Washington Business Winter 2019 | Washington Business | Page 36

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“Our intent was to work from home and raise our kids,
and we did that. That’s our greatest accomplishment,”
Rosemary Brester says during a tour of their business. She
points across the driveway to a path running through their
backyard. “We walk to work. Our carbon footprint is pretty
small.”
Forty-eight miles away in Everett sits the largest building
in the world, the 100-acre production plant where Boeing
assembles the 787, 777, 767 and the venerable 747 aircraft
using parts made by the Bresters and hundreds of other
aerospace manufacturers in Washington.
Every day, some 40,000 workers pass through Boeing’s
Everett campus, making it a good size city.
AWB’s second-annual Manufacturing Week bus tour
visited both companies in early October, along with more
than 50 other employers around the state.
At each stop, employees were invited to sign the custom-
wrapped bus, with a vivid sparks-on-metal design and the motto “Telling Washington’s Manufacturing Stories.”
One goal of the tour was to highlight the vast scope of manufacturing in Washington, which accounts for more than 12 percent
of the gross state product, employing 282,000 people at an average wage of $72,460.
“Manufacturing supports strong communities in every corner of our state,” AWB President Kris Johnson said. “Hobart Machined
Products reminds us that every business starts as a small business.”
Especially in rural areas, manufacturing jobs give families the chance
for a good quality of life, said U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-5,
who joined the bus tour for three stops, along with Spokane Mayor David
At A Glance
Condon.
“Manufacturing means jobs, and jobs mean more opportunities for
people,” said McMorris Rodgers. “When I think about what it takes for
For every $1 spent in manufacturing, another
$1.89 is added to the economy. That is the
manufacturing to thrive here in Washington state, the tax burden matters,
highest multiplier effect of any economic
the regulatory burden matters; as we move forward, workforce. More
sector. In addition, for every one worker
often than not I’m hearing employers saying they’re having a tough time
in manufacturing, there are another four
finding the workforce they need.”
employees hired elsewhere.
Manufacturing is a major driver of
Washington’s economy. More than 282,000
Washingtonians work in manufacturing. The
7,326 manufacturing firms in Washington
account for more than 12 percent of the state’s
total economic output.
The average manufacturing salary in
Washington is $72,460. That’s a third higher
than the average Washington non-farm salary
of $54,761
Watch video from AWB’s Manufacturing
Week stops:
www.awb.org/manufacturing
36 association of washington business
important stories to tell
This year’s tour covered 2,248 miles over seven days, highlighting
Washington’s diverse manufacturing sector — and the need to support
it. From the Olympic Peninsula to the Columbia River, from downtown
Seattle to Spokane, the message was the same: manufacturing matters.
“I’m thrilled that we’re throwing a spotlight on manufacturing. This
is where the good-paying jobs are,” said U.S. Rep. Denny Heck, D-10,
speaking at the first stop of the tour. “We would all be better off if our
economy were more diversified with more manufacturing... If we ever
have a national call to arms for national security reasons, you have to
have a manufacturing base if your nation’s going to be secure. That’s the
simple fact of the matter.”
Heck joined AWB on Oct. 4 in Lacey at Callisons to kick off the road
trip. This 115-year-old, family-owned manufacturer produces mint oils
used in gum, toothpaste and more. Callisons just built a bright new
greenhouse, home to hundreds of different varieties of mint plants.