Washington Business Winter 2018 | Washington Business | Page 12

eye on business Road Trip Kris Johnson, AWB President Stepping into the shop at the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding was like stepping back in time. The smell of freshly cut wood filled the air, mixing with the smell of saltwater inside the historic waterfront building in Port Hadlock. Olivier Huin, an instructor who looked every bit the part of a sailor and craftsman with a thick, white beard, wool cap and fleece vest, stopped at a partially completed boat and described in detail how to use a mold to get the boat’s curved shape. The school was the first stop on AWB’s statewide bus tour celebrating Washington’s manufacturing economy, and it set the tone for a memorable six-day, 2,000-plus mile journey this fall that took AWB staff to nearly 70 manufacturers in every corner of the state. The hosts were welcoming and gracious, as they were at each and every stop. The glimpse into the industry was fascinating. The school, founded in 1981, is helping train the next generation of maritime workers in both traditional and contemporary wooden boatbuilding. Who knew this was happening right here in Washington? It was a question we heard repeated often throughout the trip. And at virtually every stop along the way, we heard about the need to train and educate the future workforce. 12 association of washington business “The maritime industry is thirsty for people under 65,” said Executive Director Betsy Davis. Even before the bus tour, we knew that workforce development was a serious issue. But hearing so many employers describe their challenges finding qualified workers at every level, from entry positions to senior management, drove home the point. It’s clear we need to do more, collectively, to equip young people to work in manufacturing jobs. We also heard from many along the way about the need to restore the business and occupation (B&O) tax relief that lawmakers approved but was later vetoed by Gov. Jay Inslee. We were told over and over that restoring the B&O tax relief would provide an immediate and meaningful boost to small- and medium-sized manufacturers. “That would help us tremendously,” said Allison Budvarson, co-owner of Out of the Box Manufacturing, an electronics contract manufacturer in Renton. Throughout the tour, we collected petitions from people calling on lawmakers to restore the B&O tax relief. A few weeks later at our Rural Jobs Summit in Moses Lake, Speaker of the House Frank Chopp, D-Seattle, voiced support for bringing back the tax relief, so hopefully that’s a good sign that lawmakers will act during the 2018 legislative session. We’ve never done anything quite like the bus tour. AWB is both the state chamber of commerce and the state manufacturing association, and we embarked on the trip in part to raise awareness about the importance of manufacturing for Washington’s economy. We also wanted to call attention to ways that lawmakers and others can help manufacturing grow in every part of the state. It’s clear it resonated with manufacturers, lawmakers and others. Television stations and newspapers on both sides of the state covered the trip, as well as trade journals and association blogs. AWB’s social media numbers spiked as people took selfies and posted photos on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. And at every stop, employers thanked us for showing up. “Manufacturing is so important in this state,” said Kate Lampson, director of public relations and communications for Lampson International in Kennewick. “I don’t believe enough people know just the amount of manufacturing and the diverse types of manufacturing that happens within Washington state.” We couldn’t agree more.