Scott Swanson
Sweet Home has a chance to be the location for a company that could bring 100 or more jobs to the area, local officials say.
Consequently, they’re asking residents – particularly downtown property owners – to put on the best face possible in anticipation of the visit from the “mystery” company, which is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 24.
The Chamber of Commerce and the city are teaming up to encourage downtown facelift efforts and activities, and the chamber is sponsoring a contest with cash prizes to encourage the local business community to step up.
Project Falcon, as it’s referred to, will manifest itself in an Aug. 24 visit by representatives of the unnamed firm, which local officials surmise may have something to do with paper.
“The only people who really know what’s going on is Business Oregon,” said City Manager Ray Towry. A site selection group from Business Oregon will be making the Aug. 24 visit.
But chamber and city officials have decided to use the opportunity to try to juice things up in the downtown, in conjunction with the Tuesday Farmers Market, to increase retail traffic and provide entertainment.
“Our overall goal is to put our best foot forward for this large company, which is considering Sweet Home as its home for operations, and to bring life to downtown Sweet Home,” said Chamber Director Melody Jordan Reese.
Towry said Business Oregon, which is the state’s economic development agency, often serves as site selector for out-of-state entities looking to relocate.
He said local officials will meet with the site selectors, and are prepping for the meeting.
“We’re trying to do as much research as we can so as not to be caught off guard by questions,” he said.
In his four-plus years as city manager, the city has responded to a number of requests for proposals from Business Oregon, but this is the first to result in a site visit through that agency.
The city has hosted “one or two” site visits over that time from “more regional-based companies, but this is certainly the biggest one we’ve encountered since I’ve been here,” he said.
“This is a pretty big deal for us.”
Officials have some clues, mostly infrastructure needs, which make them think this could be a paper manufacturer of some type.
Assets that have been listed, which Sweet Home can offer, include rail access, highway access, specific power needs, and a large volume of raw water which could be accessed, he said. Another is land.
“We have a lot of available property.”
The city has already worked with Albany Eastern Railroad – “Rick Franklin has been a great partner,” Towry said, along with the county, local landowner Troy Cummings, and Pacific Power, among others.
Downtown cleanup will simply send a message, Towry said.
“People want to invest in places that invest in themselves. We’re asking a company to come in and invest millions of dollars, create 100-plus jobs in our community. Why would they select our community over other communities?
“When you compete in an athletic event, you have to train. We have to prep to put our best foot forward. You’ll see public works staff out that week, working extra hard to make the community look good.”
To help prepare for the mystery visit, the chamber will hold a “storefront contest” for businesses to encourage them to spruce up their locations along Main and Long, and side streets.
Businesses will be asked to submit “before” and “after” photos, which will be judged based on cleanliness of the sidewalk (clear of debris and weeds), cleanliness of the building face, and creativity of window and outdoor displays.
Prizes are $500 for first place, $400 for second place and $300 for third.
Photos must be submitted by 2 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 24.
But the mystery visit is only one outcome of the chamber’s strategy, she said. Organizers want to create an environment that will make residents want to spend time downtown on Tuesday evenings – through the end of the summer.
Jordan Reese said a “soft launch” of Shop Local Tuesdays starts Aug. 17 and the events will continue during the summer, through September.
She said the Oregon Jamboree has agreed to help line up entertainers for Tuesday evenings, who would be located somewhere in the central downtown area, to provide “family-friendly life and entertainment. We want to create more traffic in our businesses.”
“Businesses are encouraged to stay open later, from 5 to 8 p.m., and to set up displays and catch the eyes of folks throughout the downtown,” she said. “We want to make this a fun, family-friendly outing.”