Business Pulse January | February 2024

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2024

Team vision drives Exxel Pacific Current CEO Kevin DeVries (left), will soon pass the torch to President Geoff Stodola as the company looks forward to an exciting future

PLUS: New Whatcom County Skills Center for technical career training Apprenticeships exist, but where are the applicants?

Clean energy could be coming to Whatcom County as part of “game-changing innovation” Artificial intelligence can help enhance productivity

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Josh Turrell, Partner, Larson Gross PLLC; BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Tyler Byrd, CEO, Red Rokk Interactive; Jane Carten, President, Saturna Capital; Bryant Engebretson, Managing Principal, Tradewinds Capital; Jon Ensch, Commercial Banking Officer, Peoples Bank; Mitch Faber, Partner, Adelstein Sharpe & Serka, Jim Haupt, General Manager, Hotel Bellwether; Sandy Keathley, Former Owner, K & K Industries; Tony Larson, Founder, WBA; Sarah Rothenbuhler, Owner/CEO, Birch Equipment; Patrick Schuppert, Commercial Banking Relationship Manager, Wells Fargo; Billy VanZanten, CEO, Western Refinery Services For editorial comments and suggestions, write info@whatcombusinessalliance.com. The magazine is published bimonthly at 1225 Roeder Ave., Ste. 108, Bellingham WA 98225. (360) 746-0418. Yearly subscription rate is $25 (US). For digital subscription, visit businesspulse.com. Entire contents copyrighted ©2023 Business Pulse. All rights reserved.

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JAN/FEB 2024 | BUSINESSPULSE.COM

IN THIS ISSUE 11

NEW WHATCOM COUNTY SKILLS CENTER The center will be designed to invest in the future economic prosperity of the county.

17

SHARED SUCCESS, THRIVING VISION

Exxel Pacific’s longtime and long-term vision builds enduring relationships with its employees and clients.

21

THE FUTURE OF CLEAN ENERGY HERE IN WHATCOM COUNTY The county could be part of “game-changing innovation in the energy sector.”

17

25 PAID APPRENTICESHIPS AND THRIVING CAREERS

A jaw-dropping number of opportunities exist, yet there is a shortage of applicants.

31

WHY ARE LOCAL HOUSING PRICES SO HIGH?

Survey explores what actions are needed for more reasonably priced and accessible housing.

35 SETTING UP FOR SUCCESS

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35

Bellingham’s DISH Foundation and its restaurant, Our Kitchen, provide vocational training and employment opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

COLUMNS 40 A look back at the

45 AI technology offers

recent election and ahead to 2024

an enhancement to productivity

43 The Port of Bellingham

48 More families than ever

is positioning itself as a leader by building economic and climate resilience

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BUSINESSPULSE.COM | JAN/FEB 2024

are experience food insecurity, and local resources are struggling to keep up with the need

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JAN/FEB 2024 | BUSINESSPULSE.COM

BP UP FRONT

Happy New Year!

While 2024 is packed with potential shifts in the

economy, we are looking ahead to exciting potential local projects and news As we dive into 2024, I want to offer my sincere appreciation to Pam Brady, government affairs manager at bp, who has served as chair of the WBA Board of Directors for the last two years. Pam has been outstanding in her role and we’ll miss her in that role. However, she’ll continue to lend her expertise on our Executive Committee as past chair.

We’re very happy to welcome Josh Wright, senior vice-president of sales at Bell-Anderson

Agency Inc. and longtime board member.

It has been a busy year at the Whatcom Business Alliance! We continue to grow with new members and advertisers in Business Pulse magazine.

You are invited to join us at the WBA annual meeting from 8 to 9:30 a.m. on January 23rd at the Bellingham Golf & Country Club to learn what’s on the horizon for our organization and enjoy a special guest speaker.

Space is limited, so make sure to reserve your space at

whatcombusinessalliance.com/events.

Our first issue of the year includes a feature story on Page 17 by Heather Lea, interviewing Exxel Pacific. Learn more about this exciting local company as they launch into 2024!

Whatcom County is certainly not alone in facing challenges, including workforce skills — but an exciting development in education is born with the new job skills center in the Meridian district. Lorraine Wilde dives into the proposed expansion on Page 11 and Tara Gilligan Reimer updates the apprenticeship requirements on Page 25. Mary Louise Van Dyke covers the DISH Foundation on Page 35 and its mission to employ persons with intel-

COMING MARCH 15, 2024

TICKETS ON SALE NOW! GO TO: whatcombusinessalliance.com/events

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BUSINESSPULSE.COM | JAN/FEB 2024

lectual and developmental disabilities.

Our advocacy section covers a recap of the recent election, and Jennifer Noveck updates us on port news.

Technology, policy and finance features round out the January/February issue, and we hope you enjoy the content.

I encourage you to mark your calendars for our March 15 Whatcom Business Awards at the Semiahmoo Resort as we celebrate local business success in our region. Our black & gold gala is shaping up to be the best event to date! The next issue of Business Pulse will feature all the nominees in the categories of Business Person of the Year, Small Business of the Year, Start-up of the Year, and Employee of the Year. We will also reveal the Lifetime Achievement Award recipient for 2023.

We promise to continue to bring you exciting events throughout 2024 — check out our website and watch for our regular e-news for updates and invitations to join us at the Leaders of Industry and Economic Forecast events. One more surprise event is planned for May so watch your email for exciting news on the horizon!

I hope you enjoy this first issue of Business Pulse for 2024 and, as always, thank you to our incredible team and magazine supporters — we couldn’t do it without you!

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Barbara Chase, Executive Director Whatcom Business Alliance

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JAN/FEB 2024 | BUSINESSPULSE.COM

BP NEWSMAKERS

Steve Kirk

Maricel Florenosos

Wood Stone appoints new vice president of finance Wood Stone Corporation, a leading manufacturer of high-quality commercial kitchen equipment has announced the appointment of Steve Kirk as its new vice president of finance. He replaces Joe Jacobson, who is retiring in January 2024.

“I am looking forward to working at Wood Stone, an esteemed manufacturer of commercial kitchen equipment and a key member in the Bellingham business community,” Kirk said. “It is a great fit with my business background but also my personal passion for food and cooking.”

Before joining Wood Stone, Kirk served as an adviser in Sedro-Woolley, offering day-to-day financial support and strategic business guidance. He also has deep roots in Bellingham, having worked in various financial functions at several large local companies.

‘We are thrilled to have Steve join our organization,” said Chris Trout, CEO and president of Wood Stone.

“His experience working with numerous clients to drive business success will be a great addition to our company, and I’m confident that he can build upon the strong financial foundation established by Joe.” For further information, visit https://woodstone-corp.com/.

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BUSINESSPULSE.COM | JAN/FEB 2024

Rajbir Dhaliwal, M.D.

Diego Aviles, M.D.

New general manager promoted at Lynden inn The Inn at Lynden has appointed Maricel Florenosos as its general manager.

Florenosos has been a member of the inn’s operating team since opening day in 2015. She has worked in every capacity of hotel operations, and her leadership skills have been integral to the success of the inn.

Florenosos earned a Bachelor of Science in hospitality management from Our Lady of Fatima University in Quezon City, Phillippines, and a Certificate of Cruise Ship Hospitality in Manila.

She recently completed a Certificate in Hospitality Management from Cornell University in New York.

“We congratulate Maricel as she fulfills her new role in welcoming guests, leading our staff and infusing guest services with her signature style,” said Teri Treat, co-owner, developer and general manager of the Inn at Lynden.

Visit https://innatlynden.com/.

Emily Webb, D.O.

David Abraham, D.O.

Dr. Dhaliwal received his medical training at St. George’s University in Grenada, West Indies, and completed his residency at the St. Elizabeth Family Medicine Residency Program in Edgewood, Kentucky, where he was chief resident.

Diego Aviles, M.D., practices family medicine and includes prenatal and pediatric care in his scope. Dr. Aviles received his medical degree from Ross University School of Medicine in Barbados and completed his three-year residency in Family Medicine at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver. He also holds a degree in microbiology.

Emily Webb, D.O., a Lynden native, enjoys taking care of patients of all ages, as well as whole families, from grandchildren to great-grandparents.

Her interests include procedures, acute issues, chronic conditions and working with patients on healthy lifestyles and disease prevention. She is a graduate of Pacific Northwest University in Yakima and completed her family practice residency at Central New providers join Washington Family Medicine in EllensPeaceHealth in Bellingham PeaceHealth Medical Group recently burg, where she was chief resident.

