OLYMPIA—A new law signed by Gov. Chris Gregoire today ensures that small businesses will get upgraded services from the state Department of Commerce and Washington’s 34 Associate Development Organizations (ADOs).
ADOs are designated by counties to serve as the primary local partners of the Department of Commerce in state efforts to help Washington’s businesses thrive and expand. Some ADOs serve more than one county.
“Small businesses are the economic heart of local communities and they need to be at the heart of our efforts to create more job, business and export opportunities in Washington,” said Rep. Cindy Ryu (D-Shoreline), the lead sponsor of the bill signed today (HB 1916).
Ryu is a past president of the Shoreline Chamber of Commerce and served on the board of King County’s ADO—enterpriseSeattle—from 2006-09 as a representative for the Suburban Cities Association.
Under the law signed today:
• The Department of Commerce will establish protocols for ADOs to follow in their efforts to recruit and retain new businesses, including information-sharing protocols that respect the right of businesses to keep proprietary information private.
• The Department will provide training in available business services to ADOs, specifically including training in public and private sector export-assistance services that are available to help Washington businesses.
• ADOs are directed to provide services to businesses throughout the counties they serve.
The new law also addresses concerns that enterpriseSeattle, in particular, needs to broaden its outreach to small businesses and to businesses outside of the Seattle urban core. Specifically, it requires enterpriseSeattle to report annually on the number of small businesses it has helped and on how many businesses it has helped outside of Seattle city limits and throughout King County.
Ryu said the requirements for new export assistance will open doors to business opportunities that are being overlooked by many small businesses.
“Maralyn Chase, our 32nd District senator, was extremely helpful in securing agreements in the Senate to add the export-assistance requirements,” said Ryu. “When you look at the numbers, it is obvious that many small businesses have big export opportunities they may not know about.”
Washington currently exports more goods per capita than any other state, and last June Gov. Gregoire said she expects exports will grow another 30 percent by 2015.
Much of this export growth could be in small businesses. Small and medium-sized businesses already account for roughly 90 percent of the nearly 8,500 businesses that export products from Washington, according to the office of the United States Trade Representative.
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On the Web:
U.S. International Trade Administration stats on state exports by company size
https://tse.export.gov/edb/ChartDisplay.aspx
Governor Chris Gregoire launches state export initiative (June, 2010)
https://governor.wa.gov/news/news-view.asp?pressRelease=1517&newsType=1
Choose Washington
https://www.choosewashington.com/