Washington Business Fall 2019 | Washington Business | Page 15

eye on business
Seeking Solutions at the 50-Yard Line
Kris Johnson, AWB President
Richland native and former Defense Secretary
James Mattis saw many of our nation’s adversaries
up close during his long and distinguished career in
the Marine Corps, and during his time leading the
defense department.
Yet, Mattis wrote recently in a Wall Street Journal op-ed
that what’s most concerning to him as a military man is not
our external adversaries, but our internal divisiveness.
“We are dividing into hostile tribes cheering against
each other, fueled by emotion and a mutual disdain that
jeopardizes our future, instead of rediscovering our
common ground and finding solutions,” Mattis wrote.
Unfortunately, I suspect this resonates with many AWB
members. Instead of looking for solutions to problems that
face our state, we see our leaders too often looking to score
points and rack up political “wins.”
Political adversaries have always done battle, but — to use
a football analogy — more of the scrimmaging used to take
place between the 20-yard lines. Today, it seems as if the
middle of the field has become empty as political foes race
to the edges. The two sides are becoming more extreme. The
game is shifting to the end zones.
Washington employers identified this as a problem several
years ago. That’s why AWB is working hard to play the role of
convener, to bring together diverse groups and work toward
solutions on issues that impact our economy and quality of
place. There’s a void in the middle, and we’re trying to fill it.
Employers meet their customers at the 50-yard line, and if
they don’t a customer moves on.
This is difficult, and sometimes uncomfortable work.
Frankly, it’s often easier to just say “no” to policy proposals
that threaten employers or the economy than it is to roll up
our sleeves and look for creative solutions.
The good news is employers are uniquely positioned to do
this kind of work. It’s what you do every day. You meet your
customers where they are, address their needs and solve their
problems with your goods and services. If you don’t, you don’t
stay in business long.
So, how have we played the role of convener?
Recognizing that rural parts of the state were not
recovering from the recession at the same pace as the
urban centers, we organized a series of Rural Jobs summits
throughout the state over the last three years. The summits
brought together lawmakers from both sides of the aisle, as
well as policy makers, industry leaders and local community
leaders to talk about the issue and explore solutions.
Similarly, we recognized that housing affordability and
availability has become a major issue in communities
throughout the state. That led us to organize a Housing Forum
in July that brought together more than 200 people to identify
the causes and brainstorm potential solutions.
We worked alongside no fewer than nine partner
organizations to host the event, including public- and private-
sector associations representing everyone from cities and
counties to home builders and renters.
A few weeks later, we hosted our third Federal Affairs
Summit, bringing together members of Washington’s
congressional delegation from both parties for an event at
the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
I had the privilege of moderating a panel discussion on
the topic of bipartisanship with U.S. Reps. Dan Newhouse
and Derek Kilmer. Although the congressmen come from
different political parties, it was clear they share much
common ground, including a desire to work together.
Seeking solutions isn’t always easy, but it’s worth
the effort. As a result of our efforts, we’re seeing more
organizations expressing a desire to partner with us on
events like the Housing Forum. And more lawmakers, from
both parties, are seeking to engage with our government
affairs staff.
We have a long way to go, but we’re determined to keep
searching for solutions. Because, as Secretary Mattis wrote,
we all know that we’re better than our current politics.
fall 2019
15