COMMITMENT TO ECONOMIC PROSPERITY
Spokane’s quality of life either attracted us here or has kept us here. Our ability to stay here and enjoy the fruits of the region is made possible when we have a healthy and thriving economy. A growing economy not only provides the livable wage jobs we desire but also helps to fund the services we need.
The role of government is to provide a regulatory environment that fosters economic growth and development while at the same time protecting the qualities of the region that we value.
State statute requires that County Commissioners are charged with the responsibility to grow and enhance the local economies.
In Al’s professional life he has owned and operated businesses in the Spokane region for 45 years. Al has brought or created thousands of new jobs for the region. Al understands the challenges that burdensome and outdated regulations can cause the business community and region. Al has worked to change the regulatory environment to allow our existing businesses to thrive and create new and better jobs. Streamlining processes reduce costs for both the employer and the taxpayer.
Al leads the local effort to create a regulatory and administrative environment that will attract new industries with family wage jobs and that share our values and will join us in protecting our quality of life.
The qualities of the region that we enjoy will attract others here too. The challenge is to acknowledge the potential for growth and have it work for us.
Al has used his 45 years of business experience and community commitment to champion the creation of a business-friendly regulatory environment for the county while at the same time protecting the precious quality of life we cherish. Al will continue to work to strike a balance between the need to grow our economy and the need to protect the qualities we value. Al is the only candidate that has the proven legislative and business experience to achieve this goal. This is the time for proven leadership. We cannot afford inexperience, false hope, or promises. Inexperience in growing and protecting our economy will cost us all fewer opportunities which will result in increased taxes or loss of services.
Al’s experience, leadership, and active involvement in business expansion and recruitment has resulted in the following companies selecting Spokane County for their operations: Amazon’s Fulfillment Center, PrimeAir, Amazon’s Furniture Distribution Center, Amazon’s Distribution Center, Caterpillar’s Western Regional Distribution Center, Odom Corporation’s Regional Distribution Center, Wemco Manufacturing, Exotic Metals Fabrication, Associated Painters, Highline Grain Growers and many more with 1,000’s of new good-paying jobs.
Al’s experience with city and county government coupled with his business experience enabled him to create the foundation of the West Plains Public Development Authority known as S3R3. This entity, the first of its kind in the State of Washington, brings the strengths of Spokane International Airport, City of Spokane, and Spokane County together as partners in growing our economy. S3R3 has been in existence for a little over 4 years and is now recognized by the State as the fastest growing light industrial area in the State.
Al is also recognized as a leader in the region’s growing aerospace sector. His leadership roles with the Spokane International Airport Board, AIR Spokane, founding member of S3R3, and involvement with the Inland Northwest Aerospace Consortium (INWAC) representing over 120 aerospace companies with over 8,000 employees places him in a critical role in growing this sector.
Al is the only candidate that has created new jobs, brought new industries that grow our economy, and is positioned to continue that growth as your Commissioner.