Kokusai Equipment Semiconductor Equipment Corporation (KSEC), the world leader in the design, manufacture, installation, and maintenance of vertical Diffusion and Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) systems relocated its sales, marketing, service, training and parts distribution to Vancouver, Wash. in 2004.

Rob Bernardi, Kokusai Semiconductor president and chief operating officer, said there are several reasons for the company's planned move to Vancouver. "Because of space constraints in our current location (on Airport Way in Portland) we absolutely had to relocate," said Bernardi. "But after considering several new sites on both sides of the river we concluded that the overall tax climate in Washington was more favorable. For a lot of tax reasons and the fact that some 60 percent of our employees already live in Clark County make this the right decision." The Columbian, June 3, 2004.

Xtremez, an e-commerce and distribution firm, announced the relocation of their headquarters and operations from Tualatin, Ore. to Vancouver, Wash. in May 2005.

“For our type of business, being in Washington has several advantages. No (state) income tax and an exemption from the state’s business and occupation tax on out-of-state and foreign sales are both pluses. We also like the accessibility to Interstate 5 and the Portland International Airport because we are receiving and shipping products all over the world,” said Adam Stites, founder and CEO of Xtremez. Source: The Columbian, 5-27-05.

Amfit, the industry leader in CAD CAM technology for the fabrication of foot orthotics, relocated their headquarters and manufacturing operations to Vancouver, Wash., from the Silicon Valley in Santa Clara, Calif. in October 2003.

“Washington’s tax environment, the region's cost of living, and quality of life issues were major factors in our decision to move to Vancouver,” said Arjen Sundman, president of Amfit. “Having no personal or corporate income tax is a real plus.”

 

Hancock Forest Management opened its Northwest regional office in Vancouver, Wash. in 2003. Hancock Forest Management is the forest management subsidiary of Hancock Timber Resource Group, the world’s largest timberland investment manager for institutional investors.

“Vancouver offers a lot of advantages,” said Bill Marre, general manager of HFM’s Northwest Division. “It’s centrally located in our Western operating region. Travel is easy because it’s next door to an international airport and at a hub in the interstate highway system. Finally, it has the quality of life that enables us to attract the outstanding people we want in our firm.”

Logic Product Development, one of the largest product development consulting firms in the Midwest, opened an office in downtown Vancouver in March 2004.

“Vancouver is a very good fit for Logic because our strategic partners, Microsoft and Sharp, are in the region and we have a rapidly growing customer base in the West,” said Danny Cunagin, CEO of Logic. “We are right in the middle of a burgeoning high-tech cluster that will benefit us in the long-term.”

Dollar Tree Stores, Inc. celebrated the opening of its $40 million, 665,500 Square Foot regional distribution center in Ridgefield, Wash. in May 2004.

“The site is the best fit for our logistics model and offers excellent access to the port of Portland, which is a key import site for Dollar Tree,” Steve White, senior vice president of logistics for Dollar Tree.

IGI, a manufacturer of specialty engineered products used by a large variety of customers in the OEM and MRO markets, relocated its executive offices to downtown Vancouver, Wash. from Wilsonville, Ore. in 2004.

“We chose Vancouver for its easy access to the airport, major freeways, attractive lease rates and what we consider to be forward thinking civic leaders,” said Mike Smith, president. “The beautiful downtown area, along with the affordability of doing business here, makes Vancouver a logical option.”

Matrix Health Products, a manufacturer of unique specialty health supplements, relocated their headquarters and distribution offices from Southern California to Vancouver, Wash. in 2005.

“Clark County is an exceptional place for a thriving family business, it’s a community that offers a high quality of life including great educational facilities, transportation access and no corporate or personal income taxes”, said Steve Kravitz, president.

PLEXSYS Interface Products Inc., a software engineering firm specializing in modeling and simulation for air-space control, celebrated their official groundbreaking in March 2005. PLEXSYS is relocating their corporate headquarters from Portland, Ore. to Camas, Wash.

“Our decision to expand in Clark County was driven by the area’s friendly business environment, lower taxes, and transportation access. Having a new facility next to a golf course was also a plus,” said Jon Stacey, Vice President.

Concannon Paper Inc., a wholesale distributor of paper products, relocated to Clark County, Wash. from Portland, Ore. in 2005.

“Southwest Washington offers us the best of both worlds,” said Mike Concannon, president. “Washington’s tax structure is too good for a family-run business like ours to pass up, and we will be able to stay in the Portland metropolitan area, which we have all grown to love.” In addition, estate and family succession issues, as they relate to tax consequences, also were of consideration. Finally, Concannon says, “The wealth of business sites available in Southwest Washington made it easy to move.”