Entrepreneurship center a priority for Valley Vision

An entrepreneurship center could become a focal point of the business activity in the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley if Valley Vision can rally support behind it.

The center might be housed in a downtown Lewiston building that could be acquired in a deal that isn’t public yet in a partnership with the city of Lewiston, said Valley Vision President and CEO Scott Corbitt.

Valley Vision hopes it could bring more vitality and life to certain parts of downtown, Corbitt said in a presentation at Valley Vision’s annual meeting at Hells Canyon Grand Hotel in Lewiston.

The center would have a number of features, such as spaces for entrepreneurs to start new businesses and develop products, areas for individuals who work remotely and places for talks and concerts, he said.

“We’ll have a maker space,” he said. “If they want to create a widget that’s for one of our manufacturers, that can be a part of that process. They can make that here with us with the 3D printers we have or the tools we have available.”

Many individuals want to move to the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley, but they might not be ready to give up their jobs in Seattle or Portland, he said.

The entrepreneurship center will give them a place to work without the distractions they might encounter at home, such as a dog licking their ankle during a Zoom meeting, Corbitt said.

At the same time, the center would house all of the economic development not-for-profit organizations in the community in an arrangement that will facilitate daily communication between them, he said.

Amenities such as high-speed internet, along with a place to buy coffee, juice, wine, beer or baked goods, would be on site, he said.

“It will be the showcase for business in the valley,” Corbitt said.

The center is just one of Valley Vision’s projects, he said.

The not-for-profit economic development group has been involved in 23 recruitments in the last year.

One is a large maintenance and repair facility that is considering the Lewiston-Nez Perce County Regional Airport grounds as a location, along with other sites, possibly in the West or Northwest, Corbitt said.

“We haven’t heard back on that yet,” he said, noting it is a joint project with the airport.

Another is a metals manufacturer that is “very, very” interested in moving to Lewiston, Corbitt said.

That effort includes the city of Lewiston, Nez Perce County and people with land at the Port of Lewiston, who are helping the business understand the benefits of relocating here, he said.

“So far that’s gone very well,” he said. “I think they’re looking at us favorably.”

It’s not just Valley Vision that has been working to strengthen Lewiston, said Corbitt, praising the airport’s recent announcement that United will begin daily nonstop Denver-Lewiston flights in October as the audience clapped.

“That’s an amazing step forward,” he said as the audience clapped. “It truly is something that we can all leverage and take advantage of.”

Corbitt’s presentation came as Valley Vision marked the 25-year anniversary of its founding with a review of its history.

Two of the founders, Tony Copeland and A.L. “Butch” Alford Jr., president of TPC Holdings, the parent company of the Lewiston Tribune and the Moscow-Pullman Daily News, were on a panel that also included early investor Don McQuary and Valley Vision Vice Chairman Troy Ledgerwood.

Alford recalled meeting Copeland for a cup of coffee after hearing a presentation by a consulting firm before the Lewiston Chamber of Commerce.

The men discussed the formation of the organization that serves Nez Perce and Asotin counties and is supported by public and private dollars, and both wrote checks for $40,000.

That was the beginning of fundraising that netted well in excess of $2 million as more business leaders got on board.

The money and time that has gone into Valley Vision has done great things, even though much of the work is done away from the public and doesn’t appear in newspapers or on television, Alford said.

“If there wasn’t (the) economic development effort for the past 25 years by Valley Vision bringing in a lot of progress quietly and behind the scenes ... I’d hate to think of the economic position of the valley at this time,” he said.

Williams may be contacted at ewilliam@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2261.