April 2023 Economic Report 

“This is important because this is a community that is underserved and it can be difficult to access employment through traditional channels,” said Nicole Miller, the operations director of the program’s parent organization of Cultivating Inclusion — the Lewis County Autism Coalition. “This creates opportunities both for employees, but also the employers and businesses in the community.”

Miller said along with meeting the 15 different businesses signed up for the career fair, there will be various help services available. For example, Economic Alliance of Lewis County Executive Director Richard DeBolt

and the Alliance’s Initiative’s Program Manager Todd Chaput will be at the career fair, along with other volunteers, helping people develop their resumés if they desire.

“We are proud to take part in this event that simply makes our community a better place to live and work,” DeBolt said.

Miller said the fair is low stress for those looking for a job.

“There is no pressure, just introduce yourself and see what kind of opportunities are happening,” she said for those considering attending.

The Lunch and Learn workshop prior to the event for the businesses will cover elements of inclusive hiring, including information about supported employment and business benefits.

The Inclusive Career Fair is hosted in partnership with the Economic Alliance of Lewis County and sponsored by the Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce.

“I am so excited to have the Alliance partnering with us and to have the Chamber sponsoring the event as well,” Miller said. “And I’m thrilled to see how many businesses have come together for this.”

Cultivating Inclusion supports and stands with people with physical and or developmental/behavioral differences, people of color, LGBTQ+ and indigenous communities.

“We stand against racism, discrimination and systemic oppression — as we uphold our name by providing a safe place for voices and concerns to be heard,” according to its diversity statement. “Our commitment is to fully review nominees and only lift up those people and organizations who are truly cultivating inclusion — all people, all abilities.”

Formed in 2010, the Lewis County Autism Coalition is a partnership of human services agencies, educators, health professionals and adults. They aim to grow and sustain resources for children and adults on the autism spectrum, their parents and families, and the larger community.

Cultivating Inclusion is a broad array of community partners engaging in a county-wide education and awareness campaign to promote acceptance and empowerment of Lewis County residents who have intellectual, behavioral and/or physical differences.

The Cultivating Inclusion outreach campaign promotes the hiring of people with intellectual, behavioral and physical differences by Lewis County businesses, nonprofits and government.

The career fair will help identify a potential employee’s strengths and help match employers with the best candidate for the highest chance of sustainable employment success.

“Number one, we are creating more opportunities for our community that sometimes doesn’t have the same access as others,” Miller said. “People will get jobs, but more than anything, the career fair will be a success if we can just provide that connection for great things to happen.”

Dr. Bill Conerly, a senior economics columnist with Forbes Magazine, is the keynote speaker for next month’s Economic Forecast seminar, put on by the Economic Alliance of Lewis County and sponsored by TwinStar Credit Union.

Dr. Conerly has a Ph.D in economics, 30 years of experience in the business world, and is a chartered financial analyst.

Recent reports published in Forbes, include: “Housing Market Forecast 2023-24: The Myth Of Massive Underbuilding,” April 18; “Near-Shoring: Can Manufacturing Move From China To Mexico?” April 14; “Analyzing Inflation: When To Use Top-Down Or Bottom-Up Approaches,” April 12; and “New Employment Report Points To More Fed Interest Rate Hikes,” April 7.

Forbes Magazine has more than 150 million monthly visitors on its digital platforms. Conerly is a big deal when it comes to economic analysis.

“I decided to become an economist at age 16, but I also started reading my grandmother’s used copies of Forbes,” he said. “After degrees including a Ph.D. from Duke and three years as a professor, I found my calling in the business world. I began as a corporate economist (PG&E, Nerco, First Interstate Bank) and then entered consulting, helping business leaders connect the dots between the economy and business decisions.”

Conerly wrote the book “Businomics: From the Headlines to Your Bottom Line — How to Profit in Any Economic Cycle” to help corporate executives and small business owners understand how the economy impacts their companies.

He also co-authored a high school economics curriculum, “Thinking Economics,” and earned his CFA designation. 

“I served four governors on Oregon’s Council of Economic Advisors and am currently chairman of the board of Cascade Policy Institute,” he said. “My friends and fans love their monthly fix of economic charts, a 60-second scan of the economy.”

He specializes in economics for business decisions. Business leaders uncertain about the economy use Dr. Conerly to guide them in developing plans that reduce risk and boost profits during both recessions and booms.

His keynote speech in Centralia is titled “The Economic Outlook: Your Company’s Opportunities and Risks in the Evolving Business Cycle.”

