eye on business
Amid Milestones , a Passing of the Torch
Kris Johnson , AWB President
Last year , the unexpected passing of Tom Fritz , a longtime friend of AWB who was set to become our board chair , left a hole in our organization and the communities he enriched .
Thankfully , Mike Schwenk graciously agreed to step in and remained our board chair for another year , ensuring that AWB ’ s leadership remained steady and strong .
Indeed , as Mike ended his term in September he left an organization that is stronger than ever . Mike ’ s emphasis on finding solutions to some of the most difficult challenges we face in today ’ s divided government and slow economic recovery has permeated throughout AWB . The synergy of staff around the goals and objectives outlined under his leadership has never been better .
The creation of Opportunity Washington , made up of AWB and our WashACE partners — Washington Roundtable , Washington Research Council and Enterprise Washington — was his way of telling every community that opportunity is out there , but we all have a stake in making sure policies at the state level allow for economic growth outside the Puget Sound corridor .
The legislative efforts under his watch saw the same results . The new Grassroots Alliance brought chambers from across the state and employers of all sizes to work together on a shared goal — the first transportation funding package in more than a decade .
You can see his influence in our new Strategic Plan and Mission and Vision statements . The theme of collaboration — being a convener of like minds and forging untraditional ties to groups with whom we may disagree on much , but have found points on which we can work side by side — is woven throughout his efforts as chair .
There is no better evidence we are on the right track than AWB receiving the first-ever Chamber of the Year award from the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives this year .
This type of recognition doesn ’ t happen by accident and it doesn ’ t happen in a vacuum . Every AWB team member and board member played a key role in empowering us to do what we do best — serve our members and their employees .
All of this shows that we ’ re doing some things exceptionally well , and getting the basics right . Looking ahead to 2017 , we expect more of the same . We are excited to welcome Wendy Sancewich as the new AWB board chair . During her term as the board ’ s vice chair , Wendy served alongside Mike and the AWB team as we transitioned to live and breathe our new Mission and Vision .
She knows where we ’ ve been and she understands the challenges that lie ahead .
We ’ ll be rebranding under her watchful eye and sprucing up our office entry and meeting spaces to better reflect our brand .
She will be at the helm guiding us through a 2017 legislative session , which we all believe will be unlike any other before it . A lot of pressure will be put on the employer community , but she is more than up to the challenge of leading us through anything that comes up , particularly with all of us standing alongside her .
So , today , we celebrate the many milestones of the past two years under Mike ’ s leadership and his passing of the gavel to Wendy .
From all of us , thank you , Mike , and a warm welcome , Wendy .
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