The general manager decided on Arlington because city officials were welcoming.

“They put up walls,” he said of other communities. “They told me all the things I couldn’t do.”

Some places told him he couldn’t build there, and others said he would have to pay $1 million to improve infrastructure.

He specifically mentioned Arlington City Administrator Paul Ellis as being especially helpful.

“What are the barriers I can help you solve?” he quoted Ellis as saying.

The business was renting in Fife, and it liked being near the Port of Tacoma, but it was costly. He didn’t want to move this far north, but everywhere else was too expensive.

For his business to be successful, DeFosse said there needs to be industrial and commercial growth, and this area has those. He said highway construction and energy development also are good customers.

He talked with the Port of Everett and found out they are planning to expand. He’s also excited about being near Boeing. DeFosse’s target area goes all the way to British Columbia, and he sees a lot of growth that direction in the future.

He said many businesses have stores north and south of Seattle because it’s a “train wreck” there, and customers hate dealing with the traffic. So he still has kept some associates in the Fife area to help deal with customers they already have to the south.

The Arlington facility is in a refurbished 23,000-square-foot building on four acres at 19602 60th Ave. NE. It will offer new and used cranes and heavy equipment as well as cranes for long-term rental purchase options.

Western Pacific carries parts and accessories for cranes and boom trucks. The business has technicians to do repairs or other work needed on cranes.

For details, call 253-254-7950 or go to www.wpcrane.com.