David Abraham, D.O., specializes welcomed several new providers to its primary care and pediatric clinics in in adult internal medicine. He is a Bellingham.These new family medicine graduate of the Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine in Pikeville, providers see patients at PeaceHealth Family Medicine clinic at 4545 Cordata Kentucky, and completed his residency in internal medicine at the UniversiParkway in Bellingham: ty of Oklahoma-Tulsa. Additionally, he Rajbir Dhaliwal, M.D., practiced as holds a master’s degree in biomedia hospitalist at St. Elizabeth Healthcare cine from Eastern Mennonite Universiin Kentucky for six years before joining ty in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

PeaceHealth. His practice interests inThese new pediatrics providers see clude nutrition, behavioral health issues patients at PeaceHealth Pediatrics and management of chronic diseases clinic at 4545 Cordata Parkway in like diabetes and hypertension.

Bellingham:

Kriti Narwal, M.D.

Anna Snyder, M.D., M.A.

Kriti Narwal, M.D., has special interests in autism, asthma and gastrointestinal disorders. She completed her medical training at Aureus University School of Medicine in Oranjestad, Aruba, in the top 10% of her class. Her pediatrics residency at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, gave her further experience caring for premature babies and children with genetic disorders such as William’s Syndrome, Crouzon Syndrome and Edwards Syndrome.

Anna Snyder, M.D., M.A., completed her medical degree at the University of Washington in Seattle, where she also earned a master’s degree in bioethics. Her pediatric residency at Seattle Children’s Hospital included a focus on adolescent medicine, and her medical interests include sports medicine, reproductive health, gender care and care for children with medical complexity.

Visit https://www.peacehealth.org/ find-care-providers.

Credit union appoints new CEO As of Jan. 1, A.C. Griffith is the new president and CEO of North Coast Credit Union.

Griffith has been with North Coast Credit Union since 2019. He takes the place of Marilyn Brink, who is retiring after serving as president and CEO since 2017.

“I am excited about our future at North Coast Credit Union,” Griffith said. “I am looking forward to building on our foundations of community involvement, being a trusted financial partner for our members, and leading

A.C. Griffith

a talented group of professionals who call North Coast their work home.”

North Coast has six branches, with two in Bellingham and one each in Ferndale, Mount Vernon, Anacortes and Sedro-Woolley. Membership is

open to anyone who lives, works, worships or attends school in Washington state.

In 2022, North Coast funded more than $102 million in loans to members, primarily for consumer and real estate loans, a 33% increase from 2021.“We are healthy and growing as we enter our 85th year,” said Phil Serka, North Coast’s board president.

“A.C. Griffith’s experience in finances will keep our focus on helping our members, employees and communities thrive.”

For more information, visit https://www.northcoastcu.com/.

Climbers descend the Easton Glacier after a successful summit of Mount Baker, the Black Buttes ahead of them and the Puget Sound out on the horizon. Michelle Curran.

Bellingham-based mountaineering guide school receives accreditation The American Alpine Institute’s accreditation through the American Mountain Guides Association has been approved for another three years.

Founded in Bellingham in 1975 by Dunham Gooding, AAI is the longest continuously accredited mountaineering guide service in the United States. The organization’s mission is to provide world-class mountain education and exceptional guided experiences and to inspire natural preservation. AAI offers programs and trips in Washington, Alaska, California, Nevada, Colorado and Utah, and it operates in several countries.

The purpose of AMGA accreditation is to increase the professionalism of mountain guiding and climbing instruction in the United States by functioning as a standardization tool for institutional self-evaluation and development. It is a voluntary means of quality assurance and external review that examines such things as risk management, business practices, compliance with regulations, staff training and certification, professional development, resource stewardship and adherence to current industry standards. The credential represents a commitment to excellence through exemplary operating standards and an adherence to the highest ethical standards of the profession.

There are 33 guide services in the United States that have achieved this high standard, and the American Alpine Institute is one of five in Washington state.

AAI offers programs for all experience levels, including beginning hikers and backpackers, intermediate climbers and mountaineers searching for instruction, and advanced alpinists who want to tackle remote and complicated mountains.

For more information, visit https://www.alpineinstitute.com/.

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JAN/FEB 2024 | BUSINESSPULSE.COM

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FEATURE BP

PHOTO: iStockphoto.com/andresr

A skills oasis

New career and technical skills center aims to fill local training desert Lorraine Wilde Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, employers and business owners in Whatcom County were struggling to find and keep adequately trained, qualified workers in a range of professions, including health care, automotive and veterinary technology, culinary arts, and the maritime and aviation industries.

High school graduates have struggled equally to find living-wage jobs that enable them to afford to live near where they work in Whatcom County without additional technical or career

training beyond their diploma. But a team of dedicated educators are working together with the Whatcom County government and Washington legislators to build a new career and technical skills center here in Whatcom County. The Whatcom County Skills Center will be designed to resolve these issues and, simultaneously, invest in Whatcom County’s future economic prosperity.

Lynette Brower, the director of the Northwest Career & Technical Academy in Skagit County, is working

closely with Meridian School District Superintendent James Everett to secure support and public and private funding for the new skills center, which would be centrally located on a vacant lot on Meridian Street, just north of West Laurel Road.

Skills centers have the main benefit of offering higher-cost programs that just aren’t feasible to offer at the individual high school level. Sharing resources among multiple school districts uses education funds more efficiently and makes these specialized

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JAN/FEB 2024 | BUSINESSPULSE.COM

Courtesy photo

programs accessible to more students.

In her role as president of the Washington State Skills Center Association, Brower has been working with colleagues to identify what they call “skills center deserts” across the state — areas of the state where high school students are too far from the nearest skills center to reach it in a reasonable time while also attending their home high school daily.

“Even with 17 skills centers across Washington state, many high school students still don’t have reasonable access,” Brower said. “There are holes between Olympia and Vancouver, Washington, and in the Pullman and Ellensburg areas. After we conducted a feasibility study, it became clear that Whatcom County was also one of these holes.”

The project started as a branch of the Northwest Career & Technical Academy skills center in Mount Vernon, which currently serves students in Whatcom and Skagit counties, Brower said.

“As a satellite campus, the district has demonstrated its ability to support a core campus skills center to address the need.”

The Northwest Career & Technical Academy also operates satellite campuses in Anacortes and Sedro-Woolley.

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BUSINESSPULSE.COM | JAN/FEB 2024

Rendering of new career and technical skills center.

This new campus would then serve all school districts in Whatcom and Skagit counties. Although the exact programs that will be offered continue to evolve, they will be based on student and employer demand. Therefore, some programs that are over capacity in Skagit County could also be offered in Whatcom County while other brand-new programs could be developed. Medical assisting; heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration; and pre-nursing have been proposed as possible programs available at the Whatcom County Skills Center.

Superintendent Everett, who also chairs the governing body of the Northwest Career & Technical Academy, will serve as the new center’s superintendent, with Meridian as its host district.

“Both Meridian and Bellingham school districts have more than a decade of experience successfully sending Whatcom County students to programs in Skagit County, so we know these programs have tremendous benefits for students,” Everett said. “We work really hard in K-12 getting students across the finish line to graduation, but we could do a better job building a vision of what’s to come and to position them well

to be successful. This work has really helped me to see that we can do a better job to help them build a vision earlier with exploratory coursework in skills centers. What will they be able to accomplish when they come out of high school with a plan, a certificate, maybe some credits, and maybe even some experience in the field they’re interested in? Whatcom County has more than 3,100 juniors and seniors each year, so we have both the population and the industry to support a core campus here. We project that the new skills center would host 300 to 400 students each academic year.”

Some Whatcom County students currently attend the Northwest Career & Technical Academy or one of its satellites, but for some that distance can be an additional barrier. According to Everett, all but one of the 17 skills centers in Washington state are already at capacity and carrying wait lists.

“We are currently running programs like fire science in locations that aren’t designed for that curriculum,” Brower said. “We’re running a welding program in shared spaces because these students, especially those coming out of the COVID years, are desperate for connection and hands-on learning.”

The new skills center programs

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would also operate on a half-day model, with students attending the center each weekday morning and then attending their home high school in the afternoons.

“My goal is about 22 students in a classroom, which offers an intimate learning environment that focuses on a single content area and fosters collegiality,” Brower said.

In addition, students enrolled in skills centers gain other important skills they’ll need to be successful in the work force.

