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Wednesday February 22, 2017
LEADER PROGRESS EDITION
Marine trades grow bigger, stronger PATRICK J. SULLIVAN PSULLIVAN@PTLEADER.COM
“The Port of Port Townsend’s marine trades are recognized for the unique niche we fill in the market. We are known for the quality of craftsmanship our tenants provide.”
T
he Port of Port Townsend is the only government entity in Jefferson County specifically tagged to promote economic development.
Sam Gibboney, hired last year as the port’s executive director, sees 2017 as a year when progress is being made to help port tenants increase their business opportunities. “We are realigning the way we do business so we can effectively serve our tenants,” Gibboney said. “The port’s services need to keep up with the industry.” Jefferson County’s economy for more than 30 years has been a three-legged stool, built on the marine trades, the Port Townsend Paper Corp. and tourism. There are an estimated 400-450 jobs on port property, Gibboney said. “The Port of Port Townsend’s marine trades are recognized for the unique niche we fill in the market,” Gibboney said. “We are known for the quality of craftsmanship our tenants provide.” Wood, steel, aluminum, fiberglass – structural work, internal systems and exterior finishers – experts are here in every field of marine trades. Plus, there are other businesses spread out in rural Jefferson County that add to the skill set available here for custom and production work. “There is a huge concentration of talent in this town,” said Tim Lee, former chief instructor at the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding and a shipwright for about 30 years. He’s now a member of Port Townsend Shipwrights Co-op. “It’s kind of mind-boggling.” Boat owners bring their craft here for any and all types of
Sam Gibboney EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR PORT OF PORT TOWNSEND
The Port of Port Townsend is the anchor of Jefferson County’s marine trades economy, and Sam Gibboney, hired as port executive director in 2016, sees important things happening in 2017. Photo by Patrick J. Sullivan
work, from oceangoing yachts to cruising sailboats or pleasure motorboats to fishing boats that work the wild Bering Sea. Some of the jobs cost a few thousand dollars, while others may inject a few hundred thousand dollars into the local economy. Port Townsend is an “open yard” where a commercial boat owner, for example, can have his boat hauled, and have his crew do some or all of the work. Economically, that means those crew members are living, eating and shopping here; buying parts, hardware and equipment; and probably hiring a business or independent contractor for specialty work. The marine trades’ economic impact on the community is not lost on Lee. “The ripple effect is
what people don’t see. This town really needs to be aware of what a big part the marine trades play.” The trades also play into the community’s tourism reputation, in some less than obvious ways. Yes, regattas and the annual Wooden Boat Festival are huge, yet the working waterfront is an attraction all by itself. “I’ve been hanging planks on a boat, and someone in their car pulls up and eats their lunch watching me work,” Lee said. “Tourists don’t go into a doctor’s office to watch them work.” Education is a big part of the marine trades, from the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding in Port Hadlock to the Northwest Maritime Center (NWMC) at the
Port Townsend waterfront’s north end. The NWMC sponsors its 41st Wooden Boat Festival, one of the nation’s premier wooden boat events, on Sept. 8-10 at Point Hudson. The NWMC and Port Townsend School District are three years into a Maritime Discovery Schools initiative intended to introduce more young people not just to rowing or sailing a longboat, but to examining maritime career opportunities. “There is a relationship between the festival, the schools and the health of the marine trades in this town,” said Jake Beattie, NWMC executive director. It’s not that every student involved in maritime education
wants to go to sea or learn to be a shipwright. Maritime education does provide a basic grounding in practical skills and leadership, Beattie said. Plus, there is an unmet demand for workforce training, including emerging sectors in the marine trades, such as electronics, electrical, aluminum welding and painting. Plans are in the works to enhance the mix of maritime education and economic development opportunities, as this small, rural county does not currently have many moneymaking avenues for young people who wish to stay here. One idea is for a “career bridge” between the public school program and the actual trades, or an entry-level job at sea with salaries in the $40,000 range. “We need those [students who are] interested to see a career path,” Beattie said. “People look at [Port Townsend marine trades] as being leaders in our field. Beyond all the great stuff that routinely happens in the shipyard and at the maritime center, we are making progress in education and training that will make a big difference.”
First employee-owned home care agency growing Local funds helped launch it
The success story took root from the U.S. Department of Development Council,” she said. Agriculture and with help from LION connects local inves- back in 2015 when caregivers the Northwest Cooperative tors with entrepreneurs like met to consider attempting to Development Center, a nonprofit Waters. LION provided $35,000 create a co-op. organization based in Olympia f o r P e n i n s u l a H o m e c a r e “I saw independent carethat helps launch all kinds of Cooperative’s startup costs, and givers who needed work and I ALLISON ARTHUR cooperative ventures. Waters said the co-op will have saw the real need to combine AARTHUR@PTLEADER.COM “We also received funding no problem paying that back. our resources and talents and from LION [Local Investing “Everything we needed to get our compassionate hearts into Peninsula H o m e c a r e Opportunities Network] through started was a community effort. a cooperative that can change Cooperative provided 18 hours of in- the Jefferson County Economic It all stayed local,” she said. the face of caregiving on the home service to seniors in Jefferson County during its first month in business, in February 2016. Now, a year later, the first employee-owned home care agency on the Olympic Peninsula is providing more than 1,000 hours of caregiving services to seniors, and it is set to provide 2,000 hours of service a month, if not more, by the end of 2017, says Kippi Waters, who founded the Port Townsend–based co-op agency. “I think the most important thing is that we started a year ago, and we are the first home care agency on the peninsula that is owned by caregivers,” said Waters. “We are currently employing 20 caregivers with a $15-anhour wage. We are able to provide a living wage,” she said. “And caregivers are gaining skills in running their own business. They are learning to read financial statements and they are learning to create budgets.” The agency was able to Kippi Waters is a cofounder of Peninsula Homecare Cooperative, the first employee-owned caregiving business on the Olympic start last year with grants Peninsula. Leader file photo
peninsula,” she said. “Nine months later, we opened our doors, and 12 months later, we are serving our elders,” she said. The need for caregivers in the community is growing as the community ages, Waters said. One recent U.S. Census figure indicates that Jefferson County is one of the oldest communities in the nation. It currently has the distinction of being the county with the oldest population in the state of Washington. Waters expects the progress of the co-op to continue. Co-op members attended a national conference in Austin, Texas, in July, which encouraged and inspired them, Waters said. And as for the future, Waters said, “The unique thing about us is we don’t have overhead. If there’s a profit, we share it.” She says the agency is on target to earn a profit in 2017.
“Everything we needed to get started was a community effort. It all stayed local.” Kippi Waters FOUNDER PENINSULA HOMECARE COOPERATIVE