On Thursday, The Herald Business Journal will announce the 2016 recipient of the Emerging Leaders Award. Last week and this week, we are profiling 12 finalists, who were chosen by a panel of judges from among dozens of nominees.
Lisa Lefeber joined the Port of Everett at a rough time.
The port had managed to anger nearly everyone in the community.
People were upset about the construction of the Mount Baker Terminal in Mukilteo. Others were angry at the port seeking to raise building heights for the now-shelved Port Gardner Wharf project.
Still others were mad about the port’s decision to dismantle the historic waterfront Collins Building, a link to Everett’s mill town past.
Lefeber, who was working as a reporter at the Snohomish County Tribune, was invited to apply for a newly created job of community relations representative. Her job was not only to convey the port’s message to the community but also to listen to community.
In the end, the port did decide to tear down the Collins Building, but the port worked with historic preservationists to document the history of the structure. The port also salvaged the best materials such as windows, columns and beams for reuse restoring 10 historic buildings across the state.
Lefeber, who was promoted to director of strategic communication and policy last year, said she has worked to build a strong and transparent communication and outreach program for the port.
In order to have a strong, diverse and healthy community, the city need a mix of jobs and opportunities and that’s what the port brings, Lefeber said.
“Snohomish County is on the cusp of greatness,” Lefeber said. “We’ve had a lot of development and a lot of businesses moving north.?
She said she spent four years in college commuting to Western Washington University and “never got off the freeway unless I was running out of gas.”
Since she started working here, Lefeber realized the potential of the city. “I love Everett, it’s a beautiful city,” she said.
She’s become involved in several organizations around the county, including serving on the marketing board for the YMCA of Snohomish County, the advocacy board for the Economic Alliance Snohomish County and Snohomish County for Improved Transportation.
She’s also been involved in the past in Senior Services of Snohomish County, Imagine Children’s Museum and the Future of Flight Foundation.
At the port, she jokes that her job is “‘Other duties as assigned.’ I help where people need me to wherever there’s a hole or lapse in the organization, I always find a way to plug it.”
In that role, she helped the port secured millions of dollars in environmental cleanup and transportation infrastructure grants. She also helped the port earn the Presidential Excellence Award for Exports three years ago.
She is excited about the Waterfront Place Central project, which aims to bring housing, shops and hotels to Everett’s marina. She hopes that will dovetail with an improved downtown.
“I’m very committed to this community,” Lefeber said. “Hopefully that shows in my interactions with people.”
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