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Sunday, May. 10, 2009

Businesses have chance to support The Reach

By Mike Kluse and Rufus M. Friday, Mid-Columbia Voices

An open letter to the Mid-Columbia business community:

We have a rare opportunity as business leaders to help create something wonderful for our community and to reap rewards that will last for generations as a result.

Now it's time to seize the day.

We're asking everyone - and businesses in particular - to help transform The Hanford Reach Interpretative Center from a work in progress to a magnificent facility that will benefit our community and region for decades to come.

The Reach will be far more than a handsome building. It will be the gateway to the Hanford Reach National Monument and the B Reactor National Historical Landmark and a place to celebrate the geologic, human and natural history of a region like no other on Earth.

The $40.5 million, 61,000-square-foot facility will contain exhibits, gardens, a theater and innovative educational programs for adults and children. It will serve as a catalyst for tourism and a gathering place for science, history, art and conservation.

The Reach offers a unique opportunity for the Mid-Columbia to continue to grow into its future - a future characterized by a four-year university, a world-class wine industry, agriculture that feeds the world, a national laboratory, an expanding technology sector and more.

But first The Reach has to be built. Construction can begin only when The Reach has raised 80 percent of the funds needed for construction - or $32 million.

The campaign has raised $25 million, including nearly $20 million in public dollars from federal, state and local sources. The city of Richland provided land valued at more than $7 million.

To date, Battelle has been the largest business contributor to The Reach. As operator of the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Battelle has promised $2.3 million.

Battelle's latest pledge of $1.3 million made in 2008 is being paid in three installments over three years, with the final installment distributed only after an additional $4 million is raised from the community.

Hanford newcomer Washington River Protection Solutions made its presence known last fall and stepped up with a $1 million contribution.

Other large corporate or business gifts include $100,000 from Energy Northwest as well as substantial support from Lampson International, Garlick Enterprises, the Country Gentleman and the Hedges Family Estate.

On an individual level, R.J. and Diane C. Hoch have given $110,000 and Jim and Sharon Watts have donated real estate estimated at $110,000.

Why should businesses support The Reach? Because it makes good sense, even in this economy. Museums and interpretive centers are strong economic engines, administering between $4.5 billion and

$6 billion in government and private support nationwide every year. Tourism adds to that impact. Clearly, The Reach will bring direct and indirect economic benefits to local businesses - a local stimulus project, if you will.

A contribution to The Reach gains visibility for your business through news coverage and community good will. Facility plans include opportunities for your organization to add its name to part of The Reach. In fact, the corporate designation for the entire center is up for grabs.

The Reach will be a powerful tool for employee recruiting and retention. It will enhance the quality of life for all Mid-Columbians and boost the area's appeal to newcomers accustomed to a wide variety of cultural offerings.

The history, science and cultural displays, as well as programs and traveling exhibits, will be important resources for the schools that are preparing your future work force.

For Hanford site contractors, the advantages of giving to The Reach also extend well into the future. As competition for government contracts becomes more fierce, every advantage counts. One of those advantages can be a solid record of support for the communities in which you operate.

On the face of it, raising money for a museum and cultural facility may be a tough sell in these uncertain economic times.

But we believe the time is exactly right for taking the giant leap, stepping out with courage to make the financial commitment that will make The Reach a reality.

Your generous support of The Reach will pay dividends for years to come. You can bank on it.

* Mike Kluse is senior vice president of Battelle, which operates Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and Rufus M. Friday is president and publisher of the Tri-City Herald. To learn more about The Reach, go to www.visitthereach.com. For details on how your organization can participate in funding The Reach, contact Davin Diaz at 509-943-4100.

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