Silicon Valley firm moving to Vancouver, WA (cc: Cruz Bustamecha)

Puget Sound Business Journal ^

[BurbankKarl]

Silicon Valley firm moving to Vancouver

A Silicon Valley producer of machinery and supplies for making corrective foot orthotics and custom insoles will move to Vancouver, Wash., where it will employ up to 50.

Amfit Corp., now based in Santa Clara, Calif., said it will shift its headquarters and manufacturing operation, along with 10 employees, and will hire others locally.

The company's CAD-CAM software and equipment produce insoles that are customized to an individual foot.

Its plans were announced by the Columbia River Economic Development Council, which said Amfit had considered moving to several Nevada cities, rural Oregon, and Spokane, and also explored shifting its manufacturing to Tijuana, Mexico, before settling on Vancouver.

"Washington's tax environment, the region's cost of living, and quality of life issues were major factors in our decision to move to Vancouver." said Arjen Sundman, president of Amfit, in a prepared statement distributed by the council. "Having no personal or corporate income tax is a real plus."

Amfit conducted cost-of-living research for the Western states and found Southwest Washington to be among the most favorable, the council said.

Sundman said "the region is home to many high-tech and footwear companies, so we feel that professionals, support personnel and suppliers in both the high-tech and footwear industry will be readily available."

[Publius]

From the fire into the frying pan.

[Support Free Republic]

How we have, and can, change the world

History of Free Republic

Click The Logo To Donate

[Noumenon]

Atlas Shrugged bump

[Eala]

From the fire into the frying pan.

LOL. Exactly...

[DoctorZIn]

Join Us…Your One Thread To All The California Recall News Threads!

Want on our daily or major news ping lists? Freepmail DoctorZin

[kimoajax]

Hey! Come on in all you holdouts, the water is fine.

Made the same decision to move about two years ago (moved to Vancouver from Oregon and my partner moved out of the Bay area) and we have experienced nothing but positive results.

No state income tax, reasonable worker's comp rates, no capital gains tax and no corporate income tax....great schools..etc.

[NativeNewYorker]

Point of information: This company does footwear. They moved across the river from Nike.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

What's the over under on the number of years 'til they are moving again because Washington is at the point Cal. is now?

[BurbankKarl]

LockeStep should have spent more time pilfering companies from CA than hanging out with Grayout Davis....

[Saundra Duffy]

No state income tax, reasonable worker's comp rates, no capital gains tax and no corporate income tax....great schools..etc.

Stop rubbing it in.

[ThreeYearLurker]

But it's the Couv!

[camas]

agree but no income tax and they can jump across the river and no sales tax

[Eala]

Hey! Come on in all you holdouts, the water is fine.
Made the same decision to move about two years ago (moved to Vancouver from Oregon and my partner moved out of the Bay area) and we have experienced nothing but positive results.
No state income tax, reasonable worker's comp rates, no capital gains tax and no corporate income tax....great schools..etc.

We'd love to have enough conservatives, even from California, move up here in the Pacific Northwet to shift the political balance here in The Peoples' Soviet of Washington, aka The Evergreed State, please understand that there are some downsides.

The populous part of the state (Western Washington) has a massive infestation of liberals. This has a continuing negative effect; many of the schools, for example, are good at teaching your children how to don condoms, worship Gaia, and protest anything and anybody to the right of Lenin.

The climate (of Wettern Washington) may be a shock to Californians, too. In California there is (infrequently), "rain." In Washington we have mist, sprinkle, drip, drizzle, occasional rain, scattered rain, frequent rain, heavy rain, showers, downpours, to name a few. Oh yes, we have rain too. And in anything less than a downpour you walk, not run. Otherwise we'll know you for a Californian in an instant. And no sissy umbrellas, either. Those are for tourists and Californians. (Goretex shells are acceptable, however, and if the precipitation is heavy enough you're allowed to put the hood up.)

We also have something called "sun-breaks," but that's for another time.

Then there are the cloudy skies. Forget that "The Bluest Skies You Ever Saw Are In Seattle" song. You can see blue in the skies from time to time, but only in summer. The natural sky colour here is grey. (Or gray, as in "Gray Davis," or is it the other way around? We don't have him, so it's easy to be confused.) But it's not as bad as boring blue; it various from very light grey, almost white, to very dark grey (just before the downpours). It even goes to black, but a much purer black than in California because it doesn't have any stars painting irregular patterns on it.

And then there is winter! No, no blowing snow (we rarely see it, and when we do it shuts everything down) and igloos, polar bears stalking the landscape. Think of a long, cool, damp, night of drizzle (there's that word again). Water. You get up and go to work in it, you leave work and drive home in it. Water... cool, clear water... (oops, sorry, wrong song).

But really, winters can be long and dark here and a lot of people from California find it's not for them and move back. OTOH, there are ways to counter it. Among them: Plenty of light in the home and the workplace, get involved, get connected, get to know your fellow local FReepers.

[Libertina]

But really, winters can be long and dark here and a lot of people from California find it's not for them and move back. OTOH, there are ways to counter it. Among them: Plenty of light in the home and the workplace, get involved, get connected, get to know your fellow local FReepers.
Right you are on ths Eala! BTW How is everything with you and Plume ou Mort? Speaking of rain, it started here this afternoon. and yes, it's getting darker. This is the time I should be leaving for Arizona :)

[Eala]

Libertina, things are fine with us. LibreOuMort is home alone, unfortunately, as I am away on business for a few days.

[Libertina]

No doubt she is missing you, but to ease the pain I hope she has opened a bottle of excellent wine and enjoys the recall results as they come in ;) Please call and remind her :) (And take care and come back soon :)

[Elliott Jackalope]

Eastern Washington is much, much less wet than Western Washington. I live outside of Spokane, and the weather here is quite nice. In fact, the last few months have been so clear and sunny I've wondered if I was back in California. But then I go to the store and everyone speaks English, which proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that I'm not there. We get snow in the winter, last season I had to clear my driveway one day, that was pretty much it for the whole winter. At least it gave me a chance to use my snow-blower one time for the season.

It's nice here, nestled between the Cascades and the Rockies. The Cascades squeeze the water out of the Pacific weather, and the Rockies shield us from the central states weather. All in all, not a bad place to be.

[Eala]

Talking with her now...

[Libertina]

You're a good man! :)