“I watch students change every day,” Brower said. “We use our professional expectations rubric. Highly sought-after candidates score well in attendance and punctuality, reliability, initiative, leadership and team-building skills.

Teaching these soft skills isn’t cheap but they’re a darn good investment.”

Economic prosperity as a benefit of quality education “We have labor groups, through business and industry, who come to us when they identify a clear need,” Brower said. “For example, Labor and Industry forecasts are predicting increasing demand for health care and human services workers. And business leaders are coming to us directly. LabCorp said to us, we really need a biotech program. That represents a workforce pipeline need that skills centers can clearly address, but we have to have the space to host the programs to meet that need.”

Everett admits that educators traditionally don’t consider the economic benefits to the community of a high school education.

“The unique thing about a skills center is that it is geared at preparatory education,” Everett said. “But skills

centers also springboard students into a career by connecting them with local business and industry who need their new skills. That translates to local economic prosperity. We know from the study that students who come through a skills center earn on average $15,000 more per year than an equivalent student who does not. So there’s also an economic benefit that comes from the presence of skills centers in a community.”

Other benefits “Through introspection and partnership, we embrace students to support their success both in our career and technical programs,” Brower said, “but we also hold them accountable in their high school classrooms at the same time. We demonstrate a commitment to student voice and really place students at the center.”

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Rendering of new 14,000-square-foot early childhood education and child care center.

Skills centers may help students identify their passions and strengths earlier, helping to reduce the number of students graduating from high school with no idea of what field they want to pursue.

“When you talk to an eighth grader, they say they want to be a doctor, nurse, fire fighter, police officer, lawyer.

They don’t yet know all the other pieces available to them, and skills centers give that to them,” Brower said.

“Skagit County recently had 13 open positions for dispatchers. Skills centers inform students of their opportunities and connect them with internships and employment that better position them for in-demand professions and other programs that aren’t available until you’re over 21.”

Not only that, but students can get started learning sooner, too.

“High school career and technology programs are more exploratory,” Everett said, “and there are additional partnerships with community and technical colleges to offer dual credit programs where students can earn some college and tech school credits while still in high school.”

Bridging education with community child care needs Brower and Everett are also working to build a new 14,000-square-foot early childhood education and child care center on the site of the current Meridian School District offices at

214 W. Laurel Road. Not only would the building host much-needed centrally located child care facilities, the second story would house classrooms used to train juniors and seniors in early childhood education.

“The extended child care hours will enable families to re-engage in the workforce and help meet employee demand while also providing classrooms and offices for skills center students, community and technical college students and university students to do their practicum exercises while working directly with kids,” Brower said.

It also could enable community members to earn the certifications they need to start their own child care businesses, Everett added.

Many are collaborating to secure funding for the new facility, and some might come from existing coffers.

Some could come from the Whatcom County Healthy Children’s Fund levy (Proposition 5) that was approved in the November 2022 election. Administered by Whatcom County Health and Community Services, the fund prioritizes projects that build capacity in rural areas and have a significant effect on vulnerable communities.

Separate additional funding and classrooms will be dedicated to early childhood behavioral and mental health that is in great demand and currently underserved.

“Prop. 5 recognized that we have over 5,000 slots of need in this com-

Courtesy photo

munity,” Everett said. “There’s a huge potential here for better preparing children before they enter the K-12 system while also filling a significant void in the county.”

Empowering future workers and leaders Everett and Brower encourage students, business owners and industry leaders to participate in the process both now and over the long term, as programs will continually evolve to meet the needs of the community.

“Industry will continue to provide feedback to help us identify program needs to complement the excellent resources our high schools already provide,” Everett said. “This is a practical need for our young people and our community. We want to help students build a vision and give them the practical tools to be successful.”

The skills center model can help students settle into lifelong careers by their mid-20s, Brower said.

“Come see a skills center in action in Skagit County. Join one of our advisory groups. Or come discuss the specific needs of your business or industry,” Brower said. “It’s really important that students that come out of skills centers have some type of credential or experience that makes them a highly sought-after employee. Our mantra is that we want to enable all young people to thrive by 25.” ■

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Pacific Continental Realty, LLC Commercial Sales, Leasing, Management

Reimagine Commercial Real Estate

1700-1780 Iowa St., Bellingham, WA 98225 (360) 671-4200 PacificContinentalRealty.com 114 W. Magnolia St., Ste 201, Bellingham, WA 98225

FEATURE BP PHOTO: Sattva Photo

“I really aspire to see a company that thrives for a hundred years, and we’ve really set ourselves up well for that long-term success.”

PHOTO: Sattva Photo

Exxel Pacific: — Geoff Stodola, president of Exxel Pacific

shared success, thriving vision Company built to excel during rough markets Heather Lea One thing that truly stands out in an interview with Geoff Stodola, president of Exxel Pacific Inc., is his genuine excitement to preside over an impressive company and its near-200 employees.

Drawing attention to a set of core principles framed on a wall in his office — and also on the back of his business card — Stodola outlines the basics for “building enduring relationships” at Exxel: “We are dedicated to shared success; we take ownership and lead by example; we provide opportunities for a fulfilled life; we take care of each other like family; we do the right thing even when no one is looking.”

These core principles have governed the company throughout its 40-plus years. Exxel Pacific, founded in the 1980s by Sid Baron and Kevin DeVries, was originally a

development company with a focus on building hotels and apartments in Whatcom and Skagit counties.

In 1989, Exxel became licensed as a general contractor to have better control over quality and schedule performance.

This led to the company doing its own general contracting, concrete and rough carpentry. Exxel then evolved into building mixed-use multifamily apartments, offices, commercial spaces, medical centers and student housing.

The contracting side of things started to grow in 1991, when Exxel began doing more work for clients who found the company’s people and approach unique and successful.

This enabled Exxel to grow geographically in other market segments beyond housing and hospitality, and 13 years later, projects began in Seattle and Bellevue — the latter of

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PHOTO: Sattva Photo

Courtesy photo

From L to R: Geoff Stodola and Kevin DeVries; Bellwether Way Apartments, a mixed use building near Bellingham’s waterfront;

which now has an Exxel Pacific office, in addition to its headquarters here in Bellingham.

A must for all successful business growth, Exxel Pacific’s ownership group commenced working on a succession plan in 2014, which brought about the idea to sell 100% of the company to Exxel employees.

Through its employee stock ownership program, Exxel gives company shares to its employees after one year.

Then, after six years, these employees become fully vested. As time goes by, they see their stocks grow, and it pays out when they retire, like a 401(k). In 2023, the first Exxel employees to enroll in the program became 100% vested.

Exxel’s succession plan already has been implemented, with several company owners now having retired as planned. The company continues to progress through its leadership transition plan and will see it in action soon again when its current CEO, DeVries, passes on the chief executive officer responsibilities to Stodola, who will continue as Exxel Pacific’s president and CEO in January 2024. DeVries will remain as chairman of the board.

Stodola grew up in Bellingham and graduated with a degree in architecture from the University of Washington.

He began working for Exxel out of college in 1992, starting out as a carpenter wanting to get more hands-on

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field experience before beginning what he thought would be a career in architecture. After working as a carpenter for a year, Stodola was brought into the office. During his years with Exxel, he has held many positions within the company, including estimator, project engineer, project manager, superintendent, vice president and now president for the past 12 years.

“I really aspire to see a company that thrives for a hundred years,” Stodola said, “and we’ve really set ourselves up well for that long-term success.”

Even though Exxel has a progressive platform in place, it nonetheless has its challenges: workforce challenges, project entitlement timelines and financing are top on the battles list for Exxel.

With Whatcom County’s restrictive building and permitting policies and limited available land — not to mention the increasing cost of materials — how does the company create better solutions?

“We’re seeing exactly what the fed has been attempting to do, with interest rates slowing things down,” Stodola said. “If there’s less work, there’s less demand, and construction prices tend to go down. In addition to that, we have to look at every way possible to make (projects) efficient, with good staffing and sharing of responsibilities.”

Stodola does not consider Whatcom particularly difficult to work in

compared with other counties.

“There certainly are some challenges here,” he said, “but honestly speaking, there are other (counties) that are more difficult.”

Most of Exxel’s current work is from Whatcom County to Bellevue and Seattle and even further south into Olympia.

“We have completed work throughout Washington state, Oregon, Idaho, California, Nevada and as far east as St. Louis,” Stodola said. “Generally, our out-of-the-area work is with known clients we have repeat work and strong relationships with.”

