We are back from Olympia, and back from the winter storm.
Despite Olympia getting a record snowfall (more than 14 inches!), more than 60 members of our delegation traveled to Olympia to meet with our regional representatives from the 3rd, 4th, 6th, and 9th legislative districts, plus Governor Christine Gregoire. All of our regional representatives met with us or with members in our delegation.
It’s that time again.
We’re partnering with the Spokane Valley and West Plains chambers of commerce to lead a large delegation (as in more than 70 people) to Olympia to advocate on behalf of Eastern Washington.
Time to get our show on the road.
With 2011 in the rearview mirror, it’s time to focus on 2012. What lies ahead for Spokane? What will happen, what might happen, and how will it affect the business community?
Let’s look into the crystal ball, shall we?
A dynamic, growing presence on the east end of downtown Spokane is the University District, a place where innovation, research, education and more rule the day. Washington State University Spokane, Eastern Washington University, Whitworth University, Gonzaga University and Community Colleges of Spokane all utilize real estate in the U-District.
We have been working with various groups in the community to grow the district. Our U-District is a higher education hub with WSU’s Health Science Campus as its anchor. One of the district’s best kept secrets is the Applied Sciences Laboratory (ASL), a part of Washington State University’s Institute for Shock Physics. ASL is a contract research organization providing multidisciplinary expertise in Research & Development and Materials Characterization for government and industry. Research scientists at ASL have expertise in material science and advanced materials development, optical science, lasers, polymer chemistry, computational modeling and much more.
For instance, did you know there’s team researching ways to detect IEDs to protect U.S. soldiers? And did you know there are studies determining the best way to destroy biological agents, such as anthrax? All of this is vital for our nation, and it’s happening right here in Spokane’s U-District.
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We’re big into traditions here at GSI. This year, we stuck with tradition and held a staff gift exchange where we bought gifts our coworkers would have enjoyed as a child. Take a look at what we received, and what we did with the gifts:
Fourteen area public school districts will have a levy on the Feb. 14 ballot (which drops in the mail Jan. 27). These levies fund vital programs and resources, such as textbooks, teaching materials, extracurricular activities, classified support staff and a lot more.
The levies will fund bus transportation and vital programs and resources, such as textbooks, teaching materials, extracurricular activities, classified support staff and a lot more.
The Executive Committee of Greater Spokane Incorporated voted on behalf of the Board of Trustees to support the school levies.
Here’s why:
Our President and CEO, Rich Hadley, was quoted in the paper regarding Tuesday’s late breaking news that Providence Health & Services will bring 250 billing jobs to Spokane – from clerks to executives, as the story says. Saying it was a great “gift” for Spokane got us thinking.
What are some other recent “gifts” Spokane has received? Since it’s the gift-giving and receiving time of year, let’s take a look.
As we give thanks this week around the dinner table, we thought it’d be a nice time to reflect on all the great things we have here as an organization. We have it so nice in Spokane, we don’t know where to begin, but we’ll mention a few things we’re thankful for here at Greater Spokane Incorporated.
Let’s get to it.
In September, Governor Christine Gregoire called for a special session, which will begin on Nov. 28, after state economist Dr. Arun Raha estimated a $1.4 billion budget shortfall for 2011-2013.
As Washington State legislators address this budget shortfall, the question is…
What will our Eastern Washington legislators’ priorities be? We researched and asked, and came up with some highlights from our Eastern Washington delegation that will be present during the Special Legislative Session. This is not all each representative will focus on, but a sample.
Hooked? Continue reading »
Prioritizing keeps you focused. It also keeps businesses, organizations and communities focused. That’s precisely why the business community here in the Spokane region has prioritized its key projects (in no particular order):
We’re helping lead the charge on all of the projects. Let’s take a look at some of the particulars on each. Hooked? Continue reading »
