Q & A with Clark County Commissioner David Madore

Q: After a few months of separation, the county is back on board with the Columbia River Economic Development Council. What hope to accomplish in that relationship?

Madore: The CREDC has been very exclusive. They’re not a public organization, they don’t open their books to anyone else and they don’t invite people in. You have to join their group in order to speak to them. That seems a little closed to me. I’ve reached out to them (in the past) but they said, ‘don’t come, don’t show up, we don’t want to talk with you, we’re exclusive.’

I’ve done everything I can to make sure we have a healthy relationship because they are doing good things. But they’re also doing more harm than good by killing these jobs in the Columbia Business Center and reducing the height of our bridge from 178 to 116 feet and killing our Columbia River freight corridor and violating their own name – Columbia River Economic Development Council… Hopefully when they open themselves up to new ideas and some outside perspective they may be able to do better.

Hopefully we’ll have some healthy two way conversations… If anyone knows how I work, they know I’m always courteous, always respectful; I always conduct business with honor and have that healthy dialogue. That’s the way I work. Contending for a vision for any kind of solution requires that kind of respect. Because then you can move things forward.

Q: Do you know of any businesses that have decided to move or grow here because of your job creation efforts?

Read more: Q & A with Clark County Commissioner David Madore

Mackay Sposito CEO on PTAC office: “I wish this had been here five years ago”

Local business leaders are already applauding today’s announcement by the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce (GVCC) that it is now an official PTAC office.

PTAC, otherwise known as the Procurement Technical Assessment Center Program, is a nationwide network of trained procurement professionals working to help businesses gain government contracts at the local, state and federal levels.

“I wish this (Vancouver PTAC office) had been here five years ago,” noted GVCC Board Member and CEO/President of Mackay Sposito, Tim Schauer. “A very large portion of our current volume (at Mackay Sposito) is federal work, and we had to stub our toe a few times learning how to organize ourselves to be a good match as a federal contractor.”

Read more: Mackay Sposito CEO on PTAC office: “I wish this had been here five years ago”

An intern's perspective on the business community

Editor's note: WSU Vancouver student Margarita Topal spent the past few months serving as an intern at the VBJ. As her time at the journal winds down, she was asked to write about her experiences and what she learned about the business community. Here is what she had to say…

During my time as an intern at the Vancouver Business Journal, I learned that the Vancouver, Washington community is changing and growing at a speed much faster than I had anticipated. As a VBJ intern, I have written about the continuous development and expansion of Vancouver’s downtown, so it is not difficult to believe that the city’s population grew by almost 3,000 (or more accurately, 2,968) people between 2010 and 2011, according to the national census. I had the chance to meet and interview political leaders, business owners and employees who are contributing to the success of our community.

The work of individuals such as Vancouver Mayor Timothy Leavitt, Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler, CREDC Executive Director Lisa Nisenfield and Columbia Credit Union VP Manager Julie Bocanegra has been exceptional. These individuals, whom I had the pleasure to personally meet, are some of the most distinguished representatives of our community. Our community is even lucky enough to have people with a good sense of humor, such as Jim West, a.k.a. “The Cereal Killer,” who starred in VBJ’s Boardroom Breakfast Series advertisements. These, and other leaders, work to facilitate discussions that result in visible improvements to our area.

Read more: An intern's perspective on the business community

New eatery coming to Washougal’s Main Street

Downtown Washougal is about to get its first new restaurant in more than two years.

OurBar, described by owners Alex Yost and Kevin Credelle as a “fun, funky little neighborhood coffee shop, eatery and bar,” is set to open in April at 1887 E Main Street.

The restaurant is the first independent endeavor for Yost and Credelle, who have a number of years of experience in the culinary business. Yost, a graduate of Oregon Culinary Institute, worked as a sous chef and creative partner guided by two James Beard nominated chefs. Credelle, a self-taught cook, has established himself as an experienced kitchen manager in the last 10 years.

The couple first became interested in downtown Washougal after spotting a Lone Wolf Development invitation to come see real estate spaces in the area.

“We immediately fell in love with the area and Lone Wolf’s vision,” Yost said. “We feel OurBar fits with the Washougal vibe. Everyone here is very friendly and enthusiastic about supporting local businesses.” 

Read more: New eatery coming to Washougal’s Main Street