By Bryan Corliss
Herald Writer
SEATTLE — The Boeing Co. may be committed to building the Sonic Cruiser, but Puget Sound needs to make a commitment of its own to ensure that the new jet is built here, regional economic development officials said Friday.
The economic development councils of Snohomish, King, Pierce and Thurston counties Friday unveiled a report outlining business conditions in the four counties — a report commissioned last spring after Boeing announced it was moving its corporate headquarters to Chicago.
Perhaps the most important finding in the report is that "there’s nothing dramatically new that we didn’t know," said Reid Shockey, Snohomish County Economic Development Council president.
It chronicles concerns from businesses in the region that find it hard to compete given local problems with transportation, education and permitting processes for new construction.
Shockey and other business leaders vowed to lobby Olympia and local governments for policies to improve the business climate.
"Our ability to globally compete is obstructed by our current public policy environment," said Frank Young, chairman of the Seattle-King County Economic Development Council. "Problems with our physical infrastructure, tax and regulatory policy, the education system and the energy supply must be addressed now — not five, 10 or 20 years from now."
The report was prepared by the private Washington Research Council. Among the problems it found:
The Snohomish County EDC already has formed task forces to study most of these issues and to come up with proposed solutions, Shockey said.
It’s time to take action, said Alan Mulally, chief executive of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, who spoke at the meeting where the report was released.
"I don’t think we need to look at a lot more data," Mulally said. "We have to decide if we want to do something about it."
You can call Herald Writer Bryan Corliss at 425-339-3454
or send e-mail to corliss@heraldnet.com.
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