Washington Business Summer 2017 | Washington Business | Page 16

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Of Note
BNSF Rail Workers Rescue Boater in Tacoma,
Hiker in British Columbia
Twice, within two weeks, BNSF railroad crews helped
save the lives of people in distress.
On May 22, a freight train stopped on its route after
reports of a possible drowning along White Rock’s West
Beach in British Columbia. The train first stopped so that
emergency responders could use the tracks to reach what
turned out to be an injured hiker. Eventually, the rescue
workers asked for BNSF’s help to transport the first
responders and the victim in the cab of the locomotive to
medical personnel a quarter mile down the tracks.
Two weeks later, in Tacoma, a BNSF conductor and
his engineer saw a man in the water near the Tacoma
Narrows Bridge. The man, a boater whose watercraft had
overturned, was waving his hands at the train as he bobbed
in the Puget Sound waters.
The BNSF employees stopped the train. Conductor
Trevor Smith got into the water to pull the man to shore
after 30 minutes in the frigid water. (He was wearing a life
jacket, but was struggling to stay afloat.) They then walked
half a mile to meet firefighters.
“I was just glad that we could stop and help someone in
need,” Smith said.
First Class Graduates from Walmart’s New
Training Academy in Bonney Lake
Sixty Walmart associates graduated from the new Bonney
Lake Walmart Training Academy in June after completing
classes in core retail skills, leadership, merchandising,
operations and customer service.
The graduates are the first to complete classes in the
new facility, which is the third Walmart training academy
to be opened in Washington. This facility will serve the
Puget Sound region, from Bellingham to Pierce County.
Other Walmart academies are already up and established
in Poulsbo and Spokane. A fourth will open in Vancouver,
likely in late summer.
Walmart opened its 100th training academy in April in
Edmond, Okla. The company plans to have 200 open by the
end of the year, part of a $2.7 billion investment in greater
training, more education and higher wages for associates.
Each are at dedicated locations, in or near a Walmart
Supercenter, where front-line hourly supervisors,
department managers and assistant managers receive two
to six weeks of training to help associates both better serve
customers and see a clear path to career advancement.
16 association of washington business
Alaska Airlines Will Begin Offering Passenger
Flights out of Paine Field in Everett
Alaska Airlines announced in May that it will begin
offering commercial passenger flights out of Everett’s
Paine Field. This will create an alternative to the long,
traffic-clogged drive to Seattle-Tacoma International
Airport for people living north of Seattle.
“As our region continues to grow at a record pace and
Sea-Tac Airport nears capacity, the time is right,” said
Alaska Airlines CEO Brad Tilden.
Paine Field, constructed in 1936 (eight years before
Sea-Tac), does not currently offer commercial flights.
Subject to government approval, Alaska plans to oper-
ate nine daily flights by the fall of 2018, including daily
nonstop flights to some of its most popular destinations.
The two-gate terminal could handle about 16 flights
per day, meaning about 1,000 passengers in and out
of the airport.
“Businesses will have easier access to major markets
and leisure travelers can skip the commute down south,
saving time and fuel,” said Snohomish County Execu-
tive Dave Somers. “For decades, Alaska Airlines has been
a responsible neighbor in our region, and we welcome
them even closer to home at Paine Field.”
An artist’s rendering of the new passenger air terminals at
Paine Field in Everett (Courtesy Propeller Airports).