Egghead Hatches Economic Vision

The Spokane economy needs more family-wage jobs. Many business leaders consider this the area’s No. 1 goal. With good reason. A low-wage economy has profound impact on consumer buying power, crime and social problems, and government’s ability to raise revenue for services from police to paving to parks.

But how can family-wage jobs be created?

Ask Terry Strom, the CEO of Egghead Software. He moved his whole company here, adding 500 good jobs to the local economy. Egghead’s headquarters were in Issaquah, down the road from Microsoft and major air and sea ports - a strategic location, but an expensive one. Once Egghead decided to move, it could have gone anywhere. It heard sales pitches from states that offered aggressive subsidies, minimal taxes and other inducements not commonly associated with Washington.

So why Spokane? Two economic reasons top the list: Affordable, aggressively marketed commercial real estate. And - ironically - a skilled labor force eager to work at wages lower than those paid in bigger cities.

Yet Spokane is hardly unique in its need for higher-paying jobs, like those at Egghead. The area stood out in its ability to parley that need into an asset.

Why? Quality of life. In Spokane, Strom says, he found well-qualified workers with a strong work ethic and a desire to remain in this community. That desire to stay put saves a corporation money on retraining, and it is rooted in Spokane’s intangibles: Recreation, culture, lakes, forests, schools, neighborhoods, family ties. These qualities, though taken for granted, ought to be guarded like jewels.

There are other items on Egghead’s list of assets: Stable, surge-free electrical power, precious to the computer industry. An Economic Development Council whose president, Bob Cooper, knows how to get results and meet needs quickly. Community colleges ready and willing to train employees. An airport with easy links to major hubs.

Strom suggests a few smart enhancements, such as the production of more industrial-strength computer experts by area universities and stronger air-service links including a direct shuttle to Los Angeles.

But his best contribution, aside from those 500 good jobs, is the enormously encouraging affirmation that Spokane already has what it needs to build a strong economy so that more of us can enjoy that high quality of life.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = John Webster/For the editorial board