Recruitment: Altrec

Industry
E-commerce; recreational products 

The Company
Altrec, also known as GreatOutdoors.com, is an online retailer of outdoor gear and clothing.

The Situation 
Located in multiple facilities in suburban Seattle, Altrec management reached the conclusion in 2005 that they needed to evaluate location alternatives.  Company executives and employees were spending considerable wasted time driving between the headquarters office and distribution facilities which, although close in miles, was hampered by severe traffic congestion.  Mike Morford, Altrec's founder and CEO, began evaluating Central Oregon, among other small metros in the western U.S., as a potential new location.  He suspected that he could improve the company's operational expenses in a different location. 

The Requirements
For a successful relocation, Altrec needed to consolidate facilities into one location, ensure that key employees would make the move, and be functioning in the new location -- with trained, newly hired employees -- before the start of the critical holiday season.  Additionally, Morford, a high tech entrepreneur and former UPS executive, required a distribution location away from congestion but close enough to allow the company to cost effectively distribute its products to a global market in a time sensitive manner.  

The Solution
EDCO coordinated the site selection search with Atrec executives, who quickly focused on the community of Redmond. EDCO then coordinated a comprehensive recruitment package for Altrec, which included state, regional and local incentives. Given the extremely tight timeline, EDCO worked with the City of Redmond on a fast track permitting process, which positioned Altrec to move into their new administrative and distribution center in September 2006.  The entire permit and construction process took less than six months.  EDCO also flew to Seattle for an information session with Altrec employees, answering questions and concerns about Central Oregon. The result was that the company was able to retain the key individuals they needed to make their move successful.  Altrec was able to hire distribution and customer service personnel locally and has been quite successful in recruiting senior e-commerce talent from around the nation to relocate to what is a very attractive lifestyle region. With some initial introductions coordinated by EDCO, Altrec quickly became integrated into Central Oregon's business community. 

The Follow-On 
With solid sales and employee growth over the last two years, Altrec discovered in 2008 that it again needs additional space.  Working closely with EDCO, Altrec was able to acquire additional space for expansion in an adjacent facility.  EDCO coordinated the enterprise zone benefits for the company to expand.  Additionally, Altrec has led the effort to have Redmond designated as the region's only e-commerce zone (one of only a handful in Oregon), a request that the state granted in late 2008.