January 27, 2025 • 55 mins
What does the future of Boise, Idaho look like?
This episode dives into the transformative economic development efforts in Boise, led by Clark Krause. The conversation covers workforce initiatives, major development projects, and the pressing challenge of affordable housing. Clark shares insights on strategic partnerships that drive growth and discusses the broader economic impact of major employers like Micron.
Key Topics Covered:
•The significance of the 4th & Idaho/ICCU Tower project and its role in Boise’s growth.
•The Tax Reimbursement Incentive and its positive impact on attracting and expanding businesses.
•Micron’s expansion and how it shapes the local economy by creating job opportunities and attracting industry partners.
•Addressing the affordable housing crisis, exploring potential solutions to balance growth with accessibility.
•Educational programs aimed at connecting students with local job opportunities, ensuring a strong talent pipeline for the future.
•Clark’s optimistic outlook on Boise’s economic future, highlighting upcoming opportunities and initiatives.
Tune in to gain valuable insights into Boise’s thriving economy and the collaborative efforts driving its success.
Bio:
Clark Krause brings over 25 years of experience in economic development, having served as the Director of Economic Development for City Cedar/Iron County in the Red Rock Country of southern Utah and as CEO of economic development efforts for the state of New Mexico. For the past 14+ years, he has been the Executive Director of the Boise Valley Economic Partnership (BVEP), where his leadership has contributed to the recruitment and expansion of over 40 new companies, creating more than 14,000 jobs in the Boise Metro area.
Clark played a pivotal role in introducing the Tax Reimbursement Incentive to the Idaho State Legislature in 2014, a policy that has fueled growth for numerous businesses in the state. Under his guidance, BVEP has been instrumental in supporting Micron’s expansion, helping to attract critical suppliers and vendors for the company’s new research and manufacturing facility in the region.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Today on the Ever Onward podcast we have Clark
Krause.
I've known Clark for a long,long time.
Clark leads and guides BoiseValley Economic Partnership as
the Director of Development.
He has a long, storied careerin economic development for
different jurisdictions aroundthe United States, starting in
southern Utah and then going toNew Mexico before coming to the
(00:23):
Boise Valley EconomicDevelopment Partnership 14 years
ago.
Clark is responsible for someof the major names that have
been recruited to the Valley andjob growth here.
He's also been very involved inthe Micron expansion.
Can't wait to catch up withClark he's an unbelievable guy,
deep knowledge of business inthe Valley and hear what's going
(00:44):
on with him and all that he'sgot going on.
Clark Krause.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Holt, it's good to have you back on here.
It's good for me to be back onhere.
I'm Mark Cleverley withAllquist Development, chief
Leasing Officer.
Introduce, holt.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Holt Haga VP Leasing Allquist Development.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Yeah, We've talked a lot about the new downtown
project, the ICCU Tower 4th andIdaho, but a lot of people don't
know specifics.
We get questions a lot like youknow is there parking, Is there
going to be restaurants?
You know, how much office isthere?
What do the condos look like?
So it'd be great for you tojust kind of walk through you
live and breathe this thingevery day Walk through what
we've got down there in thebuilding.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
Yeah, I mean the project itself has so many
unique components and facets toit, right.
I mean, you know, just startingwith location, it's in a spot,
part of Boise that there's justthere's not a lot of commercial
development.
I mean, we sort of had to pavethe way to get this project
approved from agency approvaland then delivery, but it's in a
(01:59):
part of Boise, it's just.
You know, it's like the perfectlocation.
You're three blocks away from,you know, all the restaurant row
at 8th and Main.
You know that whole 8th Streetcorridor that's all pedestrians
closed off.
You're three blocks from that.
You're four blocks away from,you know, one of the largest
medical centers in the state ofIdaho, with St Luke's downtown,
(02:30):
and then you're like you're fiveblocks away from a trailhead
that gives you that, gives youaccess for hiking and biking
with the Ridge Rivers trailsystem, with the foothills.
It's, it's, you know, a threeminute walk from from the site,
from the project.
Yeah, so I mean it's just, it'san incredible location.
And part of the location too isjust that you've got
unobstructed view.
There's nothing around it,right.
Everything else are thesesingle-story old homes, small
office kind of buildings,single-level office buildings,
(02:52):
and so you get these incredibleview corridors from that
location that are reallyunmatched in our market.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Yeah, you see, if you look at the skyline of Boise,
downtown Boise, you've got StLuke's and then you've got the
core of downtown and there'sthis hole right there.
There's really nothing tallright, I mean, there's homes and
there's businesses, but thiswould be awesome to have a
13-story building right there,right in the middle of those two
spots.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
Yeah, so I mean nuts and bolts of the project, right?
So it's, you know, 13 storyoffice tower.
There's two towers sitting ontop of a parking podium.
So so the mechanics of thebuilding itself yeah, 13 stories
of office, or 13 story officetower, about 140,000 square feet
of office space.
(03:41):
We've got four floors ofparking.
So floors, you know the firstfloor, we've got some.
You know retail class a, retailfeet of office space.
We've got four floors ofparking.
So floors, you know the firstfloor, we've got some.
You know retail, class A,retail on the first floor.
Floors two through five you'vegot parking, a ton of parking.
That's one of the things welearned, I think, with 8th and
Main is it's great to have anested parking garage.
You know you've gotself-contained, dedicated
parking that you can rely on,not only for your employees but
(04:02):
also for your clients.
I mean, they know that they'regoing to have a place to park
and they're going to be able topark and within five minutes, be
at your place of business.
That's unheard of.
And so we juiced up the parking.
We've got four times theparking ratio here that we had
at 8th and Main versus 8th andMain.
So a ton of parking, and thenlevels 6 through 13, class A
(04:24):
office space, yep, and thenlevels, you know, 6 through 13,
class A office space, and it'sso, you know?
I think that's another uniquething that we're offering at
this project, too is, you know,you've got the opportunity to
own office space in a true classA office tower in downtown
Boise.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Yeah, we're condoing the building, so each floor will
be condoed and we can sell.
Sell what we need to if we wantto.
If somebody needs to buy it,then we can.
We can accommodate.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
Yeah, and that and that's unmatched.
I mean there's.
You will not find that in ourmarket at any other project.
Class A office tower where youcan own your office space, and
that's.
That's a big deal for forbusinesses who want to control
their destiny.
Absolutely right, dedicatedoffice space, you own, dedicated
(05:12):
parking.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
I mean these are these are big things and and in
one of the best locations in, inboise, yeah, and then and you
know matt boucher working on theon the residential side, 69
units, which is great, um, so itreally is like a.
It's almost like one of thosewe we talked a lot about out
here in the projects in thesuburbs that mixed use.
This is like a true mixed useplace downtown.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
All in one, which is really cool Package Really cool,
yeah, awesome.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
Exciting stuff, man, exciting stuff.
Yeah, great project to work on.
Yep, thanks, let's go.
Baby, yeah, baby.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Clark, thank you very much for coming on.
Speaker 4 (05:52):
Thank you, this will be fun.
I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
This will be fun.
I read your bio before westarted and I in there it's
you've been here 14 years.
That makes me feel old brother.
Speaker 4 (06:02):
Yeah, yeah, 2010,.
Right in the middle of therecession.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
I remember when you got here.
I remember vividly our firstmeeting.
Speaker 4 (06:10):
Yeah, and I remember your building going who's
building stuff right now onEagle.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
Yeah, it's good to see.
It was crazy.
Yeah, and the other thing isyou had a connection to Southern
Utah.
Yes, we used to go down therethree times a year to Moab, and
we loved being down in thecanyons and arches.
I spent a lot of time in Moaband that surrounding area, so I
remember you coming in andthinking this guy's going to be
great and you had so muchexperience 14 years, though,
(06:40):
buddy.
Speaker 4 (06:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
Can you believe that?
Speaker 4 (06:43):
Really I can't.
I feel like I just blinked andwe're here.
You know, my hair's a littlewhiter, for sure, and you know a
little older, but it's okay.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
Well, you've done a tremendous job.
Um, I do want to get in.
I mean, the Valley's changed somuch.
But, uh, and I think there'sprobably no one that listens to
this podcast who doesn't knowyou, about you and your story.
But for those who may have not,do you want to just give a
little bit of background andthen we'll get into Boise?
Speaker 4 (07:08):
Yeah, I hope I don't make it too long.
I couldn't keep a job for awhile there.
That's not true.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
Yeah, I started.
Where are you from?
I don't know that.
Where'd you grow up?
Speaker 4 (07:18):
I grew up in Yosemite National Park and so I
complained a lot about mychildhood, and so I complained a
lot about my childhood, andthen I went to school at Fresno
State.
Don't hate me for that.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
We have to have a team in the conference.
We beat all the time.
That's fine.
Speaker 4 (07:33):
Yeah, yeah, right.
And then I ended up aftergraduating from college.
I was in the automotiveindustry for about 10 years for
Ford Motor Company and Honda forthe factory side.
So I was a factory rep.
I was out calling on dealersall over the place in Texas, new
Mexico, and then I was down inthe Bay Area with Honda.
And then I was lucky enough, Itook a break and went over to
(07:56):
Brian Head, utah, and was in theski industry for seven years as
a director of marketing.
Oh, I didn't know that.
A little ski area down there.
I worked for Brad Wilson.
Okay, he's like the speaker hejust ran against Curtis.
Well, he's the general managerof Bogus Basin.
Oh yeah, I'm thinking of theother Brad.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
Wilson.
I'm thinking of the other BradWilson down in Utah.
You're talking about BradWilson up here.
Speaker 4 (08:19):
Yeah, the chairlift Brad Wilson, chairlift Brad
Wilson.
Okay, so I worked for him forseveral years and then got into
economic development, cedar City, iron County in southern Utah,
yeah.
So I was down there for 12years, yeah.
And then I got an opportunityto go run the state of New
Mexico's economic developmentprogram for about seven years
(08:40):
under Governor Richardson, whichwas fantastic.
He was definitely an aggressivegovernor and he did a lot,
which was fantastic.
He was definitely an aggressivegovernor and he did a lot while
he was there, so it was reallyfun to do that.
And then I, you know, got thisopportunity to come to Boise.
I'd actually interviewed forBVAP five years before I got the
job and I came in number twoand so I went back to New Mexico
(09:01):
.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
This is not meant to be whatever you're going to say.
Right, I'm not trying to besmart here.
Who was there before you?
I have no idea.
Like they should have given itto you the first time, but who
was it?
Who did you replace?
Speaker 4 (09:14):
Oh shoot, I'm going to forget his last name, but
Paul Someone.
Yeah, and he had left about ayear before I came in.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Yeah, that speaks a lot that I don't even remember
who you're from.
Speaker 4 (09:25):
Yeah, yeah and so anyway, and then had come here
and just fell in love with theplace the first time I was here
and I said, if I can do anything, I'm going to get back there.
And it came back open fiveyears later and right in the
middle of the deep recession of2010.
And probably, you know, maybe asmart move or not, I don't know
(09:45):
, but you know, jumped in withboth feet.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
Isn't it interesting to go back?
And so you think about it wasinteresting because up and up
through like 17, 18, 19,.
I would always.
I would start many meetings orconversations like how quickly
we forgot, right.
Yeah, how bad it was.
It was just horrific.
I mean, it was just horrific.
And I think about back when, youknow anyway, when we started,
(10:09):
like the Zion's bank buildingdowntown and and, and that was
kind of right on the tail end ofit, and it seems like most of
all we talked about, if youthink back to those days, was
talent retention and recruitment.
Like where, where, where ourbody's going to come from?
Where are businesses going tocome from?
Where are jobs?
No one was doing anything.
We had this beautiful thingcalled Boise State that had just
(10:32):
won a Fiesta Bowl.
There was a lot of activitysurrounding their programs and
what was going on, but otherthan them, it was just all about
arbitrage, right.
It was like, hey, they'resuffering, they're suffering,
what opportunities are there?
Someday this is going to comeback, but it was not a great
time here and I think back tothose days and now we're in this
hyper growth spurt where we'vebeen found there's a lot of
(10:58):
negatives that come with it andalso some negatives with
development.
Now it's just an interestingswing.
One other comment that you cancomment on I was on the United
Way board then and we talked alot, a lot, because they do that
community assessment I thinkit's every two years, might be
every three years and they lookat community needs and back then
if you looked at our wages andjobs and we desperately,
(11:22):
desperately needed higher pagingjobs that people could live off
of, and it was all that youcould think about and talk about
, and we're so on the other sideof that now, it's probably been
interesting in 14 years for youto see, hey, we'll do anything
to get some companies here tokeep our kids here, to, hey,
stop it.
I've certainly felt that.
Speaker 4 (11:41):
Yeah, it's been really nice to go from.
You know, we were starved if wegot a call center right.
We were jumping up and down,and now you know there has to be
a certain level of wages andwe've got to start taking care
of the people who live here in adifferent way than back then.
