washington business
editorial staff
Kris Johnson, Publisher
Jason Hagey, Executive Editor
Andrew Lenderman, Communications Specialist
Brian Mittge, Communications Specialist/
Photo Editor
Brian Temple, Creative Director
Lori Maricle, Marketing and Communications
Project Manager
awb officers
Fran Forgette, Chairman
Rettig, Forgette, Iller, Bowers, Kennewick
Brian Forth, Vice Chair
SiteCrafting, Tacoma
Laura Lawton, Secretary/Treasurer
Lawton Printing Services, Spokane
Tim Schauer, Immediate Past Chair
MacKay Sposito, Vancouver
awb leadership team
Kris Johnson, President
Gary Chandler, VP, Government Affairs
Jason Hagey, VP, Communications
Greg Welch, Director of Finance
Sean Heiner, Director of Membership
Carly Michael, Director of Member
Relations & Events
PO Box 658, Olympia, WA 98507-0658
T 360.943.1600 F 360.943.5811
www.awb.org
Letters are welcomed, but must be signed to be considered
for publication. Please include contact information for
verification.
Reproduction of articles appearing in Washington
Business magazine is authorized for personal use only,
with credit given to Washington Business magazine and/
or the Association of Washington Business.
Articles written by outside authors do not necessarily
reflect the views or positions of AWB, its officers, staff
or members.
Products and services advertised in Washington Business
magazine are not necessarily endorsed by AWB, and do
not necessarily reflect the opinions of AWB, its officers,
staff or members.
Washington Business magazine is the official quarterly
publication of the Association of Washington Business.
The annual subscription rate is $24.00, and individual
copies may be purchased for $3.95. For subscription
requests and magazine purchases, please contact the
Association of Washington Business, P.O. Box 658,
Olympia, WA 98507.
washington business is designed by:
Daniels-Brown Communications
T 360.705.3058 www.danielsbrown.com
advertising inquiries may be directed to:
Celeste at Daniels-Brown Communications
[email protected]
What’s Ahead
Stepping Up in a Time of Need
Jason Hagey, Executive Editor
Back in March, when the coronavirus was just beginning to spread in Washington,
AWB sent an email to manufacturers asking who could drop what they were doing
and start making personal protective equipment.
Face masks, shields, hand sanitizer, ventilators — we needed everything. And
manufacturers responded.
More than 50 manufacturers replied within moments of that email and
hundreds more stepped up in the weeks that followed. In the cover story for this
special edition of Washington Business, staff writer Brian Mittge tells the story of
how manufacturers not only responded in a time of need, but also responded with
remarkable speed.
They retooled shops, turned engineers loose to design new products and invested
in equipment despite huge uncertainty about whether the demand for PPE would
last long enough to recoup the investment.
It’s a compelling story, but not necessarily a surprising story. Manufacturing has
always been a cornerstone for our state and our nation, whether it’s responding in
times of war and national disaster or leading the way out of financial downturns.
The public health and economic consequences of the coronavirus are enormous
and ongoing with so many questions yet to be answered. There is no doubt, though,
that manufacturers will be a major part of our recovery from this crisis.
Creativity will play a big role in the recovery, too. The coronavirus has compressed
years of digital technological progress into the space of a few months as evidenced
by the surge in video conferencing, online ordering, and digital payments. And it’s
leading to all kinds of creativity from entrepreneurs who are finding ways to adapt to
the times. In one of several articles from staff writer Andrew Lenderman (Page 24),
we see how a few Washington business owners are getting creative to survive.
Lenderman also explores Washington’s unique role in the global fight to contain
the virus, with researchers from the University of Washington, Washington State
University, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer
Research Center, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Kaiser Permanente
Washington Health Research Institute. As the article (Page 27) notes, the road to a
safer world runs through Washington.
The pandemic has changed so much in our personal and professional lives,
including the planning for this magazine. Almost all the content is related to the
coronavirus, from the employer community’s response to what it means for a child
care system that was already inadequate for many parents.
It’s not the content we would have chosen to assemble in normal times, but given
the circumstances it’s content that we are proud to share on behalf of Washington’s
employer community. I hope you enjoy reading.
washingtonbusinessmag.com
summer 2020
5