Regarding the labor pool, which remains depleted, especially in the subcontracting trades, the construction industry in general faces significant challenges in attracting younger generations of tradespeople. The industry has lost many tenured and experienced workers, and, as Stodola noted, the next generation of young workers is not as inclined to get into the construction trades. This took an even worse turn during the pandemic, but there could be hope on the horizon in this department for businesses like Exxel.

The Meridian School District has proposed a skills center for Whatcom students that would provide juniors and seniors with preparatory career and technical training while still in

Courtesy photo

Courtesy photo

Exxel Pacific named Puget Sound Business Journal’s Best Place to Work in 2023; the Bellingham corporate office employees.

high school. Although it is unclear at this time what courses would be offered, we can hope it will replicate the skills center in Mount Vernon, which offers a construction course with hands-on training for students in entry-level trades jobs.

Skills centers and online resources like YES Whatcom, which helps bring together employers and the workforce of the future, are sure to be advantageous. Exxel has also developed its own in-house education and training program, with classes taught by employees. Many of these courses are recorded and available online for Exxel employees.

“There is a major misconception in our youth about the opportunities and pay in the construction industry,” Stodola said. The financial rewards can be excellent, he said, and it’s all about educating and creating excitement for those who are direly needed for entry-level trade positions, like swinging hammers and pounding nails. “Exxel definitely supports a training center, and we’d like to help out where we can,” he said.

Project financing, however, is currently Exxel’s biggest challenge.

“The lack of equity and lending to finance construction projects, driven by the federal reserve’s interest rate hikes, have severely impacted the private development and construction industry,”

Stodola said. “Most of the projects you see today were financed before the worst of the interest rate hikes were in place. There will be relatively few new private construction projects starting next year compared to what we have seen over past years.”

Exxel Pacific currently has 25 projects under construction, both small and large, Stodola said. Six are in the Bellingham/Whatcom area, and another 19 are spread out south to Olympia.

Unique local projects slated for completion in 2024 include a medical clinic for PeaceHealth in Lynden and a new 1,200-square-foot building for the nonprofit Bellingham Bay Community Boating Center. For the latter, Exxel is donating all of its profits and project management labor, Stodola said.

“We have worked with all of our local subcontracting and supplier partners to make donations of materials and labor as well,” he said. “We are very proud to be involved in this fantastic nonprofit, community-focused organization.”

In 2023, Exxel Pacific donated more than 400 hours to various charities and programs. The company also has an ongoing relationship with Lydia Place, volunteering throughout the year and with the family sponsorship at Christmas.

Stodola smiled when asked about some of Exxel’s most significant awards in 2023.

“Being selected for Puget Sound Business Journal’s Best Places to Work award in the Large Washington Companies category is particularly meaningful, as it comes from the anonymous vote of our employees, who are all saying (Exxel) is a great place to work,” he said. The company has won that award two years running.

Exxel Pacific also was awarded two Night of the Stars awards from the Commercial Real Estate Development Association in November 2023: Multi-Family Development of the Year and Multi-Family Residential Suburban Development of the Year.

It all tracks back to Exxel Pacific’s longtime and long-term vision to build enduring relationships with its employees and clients.

“We know that if we do a fantastic job for our client on our first project together, that will create a special relationship and an opportunity to do repeat work together and have fun while we do it,” Stodola said. “(With Exxel) having been founded in Bellingham with many long-tenured local employees, despite the challenges, we love working here and being part of this community.”

For more information about Exxel, visit https://www.exxelpacific.com/. ■

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FEATURE BP

Looks promising Whatcom County could be at the heart of clean energy Cheryl Stritzel McCarthy Not yet. Maybe. Could be. Any specifics of a massive endeavor, announced in October, that could transform our national energy production are not yet decided. But like a distant drumbeat that’s growing closer, ears in Whatcom County are staying tuned for coming news of the composition, location, number and size of elements that will be part of the federal government’s Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub, also known as the PNWH2 Hub. Most important, might any of those elements locate in Whatcom County?

It looks promising, but no one can — or will — yet say.

The potential is here This much is known: AltaGas, which owns the former Intalco alu-

minum smelter site in Ferndale, is one of 17 companies participating in the PNWH2 Hub, which is one of seven clean hydrogen hubs nationwide designated by the federal government for significant investment in commercial hydrogen production. Together, the seven hubs expect to get $7 billion, plus another $1 billion for demand-side support. The program, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, should help meet energy needs without using fossil fuels that contribute to climate change. Clean hydrogen energy is created by using electrolysis to split a water molecule into hydrogen and oxygen, avoiding the production of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas linked to global warming. (Previous methods of making hydrogen also produced carbon dioxide.) Clean hydrogen

could someday power jets, cargo ships, long-haul transport trucks and more.

AltaGas, based in Calgary, Alberta, has not committed to any production facility or site. The operations of its subsidiary ALA Renewable Energy include the Petrogas butane and propane export facility at Cherry Point.

AltaGas will say only that more information will come in time.

“We’re looking forward to working with local stakeholders and tribes to ensure the development benefits the region and positively contributes to the ongoing energy transition,” said AltaGas Executive Vice President Randy Toone, who also is president of midstream at AltaGas, “and will be sharing more with stakeholders as planning takes place.”

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It could be huge Could PNWH2 be as major as the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System in the mid-1970s? John Risser, a Bellingham-based energy industry consultant specializing in decarbonization options for heavy industry, thinks it might.

“I believe the October hydrogen hub announcement — and the overarching U.S. infrastructure investments set forth by Congress and the Biden Administration a year earlier — will be transformative,” Risser said. “The U.S., with its relative wealth of financial resources, technical know-how and human grit, is uniquely positioned to help lead the world in managing a sensible energy transition. Similar to the construction of hydroelectric dams in the ’30s and ’40s, the Interstate Highway System in the ’50s and

’60s, or even the construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System in the ’70s, the creation of a Pacific Northwest hydrogen hub is a critical step in the evolution of energy production and use. And clean hydrogen is an important component of what I believe will be a multi decade process to transition away from fossil-based energy.”

The Department of Energy’s October Hub announcement included a range of clean hydrogen production approaches, including green technologies (which use solar, wind or — in the Pacific Northwest’s case — hydro power, in a process called electrolysis) and blue technologies (in which the hydrogen is produced from fossil-based sources while the carbon dioxide byproduct is collected and permanently sequestered), Risser said.

“In terms of end users, the impact

will be most pronounced in long-haul trucking, rail and marine transportation, where battery requirements would make electric charging solutions impractical,” Risser said. “Other suitable applications include warehouse/port operations, fertilizer manufacturing, and for hydrotreating processes used in oil refining. But for any hub design to be successful, it needs to include aspects of consumption, transportation and consumption/offtake, what I call ‘make, move and use.’ The Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub includes elements of all three in its design, including some projects that might find homes here in Whatcom County.”

There is much to look forward to, Risser added.

“It’s all very exciting stuff! We’re going to be living right in the heart of

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What about bp?

That’s the future, possibly the near future. Meanwhile, what’s going on with one of Whatcom County’s current major energy producers, bp’s Cherry Point refinery? And why isn’t it part of the coalition that will develop the PNWH2 Hub? Wouldn’t bp’s ongoing carbon-neutral commitment make that a natural fit?

When Business Pulse asked, the company’s communications team re-

“

green hydrogen facility, it will lower greenhouse gas stationary source This is such an emissions from SAF production,” bp’s exciting time for communications team said. The potential upgrades represent a $1.5 bilour region. We lion proposed investment by bp. are talking about The SAF facility and its green hya billion – with a drogen production unit are currently B – a billion-dollar in the engineering and design phase, with the Whatcom County permitaward for the phase yet to come. Meanwhile, bp Pacific Northwest.” ting has stressed a goal of full community — U.S. Sen. Patty Murray support.

