Greater Spokane Incorporated and Spokane wInternational Airport deserve the backing of the entire business community and civic leaders in their lofty endeavor to bring The Boeing Co. back to the Spokane region.

Late last month, GSI and the airport announced they will form a task force to attract a new Boeing plant, specifically for design, production, and final assembly of the aircraft manufacturer’s new midsize airplane. The company is expected to launch the midsize airplane project later this year.

Spokane leaders can make a compelling argument for Spokane as an ideal location for such a facility with its land availability, workforce, and established aerospace manufacturing presence.

A site with 1,000-plus acres is located near the airport. Later this year, that site will have rail access due to a collaborative effort between the city of Spokane, Spokane County, and the airport—and their young West Plains Public Development Authority. While other sites might be worth a look, Boeing would have direct air and rail access at the West Plains location.

The Spokane market also has the workforce. As GSI CEO Todd Mielke pointed out when announcing the task force, the Inland Northwest has a fast-growing workforce in the 18-to-34 age range. That workforce is supported by a strong education sector with both a robust K-through-12 network and a higher education system that has proven itself nimble, in some instances, when it comes to training industry-specific workforces.

Arguably, Spokane’s most important asset, however, is its established presence in the aerospace industry. The Spokane region is home to more than 120 aerospace-related companies, and more than 8,000 people are employed in airframe production. As the home to employers ranging from Triumph Composite Systems Inc.—originally a Boeing facility—to Kaiser Aluminum Corp. to Exotic Metals Forming Co., the Spokane business community is the fifth largest aerospace cluster in the U.S., according to GSI data. Many of those companies, of course, already have strong relationships with Boeing.

The decision by community leaders to pursue a Boeing manufacturing plant comes just months after GSI submitted a bid to land Amazon.com Inc.’s second corporate headquarters. Amazon hasn’t announced the location for its HQ2 yet, but even before GSI submitted the bid, Spokane considered itself a long shot to land the Internet retail giant. One of the attributes Amazon is seeking is a community with a population of 1 million or more people, which alone would put Spokane out of the running if Amazon holds firm on it. 

But the exercise of putting together a compelling argument to Amazon is an important one. Spokane should be in the habit of aiming high and thinking big.

With Boeing, any competition for a new plant is likely to be intense, as it has been for Amazon’s HQ2. But Spokane shouldn’t view itself as a long shot to land such an employer, especially if we form a well-organized, unified effort.