Pacific Mountain State of the Region
It’s often said in business and government circles
that “you are what you measure.” That’s
true for individual businesses and agencies,
and it’s true for communities and regions,
too. For example, the region’s leaders keep
a close eye on unemployment figures because
they know the critical importance of providing
jobs to local residents. Similarly, they regularly
track various environmental measures,
such as air and water quality, because of the
region’s strong commitment to sustainable living.
This report is part of a wider effort
to change the discussion about our regional
economy. It introduces some new ways
of tracking progress for the Pacific Mountain
region that encompasses five counties: Grays
Harbor, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, and Thurston.
This first “State
of the Region” report focuses
on two sets of issues. First, how do our communities
perform as a five-county economic region? Each
individual county tracks its performance, but
we have never tracked this information on a
regional basis. Second, is the region ready
and able to support new companies, technologies,
and industries that build wealth through innovation,
creativity, and new ideas? This complex
question is not answered by one measure. It
requires an assessment of multiple measures
that track our capacity to nurture and develop
talent, build entrepreneurial businesses, and
support leading industries.
As you will see, this report presents a clear, and sobering, message about how our five county region performs. Our region lags behind the state and nation in terms of generating qualified, well-educated workers, and this deficit is reflected in the region’s lower income and wealth levels. However, our performance is improving, and we also enjoy many local assets upon which to build. Chief among them is a dynamic base of entrepreneurial companies and individuals who are helping to transform the region’s economy. Their forward-looking nature and commitment to maintaining the ecological richness of our region drives important work in the emerging “green” economy.
We view this effort as a conversation
starter. We want readers to use these
findings as a jumping-off point to talk
about our region’s economy, and to debate
and consider the role each of us plays in building
a prosperous and inclusive local economy.
We hope you will engage with us as we seek
to find solutions for our problems and capitalize
on the opportunities ahead.
As with many important initiatives partnerships
are a key to success. WA State’s Labor
Market and Economic Analysis group is
top notch, and we are grateful for their
research and development of the charts and
graphs that make this such a valuable document.
Greg Weeks and Tim Norris deserve special praise
for this effort!
Sincerely,
Rick Hole, Chairman Pacific Mountain
Alliance for Innovation
Executive Leadership Council
Note: The State of the Region is a PDF document in a 1mb Zip file.
Pacific Mountain Alliance for Innovation, 1570 Irving Street SW, Tumwater WA 98512
Ph: 360-570-6957, Fx: 360-704-6444
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