“These projects will be of interest to lots of people in the community for many different reasons,” the bp team sponded that bp Cherry Point didn’t said. “We’re committed to sharing seek federal government funding for more information and hearing feedthis green hydrogen project in the Pa- back from people in the community cific Northwest. “However, bp’s refin- and addressing their questions.” ery in Whiting, Indiana, was named as What’s ahead for bp’s carbon-neua site for the Midwest Hydrogen Hub tral commitment? “bp aims to be net funding for a project they are con- zero across our entire operations on an sidering,” bp’s com team emailed. “bp absolute basis by 2050 or sooner, and looks at each opportunity on a case- we aim to cut the carbon intensity of by-case basis.” the products we sell by 50% by 2050 or But bp Cherry Point is one of five sooner,” the team emailed. “One proof bp refineries globally that the compa- point is in 2022, bp invested $4.9 ny may upgrade to make it a source billion, around 30% of its total $16.3 of sustainable aviation fuel and green billion in capital expenditures, into its hydrogen, and it’s the only U.S. bp re- energy transition growth engines — finery being considered for this. Sus- including the acquisition of Archaea tainable aviation fuel, also referred to Energy. This compares to around 3% in the industry as SAF, can be made in 2019.” The company expects this from biomass-based feedstocks such proportion to grow to about 50% in as fats, greases and oils. Such feed- 2030. stocks have lower carbon intensity Between bp’s carbon-neutral stance over their life cycle than jet fuel made and the federal government’s PNWH2 from conventional fossil-fuel inputs. Hub — some of which could well land The potential upgrades at bp Cherry here — we in Whatcom County will Point would include a sustainable avi- be a significant force in our country’s ation fuel production facility with a energy future. ■ new green hydrogen production unit.

“The SAF production process will use hydrogen, and by building the

“

one of the first and biggest H2 hubs in the world, and I believe it’s going to be equally beneficial for the environment and good for the local community,” Risser said. “I see lots of opportunities coming.”

Others seem to agree. Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu has called it “a very exciting development” that the county could be part of “game-changing innovation in the energy sector.” U.S. Sen. Patty Murray has called the nationwide hydrogen hubs program one of the biggest investments in the history of the U.S. Department of Energy. “This is such an exciting time for our region,” she said during an online press conference.

“We are talking about a billion – with a B – a billion-dollar award for the Pacific Northwest.”

Besides PNWH2, the other six hubs are Appalachian, California, Gulf Coast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest and Heartland. Together with an expected $42 billion in private investment, the hubs program represents a $50 billion investment in clean hydrogen.

The PNWH2 is expected to create more than 8,000 construction jobs and 350 permanent jobs, according to a Department of Energy website.

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WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BP

A paid apprenticeship and a career in the trades

PHOTO: iStockphoto.com/JohnnyGreig

The ‘other four-year degree’ can lead to high compensation and meaningful work Tara Gilligan Reimer Ask any high school junior (or their parents) on the precipice of completing their high school education: What are your hopes for the next parts of your lives? They may respond by listing such items as continuing education, growing financial independence with work, and gaining personal agency — a greater sense of purpose and self-regard.

For the consideration of young adults making their transitions from high school, Lance Calloway, northern district manager of the Washington state chapter of Associated General Contractors, is beaming an industrial-sized spotlight on huge opportunities: paid apprenticeships in commercial, industrial and public works construction — a pathway to economic and career success that Calloway calls the “other four-year degree.”

Apprenticeship programs provide professional training in the trade roles — large-scale construction workers, electricians, plumbers — for applicants of all ages. For

any applicant, the most compelling feature of this “other four-year degree” is the on-the-job training that also pays.

Participants complete 6,000 to 8,000 hours of supervised training that, importantly, is paid out at impressive living wages. In western Washington, apprentice programs aren’t just available — these programs need more applicants under the auspices of organizations such as the Inland Northwest AGC Apprenticeship, trade unions, the Construction Industry Training Council, and other certified institutions.

The AGC apprenticeship program began in Washington state in 1995 and debuted in Whatcom County in 2019.

In Whatcom, AGC offers apprenticeships in commercial, industrial and public works construction (public schools, parks and roadways, for example) in three different roles: carpenter, heavy-equipment operator and laborer.

Besides compensation, another compelling feature of

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an apprenticeship is the collaborative structure among candidate, contractor and host program. The contractor is the experienced training agent who teaches “the how,” sharing the skills and processes of the trade. The apprenticeship program host teaches “the why,” adding polish and perfection. In its host role, AGC teaches everything from blueprint reading to building codes, conflict resolution to communication, health monitoring to CPR and first aid certifications.

Applicants get paid training for careers Mike Ankney, who directs Inland Northwest AGC’s Apprenticeship Center statewide and is based in Spokane, described the power of connecting candidates to companies in dire need of qualified employees: “I’m the guy who goes into the high schools and asks juniors and seniors, ‘OK, what’s next?’”

Typically, the students who register the most certainty about next steps

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indicate they are headed to fouryear universities. Ankney, to inspire options in the trades, respectfully problem-poses by asking how college will be afforded.

“Some have parents able to create college funds,” he said. He worries about those who talk of taking out student loans. “I refer to student loans as student mortgages,” Ankney said.

“Young people, 17- and 18-yearolds, with little job history and no credit history, are receiving loans and being told, ‘you don’t have to pay this back now.’ So, they graduate, potentially with $150,000 in debt, and without job guarantees.”

In contrast, Ankney described the apprenticeship pathway. In Whatcom County, apprenticeship pay begins at a minimum of $25 per hour and averages much more per hour. Calloway provided a link to apprenticeship wages in Whatcom County, according to roles (laborer, carpenter, heavy-equipment operator): https://secure.lni.wa.gov/ wagelookup/ApprenticeWageLookup.aspx.

Upon completing paid training, each finisher receives a journeyman card, the certificate of competency for sought-after transferable skills. The card, the esteemed diploma of the trades, can be presented anywhere in the U.S. for an abundance of job openings. Ankney said, “You have a job and your way to independence. You have financial solutions: you can buy a rig, you can save for a house.”

To his high school audiences, Ankney says, “I’m not offering you a job.

Apprenticeships are careers.”

Employers desperately need a workforce For employers, the big driver for participating in apprenticeship programs is developing a viable and competent workforce. As veteran pros in the trades prepare to retire, their replacements will be the next generation of up-and-comers — people whom companies are desperate to train and hire. Calloway reported that of the companies AGC partners with, “most could hire up to 20% more apprentices — and that’s the minimum just for those employers to breathe a little more easily.”

One company owner told Calloway his requirements for prospective applicants: “One, show up. Two, be willing to listen and learn. Three, pass a drug test.”

Within the industry, both Calloway and Ankney emphasized the flexibility to change roles as workers understand strengths and interests. Someone may start as a carpenter and move to being an estimator.

Also, apprenticeships approved and certified by Washington state are among the most stringent providers in the country.

Washington House Bill 1050 creates pressure In the coming legislative session, Washington state House Bill 1050 will create a mandate for paid apprenticeships in public works construction.

Starting in 2028, contracts estimated to cost $1 million or more must require that at least 15 percent of labor hours be performed by apprentices enrolled in approved apprenticeship

training programs.

“There’s a lot of capital in public works projects,” Calloway said. He believes the bill, while putting more pressure on public works construction bidders, also incentivizes apprenticeship training to create a skilled, trained, safe workforce.

Ankney emphasized the ethics of construction: “These employers promote from within, reward responsibility for the self and the whole, and work hard.”

Colleagues Calloway and Ankney, blunt and skilled communicators, are two of the best employer advocates and career coaches — especially for those unaware of potential earnings and careers in the trades. Their shared mission is to match up employers’ desperate needs for skilled tradespeople with the potential that apprentices have for serious earning power, regular increases, health benefits and retirement plans.

A jaw-dropping number of opportunities for careers in the trades exist, yet there is a shortage of applicants.

(Hello, high school parents, teachers and career counselors.) Among hiring companies, there also are urgent calls for women, people of color and unconventional applicants to the trades, vocations that can “change lives and help our American e c o n o m y, ” Ankney stated.

Construction is for everyone “Trades are starting to get a different look,” Calloway said.

Ankney elaborated.

“The old stereotypes are going away,” Ankney said. “We need women and people of color. Diversity makes us stronger and helps us immensely.”

Last year, Calloway launched the annual Northwest Construction Career Day at the Whatcom County fairgrounds in Lynden. He was happy that attendees were asking about what an apprenticeship takes, how much it pays and what the difference is between working union or open shop.

But he was thrilled when three high school students, all female, were asking the most important questions: “Where are the drywallers? When can we try welding? Nobody talks about plumbing?”

Calloway is taking these suggestions to heart to improve the career day planned for 2024.

Importantly, paid apprenticeship programs in the trades aren’t just for soon-to-be high school graduates or young adults.

These entry points also may be for those who

find their current jobs ill-fitting — those not suited for office life, as the tradeup2construction.com website from AGC Inland Northwest puts it, in the “fluorescent-lit cube farm.” Apprenticeships may be for those like the previously incarcerated.

When asked for stand-out apprentices, Ankney talked about Corey Cook, featured on the Trade Up 2 Construction website.

