Business View Magazine | April 2019

196 KLAMATH COUNTY, OREGON opment next to the downtown,” Gallagher adds. “The state just announced that they’re going to build a new Department of Human Services building there, that’s going to be the first big addition to our waterfront development proj- ect.” Stork also states, “There’s a new hotel eye- ing the area, as well as two new restaurants, and it could build out a neat waterfront element to our downtown main street.” “There’s strong infrastructure in place – rail, electric, utilities, bandwidth,” Stork continues. “And compared to most areas on the west coast, Klamath’s operating costs for business are be- tween 8 to 32 percent lower than most west coast communities or cities, allowing for busi- ness to operate rather inexpensively. One of the key benefits is that we also have large indus- trial land available – one of the few places in Oregon that does. There are several sites that continue to get exposure. Within the last three years, potential investment has increased 20 times what it was three years ago. And the lead- ership here is highly incentive-based and will- ing to get very creative in order to distinguish us from other areas. “For instance, there was a grocery store, which we needed to fill in our downtown, because it was critical to downtown development and a thriving main street. The County Commissioners got involved in that transaction, helping move what originally was a property that had been brought into bankruptcy on the bottom of some holding company’s portfolio. They purchased the building and then the economic develop- ment arm found a business to fill that build- ing, so the County could sell it to them at more competitive pricing. It’s uniquely collaborative compared to how stuff like that typically oper- ates.”