Steve Tool/ChieftainAt a Dec. 22 Hurricane Creek Grange Hall luncheon, former Wallowa County resident Tyler Hays tells a group of Wallowa County residents of a plan to open a manufacturing facility in Joseph that could employ as many as 25 people over the next five years.

Five years and 25 jobs. That’s what former Wallowa County resident Tyler Hays plans to add to the county’s economy and how long he expects it to take.

Hays intends to construct an industrial facility in Joseph that houses a brewery, along with furniture and ceramic production shops. He made the announcement to about 40 attendees of a Dec. 22 luncheon at the Hurricane Creek Grange Hall.

Hays, who grew up at the head of Wallowa Lake, is a renowned east coast designer with his own furniture and art company, BDDW. He employs more than 100 people. He also owns the M. Crow & Co. store in Lostine, which employs several Wallowa County residents.

Hays said that although he now resides chiefly on the East Coast, he has never forgotten his ties to the Wallowa Valley and visits the area as often as possible. And seeing how sawmill closures damaged the county’s economy, he said he wanted to try to bring new jobs into the area.

Hays said that he expects to have people working by the fall 2017. But he cautioned against thinking his workforce would increase immediately.

“This is a gradual thing,” he said. I’m not going to hire 20 people immediately and have to lay them off in three years.”

Hays plans to build the facility on 22 acres he owns on Russell Lane in Joseph. He plans to incorporate local resources into his manufacturing plans, including locally-grown barley for the brewery. His company is already mining clay from a site in the county and shipping it to his Philadelphia factory. The ceramic products made from the clay have received positive reviews from customers who have purchased the product from M. Crow, a store in a trendy New York City neighborhood.

“It’s working, the store is getting really positive attention from the press,” he said.

But more than creating another successful business venture, Hays is interested in creating a positive economic impact in Wallowa County.

“If it’s not working for the locals on that level, I’m not interested in doing it,” he said. “My main focus is creating a community economy here. That’s what we’re about. Not an art thing like I do, but a manufacturing thing based on sustainable local resources.”

Hays also spoke of his desire that the county remain a rural area with rural values.

“I don’t want to see a stoplight in town … I don’t want this county to become part-time homes and ranches. I want this to be about family-wage jobs,” he said.

Hays said his jobs will pay $20-$50 per hour. He hopes to create as many as 50 such positions over the next decade.

The furniture/wood shop would cut furniture from raw wood with computer-aided design and computer controlled 3-D carver/router. It could be the first operation on site, building tables for the BDDW bran.

“The (Computer Numerical Control machines) we use now are the best and baddest you can buy,” he said. “It’s a real high-tech shop.”

He said skilled workers who run the machines would make $30-$40 per hour.

“That’s the key to competing with China, super smart people with wood working knowledge,” he said.

As many in the audience were unaware of what a CNC machine is, Hays said that he hoped to find locals with the required skill set for employment.

“If anyone knows anyone that can run a CNC machine, I’m interested in talking to them. It’s hard to hire anyone over 35 who knows how to run that stuff because they didn’t grow up running iPhones, etc.”

He stated that he had a much quicker transition time hiring and training young people from high schools or engineering schools for jobs in Philadelphia. “Technology education is the key,” he said.

Joseph mayor Dennis Sands said he had talked with Hays about the project in the past.

“Tyler has a lot of great ideas and I’m very pleased to see that he’s moving ahead,” Sands said. “Once he gets started, I think he’ll go gangbusters.”

Susan Roberts came away from the meeting feeling positive about what she heard.

“I was optimistic listening to him talk,” she said. “I think it’s good to have someone come back and want to do something for their hometown. Twenty to 30 jobs is very meaningful for us and we’ll help him any way we can.”

During a phone interview the day following the luncheon, Hays again emphasized his commitment to do his part to maintain the rural nature and values of the area.

“Even though I made my name in New York, I grew up here, my family’s here and I’m very much a local,” he said. “I want to make this clear: M. Crow is here for creating Wallowa County jobs and saving our county’s heritage and what we have now.”

Hays said he thought the community response to his plan was overwhelmingly positive.

“It seemed like everyone was real inspired by it, and I got a lot of great comments and connections – all kinds of stuff,” he said.