“The only thing I had completed,” Cook said, “was a prison sentence.”

He continued, “Then, I finished the Washington state apprenticeship program, the second thing I completed.

I’m making good wages, and my only concern is how I allocate my earnings.”

How to be an apprentice “You can access apprenticeship programs through local labor unions,” Calloway said. “You can also contact local commercial construction contractors to inquire if their new hires can be placed into apprenticeship programs.”

Another avenue: The pre-application deadline for Whatcom County’s Apprenticeship in Construction is June 1, 2024. This six-week class introduces people to construction trades, both union and non-union. Visit https://nwagcapprenticeship.org/ to apply.

“In the trades,” Ankney said, “there is a place for everybody.”

As long as everyone is in their place.

“The key,” Calloway said, “is getting applicants on the pathways.” ■

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BP

PERSONALLY SPEAKING

“Sustainability is generally defined as the balance between people, the economy and the environment.

The goal for sustainability is that these three things are still around and thriving forever.”

— Tony Gallina, ATSI’s director of sales

PHOTO: iStockphoto.com/gjohnstonphoto

Aqua-Terr Systems Inc. is making sustainability possible Tamara Anderson-Loucks Whether we’re searching for that perfect house, shopping at a newly opened retail center or walking a new trail system in the city park, most of us don’t give a second thought about the extensive work that went into developing the land underneath or around some of our favorite places to spend our time.

However, land development can be a particularly challenging undertaking in Western Washington, a region with extensive wetlands protected by federal, state and local regulations. Often, those intending to build upon property that may contain wetlands seek

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assistance from experts such as Bellingham-based environmental consulting firm Aqua-Terr Systems Inc., which guides its clients through the entire permitting process. It is through ATSI’s often-unrecognized efforts that the balance between sustainability and development is achieved so future generations will continue to enjoy both that coffee at a local café and a leisurely stroll along the trails of the local wetlands preserve.

ATSI was established in 1982 by partners Jim Wiggins and Elizabeth Binney, both lifelong advocates of ecological science, after the Army Corps

Karla and Tony Gallina

of Engineers released its wetlands delineation manual in 1981. Under Wiggins’ 28-year tenure as CEO, the company had a narrower focus in terms of services offered. In 2016, senior biologist Karla Gallina purchased the company, and under her leadership, ATSI has expanded to a full-service, start-to-finish environmental, biological and land-use consulting and management firm, assisting clients with

permitting for large- and small-scale residential, commercial and public projects where biological components are present (wetlands, streams, wildlife, etc.).

What would entice a biologist to buy a consultancy company? Why are wetlands so important to preserve?

What’s in store for ATSI in the future?

These are just a few of the questions we posed to Tony Gallina, ATSI’s director of sales.

Business Pulse: What was it about ATSI that drew your wife, Karla, to buy the company?

Tony Gallina: Primarily, it was her love for the work — she loved working outside. She also wanted to own her own business, so the purchase was a good financial opportunity that would allow her to work a job she loves. She really loves the mission of “making sustainability possible.” Sustainability is generally defined as the balance between people, the economy and the environment. The goal for sustainability is that these three things are still around and thriving forever.

would you say has been your primary contribution to the business since you joined?

TG: I noticed that many wetlands firms focused solely on delineation and plantings. I suggested to Karla we add wetlands mitigation to our service offering to differentiate ourselves.

Offering full-service environmental wetlands consulting allowed us to help our customers complete projects from start to finish. I also focus on customer service — I focus on what the clients care about. Our techs talk the intricacies of their work, which is their passion. The client doesn’t always care about that part.

BP: In the seven years since Karla purchased the business, has the industry undergone any major changes?

TG: There hasn’t been a lot of updates over the past five years from reg-

ulating agencies, such as the Department of Ecology. That has remained fairly steady. What has changed is the demand for our services, which has really increased, in part due to the demand for housing in Whatcom, Skagit and Island counties.

BP: How would you explain to the layperson the importance of wetlands preservation?

TG: Wetlands are like the kidneys of the environment. They filter out a lot of pollutants and store water. There are four different classifications of wetlands, each with its own functions and advantages. Generally, they are great for floodwater containment and important habitats for wildlife in general, and also some endangered species. Sometimes wetlands can become passive areas humans can enjoy —

BP: You offer three primary service categories: environmental science, land use and mitigation. Are these primarily focused on wetlands assessment and preservation?

TG: Yes. Though we also offer a diverse range of services related to critical areas in general, our bread and butter is wetlands, because it’s the most important issue for our clients.

BP: At Karla’s request, you joined the business in 2019, though you didn’t have a background in biology or ecology. What

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protected areas of state parks, neighborhoods and other developments.

These lands are protected for future generations.

BP: A worldwide intergovernmental treaty formed in 1971 by 170 countries, called the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, was established to facilitate wetland conservation and sustainable use around the world. Yet since then, 35% of the world’s wetlands have disappeared.

If wetlands preservation is important, why do you think 50 years later they haven’t been given priority?

TG: While this agreement may have been established in 1971, in the United States, the federal Wetland Delineation Manual didn’t come into effect until 1984. In Whatcom County, the first critical areas ordinance didn’t come into effect until 1991. Whatcom County, and Western Washington in general, have the strictest ordinances in the country, and it took 20 years for that to happen. So, it makes sense some wetlands loss would occur. As a wealthier country, we have the resources to protect wetlands. In developing countries, my assumption would be they have different priorities, such as food, housing and safe drinking water.

That may play into it also.

BP: How does your team ensure they have the latest knowledge and education available to proficiently conduct their work?

TG: There is the federal wetlands manual, and the Army Corps of Engineers puts out regional supplements based on best available science. We ensure we study those. We also at-

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tend training with organizations like the Wetland Training Institute. We also have good relationships with environmental regulators. We communicate with them often to ensure we understand how they interpret the regulations. This creates ATSI’s baseline methodology. We don’t always agree with some regulators. Conflicts with regulators sometimes arise. We’ve been able to present data and win our arguments at times.

BP: What was your most challenging project to date and why?

TG: Many projects can have their individual challenges. To me, the most difficult were situations where homeowners bought a beautiful piece of land in the ’80s and ’90s with plans to build their dream homes. Over time, changes in regulations and permitting altered what was allowed to be done to the properties. Landowners had already developed some of their land — cut trees, filled in wetlands. When these landowners tried to get permits to further develop the property, they had to spend a lot of money to undo some of the work they’d already done.

In the end, some could only use a very small portion of the land they bought, others weren’t able to build and sold off their property, their dream. It’s challenging for us because here is someone trying to pursue their dream, and as we are working with them through the wetlands delineation process, no one knows if their project will even be permittable until all the processes are done. These challenges can have unexpected rewards, too. One of these customers became a good friend.

BP: What are some of the biggest challenges the company has had to overcome as it has grown?

TG: We’re a small mom-and-pop business. While Karla is a great scientist, and I have strong customer service and sales skills, that’s not all it takes to run a successful business. As the company has grown, we’ve had to become more organized and efficient and have learned to adapt if something isn’t going right to make whatever changes are needed. Staffing is also a challenge, because we need to ensure we have the right people. We’ve become very disciplined in our discernment during the hiring process.

BP: What are your future plans for the company? Any plans to expand over the next five to 10 years?

TG: No major set plans at this time.

Our next big step is to figure out what we really want ATSI to be in the future. To determine what ATSI can be the best in the world at. Do we stay in wetlands? Is this what we can be the most passionate about? There are also lots of opportunities in the environmental field, such as with salmon.

We may look into government work.

Last year, $1 billion worth of governmental contracts were awarded to private companies to fund various federal initiatives. Taking time to figure out exactly what type of firm we want ATSI to be is our next step in growing the company. I am looking forward to exploring it. ■

HOUSING IN WHATCOM COUNTY BP PHOTO: iStockphoto.com/Francesco Scatena

PHOTO: iStockphoto.com/SvetaZi

Survey explores why Whatcom housing prices are so high Mary Louise Van Dyke Bellingham and Whatcom County are desirable places to live. The region has access to mountains, lakes and the Puget Sound; numerous coffee shops; Western Washington University and other schools, both public and private; parks; and an emphasis on healthy lifestyles.

On the flip side, the costs of purchasing a house or renting an apartment here seem higher than most areas, said Peter Dawson, CEO of Dawson Construction. He has questioned why that is — and what actions are needed to ensure housing prices become more reasonably priced and accessible to residents.

