Washington Business Fall 2015 | Legislative Review | Page 14

2015 legislative review “Our industry is heavily regulated at the state and federal levels. The cost of overlapping, redundant regulations significantly impact our bottom line. And they affect whether we hire, buy equipment or otherwise invest in growth.” Pat Sauter, General Manager National Frozen Foods Corporation, Chehalis Eat your vegetables, and create jobs. When you walk onto the busy packaging floor of 103-year-old National Frozen Foods Corporation in Chehalis, you know you’re in a clean zone. An employer of over 200 people in Lewis County, and as many as 1,400 around Washington state during the peak harvest season, Seattle-based NFFC is intensely focused on safe, high-quality frozen produce. Hairnets and sanitary gloves seem as abundant as the carefully selected frozen peas, corn and carrots that make their final appearance at dinner tables around the world. “We need to have sensible regulations to ensure fair competition and cons [Y\