washington business editorial staff
Kris Johnson, Publisher Jason Hagey, Executive Editor Brian Mittge, Staff Writer / Photo Editor Brian Temple, Director of Media & Technology Jay Hember, Senior Art Director Jacqueline Allison, Staff Writer
Peyton DeSanta, Media and Technology Coordinator
awb officers
Jason Thackston, Chair Avista, Spokane
Preston Love, Vice Chair State Farm, Gig Harbor
Megan Hughes, Secretary / Treasurer Barnard Giffin, Richland
Dave Rankin, Immediate Past Chair Rankin Equipment Company, Yakima
awb leadership team
Kris Johnson, President Morgan Irwin, Interim VP, Government Affairs Jason Hagey, VP, Communications Greg Welch, Director of Finance Sean Heiner, Director of Membership
Carly Michael, Director of Member Relations & Events
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What’ s Ahead
A Healthy Reminder about Employer Sponsored Health Insurance
Jason Hagey, Executive Editor
Paying your bills on time. Doing laundry regularly. Going to bed at a reasonable hour. These are just a few signs of successful“ adulting.” The cover story is all about another marker of adulting— health insurance. It may not be the most exciting subject, but any responsible adult can tell you it’ s essential, not only for individuals to have it, but for employers to offer it.
As contributing writer Debbie Ritenour notes beginning on page 28, employer sponsored health insurance has grown from a rarity in the 1940s to an expectation today, so much so that job candidates will turn down positions that don’ t offer high quality health benefits. For small employers, an association health plan( AHP) like AWB’ s HealthChoice can be a gamechanger.
Tariffs have been making news for months, and Washington employers are seeing their effects, from rising prices to supply chain disruptions. Staff writer Jacqueline Allison examines how Washington employers are navigating the on-again-off-again tariff landscape beginning on page 50. Jacqueline also checked in with Alex McGregor, an icon of Washington’ s agricultural sector, for some perspective on tariffs and the role of international trade for farm families. Check it out beginning on page 18.
Olympia insiders will tell you this year’ s legislative session was exceptionally challenging for employers, and our Government Affairs team put together a report card reflecting as much. Check out the report beginning on page 32 to see which issue areas received passing grades— and which one earned an F minus.
Finally, are you ready for 750,000 soccer fans to descend on the Seattle area? That’ s how many people are expected to show up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the biggest ever World Cup tournament featuring 104 matches across 16 cities in the U. S., Canada and Mexico. Staff writer Jacqueline Allison gives a glimpse of what’ s coming( spoiler alert: those games are projected to deliver nearly $ 1 billion in economic activity for the region.)
There’ s a lot more great content in the pages ahead, including a summary of the latest Washington employer survey, as well as a feature on the 2025 SkillsUSA Manufacturing Assembler Competition held at Boeing’ s Everett factory, and a profile of SMAK Wines, the winner of AWB’ s 2024 Diversity Award.
Thanks for reading. washingtonbusinessmag. com spring 2025 5