business backgrounder | economy
“ It ’ s a pretty organic effort to build support for an economically and environmentally sound business community . Too often , you hear only from the far left and the far right , and we want to connect those dots in the middle and give a voice to those who aren ’ t being heard , those who care deeply about our environment but also know that jobs are vital to our region .”
— Tom Pierson , president and CEO , Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber
Launched on May 10 at an event at University of Washington Tacoma attended by more than 100 community leaders , the Place for Jobs coalition ’ s lofty aim centers around the premise that the South Sound region is strengthened when residents unite around values we all share : creating quality jobs and preserving the natural environment .
By highlighting the importance of jobs to the South Sound way of life , the coalition also seeks to persuade more workers to consider a life in the South Sound .
The Place for Jobs coalition will help preserve places to do business and grow , according to co-chair Bruce Dammeier , Pierce County Executive . The South Sound has a long history as a vibrant economic center , but it ’ s undervalued as a place to live and work , he says .
Dammeier cites Pierce County ’ s relatively high unemployment rate — as of May 2017 , over 5 percent and nearly twice that of King or Snohomish Counties — and the northbound stream of skilled workers commuting out of Pierce County to King County for work .
In Pierce County , lower-skilled positions in hospitality are growing at a faster rate than family-wage jobs in manufacturing , down 2.3 percent from last year . Skilled workers may have no choice but to seek work elsewhere , since Seattle boasts 57,490 jobs in computing to Tacoma ’ s 2,624 . And King County is home to over a third of the state ’ s “ green ” jobs , compared to Pierce County ’ s 7.6 percent , according to the state ’ s most recent Employment Security Department report .
Other coalition co-chairs include Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland , Economic Development Board for Tacoma-Pierce County CEO Bruce Kendall , Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber CEO Tom Pierson , and Executive Secretary for the Pierce County Building Trades Council Mark Martinez .
Martinez calls the coalition “ the start of community outreach to talk to people and have this discussion about where we want to go as a community .”
The Place for Jobs isn ’ t a marketing campaign , says cochair Pierson . “ It ’ s a pretty organic effort to build support for an economically and environmentally sound business community . Too often , you hear only from the far left and the far right , and we want to connect those dots in the middle and give a voice to those who aren ’ t being heard , those who care deeply about our environment but also know that jobs are vital to our region .”
joining forces
Pierson , Martinez and others began talking about the coalition a year ago , in the wake of the bitter regional debate around a proposed Tacoma methanol plant . Communication around the proposed plant , which promised to produce hundreds of jobs along with millions of tons of methanol in Tacoma , devolved into a feud between advocates for growth and those concerned about pollution .
Growth in and around the Port of Tacoma can be controversial because of mounting environmental concerns over water quality , wildlife and noise , says Martinez . Even
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