Background

In April 1986, the Business Development Group of Avista Corporation (previously Washington Water Power or WWP) held an economic development summit that attracted over 600 people, including state and federal political leaders from Idaho and Washington. This summit lead to the formation of several new economic development task forces, including Kootenai County’s Jobs Plus, Inc., Spokane County’s Momentum, WWP’s Small City Economic Development Summit program, and The Inland Northwest Partnership.

In 1996, The Inland Northwest Partnership experienced a significant increase in involvement, with over 300 paid members and twenty corporate and government sponsors. In addition, an Advisory Board was formed at the beginning of the year to help lead the organization into the future. At the December 1996 meeting, it was decided to formalize The Inland Northwest Partnership as an organization by incorporating, which led to the revision of the organization’s name to the Inland Northwest Partners (INP). In addition to this change, in 1997 the INP applied to and received from the Internal Revenue Service classification as a 501C3 organization.

Purpose

Like our statement on our home page, the Inland Northwest Partners remains committed to the purpose of fostering a strong economic base in communities throughout Eastern Washington, Northern Idaho, and Northeastern Oregon, and will do so by promoting this region through educational meetings, programs and seminars, to enhance the knowledge about community and economic development and to provide members with a forum to share ideas and experiences.

Program Focus

The Inland Northwest Partners (INP) is a regional non-profit economic development organization comprised of over 300 business and community leaders from throughout Eastern Washington, Northern Idaho, Eastern Montana, and Eastern Oregon. 1999 was again a year of growth for the INP. The organization enjoyed the highest level of paid members ever, and forged new partnerships to broaden the outreach of economic development efforts. Throughout each year, INP quarterly meetings take place throughout Inland Northwest communities. These meetings cover such topics as technology, financing community initiatives, forging regional partnerships, local business expansion and retention, job recruitment, and much more. A complete list of meeting topics can be found on this web site. The highlight of each year is the winter meeting featuring "The Regional Economic Forecast" which draws over 300 attendees.

The Inland Northwest Partner’s success can be attributed to the ongoing support of our investors and members. The INP remains the only organization that brings together both rural and metropolitan community leaders from throughout Northern Idaho and Eastern Washington to discuss common economic concerns and solutions. In addition to hosting four quarterly meetings a year, the INP often partners with local chambers or state organizations to facilitate additional training sessions for members. All members receive a quarterly newsletter highlighting INP training opportunities, regional success stories and a schedule of economic development activities occurring throughout the Northwest. Through these efforts, the Inland Northwest Partners plays an important role in enhancing the long-term economic vitality of all communities in the region.