Port of Skagit and NWIRC Receive Funding from Skagit County
The Port of Skagit and NW Innovation Resource Center (NWIRC) are pleased to announce grant funding awards from Skagit County through the County’s Economic Development .09 Funding program.
The Port was awarded $500,000 in grant funding for NWIRC’s TheLab@SWIFT, an innovation center for start-ups and entrepreneurs. The SWIFT Center, which stands for Sedro-Woolley Innovation for Tomorrow, is the former Northern State Hospital campus owned by the Port of Skagit.
NWIRC’s TheLab@SWIFT will provide prototyping workshops, advisory services, training facilities, and other resources to facilitate new innovations which can be the basis for establishing new businesses or building more resilient and competitive existing small businesses in our region.
“NWIRC is pleased to be working with the Port of Skagit, Skagit County and others to provide resources that can help innovative entrepreneurs and small businesses develop products and services to be competitive in the digital economy,” stated Diane Kamionka, Executive Director of NWIRC. “Establishing the resource at SWIFT Center builds the foundation for a meaningful economic driver for the region.”
NWIRC has already received $750,000 in state and federal funding for architectural designs and renovation of a non-historic building on the SWIFT Center campus.
“The Port of Skagit is very excited for NWIRC to develop their new innovation lab on the SWIFT Center campus,” stated Linda Tyler, Communications Director for the Port of Skagit. “This project complements the work NWIRC has done in neighboring counties, and it aligns with the mission of the Port by providing economic development opportunity for our local community.”
In addition to the grant for NWIRC’s project, the Port of Skagit was awarded funding for two additional economic development projects. The Port will receive $500,000 to expand capacity and enhance functionality of The Granary, the Port’s publicly-owned grain infrastructure located at the Bayview Business Park. The Port was also awarded $500,000 in funding for the development of Watershed Business Park off Peterson Road. This project will increase the number of ready-to-build industrial lots in Skagit County to attract a variety of businesses looking to expand or establish themselves in our community.
About the NW Innovation Resource Center
The NW Innovation Resource Center is a nonprofit organization that assists innovative entrepreneurs and small businesses in northwest Washington in developing their business strategies and execution as they move from idea to success in our digital economy.
About the Port of Skagit
The Port of Skagit’s mission is “Working together for the greater good of the Skagit Valley” and the Port focuses it efforts on building economic opportunities for our community. The Port of Skagit took over local ownership of the SWIFT Center, the former Northern State Hospital campus, from the State of Washington in 2018.