COVID-19 hasn’t dampened our resolve: Tacoma, Pierce County are open for business

In this climate of uncertainty, we believe it important to come together to express our optimism about the economic outlook in Tacoma and Pierce County, both now and in the future.

Don’t get us wrong, we know our economy is not immune to the effects of COVID-19. Like most cities and counties across the state, we face tough decisions as we navigate the ups and downs due to the shuttering of our economy.

But where others are consumed by the negative, we are not. We know the vital role government plays in stabilizing and building our economy. That is why we are committed to sharing the message we’ve shouted from the top of the Tacoma Dome for years:

Tacoma and Pierce County are open for business.

Now, more than ever, is the time to hammer this message home. As we recover from the effects of this pandemic, we know we face challenges, but we also see opportunity.

That includes our continued practice of promoting our strong, diverse talent pool to bring more living wage jobs to the region. We will continue to support small business and keep our sights set on recruiting large companies such as Amazon to take advantage of our affordable and available commercial office space.

The workforce already exists in Tacoma and Pierce County to support this economic growth. Our quality education system, including K-12 and higher education institutions with award-winning and nationally recognized community and technical colleges, is extensive. School and business leaders have a proven track record of collaboration to prepare students for success.

Look no farther than the University of Washington Tacoma, which helped grow our technology sector.

Through a partnership with tech company Infoblox, UWT helped grow the company from a handful of employees to more than 200, making it the largest tech company in Tacoma. Many of those employees came from UWT. The company is poised to continue its growth.

We are committed to reviewing and improving our relevant processes, including streamlining permitting and partnering with industry and property owners to ensure they have the certainty they need to make capital investments in our region.

Every day, we see what our community has to offer. Natural beauty abounds. Unlike much of the Puget Sound region to the north, the South Sound still offers affordable housing.

We have world class parks, a network of varied and well-designed transportation systems and an extensive arts and culture scene. This all leads to a quality of life that is second to none.

We have many great reasons to be optimistic about our future. It begins with our residents, and we have no doubt as we recover from the current health crisis, we will continue our region’s long tradition of collaboration to innovate and build a better future.

We are committed to continuing this innovation and creativity in recruiting new business, while retaining our existing business to strengthen an economy that works for all of us.

Make no mistake: Tacoma and Pierce County are (and have always been) open for business.

Victoria R. Woodards is mayor of Tacoma and Doug Richardson of Lakewood is the chair of the Pierce County Council.