REDMOND, OR -- Redmond is attracting new companies hoping to build manufacturing and production facilities in Central Oregon. 

Pat Kesgard, with Compass Commercial Real Estate, says Bend is no longer the hotbed for industrial development, “We have no industrial ground, there’s virtually no speculative construction in Bend, we lost all that industrial land on Nels Anderson to the new highway. So, Redmond has really done a great job expanding the UGB; there’s opportunities over there for companies to build, expand, as well as investors.”

And, he says, those new businesses bring more jobs, “Right now, there’s roughly 56,000 square feet of industrial buildings available to lease in Redmond. Having said that, there’s about a half a million square feet that’s going through the city now. One of those projects is Wild Mike’s Pizza to build a 300,000 square foot production facility.” The frozen pizza maker is relocating from Clackamas later this year. “So, in the case of Wild Mike’s Pizza, we sold them I think it was 43 acres on the east side of Redmond. And that business alone will create about 130 jobs. There are good production facilities over there. Some of these companies are expanding.”