business backgrounder | awb response
Staying Flexible
Meeting the needs of the employer community in the midst
of a pandemic meant throwing out most of the year’s plans
and starting over from scratch.
Andrew Lenderman
As the coronavirus swept the country this spring, AWB responded by revamping its events lineup and launching
several initiatives aimed at helping employers survive the crisis and begin the long work of recovery.
At A Glance
In early March, AWB started a regular
webinar series connecting employers
to the latest updates from state and
federal officials and information on
vaccines, federal loans and support
for the agriculture industry.
AWB’s Membership Department led
an effort to connect with each of the
association’s nearly 7,000 members,
and the Events staff switched their
entire operation to the virtual world in
a matter of days.
The Rebound and Recovery Task
Force created a new portal to help
small businesses reopen in a matter
of weeks. And each AWB department
adapted to offer new services and
ways to keep Washington’s employer
community connected during a
challenging time.
AWB staff direct a coronavirus teleconference with Gov. Jay Inslee and other state officials in March,
prior to mask and social distancing guidelines.
Washington was the first ground zero.
The man who would come to be known as Patient Zero — the first known U.S. case
of COVID-19 — checked into an urgent care center in Everett in January. By early
March, the virus was spreading in Western Washington, and life was changing rapidly
for businesses, families, communities — and for AWB.
On March 10, AWB hosted a teleconference with Gov. Jay Inslee and leading state
officials to hear the latest information about the new outbreak. Nearly 1,100 people
joined the call, which turned out to be the first in a long series of regular webinars
and calls connecting employers with credible, timely information.
AWB and our members responded in other ways, too, from rallying manufacturers
to produce needed personal protective equipment (PPE), to forming a Rebound and
Recovery task force to help businesses safely reopen.
It was a group effort. The Operations Team created a virtual office, secured new
technologies and answered the phones around the clock. The Membership Department
34 association of washington business