View Our Printed Annual Report Here
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
MISSION We lead transformative business and community initiatives to build a robust regional economy. VISION A vibrant Spokane region where businesses and communities thrive. VALUES Collaboration We are inclusive and welcome a diverse perspectives that reflect the aspirations of our community. Innovation We are resourceful and creative and strive for intentional progress in all that we do. Respect We foster mutually respectful relationships between members, our partners and the community. GREATER GROWTH Together, we support the creation of business and job growth for a thriving economy GREATER VOICE Together, we have a greater voice for the future of our region GREATER TALENT Together, we build, champion and retain a talented workforce ENGAGEMENT Investment, Communications, Partnerships, Events, Programming GREATER SPOKANE INC. TO OUR MEMBERS A number of new words and phrases were introduced into our vernacular in 2020: PPE, social distancing, mask-up, virtual everything, Zoom (as a noun, adjective, verb and adverb!), “You’re on mute,” CARES Act, and Spread Kindness. Along with new words and phrases for 2020, GSI and its many partners shifted into high gear to support the entire business community that continues to be greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. As the region’s designated Associate Development Organization (ADO), GSI’s strength of connectedness proved key to stabilizing, communicating, sourcing and advocating on behalf of all of our businesses during this truly unprecedented time. GSI was integrally involved in the work of the region’s emergency response, joining elected leaders (county, cities, state, federal), emergency personnel, and health care leadership in staffing the region’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC). The goal of this effort, which still meets today, is/was to provide coordination of the hundreds of issues that surfaced because of COVID-19 and to plan how our region could move through a global pandemic from both a health and economic standpoint. This annual report delves into that by the numbers, and I invite you to peruse the work of the GSI team alongside numerous local, state and regional partners. None of us will soon forget 2020 and its challenges. And I urge us not to. Within those challenging times, there were also opportunities. With the dawn of a new year comes hope that this new beginning will be different. As GSI prepares to re-amplify work that was put on hold due to the pandemic, we do so with 20/20 hindsight and a renewed perspective: the Power of We. The Power of We was demonstrated in our community coming together to fight a global pandemic, the creation of new and deeper partnerships, a broader understanding of the ecosystems that support our region, the strength of our joint health care systems, increased personal and professional vulnerability, and graceful honesty. We learned how truly fragile our entertainnent, hospitality, and arts and culture sectors are to our overall regional economy. And we learned that we can’t take any of it for granted and how earnestly we need to protect the quality of life we enjoy. In the spirit of new beginnings and renewed hope, the Power of We is a movement. A movement to join together to create a better future. Together We’re Greater! Alisha Benson CEO, Greater Spokane Inc. GSI ECONOMIC RECOVERY ROADMAP Where we’re headed: Leading a proactive economic recovery effort across our GROWTH / VOICE / TALENT pillars. What it is? GSI’s plan to fuel and accelerate our region’s economic recovery. Who is involved? Collaborating with our local, state and federal partners, employers, community and elected leaders and all of you. Why it matters: We need a regional proactive plan to: • Advocate for business to safely reopen and expand • Support our workforce by retaining and connecting to jobs • Drive proactive and strategic economic growth GROWTH VOICE TALENT • Concentrate on programs that support and • Drive legislative agendas • Advocate for continued retain current businesses. focused on short- and long- public investments in K-12 • Secure sustainable economic development term economic recovery and and higher-ed, and child funding and facilitate community wide investment. care access solutions. discussions on long-term economic • Collaborate with local/state/ • Support programs development strategies. federal partners on statewide focused on worker • Collaborate on growth areas including recovery efforts. retraining and upskilling. transportation, housing, community vitality, • Activate outbound marketing • Drive engagement in diversity, inclusion and homelessness. for new employers, utilizing career connected learning Advantage Spokane. and workforce portals. 