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Chehalis, Washington
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==Economy== After the loss of a large pharmaceutical plant in 1952, the Chehalis community organized a group named "Adventure in Cooperation" which led to the beginnings of a commission that created the Chehalis Industrial Park later that decade.<ref name="POTYG">{{cite news |last1=Mittge |first1=Brian |title=Person of the Year, Gail Shaw: 'We're Really Here to Make This a Better Place to Live' |url=https://www.chronline.com/stories/person-of-the-year-gail-shaw-were-really-here-to-make-this-a-better-place-to-live,112709? |access-date=June 27, 2024 |work=The Chronicle |date=December 30, 2012}}</ref> The economic area began when a new rail line, built by a group of local volunteers known as the "[[Gandy dancer|Gandy Dancers]]", was connected to the grounds. The [[industrial park]], located south of the city district near the interstate, leases land that it purchases to corporations and businesses.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mittge |first1=Brian |title=Half a Century Later, the 'Gandy Dancers' Are Still Building |url=https://www.chronline.com/stories/half-a-century-later-the-gandy-dancers-are-still-building,212650?#lndg2wu823sm3nelb1w |access-date=October 5, 2023 |work=The Chronicle |date=April 5, 2007}}</ref> The first tenant was a $1.0 million [[Goodyear Tire]] plant that opened in 1957.<ref>{{cite news |title=Goodyear To Build In West |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1956/09/27/archives/goodyear-to-build-in-west.html? |access-date=April 23, 2024 |work=The New York Times |date=September 27, 1956 |page=54}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Fund |first1=Edna |title=Thousands Celebrated Opening of Goodyear Plant in 1957 |url=https://www.chronline.com/stories/thousands-celebrated-opening-of-goodyear-plant-in-1957,209022?#lndg2www09c3tpaox0t3 |access-date=October 5, 2023 |work=The Chronicle |date=April 15, 2007}}</ref> The [[Port of Chehalis]] was officially established in September 1986 and was one of the last ports created in the state.<ref>{{cite web |author1=HistoryLink staff |title=Washington Public Ports: A List with Founding Dates |url=https://www.historylink.org/File/9809 |publisher=HistoryLink |access-date=July 1, 2024 |date=April 29, 2011}}</ref> The port was enacted by a public vote in Lewis County, which also developed a port district in the city.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Oldham |first1=Kit |title=Washington Public Port Districts - Part 2 |url=https://www.historylink.org/File/9495 |publisher=HistoryLink |access-date=July 1, 2024 |date=July 30, 2021}}</ref> The agency oversees the Chehalis Industrial Park and the port is part of the South Puget Sound Foreign Trade Zone.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Fogel |first1=Elise |title=First Port of Chehalis commissioners are sworn in on September 26, 1986 |url=https://www.historylink.org/File/9745 |publisher=HistoryLink |access-date=July 1, 2024 |date=February 27, 2011}}</ref> Food processing, which included canned or frozen items, has been a long-term economic sector of Chehalis, expanding in importance during the 1950s after the construction of U.S. Route 12 and Interstate 5.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Oldham |first1=Kit |title=Agricultural Exports from Washington |url=https://www.historylink.org/File/21005 |publisher=HistoryLink |access-date=July 1, 2024 |date=April 23, 2020}}</ref> Callison's, formally known as I.P. Callison's & Sons, was founded in the city in 1903. The company originally processed cascara bark, used as a laxative, and shipped a variety of flora for use in flower arrangements. Callison's expanded to produce peppermint in the 1940s, spearmint in 1952, and eventually [[essential oil]]s, including the production of [[foxglove]] for medicinal use. The company headquarters and exporting components were moved to [[Lacey, Washington|Lacey]] but the manufacturing plant remains in Chehalis.<ref name="POTYG"/><ref>{{cite news |last1=Bryan |first1=Saint |title=Mint condition: Washington state leads the nation in mint oil production |url=https://www.king5.com/article/entertainment/television/programs/evening/mint-condition-washington-state-leads-the-nation-in-mint-oil-production/281-a1e23b61-f9ff-40e5-8f48-9469dd3270fe |access-date=November 27, 2022 |work=King5 News |date=July 8, 2021}}</ref><ref name="IPC">{{cite news |last1=Brewer |first1=Christopher |title=I.P Callison in Chehalis Honored by Chamber of Commerce |url=https://www.chronline.com/stories/ip-callison-in-chehalis-honored-by-chamber-of-commerce,77300 |access-date=November 27, 2022 |work=The Chronicle |date=July 6, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Chronicle Staff |title=Callisons Wins Large Business of the Year from Thurston Economic Development Council |url=https://www.chronline.com/stories/callisons-wins-large-business-of-the-year-from-thurston-economic-development-council,17685 |access-date=November 27, 2022 |work=The Chronicle |date=May 3, 2018}}</ref> The company produces mint used in the production of candies at Chehalis Mints, a local confectioner that began in 1994.<ref>{{cite news |title=Chehalis Mints Should Be Official State Candy |url=https://www.chronline.com/stories/chehalis-mints-should-be-official-state-candy,194199 |access-date=April 16, 2024 |work=The Chronicle |date=December 30, 2008}}</ref> The Lewis County Mall, situated south of the Lewis County Fairgrounds, was built in 1972. The mall was home to national chains and major retailers but in 1999, [[JC Penney's]] departed the venue and other businesses followed soon thereafter due in part to the growth of other shopping centers in the local area. [[Sears]] was the last nationwide company to leave. In the 2000s, the 10-screen Midway Cinema was established in the building. {{As of|2023}}, the mall is home to smaller, regional businesses and plans include a renovation of the center for storage, apartment buildings, and restaurants.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Nance |first1=Jesse |title=New Owners Working to Breathe New Life Into Lewis County Mall |url=https://www.chronline.com/stories/new-owners-working-to-breathe-new-life-into-lewis-county-mall,320260 |access-date=June 26, 2023 |work=The Chronicle |date=June 2, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Lawton |first1=Mark |title=Lewis County Mall changes with the times |url=https://www.chronline.com/stories/lewis-county-mall-changes-with-the-times,235698? |access-date=January 30, 2024 |work=The Chronicle |date=November 27, 2004}}</ref> Timber, once an important economic component of the city, began increasing in the 2000s and the city became a warehousing center due to its access to the interstate and its location between Portland and Seattle.<ref name="AABAD"/> Beginning in the 2010s, the city embarked on increasing its economic diversity by creating an [[auto row]] for passenger vehicle dealerships at the Twin City Town Center district. Due in part to renovations of the Recreation Park Complex, and a subsequent growth in attendance for sports events, the community entered a growth phase in the [[hospitality industry]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Alexander |first1=Antoinette |title=Doing Business in ... Centralia and Chehalis |url=https://www.southsoundbiz.com/profiles/doing-business-in-centralia-and-chehalis/article_60a33720-7757-11ed-967e-13b11f905537.html |access-date=September 5, 2023 |work=South Sound Business |date=December 12, 2022}}</ref>
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