
Aaron Wilson won the first-place prize of $1,000 with his photograph of Goat Lake Basin leading up to Mount Adams.
Discover Lewis County presents contest winners
By Lenee Langdon
The Economic Alliance of Lewis County
The Discover Lewis County Photo Contest recently concluded, showcasing the region’s unique charm and natural beauty under the theme “Showcasing Lewis County.”
The contest, which took place from June 15 to Aug. 16, invited photographers to capture the diverse landscapes and vibrant communities that define Lewis County.
Discover Lewis County is proud to announce the first place winner, Aaron Wilson, who won the $1,000 prize with his breathtaking photograph of Goat Lake Basin, capturing a stunning view looking south towards Mount Adams on a cool summer morning.
The second place prize of $500 was awarded to Linda Ray for her mesmerizing photo of Cathedral Falls, a hidden gem near Riffe Lake in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Cathedral Falls, known for its serene cascade through a lush, narrow gorge, offers hikers a tranquil escape along scenic trails surrounded by towering trees.
The winning photos can now be viewed on the Discover Lewis County website and will continue to be celebrated in future Discover Lewis County promotional materials, with full credit given to the talented photographers.
To explore these stunning images and experience Lewis County through the lenses of its most talented photographers, visit www.discoverlewiscounty. com/photo-contest.
About Discover Lewis County
Discover Lewis County is Lewis County’s official destination marketing organization. Their role encompasses advocating, promoting, developing and sustaining destination tourism within the county. Industry stakeholders are invited to explore our array of resources, programs, marketing materials, press releases and more.

Linda Ray won the second-place prize of $500 for her photo of Cathedral Falls near Riffe Lake.
First Mode lays off 65 in Washington state
Cuts, including in Centralia, reflect a new reality in hydrogen energy of producing cheaper hydrogen-diesel hybrid trucks
By The Economic Alliance of Lewis County
Courtesy of Lewis County Transit
A hydrogen powered ultra-class mine haul truck at the TransAlta Centralia coal mine grounds.
First Mode layoffs hit both its Seattle and Centralia operations, as 65 employees were laid off earlier this month, according to the Employment Security Department of Washington state’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification.
Anywhere from 10 to 30 employees work at the Centralia site depending on the daily work load, with more than 150 First Mode employees being trained. The job layoffs represent 40% of First Mode’s Washington state workforce in Seattle and Centralia.
Back in January, the company said that it would lower production on its hydrogen-battery powertrains and place more emphasis on hybrid diesel-battery powertrains, and that it would have to reduce its workforce to adjust to changing market conditions.
About 20% of First Mode’s U.S. workforce was let go in January. Last month, First Mode indicated it would need to make further cuts to attract more investments.
“Despite efforts to revisit non-labor costs, significantly reducing recruitment, and terminating most contract labor to avoid headcount reductions, we still are not able to achieve the cost basis required and therefore must propose headcount reductions going forward,” First Mode CEO Julian Soles said in an email that was sent to employees in advance of the January layoffs.
It was just in early January that U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., toured the Centralia TransAlta plant to review how the Seattle-based company was using the former coal mine to test greener mining equipment.
First Mode builds hybrid fuel cell battery power plants. Trucks are retrofitted with hybrid batteries and hydrogen fuel cell engines and tested in a real-world mining environment.
“Transitioning to a clean energy economy is absolutely critical to addressing the climate crisis, and as we do so, I want to make sure Washington state is ready to lead the economy of the future,” said Sen. Murray. “First Mode is doing incredibly innovative things to decarbonize heavy industry by converting existing mining haul trucks into low carbon and zero-emissions vehicles, which are a really important piece of the puzzle since mining sources the minerals required for the clean energy transition. The innovation I saw … in Centralia is exactly why I fought so hard to establish a regional hydrogen hub here in Washington state — I’m going to keep championing the cutting-edge work that is happening across our state, including at First Mode, to help tackle the climate crisis while building a stronger clean energy economy.”
The First Mode Proving Grounds in Centralia includes an outdoor work yard and office space. At the Proving Grounds, First Mode tests and optimizes their low carbon and zero-emission ultra-class mining haul truck and associated hydrogen infrastructure solutions. The site enables First Mode to better analyze the performance and operational effectiveness of their innovations in a true mining environment.
“Each large mining haul truck uses around 1 million liters of diesel annually, emitting approximately 2,700 metric tons of CO2,” said First Mode spokesperson Jeffrey Peterson, with the potential of reducing truck emissions by 25%.
The First Mode’s layoffs reflect that the transition to hydrogen power will take longer than previously expected, at least for heavy industry such as First Mode trucks — and less expensive hybrid options would be needed to address the climate challenge.
But the future still looks bright
There’s still hope for hydrogen: Earlier this summer, officials announced that a regional tech hub known as the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Association is eligible for up to $27.5 million in federal funding. That money would support the first phase of a project aimed at establishing a hydrogen energy infrastructure in Washington, Oregon and Montana. It is hoped the federal funds will be matched by up to $125 million from industry partners — including First Mode.

