EVERETT — Just before launching into a sidewalk edition of "White Christmas," a cartel of carolers sang the praises of Tuesday’s Boeing Co. announcement.
"We’re really excited. Really excited," said Sam "The Voice" Samano, a job developer at WorkSource in Everett Station.
"It was almost as exciting as the Lincoln homecoming," she added.
Samano’s entire career revolves around finding work for the unemployed. Right now, she’s working to find jobs for 70 people — at least half of them are laid off Boeing employees.
"I’m always kind of leery," Samano said. "We were hit hard. I’ve been working with a lot of folks trying to get them into other jobs."
Samano and the other carolers are ambassadors for the Everett Area Chamber of Commerce who every year sing their way around downtown spreading holiday cheer and civic pride.
Before singing, the chorale met in the entryway at The Flying Pig restaurant on Colby Avenue on Tuesday evening.
Simultaneously, the restaurant and bar was offering a 15 percent good news discount to Boeing employees.
Another waiting caroler, Chris Covington, owns Structural Design Associates.
"Now that this 7E7 has landed in Everett, people are going to start building houses again, and that helps my business," he said.
Covington said it’s hard to find businesses in the area that aren’t affected by Boeing’s economic tides.
"There’s so many offshoots, and this is good news for a lot of them — including mine," he said.
Covington’s wife, Linnea, is a Rotarian and volunteers for the Snohomish County Tourism Bureau.
Boeing’s continued investment in Everett will also boost the confidence of residents and business owners alike, she said.
"I think it helps incredibly," she said. "It does as much for morale as it does the reinvestment in the area. It makes people very happy to be in Everett."
Scott Freshman, who works for the Everett chamber, also called Tuesday’s news "incredible."
He hopes the news means that locals, for the first time in at least three years, can put away terms such as "tentative," "economic slowdown" and "layoff."
"Everett has somehow managed to keep a forward-looking outlook," Freshman said.
In a less jubilant but still buzzing-with-Boeing bar across town, the Buzz Inn Steakhouse on Evergreen Way, Bothell resident Tim Jones was having a beer with some colleagues.
"It’s going to give the local economy a boost," said Jones, who owns Pacific Cable Construction Inc. "But as a business entrepreneur, I don’t appreciate the big tax breaks given to Boeing. Where’s my tax break?"
Buzz Inn bartender Josh Herschlip said because of the economy, he hasn’t seen some of his former Boeing regulars in months.
"Hey — more Boeing, more customers, more money," he said.
Reporter Jennifer Warnick: 425-339-3429 or
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