“Business rises or falls with the economy,” he said. “Business leaders want to know what the future holds, and they also need to be ready for the unexpected.”

Conerly helps companies grow their profits across the business cycle by applying his training as an economist to real-world business challenges.

He has been interviewed on the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, CNN and television and radio stations across the country. He has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, and USA Today. He has spoken to business audiences in five countries and 31 states.

Conerly in his spare time is trying to perfect an obsolete method of transportation.

Speaking both live and virtually, Dr. Conerly has given more than 1,300 presentation. Audience members love getting humor and substance at the same time.

“Never cut out jokes to make room for more statistics,” he said.

Steve Yeakel, with the Montana Independent Bankers, took in one of Dr. Conerly’s keynote deliveries.

“Bill Conerly is one of the most interesting and engaging speakers I have ever heard,” Yeakel said. “The fact that he is a very funny man is a bonus.”

Carbon-reduction Company First Mode Granted $250,000

State Support Advances Hybrid Hydrogen Fuel Cell and Battery- Powered Mining Trucks at Former Coal Mine in Centralia

By the Economic Alliance of Lewis County

Lewis County could well become a symbol of Washington state’s robust and growing clean energy economy when zero-emission trucks the height of three-story buildings are seen rolling around the First Mode Proving Grounds later this year.

First Mode, a global carbon reduction company that developed the world’s first integrated battery and hydrogen fuel cell power plants for retrofitting the behemoth diesel-powered trucks, has established a proving grounds in Centralia, thanks in part to a $250,000 grant from the state economic development strategic reserve fund, according to a news release.

The Department of Commerce awarded the funds to the Economic Alliance of Lewis County to assist First Mode with design and construction costs for office and workshop space the company plans to renovate and expand at the former coal mine site leased from TransAlta.

The First Mode Proving Grounds will help the company accelerate the transition to clean energy for heavy industry, while supporting new uses for the infrastructure at the former mine site. The site is an ideal location, allowing haul trucks to operate in a true mining environment.

Following the successful deployment of a proof-of-concept hydrogen mine haul truck at Anglo American’s platinum mine in Mogalakwena, South Africa in May 2022, First Mode leased land and office space at the TransAlta Centralia Mine and announced plans in October for the proving grounds. First Mode manufactures its proprietary hybrid fuel cell battery power plants in Seattle, where the company was founded in 2018.

“The extensive knowledge and experience of the Centralia community, coupled with Washington state’s leadership on clean energy innovation, are key to the success of First Mode’s work,” said First Mode CEO Julian Soles. “We started with retrofitting a diesel engine with a clean energy power plant in a single haul truck. We are now scaling our capabilities and deployments to move the mining industry another step closer to decarbonization.”

Gov. Jay Inslee said Lewis County and the TransAlta land makes for an attractive place for First Mode to do business.

“No other U.S. region is better positioned to tackle the game-changing challenge of developing and commercializing technologies for decarbonizing heavy industry,” said Gov. Jay Inslee. “Establishment of the First Mode Proving Grounds is an exciting next step for Washington state and the Pacific Northwest.”

Economic Alliance of Lewis County Executive Director Richard DeBolt said his group is pleased to be part of the clean-energy effort.

“This project is the beginning of understanding new technology,” DeBolt said. “It brings Lewis County into the future of the hydrogen valley and will create opportunity clusters for the future.”

At the First Mode Proving Grounds, the company will demonstrate performance and optimize the next generation of hybrid hydrogen and battery-powered haul trucks, as well as the associated infrastructure for recharging and refueling, that will be deployed at mines around the world. The standard version of these trucks today consumes enormous amounts of diesel, emitting the equivalent pollutants of 700 passenger cars. First Mode’s pilot retrofit solution is estimated to save 960 metric tons of diesel fuel per truck each year.

State and Lewis County Economic Alliance officials are optimistic this project could lead to a significant supply chain and additional economic development in the region as First Mode builds toward full scale commercialization and mass production of megawatt class FCEV powerplant modules.

Former Washington State Commerce Director Lisa Brown, who stepped down from the job in March, said First Mode is an important member of the state’s growing clean hydrogen ecosystem.

“Support for robust public-private innovation clusters in prime industry sectors is central to our long-term strategy. We are developing regional hubs that will create and sustain new business opportunities and good jobs in communities throughout Washington state,” Brown said. “First Mode is an important member of our growing clean hydrogen ecosystem.”

