Ray Stephanson's Remarks, Annual Meeting

I want to take a moment to recognize: 
•    Wendy Poischbeg, for her leadership as EASC’s interim CEO in 2024. 
•    Our hard-working and talented EASC staff. 
•    Our Board Chair, Doug Purcell. 
•    Our Board of Trustees and members of our Executive and Finance Committees. 

Your hard work, dedication, and sound judgment are what make this organization strong and successful.

Most importantly, thank you to our investors — especially the Washington State Department of Commerce, Snohomish County, our local cities, ports, and Tribes, Snohomish County PUD, and all our private sector supporters. Your belief in our mission makes this work possible.

Let me start with a bit of history.

In 2011, Bob Drewel, Doug Purcell, Rich Cooper, and I — along with a few other key leaders — founded Economic Alliance Snohomish County. It’s hard to believe that was 14 years ago.  

In those 14 years, through our commitment to the community we serve, and the diligence of every one of our staff, we feel we have been able to deliver on our mission through good times and not so good times.

Throughout 2024, our staff was busy advocating for and connecting Snohomish County business to policy, resources, guidance and assistance to stand up a successful, competitive economy.

In the annual report, you’ll find a breakdown of our work and organizations we’ve partnered with or supported, but I’d like to highlight just a few key accomplishments.

ADVOCACY
EASC is the voice of Snohomish County business in Olympia and Washington, D.C.

To us, this work is as important as everything else we do. A region that meets the needs of the industries that fuel our economy and the people who work and live in this community will attract the people and ideas that bring prosperity.

In 2024, as we do every year, we prepared our state and federal legislative priorities with help from policy professionals, our committees, partners and investors, to guide our advocacy efforts, address our needs and amplify our regional strengths.

We led two advocacy missions, one to Olympia and one to DC, with around 30 business and community leaders joining us on each trip to meet face-to-face with state and congressional representatives, policy advisors and agencies representing the interests and needs of our county.

We supported critical regional infrastructure, advanced workforce and community priorities and secured significant funding for our region.

WORKFORCE
We focused heavily on ensuring a prepared, effective workforce, to meet the current and future needs of a changing economy.

We are proud to have worked with our partners, investors and higher-ed in the county to stand up projects, educational opportunities and apprenticeships that meet our current industry needs.

Through programs like the Small Business Development Center and Washington APEX accelerator, we have helped hundreds of small businesses and entrepreneurs 
find fertile ground for their enterprise in the region, providing workshops, direct advising and technical assistance to clients who secured millions of dollars 
in capital formation and government contracts.

We are also proud to be in the cutting edge of preparing tomorrow’s workforce. Through the Snohomish STEM Network, thousands of students connected with hundreds of employers across the region to learn more about viable career paths in high demand sectors and the skills and training they might need to form a part of a future economy that is competitive, innovative and strong.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
We work hard to ensure our county remains the best place for businesses to land, grow and expand.

Through our resources and connections we were able to make to our partners at SBDC, APEX Accelerator, Higher Education and Workforce Snohomish, to name a few, we equip business with every tool they need to succeed.

We engaged with hundreds of businesses across key sectors, including aerospace, advanced manufacturing, clean tech, life science, maritime and more.

Each meeting helped us uncover challenges and needs, allowing us to become better advocates for our region.

Our Business Retention and Expansion efforts are best illustrated with our support
for firms like Lafarge and Egge.

We helped them secure a significant grant that doubled their head count and led to millions in capital investment.

We are also proud to have supported Zero Avia’s growth for several years. Beginning with recruitment and leading to biz expansion. This opportunity has the potential to create a significant capital investment and hundreds of jobs.

Their ribbon cutting was the culmination of years of work and partnership, and the event drew hundreds of key leaders and dignitaries and showcased their new facility — a major milestone in the company’s ongoing growth in the region and the industry’s shift to sustainable aviation.
In 2024 alone, we supported a pipeline of over 80 active projects, including new inquiries and ongoing engagements. At SelectUSA and its spinoff hosted in partnership with the Port of Everett, Boeing, Tulalip Tribes, and the City of Bothell, 
we engaged companies looking to establish operations right here in Snohomish County.

During our D.C. mission, we met with businesses exploring their first U.S. footprint—such as Echandia, a Swedish maritime cleantech battery manufacturer planning a 20,000 sq. ft. facility in Marysville. That project brings 25 new jobs, $2 million in investment, and high growth potential.

We also expanded trade opportunities through national and international missions. This included the Seattle Metro Chamber’s leadership mission to Korea, the Washington State delegation to the Farnborough International Airshow, and a follow-up mission to Chester, U.K., with participation from the Port of Everett, Snohomish County, Paine Field and the WATR Center.

In collaboration with Greater Seattle Partners, we helped launch the second cohort of the Greater Seattle Export Accelerator, supporting two Snohomish County companies: Bushliner and Integrity Machining.

LOOKING AHEAD
We are working closely with Snohomish County to refine a long-range economic development strategy for the next four to five years, one that prioritizes business expansion, smart recruitment and expanded regional and global reach through upcoming infrastructure like the Paine Field expansion and new light rail projects.

This strategy will help us align our economic development, workforce development, and advocacy efforts, especially in rural communities.

We are improving our surveying practices to better identify business needs 
across issues like trade policy, workforce, power and more.

We’re also collaborating with counterparts in neighboring counties to standardize questions and create a unified regional data set. This will allow for more effective advocacy and targeted workforce investments.

Finally, we are sharpening our recruitment strategy, working in partnership with state and regional allies like the Department of Commerce and Greater Seattle Partners to ensure that the companies we attract are the best fit for Snohomish County.

At EASC, we’re problem-solvers.

If you’re a company looking to locate or expand in Snohomish County—we can help.

If you’re a public agency facing roadblocks—we’re here as an extension of your team.

We support our future workforce to raise awareness around STEM education and career pathways for students.

Our APEX team helps contractors qualify to do business with the government and military.

Of course, we advocate for legislation that helps our region — and push back on proposals that may hinder your success. 

We recognize that many government organizations — from the state down to the smallest municipalities—are revenue-constrained, yet they’re expected to deliver critical services. Our role is to help companies succeed. Whether you’re growing an existing business or exploring a relocation, we’re here to support you. 

Our team responds to inquiries and proactively seeks opportunities in high-value sectors that will bring economic balance and resilience to Snohomish County.

Here’s my pitch: if you know of an organization that could benefit from our services, send them our way. If you're not yet an investor, please consider joining us. With growing budget pressures at the state level, it’s more important than ever that we have the resources to deliver on our commitments. 

Thank you again for choosing Snohomish County, we appreciate your support. If there’s anything we can do for you or your organization, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

All the best to you.

- Ray Stephanson is the President & CEO of Economic Alliance Snohomish County

Download the 2024 Annual Report here.