The Elk City Small Business Incubator is dedicated to promoting the manufacturing of high tech products to create significant economic benefits for our rural community through the creation of year-around employment.
Poverty has been a serious problem facing Elk City and Idaho County due to its reliance on natural resources and its remote location. The poverty in Elk City has resulted from several factors including:
- A lack of employment opportunities
- Lack of resources for new and existing businesses
- Lack of business space for reasonable rent
Framing Our Community (FOC) began addressing the poverty issue in Elk City by providing new businesses space in a small business incubator. The Small Business Incubator was originally dedicated to promoting the utilization of small diameter, diseased and character wood in the production of quality value-added wholesale and retail products. Of seven small business startups focused on value-added timber products, 6 exist today. Unfortunately, they fought for limited available logs, faced the cyclical nature of the timber industry, and provided minimal jobs.
Something had to change! Thankfully, technology has improved sufficiently to support rural tech businesses. The Incubators new tenant, fabricates innovative mobile communications trailers that provide internet, radio, video and cell service to areas of natural disasters and strife around the world, and major events. These portable units are of interest to FEMA and Century Link. Elk City provides real world mountainous terrain for research and development of this growing technology. Additionally, these technical jobs pay well and provide benefits to men, women, veterans, and handicapped workers who come from a broad educational range.
“Building for 21st Century Jobs” Project video
With the help of private foundations, the Idaho Gem Grant program, regional financial institutions and area business donations, FOC is converting its industrial incubator into a business park that offers offices, manufacturing space and connections to low interest loans. To accomplish this FOC will renovate an open span industrial building into offices, a reception area, handicap bathroom, meeting/job training room and equipment fabrication/assembly areas.
Increased capacity will create jobs, change the economic base from one dependent upon timber dollars to one that answers the needs of the 21st century, and a way for Elk City to retain young families.
Elk City is the perfect location as it provides real world mountainous terrain as a proving ground for research and development of this technology. We are looking forward to helping increase jobs and change the economic base in Elk City.
Supported and constructed with funding from committed partners including:
2005 Incubator
- The Idaho Department of Commerce
- Idaho County
- Sterling Savings Bank
- Avista Utility Corporation
- Weyerhauser Family Foundation
- Inland Northwest Community Foundation
- Steele-Reese Foundation
- Gerald Arnzen
- Bennett Forest Industries
- along with local organizations, businesses, and individuals
2018-2019 Renovations and Equipment
- Gerald Arnzen
- Idaho Gem Grant Program
- Idaho Forest Group
- Freedom Northwest Credit Union
- USDA Rural Development
- along with local organizations, businesses, and individuals