washington business
The state’s maritime sector strategy identifies recapitalization of the North Pacific fishing fleet as a major opportunity for
maritime businesses.
“The average age of the fleet is more than 30 years, and as many as half of the boats currently fishing in the Bering Sea and other
Alaska fisheries need to be replaced,” the report states. Estimates of the cost range up to $14 billion.
Washington should be competitive for the work.
“We have a healthy maritime manufacturing sector. We have the job base, the skill set. We have the land and the infrastructure,”
says Eric Johnson. “We compete on quality and reliability — no one can beat us on those. But we are a high cost manufacturing
area. We don’t compete that well on price with the Gulf Coast states.”
Trade and maritime activity have long defined Washington. And the industry is well positioned to thrive here for decades
to come. Natural advantages,
however, won’t be enough. Recent
disruptions may have played
Washington Maritime Federation
a valuable role in reminding
Maritimefederation.com
Washingtonians of how much is at
stake. That lesson should ensure
Washington State Department of Commerce Maritime Page
that the industry has the public
Commerce.wa.gov/Economic-Development/Industry-Sectors/Pages/Washington-State-Maritime.aspx
and policy support necessary to
assure that the working waterfront
Economic Impact of Washington’s Maritime Cluster
— and the tens of thousands of
EDC-seaking.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/CAI.WA-Maritime-Cluster-Study.2013-1120.pdf
good jobs it supports — remains a
vital presence here.
AWB CompWise Workers’ Comp
Retrospective Rating Program
If you care about having a safe workplace and saving your company
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Enroll in the AWB CompWise Program and start receiving refunds
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Group refunds average
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ave
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For your free, no-obligation summary, please call 866-666-8818
or visit www.awb.org/workers-compensation for more details
or to submit an online information request.
36 association of washington business