At least $577 million in Spokane County manufacturing facility investments, developments, and expansions are planned, underway, or have wrapped up since July by major regional employers including Kaiser Aluminum Corp., Jubilant HollisterStier LLC, and Solstice Advanced Materials Inc.

Spokane Valley Tech and Skills Center high school has emerged as a steady source of talent for Spokane manufacturers by providing hands-on training and exposure to career and employment opportunities in the Inland Northwest.

After a pause during the pandemic, Kaiser Aluminum Corp. is rolling forward again, finishing a $25 million expansion to its Trentwood rolling mill, the latest phase in the company’s long-term investments that have infused $415 million into the Spokane Valley plant over the past two decades.

A state investment aimed at adding and retaining high-value manufacturing jobs complements a $30 million private investment for an expansion at Mercer Mass Timber LLC in Spokane Valley, a move local leaders say will anchor the company’s future in the region and strengthen Washington state’s manufacturing industry.

Jubilant HollisterStier LLC’s third sterile fill-finish line at its Spokane facility is now beginning commercial production, the pharmaceutical contract manufacturer announced last week.

When Best Buy Co., Inc. approached JD Claridge to ask if his company, XCraft Enterprises Inc., could potentially step in as the retailer phased out Chinese-made drones, Claridge seized the opportunity, landing a $1 million purchase order that could put the Hayden-based manufacturer on the national stage.

Despite selling close to half a million nonelectric handgun retention devices in the last year, many StopBox USA LLC customers are only now discovering the company operates in Spokane Valley.