This isn't anything new but I just got this email from SWF Community Relations:
Vestas confirms expansion in Portland
Green energy - The wind-turbine giant says yes, but the city and state are still negotiating millions in cash incentives
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
RYAN FRANK
The Oregonian Staff
State officials are negotiating with Vestas Wind Systems to offer up to $19 million in cash incentives for the company to expand its North American headquarters in Portland, Gov. Ted Kulongoski's office said Monday.
Vestas' officials confirmed for the first time Monday that they have picked Portland for their expansion.
The company plans to grow rapidly as the state and country ramp up clean energy production to reduce the United States dependence on foreign oil. Vestas employs about 1,200 people in the United States and Canada and expects to grow to 4,000 within about two years.
Kulongoski's 2009-11 budget, announced Monday, includes a $15 million request to entice the wind-turbine giant to expand in Portland.
The 2009 Legislature would have to approve the spending from the state general fund. The state's package also could include business energy tax credits and cash from the governor's strategic reserve fund targeted for economic development, said Anna Richter Taylor, the governor's spokeswoman.
Combined with $12.5 million offered by the city of Portland, Vestas could collect $31.5 million in direct incentives.
In return, Vestas would add about 850 new white-collar jobs and build a $250 million real estate development for its new headquarters. Denmark-based Vestas employs about 350 in Portland, and the company's expansion would provide a major boost to the city's and state's push for a new green economy.
Roby Roberts, senior vice president of external relations, said the company looked at other U.S. cities but picked Portland because political leaders had treated it well; recruiting talented workers to live in Portland is easy; higher education leaders are interested in preparing a work force for the company; and the governor has pushed state policies that support clean energy.
"We have all the pieces here for us to build a world-class industry," Roberts said. "This is the epicenter for clean energy."
Portland has seen some of the fastest growth in college educated 25- to 34-year-olds among U.S. cities. Those workers in Portland tend to be interested in the environment and sustainability, making Portland and Vestas a good match, said Joe Cortright, a Portland economist who has studied regional economies across the country.
"A company like that is in our sweet spot," Cortright said.
If it works out, Vestas' expansion could create a new feedback loop that encourages more like-minded workers and companies to start or move to the area. That growth could spur the next generation of industries that power the state economy, much as Tektronix did with high-tech in the 1940s and Nike did with sportswear in the 1960s.
Vestas' Portland offices are spread across six buildings from its downtown Portland headquarters to a tools center near Portland International Airport. The company hopes to consolidate all operations under one roof.
The company hopes to break ground next summer, an aggressive schedule for such an expansive project. Executives want to be in the new building by the fourth quarter of 2011 to keep pace with what it sees as U.S. demand for wind power.
Portland's South Waterfront District is high on Vestas' list for its new headquarters, Mayor-elect Sam Adams said. Oregon Health & Science University originally envisioned South Waterfront as a bio-tech hub but the idea hasn't worked out.
Even with all the upbeat talk, Vestas' expansion is far from a done deal.
The state and city are still negotiating with company executives. The state's incentives would require Vestas to add a certain number of jobs to qualify for the incentives.
Vestas' new jobs would bring an average wage of $80,000 to $90,000, said Richter Taylor, the governor's spokeswoman. At those wages, Richter Taylor said the employees' income taxes would generate about $3.7 million a year and repay the state's incentives in five or six years.
Ryan Frank: 503-221-8519;
ryanfrank@news.oregonian.com
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I couldn't find an image of their present headquarters but one of their R & D buildings is kinda cool:
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