David Doeringsfeld, Manager of the Port of Lewiston, spoke to the
attendees of the EDC's Summer General membership Luncheon about the Port's
current activities and future plans. Dave noted that at 465 miles inland,
the Port of Lewiston is the most inland seaport on the West Coast. He also
explained that the Port is the only municipal corporation in the State of
Idaho that has the authority to go into for-profit business to generate
revenue. The Port collects property taxes in Nez Perce County, and engages
in land acquisition and infrastructure improvements to support their
economic development activities. He also explained that the Port is
governed by three elected commissioners with staggered 6-year terms.
Dave explained that the Port has three charges: 1) intermodal
transportation, 2) international trade and 3) economic development. In
regard to intermodal transportaion, Dave noted that the Port's container
traffic is up 36% over last year, and up a whopping 115% over the last five
years. Principle products shipped out are bentonite (clay), peas and
lentils and paper products. The Port expects that shipments will increase
another 31% in 1995. In 1994, 27 million bushels of bulk grain were shipped
out of the Port at cost savings of approximately 25 cents/bushel,
representing an $8 to $10 million savings for area farmers. Rail shipments
are up 1000% in the last 5 years, and the Port has spent a lot of money
making rail improvements within the Port's facilities. There are two
trucking companies located at the Port. Swift, the third largest in the
U.S., operates 150 trucks out of Lewiston and will add another 100 trucks
this year. David noted that U.S. Highway 95 is central to our future
economic growth. When the Highway 95 Association was active, 53% of total
highway dollars went to U.S. 95 improvements, contrasted to 38% now. The
Port is trying to help resurrect the organization because Swift and other
trucking companies are rerouting their shipments through Washington and
Oregon to avoid traveling on Highway 95.
In the area of international trade, Dave noted that products are
shipped out of the Port to 40 countries including Taiwan, Germany and
Pakistan. Products shipped to other countries include peas, electronic
games, lumber, pulp, bentonite, aluminum boats, potato flakes and pottery.
He added that 34% of U.S. wheat utilizes the Columbia/Snake river system.
The Port is also working on ways to utilize the NAFTA agreement to route
some traffic through the Port as Canadian rail subsidies are phased out. In
addition, the Port is looking into establishing a Foreign Trade Zone.
The Port is the lead economic development agency in Nez Perce
County, with three industrial sites, inclluding a 40-acre business park at
the airport. Inland 465 is a 156,000 sq. ft. warehouse located on Port
property which helps market the Port beyond their geographical area. The
Port would like to build an industrial incubator for industrial and
manufacturing businesses.
David discussed the salmon recovery issue, noting that with all the
players involved, it is very difficult to reach consensus on what should be
done. He reported that the Port's position is that surface collector bypass
systems should be constructed at each of the dams, and noted that most of
the studies are leaning in that direction. In response to a question, David
explained that surface collector bypass systems are structures mounted on
the upstream side of dams. He explained that the fist usually travel in 7
to 8 ft. of water. However, currently they must dive and go through the
sluiceway. The surface collector systems allow the fish to travel less
stressfully and more efficiently past the dams. He noted that the Army
Corps of Engineers study won't be completed until 2000, which may not be
soon enough for the fish. Dave noted that the Columbia/Snake river systems
are paying great economic dividends, therefore it is imperative that a
mutually-beneficial solution be worked out.
David noted that a majority of wheat, peas and lentils shipped from
Latah County goes through the Port of Lewiston and he explained that the
economic development agencies in the four cities (Lewiston, Moscow,
Clarkston and Pullman) have been working together on joint programs. Two
examples of regional cooperation are the joint brochure recently developed
by the agencies and the support the Port received in preparing its bid for
the Micron expansion.
Another example of a cooperative effort is the work being done to
keep the rails on the Moscow to Arrow line in place and opened for oepration
again. David explained that he sees a great opportunity for moving cargo
along this line, such as solid waste in addition to agricultural and forest
products. He noted that the solid waste issue would provide a good
opportunity for the counties to work together to use a regional landfill.
David expressed his interest in strengthening ties between the
University of Idaho and the Port of Lewiston. He noted that the Port's
proposed industrial incubator might be the perfect spot for the more
heavy-industrial technology spin-offs to locate.
The Port is now celebrating its twentieth year of operations, and
for many reasons (including NAFTA, our low-cost energy and great quality of
life) David predicts strong economic growth in the region.
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The Game Has Changed..."TECHNOTRENDS"
During the recent National Business Incubation conference, attendees
who toured the Arizona Technology Incubator were given copies of the book,
"TechnoTrends", courtesy of U.S. West. The author, Daniel Burrus, uses a
weekly card game format to educate his characters on emerging technologies
and how to utilize them to manage their businesses more effectively and
better serve their customers' needs.
Mr. Burrus identifies 24 applications of twenty core technologies
that he calls "new cards in the game." These include: electronic notepads
(with flat panel display, wireless communication and flash-memory systems),
multimedia computers (for business, education, reference, correspondence),
parallel processing computers, advanced compact disks (interactive, photo,
recordable), digital imaging (automated scanning, filmless cameras, macro-,
micro- and nanoimaging), advanced simulations (virtual reality), advanced
expert systems (artificial intelligence), neural networks, object-oriented
programmming, fuzzy logic, electronic data interchange (electronic business
transactions), computer-integrated manufacturing, multisensory mobile
robotics, digital interactive television, telecomputers, desktop
videoconferencing, advanced flat-panel displays, personal communication
networks (similar to cellular phones, but static-free and less expensive),
digital cellular telephones, diamond thin-films, antinoise technology,
recombinant DNA technology, antisense technology (shuts off the genes that
trigger human illnesses) and endoscopic technology.
The premise of the book is that technology will dramatically change
the way we will be conducting business by shifting the focus of corporate
culture (from cost/growth/control to quality/innovation/service), management
(from controlling others to empowering others), information (from access to
capital to access to information), computers (from the information age to
the communication age) and manufacturing (from "sell what they make" to make
what sells). Burrus contends that the "rules of the game" have changed
dramatically. When his characters sit down to a friendly game of cards,
they quickly learn that none of the old rules work. Some of the thirty "new
rules" identified by Burrus are: 1) If it works, its obsolete. 2) Past
success is your worst enemy. 3) Learn to fail fast. 4) See the new Big
Picture (because technology alters reality). 5) Solve tomorrow's
predictable problems today. 6) Make rapid change your best friend. 7)
Think ten years out and plan back to the present. 8) Build change into the
plan or product. 9) Focus on your customer's future needs. 10) Sell the
future benefit of what you do. 11) Build a better path to the customer.
12) Give your customers the ability to do what they can't do, but would
have wanted to do if they only knew they could have done it. 13) Time is
the currency of the 90's. 14) Leverage time with technology. 15) Enter
the communication age. 16) Render your cash cow obsolete before others do
it for you. 17) Upgrade technology and upgrade people. 18) Find out what
the other guy is doing and do something else. 19) Develop collaborative
interactions...and others.
As the characters in the book learn the new rules and deal the new
cards, they devise creative ways of using the new technologies. An example
would be the widespread use of advanced expert systems. According to
Burrus, these flexible, interactive reference works would allow users to
obtain expert advice on problems encountered in any field of endeavor.
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Check out our World Wide Web Home Pages:
Business Technology Incubator: http://www.fsr.com/Moscow/business/b/bti
Moscow-Latah CountyEDC:
http://www.fsr.com/palouse/organizations/moscowedc/index.html
Carole Helm, Executive Director chelm@moscow.com
Moscow-Latah County Economic Development Council (208)885-3801
Manager, North Central Idaho Business Technology Incubator