washington business grow here : redefining ‘ business ’
It seems everyone is defining “ business ” these days . And , when it comes to public policy issues , the word “ business ” is often presented in an unflattering manner .
The Grow Here campaign set out to challenge people and policy maker perceptions of employers by presenting the entire story of Washington businesses by including employee and customer voices .
“ When we think of ‘ business ,’ it ’ s not just Boeing , Microsoft or Nucor . Those are people ,” Lyles said of the perception of large companies . “ We have 350 employees , that ’ s 350 families , that are behind that business , that are part of that business . And , when something for that business becomes difficult , things for those families become difficult .”
Some of the difficulty in 2016 and into 2017 is ongoing attempts to create new and costly taxes on energy , either through state agency action or a failed statewide ballot measure . The costs of such a tax would impact the competitiveness of employers across the state .
“ We are very energy intensive — we make steel — we melt steel at 3,000 degrees . It takes a lot of electricity . We reheat steel at 2,300 degrees using natural gas . That ’ s a lot of energy and we ’ re not going to shy away from that , but the fact is we ’ re about 10 times more energy efficient than most of our competitors domestically and internationally . To get that message out was very important to us ,” Lyles explained .
“ You can ’ t make the argument that getting steel from Oregon , Utah , California , or China is going to be greener than getting it from your neighbor in West Seattle .”
— Oliver Lyles , safety manager , Nucor Steel Seattle
“ There are more stories to tell and each of you can help do that .”
— Scott Morris , CEO , Avista and , roll camera …
The panel kicked off with a moment of levity as the three participants recounted the “ little ” ad campaign they agreed to work on with AWB .
That is , Ledford said , until the professional camera crew , hair and make-up showed up and the film production began . And , then , there was the notoriety . “ I grew up in Eastern Washington , in a small town . I ’ m a farm boy ,” Lyles said . “ My mom came to this country when I was three months old from El Salvador to chase the American Dream . So , when you see your son on TV , it ’ s a big deal , at a glance
AWB launched its first-ever multi-media , million-dollar employer image campaign in 2016 .
The television , radio , digital and print ads featured three northwest companies : Rite in the Rain , Nucor Steel Seattle and Schilling Cider .
The campaign highlighted both the employers and employees of the companies , and shared the story of employers ’ successful efforts to protect and preserve the environment and create good-paying jobs .
The 2017 Grow Here campaign began filming in November and will feature three new employers and their employees , who will explain their roles in creating opportunity here and across the world , and some of the challenges they face doing business in Washington state .
To learn more or to contribute to Grow Here , contact Jason Hagey , AWB Vice President , Communications , at JasonH @ awb . org or 360.943.1600 . winter 2017 27