And, yes, we were taking careof them.
We were getting them a job,yeah, and now we're looking at,
(12:07):
you know, more, focusing onquality jobs and growing things
that this community deserves.
Yeah, what have been some ofthe biggest wins?
Well, I, you know, I think oneof them's in one of your
buildings Paylocity changedthings for us a lot, you know,
and that was back in July 2014.
And for good reason.
One of the things that came upabout, tommy, was the tax
reimbursement incentive.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
Let's talk a little bit about that story.
So Paylocity Company out ofChicago, great company, they had
done a nation search for whereto land and it was down between
I can't remember the final, butit was us and Salt.
Lake City, you know and you werein there fighting away for this
, and then they needed quite abit of space and there wasn't
really anywhere to put them, sothey ended up going temporarily
downtown until we built ourbuilding out at 10 mile.
(12:50):
But a lot of effort, and aspart of that you're competing
against other states that havedifferent tools in the toolbox
right, and you were instrumentalin creating a way that you
could at least get somecompetitive tools to go attract
companies like a Paylocity thathave these wages and jobs that
we want.
Speaker 4 (13:06):
Yeah, I think the proudest moment BVAPS had in the
last you know, 15 years, 14years since I've been here is
that tax reimbursement incentive.
When I came in there wasnothing.
I mean, you know we wereselling this place and everybody
wanted.
You know, a lot of peoplewanted to be here but when you
compared us to Reno or Salt LakeCity or Phoenix or Denver, we
(13:30):
just didn't have any love togive them on the back end.
And whether you like incentivesor not, it's part of the
business that we work in.
And luckily, you know, jeffSayre came in.
Governor Otter kind of said,hey, I want some change, and we
were able to get that thing.
And it took us three years toget that tax reimbursement
incentive but it has beenextraordinarily successful.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
Yeah Well, and it's interesting when you
philosophically talk to peopleabout incentives.
Speaker 4 (13:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
If you ever stop and think about a I'm creating, I'm
paying the tax and I'm getting adiscount on my tax, Then all of
a sudden there's a differentview of them, than someone else
is handing out tax dollars to meand I don't know.
I think it's been powerful, Ithink it's been.
(14:19):
I mean, you're not going tocompete in the world we live in
without them, and I think it'sbeen a game changer, Clark, and
you led, you led that.
Speaker 4 (14:26):
Yeah, and what's great great about it is pay to.
You know you have to perform toto to receive the incentive and
the incentives based on payrolltaxes.
So those are jobs you wouldhave never seen with payroll
taxes.
You would have never collectedCorrect, and you're still
getting 70% of them at leastback into the pool to do good
things at schools and otherplaces.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
Absolutely, and it ties right to payroll, which is
it's been a great I think it'sbeen a great great program
Probably made a difference foryou since then, as you've tried
to attract.
There's also a couple oftraining things the state do.
I'm trying to think of theother things that you were able
to create.
There's the training.
Yeah, there's a training grantor something like that.
Speaker 4 (15:05):
There's an opportunity fund, you know, so
that if someone is coming in andthey're building a big building
with jobs, that there's someinfrastructure that you can
receive above that.
And then of course you have theurban renewal districts, which
(15:26):
strategically help the cities bea little bit more competitive
against one another, but alsoagainst others out of state and
more importantly out of state.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Yeah, urban renewal has been.
I mean, you think about 20years of urban renewal.
Renewal has been, I mean, youthink, about 20 years of urban
renewal.
The problem with um if you goback 20 years ago and you look
at how we stack up against andyou've been other jurisdictions,
I'm fascinated to ask you thesequestions because you've been
in two different States Utah andthen New Mexico.
It's too bad.
We didn't figure out differentways to underwrite different
(15:54):
things that had tighter controls, and we never did that.
So instead we had this onelegislative thing that was
called urban renewal.
It got blown up.
It got blown up and it got andit did get misused.
I mean, you know, when I ranfor governor and you go around
the state and you would sit withdifferent jurisdictions and you
would see example after exampleafter example of how it was
(16:15):
misused, and then you'd havegreat examples of how it was
used.
But the point is it was theonly thing.
So it forced well, it didn'tforce, it pressured people to
use it in ways that now you knowit's become a target, rightly
so, because a lot of things soanyway, and urban renewal now is
is hard.
(16:36):
Uh, because we're so hot, right, things are like it's just like
, why are you doing these thingsright?
yeah so it's it's interesting tosee.
But, um, how have you seenattitudes towards urban renewal?
And and have you, is it come upmuch for you anymore or no?
Speaker 4 (16:50):
yeah, I mean, I think it's, I think it's, it's an
incredible tool.
I agree with you.
I think it it could be betterdescribed and more siloed to
where it had its reason to becreated.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
By the way, to be clear, I think CCDC is a shining
example like probably the bestexample in the state of Idaho of
how to do it right, how to beforward thinking, how to
reinvest.
I mean you look at streetscapesand roads and the way they've
done stuff.
It's pretty powerful.
The formula they use it's rightdown the middle, it's not a lot
of wishy-washy.
(17:23):
Here's how we do stuff and it'syour own tax dollars right.
So I go in and I develop publicinfrastructure and I meet their
standards.
Then I get some of my taxdollars back that I put into
public infrastructure.
That's very healthy.
And watching them take excessfunds and go improve I mean you.
It's interesting.
Speaking of Reno, you broughtit up.
We're doing a big project indowntown Reno, a massive project
(17:48):
in downtown Reno, and we wereable to bring someone from the
governor's office over, someonefrom the city over, and we they
spent three days here in Boise acouple months ago.
Speaker 4 (17:56):
In fact, I think you met the city over and we they
spent three days here in boise,a couple months ago in fact, I
think.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
Yeah, yeah, we met with them, yes, but man, I, I
hadn't ever like walking arounddowntown boise with them, the
sense of go back to pre.
You know when the boise holewas there and what ccdc's done
and you look at really goodplanning over an extended period
of time to beautify and createvalue.
That keeps businesses strong,companies strong and restaurants
(18:21):
strong and this vibrant.
And then I remember when we dideighth and main people saying
why are you doing an officebuilding?
That's the stupidest thing ever.
You need to be doingresidential.
And I remember saying Iremember we had this argument
multiple times with peoplesaying hey, it's chicken and egg
, man, you got to have a placeto work and you got to have jobs
and then people will want tolive there and to watch all that
flourish in your time here.
Speaker 4 (18:41):
It's super rewarding yeah, it was amazing to watch
you guys on, you know, when youwere there with the gardener
group and you were breakingground on that thing and it was
just a big sore in the middle ofdowntown, right right.
And you guys just did a classact, putting an incredible
building up and really, I think,kind of the start of things,
(19:01):
right.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
I remember leaving Dave Beater's office and having
him just laugh at me.
I remember going in therethere's a couple guys.
I remember going into hisoffice and saying, hey, we're
going to do this, and him justlike you know how Dave was.
And then I remember going intothe lead attorney.
In a bill it was, we ended upbuying the building, the U S
bank building to do city centerPlaza.
But going into the headattorney on a big firm there and
(19:26):
him literally like laughing meout of his office and I remember
like going, I remember like tothis day, pushing the button and
going down the elevator andthinking I'm going to prove you
wrong, we're going to get thisthing done.
But it was not a given that thatwas going to be.
It was a hard project.
It was not nearly as hard asCity Center Plaza, by the way,
(19:59):
with Boise State coming over anddoing the VRT and that was, I
think if Pat Rice wouldn't havebeen there and I think if the
head of the computer sciencedepartment over at um I'm trying
to remember her name, she wasfantastic at boise state and
mike born and the clearwaterguys and and kelly ferris at vrt
and john brunel at ccdc and youguys I mean every that's the
one thing that has to happen isyou have to have really good
community partnerships and trust.
People have to come together,have to figure really hard
(20:20):
things out together and it'spretty beautiful when it happens
.
It doesn't happen very often.
Speaker 4 (20:24):
Yeah well, you've made a lot of good things happen
here, Tommy.
Speaker 1 (20:27):
I was thinking about.
Do you remember Peter's fight?
You don't realize, but back inthe day ACHD and the city of
Boise were like oil and waterand it was just.
It added a layer of difficultyto almost everything you did.
Speaker 4 (20:40):
I'm so glad that's over.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
I hope it's over.
I think it's totally over.
In fact, we had a meeting inthe city of Boise where the the
new director of ACHD, ryan Head,came to the meeting at city
hall and before the meetingstarted, I said, hey, can we all
have a moment of silence tojust sit here and reflect on the
accomplishment of who's sittingaround the table today?
It was just, it was.
It was a great moment ofgratitude, moment of gratitude
(21:03):
and thanks, but so many greatthings have happened.
Um, what?
Uh?
I want to get into a couple ofsome other things you've done.
It seems like you've you'vebeen involved in every kind of
big, major deal that's come here.
Meta was a huge deal.
Speaker 4 (21:18):
Oh, for sure, For sure.
And you know I have to give ashout out to Lisa Holland, who
you know was here at that time.
Oh, yeah, and then she passed,that's right.
Yeah, it was a horrific caraccident, but she was, you know,
she worked for us at EVAP andthen she went over to CUNA to
become a director of economicdevelopment.
(21:38):
She, she was ambitious andreally talented and really
started that project.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (21:43):
And at the end of it, after she passed, they said
we're going to make sure thisproject happens because of Lisa
Wow.
And so it's just, you know, forme I loved her to death.
I mean, she was just one ofthose people that changed my
life.
You know, she was just one ofthose younger people you meet
that becomes your mentor.
Right, and to see that come.
(22:13):
You know, I just celebrate herwhen I think of the Meta project
and what it's going to do forCUNA in the long run.
I mean, they've got a bunch ofother projects that are out
there stacked up looking.
Speaker 1 (22:19):
I'm a proud resident cuna.
Now I get it.
That's right.
Yeah, and I was going to tellyou.
You know she, she loved you andI mean that the comments you
just made, but like thatmentorship and and the what you
meant to her and her life, andwhat a I mean what a great
person yeah, legacy yeah, trulyfor a relatively young, what she
accomplished and what a greatperson.
Yeah, a legacy.
Yeah, truly For a relativelyyoung, what she accomplished and
what a legacy Amazing.
Speaker 4 (22:39):
And then Micron right , micron is just, isn't it.
I mean just what that's goingto do for the economy long term,
no matter what happens with theeconomy.
Having that anchor just bereignited here.
Yeah, be reignited here.
Yeah, you know not for thefirst time, but certainly this
(23:00):
is a you know and now it's gonefrom 15 billion to 25 billion
over the next 10 years.
So it's just begun.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
And think about like a company founded here.
You know there's still foundersthat you still get to rub
shoulders with, that are aroundthe Valley, and then you know
lots of changes and growth andinternational.
I mean they're competingagainst countries in the world
right, it's countries versusmicron and then to have had this
opportunity for them to chooseand it wasn't a given.
(23:26):
Talk a little bit about thatprocess.
Speaker 4 (23:28):
I mean they.
You know, when they came intotown a lot of the decision
makers you know I was I wasassuming when we sat down with
them and Deloitte kind ofhandled the site selection side
of it, you would have thoughtmost of the people would have
been very familiar with Boise.
But their crew that theybrought in, I mean the Micron
(23:48):
employees a lot of them werefrom Texas and they were from
other areas and so you know thethings you would think they
would know about Boise.
You were starting from groundzero and they told us that from
the get-go and so you know thethings you would think they
would know about Boise.
You were starting from groundzero and they told us that from
the get-go.
And you know, thanks to themayor and the governor and a lot
of really strong leadership,idaho Power did an amazing job.
I mean the onus was on IdahoPower a lot to get that thing
(24:12):
you know done and they did anamazing job.
And you know we were one of thesmallest places they were
looking at and even though therewas a history there, it
certainly was not.
You know that was notsolidified as a decision until
they did.
You know their due diligenceand really came up with this was
the place yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
Maybe you could speak a little bit, because I don't
know that they get enough creditfor all they do here in the
Valley.
But our public utility, led byLisa Groh and Megan Ronk, and
what happens there.
It is unusual in the world tofind leaders and people who, the
(24:56):
minute you meet them, they arelike how can we help you?
How do we do this together,regardless of the industry, in a
public utility setting, to havesomeone that's willing to just
say, for the good of Idaho, forthe good of whatever, what can
we do to help?
And you know it and feel itthat, hey, we're going to do
everything we can.
Speaker 4 (25:13):
It's pretty unique and feel it that, hey, we're
going to do everything we can.
It's pretty unique.
You know, having done this in acouple other states and I
always look at best practices Iwould put Idaho power against
anybody Amen, anyone.
They don't always have asolution, you know, in 24 hours,
but they will work with you.
They're super honest, they'revery prompt, they get back to
(25:34):
the clients, they tell the you,they always tell the truth Just
super integrity.
