Washington Business Fall 2019 | Washington Business | Page 10

from the chair
It’s Time to Pull Together
Fran Forgette
I became chair of AWB’s board in September during the annual
Policy Summit at Suncadia Resort, just outside of Cle Elum in
Kittitas County. It was a fitting location.
As I think about serving as chair for the next year, I can’t help
but think back about a previous time in Kittitas County more than
40 years ago when I was a young law student working a summer
internship in the office of Kittitas County Prosecutor Joe Panattoni.
I learned plenty about the law that summer in Ellensburg, but
that wasn’t the most important part of my time there. Joe Panattoni
had three daughters, whom I met that summer. The eldest, Debbie,
and I eventually both found ourselves in the Tri-Cities not long after
my internship.
Now, after nearly 40 years of marriage and two children, it’s fair
to say this part of the state holds a special place in my heart. So, I
was grateful not only to become chair of the board of the state’s
oldest and largest business association, but to do it in a beautiful
and meaningful location.
I enter my term as chair of AWB’s board with great enthusiasm.
These are challenging times for employers, but I believe AWB is bet-
ter positioned than ever to serve our members. By emphasizing the
need to seek solutions, and not just to say “no,” the organization is
more relevant than it’s ever been.
The initiative and leadership displayed by the Rural Jobs Summits
of the last few years and this summer’s Housing Forum are just two
examples of ways AWB is bringing people together and seeking solutions.
It’s clear to me that AWB is moving in the right direction. More than that, I believe AWB is on a roll.
And AWB isn’t just well-positioned to serve our members, but Washington’s communities, too. It’s no accident
that “Place” is one of the five pillars of AWB’s strategic plan, along with Achieve, Connect, Employ and Compete.
Building and protecting our sense of place is a core value for this organization that I’ve been part of for more
than a decade.
At the same time, it’s clear to me that these are extraordinary times. The level of divisiveness in our state and
our nation is deeply concerning. Political discord seems to be at an all-time high, with politicians, pundits and
everyday citizens dividing into opposing camps on social media and around the dinner table at family gatherings.
The coming year no doubt holds great challenges as lawmakers take up debates over taxes, employment law,
climate policy, health care and other issues. But I’m confident AWB and our members are up to the task.
It’s important to remember that AWB is a statewide organization, with a mission to promote economic pros-
perity in every part of the state. I have lived parts of my life on both sides of the mountains, growing up in Seattle
before moving to Spokane to attend Gonzaga University School of Law and then settling in the Tri-Cities.
I can attest that we do indeed have two sides to the state. In some respects, they are very different.
But I believe we only truly succeed when we all succeed. Urban and rural, Democrat and Republican and
otherwise.
This is a time to pull together.
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