The heat didn’t keep away about 250 attendees on July 20 for the Vancouver Business Journal’s 2006 Top Projects event. Top Projects recognizes Southwest Washington’s 25 largest construction projects each year. Construction costs for this year’s projects totaled nearly $300 million.
"There’s a huge commitment made by the owners and developers of these projects to make this a better place to live and work for all of us," said Vancouver Business Journal Publisher John McDonagh, "and that alone deserves celebration."
Vancouver council member Dan Tonkovich addressed the crowd and reiterated the long-term impact these developments have on the community.
"We can all agree that the one thing we have been successful at over the last 10 or 15 years is creating a better City of Vancouver and Clark County," said Tonkovich. "We’ve seen a lot of changes, and it’s really because of the people who have stepped forward with their money and invested in our community."
The event was held at 10th-ranked project Big Al’s off 164th Avenue. Top Projects attendees were treated to sneak peeks of the yet to be completed state-of-the-art bowling facility that will feature 42 lanes of bowling, a video arcade and a stadium-style sports bar and grill. The project is set to open in September.
Click here for an update on the fourth-ranked project on this year’s list, The Columbian newspaper’s new downtown building. Stop by the Vancouver Business Journal’s office at 2525 E. Fourth Plain Blvd. for a free copy of the Top Projects magazine or call 360-695-2442 to receive a copy by mail.
