About the Inland Northwest Economic Alliance (INEA)

About the Inland Northwest Economic Alliance (INEA) The Inland Northwest Economic Alliance (INEA) is an alliance of 11 regional economic development agencies representing 15 counties in Northern Idaho and Eastern Washington. The collaborative effort is aimed at building economic growth through enhancing the brand recognition of the Inland Northwest and its communities and showcasing its business value. To learn more, visitwww.inlandnorthwestregion.com

Lewiston, Idaho/Clarkston, Wash. – The Snake River Boat Builders

Lewiston, Idaho/Clarkston, Wash. – The Snake River Boat Builders continued their export outreach efforts with recent trade missions to Sweden and Norway. The Snake River Boat Builders Export Program aims to develop viable foreign markets for the welded-­‐aluminum jet boat manufacturers and suppliers located in the greater Lewiston, Idaho/Clarkston, Washington region. The Snake River Boat Builders Export Program is a great example of successful collaboration between members of a dynamic manufacturing cluster and the economic development community of the Lewiston/Clarkston region. More details are available at www.snakeriverboats.com.

Spokane, Wash. – The Washington Health Benefit Exchange

Spokane, Wash. – The Washington Health Benefit Exchange will open a call center in September 2013 for Washington Healthplanfinder, the state’s new online health insurance marketplace launching this fall. The call center will create 60 jobs and will be operated by Faneuil, Inc., a recognized leader in multi-­‐ channel customer care services. More information can be found at http://wahbexchange.org.

AstaReal Technologies and Fuji Chemical Industry announce a new manufacturing facility in Moses Lake, WA

PRESS RELEASE

Embargo: July 15th, 2013

AstaReal Technologies and Fuji Chemical Industry announce a new manufacturing facility in Moses Lake, WA

(Moses Lake, July 15th, 2013) Fuji Chemical Industry, AstaReal Technologies Inc., Grant County, and the City of Moses Lake jointly announced today that AstaReal Technologies Inc. will build a microalgae based biotechnological manufacturing plant for the production of natural astaxanthin in Moses Lake, Washington.

During the initial construction phase, $30 million will be invested and 45 permanent local jobs will be created. Fuji established its manufacturing subsidiary, AstaReal Technologies, Inc., in order to expand its astaxanthin business in the United States.

In line with its philosophy to contribute to the health of people all over the world, Fuji decided to build the astaxanthin factory in the City of Moses Lake in Grant County primarily because of the abundant water resource and competitive costs of renewable hydropower energy. A skilled labor force, an open culture welcoming to Japanese companies, and supportive local and state governments were also contributing factors for the decision to locate in Moses Lake.

“Astaxanthin is an effective anti-inflammatory agent for living organisms. We want to make people healthier and happier by delivering astaxanthin raw materials for health foods to people across the world.” said Mitsunori Nishida, President and CEO of Fuji Chemical Industry. “We see the 21st century as the era of anti-aging. We believe that preventive medicine will play an even greater role in future of healthcare as advances in anti-aging and lifestyle disease research drive improvements both in the treatment and prevention of disease and illness. To that end, we have succeeded in realizing the world's first industrial production of natural astaxanthin which is both safe and high in antioxidant potency. We have devoted more efforts than any other research organization in advancing astaxanthin research.”

Grant County, the City and Port of Moses Lake, the Grant County Economic Development Council, and the Washington State Department of Commerce worked cooperatively with Fuji over the past year to help this visionary manufacturing facility become a reality.

“We are pleased that Fuji and AstaReal have decided to make Moses Lake and Grant County the home of this one-of-a-kind manufacturing process,” said Moses Lake Mayor Bill Ecret.

AstaReal Technologies will produce natural astaxanthin using state of the art photo-bioreactors to cultivate microalgae. AstaReal has been developing its technology for astaxanthin since the 1990s. This technology is the key to manage the environment of microalgae in order to realize a stable production of high quality natural astaxanthin. The natural astaxanthin produced in Moses Lake will be marketed in the United States and worldwide through Fuji’s various subsidiaries.

The manufacturing plant is anticipated to be completed and start operation in the third quarter of 2014. AstaReal Technologies plans to hire 45 skilled people as manufacturing operators, quality control, facilities maintenance and administration. Most employees will be hired locally in mid-2014.

President Nishida said “We are honored to be a community member of Grant County and the City of Moses Lake. We believe that this community will experience significant grow and want to contribute to this future development. This 30 million dollar investment shows our strong commitment to the future of this community.”

About Fuji Chemical Industry and AstaReal

Fuji Chemical Industry, established in 1946, is a Japanese pharmaceutical company whose businesses are the production and sales of pharmaceutical products, contract manufacturing of pharmaceutical and bulk pharmaceutical products, and the production and sales of food additives. Currently Fuji Chemical and its subsidiary companies sell their products in more than 20 countries. AstaReal is the global brand name of Fuji’s astaxanthin business.

Important note: This press release contains statements on future developments that are based on currently available information and that involve risks and uncertainties that could lead to actual results deviating from these forward-looking statements. The statements on future developments are not to be understood as guarantees. The future developments and events are dependent on a number of factors; they include various risks and unanticipated circumstances and are based on assumptions that may not be correct. These risks and uncertainties include, for example, unforeseeable changes in political, economic and business conditions, particularly in the area of the competitive situation, interest rate and currency developments, technological developments and other risks and unanticipated circumstances. It is not intended to update these forward-looking statements.

AstaReal Technologies, Inc. | 210 E. Third Avenue, Suite C, Moses Lake, Moses Lake, WA 98837 USA T: +1-509-855-4370 | F: +1-509-765-9073

Clearwater County, Idaho – The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program

Clearwater County, Idaho – The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program is coming to North Idaho thanks to a combined effort between private businesses, grant-­‐making organizations and the Idaho Legislature. The program will be located at the former Pierce Elementary School campus and will initially add 24 full-­‐time positions with the potential of adding up to 23 more. The program includes a 22-­‐week residential phase that focuses on education and life skills training for Idaho high school dropouts, followed by a yearlong mentoring phase. The first class is expected to begin in January 2014. For more information about the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program, visit www.ngycp.org.

Spokane, Wash. – Hospice of Spokane

Spokane, Wash. – Hospice of Spokane recently broke ground on its second Hospice House. The 13,000-­‐ square-­‐foot home will have 12 private bedrooms, space for visiting family members, a dining room, great room and a children’s play area. Construction is scheduled to be complete in spring 2014. More information about Hospice of Spokane is available athttp://hospiceofspokane.org.

Lewiston, Idaho – Howell Machine

Lewiston, Idaho – Howell Machine, a full service machine shop for the ammunition industry, has added more than 200 employees since 2010, with a total workforce of more than 250 and growing. This growth can be attributed, in part, to improved infrastructure to the south side of the Lewiston-­‐Nez Perce County Regional Airport, which as made possible by grants through CEDA and Valley Vision from the EDA, USDA and Idaho Department of Commerce. The City of Lewiston, Nez Perce County and Airport Authority provided matching funds. For more information, visit www.howellmachine.com.

Pullman, Wash. – Construction of the Palouse Business Center has begun.

Pullman, Wash. – Construction of the Palouse Business Center has begun. The 43-­‐acre business park is designed with sustainability and green initiatives to provide unique development opportunities for businesses. The park will consist of 21 large, medium and small commercial lots and is expected to be complete in late fall 2013. For more information, visit http://palousebusinesscenter.com.