Washington Business Spring 2019 | Washington Business | Page 30

washington business AWB brought it back for a second round of ads — with stories that bring to life the power of private enterprise. “Washington employers have great stories to tell and we’re privileged to share just a few of them in this campaign,” AWB President Kris Johnson said at the launch of the current campaign, which runs through July. The goals of Grow Here are two-fold: To highlight the “why” that motivates Washington companies and share the employee experience within those businesses. And, to remind people that Washington state’s competitiveness — its ability to attract and retain employers — is critical to an economy that works for all residents. “Washington employers have great stories to tell and we’re privileged to share just a few of them in this campaign.” — Kris Johnson, president, AWB At A Glance AWB launched the first Grow Here employer image campaign in 2016. The 2017 Grow Here campaign was a finalist for the annual PR News Platinum Awards, receiving recognition in the Public Affairs category alongside some of the globe’s top brands and public relations firms. Grow Here is the association’s first multi-media, multi- million-dollar ad campaign to highlight employer contributions across the state and share why it’s important to protect the state’s competitiveness. This year’s ads tell the positive stories of three homegrown Washington employers — MOD Pizza, Lampson International and Alaffia. Previous Grow Here campaigns featured Nucor Steel Seattle, Rite in the Rain, The McGregor Company, M3 Biotechnology, Schilling Cider, Seattle Chocolates, Ecochemical, National Frozen Foods and Alaffia. To learn more, or contribute to Grow Here, contact AWB Vice President, Communications Jason Hagey at [email protected] or 360.943.1600. GrowHereWashington.com 30 association of washington business business as a catalyst for good To illustrate the Grow Here goals, AWB takes a closer look at three very different companies and how they are improving lives and supporting communities — here and around the world. A fast-growing company, MOD Pizza, is giving justice- involved individuals and those recovering from addiction a second chance to gain meaningful employment and rebuild their lives. In Kennewick, Lampson International, the company that builds some of the largest construction cranes in the world, has helped build the community by donating crane services to construct buildings such as the local high school sports stadium and to lift hydroplanes in and out of the Columbia River during the annual Columbia Cup races. And in Tumwater, Alaffia, a fair-trade skin-care product manufacturer, is waging a war against poverty in the small nation of Togo, West Africa, one job at a time. Tim Schauer, president and CEO of MacKay Sposito and AWB’s board chair, said the Grow Here campaign is helping to change the public’s perception of business by shining a spotlight on business leaders who care about more than just the bottom line. “They represent the best of what we can be,” Schauer said. “The Enrons of the world, those are the exceptions. Most businesses are run by real people who have more goals than just making money.” Ally Svenson captures the sentiment perfectly in the MOD Pizza ad, Schauer says, when she declares the company is “unapologetically for profit,” but its purpose is to “make a positive social impact.” “These two things are not mutually exclusive,” Schauer says. It’s a point also illustrated by the quiet, but monumental, work that Tumwater-based Alaffia is doing in West Africa. The company has a host of initiatives under its Women’s Empowerment Project that support Togolese women and