from the chair
There’ s No Cavalry Coming
Mike Schwenk
“ Living the Brand” has become the catchphrase in every discussion, every meeting, and with every decision throughout AWB these days. It’ s fun, it’ s impressive, it’ s driving our transition and it’ s making a difference on the impact AWB has on our state. Kudos to all the staff who are so on board, as well as our committees, and all of our partners. You get it. You know it matters. And you’ re making it real.
One part of our branding that is so compelling, yet so challenging, is to be about solutions. To be proactive, to be a“ catalytic leader,” is a tall order when considering some of this state’ s most intransigent problems. Fixing one such problem is actually part of our vision—“ economic prosperity throughout Washington.” So what might this look like for AWB? How do we“ operationalize” this statement?
As they say, all journeys begin with the first step. Our first step began while Kris and I visited Washington, D. C. in February. In addition to calling on our congressional delegation, we made a series of calls in search of best practices in statewide economic development. While visiting The Brookings Institution, our host started his comments by saying we were having the right conversation because communities need to understand“ there is no cavalry coming.” In essence, communities are on their own. The fact that AWB recognizes we must step in to help, to lead, to lend a hand however we might best do so, was exactly the path to be on.
And so we are slowly, thoughtfully, conceiving a plan that will engage AWB across the state in communities large and small, to assess where each stands, what is working, what is dragging their economy down, and who and what it will take to help them help themselves get back on track. Much of this effort will reside within the AWB Institute, but it will hugely inform AWB’ s advocacy agenda, both state and federal. We will do what we do best to remove impediments and enable business growth— no matter the type or size or location of the business. And we will form an army around us by calling on our strategic partners, be they the Grassroots Alliance of chambers, the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, sector-related business associations, and others whom we might need to enlist in the fight.
We can do this because we have the scale, the resources, the reach, the expertise to convene— and because it is our mission and it is our vision for this state. We will do this because no one else is even coming close to helping realize statewide economic prosperity. We must do this because the alternative is an unacceptable decline for too many employers, employees and the communities in which they reside.
Daunting? Not really. Like the proverbial“ eat the elephant one bite at a time,” we will build a thoughtful plan that is executable. Indeed, we have already started. We will draw on others who have done this successfully. And we will rally the many who are already at work on this problem, and those who would love to be called upon to assist.
This really is an adventure. And what is there not to like about an adventure? You’ re welcome to get on board. It will be a long, difficult journey, but the rewards at the end are incalculable.
14 association of washington business