Research and Project Management
The Research Services Team provides research and project management assistance to teams within the Washington State Department of Commerce as well as other state and local agencies. The team holds a wide range of policy review, stakeholder engagement, data analysis, project development, and research expertise.
Project Highlights

Interbay Public Development Advisory Board Committee
In 2018, under enacted SSB 6095, Section 1004 (10), the Department of Commerce was tasked by the Legislature to explore potential future uses of the Interbay Property located in Seattle’s Ballard-Interbay manufacturing industrial center that was being used as a readiness center by the Washington National Guard (Guard). The Interbay Public Development Advisory Committee’s Recommendations and Implementation Plan The Governor and Legislature appointed members of the Interbay Public Development Advisory

Independent Contractor Study Final Report (PDF)
In 2019, Research Services published its final report on independent contractor employment in Washington state, making key findings about the prevalence of independent contract work, the earnings and benefits of independent contractors, their experiences and needs, and the state of existing data systems related to independent contract work.

Unreinforced Masonry Building Inventory
At the close of the 2017-2018 legislative session, the Washington State Legislature directed the Department of Commerce , in cooperation with the Department of Archeology and Historic Preservation (DAHP), to initiate an inventory of unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings in Washington state, excluding single-family housing. Commerce and DAHP convened a 28-member advisory committee and contracted for a seismic study of unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings. This undertaking included inventorying and categorizing the
Research Services
Contact
Alice Zillah, Research Services Manager
Email: Alice.Zillah@Commerce.wa.gov
Phone: 360-725-5035