10/09/2026
🎉 40 YEARS OF BUILDING OPPORTUNITY IN CHEHALIS!
This year marks a special milestone for the Port of Chehalis: 40 years since voters officially established our port district in September 1986.
But the story of economic development on this land actually begins much earlier — and with a pretty remarkable example of the Chehalis community working together.
In 1956, local business leaders formed the Chehalis Industrial Commission as the community looked for ways to diversify the local economy and create new employment opportunities.
And when Goodyear considered locating a tread rubber factory in the new industrial park but needed a railroad connection? Chehalis got to work.
Local businesses and residents raised money for railroad ties, local mills supplied ties at cost, and volunteers spent two weekends in 1957 building 3,500 feet of railroad track connecting the industrial park to the main rail line.
It worked. Goodyear came to Chehalis.
Nearly three decades later, voters took another major step toward investing in our economic future, approving creation of the Port of Chehalis in 1986. Our first commissioners — Bill Brooks, Ed Pemerl and Bill Wiester — were sworn in on September 26 of that year.
The work continued.
By 1993, the Port had acquired 160 acres of undeveloped industrial property. Roads, sewer, utilities and other infrastructure followed, and in 1995 the Fred Meyer Retail Service Center became the first tenant on the Port's newly developed property, occupying a 310,000-square-foot distribution center.
Over the decades that followed, additional businesses, infrastructure and partnerships continued to transform the area into the employment center we know today.
But perhaps our favorite part of this history is how consistent the underlying idea has remained.
People working together to create opportunity.
From community members laying railroad tracks by hand in 1957 to voters establishing a public port district in 1986, generations of Chehalis residents have recognized that economic development is a long-term investment in the people who live here.
Today, the Port of Chehalis continues that work — developing industrial and commercial property, supporting existing businesses, welcoming new investment and working with our public and private partners to create jobs and strengthen the economy of Lewis County.
And there's another fun piece of our 40-year history: our neighbors at the Port of Centralia were established by voters on the very same day that year. For four decades, our two ports have grown alongside one another, each working to create opportunity for the communities we serve.
As we celebrate 40 years of the Port of Chehalis, we're grateful for the commissioners, staff members, businesses, community leaders, public agencies, partners — and generations of Chehalins — who helped build what came before us.
Here's to 40 years of the Port of Chehalis, 70 years of community-driven industrial development, and everything still ahead. 🎉
P.S. If you haven’t read “A History of the Chehalis Industrial Commission,” now is a great time to get your hands on a copy at your local library or bookstore. 📖
