KALAMA, Wash. – The first bottle maker to operate in our region in more than 30 years will open this week, adding 90 jobs to the troubled economy.

The 175,000 square foot plant at the Port of Kalama will operate 24 hours a day, churning out more than 230 bottles per minute. One worker said he felt very lucky to have the job; not only was the work interesting but it doubled his wage to $24 an hour.

The local construction company that built the factory said low-cost hydropower and available workers attracted Cameron Family Glass of Pennsylvania to open the plant.

And the ingredients are there for more factories just like it.

"Industry-wise, this could be potentially a place to have glass industry," said Matt Ouellette of JH Kelly Construction. "If we can really convince people that this is the place to build, that's what we want."

He adds that his company is already in talks with other bottle manufacturers interested in building more glass factories to serve the region's wine industry.