Port Projects Drive Rural Economies

By necessity, the economies of rural communities rely on entrepreneurs running small businesses. They might be farmers, restaurant owners, store owners or other service providers. Even newspapers qualify.

Boeing and Microsoft don't have operations in the Touchet Valley, so small businesses provide the employ- ment base for our towns.

When Blue Mountain Station completes its first build- ing later this year in Dayton, it will provide a home for five new small food-processing businesses. Most of the owners of those businesses are newcomers who recently moved their families to the area and bought...