Adams County official presented with award from state association

Stephen McFadden, Adams County Economic Development Director and Ritzville resident, was presented with the Emerging Professional Award by the Washington Economic Development Association (WEDA) on March 5.

McFadden, the former publisher and editor of The Ritzville Journal from 2004-2014, was nominated for the award by Jonathan Smith, President of the Yakima County Development Association. On the nomination form, Smith praised McFadden for uniting Adams County “around a shared vision for economic development in the area.”

Smith also highlighted McFadden for working across county lines as one of the founders of the Eastern Washington Economic Development Alliance. The alliance is comprised of four economic development organizations that work collaboratively on business recruitment projects.

Serving as the Adams County Economic Development Director since 2014, McFadden has recently been involved with the development of the Adams-Neilson Solar Farm in Lind, Washington state’s largest solar farm that is capable of producing 28 Megawatts. Smith also credited McFadden for his role in continuing to grow the food processing sector in Othello by “championing the county’s efforts to expand industrial waste water treatment services in the area to allow businesses to grow.”

McFadden has sat on the Big Bend Community College Board of Trustees for the past seven years, where Smith said he was part of the college’s successful efforts to build a new Professional Technical Education Center. According to BBCC, the 76,000-square foot building will be home to the college’s technical education programs, including automotive, welding, fabrication, maintenance mechanics, computer science and STEM programs.

“In less than five years, McFadden has accomplished a lot and has done it in one of the most rural parts of the state,” Smith concluded in his nomination letter.

McFadden said that he was surprised by the award, which he was presented with at the WEDA Winter Conference in Olympia. He said Smith has been one of his mentors since getting involved with economic development in the past five years.

According to WEDA, the Emerging Professional Award “recognizes an individual who is new to the Economic Development Profession or someone who has made a significant change in his or her role … The award will be given to a person who has made a significant contribution to his or her community, is a promising future leader in the industry, or who has become an integral member of his or her community, creating significant support for economic development.

In 2018, McFadden earned the designation of Certified Economic Developer, a national recognition that denotes a mastery of skills in economic development, professional attainment and a commitment to personal and professional growth.