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60 | Old Heat CERB Feasibility Study <br />LIST ONE OR MORE ECONOMIC OUTCOMES THAT YOU <br />EXPECT FROM THE PROPOSED CERB PROJECT. <br />Old Heat will become a facility on the edge of the CWU campus for business and <br />university to collaborate on technology initiatives. It will have adequate parking, <br />and the building will provide much-needed event and conference space in the <br />city of Ellensburg. <br />1. Workforce Development <br />• Entrepreneurship workshops, maker spaces, and certificate programs. <br />• Paid internships and project-based learning with tenant startups. <br />• Upskilling courses. <br />2. Leasing and Sales of Commercial Properties <br />• Locate the center in a vacant downtown building to anchor revitalization. <br />• Match graduating startups with larger local spaces. <br />• Run real-estate open houses. <br />3. Lodging Demand from Events <br />• Host annual innovation summits. <br />• Operate a 10-12 week summer accelerator with hotel/dorm blocks. <br />• Target 5-10 % rise in lodging tax receipts within five years. <br />4. Diversification of Local Economy <br />• Create an aerospace hub in the Central Washington region. <br />• Focus tracks on aerospace, ag-tech, clean energy, and software. <br />• Support value-added ventures leveraging regional agriculture. <br />5. Creation of Living-Wage Jobs <br />• Prioritize STEM and advanced-manufacturing startups ($30-$45/hr). <br />• Leverage state training grants to raise employee wages. <br />• Aim for 250 new living-wage jobs within 10 years. <br />SECTION J 6. Increased Tax Revenue <br />• Startup sales generate local sales and B&O taxes; occupied properties <br />raise assessments. <br />• Events boost lodging tax. <br />• Long-term goal: >$500,000 additional local taxes annually by year 10. <br />7. Partnerships, Talent Pipelines & Patents <br />• Form an Industry Advisory Board for sponsorships & guidance. <br />• Run an “Innovation Fellows” program linking students to startups. <br />• Hire a Tech Officer; seed mini-grants for prototypes. <br />Implemented together, these initiatives position CWU’s commercialization center <br />as the engine for diversification, living-wage job creation, real-estate activation, <br />visitor spending, stronger tax revenues, and a robust innovation ecosystem in <br />Ellensburg. <br />• Number of new patents/startups per year in County <br />• Industry/Field areas of new patents/startups in the year in County <br />• Graduate retention and placement in local firms <br />• Firm survival rate after three years <br />• Number of firms graduating from Old Heat to Bowers Field <br />• Participation in Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business <br />Technology Transfer or other federal innovation programs <br />SECTION J