Washington Business Summer 2020 | Page 35

business backgrounder | awb response led an effort to call each of AWB’s nearly 7,000 members and ask how we could help. The Events Team moved quickly to reimagine in-person events and create an entire webinar series from scratch. The Government Affairs Team connected with state and federal officials for the latest developments, and convened emergency meetings of their respective committees. And AWB’s Communications Team led an unprecedented outreach effort using every resource in the communications tool kit, from blogs to surveys, video messages and breaking news announcements, to keep the business community informed of the latest developments. Here are some highlights: employer resources webinar series AWB presented 16 webinars with the most up-to-date and practical information for employers. Topics included medical research, reopening safely, access to emergency funds, and more. Employers were able to ask questions and receive answers in real time. This series generated more than 5,500 registrations. economic recovery and resiliency webinars AWB hosted 11 weekly webinars featuring top state officials, including Gov. Jay Inslee, Employment Security Department Commissioner Suzi LeVine and Commerce Secretary Lisa Brown. Unemployment insurance and reopening criteria were frequent topics. Thousands of business community leaders, including chamber of commerce leaders, economic development leaders and others tuned in for the weekly updates. other webinars AWB also hosted six standalone webinars on farm programs, the Paycheck Protection Program and more. Employers connected with Gov. Jay Inslee and U.S. Reps. Derek Kilmer, Jaime Herrera Beutler, Dan Newhouse and Cathy McMorris Rodgers. And for summer 2020 35