You couldn't ask for a betterteam than what we have here,
with Adam and Lisa and Megan andthe engineers that spend
countless hours putting thesethings together because they're
such heavy users.
Now, right, it's sosophisticated of what people
(25:56):
need.
Even a warehouse now is triplewhat it needed 10 years ago.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
You hit.
I want to highlight what yousay because I think it's really
powerful.
You leave every meeting knowingthat you have someone that's
listening to you and caringabout you.
They may not have the answerright there, but you know
they're going to get it.
You know you're going to getthe truth.
They're open and transparentand vulnerable and
community-oriented and it's justwe don't really even talk.
(26:22):
I'm sure if we made a column ofthings we take for granted in
life, that's definitely in thatcolumn, but it makes a
difference to the businesscommunity and Idaho at large.
It's really pretty wonderful.
Speaker 4 (26:33):
Yeah, and they get nervous when you compliment them
.
So I'm glad we're doing it,because they are.
You know, they're just a silenthero over there that you know.
Nothing happens without them.
Speaker 1 (26:45):
Well, and there's a culture of leadership over there
.
Um, that just goes back right.
I mean, it's, it's.
It's actually a great exampleof what happens when you have
really strong leadership andthat you know and now Lisa, what
she's doing and it's justthey're, they're just wonderful
people, yeah, amazing, Amazingpeople Go back to Micron.
So, so decision is difficult.
(27:06):
Need to figure out how wecompete and Idaho Power a huge
part of delivering and they havejust delivered.
I think I heard recently thattheir part on the program is
kind of done on time and onschedule, which was a minor
miracle looking at what they hadto do by the time they had to
do it and I think they're, youknow, I think it was a big
relief when they're like, hey,we're there, we got her done,
(27:27):
but, um, big deal.
And then micron's leadership Imean, I think their local
leadership with scott gatzmeyerand a lot of those folks, folks
that have those long-term rootshere, and what it's going to
mean to the community.
What a huge win for theTreasure Valley.
I've heard, you know, when yougo through a recession like we
(27:47):
went through right and westarted our conversation,
talking about that, every one ofthese and when you get old like
we are.
They're all different.
I'm older than you, tom, barelybarely, but but they're all
different, right?
And so when this one was coming, and we all saw it coming, we
didn't know what it was going tobe like and it was really
wonderful um to talk about.
(28:10):
Well, regardless of how deep orsevere or whatever this is,
we've got this thing called thismicron fab plant that is coming
here.
It was a stabilizer for thecommunity and I heard that
everywhere I went, from all thedifferent business leaders I
knew of going kind of into thisthing, and I think we're, I
(28:31):
think we feel like we're past itnow, but wasn't you know?
Was it going to be hard?
Was it going to be a crash?
Was it going to be hard?
Was it going to be a crash?
Was it going to be slow?
Was it going to be the softlanding they talked about?
We just didn't know, right.
Certainly, things slowed downsignificantly for a lot of
people, but that steadyinginfluence now it's going to be
for a long time.
It's just going to stabilizejobs and our economy and all the
(28:54):
different things that come withit.
Speaker 4 (28:57):
Anyway, any other comments on Micron?
Yeah well, they've given us thetask of kind of helping them
target these 200 companies,vendors and suppliers that they
would like to see, if not inBoise, at least in Idaho, and if
not in Idaho and the fivestates surrounding us, at least
in Idaho and if not in Idaho andthe five states surrounding us.
(29:17):
So there's a lot of morepipeline that we need to worry
about to make sure that micronis successful, which is going to
also, you know we had six, wehad five new companies last year
that we announced just servingmicron needs and big companies.
I mean, this isn't.
They didn't just bring a, youknow one office there.
(29:38):
They're building, you know,plants and warehouses and those
kind of things.
So you think about just theimpact of Micron and then all
these companies that will behere and the, the infrastructure
we're going to create forsemiconductor and hopefully that
leads to more semiconductorbusiness in the longterm.
Speaker 1 (29:55):
You know talk a little bit about.
Um.
Our guys went to a couple ofyour things you had in San
Francisco and one of the thingsthat they came back with was
Micron's also being pretty likecommunity oriented.
Hey, we want you here.
We want you.
Speaker 4 (30:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:09):
And that pressure from the top is really important
to again create morehigh-paying jobs we're able to
keep our kids here, and thosesort of things.
Yeah, critical right yeah.
Speaker 4 (30:20):
I mean we're working, we're hand-in-hand working with
their procurement department,all these things, and you know
they're pretty busy over there.
So we have felt like one of thethings I'm very, very proud of
Beth and Sierra, who are in myoffice and you know them.
They're leaning on us to helpthem, we're part of their team
(30:45):
and it's been really fun to havethat kind of relationship with
them, that we are part of thebigger picture and and and that
there's there's a heavy relianceon us to help them with that.
We also, because of that, weknew that they needed to grow
here but also needed to grow inNew York, and so we contact
Boise, contacted New York andsaid we should be working
(31:08):
together and so we're doing alot of joint promotional things
to try to recruit thosecompanies.
And, uh, if you talk to NewYork about it, the guy we called
to say hey, we could partner upwith you, he said the only
thing that's making me mad aboutthis conversation is it wasn't
my idea and I was so proud ofBeth because it was her idea and
did you tell him it's been awhile since a good idea came out
(31:29):
of New York.
Speaker 1 (31:31):
No, that's really, that's really something right?
Yeah, it's been fun for Idahoto lead, and I didn't.
I didn't know that part of thestory.
That's great, um, and, and youknow, you see all those cranes
up and you see it coming, it's,it's, it's, it's coming.
And then all I'm glad I want,one of the things I want to talk
to you about, is these othercompanies that we know are
looking here.
Can we switch topics toeducation a little bit?
(31:52):
Yeah, absolutely, because Iknow that's been one of your
things.
So again, if you go back to allof the discussions that were
had on all these like businesspanels and everyone else, it was
all about talent pipeline.
Where are they going to comefrom?
It turns out, clark, that a lotof talent just came here.
Speaker 4 (32:08):
Yeah absolutely.
Speaker 1 (32:09):
I mean, I don't think if you and I were sitting
together 14 years ago, we wouldbe saying, oh my gosh, what are
we going to do?
But what ended up happening isa lot of talented people came
here and they thought this is agreat place to live, raise my
family.
I'm coming here.
I think that will continue tohappen.
I think that will continue tohappen.
But what I think has changed,and is the most significant
change because of all of thisgreat development that's
(32:31):
happened, is our kids can stayhere now, because 14 years ago,
if we were talking, there were alot of people that you know,
the classic was hey, my kidswent away here, but there's just
not a job here.
They're not coming back.
It's not the case anymore.
They're coming back.
They want to come back.
This is the place to be, andthey, you know, I think there's
that.
(32:51):
And now you've got Boise Statestill doing fabulous things.
You've got Gordon over at CWIyes, killing it, I mean doing a
great, great job there.
You've got Launch right.
Speaker 4 (33:05):
Launch is huge.
Speaker 1 (33:07):
Launch is huge and so we're really, um and I I gotta
tell you from a governor, alittle perspective getting,
having the foresight to get thatthrough, and I always like
saying that back again a longtime ago, when we had the you
know, 60, 60 by somethingremember it was 60% go on rate
and a lot of focus there thatfelt like college four-year
(33:28):
degree.
This time, launch feels like apathway to a job I really want
to credit.
I don't know who the mastermindbehind all this was, but
somehow it feels like it'staking Idaho kids and connecting
to Idaho jobs and I giveGovernor Little, his team, his,
his staff, the credit for reallythe messaging's right.
(33:50):
I'm optimistic.
Talk a little bit about howoptimistic you are with us also
serving Idaho families andkeeping kids here and having
jobs for them to come back to.
Speaker 4 (34:00):
Yeah, coming here in 2010,.
It was about the blue field.
I mean, that was our success,right, and so you would talk
about.
Have you been to Sun Valley?
Do you know about the Bluefield?
And today, that conversation ispeople know about this place
now.
A lot of great business successover the last, you know, 14
(34:22):
years.
Nothing will change this placemore than launch, and so I truly
believe that there's one thingthat we need to make sure we
help the governor with it'slaunch.
Yeah, because if we lose thatopportunity, it's going to go
backwards again.
Yeah, and they had over 15%more go on this last year than
(34:47):
they had had.
If we can keep that going, it'sgoing to be amazing.
Speaker 1 (34:52):
I agree with you.
Can we stay on this for alittle bit?
Because there's one thing Ibelieve the role of government
and tax dollars are to helpworking families.
I mean, there's all too oftenwhere government gets involved
and things happen and itbenefits the rich.
(35:12):
It benefits, it doesn't benefitthe working class.
I would challenge anyone in thelegislature, anyone to show me
a better way to affect workingclass families, those families
that kids want to be here.
This is the reason we pay taxes.
It's the reason we do what wedo Then helping them get into
in-demand careers, mostly trades.
(35:36):
You look at the valueproposition at our universities
and at CWI, especially forgetting a kid here, one of our
kids here, into one of our jobshere, and having the state step
in to make that pathway and thatline of sight cleaner.
Come on, there's not a bet.
I mean, the legislation is just.
The legislative session is juststarting right now, but I just
(35:57):
I can't believe that anyone inthe legislature would chop the
legs out from under workingclass families in Idaho for some
weird ideologic thing.
Families in Idaho for someweird ideologic thing.
Meanwhile, if you examine theirown lives on how tax dollars are
spent all the time, I guaranteeyou that launch is going to be
more qualified than any otherway you use government tax
(36:19):
dollars in your life.
So I just I can't imagine it'snot going to be, but it probably
will.
So everyone listening launch isnow there.
It's been.
You look at the statistics.
It's staggeringly successful.
I mean, it's probably the mostsuccessful thing that's happened
in higher education in forever.
And it's affecting the rightfamilies.
(36:39):
It's affecting the right kidsto stay in the right jobs.
All of that's happening, but itneeds to be funded every year.
So if the legislature takes aswipe at it I don't, I don't
know, I don't think they will,but but it's.
I'm glad we're highlighting ittoday because it's pretty timely
.
Speaker 4 (36:54):
Oh, you know and it's become this great sales tool
for us, right what they knowabout Idaho, what they think
about Idaho, to to show themthat program, when I'm out on
the road and I'm selling theBoise Metro and Idaho, that we
have this very aggressive way toconnect you with workforce
(37:16):
that's going to have the skillsthat you need.
I mean it is I don't have totalk about the blue field
anymore.
I love the blue field and youknow we'll talk about it, but it
truly has changed theconversation and people are like
wow, that's happening in idaho.
That's amazing yeah you know,thank, you must have a great
governor.
So you know, and I and I wantto say we have a great
(37:37):
legislature and I hope they havethe wisdom to um, you know,
make sure that we're whole onthat program well, and again I'm
gonna.
Speaker 1 (37:45):
I'm broken record day , soapbox day.
But if, if you want to servethe people and the working,
hardworking people that areactually slogging away every day
and doing the thing, the smallbusiness leaders, the, this is
the thing, yeah, so don't takethe legs out from underneath the
thing that is creating the, the, the opportunity for these kids
(38:09):
.
I will also say you said it, Imean, I've never heard anyone
say it more eloquently that this, retrospectively, is going to
be one of the biggest thingsthat we look back on.
That strengthens Idaho, thatkeeps our kids here and keeps
our family strong, keeps ourbusiness strong.
All the things that you've said.
My answer is beautifully said.
Speaker 4 (38:32):
Well, it's great that we have, you know, this
community college that's thereand you know they're responding
so quickly to the needs ofMicron, to the needs of builders
.
You know people that you employ, so it's perfect timing.
It's a perfect thing for us tobe doing we've been.
Speaker 1 (38:50):
Um, just a little plug for we, we, um.
When I ran for governor I wasable to see firsthand these
companies, especially the tradesthat just desperately needed
need welders.
I mean, I got good friend thatowns a company over in rexburg,
idaho, a welding company, andit's just like he is one of the
most wonderful people Leo's hisname and he's just unbelievable.
(39:12):
But he runs a welding shop, youknow, and he's like there are
no welders.
So we started a nonprofit a fewyears ago called Inspire
Excellence Teens to Trades iswhere we do our funding and we
raise scholarship money forat-risk kids to get into the
trade, specifically HVAC,plumbing, electrical and welding
(39:35):
and it's been incredible towatch that happen.
We were doing that before thislaunch thing comes along.
But now launch comes along andthe beautiful thing that's
happened, in America even, isthese jobs have become living.
You know you can raise a familyand they're very liberal wages
in these fields.
Now and you look at ourcompanies we have right and the
way they take in these kids andthey give them a pathway to a
(39:56):
job.
I always talk about PanchoRomero at Advanced Heating and
Cooling, but that guy you lookat what he does with his
employees and the programs hehas.
So I think we're in AmericaLike damn it, not just here, but
in America.
