U.S. Department of Energy: Washington sharing $2.6 million grant to improve energy efficiency
Washington is one of six states that will share in $2.6 million in grants awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy to update state building codes and improve energy efficiency standards.  The DOE supported, state-led projects will focus on building utility scale energy capacity from renewables and demand reduction, as well as advanced building energy codes.

Washington State Brownfields and Land Revitalization Conference
The Washington Department of Ecology's Toxics Cleanup Program will host the state's first-ever Brownfields Conference in Tacoma on Oct. 21 and 22. Network and exchange ideas with over 350 professionals including: Ecology's top cleanup leaders, national academic experts, development professionals, and local government representatives as we explore how cleanup can foster economic vitality and sustainable land-use planning.

State-certified export workshop offers international trade skills to businesses and professionals
Business owners, managers and employees, and career professionals can gain international trade skills by attending “Exporting in the Flat World” Sept. 29 – Oct. 1. The course, certified by the Washington State Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development (CTED), will take place at Highline Community College in Des Moines, Wash.

San Juan County Economic Development Council awarded Rural Opportunity Fund Grant
The San Juan County Economic Development Council (SJC-EDC) was awarded a $30,000 Rural Opportunity Fund (ROF) Grant from the Washington State Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development (CTED). This grant was awarded to fund feasibility studies of possible sites for the San Juan Islands Agricultural Guild’s (Ag Guild) Permanent Farmers Market project that will be located on San Juan Island.  

Report Names Washington’s Tacoma and Olympia in Top 10 Cities for Job Creation
The Milken Institute/Greenstreet Real Estate Partners Best Performing Cities Index ranked Tacoma and Olympia in the top 10 largest metro cities for job creation. In addition, Bellingham was named eighth in the smallest metros ranking. The report ranks U.S. metropolitan areas by how well they are creating and sustaining jobs and economic growth.  The components include job, wage and salary and technology growth.

Peninsula Daily News: Team Jefferson's first year outlined for county commissioners
Team Jefferson's job is to create avenues to economic development in Jefferson County. "We're not going to create jobs . . . businesses create jobs," said Katherine Baril, WSU Port Hadlock Extension executive director, who supervises the county's contracted economic development agency. Baril addressed the Jefferson County commissioners on Monday, detailing Team Jefferson's progress over the past year.

Everett Daily Herald: County a bright spot, Gregoire reports
The governor tells a work force conference that Snohomish County is a positive example of the accomplishments of economic development.

Winners of Economic Development and Workforce Best Practices awards announced
Gov. Chris Gregoire today announced the winners of the 2008 Economic Development and Workforce Best Practices awards. Five projects were recognized as models of success in workforce and economic development at the Governor’s Economic and Workforce Development Conference.

WWU Receives $125,000 Grant to Develop New Hydrofoil for Kitsap Ferry
Western Washington University's Engineering Technology program has received a $125,000 grant to build a hydrofoil that will be used on a new passenger ferry being built for Kitsap Transit by Bellingham's All American Marine.

ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston, Ochoa Foods Announce New Joint Venture
ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston, the largest potato company in North America with annual sales exceeding $2 billion, and Ochoa Foods, a privately owned potato processing company based in Boise, Idaho, announced that they have entered into a new joint venture. The two companies will form a 50/50 joint venture to operate Ochoa Foods' current potato processing plant in Warden, Wash.