Dempcy says the fundraising is going “quite well,” with $4.36 million already committed, including public funding from all Clark County municipalities, the county, the state and all three ports: Vancouver, Camas-Washougal, and Ridgefield.
One of the council’s new goals is for the majority of investment to be from the private sector, a goal already met with $3.25 million already pledged from private sources, according to Dempcy.
“It takes a village, and we need everyone’s time, talent & treasure,” she said. “We want the brain power, the good ideas and the energy of local business owners.”
The fundraising never stops, Dempcy added, with just under $1 million yet to be found.
“There are so many businesses out there who support our vision of insuring family wage jobs, bringing in new business [and] helping existing business expand with resources,” she said. “Our emphasis now on education is moving us into the 21st century, knowledge-based economy. To that end, we’ve added some new work to our plan.”
Dempcy outlined five initiatives to the five-year, $5.5 million dollar plan, coinciding with the county’s economic development plan: business growth, domestic and international business recruitment, entrepreneurship and innovation, land for jobs and infrastructure, and finally, education.
