washington business
“I just really respected him,” she said. “He was very thoughtful, raised legitimate
issues and was straightforward.”
When Agnew went to work for Weyerhaeuser, she became more involved with
AWB and ended up serving as board chair from 2005-06.
“When I first came out to Olympia, AWB was a much smaller organization,”
she said. “Over the years, I’ve watched the changes with the technology and the
growth in membership. He kept taking it to the next level.”
Ultimately, Agnew said she believes Brunell’s strong personal values made
him successful.
“It’s his integrity, honesty and principled leadership,” she said. “His small-town
values and sense of community and sense of fairness. Don is a straight shooter.”
“He’s got a lot of street smarts, or as I call it, country smarts,” Rants said.
Earl Hale, the former executive director of the Washington State Board for
Community and Technical Colleges, met Brunell in 1989 when then-Gov. Mike
Lowry was proposing to merge the state’s vocational technical institutes and
community colleges.
“He’s been the stabilizing force for AWB, which means he’s
been the stabilizing force for business in Washington state.”
— Brad Carlson, president and general manager, Evergreen Memorial Gardens
34 association of washington business