Commercial Properties (vacancies, new businesses, etc.):

Sandy Marketplace:  One of the two vacant spaces in this complex is about to be filled, and it looks like Panda Express is going to get some competition!  The old Starbucks location is currently being transformed after a long wait into the newest location for Joy Teriyaki, a Portland-metro-based bento chain.  We anticipate an opening around the end of the calendar year.

Chariteas space – future “healthy market”:  Concept and design work continues on this project.  The business owner recently contacted me to get contact information for Up Design Lounge, which seems like a very good sign.  UDL, a retail consulting firm in the Pearl District owned and operated by Ullika Pankratz, has done a number of workshops for the Sandy Area Chamber of Commerce in the last few years.  She is a former layout designer for Ikea, and specializes in setting up retail spaces for maximum sales effect.  If he’s hired Ullika, there is little doubt in my mind that this store will succeed.

In other Chariteas news, Ms. Chalmers has partnered with the SACC to open a “pop-up” shop in the Chamber offices to sell her tea through the holiday season.  Sandy’s favorite tea importer will have this pop-up open very soon, so watch for an e-blast from the Chamber announcing this shortly.

SACC: The Sandy Area Chamber of Commerce is diving back into the “shop local” world by offering local businesses a coupon book exclusively for the holiday season.  Businesses have until November 15 to sign up, and the response from the business community thus far has been stellar.

Fleischman properties:  quick update – Mr. Fleischman has received our letter, has indicated to us that he likes the solution presented, and is currently getting quotes for the construction work.  He will contact us once he has chosen a company to do the work.  [note: we offered to use urban renewal funds to pay for 1/3 of the work, not to exceed $6,000.]

Possible small manufacturer coming to Sandy?:  I was contacted recently (11/7) by a broker that is looking to help a small manufacturer (about 20 employees) of saw blades and small equipment used in logging relocate his company from Troutdale after purchase.  The broker told me that the only two cities the new owner was interested in were Salem and Sandy, and that they were looking for a 30,000 SF building to purchase.  Initially they thought Salem was a no-brainer due to size and availability of buildings, but after talking to that city’s Ec Dev department, they were so turned off by the reception they received that they asked me to put together a preliminary introduction to Sandy and list why our community is better than Salem.

While I didn’t bad-mouth our neighbor down south, I did highlight the benefits of locating their business in our community…particularly our fiber, as this business is looking to expand into some international markets rather rapidly.  However, I didn’t get my hopes up, as the largest available building in Sandy is 6,600 SF and not zoned correctly for this type of business.

Much to my surprise, I got a call back the next day stating that they are already seriously considering purchasing an available 1.5 acre property in Sandy.  Kelly and I will discuss their concept in a conference call on 11/13 and advise them on how to proceed.  Watch this space….very, very closely!

Project work: 

• Façade project – City Hall Enclosures: We have contracted with a local fence company to build a proper garbage enclosure in the parking lot and a fenced enclosure around the generators at City Hall per city code.
• Facae project – Joe’s Donuts: We have a contractor, and work has begun!  The low bid was a company we know very well – Full Throttle Construction has worked on a number of façade projects downtown in the past (AEC, Sandy Bicycle building, etc.), and we’re really happy to have an experienced contractor on this particular job.  Roof and concrete repairs are in process, and we anticipate the painting to start before the end of the year.
• Sandy Arts Commission: Work continues…
• NorthStar – branding project: We have decided on a final logo and color scheme, and NorthStar is now in the process of putting together some deliverables to show you how things will look once we start incorporating our new brand.

Conferences/training:  

OEDA (Oregon Economic Development Association) Annual Conference (October 23-25) – This 3-day conference was as it usually is: a chance for all of the state’s economic developers to get together and swap stories.  The most important thing to come out of this conference was the launch of the new OEDA core curriculum.  This coursework is intended to be an “Oregon-centric” version of the IEDC economic developer certification course – one that is a) more affordable and less time consuming, with classes offered only in Oregon and for a much more reasonable price than IEDC charges, b) focuses on Oregon-specific ec dev topics that other states or regions don’t have to deal with (like Oregon’s land use and public waterways laws!), and c) are taught by professionals rooted in Oregon that know our landscape inside and out and have extensive experience in the field.  I have already completed the basic Ec Dev 101 course, and look forward to more coursework in the future.