eye on business
Washington Employers Will Lead the Recovery
Kris Johnson , AWB President
2020 has been a year of historic challenge : illness and deaths from Covid-19 . Divisive politics . Historic forest fires . A worldwide recession . And social unrest related to longstanding issues of racial equity .
Through it all , Washington employers have continued showing up , adapting and finding new ways to move forward . One of the best stories this year involves Harbor Wholesale Foods , which reinvented its supply chain and distribution system at the height of the shutdown . The company filled a sudden supply chain gap in rural Washington , while revamping its older accounts as well . The result was stocked grocery shelves , jobs saved and donations to food banks when they needed them the most .
At AWB , we can only hope to aspire to this humbling example and many others like it .
We ’ ve done our best to face these challenges head-on . We helped rally manufacturers to produce personal protective equipment . We ’ ve advocated for manufacturing , construction and other employers to safely reopen . And we ’ ve dramatically increased our communications and outreach work through every available channel . We ’ ve also reached out to our members , urged Washingtonians to wear masks , and connected employers with the tools they need to safely reopen .
All of this work is aimed at creating the right conditions so employers can thrive . And I ’ m confident that our state ’ s manufacturing sector will help lead our economic recovery , as it has so often before .
The launch of the Washington in the Making initiative will help guide the recovery . It will connect young people with employers , expand broadband and revitalize our rural communities . And new data visualization tools will help track our progress .
In January , the Washington Legislature will gather to address our state ’ s challenges . Balancing the budget will be one of them . Thankfully state revenues have recovered somewhat according to the most recent forecast , but we ’ re still facing uncertainty and calls for new taxes .
Raising taxes on employers is not the right approach . Let ’ s make Washington a great place to do business . Small businesses and manufacturing can create jobs and help us recover more quickly , when they have the support of our state government . It ’ s simple — when Washington employers succeed , our communities and families have more opportunities .
In a recent survey , Washington employers listed business and occupation tax relief as the No . 1 thing the state can do to help businesses recover .
I urge our lawmakers to listen , and help us make Washington a great place to create jobs and economic opportunity for everyone . fall / winter 2020 13