Three Firms Locate Operations Here

A pair of manufacturers and a mining concern are locating operations in Spokane and Cheney, adding nearly 40 good-paying jobs to the community, a Spokane business recruiter said Thursday.

Bob Cooper, president of the Spokane Area Economic Development Council, announced the arrival of the following companies:

Paul Eyraud Co., an aluminum molding company from Ontario, Calif., plans to employ 18 people to produce aluminum pie plates, cooking utensils and other products used in commercial kitchens.

Cheney officials this week approved a proposal for Eyraud to move into a shuttered fire station on Second Street after the company’s original plans to move into a building in Airway Heights fell through. Eyraud will open as soon as possible, Cooper said.

Yamana Resources Inc., a Vancouver, British Columbia, mining exploration company, has moved its headquarters to the top floor of the West One Bank building downtown, employing 10 of its 20 employees in Spokane. Many will earn $60,000 a year, Cooper said.

Others will attend to Yamana’s exploration sites in Argentina, Paraguay and Chile, said Chief Operating Officer Dick Walters.

Walters, a Spokane native, helped persuade the company to move here. He said Yamana wanted to get away from the stigma of fly-by-night mining companies based in Vancouver since Yamana’s shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Stack Heat Treaters, a Portland company that provides heat treatment for metal products and components, this summer will open an expansion operation in the Spokane Industrial Park. The company will employ about 10 people, Cooper said.