The new year begins during a time of uncertainty and anxiety about the state of the economy, both nationally and at the state level.Inflation has been rising at worrying rates for the last year, driving up costs for consumers and employers. The Federal Reserve’s attempts to bring it under control...
In 2023 one of the most significant shifts America needs is to return to an “all of the above” strategy to expand our energy options rather than restricting them.That strategy was incorporated in the 2005 Energy Policy Act signed into law by President George W. Bush. It was inclusive and...
Remember, we aren’t calling your plan for 2023 a “New Year’s Resolution.”You have made a bona fide strategic plan for your business or team, and you have established some clearly-defined, compelling objectives and goals to make that plan happen.But have you noticed that as soon as you get started on...
Couples are often wary to bring up the dreaded P word when discussing their nuptials.After all, who wants to ostensibly discuss a divorce and prenuptials when there is an impending marriage to consider.Oftentimes the desire to avoid the topic is rooted in a fundamental misunderstanding of the use and benefit...
Recent population leaps in the greater Tri-City region show no signs of abating.That’s the takeaway from the demographers of the Washington Office of Financial Management (OFM). In its Growth Management (GMA) forecast released before Christmas, OFM now puts the likely total headcount of the two counties in 2025 at nearly...
The Tri-Cities is uniquely blessed when it comes to energy, and that makes it uniquely well positioned to become the regional, if not national, capital of clean energy development.It will take the community working together to knit its many assets into a new engine to fuel our economy, from research...
Despite higher prices, inflation and safety concerns, more Christmas shoppers are browsing online but making in-store purchases.The National Retail Federation (NRF) reported this year an estimated 166.3 million people visited stores from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday, 8 million more than last year and the highest level since NRF began...
Washington is fortunate to be a state filled with strong, resilient and innovative employers.We were reminded of that last month during the annual Association of Washington Business awards ceremony in Tacoma.AWB handed out a record 13 awards at the Nov. 17 Evening of Excellence gala in categories ranging from Employer...
The Pasco City Council faced a difficult decision in its final meeting of 2022.Should it fund the Downtown Pasco Development Authority, the troubled nonprofit responsible for managing the Pasco Specialty Kitchen, Cinco de Mayo, Fiery Foods Festival and downtown business revitalization efforts?In the end, it said “yes,” voting 5-2 to...
One of my fondest childhood memories of this time of year was listening to the deep baritone of English actor Basil Rathbone as he narrated Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” on my parents’ record player. (Yes, I know that dates me.)It made a toys-under-the-tree obsessed kid actually think about people...
