Grant County enjoys the fuss

With Microsoft eying 74 acres in Quincy, Wash., and Yahoo Inc. rumored to be looking around for a site in that area, Grant County residents wonder if they’re becoming central Washington’s tech Mecca. Economic development advocates are delighted by the idea of even one the technology giants building a facility in rural Grant County, said Jim Kadyk, publisher of the weekly Quincy Valley Post-Register newspaper.

“People are excited. But they’re asking, ‘Why us?’ ” he said.

Local officials hope the Microsoft deal happens, said Pat Connelly, a commissioner with the Port of Quincy, which owns the land that interests Microsoft.

So far, Microsoft has handed over an earnest money payment on the $1.08 million property as it examines its options, Connelly said. A decision is expected by mid-March.

The land, on the north edge of Quincy, is partly developed but would require a substation to be built to provide adequate electrical power.

Colleen Lecter, a Microsoft spokeswoman, said the software company is “always looking to increase our global infrastructure capacity and our services are growing worldwide. This is about smart planning for the future.”

Quincy officials have been told the site, if developed, would be used as a data center for storage and backup of critical company information.

That type of operation would need significant electrical power, and Grant County’s Public Utility District has some of the lowest power rates in the Northwest, said Gary Garnant, a PUD spokesman.

The PUD also has an extensive fiber optic network that offers the kind of connectivity large customers like Microsoft would need, he added.

If Microsoft proceeds, Garnant said he’s heard the company would bring in 30 to 50 jobs. The company has told people in Grant County that the construction project could take 18 months.

Kadyk said local officials told him Yahoo also was looking at Grant County for a facility, possibly a call center.

A Yahoo spokeswoman denied that rumor, but confirmed the Sunnyvale, Calif., company is looking at locating a facility in Washington. The spokeswoman wouldn’t say what kind of facility is considered or where Yahoo is looking.

Most of Grant County’s electrical power comes from the PUD’s two licensed Columbia River dams, Wanapum and Priest Rapids. Large industrial customers like Microsoft would pay the same base rate the district charges its other industrial customers, said Garnant. Industrial customers last year in Grant County paid roughly half the rate that Avista charged its largest customers, according to Grant County PUD records.

No other large technology company has moved operations into Grant County, where for decades agriculture has been the dominant industry.

“To get Microsoft would be a big deal, it would add some diversity to the economy,” said Connelly.

The Microsoft jobs likely would exceed the county’s median wage, which was about $36,000 in 2004.

The largest employer in Quincy is Quincy Foods, which processes potatoes, corn and other crops. It has around 1,000 employees during its peak season.

If Microsoft moves in, Grant County would have something else to crow about, said Kadyk: It’s already known in agriculture circles for growing more sweet corn than anywhere else in the nation.