Does marketplace fuel area economy?
By Larry Meyer - Argus Observer
Sunday, May 13, 2007 12:23 AM PDT
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| Cold Stone Creamery employee Heather Pettet (right), 20, hands Pete Wagner, Burns, a chocolate milkshake during his second visit Thursday afternoon. In the past three years, business traffic in the area around Cold Stone — Ontario Marketplace — has snowballed, with planning now beginning on another retail area — Ontario Station — nearby. |
ONTARIO - The Ontario Marketplace is now a major presence in Ontario’s east side and the retail center has also made an impact regarding where some businesses locate, where people shop and the employment picture in Malheur County.
“The first thing that comes to mind is the retail trade,” regional economist Jason Yohannan said, when asked about the economic impact of the Marketplace on Ontario.
From 2004 to 2007, the number of jobs in the retail sector in Malheur County climbed from 1,850 to 1,960 — a boost of 110 jobs.
“Which translates into a 6 percent increase,” Yohannan said.
That trend in Malheur County appears to be going strong, according to statistics published in Yohannan’s latest Eastern Oregon Labor Market report.
According to the report, there were 80 additional jobs created in the retail trade in Malheur County from March 2006 to March 2007, with 50 of those added between February and March of this year.
“The leisure and hospitality sector didn’t grow much,” Yohannan said, noting that sector includes restaurants and indicates a less certain economic impact.
Statistics for the leisure and hospitality sector show an increase of 20 jobs for the 2004 to 2006 time period.
Between March 2006 and the start of 2007, though, there was an increase of 30 jobs in the leisure and hospitality sector.
“Some of the (retail) increase you can arguably be attribute to the Marketplace,” he said. “Some represents a shift of employment.”
Those figures do not show the split between employees who live in Oregon and those who live in Idaho, Yohannan said.
“The statistics are based on location of the business and count the jobs in Malheur County,” he said.
Ontario Chamber of Commerce Executive Director John Breidenbach said the growth on Ontario’s east side is beneficial for the community.
“It has become a great economic impact,” Breidenbach said. “I’m looking for its expansion. Growth is good,”
Breidenbach also noted some of the expansion on the east side arrived as a result of businesses moving from downtown or West Park Plaza.
One of the challenges with the growth at the Marketplace will be to ensure that expansion reaches the rest of Ontario, he said.
While the growth around the Marketplace has been good for the retail jobs, Malheur County Economic Development Director Jim Jensen said there are still challenges.
He said he also believes other sectors of Ontario will have their day economically.
“The east side has become the retail hub of Malheur County,” Jensen said.
But while the east side is the current hotspot, he said he believes the areas around to North Ontario Interchange will begin to thrive in the future.
“We will see businesses moving to downtown and the other side of town,” he said. “I think we are poised to see a lot of activity.”
