A Hood River "visionary" believes there is a silver lining to the dark economic cloud hovering over the Mid-Columbia region.

Ron Wherry of HR Mtn. Sun, Inc., has outlined a plan to make the Gorge the manufacturing hub for specialty Northwest products, also known as "value-added" goods. His idea is to create a "family" network between Gorge communities to capitalize on their respective strengths in different facets of food production.

"This plan will eventually cover most of the growing areas in the Northwest," said Wherry in his presentation to 42 local and state government leaders and agricultural experts at Wednesday's meeting of the Hood River County Economic Development Committee.

Under Wherry's Columbia Gorge Development Plan:

• Hood River is slated to be the "think tank" by providing the facilities, possibly the Expo Center, for job training and telemarketing services.
• Since The Dalles already has the infrastructure needed for heavy industry and a commercial kitchen for product testing it would be home to research and bulk processing.
• Cascade Locks is billed to serve as the distribution center because of its close proximity to the Portland-metro area.
• On the Washington shore-line, both Bingen and Stevenson would be outfitted with light industrial finishing plants and also provide some of the needed labor force.

"Not all of the products will be grown here but that's okay because if we bring the fruit in and process it, then we put more dollars into Gorge banks," Wherry said.

For example, Wherry told the officials that he is currently working with the Willis Family Farms, Inc., of Hood River to develop an all-natural pear bar that includes coastal cranberries. The product, commercially marketed under the name "Gorge Delights" was developed in partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture.

Construction on its processing plant is expected to begin in The Dalles within two weeks and there has already been a strong interest in the food source from the military and several national wholesale food chains, according to Wherry.

"We could educate some of the many entrepreneurs in the Gorge on what they need to do to market the world," he said.

The consensus of the gathering was that everyone needed to get on the same page to develop a business plan that could be presented as a united effort to potential investors.

"I think we've got enough of a visionary plan that a number of key people can meet and put together an idea and then we can walk it forward," said Wherry.

On Thursday, the Mid-Columbia Economic Development District offered to facilitate a survey of area growers to learn what their actual needs are to develop the best approach and scout out what solutions might already be available through private industry.

Since the June 19 meeting, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs have also stepped forward with a strong interest in funding the $1-2 million common distribution center in Cascade Locks that could also be used for shipment of salmon products.

"This plan would be good for the health of the tribe and of the Gorge communities and is definitely something we would considering buying into," said Leo.

He said the tribe has already decided to purchase as many local Gorge products as possible when it opens a casino and would be willing to promote these goods to other Native American tribes