Greater Spokane Incorporated

To Olympia We Go

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Things you can count on each and every year:

1. The World Series (well, not in 1994, at least).
2. The Academy Awards.
3. Spokane business leaders converging on Olympia to brag about our great region and to advocate for its businesses.

From Jan. 23-25, Greater Spokane Incorporated (that’s us!), and the Greater Spokane Valley and West Plains chambers of commerce will lead a delegation of 80-plus business and community leaders to our Capitol and keep our region in the minds of our elected officials.

This should be an interesting year in Olympia. We have a new governor and some new elected officials that need to know about Spokane. Education funding will be one of the top issues our leaders will have to tackle, and transportation funding looks to be atop the agenda as well. How the state deals with health care reform and the overall business climate will also be debated.

But what about our region? How will the elected officials from this side of the state work on behalf of us? Last fall, we heard from a number of community leaders – as we do every year. The result of those meetings was our 2013 State Agenda, a document outlining the various projects in our region we’ll be advocating for next week.

Here’s a sampling, along with some thoughts and details:

No elimination of tax incentives for manufacturers
Giving tax incentives to manufacturers is a key ingredient for keeping them in our state. Eliminating those incentives could create an unwanted incentive – the incentive for them to seek relocation in another state.

Reforms to the state’s regulatory policies and other small business issues
Streamlining the permitting and regulatory process and eliminating regulations that are a burden to small businesses is one thing we’ll talk to legislators about. We’ll also push for further reforms in Workers Compensation and lower unemployment insurance costs. Small businesses need to be given the opportunity to thrive.

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Confessions of a Spokane High School Graduate and Aspiring Medical Professional

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Brad Skalstad is an 18-year-old intern here at Greater Spokane Incorporated. He recently graduated high school in Spokane with the hopes of possibly entering the medical field after college. Once he began his internship, he soon learned Spokane has a lot to offer to students like him. These are his words:

My family has coined the phrase “pulling a Bradley,” which essentially means not seeing what is directly in front of your eyes. Though usually referring to a pair of socks or a jug of milk in the fridge, I’ve come to see that I “pulled a Bradley” on one of the greatest towns in the west, and the one I more proudly call home: Spokane. (more…)

Cool Schools in the Spokane Region

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Updated – July 28

The United States government found that those with a college education receive on average $51,206 a year while those with just a high school diploma earn $27,915.

The region is filled with money making opportunities by being home to more than 13 different higher education institutions. Some of these universities include Eastern Washington University, Gonzaga, Washington State University Spokane, Whitworth and the Community Colleges of Spokane.

Let’s take a look at some local universities… (more…)

Why We’re Teaching The Teachers

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Updated: Corrected Link – 4/1/11

It’s often been said that teachers are the most important people in a child’s life, besides parents. Teachers contribute to the shape of our workforce.

Here at Greater Spokane Incorporated, we’re constantly working to create a better, more skilled workforce. One way to do that is to put careers in front of educators, who will then take that information and pass it along to their students.

So how do we do that? (more…)