Published: Sunday, July 1, 2007
Working together, we can compete globally
Through much of its history, Washington has been a state economically divided: east/west; rural/urban; apples/airplanes. Few believed prosperity on one side of the Cascades - or the lack of it - had much effect on the other.
But as globalization has flattened the world economically, it has forced a new imperative on the diverse regions of our state: we need each other, and if we're to prosper in this competitive world, we'd better work together.
That was the theme last week as nearly 80 industrial, government, nonprofit and education leaders from the Puget Sound and Spokane areas spent three days on an economic development tour of Central Washington. The trip brought some of each region's most visionary minds together with innovators in the Wenatchee, Moses Lake, Ellensburg and Yakima areas to see where they can collaborate, rather than compete, with each other.
On both sides of the mountains, economies are being transformed as old industries fade, ones that are still strong evolve and new ones emerge.
Border to border, east and west are more connected than ever. In Central Washington, fruit orchards have been augmented by wind farms and server farms, sending electricity and the power of the Internet to this side of the state. Yakima Valley vineyards target tourists from Puget Sound, and a new medical university in Yakima will soon begin churning out family physicians for underserved rural areas throughout the Northwest.
Big Bend Community College in Moses Lake continues to train pilots and airplane mechanics, supporting the state's critically important aerospace industry. Clean energy is a burgeoning sector in Central Washington: plug-in hybrid electric vehicles are being developed in Wenatchee, megawatts of wind power are being generated in and around Ellensburg and solar energy is a growing success at REC Silicon in Moses Lake.
The tour, like one last year to Eastern Washington, was put together by the Prosperity Partnership, a coalition of Puget Sound business, government, labor and community organizations whose smart and comprehensive economic strategy for the region is now being embraced statewide.
The effort has even transcended political divisions. Democrats and Republicans are on board, signaling a broad recognition that partnerships built on mutual goals will put our state in the best position to prosper in the global economy.
Leaders throughout the state finally seem to get it: Competing against each other is counterproductive. Actively cooperating with each other to compete against the rest of the world is the key to a prosperous future for Washingtonians - on both sides of the Cascades.
To learn more about the Prosperity Partnership, visit www.prosperitypartnership.org.
But as globalization has flattened the world economically, it has forced a new imperative on the diverse regions of our state: we need each other, and if we're to prosper in this competitive world, we'd better work together.
That was the theme last week as nearly 80 industrial, government, nonprofit and education leaders from the Puget Sound and Spokane areas spent three days on an economic development tour of Central Washington. The trip brought some of each region's most visionary minds together with innovators in the Wenatchee, Moses Lake, Ellensburg and Yakima areas to see where they can collaborate, rather than compete, with each other.
On both sides of the mountains, economies are being transformed as old industries fade, ones that are still strong evolve and new ones emerge.
Border to border, east and west are more connected than ever. In Central Washington, fruit orchards have been augmented by wind farms and server farms, sending electricity and the power of the Internet to this side of the state. Yakima Valley vineyards target tourists from Puget Sound, and a new medical university in Yakima will soon begin churning out family physicians for underserved rural areas throughout the Northwest.
Big Bend Community College in Moses Lake continues to train pilots and airplane mechanics, supporting the state's critically important aerospace industry. Clean energy is a burgeoning sector in Central Washington: plug-in hybrid electric vehicles are being developed in Wenatchee, megawatts of wind power are being generated in and around Ellensburg and solar energy is a growing success at REC Silicon in Moses Lake.
The tour, like one last year to Eastern Washington, was put together by the Prosperity Partnership, a coalition of Puget Sound business, government, labor and community organizations whose smart and comprehensive economic strategy for the region is now being embraced statewide.
The effort has even transcended political divisions. Democrats and Republicans are on board, signaling a broad recognition that partnerships built on mutual goals will put our state in the best position to prosper in the global economy.
Leaders throughout the state finally seem to get it: Competing against each other is counterproductive. Actively cooperating with each other to compete against the rest of the world is the key to a prosperous future for Washingtonians - on both sides of the Cascades.
To learn more about the Prosperity Partnership, visit www.prosperitypartnership.org.
Comments
(