Dear Phil,
Happy New Year, Mr. Knight! Hope all is well on your side of the river.
Hey, how ’bout we grab a cup of coffee sometime soon? Kick a few things around. Maybe take a jog. Oh, and I’d love to make sure you know a little more about Vancouver and Clark County.
I’m with The Columbian over here in Vancouver. Yes, we broke the story that your company, Nike, was flirting with bringing a shoebox full of jobs this way. A bunch of shoeboxes! Dang, that would have been nice.
In the end, it appears it was nothing more than a tease, but, honestly, I think you should give us a second look.
I know, I know, you’re tied to Oregon like duck fat is tied to a great french fry. But trust me, we’ve got some really good stuff going on over here.
And if you decided to move a large chunk of your operation a few miles north to Vancouver, well, that would give us all goose bumps!
I’ve done a lot of sole searching ;-) about what makes our area such a great place for your company, and I hope you’ll agree:
• Our schools are better than your schools. Can’t tell you how many people say they move here from Portland just to get their kids into our school system. It’s the best!
• You get a much better bang for your buck in housing. Can’t tell you how many people say they move here from Portland just to get a nicer home at the same or better price.
• All of this moving over here has created a daily 60,000-worker pilgrimage back to your side of the river. Now that should tell you something, Phil. It should tell you that 60,000 folks — who could live in Oregon someplace — choose to live in Clark County. Impressive!
• Sure, we know you might like that “Keep Portland weird” stuff, but — hey — we’re not chump change over here. Vancouver is my kind of town. Trust me, it won’t let you down. You can do things over here that are flat-out illegal over there.
Need more proof that we’re a fun but weird crowd?
I once saw staunch conservative county Commissioner-elect David Madore and staunch liberal state Rep. Jim Moeller stand together for a photo. And they were smiling! How weird (but encouraging) is that?
• Mostly, our elected officials are very good people. Sure, we have a couple of outliers, but — hello — the boys on the bus on your end aren’t exactly all choirboys. And besides, it’s good for the pot to get stirred every once in awhile.
• And we love your favorite college football team, the Oregon Ducks. Why, in our newsroom alone, we have more Ducks on the pond than anything else.
I wrote a column a few weeks ago suggesting the Ducks’ quick-snap offense was a gimmick. I was darn near run back to the swamp. Holy cannoli!
Your Ducks have it all goin’ on. Beat Kansas State!
Phil, I guess what I’m saying is, the Vancouver area is a great place to work and live. And that can only be great news for businesses and companies and community.
So, I really do hope you’ll give us a second look. Ring me up and I’ll show you around. I think you’ll enjoy it. Coffee’s on me.
Just do it!
Lou Brancaccio is The Columbian’s editor. Reach him at 360-735-4505, lou.brancaccio@columbian.com or Twitter: http://twitter.com/lounews.
