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QB Fabrication Welding credits Clackamas County grant, Enterprise Zone support for equipment purchases and hires
Summary
A QB Fabrication Welding representative told a county forum that a Clackamas County Economic Development grant and the Enterprise Zone program helped the company buy a press brake and angle master, hire a CNC operator and expand production capacity while committing to remain in Clackamas County.
A representative of QB Fabrication Welding said the company used support from Clackamas County Economic Development to buy new equipment, hire a CNC operator and boost capacity while planning to remain and expand in Clackamas County.
The presenter, representing QB Fabrication Welding, said the family-founded company has operated for more than 38 years and has been located in Clackamas County for over a decade. “We have over 38 full-time employees,” the presenter said, adding the business has grown “over 70%” as it seeks to expand production of transmission towers and substation components for clients including Bonneville Power Administration, Portland General Electric, Wilson Construction and Northwestern Energy.
The speaker said they learned of a Clackamas County Economic Development email noting a $600,000 lottery-funded pool was available for grants to manufacturing companies to support capital investment, equipment, workforce training or expansion. According to the presenter, a county grant helped the company purchase a new press brake and an “angle master,” equipment that the presenter said has reduced bottlenecks from older machinery.
The presenter said the grant support also enabled the company to hire a dedicated CNC press brake operator who is currently in training and that existing staff have been learning to operate the new equipment. “We’ve actually been able to get a CNC press brake operator as well, too, that’s dedicated for that and currently in training,” the presenter said.
The speaker described the site as “about five acres” and gave an unclear production estimate in the transcript — the presenter said “we can produce here about half a million thousand pounds of steel” for tower components. The exact production-capacity figure was not specified in the record.
The representative praised the County’s Enterprise Zone program and WorkSource connections for helping the company find skilled workers, and said QB Fabrication is actively looking for land and buildings in Clackamas County to continue growing. The presenter expressed a long-term commitment to the county and ambitions to expand internationally and become a leading U.S. utility manufacturer.
The remarks concluded without a recorded vote or formal action; the presentation summarized how county economic-development resources and program support contributed to recent equipment purchases, hiring and operational changes at the company.
