How Foreign EB-5 Investors Are Creating Jobs and Rebuilding Local Food Economies in Eastern Oregon

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Mar 17, 2026, 11:47 ET

PENDLETON, Ore., March 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- While the federal EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program is often associated with large urban real estate developments, a new flour mill project in rural Oregon highlights how global capital is being deployed to strengthen American manufacturing, rebuild local food supply chains, and create jobs in underserved communities.

Cairnspring Mills' new Blue Mountain Mill, under construction outside of Pendleton, Oregon.

EB5 Visa Investors, an EB-5 Regional Center operator and sponsor, has launched an EB-5 investment offering supporting construction of the new Blue Mountain Mill by Cairnspring Mills at 46721 Tokti Road in Pendleton. The 27,000-square-foot facility is located within a federally designated rural Targeted Employment Area in Umatilla County and is expected to create approximately 557 direct and indirect jobs through construction and operations, including more than 20 full-time local living-wage jobs, while increasing Cairnspring's production capacity more than tenfold.

"All of our farmers use regenerative farming practices that replenish soil health," said Kevin Morse, CEO of Cairnspring Mills. "We pay them a premium over commodity prices, and everything we do is about adding value across the supply chain."

Morse added, "This is exactly the kind of project the EB-5 program was created to support—bringing meaningful jobs to rural communities and helping locally rooted businesses grow."

The project is also attracting interest from U.S.-based H-1B and F-1 visa holders navigating employment-based green card backlogs. Under current law, foreign nationals already living and working in the United States may adjust their status through EB-5 without leaving the country, with rural projects offering priority processing.

Project financing includes institutional lending and private investment alongside participation from prominent investors including Peter Buffett's NoVo Foundation.

"What drew us to this project wasn't just its growth potential—it was what it represents," said Brennen McConnell, Managing Partner of EB5 Visa Investors. "This expansion strengthens American food manufacturing and reflects Congress's intent behind the EB-5 rural set-aside."

Construction began in 2025, with operations expected to commence in Q3 2026.

EB-5 investors in the project benefit from several key protections, including: