washington business
Holiday Kids’ Tree Project Brings Joy to the Capitol —
and Kindness to Families in Need
The lighting of the 26th annual AWB
Holiday Kids’ Tree Dec. 5 in the Capitol
Rotunda was the best attended treelighting ceremony in years. And as families
listened to the music of Olympia Musical
Theatre’s Kids in Concert under the dome,
Gov. Jay Inslee welcomed firefighters from
across the state who came to receive
bags of toys and a check for $1,000 each
to spread some Christmas cheer to their
local families in need.
The donations came from 111 members of
AWB and individuals in the community,
who collectively gave nearly $20,000
this year to the Holiday Kids’ Tree Project. Since the project began, more than
$330,000 has been raised for families in seven counties across the state, via their
community fire departments. The donations last Christmas were so generous that
AWB was able to add another fire district in 2014 — Bald Hills, in Thurston County.
This year we hope to add the fire district in Soap Lake (near Ephrata), which will
make a total of 17 fire districts taking part in the program.
Coast Guard Second Class Boatswains Mate Jimmy Thrall of Gig Harbor, with
his wife, Rachele, and their children, Jaret and Finnley, lit the tree.
This year’s tree, donated by Winkleworld Noble Fir Tree Farm near Olympia,
was decorated with 80 stuffed characters from the hit movie “Frozen.” After
Christmas, the toys, along with a “Frozen” storybook, were given to patients
at Seattle Children’s Hospital.
Bobbi Cussins Joins AWB, Bringing Strong Experience in
Legislature and Small Business Advocacy
Longtime business advocate, grassroots coordinator and legislative communications expert Bobbi
Cussins joined AWB as communications manager
in November. She replaces Jason Hagey, who was
promoted to AWB’s director of communications.
Cussins comes to AWB with nearly 16 years of
experience, having started her career in Olympia
at the Washington state chapter of the National
Federation of Independent Business in 1998. She
also worked as the communications director for the Washington Restaurant
Association, and was most recently a senior public information officer and
grassroots coordinator in the state House of Representatives. Her issue focus in
the Legislature was K-12 education funding and reform, including the McCleary
obligations that will be heavily debated in the 2015 legislative session.
Cussins is a graduate of Humboldt State University with degrees in journalism
and Spanish. She lives in Tumwater.
New in
AWB Institute
AWB Institute Leads Campaign to
Highlight State’s Manufacturing
Job Opportunities
The AWB Institute unveiled a new manufacturing image
campaign during October’s Manufacturing Summit. The
“It Pays to Build Great Things” campaign is aimed at
parents, teachers and students through social media, video
and in-person outreach. The goal of the initiative is to
publicize the high-paying, high-tech jobs in Washington’s
manufacturing sector.
The need for an image campaign is evident due to
the anticipated large gap in workers ready to fill the
manufacturing jobs of those retiring from the industry. AWB
is working proactively to encourage students to look at fields
of study, trades and advanced degrees to ensure they can
take advantage of the quality jobs available in the state’s
robust manufacturing sector.
AWB will work alongside employers to improve awareness
of the importance of manufacturing among our young adults.
The goal is to replace outdated perceptions about 19th
century smokestacks with the reality of the environmentallyfriendly, clean and r