Washington Business Fall 2019 | Washington Business | Page 21

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that are foundational to our region. I mean, I’ll take up one
that probably people thought was dead, and that is in our
forestry. And now because of advanced manufacturing, you
look at CLT (cross-laminated timber), you have a top tier,
venture capital-funded Katerra. And you also have Vaagen
Brothers and Vaagen Timbers. And now you will have the
largest CLT building in the country right here in Spokane.
And so here’s an industry that has had its ups and downs.
And now because we coupled the forestry industry with
advanced manufacturing, the region is going to be at the
forefront of where the built environment will be in the
coming decades.
You look in areas of energy and you look at where we’re
going, I mean we’ve been clean energy for decades. We have
hundred-year-old brochures of Spokane and they nicknamed
us “The Power City.” You know, my City Hall is 50 feet from a
completely carbon-free dam from our investor-owned utility,
Avista. Not to mention the city owns its own dam. We also
have a waste-to-energy facility. And so we’ve been at the
forefront and we’re worldwide leaders.
How do you balance your work and family life?
I don’t. We integrate it. My children have had one of the
most amazing experiences that any child could ask for. They
understand the city they live in. They do not know me except
being the mayor of the city. They take huge civic pride and
civic responsibility. They know more about infrastructure,
and they know more about the issues facing the urban core.
They get exposed to diversity of thought, diversity of culture,
that they would not have been able to be exposed to. And so
we integrate our life. If you balanced it and tried to keep it
separate, that’s not what I want my kids to be. I want them
to be immersed in the city they live in.
was in college. And we sold those when I entered the Army
on graduation.
So, as a kid, you heard directly about challenges
that real-life job-creators were trying to navigate,
whether with the government or whatever, just at
the dinner table?
Oh absolutely. Like I said, my dad started a half dozen
companies. He was a dentist by profession, but started a half
dozen companies... And I did the books. I did all the books
for Santa’s Tree Farm. My degree in college is in finance.
So I’m very familiar with running companies, being part of
companies. I was in a retail business when I was nine years
old trying to sell Christmas trees in parking lots, and so I’m
very familiar with customer satisfaction and employment
issues. And why I differed from some of my mayor colleagues
when I talked about things like minimum wage and sick and
safe leave and other employment law. Whether you’re for it
or against it, having cities start taking over employment law
is a very dangerous place to be. Because in today’s world,
in the 21st century workforce, you can’t have different
employment law at each different city.
What’s next?
Work. I was the second-youngest mayor, so I’m guessing I’m
the second-youngest ex-mayor. I did not take the retirement
benefits of the city on purpose and by philosophy. I’ve got
three kids to send to school. We would like to stay in this
community. And I look forward to working in another
capacity that advances our city, whether that be for a private
company or another public entity. But not immediately in
elected office.
Along those lines, did you grow up in a family
business, or did your parents impact your decision
to get involved in government service?
Yes and yes. So I’m the youngest of nine. Many of my
siblings own their own companies. I started my first
company when I was a sophomore in college. I received my
first paycheck when I was nine years old. I sold Christmas
trees. My dad had a Christmas tree retail business that
today is still operating. My brother just sold it last year,
but the new owners are still operating it. But our family
has everything from construction companies, to dentists,
to construction service companies, to I believe the largest
composting facility in the state of Washington. So I grew
up and then I started my first standalone company when
I was a sophomore. We had coffee shops in Boston when I
david condon at a glance
Mayor of Spokane, 2012-2019
Former deputy director for U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-WA
U.S. Army, 1996-2005
Married to Kristin Condon, father of three
Youngest of nine siblings in a family of entrepreneurs
fall 2019
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