Business interests in Union County are diverse and varied, without an unduly heavy investment in one area of the economy or another. This makes for a healthy business climate with a strong growth potential.

Union County residents have a variety of jobs open to them in employment areas that cover the gamut from timber and agriculturally related jobs to manufacturing and industry, education, government employment, health care, retail and tourism related businesses. The county’s economy is diversified and becoming increasingly so.

Employment growth has been consistent, and Union County has shown an increase in employment in nine out of the last ten years. As of 2000, unemployment was at the lowest level in twenty-five years. And non-farm payroll employment is at a record high level.

AGRICULTURE

The county’s income was once heavily dependent on agriculture and timber, but has extended to other areas in recent years. Agriculture does, however, play a significant role in county wealth and prosperity. Union County farms grossed $42,465,000 in 1999. The skills needed for agricultural production are readily available, and the range of agricultural production is spread across a wide variety of crops and products. Union County produces grains – hay and forage, grass and legume seeds, potatoes, farm forestry, tree fruits and nuts, and specialty crops such as canola and peppermint. Livestock commodities include dairy products, cattle, hogs, sheep, horses, poultry, emus and llamas.

FOREST PRODUCTS

The forest products industry is a major high wage employer. In addition to harvesting activities, substantial primary production takes place, most of this being at the Boise Cascade Mills in La Grande, north of Island City, and in Elgin. These plants include a sawmill, studmill, particle board plant, and plywood plant. In addition, there are many timber related businesses including more than a dozen logging companies, a log home builder, and several firms offering logging equipment and supplies.

GOVERNMENT EMPLOYMENT

Government represents the largest sector of Union County economy, as La Grande serves as the regional center for state and federal offices in Eastern Oregon. The largest federal agency is the U.S. Forest Service, but the biggest government employer is Eastern Oregon University, where even students who work on campus are counted as state employees. Twenty-six percent of the Union County non-farm payroll came through government employment in 1999. Government employers include eighteen federal agencies, fifteen state entities, fifteen county offices, and various local government entities in each of the county’s eight communities. Among the most prominent of these government employers are the Department of Agriculture, the Oregon National Guard, the United States Postal Service, the state Department of Economic Development, the Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Department of Transportation, Oregon Employment Department, and the Oregon State Police.

MANUFACTURING

Fleetwood Trailers is one of the county’s largest manufacturers, producing travel trailers including the Terry and Resort brands, which are shipped throughout the United States and Canada. Another trailer manufacturer, Nash Travel Trailers and Fifth Wheels, is expanding rapidly and reaching a national market. The Borden Chemical Company has a plant located adjacent to the Boise Cascade Particle Board plant and provides adhesives for wood products.

A variety of smaller manufacturing operations exist in Union County, some of the more prominent being Barreto Manufacturing, which builds and distributes commercial rental-market rototillers and trenchers world-wide; Graffunder Safe and Vault, which manufactures toplevel security storage devices; and a number of machine shops and fabricators. Omnitrac, a growing firm, specializes in track systems for transport vehicles.

SERVICE INDUSTRIES

A large share of the salary base is accounted for by various service industries including health service nursing and care facilities, the food and automotive service industries, banks and loan institutions, insurance and investment agencies, tourism related services, and recreational activities.

WHOLESALE & RETAIL BUSINESS

The La Grande and Island City areas comprise one of Eastern Oregon’s largest wholesale and retail trade centers, which, therefore, represents a major segment of Union County’s economy. La Grande is the traditional commercial center of Union County. The Island City Strip, a corridor that connects La Grande and Island City along state highway 82, is the home of many of the larger retail chain stores located in the county. These include Rite-Aid, Albertson’s, Wal-Mart, and a Sears authorized retail dealer. The downtown has Bi-Mart, J.C. Penney and Safeway. Many smaller retail stores and shops offer goods and services across the county, and people from as far away as John Day, Richland, and Imnaha regularly shop here because of the wide variety of goods and products and the excellent service available. When shopping in the colorful small towns of Elgin, Union, Imbler, North Powder, and Cove, one is greeted with a smile and great personalized service.

Each of the major automotive companies is represented in the county with large, well stocked dealerships and extensive automotive service departments. Goss Motors (Chevrolet, Oldsmobile and used cars), Lynch Motor Company (Pontiac, Cadillac, Buick and GMC Trucks), Roberts Motors (Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury) and Frontier Motors (Plymouth, Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep and Eagle) are able to meet your every need.

Buying in Union County is both pleasant and productive. The county is well supplied with nearly any store, retail outlet, or commercial vendor a customer might need. There is seldom a necessity to go outside the county for anything of importance.

INDUSTRIAL PARKS

There are three industrial parks in Union County. The Union County Light Industrial Park is located at the Union County Airport. The park is zoned for light industrial, and ready-to-develop section of 42 acres is just achieving capacity. An additional 170 acres will soon be under development. The site is served by a 16” water line and an 8” sanitary sewer line. Electrical and telephone services, including digital telecommunications service with teleconferencing capabilities, are available. The site is accessible by interstate, highway and air.

The Baum Industrial Park has 81 acres of undeveloped land and is zoned heavy industrial. Water utilities border the northern boundary with an 18” main line along adjacent railroad tracks. The park has an excess capacity of 8 million gallons per day with a storage capacity of 11.5 million gallons. Sanitary sewer is available with an 8” line. Electrical, telephone, and natural gas are available.

Elgin has acquired land for an industrial park project located on Hwy 82 South, soon to be developed. This site is located 20 miles northeast of the City of La Grande. The travel time to I-84 is between 20-25 minutes. The industrial park is located within the city limits of Elgin. The zoning is light industrial. Fifteen acres are currently available and can be resized to meet the needs of the client. Water, sewer, electricity and natural gas are provided to the site.