Founded in 1948, the Western Towboat Company is a family-owned business that runs tugs and barges from Puget Sound to the Hawaiian Islands, Arctic Alaska, the Aleutian Islands, the Panama Canal and South America.

Ride Right has asserted itself as a driving force in the U.S. transportation sector. Fueled by a compassionate focus on delivering service with dignity, understanding, and respect, the company has improved access and quality of life for transit-dependent Americans nationwide with one goal in mind: helping them arrive at their destinations on time, safely, and with world-class service.

The Grande Ronde Valley in Union County, Oregon, has a rich history. Surrounded by the Blue Mountains, the valley was known as the “Valley of Peace” and inhabited by indigenous peoples of the Nez Perce, Cayuse, Umatilla, Walla Walla and Shoshone tribes. Pioneers began to settle along the historic Oregon Trail when gold was discovered in the impressive surroundings of the Blue Mountains in 1862. It was not long before Union County also became known for other natural resources including the agriculture, forestry and ranching upon which its economy was founded.

Although malheur is French for misfortune, Malheur County is anything but misfortunate. Malheur County Economic Development has a plan to succeed and is working hard to bring it to fruition for this population of over 30,000. Due to the association’s efforts, the last three years has seen impressive growth.

Lewis County has launched a new marketing campaign that sums up the community in just two words: ‘Naturally Lewis’. “We are the natural choice to do business because of our natural resources, the dedicated people who live here, and the good quality of life,” explains Marketing Specialist Brittany Berrus.

The Economic Development Alliance of Lincoln County (EDALC) is a non-profit, public-private partnership in Newport, Oregon that is dedicated to diversifying the economy of the central Oregon coast and facilitating the creation of quality local jobs. The EDALC provides its services free of charge, acting as a one-stop-shop for businesses seeking to set up in the county. Business in Focus spoke at length with Carolyn Bauman, EDALC’s executive director, to discuss the group’s origins, initiatives, and the county’s future areas of growth.

Cayuga County (population 79,000) is a beautiful and scenic area located in New York State. It is made of thirty small communities, the biggest of which is the City of Auburn (population less than 30,000). Cayuga County’s entrepreneurial spirit shines in this mainly rural area filled with farmland, nature and the most miles of freshwater shoreline found in New York State.

Located in upstate New York, Steuben County has been one of the state’s best-kept industry secrets, until now. With a diverse economic footprint, a strong workforce and some of the best views upstate New York has to offer, Steuben has become a hotspot for big business and big adventure alike.

Known for its scenic beauty, charming towns, and villages, and rich industrial history, Chautauqua County is a place where tourism flourishes and business thrives. The Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency is leading the county’s economic growth.

Allegany County has three colleges, a skilled workforce, accessible transportation routes, plenty of outdoor recreational opportunities and big plans for development. The county is situated in southwest New York on the border with Pennsylvania. It is a rural community, based in the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains and consisting of roughly forty towns and villages. The striking landscape features rolling hills, valleys, forest and fields.

Chemung County, New York is in the midst of an exciting, multipronged revitalization effort. Located in the middle of the state’s Southern Tier region, the county and its surrounding communities have won several development awards in recent years that will fund a series of promising projects.

Charlotte County’s population of 173,000 people enjoy twelve miles of sandy beachfront along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico between Miami and Tampa. Charlotte County, Florida is where quality of life meets economic opportunity, and as a result, great things are taking shape.

Fayetteville, Arkansas is the county seat of Washington County and rests deep within the Ozarks on the edge of the scenic Boston Mountains. Named after Fayetteville, Tennessee, the city was founded in 1828, incorporated in 1836 and re-chartered in 1867. It is part of the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers Metropolitan Statistical area that includes Washington, Benton and Madison counties in Arkansas and McDonald County in Missouri.

The City of Santa Ana is a vibrant, young community located in Orange County, California. Santa Ana benefits from proximity, diversity and a unique and collaborative approach to growth and development…

Oak Lawn, Illinois continues to grow and thrive. After profiling the Chicago suburb last year, Business in Focus again sat down with Economic Development Specialist Steve Radice and Village Manager Larry Deetjen to learn about the community’s latest developments and business opportunities.

Water Valley has emerged as Northern Colorado’s only resort-style community and has become one of the most desirable places to live in the Rocky Mountain state. The Water Valley project has grown considerably over the years as CEO Lind and his team have added approximately three hundred additional acres to the core area, along with approximately four thousand acres in the area dedicated to other projects over the last thirty years.

Perryville, Missouri is one of those places where faith is paramount. City Administrator Brent Buerck sees this faith as a catalyst for the good fortune bestowed upon this city. Perryville is booming, and it has always been a thriving community. Businesses are setting up here, and not just small entities, but large manufacturers as well. Unemployment is just under five percent, a good infrastructure is in place, and the location is advantageous.

Working to diversity an economy that has the highest reliance on a single industry in the United States is indeed a challenge. The primary business of Atlantic County, New Jersey, has always been gaming, casinos, poker tables and tourism. Since the seventies, taxes from this industry have supported the Atlantic City region, but today casinos are shuttered, leaving 8,000 to 12,000 people out of work and causing the highest residential foreclosure rate in the country.