All across our state, every day, employers make big, positive differences in their communities. We see that in the people they employ, the products and services they produce, and in more impressive ways that I’ve had the chance to see up close over the past few weeks.

This year the Association of Washington Business marked the 10th year of our Evening of Excellence awards celebration where we highlight employers leading the way in categories like innovation, entrepreneurship, protection of the environment, support for veterans, celebrating diversity and more. 

Dynamic business leaders from across the state attended this year’s event in Seattle. We saw young entrepreneurs, like the founder of Bobae Coffee & Tea in Woodinville and Side Piece Kitchen in Tacoma. They’ve built up beloved spaces in their communities while supporting their employees and neighbors. 

Other big winners included Spokane companies like Jubilant HollisterStier, a global leader in the manufacturing of sterile injectables, and CarbonQuest, carbon capture innovators. 

Still other honorees have set new standards for taking care of veterans, built up family businesses that endure through the generations, and led the way on workplace safety. 

And earlier this month, we saw generosity in other ways. 

Since 1989, employers have helped light the tree every December in the state Capitol as part of a wide-ranging Christmas-season effort called the Holiday Kids’ Tree Project. 

Since its inception 37 years ago, the businesses and individual donors to this project have given almost $650,000 to families in dozens of rural communities, working with local fire departments to distribute toys and other items to families in need. 

These are only a few ways that businesses of all sizes are pillars of their communities. 

Unfortunately, there are forces undermining those pillars. 

Over the past 10 years, the state budget has doubled, and Washington has grown more expensive for families and employers. Earlier this year, we saw the biggest single tax increase in state history. Lawmakers rushed it through the Legislature in just a few days, creating unintended consequences for school districts and confusion for small businesses that are suddenly hit with major new costs. 

And we’ve already seen proposals for new taxes when legislators return to Olympia in January. 

It’s time to break the cycle of never-ending cost increases and focus instead on a growth agenda. We need to make it easier for entrepreneurs to take their new ideas and turn them into successful companies. We need to help existing employers not just survive but grow – right here in Washington – instead of looking to move elsewhere. And we need to recognize that every tax increase or new regulation placed on businesses adds costs and additional burdens, many of which are passed on to customers.

As state budget-writers look for revenue, the simple fact is that every single general fund dollar starts as a private-sector dollar. Someone has to earn that dollar. If you grow the economy, you grow more tax dollars.

In 2026, as we face economic challenges, let’s look for solutions that help everyone by taking steps to grow the economy.

Kris Johnson is president of the Association of Washington Business, the state’s chamber of commerce and manufacturers association.