Brown chairs the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Association (PNWH2) Board, a nonprofit public-private partnership that is preparing a proposal to the U.S. Department of Energy for a potential $1 billion investment in a regional clean hydrogen hub in the Pacific Northwest.

Pacific Northwest Group Submits Application for Hydrogen Hub Funding

PNWH2 Hub Concept Envisions a Dynamic Pacific Northwest Network of Clean, Renewable Hydrogen Suppliers and End-Users to Decarbonize Pollution-Driven Industry — Possibly Located in Lewis County

By the Economic Alliance of Lewis County

The Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Association (PNWH2) submitted its full Funding Opportunity Application to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on April 6 in a bid to become one of the Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Up to about $1 billion in federal funding is at stake, with the potential for tens of thousands of jobs associated with a successful hub proposal in the Pacific Northwest, according to a news release.

“The Pacific Northwest has a culture of innovation and a rich history with clean energy. We’re a natural fit for a hydrogen hub to build on that legacy and lead the nation in delivering a hydrogen economy to tackle our climate challenges,” said Gov. Jay Inslee. “This project will bring tens of thousands of jobs to the region across many trades. We have an outstanding public-private partnership, strengthened by the participation of Tribal communities, working in concert to transform and expand our clean energy economy.”

Gov. Inslee was in south Thurston County early in April where he made the announcement. He said if the grant is secured, Lewis County is in a prime position to create a clean-energy “hydrogen hub.”

Last May, the Economic Alliance of Lewis County announced it was facilitating a partnership between TransAlta and Fortescue Future Industries to potentially bring a hydrogen plant to the Centralia area. Twin Transit has also been eyeing the creation of hydrogen fueling stations at the Port of Chehalis to power hydrogen buses.

With TransAlta’s power plant set to fully shutter in 2025, community leaders have sought to create the hydrogen hub as a new opportunity to spur innovation and attract jobs.

If built, the Fortescue plant would cost between $400 million and $600 million. It would bring in about 140 permanent jobs and another 200 jobs during construction.

The partnership includes working with the state of Oregon and other partners.

“This transformational opportunity to accelerate development of the nation’s clean energy economy is tailor-made for the Pacific Northwest, where a proud tradition of technological innovation and collaboration in taking on bold challenges is in our nature,” said Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek in a letter of support.

The Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Association is a multi-state coalition that includes Washington, Oregon and Montana and public and private entities working together to bring clean hydrogen power solutions that leverage the region’s renewable energy sources to market in the coming years to help meet the nation’s clean energy goals.

After initially submitting a concept paper in late 2022, PNWH2 was one of 33 out of 79 proposals nationwide encouraged by DOE to proceed with the full application.

The Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub (PNWH2 Hub) will validate the Department of Energy’s vision of a national clean hydrogen network by serving as a vehicle for funding multiple projects that accelerate the transition to clean hydrogen energy production and use.

The PNWH2 Hub concept envisions creating a dynamic Pacific Northwest network of clean, renewable hydrogen suppliers and end-users to decarbonize some of the hardest-to-abate sectors, such as heavy-duty transportation, aviation, maritime, agriculture, and industrial operations.

The PNWH2 Hub’s goal is to exceed the U.S. Department of Energy’s benchmark of 50 to 100 metric tons per day for hydrogen production.

“It’s exciting to know that the Pacific Northwest continues leading as a clean energy trailblazer to accelerate a net-zero future,” said PNWH2 Board Chair and Washington state Department of Commerce Assistant Director Chris Green. “Hydrogen’s niche is eliminating carbon from the most carbon-intensive sectors of our economy to achieve our climate goals, and the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub is ready for the challenge!”

The PNHW2 Hub will benefit communities throughout the region by focusing on creating economic opportunity across all demographics, resulting in tens of thousands of jobs, improved energy resiliency, and decreased environmental burdens in disadvantaged communities.

“This hub will help launch a clean hydrogen economy in the Pacific Northwest that can be a model for other parts of the country,” said PNWH2 Board Vice Chair and Oregon Department of Energy Director Janine Benner. “If done right, it can support an equitable clean energy transition that invests in our communities and improves health and safety for our region’s most vulnerable people.”

This is a highly competitive grant process, with teams from across the U.S. vying for the Department of Energy funding. There are strategic elements in the PNWH2 application that are best kept close to gain every advantage.

Once the hubs are selected and funded by the Department of Energy, additional information will be available regarding the major participants. DOE is expected to make initial decisions around the end of this year, with additional vetting and negotiations to follow until final funding decisions are announced later in 2024.