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 Jay Hember , Senior Art Director
awb officers
Paula Linnen , Chairman Battelle , Richland
Laura Lawton , Vice Chair Lawton Printing Services , Spokane
Roy Heyndericky , Secretary / Treasurer Saint Martin ’ s University , Lacey
Brian Forth , Immediate Past Chair SiteCrafting , Tacoma
awb leadership team
Kris Johnson , President Gary Chandler , VP , Strategic Development Dave Mastin , 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
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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 .
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What ’ s Ahead
Enduring Legacy
Jason Hagey , Executive Editor
Shortly after I graduated from college , I landed my first job as a newspaper reporter in Pendleton , Ore . I rented an upstairs apartment in an old house on the corner of 12th and Court , a stone ’ s throw from a busy rail line and just down the street from the Pendleton Woolen Mills building where the company ’ s famous blankets have been produced since 1909 .
If you ’ ve lived in the Northwest for long , you probably know something about Pendleton and its iconic blankets and shirts . Even so , I suspect you will learn something new from contributing writer Debbie Ritenour ’ s feature about Pendleton and its 102-year association with AWB .
For example , did you know that one of the most famous rock bands of all time — a band that celebrated California beach culture and surfing — was originally called the Pendletones in honor of a popular Pendleton shirt ? Check out Debbie ’ s story to find out which band and to help us celebrate one of AWB ’ s longest members .
As lawmakers meet for the second legislative session of the pandemic era , they are faced with a multitude of challenges , but as the cover story from contributor Richard Davis notes , those challenges may not be the ones you expected .
While employers are grappling with inflation , supply-chain disruption and labor shortages , one of the biggest challenges facing lawmakers is figuring out what to do with all the money coming into the state treasury . Davis quotes Emily Makings , senior analyst with the Washington Research Council , who sums it up well : “ There ’ s just so much money .”
This is the issue where we get to celebrate the winners of the 2021 Washington Excellence Awards . The awards were announced in November at the Evening of Excellence program , a hybrid event held at the Greater Tacoma Convention Center . It was a fun night out and it felt great to be back in person , at least partially , after switching to a fully virtual event in 2020 . We presented nine employers with awards including Employer of the Year . Check out the article from staff writer Andy Lenderman for the complete list of everyone we recognized in November .
There ’ s lots more great content ahead , including a recap of the 2021 Manufacturing Week bus tour , and a closer look at the supply chain issue and how it ’ s affecting Washington employers . So , grab a cup of coffee and a Pendleton blanket and dive in . Thanks for reading and thanks for supporting AWB and Washington ’ s employers . advertising inquiries may be directed to : Celeste at Daniels-Brown Communications celeste @ danielsbrown . com
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