INL has huge impact on local small businesses

New numbers out of the Idaho National Laboratory show the government center spent nearly $130 million with businesses in Idaho. Most of that was spent in Eastern Idaho, totaling around $96 million.

“When we look for suppliers for the goods and materials that we need, we try to buy here (Idaho),” said Stacey Francis, INL’l small business program manager. “We buy everything from paper clips to nuclear fuel.”

Francis says the INL purposefully looks for opportunities to find supplies among small business owners. “We work really hard with the small business partners that we have,” said Francis. “We’ll invest a lot in them over the course of several years and they become very valuable partners.”

Walsh Engineering in Idaho Falls is one of those companies that regularly works with the INL. “Our services with the INL are design engineering services primarily,” said Stephanie Walsh, the president of the company. “We also do cost estimating services. So it’s architectural, mechanical, electrical, civil structural, and drafting.”

Walsh says while the INL isn’t their only customer, the government lab has helped open up new doors. “It allowed us to grow in areas outside of Idaho Falls,” said Walsh. “The work we do for the INL builds us a company resume for work in other sectors.”