Two summers ago, starting in the community of Stevenson along the Columbia River, I joined employers in a series of town hall meetings around Washington asking about people to share their vision for our state’s future. We found common ground in every part of our state. 

From Moses Lake and the Tri-Cities to Mount Vernon and Lacey, residents told us what mattered to them: housing, water, energy access and child care. Connecting young people to jobs. A business climate that supports innovation. And others.

More than 4,200 people participated in town halls or completed a statewide opinion poll, helping lay the groundwork for Washington in the Making 2040 – which the Association of Washington Business (AWB) and the Washington Roundtable launched on June 3.

Washington in the Making 2040 is a long-range vision for our state’s economy over the next 15 years. We’ll follow up with yearly Solution Summits to share ideas and next steps, starting this fall with a summit on energy generation and transmission.

AWB brings a unique perspective to the project. Our membership spans every industry, from major employers to family-run shops. In AWB’s quarterly polling, businesses of all sizes cite similar challenges: a burdensome tax and regulatory system, rising energy costs, housing shortages and difficulty finding qualified workers. 

It turns out that Washington residents’ economic priorities closely align with employer priorities. In the public opinion survey, 93% of respondents said it’s important to expose teens to career paths early. Eighty-seven percent want to see more family-wage jobs in industries like manufacturing, technology and health care. And 85% said Washington needs to build more affordable housing for employees. 

“We have jobs here, but if we can’t bring employees here to live, that’s a drag on the economy,” said Spencer Gardner, planning director at the city of Spokane. Like other cities, Spokane has taken steps to allow more housing types. By 2040, Washington will need at least 1 million new units to house a growing population. To get there, we’ll need a statewide strategy that encourages more middle housing and reduces building costs and delays. 

Washington also needs to make it easier to launch and grow a business – and that means supporting innovation rather than putting up hurdles. 

“I think Washington state can have an easier website where you can find all the resources on one page,” said Efrain Martinez, who runs Fiddle’s Coffee House with Fidel Negrete in the Yakima Valley. As they prepared to open, the two were surprised to learn they needed licenses from multiple local entities and the state. 

Meeting growing energy demand – projected to grow 30% in the Pacific Northwest over the next decade – is key to our future. Washington residents and businesses enjoy some of the lowest cost and cleanest electricity in the nation, largely thanks to our robust hydroelectric system. We can’t and shouldn’t take that for granted. We must boost transmission capacity and explore an all-of-the-above energy strategy to keep the lights on. 

Lastly, we need to expose young people to a breadth of careers and experience-based learning.

“Inspiring and engaging that next generation of worker is what creates economic prosperity,” said Paula Linnen, principal of the Foster Institute and chair of the AWB Institute Board.

Stay tuned for more on how Washingtonians can build a stronger future, together.

Learn more about Washington in the Making 2040 by visiting WA2040.org.

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