3 In partnership with organizations throughout the region, we support business and job growth for a GREATER thriving economy. We support the growth and success of your business at every level, whether you’re an entrepreneur just starting out, a growing company expanding, or a business that’s looking for a place GROWTH to relocate. PARTNER TO DELIVER 15 SECURED BUSINESS RECRUITMENT PROPOSALS TO BUSINESSES CONSIDERING THE SPOKANE REGION $100KIN STRATEGIC RESERVE FUNDS AWARDED TO SKYONE AEROSPACE TO RETAIN 18 JOBS AND CREATE 45 NEW POSITIONS IN THE NEXT THREE YEARS SIGNED 10 CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINS, FOR INTERNATIONAL TRADE BUSINESS RETENTION/EXPANSION (BRE), BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT (BD), AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (ED) COMPLETED THE FOLLOWING BUSINESS BRE RETENTION AND EXPANSION ACTIVITIES: 2,579 RECRUITMENT AND MARKETING ACTIVITIES BD 330 BUSINESS RETENTION AND EXPANSION ACTIVITIES 317 BUSINESS ASSISTANCE ED 108 READINESS AND CAPACITY BUILDING MENTOR130 REFERRAL ASSISTS MARKETING CAMPAIGN 42 ADVANTAGE SPOKANE ENTREPRENEUR ASSISTS WE REACHED 22 COUNTRIES, 37 STATES AND 186 CITIES THROUGH E-MAIL MARKETING SMALL28 BUSINESS ASSISTS The GSI Commerce Health IT and Life Science Grant has been instrumental in helping overcome hurdles faced with PROVIDED building and growing our startup company. Through this support we’ve ASSISTANCE been able to access key services such TO LIFE SCIENCE AND HEALTH as legal guidance, business networking IT SMALL BUSINESSES WITH opportunities and we are beginning to expand our REIMBURSEMENT OF BUSINESS infrastructure, further contributing to the life sciences PRODUCTS AND SERVICES FUNDED ecosystem of Spokane. BY A $100,000 WASHINGTON STATE - Appiture Biotechnologies, Inc. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE GRANT 4 PTAC Procurement Technical Assistance Center We help businesses find, bid and win local state and federal government contracts. PTAC – through Aleesha Roedel – was a tremendous help! Aleesha took the time to help me understand how the government bidding system works, how to gather specific/ relevant information and notifications, what contracts to focus on and what contracts might be too big at this stage for my company, how to read RFPs, and she walked me through all the steps to get a SAM/DUNS number and get my company ready to bid. As a small business owner, I do not have the time to learn that much on my own. Without Aleesha, her help, her dedication to helping, and her passion for her work, I would probably have given up. With $469M COVID, being able to bid and win government contracts has saved DOLLARS AWARDED my business. SIGNED 10 CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINS, Having this office at GSI is a game changer and Aleesha really is the FOR INTERNATIONAL TRADE right person in the right seat! Oh, and I keep sending her questions to help me navigate new issues and she is always available to help me find the right answer and approach. Thank you for all your help! - ABCD (Alex Barrouk Consulting & Development, LLC) AWARDS1,227 WON TO 149 BUSINESSES CLIENT1,207 SESSIONS NUMBER448 OF HOURS OF COUNSELING ENTREPRENEUR42 ASSISTS ASPOKANE three-day event that takes place AG every FebruarySHOW in Spokane and brings together agriculture professionals from across the Northwest. $13M 291 ECONOMIC EXHIBITING IMPACT COMPANIES 2,500+ EXHIBITOR REPRESENTATIVES 44 FARM FORUM 5,270+ SEMINARS ATTENDEES 5 We work year-round with the business community to advance policies that support your business and enhance our economy GREATER through economic and workforce development initiatives. VOICE DRIVE LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES FOR 2020 INCLUDED • POINT 09 – INVESTING IN WASHINGTON, ADDING BORDER COUNTIES TO THE PROGRAM • TRANSPORTATION FOR OUR REGION TO INCLUDE COMPLETION OF NORTH SOUTH CORRIDOR AND FUNDING FOR PRESERVATION AND MAINTENANCE • HOUSING REFORM TO INCREASE AVAILABLE, ATTAINABLE HOUSING • NURSE LICENSURE, ADDING WASHINGTON STATE TO THE NURSE LICENSURE COMPACT DIRECT ADVOCACY • ENGAGED 240 INDIVIDUALS IN ADVOCACY RESULTING IN 12,916 CONNECTIONS (EMAILS) TO LEGISLATORS ON A VARIETY OF TOPICS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR • OLYMPIA- FLY-IN: ORGANIZED 71 PARTICIPANTS AND MET WITH 17 STATE LEGISLATORS AND AGENCY REPRESENTATIVES DURING THE 2020 OLYMPIA FLY-IN (IN-PERSON/PRE-COVID) • HELD 2 VIRTUAL COFFEE WITH CONGRESS EVENTS AND CONNECTED NEARLY 150 LOCAL PARTICIPANTS/BUSINESS LEADERS TO 8 MEMBERS OF CONGRESS AND FEDERAL AGENCY PERSONNEL GAINED 166 FOLLOWERS 177,991 IMPRESSIONS 114.5K VIEWS GAINED 337 GAINED FOLLOWERS REACH OF 763 FOLLOWERS (851.7%174,076 INCREASE FROM 2019) REACH OF GAINED (357.4%829,318 INCREASE FROM 2019) 1,554 FOLLOWERS 577,363 IMPRESSIONS (576.6% INCREASE FROM 2019) 586,103E-NEWSLETTER IMPRESSIONS 6 One of the key elements to a successful business and a thriving regional economy is talent—a workforce with GREATER the skills and background that businesses need to be successful. We work to bring educators