By JESSIE STENSLAND and JUSTIN BURNETT
Editors
Following a whirlwind tour of Whidbey Island, Gov. Jay Inslee touted the strength of the local economy, tying it to the Navy and the entrepreneurial spirit of both small and larger businesses.
Inslee addressed the economy and a host of other issues — and what he’s doing to boost them — during the Island County Economic Development Council’s annual luncheon Tuesday at the Best Western in Oak Harbor.
Just more than 80 island business people attended the event.
Inslee pointed out that the Navy has generated $726 million into the local economy.
“That’s almost bigger than the sales at Toby’s Tavern,” he said jokingly, referring to the historic tavern on Coupeville’s Front Street.
Inslee said the military has an important economic role in the entire state that isn’t always appreciated. He said he’s focused on helping people after they leave the military by making it easier to find jobs.
Inslee said he is the first governor in Washington state to create a military transition council and signed an executive order to set the employment of veterans as a top priority.
Inslee started the day out at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station and followed that with a tour of the Penn Cove Shellfish facility in Coupeville before going to Nichols Brothers in Freeland.
The governor said he was impressed with Penn Cove Shellfish, which employs 84 people and brings mussels from the water to “your dish” in just three hours.
“They have one of the greatest products anywhere,” he said.
However, he noted that ocean acidification is already having an effect on the mussels and used the example to tout his carbon-tax proposal, which he said will fund transportation and education while making the air cleaner.
Inslee noted the thriving coffee roasters, wineries and a distillery on the island.
“It’s really fun to see the small, creative business that are going on here and across the state,” he said.
On South Whidbey, the governor met with company leaders and toured the shipyard for about an hour.
Inslee said he stopped at Nichols because he wanted to check out the newest ferry boat being partially built at the shipyard.
He said he also wanted to see how state-funded transportation projects translated into real jobs.
“We want to see actual job creation in our state, and Nichols is a bright spot,” said Inslee, referring to the yard’s role in building half a dozen state ferries since the retirement of the steel electrics in late 2007.
The Chimacum is the latest of three 144-car Olympic Class ferries built jointly by Nichols Brothers and Vigor Industrial in Seattle. The hulls are fabricated by Vigor and the superstructures by the Freeland shipbuilder.
Construction of the 144-car ferry began earlier this year.
Shepherded by an entourage that included CEO Gavin Higgins, Vice President Matt Nichols, and various company and state officials, Inslee was introduced to project team leaders and yard workers. One of those meetings was a reintroduction to an old friend: Fran LaFond, the yards’ storm water administrator.
The governor, LaFond and Nichols all attended school together as children.
After some reminiscing, which included Inslee asking why they looked so much younger than himself, LaFond led a tour of the company’s onsite water treatment system. It removes copper and other toxic chemicals in parts per billion, as opposed to parts per million.
The system is a source of great pride for the company.
“There’s no other shipyards doing this,” Higgins said.
Inslee was impressed, saying such investments in the environment are vital for salmon recovery and a cleaner Puget Sound. He said later it was a highlight of his visit to Nichols.
“To have one of the best systems in the world right here is something to be proud of,” Inslee said.
