Christopher Poulos, the new executive director of the Washington Statewide Reentry Council, recently testified in favor of a Fair Chance Employment ordinance in Spokane. The ordinance passed by the Spokane City Council delays employer inquiry into an applicant’s criminal record until after an interview takes place, with some public safety exceptions. “This measure gives people who have paid their debt to society a better chance at obtaining gainful employment and successfully reintegrating…
Poverty affects all of us. However, the more we understand the dynamics of poverty, the greater the opportunity for us to create stronger communities where everyone can live well. Bridges Out of Poverty trainings and Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin’-By World workgroups are designed to do just that. Serving as a catalyst, the Department of Commerce started working with WorkFirst Local Planning Area Partnerships (LPAs) and others to deliver both…
Washington’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program recently provided a $900,000 economic opportunity grant that will deliver flexible and affordable financial assistance to an estimated 30 eligible microenterprise farmers in Skagit County. The funding will help with purchasing on-farm infrastructure and equipment. This project not only promotes economic vitality in this rural community, but also provides fresh food to area food banks. Read more
An $858,409 loan and $113,776 grant from Commerce’s Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB) to the city of Wenatchee for the McKittrick Street extension project will support a $2.4 million private partner investment and create an estimated 90 jobs. The CERB funds are matched by $243,296 in local resources. State funding enables the purchase of a right-of-way and partial demolition of a damaged warehouse to make way for Diamond Foundry, LLC to invest $2.4…
Latest U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis data for the third quarter of 2017 shows our state’s personal income growth led the nation, increasing by 1 percent. The country as a whole performed at 0.7 percent. Leading the way for Washington was our information and communication technology sector, accounting for one-third of the income growth due to vesting of employee stocks. Even as robust performance continues to buoy our state’s overall economy, we remain…
Our business development team scored a big win in partnering with the Port of Seattle to co-host the Site Selectors Guild Annual Fall Forum. This group is the primary national association of corporate location consultants, and it was the first time one of their annual professional summits had taken place on the west coast. Other sponsors were Economic Development Council of Seattle-King County, Tri-Cities Development Council (TRIDEC), Economic Development Board…
You may not know that Commerce manages the state’s Lead-Based Paint Program, ensuring that work performed on homes containing lead-based paint is completed safely. According to the Center for Disease Control, lead-based paint is the leading environmental hazard to children under the age of six — far more common than lead water pipes. Lead paint was commonly used in homes built before 1978. KOMO-TV in Seattle ran a great story…
Japan + Seattle A.I. Innovation Meetup 6.0 was an inbound trade mission connecting a dozen Japanese companies, including multinationals Mitsubishi Corporation, Fujitsu and Sojitz, with about 100 members of Washington’s tech startup community. The event is the sixth such business-to-business meetup since Commerce entered into a memorandum of cooperation with Japan and partnered with Tokyo-based Innovation Finders Capital and Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe. Japan is keenly interested in artificial intelligence…
“Making sure every person has a suitable place to live is one of the most critical areas of focus at Commerce.” — Connie Robins, Commerce Deputy Director Hundreds of partners work with Commerce every year to support Washington State Housing Trust Fund and affordable housing projects, strengthening communities all across the state. At the recent Housing Washington Conference in Spokane, Commerce Deputy Director Connie Robins acknowledged the many contributions of…
We congratulate and welcome Katerra to Spokane Valley, Washington! The innovative California-based company will open a 250,000-square-foot plant to make engineered wood products used in its own and potentially other residential developments, including the new Pine Valley Ranch and River House Senior Apartments in Spokane. Working closely with Gov. Inslee and our associate development organization partners at Greater Spokane, Inc., Commerce provided a $150,000 grant from the economic development strategic…