We are heading in the rightdirection, which is creating
these, these livable wages andjobs in the fields that that are
(40:18):
desperately needed for thiswhole thing to work.
It feels like we're headed inthe right direction and again
going back over a little ourlegislature, those that are
really leading the charge here.
It's really cool.
Speaker 4 (40:28):
Yeah, oh no, absolutely.
I'm just nothing's moreimportant than launch right now
for economic development in thestate.
That's my own opinion.
Speaker 1 (40:40):
I love your opinion, clark, I'm with you.
We'll evangelize together asmuch as we can Any other
exciting things coming our waythat you know.
If people don't know, I'll tellthem a little secret about
Clark's.
There's all these code names,right, so it's all veiled in
like Project Bronco and Projectwhatever, which was Amazon,
(41:03):
which was Amazon, right, and soI know you can't talk about a
lot of things, but how arethings out there?
Are people still looking aroundand what do you think in 25, 26
?
Speaker 4 (41:15):
years.
It's really interesting and,tommy, I shared this with your
team a little bit is that youknow, when COVID hit, office
just dried up, like you know, wejust didn't see any, and this
last year we're starting to seeit percolate again.
You know it probably will neverbe as big as used to be.
Fifty percent of our projectswere office went to zero during
(41:38):
COVID, obviously, but right nowwe are at 13 percent of our
projects last year and they werebig and they're nationals, like
a pay lossy type thing needingay type thing, needing a
thousand employee kind of deal.
So to see that just warm up alittle bit is really hopeful.
We're still seeing a lot ofmanufacturing and then, of
course, somehow warehousingsuddenly makes sense in Boise.
(42:01):
Who would have ever thoughtthat?
I mean, if you would have saidyou know we're going to have
warehousing in Boise 2010, youand I would have shook our heads
and said never.
Yeah.
But with this logistics and howthe models have changed, it's
suddenly, you know, we'retractor supply, we've got a
brand new project going out inNampa, that's, you know, half a
million square feet, and they'rethey're announcing very quickly
(42:24):
here, finally, officially.
It was probably in Boise Devareally early on.
But uh, if you really want tosee what projects are coming,
just go to that that source.
They're crazy how good they areat hunting things down.
Yeah, dang dawn day's beendoing it a long time.
Speaker 1 (42:40):
I just wish they'd stop writing stories on our
fourth in Idaho project downtownyeah, yeah, yeah, write some
more why some talk about tractorsupply or something.
That's not true.
He actually helped us out,because a statesman is the one
that drills us all the time andthen Don comes in and saves the
day every once in a while andtells the truth.
Good, good, yeah.
So tractor supply is big.
(43:01):
Is that formally out there now?
Speaker 4 (43:05):
Yes, they've gone official.
Where are they going?
They're in Nampa.
What part of Nampa?
I'm not sure exactly how Icould describe where they're at.
Speaker 1 (43:15):
North or south of the freeway.
Speaker 4 (43:17):
North, okay, yeah.
Speaker 1 (43:20):
All right, and then office 13%.
Speaker 4 (43:23):
Yeah, so we're starting to see some office
warm-up again and certainlymanufacturing, as we lost those
office projects.
It got filled in withmanufacturing and warehousing
and of course there's this, youknow.
Another piece of the pie isthere's a lot of data centers
still looking here.
So do they all belong here?
Probably not, but you're goingto see some more data center.
Speaker 1 (43:45):
And data center is kind of a mixed bag.
A little bit right, becausesuper power, lots of power, they
suck power.
They don't really have jobs,they're limited.
Meta, at the end of the day, iswhat?
50 jobs?
Speaker 4 (44:00):
I don't know the exact number but I'd say 50 to
100 will be in there and youknow those are advanced jobs,
they'll be engineers andtechnicians and that type of
thing.
But you know it's kind of litup here but it's lit up
everywhere.
I mean data centers are lookingeverywhere and if they can find
the power they can find a goodutility, good utility and of
(44:21):
course we have one of the bestutilities in the, the country,
that somebody they can work withthey're.
We're going to see a little bitmore of that in the valley yeah
, it's, it's.
Speaker 1 (44:29):
I mean, it's the way of the future.
Yeah, with the way everything'sdone.
Uh, talk about manufacturingit's.
It's not an area that I'm thatwell versed on.
What?
What are some of the areas ofmanufacturing you're seeing?
Looking at our state and ourvalley?
Speaker 4 (44:43):
Well, it has been, tommy, like I look at the last
couple, azec, which is a deckingsupply company.
You know they do kind of thedecks you'd put at your house,
right, and it's made of plasticsas well as wood, so it's a
recycled material.
And then that's a fairly largeannouncement we had and they're
out by kind of out by Micron andthen Stowe, which is doing
(45:08):
cabinetry so they do commercialcabinetry as well as residential
cabinetry, announced about ayear and a half ago in Nampa,
and we're seeing a lot of, forsome reason, a lot of activity
out of like the Madison area,wisconsin.
So you know they've gotten bigenough and there's enough
building going on that they needto have a location in the
(45:29):
western side of the states.
They're, I would say, a companyaround 100 to 400 million
investment and they're lookingfor a place that they can be a
fairly decent fish in a smallerpond and they see Boise as being
a place that they can do that.
And we've had so much successwith manufacturing and food here
(45:51):
that it's pretty easy for us toshow them the workforce and
talent that they need here.
That's great.
Speaker 1 (45:59):
Who do we compete with routinely?
Or is it different, dependingon the thing you?
Speaker 4 (46:02):
know it's changed a lot.
You know we used to see we werecompeting against I would say
nationally flyover states werewho were competing against.
You know somebody who needed toserve the coast but didn't want
to be in California.
Or you know somebody who neededto serve the coast but didn't
want to be in California.
(46:22):
Or you know, didn't want to bein Seattle and they didn't want
to be in Portland.
And so they're coming here toserve those bigger markets also
have a market here, and so it'schanged a lot.
So it went from.
You know we're competingagainst a Des Moines and so it
went from.
You know we're competingagainst Des Moines and Kansas
(46:43):
City and those kind of events,and now I would say that more
likely it's Reno.
Salt Lake City and Phoenix arethe three biggest competitors
that we face, and Reno just gotadded to that list Like it's
been.
Like five years ago I'd nevercompeted against Reno at VVAP.
Today they've gone there.
(47:03):
It's part of their tour.
Speaker 1 (47:06):
It's been crazy for us to do some.
We're over there a lot and it'sa pretty interesting place.
It's got a lot going for it.
There's a lot of parallels toReno, to Boise, in fact.
If you look at their downtownand you look at their university
the former governor is now thepresident of the university and
(47:26):
the way unr is embracingdowntown and then all the stuff
elon's doing out of sight andeverything that goes around,
that there's a lot going onthere.
Um, it's interesting, well, andand um, well, it's, it's not
without its challenges.
So the last I not want to end,to end our last little bit here
what are some of the challengesthat all this growth?
14 years you've been here.
You see all the good thingsthat come.
(47:48):
We've highlighted those likesome really great products of
development and everything elsethat's happening.
There's probably no two guysthat are more pro-development
than us.
But what are some of thechallenges that come with all
this?
Speaker 4 (48:00):
I think it's hard.
Anybody who's not looking athow this is affecting families.
You know it's become a placethat cost of living has gone up
and wages even though they'vegone up there, there's a bigger
gap today than there was 20years ago here between the wage
and what it costs to live here.
And so you know you have adultkids, young kids, that are
(48:23):
trying to figure out what thatway looks like and I do too.
You know you have seniors thatare trying to figure out how
they get to stay here and enjoythis quality of life.
I worry about that a lot.
So I think affordable housingis something we really, really
need to be looking at.
Speaker 1 (48:39):
What's the answer there?
Housing is something we reallyreally need to be looking at.
What's the answer there?
Because it's one of my biggestconcerns, but it's also one of
the things like we will not getthere through regulation, and it
seems like there is this urgeby people that don't understand
(49:03):
basic economics of supply anddemand to regulate their way
through this and it just drivespricing up.
And I hope we're smarter thanthat, because we need all kinds
of housing.
We need all types of housing.
We need more multifamily, weneed more townhomes, we need
(49:25):
more single-family starter homes.
We need more single familystarter homes.
We need more mid tier homes.
We need we need more ofeverything Right and and, and it
seems like to me, um, going theroute of regulation and then
government subsidy to bringhousing pricing down is a that
is a snowball that kind of neverstops versus just how do we get
more supply and how do we do itin a smart way with existing
infrastructure.
(49:45):
But it's a big concern andwe've got to probably figure
that out right.
Speaker 4 (49:50):
I think the country needs to figure it out.
We have certainly over 20,000more homes are needed here,
right?
Is that the number?
You know over 20,000 more homesare needed here, right?
Is that the number?
The last number I heard was24,000 homes that we don't have
today that we need, and I knowyou're involved in this and I
know your heart's involved inthe housing crisis and how it
(50:13):
affects lower-income familiesand I appreciate your work.
I also look at, but you knowyou take that 24,000 and you
look at Salt Lake City has150,000 that they need, and then
you go look at Californiabefore the fire and they have
over a million homes thatthey're short.
So this is truly a nationalissue and probably worldwide
(50:39):
issue and I don't have an answerfor you today, tommy, but you
know I'm I'd vote for whateveryou got if you did, we'd.
Speaker 1 (50:46):
If you did, the next topic would be pancreatic cancer
, right?
yeah something else hard it's.
It's a hard thing but I just Ihope we uh, I don't know it's it
ultimately uh, because there'ssome things that probably aren't
going to change.
I mean, if you look at labor, Imean we're doing all this.
Launch is a huge part of thatand that's the other argument.
You think of our laborshortages with and without
(51:10):
launch.
I can't imagine that wouldsomeone take the legs out from
under that, what that alonewould do to the cost.
And then you got supply.
We've seen we do a lot andwe've've seen kind of supplies
plateau, which has been reallygood.
They certainly never go down.
I mean the cost of something itjust doesn't ever seem to go
down, like a hvac unit or yoursteel or whatever.
(51:31):
It's going to go up and then itstays up but it just stops
going up.
Right, but labor, you knowlabor is still that great
unknown and that affects thehousing market, it affects
everything we do, it affectsinfrastructure costs of
everything and that's probablynot going anywhere.
I think interest rates for theshort term I mean there's so
much optimism after the electionthat it kind of squashed any
(51:54):
idea of I mean they can't lowerthem anymore, yeah.
Yeah, it's got and they can'traise them anymore.
Lower them anymore.
Yeah, yeah, it's got and theycan't raise them anymore, so
what?
Speaker 4 (52:04):
I'm hearing from really smart people is it's
probably going to sit for awhile.
Speaker 1 (52:06):
Sit for a while, yeah , so that's kind of is what it
is.
So there's a lot.
There's a lot of things thatnone of us control.
There's international stuff.
There's some stuff, but hey,I'm betting on America.
We'll figure this out Right, ifwe can, if we can let business
people and, you know, peoplethat have the American drive and
intuition to figure outproblems, we will figure this
(52:26):
out, as long as we don't getgovernment getting in our way.
Speaker 4 (52:29):
Yeah, it's really interesting.
You know, you look at thismarketplace and there's a lot of
really beautifulpre-manufactured homes that are
built here, but they're going toLA we're close.
Speaker 1 (52:41):
So you know, caleb roof I got to get caleb on this
podcast, but he's one of thesmartest guys in the country on
this, right?
Yeah, and you know this is hisworld.
He does them all over thecountry.
He's quietly the wizard of oz,right?
I mean, this guy is the wizardof oz and he lives right here in
eagle idaho pacific companies.
But he says we're not there yet.
It it's still caught.
So he's taking these units thathe's building here in Nampa, um
(53:05):
and sending them all toCalifornia and other places
because it still costs twice asmuch down there as it does here.
But we're not there yet.
And and I just had lunch withhim a couple of months ago and
asked him are we getting close?
Because, because at some pointthat that's certainly a solution
, but it's still not quite therehe said it's still cheaper to
stick, build and do these thingsground up.
(53:25):
But I think we're getting closeand I don't know whether that's
a good thing or a bad thing.
When I was talking to him, I'mlike is it because he's like, no
, we're just still.
We're still not there.
But the good news is we do haveseveral prefab home builders
and apartment builders here inthe treasure Valley fab home
builders and apartment buildershere in the Treasure Valley,
which has got to be to ouradvantage, I would think so.
I mean, major players in thenational market are right here,
(53:48):
and so as that changes and flows, I think that I think it's
definitely a positive.
I just wish it was a littlecheaper, because that would be a
great solution.
Speaker 4 (53:55):
Yeah, I sure hope.
I think it's part of thesolution.
Right, we're probably going tohave?
Yeah, part of it.
We're going to probably need athousand solutions to get even
close.
Speaker 1 (54:04):
That's great.