U.S. SEN. PATTY MURRAY’S OFFICE
U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash, tours the First Mode plant in Centralia in early January.
Alliance Economic Forum features WWU econ professors
Time running out to pre-register for the Oct. 3 economic forum featuring the topics of inflation, the recession, interest rates and the economy
By The Economic Alliance of Lewis County
There’s still time and room to register for the Alliance Economic Forum taking place Oct. 3 at the Loft in Chehalis, but the event has almost sold out.
The Economic Alliance of Lewis County is bringing back two keynote speakers from the Western Washington University’s College of Business and Economics for the forum.
Professor in Economics Hart Hodges and Director of Economics James McCafferty will speak on the topics of inflation, the recession, interest rates and the economy.
McCafferty is the director of the Center for Economic and Business Research, Western Washington University.
McCafferty has an MBA from Western Washington University, a Bachelor of Science in Journalism/Public Relations from the University of Oregon, is a Certified Global Business Professional, serves as an officer for the Seattle Economics Council and is a past board member of the Association of University Business and Economic Research.
“Taken as a whole, Washington’s labor market still tilts in favor of job seekers,” he said in a recent interview. “But in some sectors, it may not feel like it.”
Hodges is a professor in the Department of Economics at Western Washington University and director of Western’s Center for Economic and Business Research. He received his Ph.D. in Economics in 1994 from the University of Washington.
Hodges taught economics from 1993-1995 at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, and then served as the natural resource damage assessment economist for the U.S. Department of the Interior.
He also spent several years working with an economic consulting firm in Alaska. He joined the faculty at Western in the fall of 2000. Hodges is a member of the Northwest Workforce Council board and works with a variety of businesses and public agencies serving the mission of the Center for Economic and Business Research.
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The Economic Forecast is from 1 to 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 3 at The Loft, 347 NW Pacific Ave., Chehalis. Cost is $25 per person. Call Dolly at 360-748-0114 to pre-register. The forum is sponsored by TwinStar Credit Union and Lightcurve (formerly Rainier Connect).
Alliance celebrates new digs with an open house
By The Economic Alliance of Lewis County

The Economic Alliance of Lewis County held a successful open house earlier this month at its new headquarters located at 1209 Borthwick St., Centralia, with appetizers and beverages served.
“It was a great turnout and we thank all who attended,” said Executive Director Richard DeBolt. “We’re pleased with our new building and are well situated to serve the economic needs of Lewis County.”
The alliance has also worked with more than 250 businesses, helping them to expand or strengthen their operations. The Economic Alliance partners with hundreds of members in business, government and community groups to solve transportation, utility and regulatory problems.

Economic Alliance of Lewis County Chairman Luke Moerke, center left, and Business Development Center/Program Manager Dolly Tardiff cut the ribbon at the group’s new building. The new location is 1209 Borthwick St., Centralia.
Director’s Corner
Economic forum, photo contest and open house
The Economic Alliance marches forward as we come toward the end of 2024
By Richard DeBolt
Executive Director – Economic Alliance of Lewis County

