{"id":357,"date":"2017-11-10T02:23:47","date_gmt":"2017-11-10T02:23:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/reports.cityofsandy.com\/economicdevelopment\/?p=357"},"modified":"2017-11-10T02:24:31","modified_gmt":"2017-11-10T02:24:31","slug":"economic-development-monthly-report-october-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reports.cityofsandy.com\/economicdevelopment\/2017\/11\/10\/economic-development-monthly-report-october-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"Economic Development \u2013 Monthly Report \u2013 October 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"

Commercial Properties (vacancies, new businesses, etc.): <\/strong><\/p>\n

Sandy Marketplace<\/u>:\u00a0 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!\u00a0 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.\u00a0 We anticipate an opening around the end of the calendar year.<\/p>\n

Chariteas space \u2013 future \u201chealthy market\u201d<\/u>:\u00a0 Concept and design work continues on this project.\u00a0 The business owner recently contacted me to get contact information for Up Design Lounge, which seems like a very good sign.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 She is a former layout designer for Ikea, and specializes in setting up retail spaces for maximum sales effect.\u00a0 If he\u2019s hired Ullika, there is little doubt in my mind that this store will succeed.<\/p>\n

In other Chariteas news, Ms. Chalmers has partnered with the SACC to open a \u201cpop-up\u201d shop in the Chamber offices to sell her tea through the holiday season.\u00a0 Sandy\u2019s favorite tea importer will have this pop-up open very soon, so watch for an e-blast from the Chamber announcing this shortly.<\/p>\n

SACC<\/u>: The Sandy Area Chamber of Commerce is diving back into the \u201cshop local\u201d world by offering local businesses a coupon book exclusively for the holiday season.\u00a0 Businesses have until November 15 to sign up, and the response from the business community thus far has been stellar.<\/p>\n

Fleischman properties<\/u>:\u00a0 quick update \u2013 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.\u00a0 He will contact us once he has chosen a company to do the work.\u00a0 [note: we offered to use urban renewal funds to pay for 1\/3 of the work, not to exceed $6,000.]<\/p>\n

Possible small manufacturer coming to Sandy?<\/u>: \u00a0I 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Initially they thought Salem was a no-brainer due to size and availability of buildings, but after talking to that city\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

While I didn\u2019t bad-mouth our neighbor down south, I did highlight the benefits of locating their business in our community\u2026particularly our fiber, as this business is looking to expand into some international markets rather rapidly.\u00a0 However, I didn\u2019t get my hopes up, as the largest available building in Sandy is 6,600 SF and not zoned correctly for this type of business.<\/p>\n

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. \u00a0Kelly and I will discuss their concept in a conference call on 11\/13 and advise them on how to proceed.\u00a0 Watch this space\u2026.very, very closely!<\/p>\n

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Project work:\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n