What's next for you, buddy?
This time went way too fast.
Speaker 4 (54:08):
What's next?
Well, we're going to have agood year.
I feel really good about it.
We've had some reallysignificant meetings just in the
last couple of weeks.
People are still there's moredevelopers coming.
We've had two, three meetingsnow with kind of developers
looking into the area.
So it's hot here.
It's going to stay that way andI think we're going to continue
(54:31):
with.
You know, with launch and otherthings, we start building our
labor force in a different way.
It's going to be really, reallyimportant.
It's a great story for us totell and you know I'm just
looking forward to a great year.
I think it's going to be astrong one.
Speaker 1 (54:44):
I love it.
Hey, personally, thank you foryour leadership.
Thanks for what you do.
It's been steady, it's beenconsistent.
You're a great example.
You're a great leader.
We've been lucky to have you inthe middle of all this and hope
you do it for a really longtime here.
Love and appreciate you.
Today on the Ever Onward podcast we have Clark
Krause.
I've known Clark for a long,long time.
Clark leads and guides BoiseValley Economic Partnership as
the Director of Development.
He has a long, storied careerin economic development for
different jurisdictions aroundthe United States, starting in
southern Utah and then going toNew Mexico before coming to the
(00:23):
Boise Valley EconomicDevelopment Partnership 14 years
ago.
Clark is responsible for someof the major names that have
been recruited to the Valley andjob growth here.
He's also been very involved inthe Micron expansion.
Can't wait to catch up withClark he's an unbelievable guy,
deep knowledge of business inthe Valley and hear what's going
(00:44):
on with him and all that he'sgot going on.
Clark Krause.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Holt, it's good to have you back on here.
It's good for me to be back onhere.
I'm Mark Cleverley withAllquist Development, chief
Leasing Officer.
Introduce, holt.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Holt Haga VP Leasing Allquist Development.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Yeah, We've talked a lot about the new downtown
project, the ICCU Tower 4th andIdaho, but a lot of people don't
know specifics.
We get questions a lot like youknow is there parking, Is there
going to be restaurants?
You know, how much office isthere?
What do the condos look like?
So it'd be great for you tojust kind of walk through you
live and breathe this thingevery day Walk through what
we've got down there in thebuilding.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
Yeah, I mean the project itself has so many
unique components and facets toit, right.
I mean, you know, just startingwith location, it's in a spot,
part of Boise that there's justthere's not a lot of commercial
development.
I mean, we sort of had to pavethe way to get this project
approved from agency approvaland then delivery, but it's in a
(01:59):
part of Boise, it's just.
You know, it's like the perfectlocation.
You're three blocks away from,you know, all the restaurant row
at 8th and Main.
You know that whole 8th Streetcorridor that's all pedestrians
closed off.
You're three blocks from that.
You're four blocks away from,you know, one of the largest
medical centers in the state ofIdaho, with St Luke's downtown,
(02:30):
and then you're like you're fiveblocks away from a trailhead
that gives you that, gives youaccess for hiking and biking
with the Ridge Rivers trailsystem, with the foothills.
It's, it's, you know, a threeminute walk from from the site,
from the project.
Yeah, so I mean it's just, it'san incredible location.
And part of the location too isjust that you've got
unobstructed view.
There's nothing around it,right.
Everything else are thesesingle-story old homes, small
office kind of buildings,single-level office buildings,
(02:52):
and so you get these incredibleview corridors from that
location that are reallyunmatched in our market.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Yeah, you see, if you look at the skyline of Boise,
downtown Boise, you've got StLuke's and then you've got the
core of downtown and there'sthis hole right there.
There's really nothing tallright, I mean, there's homes and
there's businesses, but thiswould be awesome to have a
13-story building right there,right in the middle of those two
spots.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
Yeah, so I mean nuts and bolts of the project, right?
So it's, you know, 13 storyoffice tower.
There's two towers sitting ontop of a parking podium.
So so the mechanics of thebuilding itself yeah, 13 stories
of office, or 13 story officetower, about 140,000 square feet
of office space.
(03:41):
We've got four floors ofparking.
So floors, you know the firstfloor, we've got some.
You know retail class a, retailfeet of office space.
We've got four floors ofparking.
So floors, you know the firstfloor, we've got some.
You know retail, class A,retail on the first floor.
Floors two through five you'vegot parking, a ton of parking.
That's one of the things welearned, I think, with 8th and
Main is it's great to have anested parking garage.
You know you've gotself-contained, dedicated
parking that you can rely on,not only for your employees but
(04:02):
also for your clients.
I mean, they know that they'regoing to have a place to park
and they're going to be able topark and within five minutes, be
at your place of business.
That's unheard of.
And so we juiced up the parking.
We've got four times theparking ratio here that we had
at 8th and Main versus 8th andMain.
So a ton of parking, and thenlevels 6 through 13, class A
(04:24):
office space, yep, and thenlevels, you know, 6 through 13,
class A office space, and it'sso, you know?
I think that's another uniquething that we're offering at
this project, too is, you know,you've got the opportunity to
own office space in a true classA office tower in downtown
Boise.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Yeah, we're condoing the building, so each floor will
be condoed and we can sell.
Sell what we need to if we wantto.
If somebody needs to buy it,then we can.
We can accommodate.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
Yeah, and that and that's unmatched.
I mean there's.
You will not find that in ourmarket at any other project.
Class A office tower where youcan own your office space, and
that's.
That's a big deal for forbusinesses who want to control
their destiny.
Absolutely right, dedicatedoffice space, you own, dedicated
(05:12):
parking.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
I mean these are these are big things and and in
one of the best locations in, inboise, yeah, and then and you
know matt boucher working on theon the residential side, 69
units, which is great, um, so itreally is like a.
It's almost like one of thosewe we talked a lot about out
here in the projects in thesuburbs that mixed use.
This is like a true mixed useplace downtown.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
All in one, which is really cool Package Really cool,
yeah, awesome.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
Exciting stuff, man, exciting stuff.
Yeah, great project to work on.
Yep, thanks, let's go.
Baby, yeah, baby.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Clark, thank you very much for coming on.
Speaker 4 (05:52):
Thank you, this will be fun.
I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
This will be fun.
I read your bio before westarted and I in there it's
you've been here 14 years.
That makes me feel old brother.
Speaker 4 (06:02):
Yeah, yeah, 2010,.
Right in the middle of therecession.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
I remember when you got here.
I remember vividly our firstmeeting.
Speaker 4 (06:10):
Yeah, and I remember your building going who's
building stuff right now onEagle.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
Yeah, it's good to see.
It was crazy.
Yeah, and the other thing isyou had a connection to Southern
Utah.
Yes, we used to go down therethree times a year to Moab, and
we loved being down in thecanyons and arches.
I spent a lot of time in Moaband that surrounding area, so I
remember you coming in andthinking this guy's going to be
great and you had so muchexperience 14 years, though,
(06:40):
buddy.
Speaker 4 (06:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
Can you believe that?
Speaker 4 (06:43):
Really I can't.
I feel like I just blinked andwe're here.
You know, my hair's a littlewhiter, for sure, and you know a
little older, but it's okay.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
Well, you've done a tremendous job.
Um, I do want to get in.
I mean, the Valley's changed somuch.
But, uh, and I think there'sprobably no one that listens to
this podcast who doesn't knowyou, about you and your story.
But for those who may have not,do you want to just give a
little bit of background andthen we'll get into Boise?
Speaker 4 (07:08):
Yeah, I hope I don't make it too long.
I couldn't keep a job for awhile there.
That's not true.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
Yeah, I started.
Where are you from?
I don't know that.
Where'd you grow up?
Speaker 4 (07:18):
I grew up in Yosemite National Park and so I
complained a lot about mychildhood, and so I complained a
lot about my childhood, andthen I went to school at Fresno
State.
Don't hate me for that.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
We have to have a team in the conference.
We beat all the time.
That's fine.
Speaker 4 (07:33):
Yeah, yeah, right.
And then I ended up aftergraduating from college.
I was in the automotiveindustry for about 10 years for
Ford Motor Company and Honda forthe factory side.
So I was a factory rep.
I was out calling on dealersall over the place in Texas, new
Mexico, and then I was down inthe Bay Area with Honda.
And then I was lucky enough, Itook a break and went over to
(07:56):
Brian Head, utah, and was in theski industry for seven years as
a director of marketing.
Oh, I didn't know that.
A little ski area down there.
I worked for Brad Wilson.
Okay, he's like the speaker hejust ran against Curtis.
Well, he's the general managerof Bogus Basin.
Oh yeah, I'm thinking of theother Brad.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
Wilson.
I'm thinking of the other BradWilson down in Utah.
You're talking about BradWilson up here.
Speaker 4 (08:19):
Yeah, the chairlift Brad Wilson, chairlift Brad
Wilson.
Okay, so I worked for him forseveral years and then got into
economic development, cedar City, iron County in southern Utah,
yeah.
So I was down there for 12years, yeah.
And then I got an opportunityto go run the state of New
Mexico's economic developmentprogram for about seven years
(08:40):
under Governor Richardson, whichwas fantastic.
He was definitely an aggressivegovernor and he did a lot,
which was fantastic.
He was definitely an aggressivegovernor and he did a lot while
he was there, so it was reallyfun to do that.
And then I, you know, got thisopportunity to come to Boise.
I'd actually interviewed forBVAP five years before I got the
job and I came in number twoand so I went back to New Mexico
(09:01):
.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
This is not meant to be whatever you're going to say.
Right, I'm not trying to besmart here.
Who was there before you?
I have no idea.
Like they should have given itto you the first time, but who
was it?
Who did you replace?
Speaker 4 (09:14):
Oh shoot, I'm going to forget his last name, but
Paul Someone.
Yeah, and he had left about ayear before I came in.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Yeah, that speaks a lot that I don't even remember
who you're from.
Speaker 4 (09:25):
Yeah, yeah and so anyway, and then had come here
and just fell in love with theplace the first time I was here
and I said, if I can do anything, I'm going to get back there.
And it came back open fiveyears later and right in the
middle of the deep recession of2010.
And probably, you know, maybe asmart move or not, I don't know
(09:45):
, but you know, jumped in withboth feet.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
Isn't it interesting to go back?
And so you think about it wasinteresting because up and up
through like 17, 18, 19,.
I would always.
I would start many meetings orconversations like how quickly
we forgot, right.
Yeah, how bad it was.
It was just horrific.
I mean, it was just horrific.
And I think about back when, youknow anyway, when we started,
(10:09):
like the Zion's bank buildingdowntown and and, and that was
kind of right on the tail end ofit, and it seems like most of
all we talked about, if youthink back to those days, was
talent retention and recruitment.
Like where, where, where ourbody's going to come from?
Where are businesses going tocome from?
Where are jobs?
No one was doing anything.
We had this beautiful thingcalled Boise State that had just
(10:32):
won a Fiesta Bowl.
There was a lot of activitysurrounding their programs and
what was going on, but otherthan them, it was just all about
arbitrage, right.
It was like, hey, they'resuffering, they're suffering,
what opportunities are there?
Someday this is going to comeback, but it was not a great
time here and I think back tothose days and now we're in this
hyper growth spurt where we'vebeen found there's a lot of
(10:58):
negatives that come with it andalso some negatives with
development.
Now it's just an interestingswing.
One other comment that you cancomment on I was on the United
Way board then and we talked alot, a lot, because they do that
community assessment I thinkit's every two years, might be
every three years and they lookat community needs and back then
if you looked at our wages andjobs and we desperately,
(11:22):
desperately needed higher pagingjobs that people could live off
of, and it was all that youcould think about and talk about
, and we're so on the other sideof that now, it's probably been
interesting in 14 years for youto see, hey, we'll do anything
to get some companies here tokeep our kids here, to, hey,
stop it.
I've certainly felt that.
Speaker 4 (11:41):
Yeah, it's been really nice to go from.
You know, we were starved if wegot a call center right.
We were jumping up and down,and now you know there has to be
a certain level of wages andwe've got to start taking care
of the people who live here in adifferent way than back then.
And, yes, we were taking careof them.
We were getting them a job,yeah, and now we're looking at,
(12:07):
you know, more, focusing onquality jobs and growing things
that this community deserves.
Yeah, what have been some ofthe biggest wins?
Well, I, you know, I think oneof them's in one of your
buildings Paylocity changedthings for us a lot, you know,
and that was back in July 2014.
And for good reason.
One of the things that came upabout, tommy, was the tax
reimbursement incentive.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
Let's talk a little bit about that story.
So Paylocity Company out ofChicago, great company, they had
done a nation search for whereto land and it was down between
I can't remember the final, butit was us and Salt.
Lake City, you know and you werein there fighting away for this
, and then they needed quite abit of space and there wasn't
really anywhere to put them, sothey ended up going temporarily
downtown until we built ourbuilding out at 10 mile.
