Lafarge & Egge Celebrates New Facility Expansion
Celebrate what you want to see more of.
Tom Peters, Author of In Search of Excellence.
New Year tradition holds that it is a time to begin work toward our ambitions, not a time for realizing them. Well, the team at Lafarge & Egge upended that tradition and celebrated achieving some lofty goals just before the New Year got underway. In December, they hosted a ribbon-cutting and grand opening for their new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Everett, WA. Part of the construction funding came from a 2024 Commerce Evergreen Manufacturing Growth Grant, supporting expansion of Washington’s key industries, including aerospace, maritime, clean tech, and more.
The Washington State Department of Commerce established the Evergreen Manufacturing Grants to accelerate manufacturing job growth and economic opportunity across the state, with a focus on rural communities. These grants support specific business expansion projects and are awarded to proposals submitted by local economic development groups, referred to as state Associate Development Organizations (ADOs).
The Evergreen Manufacturing grants support the Building Economic Strength Through Manufacturing (BEST) Act passed by the Washington Legislature in 2021 to provide a framework for adding 300,000 new manufacturing jobs over the ensuring 10 years. Commerce awarded the first round of program grants in April 2023. This award was part of the second round of program grants announced in March 2024.
Deeply rooted in Washington
Established in Snohomish County in 1962, Lafarge & Egge was originally a tube-bending supplier for Boeing and other aerospace companies. Today, the company supports manufacturers across various applications and industries. L&E now builds vertically integrated precision tubing and machined components for the space, medical, communications, defense industries, and other emerging sectors, such as electric and hydrogen infrastructure and transportation.
Over the past few years, this sustained growth spurred a need for construction, with LaFarge & Egge needing new, state-of-the-art equipment, as well as to make room for more employees. The project supports the company’s plan to scale the business two-fold by expanding the manufacturing space and workforce and to modernize its technology by implementing a more sustainable manufacturing process.
Teamwork makes the dream work
The Economic Alliance Snohomish County applied for the $200,000 Evergreen Manufacturing Grant on behalf of the Lafarge & Egge project. This grant funded infrastructure such as architectural design, permitting and power upgrades in support of this expansion. The new facility marks an innovative step in expanding their capabilities. As production and demand increases in 2025, staffing for the new 38,000-square-foot facility on Hardeson Road in Everett should nearly double, to about 60 employees.
As the New Year begins, LaFarge & Egge enjoys its celebration for a job well done. Their next new beginning lies in the work to expand production as well as their employee ranks. Congratulations goes to owner and CEO Paul Raidna, company president Bryan Lutrell, GM Tyler Haist, along with the LaFarge & Egge staff, The Economic Alliance of Snohomish County, Snohomish County and the City of Everett, who supported these efforts.
Learn More
Start Up Washington is a Small Business Training & Education Center administered by the Washington State Department of Commerce. It is a clearinghouse of accurate, actionable information entrepreneurs and business owners can use to build a successful enterprise in Washington State. Learn more about the Evergreen Manufacturing Grants and other ways to gain funding by visiting the website’s Access to Capital section.