To find answers, Dawson and Austin Anderson, a civil project engineer for the company, recently conducted a multicity house price comparison and analysis. Their questions were: • Does Bellingham have significantly higher prices for homes than its peers?

• If yes, what are some of the potential root causes?

“There’s been a lot of different entities concerned about the costs of housing,” Dawson said. “Regardless of political affiliation or social economic status, we can all agree that we want to have lower costs of housing.”

The study compared Bellingham’s population and median income, housing prices and availability for purchasing a home and renting, lot prices and construction costs to those of 24 other college towns in the United States.

“It should be a higher priority to have lower-priced housing.”

— Peter Dawson, CEO of Dawson Construction

Dawson said he and Anderson sought data to answer speculation they’d heard from residents about the high price of Bellingham and Whatcom County housing, the population increase, vacancies and availabilities.

Their sources included real estate websites, the U.S. Census, land price calculators and trackers, and information drawn from publications. The results were presented to the Whatcom County Business and Commerce Committee in October.

A full-service general contractor, Dawson Construction has locations in Bellingham and Junea, Alaska. It specializes in commercial, education, health care, government,

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multifamily residential and industrial projects such as the bp Cherry Point Refinery Maintenance Facility relocation to Blaine.

“We’re a builder, but we’re not a home builder,” Dawson said. “This survey is more about trying to find more housing for our workers and not losing them to other communities.”

Bellingham versus other college towns In the comparison of Bellingham with other similar communities, the data revealed some “pretty drastic outliers,” Anderson said, including variances between Bellingham and San Luis Obispo in California.

For example, in Bellingham (population 92,289) the median income is $59,163 and the median home sale price is $636,000. Renters pay $2,100 on average. The cost of a lot within city limits is $290,000.

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San Luis Obispo (population 48,439) is home to California Polytechnic State University. The median income is $61,862 and cost of a home is $995,000, with city lot prices that range from $360,000 to $2 million, according to the Dawson survey. Renters pay an average of $2,801.

By contrast, the median income of people who live in Champaign, Illinois (population 90,552), home of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, is $52,687. The median home price there is $242,500, meaning it is 62 percent cheaper to purchase a home there than in Bellingham, according to the survey. The price of a lot in the city is $35,000, and the average monthly cost of a rental is $1,507.

“We intentionally were looking for things we’ve heard people speculate about with our high housing prices, the population increase, vacancy rates, availabilities,” Dawson said.

In general, the results showed the other cities mirrored Bellingham’s situation but had lower-priced housing, Dawson said. Building up equity for a first-time homeowner in Bellingham is problematic, especially with lots costing $290,000.

Anderson said that both he and his wife have good-paying jobs.

“Even though we’re both very well educated and both have really great careers,” he said, “it’s very hard to enter into the (housing) market here.”

Finding answers to the housing market woes Dawson’s presentation features possible solutions to Bellingham and Whatcom County’s housing futures: • Make lower-priced housing a higher government priority.

• Improve funding, resources and regulations.

• Select leaders who will focus 100% on lower prices.

• Increase the supply of buildable lots.

Achieving those goals may require tough choices.

Annexing land to enlarge Bellingham’s current urban boundaries could expand the number of available buildable lots, Dawson said, and more housing would be available if city and county officials allowed more housing density and permitted developers to go full vertical. As an example, Dawson highlighted the company’s experience when constructing the Cedar Grove Apartments on Telegraph Road in Bellingham. The company was required to pay $20,000 per unit to increase density in the three-story building beyond the prescribed limit, he said.

“Here we have a housing shortage, but we’re paying to increase density,” Dawson said. “That makes no sense.”

He recalled a recent incident in which a plan to construct a 68-unit townhome development along Meridian Street, adjacent to the Bellingham Golf and Country Club, was grounded due to objections about the developer’s plan to take down numerous mature trees on the site.

“Here someone is trying to put housing in to increase density, and another group is fighting them because they want to save the trees in that area,” Dawson said. “I’m not sure what is more important.”

Housing for all Dawson and Anderson also highlighted other means of increasing Bellingham’s housing supply, such as easing state restrictions on condominium construction, allowing accessory dwelling units to be available for sale, allowing smaller homes built on smaller lots with lower price tags,

and constructing houses with zero lot lines, meaning the house is built on or near the boundary line.

Trailer parks are often a great way for people to get their foot in the door for home ownership, Anderson added.

All the above solutions are just a means to provide the everyday resident of Bellingham an opportunity to get out of a rental unit and own something, Anderson said. That investment could give them a return should they decide to move to something bigger, larger or different.

It is important to give to the younger population — the working population — means and access to start building that equity for their families, he added.

“Having equity in a house for a lot of people, that’s as good as money in the bank,” Anderson said. “They have something to fall back on.”

Government-funded housing also has a role to play, Dawson said.

“We’re also huge advocates in favor of the housing agencies who are providing housing, and these are government funded,” he said. “This component needs to remain part of the solution.”

Make lower-priced housing a higher government priority Dawson and Anderson are focused on keeping the conversation going with more discussions and calls for city and county government leaders to consider the impacts of new and existing building regulations in increasing home prices and rental property rates.

“The government, in listening to the public, has instituted a lot of policies to make here a desirable place to live,” Dawson said. “But what we’re suggesting is possibly the pendulum has swung too far, and it should be a higher priority to have lower-priced housing.” ■

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WECU has exceeded our expectations as a partner for our business. The Merchant Services teams’ dedication was evident with hands-on assistance and a genuine interest in our business’s well-being.

JEFF LAZZARI Vice President and General Manager, FrinGe Brewing 34

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WECU.COM/BUSINESS

SMALL BUSINESS FEATURE BP

Founder Suzanne Taylor and son, Kaden (courtesy photo)

Setting up for success at work Summer cafe provides employment for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities Elisa Claassen During a visit to the Bellingham waterfront with Port of Bellingham personnel in late summer, a tour was given of the diversity of the types of endeavors at the waterfront. A spotlight was aimed at the container community, The Portal, which provides quick and easy access for visitors to the waterfront.

Several offerings at The Portal involve entertainment and food. One particular food vendor is newer on the food scene and uses employees new to the workforce.

Bellingham’s DISH Foundation provides vocational training, employment opportunities, respite and awareness for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Our Kitchen, its restaurant in The Portal, serves teas, Italian sodas, pop, lemonade, flavored waters and Maniac

Coffee for espresso, drip and cold brew coffee. A menu of herbivore, carnivore, vegan and gluten-free options is available, including scratch-baked goods such as German soft pretzels, Kaden’s Kookies, ginger molasses, almond raspberry scones, cinnamon rolls and gourmet brats on pretzel buns.

Founder Suzanne Taylor explains Suzanne Taylor of Bellingham graduated from Washington State University, where her oldest daughter, Genna, currently attends and plays rugby. Taylor originally ran a cafe near the school in Pullman — the Cougar Cafe. Upon returning to Bellingham, she spent 18 years in the insurance industry as a commercial producer, personal insurance producer and life insurance saleswoman. She still does that

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full time. However, life changed tremendously upon the birth of her second child; the baby was sent on a life flight to Seattle Children’s Hospital.

“My son Kaden was born with special needs 18 years ago and was fairly profound with his intellectual and development and medical challenges,” Taylor said. “As he grew up, we only had time to focus in the minute and take it day by day — but usually it was hour by hour. When he got into middle school and started to hit more milestones and achieve more successes, we had time to start thinking about the future and seeing what that might look like, knowing he would live with us for the rest of his life and that we wouldn’t be empty nesting. I call it ‘permanesting’ when you have an adult child who is dependent on you for a lot, but they are also learning their independence.”

When asked about Kaden, she gave the following description: “He’s got glasses and is about five foot five with short, light-colored hair. He would immediately start talking to you, shake your hand and likely compliment you about something you are wearing. He would then probably end up talking to you about the foundation. He’s my little salesman, too.”

Kaden is now a high school graduate from the Bellingham School District.

“We realized there really aren’t a lot of opportunities for individuals with (intellectual and developmental disabilities),” Taylor said.

Through the Community Transitions special education program, the family had ample time to discuss the future. Taylor became all too aware of what would be lost, since the school offered speech therapy, occupational therapy, and the opportunity to

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co-mingle with different types of peers.

“That ends abruptly when they graduate,” she said. “A lot of these individuals are extremely capable, and there is a wide range or spectrum of abilities with individuals with IDD. They want very much to be part of the community and be involved. You know, if you take time to get to know someone with IDD, you’ll find they’re quite relatable.”

