Association of Washington Business

10/14/2026

Whitworth University's new PACCAR Engineering Building is helping meet the growing demand for engineers across the country.

The facility features a clean room to provide hands-on experience in semiconductor manufacturing, plus a metal fabrication shop, optics program, experimental research lab, electronics lab, design studio, rapid 3D printer prototyping and more.

Thank you to tour stop sponsors Premera Blue Cross and Banner Bank.

10/14/2026

Good luck to Calista, Washington state's National Civics Bee champion, who will be representing our state tonight in the National Civics Bee in Washington, D.C. The winner of tonight's championship competition will take home a $100,000 scholarship!

Calista won the state finals this summer. We know she'll do our state proud tonight, bringing a wealth of knowledge about our nation's history, laws and civic strengths, along with a well-thought out platform to support wildfire resiliency.

Congrats, Calista -- the Evergreen State is behind you!

C-SPAN will carry tonight's championship live at 5 p.m. Pacific time.

Read more about Calista's wildfire resiliency proposals: https://civics.uschamberfoundation.org/meet-calista-c-future-fire-pilot-and-wildfire-preparedness-advocate/

Watch Calista discuss her platform: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXbuJ0hnAKg

Learn more about the National Civics Bee: https://civics.uschamberfoundation.org/national-civics-bee/championship-2026/

Thank you to the The Civic Trust, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, local sponsor BECU, and the Greater Vancouver Chamber (which sponsored Calista's regional competition earlier this year).

10/14/2026

A huge thank you to our new Manufacturing Week sponsors!
* Motors and Controls Corporation
* Port of Kalama
* Sila Nano
* Bristol Myers Squibb
* Maddox Industrial Transformer
* Greer Tank and Welding
* HUB International

Thank you for "getting on board" and helping us tell Washington's manufacturing story to the world through your support that helped us put on the 10th annual Manufacturing Week bus tour.

10/13/2026

Join us in next week in Lynden to support Rep. Alicia Rule, a member of the state Legislature who has shown that she supports Washington's employers.

Learn more and register for this meet-and-greet with Rep. Rule: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/oct22meetandgreet

10/13/2026

Congratulations to the 2026 Employer of the Year finalists!

This award recognizes a Washington state employer that has implemented innovative approaches to employee retention, job creation, benefits, and compensation while fostering a workplace where employees can thrive.

This year's finalists are:

Braun Northwest
HoSt Energy Systems North America
Sprague Pest Solutions

AWB will announce the winners at the 2026 Evening of Excellence Awards gala, Nov. 19 at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle.

Learn more and register: https://www.awb.org/event/2026-evening-of-excellence/

10/13/2026

AWB toured Washington Fruit Growers, a fifth-generation family business in Yakima, on the final day of the Manufacturing Week bus tour, getting a close-up look at their high-tech fruit packing operation.

“We’re averaging 8 million apples a day right now — all of them hand-picked,” said Operations Manager Mikey Hanks, adding that roughly 90 truckloads of apples are shipped out of the Yakima facilities each day.

Read more in the Yakima Herald-Republic:

Automated cameras, computer programs and other split-second technology provide up to 270 photos of each apple as it races along conveyer belts.

10/12/2026

Filson was founded in Seattle in 1897 to outfit prospectors and explorers for the Klondike Gold Rush with high-quality, durable clothing. Today, the company still manufactures outdoor apparel, like its signature Mackinaw plaid wool jacket, from a factory and flagship store in the S**O district of downtown Seattle.

Thank to you our manufacturing tour stop sponsors, Premera Blue Cross and Banner Bank

10/11/2026

10/09/2026

Thank you to our friends at the Illinois Manufacturers' Association for welcoming us aboard the Makers on the Move bus. After 10 days highlighting manufacturing in Washington, it was great to join a similar celebration of American manufacturing in Illinois with the IMA.

"Made in the USA" deserves to be recognized, celebrated and supported. We'll keep telling these stories and advocating for the manufacturing employers of Washington, Illinois and every state in the union.

10/09/2026

Great manufacturing employers in Tacoma! Thank you City of Tacoma Government for highlighting your city's vibrant manufacturing sector.