September 27, 2019
This week was filled with awards and celebrations as we recognized significant leaders in our community and enjoyed news of great progress in our city!
Wednesday evening, I attended the Auburn Area Chamber of Commerce Spotlight Awards Gala at the Muckleshoot Casino and was proud to announce the winner of the Bill Kyle Award to my friend, Pacific Mayor Leanne Guier.
The Spotlight Awards Gala is an annual event that recognizes people, businesses and organizations that have made significant contributions to the betterment of our community.
Here's a look at the awards that were presented and their winners:
Connect Achieve Award
Winner: Dr. Suzanne Johnson
This award recognizes an educator that has excelled in creating, implementing or supporting a high-caliber education and/or workforce development system that closes the employment gap.
Auburn Area Connect Award
Winner: Our very own Auburn Police Department!
This award recognizes a business whose products and/or services have positively impacted the way in which Auburn area businesses, employers and communities are connected to each other.
Connect Environmental Practices Award
Winner: Multicare Auburn Medical Center
This awards recognizes a business that has put a priority on environmental improvement, education or outreach to its business sector and/or community.
Connect Impact Award
Winner: Orion Industries
This award recognizes a business and/or person that has had a significant cause-oriented impact in its sector and/or community and contributed to the advancement of the economy.
Connect Entrepreneur Award
Winner: Blackfish Distillery
This award is given to an entrepreneur whose business is less than five years old and has made a significant impact in their industry and/or Auburn area.
Minority Owned Award
Winner: Reggie Matto of Clarion Inn
This award recognizes a minority-owned business that has attained outstanding business achievement and exemplifies the significant contributions made by minority-owned businesses in the Auburn area.
Employer of the Year Award
Winner: Emerald Aire, Inc.
This award recognizes an employer who has implemented innovative job retention, creation, benefits, and/or compensation plans that foster a thriving work environment in the Auburn area.
Woman Leader of the Year Award
Winner: Brittiany Karlson of Vinifera and the Auburn Downtown Association
This award recognizes a woman-owned business leader that has attained outstanding business achievement and exemplifies the significant contributions made by women-owned businesses in the Auburn area.
Nonprofit of the Year Award
Winner: Battlefield Addiction
This award recognizes the success of a nonprofit organization in the Auburn area.
Bill Kyle Award
Winner: Mayor Leanne Guier of Pacific
This award recognizes an individual that has contributed outstanding legislative impact to the Auburn Area.
Congratulations to all the winners!
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"Every job is a self portrait of the person who did it. Autograph your work with excellence."
- Vince Lombardi
Bright and early Thursday morning, I joined with members of our City of Auburn economic development team for the King County Executive's Small Business Awards in Bellevue.
This year, four Auburn businesses were nominated including:
Rural Small Business of the Year: Blackfish Spirits Distillery
Exporting Small Business of the Year: Impact Bioenergy Inc.
Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year: Rail Hop’n Brewing Co.
Green/Sustainable Small Business of the Year: Forest Concepts, LLC
In the end, Impact Bioenergy won in their category for their innovative work to turn food waste into renewable energy products.
If you aren't familiar with them, they manufacture portable bioenergy systems that convert organic waste materials into energy and biofertilizer with zero waste.
You can find out more about what they do on their website.
On Thursday, we were excited to hear from Senator Maria Cantwell's office that the Auburn Municipal Airport will receive just over $2.8 million from the Federal Aviation Administration for the long-awaited runway extension project.
This extension will increase our runway length from 3,400 to 3,841 feet and allow for the airport to accommodate larger planes, as well as improve safety and capacity.
Our airport is one of the busiest in the state, and this extension is another step forward in making it accessible for more flights, particularly business travelers headed to our region.
Yesterday, I was proud to join with my fellow Sound Transit board members in giving the final approval in awarding System Access Funds for 2019. Several of our neighboring south county cities received funding from Sound Transit, including Des Moines, Federal Way, SeaTac and Tukwila for a variety of projects - but most exciting for our community was the approval of $1.6 million in funding for the Auburn Regional Growth Center Access Improvements!
This project will improve access to the Auburn Sounder Station for riders, whether they access the station by walking, bicycling, connecting buses or driving and includes a new parking garage with about 535 spaces for commuters on 1st Street NW.
We have been working closely with Sound Transit on this project for a number of years to help streamline the process and get it up and operating as quickly as possible. As of right now, the project is set to be completed by 2023.
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