Advancing Business
Across the State
Our mission to serve as a catalytic leader and unifying voice for economic prosperity throughout Washington drove us forward in 2023 .
It led us to continue advocating for employers in Olympia and Washington , D . C . To keep connecting employers with each other , with lawmakers and with their communities . To continue striving for solutions to the challenges facing our members .
Sometimes , this means acting in highly visible ways , like traveling the state for the seventh-annual Manufacturing Week bus tour , or the child care bus tour that we embarked on last summer .
Just as often , it means serving members in less obvious ways , like enabling an employer to provide health insurance to a new employee for the first time . Or introducing an entrepreneur to a business leader from across the state , helping build a new business relationship .
The common denominator in all of this is action . We ’ re constantly moving forward , launching new initiatives and building on prior successes .
In 2023 , action meant listening to hundreds of Washingtonians about their vision for the state as we draft an economic map to 2040 .
It meant joining with other advocates to help pass a record number of housing-related bills in the Legislature .
And it meant launching a new email newsletter for manufacturers , delivering the state ’ s first State of Manufacturing address and hosting the first-ever state civics bee finals , underscoring the importance of civics education to the next generation .
Those are just a few of the highlights from an action-packed year . We can ’ t wait to continue working with you .
Kris Johnson , President , AWB
David Rankin , Board Chair , AWB