washington business
Black Business Equity Fund Launches in Seattle
Tabor 100 , a nonprofit community organization that works to achieve economic empowerment and social equity for African- Americans , has launched the Black Business Equity Fund . The fund , which has a goal of raising $ 4.5 million over the next three years , will be used to provide grants , training , and technical assistance to support Black-owned businesses in the Seattle area .
Founding partners include Amazon , Vulcan , Puget Sound Energy , the Seattle Foundation , Facebook and the City of Seattle . Each partner has committed a minimum of $ 100,000 over the next three years .
For more information including how to contribute to the fund , visit www . tabor100 . org / bbef .
Passages : Former U . S . Sen . Slade Gorton
Washington statesman Slade Gorton died in August after a brief illness .
He is remembered as a rare public servant , whose service from the state Legislature to the 9 / 11 Commission ranged from consumer protection to helping bring the Mariners to Seattle .
Gorton entered public life in 1958 when he was elected as a Republican to represent a north Seattle district in the state House of Representatives . He eventually went on to serve three terms as the state attorney general , and finally three terms in the U . S . Senate . After leaving office he continued to serve , including as a member of the 9 / 11 Commission and on the Washington State Redistricting Commission . He also continued in private practice in the law firm of K & L Gates .
“ Today , we lost a great public servant and a champion for the state of Washington ,” AWB President Kris Johnson said . “ Throughout his 40-year career in public service and in the years that followed , Slade Gorton gave back to the people of Washington state and to our nation like few others have ever done and served as a model for others to follow . He was rightly celebrated for his prodigious work ethic , his sharp intellect , and his increasingly rare ability to build consensus and get things done .”
In recognition of his lifetime of work to keep Washington a good place to do business , AWB recognized Gorton in 2012 with its highest recognition for distinguished service to the state of Washington .
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