At today’s Tuesday Roundtable, Dr. Lisa Brown, the Director of the Washington Department of Commerce, presented on the myriad concerns around Washington’s current economic situation—how the COVID-19 pandemic’s course continues to impact the way Washingtonians can do business, both within state borders and in the broader global market.

Specifically, staff from Commerce spoke about the importance of gathering and tracking data from industries and trade metrics across Washington to create a data-informed approach to economic recovery. They touched on their strategy to “market Washington” to the global economy despite the limitations on physical travel during the pandemic. Additionally, Commerce detailed ways for ports to participate in investment partnerships around the state to stimulate regional economic growth.

In today’s conversation:

·       Unemployment is up significantly in Washington, and how Commerce is helping small businesses stay afloat while under pandemic-related closures

·       The measures Commerce is using to track the recovery and provide targeted assistance, including expanding broadband access to all Washingtonians.

·       Investment partnership opportunities for ports

Do you need more resources on economic recovery, legal and compliance, internal port operations or health and safety related to the COVID-19 crisis? You can find today’s presentation, along with all previous presentations and information from Tuesday Roundtable speakers, on our COVID-19 response page for ports: https://www.washingtonports.org/covid19

You can listen to the whole meeting here:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/5np71kel319b465/2020-06-23_Zoom_recording.mp4?dl=0

Do you have ideas for future topics we could cover in our Tuesday Roundtables? Email your ideas to Washington.ports@washingtonports.org