(12:50):
But a lot of effort, and aspart of that you're competing
against other states that havedifferent tools in the toolbox
right, and you were instrumentalin creating a way that you
could at least get somecompetitive tools to go attract
companies like a Paylocity thathave these wages and jobs that
we want.
Speaker 4 (13:06):
Yeah, I think the proudest moment BVAPS had in the
last you know, 15 years, 14years since I've been here is
that tax reimbursement incentive.
When I came in there wasnothing.
I mean, you know we wereselling this place and everybody
wanted.
You know, a lot of peoplewanted to be here but when you
compared us to Reno or Salt LakeCity or Phoenix or Denver, we
(13:30):
just didn't have any love togive them on the back end.
And whether you like incentivesor not, it's part of the
business that we work in.
And luckily, you know, jeffSayre came in.
Governor Otter kind of said,hey, I want some change, and we
were able to get that thing.
And it took us three years toget that tax reimbursement
incentive but it has beenextraordinarily successful.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
Yeah Well, and it's interesting when you
philosophically talk to peopleabout incentives.
Speaker 4 (13:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
If you ever stop and think about a I'm creating, I'm
paying the tax and I'm getting adiscount on my tax, Then all of
a sudden there's a differentview of them, than someone else
is handing out tax dollars to meand I don't know.
I think it's been powerful, Ithink it's been.
(14:19):
I mean, you're not going tocompete in the world we live in
without them, and I think it'sbeen a game changer, Clark, and
you led, you led that.
Speaker 4 (14:26):
Yeah, and what's great great about it is pay to.
You know you have to perform toto to receive the incentive and
the incentives based on payrolltaxes.
So those are jobs you wouldhave never seen with payroll
taxes.
You would have never collectedCorrect, and you're still
getting 70% of them at leastback into the pool to do good
things at schools and otherplaces.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
Absolutely, and it ties right to payroll, which is
it's been a great I think it'sbeen a great great program
Probably made a difference foryou since then, as you've tried
to attract.
There's also a couple oftraining things the state do.
I'm trying to think of theother things that you were able
to create.
There's the training.
Yeah, there's a training grantor something like that.
Speaker 4 (15:05):
There's an opportunity fund, you know, so
that if someone is coming in andthey're building a big building
with jobs, that there's someinfrastructure that you can
receive above that.
And then of course you have theurban renewal districts, which
(15:26):
strategically help the cities bea little bit more competitive
against one another, but alsoagainst others out of state and
more importantly out of state.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Yeah, urban renewal has been.
I mean, you think about 20years of urban renewal.
Renewal has been, I mean, youthink, about 20 years of urban
renewal.
The problem with um if you goback 20 years ago and you look
at how we stack up against andyou've been other jurisdictions,
I'm fascinated to ask you thesequestions because you've been
in two different States Utah andthen New Mexico.
It's too bad.
We didn't figure out differentways to underwrite different
(15:54):
things that had tighter controls, and we never did that.
So instead we had this onelegislative thing that was
called urban renewal.
It got blown up.
It got blown up and it got andit did get misused.
I mean, you know, when I ranfor governor and you go around
the state and you would sit withdifferent jurisdictions and you
would see example after exampleafter example of how it was
(16:15):
misused, and then you'd havegreat examples of how it was
used.
But the point is it was theonly thing.
So it forced well, it didn'tforce, it pressured people to
use it in ways that now you knowit's become a target, rightly
so, because a lot of things soanyway, and urban renewal now is
is hard.
(16:36):
Uh, because we're so hot, right, things are like it's just like
, why are you doing these thingsright?
yeah so it's it's interesting tosee.
But, um, how have you seenattitudes towards urban renewal?
And and have you, is it come upmuch for you anymore or no?
Speaker 4 (16:50):
yeah, I mean, I think it's, I think it's, it's an
incredible tool.
I agree with you.
I think it it could be betterdescribed and more siloed to
where it had its reason to becreated.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
By the way, to be clear, I think CCDC is a shining
example like probably the bestexample in the state of Idaho of
how to do it right, how to beforward thinking, how to
reinvest.
I mean you look at streetscapesand roads and the way they've
done stuff.
It's pretty powerful.
The formula they use it's rightdown the middle, it's not a lot
of wishy-washy.
(17:23):
Here's how we do stuff and it'syour own tax dollars right.
So I go in and I develop publicinfrastructure and I meet their
standards.
Then I get some of my taxdollars back that I put into
public infrastructure.
That's very healthy.
And watching them take excessfunds and go improve I mean you.
It's interesting.
Speaking of Reno, you broughtit up.
We're doing a big project indowntown Reno, a massive project
(17:48):
in downtown Reno, and we wereable to bring someone from the
governor's office over, someonefrom the city over, and we they
spent three days here in Boise acouple months ago.
Speaker 4 (17:56):
In fact, I think you met the city over and we they
spent three days here in boise,a couple months ago in fact, I
think.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
Yeah, yeah, we met with them, yes, but man, I, I
hadn't ever like walking arounddowntown boise with them, the
sense of go back to pre.
You know when the boise holewas there and what ccdc's done
and you look at really goodplanning over an extended period
of time to beautify and createvalue.
That keeps businesses strong,companies strong and restaurants
(18:21):
strong and this vibrant.
And then I remember when we dideighth and main people saying
why are you doing an officebuilding?
That's the stupidest thing ever.
You need to be doingresidential.
And I remember saying Iremember we had this argument
multiple times with peoplesaying hey, it's chicken and egg
, man, you got to have a placeto work and you got to have jobs
and then people will want tolive there and to watch all that
flourish in your time here.
Speaker 4 (18:41):
It's super rewarding yeah, it was amazing to watch
you guys on, you know, when youwere there with the gardener
group and you were breakingground on that thing and it was
just a big sore in the middle ofdowntown, right right.
And you guys just did a classact, putting an incredible
building up and really, I think,kind of the start of things,
(19:01):
right.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
I remember leaving Dave Beater's office and having
him just laugh at me.
I remember going in therethere's a couple guys.
I remember going into hisoffice and saying, hey, we're
going to do this, and him justlike you know how Dave was.
And then I remember going intothe lead attorney.
In a bill it was, we ended upbuying the building, the U S
bank building to do city centerPlaza.
But going into the headattorney on a big firm there and
(19:26):
him literally like laughing meout of his office and I remember
like going, I remember like tothis day, pushing the button and
going down the elevator andthinking I'm going to prove you
wrong, we're going to get thisthing done.
But it was not a given that thatwas going to be.
It was a hard project.
It was not nearly as hard asCity Center Plaza, by the way,
(19:59):
with Boise State coming over anddoing the VRT and that was, I
think if Pat Rice wouldn't havebeen there and I think if the
head of the computer sciencedepartment over at um I'm trying
to remember her name, she wasfantastic at boise state and
mike born and the clearwaterguys and and kelly ferris at vrt
and john brunel at ccdc and youguys I mean every that's the
one thing that has to happen isyou have to have really good
community partnerships and trust.
People have to come together,have to figure really hard
(20:20):
things out together and it'spretty beautiful when it happens
.
It doesn't happen very often.
Speaker 4 (20:24):
Yeah well, you've made a lot of good things happen
here, Tommy.
Speaker 1 (20:27):
I was thinking about.
Do you remember Peter's fight?
You don't realize, but back inthe day ACHD and the city of
Boise were like oil and waterand it was just.
It added a layer of difficultyto almost everything you did.
Speaker 4 (20:40):
I'm so glad that's over.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
I hope it's over.
I think it's totally over.
In fact, we had a meeting inthe city of Boise where the the
new director of ACHD, ryan Head,came to the meeting at city
hall and before the meetingstarted, I said, hey, can we all
have a moment of silence tojust sit here and reflect on the
accomplishment of who's sittingaround the table today?
It was just, it was.
It was a great moment ofgratitude, moment of gratitude
(21:03):
and thanks, but so many greatthings have happened.
Um, what?
Uh?
I want to get into a couple ofsome other things you've done.
It seems like you've you'vebeen involved in every kind of
big, major deal that's come here.
Meta was a huge deal.
Speaker 4 (21:18):
Oh, for sure, For sure.
And you know I have to give ashout out to Lisa Holland, who
you know was here at that time.
Oh, yeah, and then she passed,that's right.
Yeah, it was a horrific caraccident, but she was, you know,
she worked for us at EVAP andthen she went over to CUNA to
become a director of economicdevelopment.
(21:38):
She, she was ambitious andreally talented and really
started that project.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (21:43):
And at the end of it, after she passed, they said
we're going to make sure thisproject happens because of Lisa
Wow.
And so it's just, you know, forme I loved her to death.
I mean, she was just one ofthose people that changed my
life.
You know, she was just one ofthose younger people you meet
that becomes your mentor.
Right, and to see that come.
(22:13):
You know, I just celebrate herwhen I think of the Meta project
and what it's going to do forCUNA in the long run.
I mean, they've got a bunch ofother projects that are out
there stacked up looking.
Speaker 1 (22:19):
I'm a proud resident cuna.
Now I get it.
That's right.
Yeah, and I was going to tellyou.
You know she, she loved you andI mean that the comments you
just made, but like thatmentorship and and the what you
meant to her and her life, andwhat a I mean what a great
person yeah, legacy yeah, trulyfor a relatively young, what she
accomplished and what a greatperson.
Yeah, a legacy.
Yeah, truly For a relativelyyoung, what she accomplished and
what a legacy Amazing.
Speaker 4 (22:39):
And then Micron right , micron is just, isn't it.
I mean just what that's goingto do for the economy long term,
no matter what happens with theeconomy.
Having that anchor just bereignited here.
Yeah, be reignited here.
Yeah, you know not for thefirst time, but certainly this
(23:00):
is a you know and now it's gonefrom 15 billion to 25 billion
over the next 10 years.
So it's just begun.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
And think about like a company founded here.
You know there's still foundersthat you still get to rub
shoulders with, that are aroundthe Valley, and then you know
lots of changes and growth andinternational.
I mean they're competingagainst countries in the world
right, it's countries versusmicron and then to have had this
opportunity for them to chooseand it wasn't a given.
(23:26):
Talk a little bit about thatprocess.
Speaker 4 (23:28):
I mean they.
You know, when they came intotown a lot of the decision
makers you know I was I wasassuming when we sat down with
them and Deloitte kind ofhandled the site selection side
of it, you would have thoughtmost of the people would have
been very familiar with Boise.
But their crew that theybrought in, I mean the Micron
(23:48):
employees a lot of them werefrom Texas and they were from
other areas and so you know thethings you would think they
would know about Boise.
You were starting from groundzero and they told us that from
the get-go and so you know thethings you would think they
would know about Boise.
You were starting from groundzero and they told us that from
the get-go.
And you know, thanks to themayor and the governor and a lot
of really strong leadership,idaho Power did an amazing job.
I mean the onus was on IdahoPower a lot to get that thing
(24:12):
you know done and they did anamazing job.
And you know we were one of thesmallest places they were
looking at and even though therewas a history there, it
certainly was not.
You know that was notsolidified as a decision until
they did.
You know their due diligenceand really came up with this was
the place yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
Maybe you could speak a little bit, because I don't
know that they get enough creditfor all they do here in the
Valley.
But our public utility, led byLisa Groh and Megan Ronk, and
what happens there.
It is unusual in the world tofind leaders and people who, the
(24:56):
minute you meet them, they arelike how can we help you?
How do we do this together,regardless of the industry, in a
public utility setting, to havesomeone that's willing to just
say, for the good of Idaho, forthe good of whatever, what can
we do to help?
And you know it and feel itthat, hey, we're going to do
everything we can.
Speaker 4 (25:13):
It's pretty unique and feel it that, hey, we're
going to do everything we can.
It's pretty unique.
You know, having done this in acouple other states and I
always look at best practices Iwould put Idaho power against
anybody Amen, anyone.
They don't always have asolution, you know, in 24 hours,
but they will work with you.
They're super honest, they'revery prompt, they get back to
(25:34):
the clients, they tell the you,they always tell the truth Just
super integrity.
You couldn't ask for a betterteam than what we have here,
with Adam and Lisa and Megan andthe engineers that spend
countless hours putting thesethings together because they're
such heavy users.
Now, right, it's sosophisticated of what people
(25:56):
need.
Even a warehouse now is triplewhat it needed 10 years ago.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
You hit.
I want to highlight what yousay because I think it's really
powerful.
You leave every meeting knowingthat you have someone that's
listening to you and caringabout you.
They may not have the answerright there, but you know
they're going to get it.
You know you're going to getthe truth.
They're open and transparentand vulnerable and
community-oriented and it's justwe don't really even talk.
(26:22):
I'm sure if we made a column ofthings we take for granted in
life, that's definitely in thatcolumn, but it makes a
difference to the businesscommunity and Idaho at large.
It's really pretty wonderful.
Speaker 4 (26:33):
Yeah, and they get nervous when you compliment them
.
