Current conditions unavailable
More than 40 years ago, a group of Centralia business owners known as Centralians Inc. had the forethought to realize that the economic lifeblood of the area, the nearby coal mine, might one day close.
They had hopes of developing an industrial district that could sustain the area even without coal.
On Tuesday, Sept. 16, 1986, with voter approval, they established the Port of Centralia.
That's the way Port of Centralia Executive Director Amy Graber told the story this week during a 40th anniversary celebration at the site of one of the port's very own tenants.
“They realized that this location was a good location for industrial development,” Graber said. “They realized that the mine could eventually close, and that Centralia would need other industry to come if that was to happen.”
Port staff and commissioners hosted their celebration at Dick’s Brewing Co. late Thursday afternoon just a couple hundred feet from its own headquarters on Galvin Road and at the center of Port Park 1, the foundation of what is today an expansive and diversified port.
Graber, who has worked for the port for more than 20 years, shared a brief history of the port during the open house event and welcomed some of its earliest contributors. She and other port officials welcomed locals and officials from other local governments, including the Port of Chehalis, the City of Centralia and the Centralia School District.
She gave special recognition to some of the children of the original port commissioners — Bob Thompson, Art Lehman and Gene Groshong — as well as to the port’s longtime attorney Larry Fagerness, who was recruited by Thompson. Fagerness helped the business owners with the legal work necessary to found the port and has been the port’s attorney virtually since its founding.
At the same time, he has been a port tenant for more than 20 years, occupying an office in the port’s administration building since the building was completed in 1998. After a full career working alongside the port, Fagerness will close his practice and enter retirement by the end of the year.
Reflecting on it all, Fagerness said he was happy to see how many businesses have come to the port and also how many locals have become active with the port commission.
“Our first 20 years, we had nobody that attended the meeting, other than just the commissioners and maybe the staff,” Fagerness said. “I think it's good that in the last 15 or 20 years, we've had (more) public participation.”
Having served with the port for just over half of its existence, Graber said before her brief speech that she hoped to “show the community what we have built together.” Later, she went on to name many of the district's longest tenured occupants and its many accomplishments over the years.
“When the port was established, who knew in 40 years that we would have over 30 tenants, over 2,500 jobs, and that we’re continuing that momentum?” she said.
She also took the opportunity to announce that the development of a Chick-fil-A location in Port Park 3, commonly known as Centralia Station, is a done deal, with the national fast food chain expected to close on the purchase of the property to the south of WinCo Foods on Friday.
With his own remarks, Port Commissioner Peter Lahmann shared his experience with the port, recalling having voted in favor of the port's establishment just over 40 years ago. He added that when he first started his now eight-year stint as a port commissioner, he thought he and others could “straighten this up in six months or a year.”
“Well, eight years later, you know, we're straightening it up,” he said.
When asked about changes to the port in just the last year — and the progress it has made from contentious meetings and difficult relationships with other local governments — Lahmann said he believed the problems were communication issues at their root.
“We just had communication issues, and we seem to have resolved those,” Lahmann said. “I mean, we're talking with the county, we're talking with the city.”
Graber shared a similar sentiment, first honoring the actions of previous port officials and employees before speaking to the renewed relationships between the port and neighboring local governments.
“Building relationships with the Economic Alliance, the Chamber of Commerce, and just trying to move forward collaboratively,” Graber said. “I think that's a big change that people are seeing this year going forward.”
The change from a contentious to a calm and collaborative environment at the port’s meetings came as Graber was selected to take over the director position from Kyle Heaton, whose contract was terminated by port commissioners after 24 years of service in December 2025.
The firing came shortly after Port Commissioner Ally Pickard defeated incumbent Julie Shaffley in the November election. In the time since, former Port Commissioner Kyle Markstrom resigned. He was recently replaced by the newest commissioner, Joel Cummings. Pickard, Lahmann and Cummings now compose the remade Port of Centralia Commission.
According to Graber’s history, the Port of Centralia was founded in 1986, and the first years were dedicated to administrative work establishing the port master plan and other details before the district began purchasing real estate.
In 1988, the port district began receiving revenue on a small property tax levy, which it still collects today. Between its founding and 1990, it began purchasing property along Galvin Road.
Graber shared that port records show the first port building was at 3802 Galvin Road. It was originally built for Rainier Sportswear and eventually hosted The Chronicle’s printing presses. Today, it houses Price Container.
In 2006, the port announced a second industrial park to the east of Harrison Avenue, which is known today as Port Park 2. That park now hosts large buildings for Michaels, Scott Industries and many others.
Starting in 2010, the port started considering further expansion and diversifying away from industrial districts, which eventually resulted in Centralia Station and its infrastructure, including Art Lehman Drive and the Interstate 5 overpass south of Mellen Street.
The port is continuing to seek new tenants for Centralia Station, including Chick-fil-A and likely Valvoline. They also hope to bring a Wilco Farm Store to the park in the coming year.
In recent months, as the port has negotiated with the city to allow the construction of warehouses in Parks 1 and 2, the government has also begun speaking of further small business development throughout the City of Centralia. While nothing is official, port officials have discussed looking at development for the north end of Tower Avenue or the old Papa Pete’s location near the Interstate 5 Harrison Avenue off-ramp.
For a look at the timeline of the port’s history, visit https://portofcentralia.com/history.
