The Port of Whitman County has secured its first leasing agreement at the Washington economic development site, in Tekoa.

Commissioners approved a two-year lease with Hefty Seed Company, a seed and fertilizer supplier that provides for farms in 12 states including Washington and Idaho, according to a news release Monday by the Port.

The company will store seed in an existing 5,000-square-foot building on the property, according to the news release.

The port acquired the 14-acre site northwest of Tekoa in 2023. Over the past year, it completed an Environmental Site Assessment and cleaned up the property’s topsoil in preparation for safely developing the plot into an industrial real estate opportunity, according to the news release.

The organization is conducting a Site Readiness Plan of the location that will analyze readiness barriers, solutions, economic impacts and costs, and identify a marketing and outreach strategy, according to the news release.

The port initiated a request for written proposals in March, and in May it signed a contract with Points Consulting, of Moscow, to conduct research. This was funded by a $100,000 grant from the Washington State Community Economic Revitalization Board, according to the news release.

The plan is anticipated to be complete in November, and developments will include a community town hall, according to the news release.

“Today’s lease signing is an exciting first step for our Tekoa economic development site,” Tom Kammerzell, port commissioner, said in the news release. “It marks the beginning of the Port’s long-term project to form a new driving force of economic growth in northern Whitman County.”

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com.