Washington Business Winter 2018 | Washington Business | Page 41

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“If you don’t have enough people
around to maintain [essential
infrastructure] you will have a
population decline that builds on
itself. We’ve seen young people
leaving for better opportunities,
schools consolidating, basic services
starting to crumble. Yet there is real
opportunity here if we get creative
and work together.”
— Alex McGregor, president,
The McGregor Company
McFadden works with Big Bend Community College
and the Othello school districts to close the skills gap and
get young people motivated as early as middle school.
“These employers don’t need a truckload of students
with four-year degrees, but they need employees with
trade skills,” he says. “And students need to know that
there are jobs.”
Kimmell, who works with a number of small
communities, echoes McFadden.
“You’d be amazed at how nimble the community
colleges are,” he says. “It’s exciting to watch them.”
competitive business environment
Lower land costs and inexpensive energy are a rural
Washington competitive edge, as demonstrated by
data centers and the BMW carbon-fiber plant in Moses
Lake. Sen. Short points out, however, that businesses
in rural communities often face higher costs, including
those resulting from more distance from suppliers and
markets. They also contend with statewide policies
affecting land use and the workplace — minimum wage
laws and the Growth Management Act — that impose
extraordinary burdens on small town small businesses.
Echoing a common refrain, Short says local
communities need some regulatory flexibility. As well, she
was disappointed by the governor’s veto of the reduced
manufacturing business and occupation tax rate.
Then there’s water.
“The Hirst decision has to be resolved,” Short says.
She’s referring to the state Supreme Court decision
that has jeopardized homeowners’ ability to drill wells,
creating significant uncertainty in rural communities.
bridging the urban-rural divide
In scanning Washington’s economic landscape, the disparity between
the thriving metro centers and the many struggling rural communities is
unmistakable. But it can also be overstated. There are rural communities
that are doing well, providing residents with employment and retail
opportunities, good schools, and adequate broadband, water, sewers and
roads. But others — too many — are missing one or more of the critical
elements they need to capitalize on the opportunities around them.
Bridging the economic divide requires a new level of commitment,
focus and unde rstanding.
With the Rural Jobs Summits, AWB is building that bridge.
Washington State Department of Commerce
www.commerce.wa.gov
Washington State Department of Natural Resources
www.dnr.wa.gov
Association of Washington Business Rural Jobs Summit
www.bit.ly/awbruraljobs
Employment Security Department County Unemployment Map
https://esd.wa.gov/labormarketinfo/monthly-employment-report
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