So I'm glad we're doing it,because they are.
You know, they're just a silenthero over there that you know.
Nothing happens without them.
Speaker 1 (26:45):
Well, and there's a culture of leadership over there
.
Um, that just goes back right.
I mean, it's, it's.
It's actually a great exampleof what happens when you have
really strong leadership andthat you know and now Lisa, what
she's doing and it's justthey're, they're just wonderful
people, yeah, amazing, Amazingpeople Go back to Micron.
So, so decision is difficult.
(27:06):
Need to figure out how wecompete and Idaho Power a huge
part of delivering and they havejust delivered.
I think I heard recently thattheir part on the program is
kind of done on time and onschedule, which was a minor
miracle looking at what they hadto do by the time they had to
do it and I think they're, youknow, I think it was a big
relief when they're like, hey,we're there, we got her done,
(27:27):
but, um, big deal.
And then micron's leadership Imean, I think their local
leadership with scott gatzmeyerand a lot of those folks, folks
that have those long-term rootshere, and what it's going to
mean to the community.
What a huge win for theTreasure Valley.
I've heard, you know, when yougo through a recession like we
(27:47):
went through right and westarted our conversation,
talking about that, every one ofthese and when you get old like
we are.
They're all different.
I'm older than you, tom, barelybarely, but but they're all
different, right?
And so when this one was coming, and we all saw it coming, we
didn't know what it was going tobe like and it was really
wonderful um to talk about.
(28:10):
Well, regardless of how deep orsevere or whatever this is,
we've got this thing called thismicron fab plant that is coming
here.
It was a stabilizer for thecommunity and I heard that
everywhere I went, from all thedifferent business leaders I
knew of going kind of into thisthing, and I think we're, I
(28:31):
think we feel like we're past itnow, but wasn't you know?
Was it going to be hard?
Was it going to be a crash?
Was it going to be hard?
Was it going to be a crash?
Was it going to be slow?
Was it going to be the softlanding they talked about?
We just didn't know, right.
Certainly, things slowed downsignificantly for a lot of
people, but that steadyinginfluence now it's going to be
for a long time.
It's just going to stabilizejobs and our economy and all the
(28:54):
different things that come withit.
Speaker 4 (28:57):
Anyway, any other comments on Micron?
Yeah well, they've given us thetask of kind of helping them
target these 200 companies,vendors and suppliers that they
would like to see, if not inBoise, at least in Idaho, and if
not in Idaho and the fivestates surrounding us, at least
in Idaho and if not in Idaho andthe five states surrounding us.
(29:17):
So there's a lot of morepipeline that we need to worry
about to make sure that micronis successful, which is going to
also, you know we had six, wehad five new companies last year
that we announced just servingmicron needs and big companies.
I mean, this isn't.
They didn't just bring a, youknow one office there.
(29:38):
They're building, you know,plants and warehouses and those
kind of things.
So you think about just theimpact of Micron and then all
these companies that will behere and the, the infrastructure
we're going to create forsemiconductor and hopefully that
leads to more semiconductorbusiness in the longterm.
Speaker 1 (29:55):
You know talk a little bit about.
Um.
Our guys went to a couple ofyour things you had in San
Francisco and one of the thingsthat they came back with was
Micron's also being pretty likecommunity oriented.
Hey, we want you here.
We want you.
Speaker 4 (30:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:09):
And that pressure from the top is really important
to again create morehigh-paying jobs we're able to
keep our kids here, and thosesort of things.
Yeah, critical right yeah.
Speaker 4 (30:20):
I mean we're working, we're hand-in-hand working with
their procurement department,all these things, and you know
they're pretty busy over there.
So we have felt like one of thethings I'm very, very proud of
Beth and Sierra, who are in myoffice and you know them.
They're leaning on us to helpthem, we're part of their team
(30:45):
and it's been really fun to havethat kind of relationship with
them, that we are part of thebigger picture and and and that
there's there's a heavy relianceon us to help them with that.
We also, because of that, weknew that they needed to grow
here but also needed to grow inNew York, and so we contact
Boise, contacted New York andsaid we should be working
(31:08):
together and so we're doing alot of joint promotional things
to try to recruit thosecompanies.
And, uh, if you talk to NewYork about it, the guy we called
to say hey, we could partner upwith you, he said the only
thing that's making me mad aboutthis conversation is it wasn't
my idea and I was so proud ofBeth because it was her idea and
did you tell him it's been awhile since a good idea came out
(31:29):
of New York.
Speaker 1 (31:31):
No, that's really, that's really something right?
Yeah, it's been fun for Idahoto lead, and I didn't.
I didn't know that part of thestory.
That's great, um, and, and youknow, you see all those cranes
up and you see it coming, it's,it's, it's, it's coming.
And then all I'm glad I want,one of the things I want to talk
to you about, is these othercompanies that we know are
looking here.
Can we switch topics toeducation a little bit?
(31:52):
Yeah, absolutely, because Iknow that's been one of your
things.
So again, if you go back to allof the discussions that were
had on all these like businesspanels and everyone else, it was
all about talent pipeline.
Where are they going to comefrom?
It turns out, clark, that a lotof talent just came here.
Speaker 4 (32:08):
Yeah absolutely.
Speaker 1 (32:09):
I mean, I don't think if you and I were sitting
together 14 years ago, we wouldbe saying, oh my gosh, what are
we going to do?
But what ended up happening isa lot of talented people came
here and they thought this is agreat place to live, raise my
family.
I'm coming here.
I think that will continue tohappen.
I think that will continue tohappen.
But what I think has changed,and is the most significant
change because of all of thisgreat development that's
(32:31):
happened, is our kids can stayhere now, because 14 years ago,
if we were talking, there were alot of people that you know,
the classic was hey, my kidswent away here, but there's just
not a job here.
They're not coming back.
It's not the case anymore.
They're coming back.
They want to come back.
This is the place to be, andthey, you know, I think there's
that.
(32:51):
And now you've got Boise Statestill doing fabulous things.
You've got Gordon over at CWIyes, killing it, I mean doing a
great, great job there.
You've got Launch right.
Speaker 4 (33:05):
Launch is huge.
Speaker 1 (33:07):
Launch is huge and so we're really, um and I I gotta
tell you from a governor, alittle perspective getting,
having the foresight to get thatthrough, and I always like
saying that back again a longtime ago, when we had the you
know, 60, 60 by somethingremember it was 60% go on rate
and a lot of focus there thatfelt like college four-year
(33:28):
degree.
This time, launch feels like apathway to a job I really want
to credit.
I don't know who the mastermindbehind all this was, but
somehow it feels like it'staking Idaho kids and connecting
to Idaho jobs and I giveGovernor Little, his team, his,
his staff, the credit for reallythe messaging's right.
(33:50):
I'm optimistic.
Talk a little bit about howoptimistic you are with us also
serving Idaho families andkeeping kids here and having
jobs for them to come back to.
Speaker 4 (34:00):
Yeah, coming here in 2010,.
It was about the blue field.
I mean, that was our success,right, and so you would talk
about.
Have you been to Sun Valley?
Do you know about the Bluefield?
And today, that conversation ispeople know about this place
now.
A lot of great business successover the last, you know, 14
(34:22):
years.
Nothing will change this placemore than launch, and so I truly
believe that there's one thingthat we need to make sure we
help the governor with it'slaunch.
Yeah, because if we lose thatopportunity, it's going to go
backwards again.
Yeah, and they had over 15%more go on this last year than
(34:47):
they had had.
If we can keep that going, it'sgoing to be amazing.
Speaker 1 (34:52):
I agree with you.
Can we stay on this for alittle bit?
Because there's one thing Ibelieve the role of government
and tax dollars are to helpworking families.
I mean, there's all too oftenwhere government gets involved
and things happen and itbenefits the rich.
(35:12):
It benefits, it doesn't benefitthe working class.
I would challenge anyone in thelegislature, anyone to show me
a better way to affect workingclass families, those families
that kids want to be here.
This is the reason we pay taxes.
It's the reason we do what wedo Then helping them get into
in-demand careers, mostly trades.
(35:36):
You look at the valueproposition at our universities
and at CWI, especially forgetting a kid here, one of our
kids here, into one of our jobshere, and having the state step
in to make that pathway and thatline of sight cleaner.
Come on, there's not a bet.
I mean, the legislation is just.
The legislative session is juststarting right now, but I just
(35:57):
I can't believe that anyone inthe legislature would chop the
legs out from under workingclass families in Idaho for some
weird ideologic thing.
Families in Idaho for someweird ideologic thing.
Meanwhile, if you examine theirown lives on how tax dollars are
spent all the time, I guaranteeyou that launch is going to be
more qualified than any otherway you use government tax
(36:19):
dollars in your life.
So I just I can't imagine it'snot going to be, but it probably
will.
So everyone listening launch isnow there.
It's been.
You look at the statistics.
It's staggeringly successful.
I mean, it's probably the mostsuccessful thing that's happened
in higher education in forever.
And it's affecting the rightfamilies.
(36:39):
It's affecting the right kidsto stay in the right jobs.
All of that's happening, but itneeds to be funded every year.
So if the legislature takes aswipe at it I don't, I don't
know, I don't think they will,but but it's.
I'm glad we're highlighting ittoday because it's pretty timely
.
Speaker 4 (36:54):
Oh, you know and it's become this great sales tool
for us, right what they knowabout Idaho, what they think
about Idaho, to to show themthat program, when I'm out on
the road and I'm selling theBoise Metro and Idaho, that we
have this very aggressive way toconnect you with workforce
(37:16):
that's going to have the skillsthat you need.
I mean it is I don't have totalk about the blue field
anymore.
I love the blue field and youknow we'll talk about it, but it
truly has changed theconversation and people are like
wow, that's happening in idaho.
That's amazing yeah you know,thank, you must have a great
governor.
So you know, and I and I wantto say we have a great
(37:37):
legislature and I hope they havethe wisdom to um, you know,
make sure that we're whole onthat program well, and again I'm
gonna.
Speaker 1 (37:45):
I'm broken record day , soapbox day.
But if, if you want to servethe people and the working,
hardworking people that areactually slogging away every day
and doing the thing, the smallbusiness leaders, the, this is
the thing, yeah, so don't takethe legs out from underneath the
thing that is creating the, the, the opportunity for these kids
(38:09):
.
I will also say you said it, Imean, I've never heard anyone
say it more eloquently that this, retrospectively, is going to
be one of the biggest thingsthat we look back on.
That strengthens Idaho, thatkeeps our kids here and keeps
our family strong, keeps ourbusiness strong.
All the things that you've said.
My answer is beautifully said.
Speaker 4 (38:32):
Well, it's great that we have, you know, this
community college that's thereand you know they're responding
so quickly to the needs ofMicron, to the needs of builders
.
You know people that you employ, so it's perfect timing.
It's a perfect thing for us tobe doing we've been.
Speaker 1 (38:50):
Um, just a little plug for we, we, um.
When I ran for governor I wasable to see firsthand these
companies, especially the tradesthat just desperately needed
need welders.
I mean, I got good friend thatowns a company over in rexburg,
idaho, a welding company, andit's just like he is one of the
most wonderful people Leo's hisname and he's just unbelievable.
(39:12):
But he runs a welding shop, youknow, and he's like there are
no welders.
So we started a nonprofit a fewyears ago called Inspire
Excellence Teens to Trades iswhere we do our funding and we
raise scholarship money forat-risk kids to get into the
trade, specifically HVAC,plumbing, electrical and welding
(39:35):
and it's been incredible towatch that happen.
We were doing that before thislaunch thing comes along.
But now launch comes along andthe beautiful thing that's
happened, in America even, isthese jobs have become living.
You know you can raise a familyand they're very liberal wages
in these fields.
Now and you look at ourcompanies we have right and the
way they take in these kids andthey give them a pathway to a
(39:56):
job.
I always talk about PanchoRomero at Advanced Heating and
Cooling, but that guy you lookat what he does with his
employees and the programs hehas.
So I think we're in AmericaLike damn it, not just here, but
in America.
We are heading in the rightdirection, which is creating
these, these livable wages andjobs in the fields that that are
(40:18):
desperately needed for thiswhole thing to work.
It feels like we're headed inthe right direction and again
going back over a little ourlegislature, those that are
really leading the charge here.
It's really cool.
Speaker 4 (40:28):
Yeah, oh no, absolutely.
I'm just nothing's moreimportant than launch right now
for economic development in thestate.
That's my own opinion.
Speaker 1 (40:40):
I love your opinion, clark, I'm with you.
We'll evangelize together asmuch as we can Any other
exciting things coming our waythat you know.
If people don't know, I'll tellthem a little secret about
Clark's.
There's all these code names,right, so it's all veiled in
like Project Bronco and Projectwhatever, which was Amazon,
(41:03):
which was Amazon, right, and soI know you can't talk about a
lot of things, but how arethings out there?
