The Blog

Rogers Weed, Director, Department of Commerce Rogers Weed, Director, Department of Commerce

07/23/09

Washington State has a new Department of Commerce, and we’ve been hard at work beginning our transition from Community, Trade, and Economic Development (CTED) to Commerce. We have a new name and a clear, simple mission: grow and improve jobs in the state.

How are we going to achieve that mission? What will success look like in a year or two? Those questions are reflected in our vision statement:

The Department of Commerce is the widely recognized business champion in state government and a respected leader and partner with the private sector in growing our state’s economy for the benefit of all of our citizens.

My colleagues and I are just concluding an unprecedented six-week statewide outreach tour titled “Commerce Connections.” We’ve hosted more than 90 separate meetings with small and large businesses, local governments, housing and community service agencies, economic development organizations, utilities, statewide associations and interest groups, legislators, fellow state agencies and internal staff. Input from these stakeholder groups and others in the community at large will inform our recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature, due November 1, on how to prioritize our activities and drive our work.

We shared eight core principles for moving Commerce forward, which I’ll list here but invite you to read more at Commerce Connections:

  1. Government doesn’t create most jobs – businesses do.

  2. Government does play a key role in shaping the state’s business climate.

  3. Strong economies require strong communities.

  4. A strong, vibrant business community benefits us all.

  5. Government should not pick winners and losers.

  6. Retaining our state’s current businesses and promoting their growth should be our first priority.

  7. Always be opportunistic.

  8. Focus on the function and form will follow.

In every meeting, from Burlington to Spokane, we have opened the floor for criticism and for ideas, big and small. We explored our state’s strengths and our weaknesses, our opportunities and threats to moving the economy forward. And we talked about collaboration, at all levels, from community to community, peer to peer, public and private, with regional partnerships and bridging federal, state and government local lines.

As we’ve traveled throughout the state, it’s clear that even in the midst of the worst economic climate in more than 50 years, we have some tremendous opportunities to work together to capitalize on our history of innovation, economic diversity and strong industry sectors to keep Washington globally competitive and growing. One of our most valuable assets is a shared passion and pride in our state and our quality of life.

What do you think? Next week, we’ll post a survey and a channel for comment on our web site. Visit commerce.wa.gov or sign up for our LISTSERV to keep tabs on what’s happening at your new Washington State Department of Commerce.