voice over IP (VoIP) to residents, businesses, and government agencies throughout Douglas County. Ethernet offers bandwidth of up to 1,000 Mbps, which makes downloading content from the internet very fast for DCCN end users. The network also interconnects with many regional network providers, as well as adjacent PUD networks, connecting Douglas County to the world.

In areas where wired connections aren’t feasible, such as much of the Waterville Plateau, the DCCN offers wireless broadband. While wireless broadband currently offers less bandwidth than hardwired connections, it is far better than satellite or dial up connections that would otherwise be the only available options. DouglasPUD.org

North Central Washington’s Technology Alliance

The Wenatchee Valley Chamber of Commerce is affiliated with NCW Tech Alliance by partnering on various events and resources that drive economic development in the North Central Washington region. NCW Tech Alliance is a non-profit organization with the mission to connect people with resources in technology, entrepreneurship, and STEM education.

NCW Tech Alliance serves over 150 business members across NCW by hosting over 30 events every year which provide an open platform for the exchange of ideas and create a culture that encourages technology innovation and entrepreneurship.

NCW Tech Alliance hosts the annual Flywheel Investment Conference, Innovator Awards Luncheon, and is a co-lead of the Apple STEM Network which supports STEM opportunities for students and educators in our community.

ncwtech.org