Community Engagement & Impact
An Amazon-backed project will bring to life Acer House, a 121-unit mixed-use community that will provide affordable homes and micro-retail spaces for local entrepreneurs in Seattle’s Central District. Across the state, our members continue to champion STEM education: Boeing recognized students committed to pursuing postsecondary education and credentials in STEM at the 2025 Washington State STEM Signing Day, while the Seattle Seahawks, Amazon Web Services, and Play Like a Girl teamed up to inspire future STEM leaders and help them discover a world where sports and technology intersect seamlessly. Also on STEM, Amazon is developing top aerospace talent from within its front-line workforce as part of its venture Project Kuiper. BECU awarded Greater Spokane Inc. a $30,000 grant to support underserved entrepreneurs, a great investment in small business development.
Industry Developments & Accolades
Congratulations to Comcast on being named a 5 Star Employer in the VETS Indexes Employer Awards for the fifth year in a row! Weyerhaeuser marks a key milestone as it celebrates 125 years of industry leadership. PACCAR was nominated by the Women In Trucking Association as 2025 Top Companies for Women to Work for in Transportation. Nintendo continues to set records: its new Switch 2 console surpassed 3.5 million units sold globally in its first four days. Lease Crutcher Lewis was selected to build the University of Washington’s new Welcome Center in the northwest corner of the Seattle campus. Alaska Airlines announced three new international routes from Seattle: a recently added service to Tokyo, an upcoming service to Seoul (starting in September), and another upcoming service to Europe (in 2026), marking exciting steps in strengthening Seattle’s role as a global business and travel hub. And a big win for PNNL: the Grid Storage Launchpad (GSL) was honored with the Battery Council International’s 2025 Innovation Award!
Thought Leadership
Check out this interview with René Ancinas (Port Blakely) in Family Business Magazine, where he reflects on defining the business’ vision and purpose and highlights the importance of maintaining a growth mindset.