Business booms at Hayden industrial park

Ken Ela doesn’t play the flute. He doesn’t play the violin or saxophone, either.

“But I’m the leader of the band,” he said with a laugh. “I seem to make it play together pretty well.”

Ela has been in business in North Idaho since 1979, when he established Mid-Mountain Land & Timber.

As the timber business became more mechanized in the late ‘90s, Ela was faced with a choice: Make a huge investment into new equipment or transition into a different kind of business.

He chose the latter, and in the fall of 2000, he purchased the land that would become the Warren K. Industrial Park in Hayden.

The 71-acre project is a commercial and light industrial development that currently accommodates more than 75 businesses, with room for a few more.

Lots range in size from half an acre to multiple acres. Buildings are designed and constructed to meet the needs of the business that will operate there, large or small.

“The project started with our vision of making a community for small businesses,” said Wendee Ela, who is married to Ken and deeply involved in the business.

A range of businesses have set up shop in the Warren K. Industrial Park, from pickleball paddle manufacturer Selkirk Sport to Rocky Mountain Construction, which builds roller coasters.

Some businesses in the development employ just one or two people, while others have more than a hundred employees.

In the early days, Ela added one or two buildings to the development per year. Then the Great Recession hit, and with it came a six-year stretch in which no new buildings were constructed.

“It wasn’t a lot of fun,” Ela said.

Demand has gradually increased in recent years. Fewer than 10 industrial lots are left.

“They sell themselves,” Ela said.

The development has many qualities that attract businesses, from the infrastructure that includes wide streets, three-phase electric power and high-speed internet to the versatility of the buildings, which can accommodate a range of industries.

“That flexibility has been one of the main success factors,” he said.

When it comes to construction, Ela has worked with many of the same subcontractors for more than two decades.

“It makes doing this business simpler,” he said. “I depend heavily on my subcontractors.”

Wendee Ela pointed to the community that’s come together in the Warren K. Industrial Park as another reason for its longevity.

“The park is a success because of all the small businesses who have invested here and continued to work hard,” she said.

Ela said he expects to fill the last lots within the next few years. After that, new projects will likely beckon, though they haven’t taken shape yet.

“I’m not too crazy about retiring,” he said.