Gov. Gregoire celebrates Westfield Southcenter grand opening

July 25, 2008

*As Written*


Good morning, and thank you for the introduction.

I�m excited to be part of the Grand Opening of the greatly expanded Westfield Southcenter.

I can�t wait to bring my husband, Mike, here to wait around as I shop in all the new stores!

I�ve shopped here for years because it�s so convenient just off I-5. And I look forward to what the newly improved center will have to offer, and it�s a lot � with 75 new retailers alone. Wow!

With 400,000 square feet of new retail, dining and entertainment space � this is what I call real economic development.

And it�s just one more sign that Washington is Open for Business and still doing fairly well even as the nation experiences an economic downturn.

The Westfield Group obviously believes we live in a state with a sustainable economy and a big future.

And these very smart business men and women showed their faith in our economy by investing $240 million in this project.

The expansion will create an additional 1,600 jobs, and that�s on top of the 3,700 Washingtonians who already work here.

That�s a lot of jobs for this area, and it truly gladdens my heart.

And let�s not forget the one thousand-plus construction jobs that were created by this expansion.

Southcenter is an important presence for another reason too. It provides $3 million a year in sales tax revenue to Tukwila alone � which the city uses to provide vital services like police and fire fighters.

I want to thank the Westfield Group for your vision, and for your faith in the economy of Washington.

At 1.7 million square feet, the new center is now the largest mall in the northwest. I look forward to checking it out.

Congratulations to all who made this day a reality.