Derek Sandison, Washington Department of Agriculture
Washington state’s agriculture industry is known for its diverse crop portfolio and innovative marketing strategies. At the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA), we work to preserve and maintain...
Brace yourself. Your paycheck in July will probably be a little smaller.
That’s when the state will begin collecting premium payments for its long-term care insurance program, called WA Cares. Employers and employees might be feeling deja vu. In January 2022, the payroll tax briefly went into effect before...
This month, thousands of Washington high school students will commemorate years of effort as they proudly cross graduation stages. We applaud their hard work, the obstacles they overcame, and the aspirations they have for our collective future.
Opportunities after high school in Washington are promising. We have an economy...
Learn about a Red Mountain winery’s effort to recycle glass.
President Joe Biden is unwisely “throttling up” plans to ditch carbon fuels unilaterally despite the extreme consequences of doing so. He wants to accelerate...
Throughout my career, I have learned many valuable lessons about developing relationships and finding meaningful ways to connect with peers and colleagues. I also learned that cultivating a culture where everyone, regardless of gender, can be heard and supported is how you build amazing teams.
In the world of asset protection, one well-known concept to mitigate risk is to transfer the obligation for payment of a valid claim to another person. This risk mitigation is typically accomplished through insurance.
With insurance, a person pays a regular fee (the insurance premium) so that if that...
Stephen Covey, author of “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” wrote, “Most people don’t listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.”
Professionals need to be superior at listening, sharing and collaborating to master the art of effective communication.
Manufacturing in the greater Tri-Cities continues to be a story of adding value to the region’s agricultural bounty. Benton-Franklin Trends data illustrates the growth over the past 15 years of food and beverage manufacturers.
In 2021, the number of firms in the industry totaled 120. That’s...
Depending on how you measure success, the recently concluded Washington legislative session was either really great, not as terrible as normal or a frustrating combination of progress and setbacks for the employer community.
Let’s start with the positive: Lawmakers took meaningful steps to address the state’s affordable housing crisis....
President Joe Biden is unwisely “throttling up” plans to ditch carbon fuels unilaterally despite the extreme consequences of doing so. He wants to accelerate replacement of gas/diesel vehicles with electrics (EVs), which will be recharged by electrical grids energized by solar, wind and hydropower – not coal, natural...
Derek Sandison,
