Page 4 - EconDevelopmentPacket

WorkforceTraining/Education—
Workforce & Transportation
The affordable cost of living and excellent quality of life
in Post Falls and the surrounding area help attract and
retain a strong labor pool. Post Falls’ demographics are
well suited for a diverse array of industries. The Telecommunications/Transportation—

emerging industries are tech, aerospace manufacturing Post Falls has an enhanced fiber network with the
and the fastest growing industry is medical. The region
that includes Kootenai and Spokane counties is home to quality, speed, capacity, reliability, and high
definition
Frontier
city.
major
of
a
a skilled workforce. Communications, Time Warner, Intermax, Syringa

Networks and Fatbeam, all provide service to the
The Coeur d’Alene Metropolitan Statistical Area (Cd’A area through advanced digital network with
MSA) has a population of 150,000 and a workforce of
63,000; and jointly with the Spokane MSA (Spokane is 30 switching technology and fiber deployment.

miles away on I90) has a population of 700,000 and a
workforce of 300,000. Talent availability is excellent The region has excellent transportation access to
with the population concentration in the contiguous air service, trucking, rail and shipping. Seattle is 5
communities of Coeur d’Alene, Post Falls, Hayden, and hours away via I90 (1 hour by air), with Portland
and Vancouver, BC, 6 and 7 hours away (2 hours by
nearby Rathdrum; and a healthy cross-border workforce
movement of around 15,000 along the ID-WA border. air), respectively. Railroad tracks and spurs provide
Local business owners cite productivity, work ethics, low opportunities for industries. Interstate 90, State
absenteeism and low turnover rates as examples of Highway 41 and State Highway 53 provide excellent
workforce excellence. Additionally, Idaho is a “right to access and truck routes through Post Falls.

work” state, with only a small percentage (8%) of the Road Access: The region is at the intersection of
workforce unionized. (www.labor.idaho.gov) I90 & US95. I90 is a major east-west route across
the US, linking Seattle to Boston and giving the
Kootenai County is home to four educational region easy access to the east and to the northwest
institutions, providing a variety of professional technical and beyond through the ports of Seattle, Portland
certifications, stackable credits, academic degrees and and Vancouver. US95 links to I15, creating a north-
continuing education programs. North Idaho College, south route across the western states from Mexico
Lewis and Clark State College, and branches of to Canada. (www.itd.idaho.gov)
University of Idaho and Boise State University are in a
joint campus providing programs terminating in an Air Service: Spokane International Airport (GEG)
Associate of Arts to executive MBA degrees. Curriculum provides access to all points across the globe and
ranges from aerospace composite fabrication to nursing convenient access to air cargo and package service,
to computer science . Moreover, customized workforce with next day air and forwarding services readily
training is available through North Idaho College. available. GEG provides nonstop service to 12 cities
Additionally, three major universities are in Spokane, and continuing (same plane, one stop) service to
WA thirty minutes away. another 15+ cities. Spokane International Airport is
20-30 minutes away from Post Falls.
(http://spokaneairports.net/).

Rail Access Burlington Northern Santa Fe and
Union Pacific provide cross-country rail to all points
in the US, extending north to Canada through
Canadian rail service providers.
(http://bnsf.com/; www.up.com)

Port Service and Shipping: Port of Lewiston is only
113 miles south via US95 (or Washington State
904). The Port is the head of navigation for the
Columbia/Snake River system, moving cargo from
Lewiston to the Pacific seaports.
(http://portoflewiston.com/)