Kempthorne says Buck move will be good for state

BOISE – Gov. Dirk Kempthorne hailed the Buck Knives relocation to Post Falls as a move that will cause a “ripple effect” throughout the state.

“They could be in any city in the United States,” the governor said Monday. “I know San Diego is sad to lose them, but that is our great gain.”

Kempthorne and CJ Buck, the president of one of the nation’s best-known knife companies, spoke to the Idaho Association of Chambers of Commerce in downtown Boise. Both said the company’s move to Idaho will be a boon to the state and the Panhandle.

The governor said one tour bus company already has scheduled an overnight stop in Post Falls to visit Buck Knives’ 128,000-square-foot factory.

The company’s relocation is “reiterating how important connecting Idaho is with GARVEE bonds,” said a laughing Kempthorne, who used the occasion to plug his $1.6 billion transportation proposal to improve state highways with federal bonds.

Buck Knives’ $8 million facility will be in full production by the end of March, company spokesperson Tom Ables said. At full force, it will employ close to 250 employees, 30 of whom already have moved from the San Diego area, where the company was based.

Buck told a large audience of legislators and chamber members from throughout the state – including 35 from North Idaho – that Post Falls offers easy transportation routes and conservative, business-friendly state legislators.

The Legislature “helps businesses help themselves,” he said.

Idaho offers better energy costs and more water than San Diego, said Buck, whose company does $30 million in sales annually.

“It’s good to hear about freeway projects and water agreements,” he said. “I am encouraged by the investments in law enforcement and education too.”

The move from Southern California will save the company a substantial amount of money in worker’s compensation costs alone, Buck said.

When looking to relocate, the company narrowed the choices to the Spokane Valley; Bend, Ore.; and Post Falls. Buck said the company walked away from $1 million in incentives from Oregon.

“My great-grandfather lived in Mountain Home (Idaho) back in the ‘40s,” he said. “So this is like coming home.”