2017 annual report
Rural Jobs summit
As urban Washington enjoys an economic recovery that’s leading the nation,
the state’s rural regions have largely been left behind. Recognizing the growing
economic divide, AWB hosted two Rural Jobs Summits in 2017, prompting a
long-overdue dialogue on solutions that support economic opportunity.
The inaugural Rural Jobs Summit was held
March 4. The goal was to draw attention
to the barriers to economic growth in rural
Washington and gauge support for a larger,
solutions-oriented discussion in the future.
Seventy people — including lawmakers
from both parties, business leaders, local
economic development officials and state
agency leaders — joined AWB in Olympia on a
Saturday afternoon to start the conversation.
The result was overwhelming support for
a deeper discussion.
That deeper conversation came in October
when more than 200 people traveled to
Moses Lake to attend AWB’s second
Rural Jobs Summit.
Alex McGregor, president of The McGregor
Company and a staunch defender of farm
families and rural communities, set the stage
for the event with an impassioned plea to
support solutions that help rural Washington
catch up with the prosperity in urban areas.
A tale of two
economies:
Job growth
since 2012
Source:
Washington
Employment
Security
Department
The day’s panel
discussions — a total
of 13 with 50 industry
experts and legislative
leaders — covered topics
ranging from attracting
investment to rural
communities and access
to water to expanding
broadband’s reach
outside the I-5 corridor
and legislative hurdles to
economic development.
The summits helped guide AWB’s legislative
work and led to creation of a Rural Jobs Task
Force. The task force, which met twice in the
fall, will continue to meet in the coming years.
This effort marks a jumpstart of AWB’s
work to foster economic opportunity
across Washington.
Working together, there
is no issue raised today
that cannot be solved.
gary chandler, awb vice president,
government affairs
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