Richard DeBolt
Director — Economic Alliance of Lewis County
The economics of the world, the nation, the state and for our overriding concerns, Lewis County, face interesting times, from a presidential election between two candidates who couldn’t be more different, to lowering interest rates.
You have an opportunity next week, Thursday, Oct. 3, to gain understanding of inflation, the recession, dropping interest rates and the economy.
The truth is the more information a business owner has, the better decisions are made, and in these sometimes trying times, we can use all the knowledge we can find.
Don’t miss out on the learned expertise of both our keynote speakers from the Western Washington University’s College of Business and Economics for the forum — professor in Economics Hart Hodges and Director of Economics James McCafferty. You can read their profiles on page two of this economic report.
The Economic forum is from 1 to 3 p.m. at The Loft in Chehalis. Cost is $25 per person. Call Dolly at 360-748-0114 to pre-register.
Stunning photos
I’m also proud to direct you to some fine photographs of the glory of Lewis County’s great outdoors.
As you can see to the left of this column, Discover Lewis County, which is affiliated with the Economic Alliance but a part of county government, just finished up its three-month photography contest.
The winning photos at left illustrate all that is enticing in Lewis County — we are an outdoors mecca with everything from great hunting and fishing, winter snow sports, hang gliding near Morton, and literally thousands of hikes.
Take the time to go to the website www.discoverlewiscounty.com/photo-contest to view more photos.
I particularly like the long-exposure night photograph of Mount St. Helens taken by Paul Mongillo.
Open house
Finally, I want to thank all of our supporters for coming to our open house earlier this month. Thanks go to my staff and the Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce, for making it an enjoyable afternoon, and as always, for the Economic Alliance of Lewis County’s board of directors. These directors are the cream of the crop when it comes to understanding the business of Lewis County and their leadership is at the heart of the Economic Alliance.
I’m extremely proud of our new home (see a short story about it on page two of this report). Our new office is professional and inviting, an example of what we want as an expanded view for how we are all working toward Lewis County’s overarching brand.
These are exciting times for the Alliance, but we’re really just getting started.
SPONSORED CONTENT
Candidate Endorsement Process WSLC


Corporations outspend unions 16-to-1 in our elections. Money talks, but working people have a voice, too. And when our lawmakers write policies and pass legislation, it’s important they hear from workers, not just corporations. That’s why the affiliated unions of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO engage in our elections, carefully considering candidates, voting on endorsements, and using our people power to encourage our fellow union members, neighbors, and community members to vote for candidates who pledge to listen to working people. We follow a democratic process. Our affiliated unions select delegates to represent their members, and these representatives gather together to consider endorsements at an event called the Committee for Political Education (COPE) Convention. Candidates interested in receiving the Labor Council endorsement submit candidate questionnaires sharing if and how they would listen to working people and champion workers’ rights while in office. Delegates review questionnaires, hear directly from some candidates, and after discussion, vote on endorsements in statewide, judicial, initiative, and state legislative races. WSLC, AFL-CIO endorsements aren’t confined to one political party. Delegates look at candidates’ records, not party affiliation. Endorsements require a two-thirds majority vote, a threshold that requires consensus to reach. Once endorsements are made, the WSLC, AFL-CIO starts our people-to-people voter outreach program, Labor Neighbor. About one in five workers in Washington is union, with union members in communities across the state. Together, we knock on doors, get on the phones, talk to our coworkers, and get out the word about candidates who we believe will defend workers’ rights and listen to working people. The WSLC may also donate to particular candidates or campaigns. But the real might of our endorsement is people power. Our endorsement carries weight with voters because we’re transparent about what motivates it: worker empowerment. Our goal through our political work is to create the conditions for Washington to become a better place for working people tomorrow than it is today. Many of the policies that support working people in Washington were won through electing and lobbying politicians who are willing to listen to workers, including programs like Paid Family Medical Leave, which has supported families across Washington when they have a kid or need serious medical care. Union members helped make these policies possible for us all by working hard to elect candidates, and then working hard to keep those elected officials accountable to Washington communities. That’s the power of working people in our political process. We all have a voice, and it’s up to us to make sure that voice is heard.
Alliance Open raises money for small business development
By The Economic Alliance of Lewis County
The Alliance Open Golf Tournament at Riverside Golf Course earlier this month was a swinging success.
Along with the opportunity to network, money raised from the Alliance Open goes toward the Economic Alliance of Lewis County’s small business development center, which offers programs, speakers and tools to help your business thrive.
The Economic Alliance of Lewis County staffers enjoyed the Alliance Open
The Economic Alliance of Lewis County staffers enjoyed the Alliance Open. From left, are External Relations Manager Eric Sonnenberg, Business Development Center/Program Manager Dolly Tardiff and Initiative’s Program Manager Todd Chaput.