Facebook details its big boost for Prineville
According to its Economic and Fiscal Impact Study released Wednesday, Facebook’s Prineville data center has had a substantial impact on the Central Oregon economy — over half a billion dollars worth.
The social network giant said Facebook has over the past five years added 651 jobs in Central Oregon.
And it says construction and operations investments over the five-year period 2009-2013 totaled $573 million.
The report also says every 10 jobs at Facebook drive another 14 jobs in other sectors of the Oregon economy — the so-called “multiplier effect.”
Economic development officials in Prineville say Facebook has transformed the city.
“Hiring somebody in our community, having them buy a house in our community — that kind of stuff is important. But it’s the secondary stuff,” said Russ Deboodt, Prineville’s economic development manager.
“It’s buying groceries for their family. It’s going out to dinner and eating at our restaurants, spending nights in our hotels,” Deboodt said. “It’s having their family and friends come stay and visit. That’s where you see the real benefits.”
The report conducted by ECONorthwest also shows that since 2011, Facebook has also awarded almost a million dollars to Crook County schools and qualified nonprofits.
Prineville Mayor Bette Roppe says Facebook is more than just a company, it’s part of the community.
“What a good neighbor, we are tickled pink to have them here,” Roppe said. “One of the goals I have as mayor is to have a diversification of jobs. For so many years, we were tires and timber, but if we have a diversification of jobs, it will keep us from having all our eggs in one basket.”
Roppe says she believes Apple also is in Prineville now because Facebook has been so successful there. She hopes other big corporations follow suit in the future.
Here is a link to Facebook’s full report: http://www.econw.com/media/ap_files/Facebook_-_Economic_and_Fiscal_Impact_Study_Executive_Summary-FINAL.pdf
Meanwhile, Bend is getting an economic boost, too. The southeast Bend call center Ibex Global, formerly known as TRG Customer Solutions (and before that, iSky) says it will more than doubling its workforce this summer, adding 450 employees to the current 400.