Are people still looking aroundand what do you think in 25, 26
?
Speaker 4 (41:15):
years.
It's really interesting and,tommy, I shared this with your
team a little bit is that youknow, when COVID hit, office
just dried up, like you know, wejust didn't see any, and this
last year we're starting to seeit percolate again.
You know it probably will neverbe as big as used to be.
Fifty percent of our projectswere office went to zero during
(41:38):
COVID, obviously, but right nowwe are at 13 percent of our
projects last year and they werebig and they're nationals, like
a pay lossy type thing needingay type thing, needing a
thousand employee kind of deal.
So to see that just warm up alittle bit is really hopeful.
We're still seeing a lot ofmanufacturing and then, of
course, somehow warehousingsuddenly makes sense in Boise.
(42:01):
Who would have ever thoughtthat?
I mean, if you would have saidyou know we're going to have
warehousing in Boise 2010, youand I would have shook our heads
and said never.
Yeah.
But with this logistics and howthe models have changed, it's
suddenly, you know, we'retractor supply, we've got a
brand new project going out inNampa, that's, you know, half a
million square feet, and they'rethey're announcing very quickly
(42:24):
here, finally, officially.
It was probably in Boise Devareally early on.
But uh, if you really want tosee what projects are coming,
just go to that that source.
They're crazy how good they areat hunting things down.
Yeah, dang dawn day's beendoing it a long time.
Speaker 1 (42:40):
I just wish they'd stop writing stories on our
fourth in Idaho project downtownyeah, yeah, yeah, write some
more why some talk about tractorsupply or something.
That's not true.
He actually helped us out,because a statesman is the one
that drills us all the time andthen Don comes in and saves the
day every once in a while andtells the truth.
Good, good, yeah.
So tractor supply is big.
(43:01):
Is that formally out there now?
Speaker 4 (43:05):
Yes, they've gone official.
Where are they going?
They're in Nampa.
What part of Nampa?
I'm not sure exactly how Icould describe where they're at.
Speaker 1 (43:15):
North or south of the freeway.
Speaker 4 (43:17):
North, okay, yeah.
Speaker 1 (43:20):
All right, and then office 13%.
Speaker 4 (43:23):
Yeah, so we're starting to see some office
warm-up again and certainlymanufacturing, as we lost those
office projects.
It got filled in withmanufacturing and warehousing
and of course there's this, youknow.
Another piece of the pie isthere's a lot of data centers
still looking here.
So do they all belong here?
Probably not, but you're goingto see some more data center.
Speaker 1 (43:45):
And data center is kind of a mixed bag.
A little bit right, becausesuper power, lots of power, they
suck power.
They don't really have jobs,they're limited.
Meta, at the end of the day, iswhat?
50 jobs?
Speaker 4 (44:00):
I don't know the exact number but I'd say 50 to
100 will be in there and youknow those are advanced jobs,
they'll be engineers andtechnicians and that type of
thing.
But you know it's kind of litup here but it's lit up
everywhere.
I mean data centers are lookingeverywhere and if they can find
the power they can find a goodutility, good utility and of
(44:21):
course we have one of the bestutilities in the, the country,
that somebody they can work withthey're.
We're going to see a little bitmore of that in the valley yeah
, it's, it's.
Speaker 1 (44:29):
I mean, it's the way of the future.
Yeah, with the way everything'sdone.
Uh, talk about manufacturingit's.
It's not an area that I'm thatwell versed on.
What?
What are some of the areas ofmanufacturing you're seeing?
Looking at our state and ourvalley?
Speaker 4 (44:43):
Well, it has been, tommy, like I look at the last
couple, azec, which is a deckingsupply company.
You know they do kind of thedecks you'd put at your house,
right, and it's made of plasticsas well as wood, so it's a
recycled material.
And then that's a fairly largeannouncement we had and they're
out by kind of out by Micron andthen Stowe, which is doing
(45:08):
cabinetry so they do commercialcabinetry as well as residential
cabinetry, announced about ayear and a half ago in Nampa,
and we're seeing a lot of, forsome reason, a lot of activity
out of like the Madison area,wisconsin.
So you know they've gotten bigenough and there's enough
building going on that they needto have a location in the
(45:29):
western side of the states.
They're, I would say, a companyaround 100 to 400 million
investment and they're lookingfor a place that they can be a
fairly decent fish in a smallerpond and they see Boise as being
a place that they can do that.
And we've had so much successwith manufacturing and food here
(45:51):
that it's pretty easy for us toshow them the workforce and
talent that they need here.
That's great.
Speaker 1 (45:59):
Who do we compete with routinely?
Or is it different, dependingon the thing you?
Speaker 4 (46:02):
know it's changed a lot.
You know we used to see we werecompeting against I would say
nationally flyover states werewho were competing against.
You know somebody who needed toserve the coast but didn't want
to be in California.
Or you know somebody who neededto serve the coast but didn't
want to be in California.
(46:22):
Or you know, didn't want to bein Seattle and they didn't want
to be in Portland.
And so they're coming here toserve those bigger markets also
have a market here, and so it'schanged a lot.
So it went from.
You know we're competingagainst a Des Moines and so it
went from.
You know we're competingagainst Des Moines and Kansas
(46:43):
City and those kind of events,and now I would say that more
likely it's Reno.
Salt Lake City and Phoenix arethe three biggest competitors
that we face, and Reno just gotadded to that list Like it's
been.
Like five years ago I'd nevercompeted against Reno at VVAP.
Today they've gone there.
(47:03):
It's part of their tour.
Speaker 1 (47:06):
It's been crazy for us to do some.
We're over there a lot and it'sa pretty interesting place.
It's got a lot going for it.
There's a lot of parallels toReno, to Boise, in fact.
If you look at their downtownand you look at their university
the former governor is now thepresident of the university and
(47:26):
the way unr is embracingdowntown and then all the stuff
elon's doing out of sight andeverything that goes around,
that there's a lot going onthere.
Um, it's interesting, well, andand um, well, it's, it's not
without its challenges.
So the last I not want to end,to end our last little bit here
what are some of the challengesthat all this growth?
14 years you've been here.
You see all the good thingsthat come.
(47:48):
We've highlighted those likesome really great products of
development and everything elsethat's happening.
There's probably no two guysthat are more pro-development
than us.
But what are some of thechallenges that come with all
this?
Speaker 4 (48:00):
I think it's hard.
Anybody who's not looking athow this is affecting families.
You know it's become a placethat cost of living has gone up
and wages even though they'vegone up there, there's a bigger
gap today than there was 20years ago here between the wage
and what it costs to live here.
And so you know you have adultkids, young kids, that are
(48:23):
trying to figure out what thatway looks like and I do too.
You know you have seniors thatare trying to figure out how
they get to stay here and enjoythis quality of life.
I worry about that a lot.
So I think affordable housingis something we really, really
need to be looking at.
Speaker 1 (48:39):
What's the answer there?
Housing is something we reallyreally need to be looking at.
What's the answer there?
Because it's one of my biggestconcerns, but it's also one of
the things like we will not getthere through regulation, and it
seems like there is this urgeby people that don't understand
(49:03):
basic economics of supply anddemand to regulate their way
through this and it just drivespricing up.
And I hope we're smarter thanthat, because we need all kinds
of housing.
We need all types of housing.
We need more multifamily, weneed more townhomes, we need
(49:25):
more single-family starter homes.
We need more single familystarter homes.
We need more mid tier homes.
We need we need more ofeverything Right and and, and it
seems like to me, um, going theroute of regulation and then
government subsidy to bringhousing pricing down is a that
is a snowball that kind of neverstops versus just how do we get
more supply and how do we do itin a smart way with existing
infrastructure.
(49:45):
But it's a big concern andwe've got to probably figure
that out right.
Speaker 4 (49:50):
I think the country needs to figure it out.
We have certainly over 20,000more homes are needed here,
right?
Is that the number?
You know over 20,000 more homesare needed here, right?
Is that the number?
The last number I heard was24,000 homes that we don't have
today that we need, and I knowyou're involved in this and I
know your heart's involved inthe housing crisis and how it
(50:13):
affects lower-income familiesand I appreciate your work.
I also look at, but you knowyou take that 24,000 and you
look at Salt Lake City has150,000 that they need, and then
you go look at Californiabefore the fire and they have
over a million homes thatthey're short.
So this is truly a nationalissue and probably worldwide
(50:39):
issue and I don't have an answerfor you today, tommy, but you
know I'm I'd vote for whateveryou got if you did, we'd.
Speaker 1 (50:46):
If you did, the next topic would be pancreatic cancer
, right?
yeah something else hard it's.
It's a hard thing but I just Ihope we uh, I don't know it's it
ultimately uh, because there'ssome things that probably aren't
going to change.
I mean, if you look at labor, Imean we're doing all this.
Launch is a huge part of thatand that's the other argument.
You think of our laborshortages with and without
(51:10):
launch.
I can't imagine that wouldsomeone take the legs out from
under that, what that alonewould do to the cost.
And then you got supply.
We've seen we do a lot andwe've've seen kind of supplies
plateau, which has been reallygood.
They certainly never go down.
I mean the cost of something itjust doesn't ever seem to go
down, like a hvac unit or yoursteel or whatever.
(51:31):
It's going to go up and then itstays up but it just stops
going up.
Right, but labor, you knowlabor is still that great
unknown and that affects thehousing market, it affects
everything we do, it affectsinfrastructure costs of
everything and that's probablynot going anywhere.
I think interest rates for theshort term I mean there's so
much optimism after the electionthat it kind of squashed any
(51:54):
idea of I mean they can't lowerthem anymore, yeah.
Yeah, it's got and they can'traise them anymore.
Lower them anymore.
Yeah, yeah, it's got and theycan't raise them anymore, so
what?
Speaker 4 (52:04):
I'm hearing from really smart people is it's
probably going to sit for awhile.
Speaker 1 (52:06):
Sit for a while, yeah , so that's kind of is what it
is.
So there's a lot.
There's a lot of things thatnone of us control.
There's international stuff.
There's some stuff, but hey,I'm betting on America.
We'll figure this out Right, ifwe can, if we can let business
people and, you know, peoplethat have the American drive and
intuition to figure outproblems, we will figure this
(52:26):
out, as long as we don't getgovernment getting in our way.
Speaker 4 (52:29):
Yeah, it's really interesting.
You know, you look at thismarketplace and there's a lot of
really beautifulpre-manufactured homes that are
built here, but they're going toLA we're close.
Speaker 1 (52:41):
So you know, caleb roof I got to get caleb on this
podcast, but he's one of thesmartest guys in the country on
this, right?
Yeah, and you know this is hisworld.
He does them all over thecountry.
He's quietly the wizard of oz,right?
I mean, this guy is the wizardof oz and he lives right here in
eagle idaho pacific companies.
But he says we're not there yet.
It it's still caught.
So he's taking these units thathe's building here in Nampa, um
(53:05):
and sending them all toCalifornia and other places
because it still costs twice asmuch down there as it does here.
But we're not there yet.
And and I just had lunch withhim a couple of months ago and
asked him are we getting close?
Because, because at some pointthat that's certainly a solution
, but it's still not quite therehe said it's still cheaper to
stick, build and do these thingsground up.
(53:25):
But I think we're getting closeand I don't know whether that's
a good thing or a bad thing.
When I was talking to him, I'mlike is it because he's like, no
, we're just still.
We're still not there.
But the good news is we do haveseveral prefab home builders
and apartment builders here inthe treasure Valley fab home
builders and apartment buildershere in the Treasure Valley,
which has got to be to ouradvantage, I would think so.
I mean, major players in thenational market are right here,
(53:48):
and so as that changes and flows, I think that I think it's
definitely a positive.
I just wish it was a littlecheaper, because that would be a
great solution.
Speaker 4 (53:55):
Yeah, I sure hope.
I think it's part of thesolution.
Right, we're probably going tohave?
Yeah, part of it.
We're going to probably need athousand solutions to get even
close.
Speaker 1 (54:04):
That's great.
What's next for you, buddy?
This time went way too fast.
Speaker 4 (54:08):
What's next?
Well, we're going to have agood year.
I feel really good about it.
We've had some reallysignificant meetings just in the
last couple of weeks.
People are still there's moredevelopers coming.
We've had two, three meetingsnow with kind of developers
looking into the area.
So it's hot here.
It's going to stay that way andI think we're going to continue
(54:31):
with.
You know, with launch and otherthings, we start building our
labor force in a different way.
It's going to be really, reallyimportant.
It's a great story for us totell and you know I'm just
looking forward to a great year.
I think it's going to be astrong one.
Speaker 1 (54:44):
I love it.
Hey, personally, thank you foryour leadership.
Thanks for what you do.
It's been steady, it's beenconsistent.
You're a great example.
You're a great leader.
We've been lucky to have you inthe middle of all this and hope
you do it for a really longtime here.
Love and appreciate you.
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