DISH vocational training class (courtesy photo).

Kaden was 14 when the family seriously started looking ahead.

Taylor saw challenges and started to picture ways to work with those challenges. As she talked with business owners, Taylor saw that getting jobs required having experience and training.

“I asked them what was it that prevented them from being hired? What was the apprehension? What was the hesitance? It was a lack of knowledge, awareness.”

Kaden and his mom enjoyed watching cooking shows during the COVID-19 pandemic, and they began to envision their own cooking show.

“I talked to a couple of friends who had a video company and networked with friends who had a venue, and we Continued on page 38

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created a cooking show called ‘Get Dished,’” Taylor said. “I gave them a base recipe, and they would add to it and make it their own creation. We had a guest judges panel and presented awards. They had so much fun with this. Haggen donated the food for it.”

In addition to the short-term show, the DISH Foundation grew out of these discussions in 2019.

“We all want dignity,” Taylor said.

“We all strive for independence. We all want to sense a purpose. We want to be needed, and there’s something we can always contribute to society.

‘Hope’ is such a powerful word. If someone doesn’t have hope, it can be a dangerous space to be in. So we want to bring that.”

DISH operates with a working board structured as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. It hopes to add two more board members soon.

“If anyone is interested in making a great contribution to our community, I’d love to have them reach out and talk to me,” Taylor said.

So far, the school and cafe operate out of a container that is just seasonal — April through October — and hope to find a more permanent second location as well that could be open year-round, Taylor said. Board member Brett Evans, who has a background as an educator teaching life skills, is assisting with the program’s vocational training.

“He’s great and does a phenomenal job with these individuals,” Taylor said.

Just providing students with training wasn’t enough, Taylor said.

“They needed the opportunity to be employed,” she said, “so we can share their skills with the community and bring awareness to the community that these individuals are absolutely capable and they can do these jobs.”

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Through networking, Taylor met with Port of Bellingham staff and found that one container was left in the first phase of the waterfront plans, adjacent to the bicycle rental and repair shop, a burger joint, food trucks and a container with rotating artists.

The Our Kitchen space is approximately 320 square feet with a coffee shop on one end and a full commercial kitchen on the other.

Through fundraising and donations — including from Mountain to Marine, Ram Construction and personal funds — the project came together.

“When you find something you are passionate about, you find a way to make it work,” Taylor said. “I’m also a big believer in following the path that leads you. Sometimes we try and knock on these doors that aren’t going to open, and we have to take a step back and see which doors are opening.”

The shipping container wasn’t in the original plan, but when that door opened, they went through it.

longer list of other diagnoses.

“She can lose her hearing and feel like being underwater, have a form of optical migraine and see spots,” Amanda Noblitt said. “She has to navigate through this while it is occurring.”

Haley had already taken four classes during high school to refine her baking skills, and she enjoyed it. When friend Karlene Umbaugh turned them on to DISH, the courses seemed like a natural fit. Umbaugh is a coordinator at Parent to Parent of Whatcom County, which provides emotional support and information to families of children with developmental disabilities, delays and special health care needs. It was crucial to develop this network, Amanda Noblitt said, since she felt alone when Haley was young, and she didn’t know where to turn.

Haley Noblitt’s first week at DISH was hard, since she was in a new setting and felt overwhelmed, Amanda Noblitt said. She was also frustrated, since she needed more difficult recipes. After talking to the instructor, Student working toward who listened attentively to their concottage kitchen cerns, they decided on more advanced Haley Noblitt, a 2023 Nooksack recipes for the next focus of training.

Valley High School While other students graduate, attended in her small class might training this sumproceed to working at mer through DISH Our Kitchen, Haley Foundation. During already said she knows her school years, she she wants to work from was accompanied her home kitchen in

by Coup, her service Nooksack by getting a dog. Noblitt’s mothcottage kitchen license.

Haley, with Coup, graduated er, Amanda, said that from Nooksack Valley High After initially looking School in 2023 (courtesy photo).

Haley had many docat Bellingham Technitor visits throughout cal College’s approach, her childhood. Those doctors found mother and daughter felt more comshe had more than one challenge: fortable going through DISH. autism, epilepsy, postural orthostatic “Their instructor was awesome,” tachycardia syndrome, cortical dyspla- Amanda Noblitt said. “On day one, sia, polycystic ovary syndrome, and a Haley was a hot mess — including

being scared of the big oven and working in the hot summer weather — and they were so understanding. They brainstormed.”

Haley doesn’t use big knives for chopping, slicing and dicing. While the class went over kitchen tools, she focused on other things (and used a butter knife).

The six-week, once-a-week course lasts for two and a half hours. Haley can function for an allotted amount of time, Amanda Noblitt said, and they work with that as she makes cupcakes, mini cheesecakes or artisan breads.

For the home license, the family is getting advice from other friends who use the same license. Unlike with commercial food licenses, Amanda Noblitt said, Haley won’t be able to bake with fresh fruit or ingredients needing refrigeration. Whether she aims to sell a high volume or not, Haley is already planning to include donating or gifting from her bakery to local organi-

zations, such as the a certificate and are bus garage at the local given the opportuschool district. nity to add another According to the coursework category DISH Foundation with a new set of goals website, two major and discuss other opchallenges faced by portunities, perhaps young adults with ineven including paid DISH employees Jentzen and tellectual and developpositions. The fee for Kaden share a special friendship mental disabilities are (courtesy photo). each six-week session a lack of training and is $150, which para lack of employment opportunities. tially covers the costs associated with Because they don’t have these, it can running the program. be a struggle for them find employIdeal applicants are those who are ment. Our Kitchen aims to fill that interested in working in the food ingap, helping teach job skills to people dustry, passionate about learning and with IDD and creating jobs in which eager to develop their skills. Each stuthey can work. Currently available dent will be working in an inclusive jobs include baker, cook, food prep, atmosphere, alongside coworkers with beverage service, customer service and and without IDD. packaging.

Interested in partnering with DISH Each student meets with an in- for another location, volunteering or structor to develop a plan specific to donating? Visit https://www.dishfountheir abilities and goals. When they dation.net/ or email Suzanne Taylor at complete a course, students receive Suzanne@dishfoundation.net. ■

I P E R SONALLY i nv i t e you t o shar e in the e xp e r i e nce of shop p i ng w i t h u s and w e hop e t hat t he r e lat i onshi p bu ilt wil l last f or ge ne r at i ons t o come.

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POLICY ROUNDUP BP

2023

2024 PHOTO: iStockphoto.com/Buings Studio

Looking back at the election and ahead to 2024 Dann Mead Smith

Just over half of Whatcom County voters (51%) participated in this year’s election, which featured key races for county executive and mayor of Bellingham, a sales tax increase to address public safety/build a new correction facility, and two voter-approved initiatives that will impact small businesses in Bellingham. The Whatcom Business Alliance engaged on these issues and articulated the key issues facing WBA members to all the candidates who ran across the county.

Here is a recap of some of the results that will impact you and your business.

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Citizens can expect much of the same direction at the county level, with Satpal Sidhu winning re-election by a wide margin and the ideological makeup of the council staying similar to the current council, even with two new members being elected. Mark Stremler (a conservative candidate who beat the incumbent, right-of-center councilmember Kathy Kershner) and Jon Scanlon (who won the open seat being vacated by Carol Frazey) are both left of center. It will be interesting to see how Scanlon will work with businesses and listen to their top concerns; now is a good time to connect with him, along with Stremler. At the county level, implementing the voters’ will by designing

and building the new correction facility and deciding on the services it will offer (how to spend the new sales tax revenue approved by voters) will be a top priority for both the council and the county executive.

County Executive Sidhu told Business Pulse: “It’s an honor to have earned voters’ trust and return for a second term as county executive. The past several years have been challenging ones, but I remain optimistic about our future. I will continue to take a measured and deliberate approach to the issues facing our community and consider the interests of all the people of Whatcom County.” His priorities include criminal justice and behavioral health to improve public safety and

decrease incarceration, flood hazard mitigation, salmon recovery and water resource management, housing for low- and medium-income families to provide affordable options, and expanding access to child care.

Newly elected councilmember atlarge Scanlon shared: “Thank you to the people of Whatcom County for putting your trust in me. I’m looking forward to working on behalf of the people of Whatcom County in the years ahead.” The priorities he shared with Business Pulse, edited for length, include: access to affordable housing; access to health care (especially in unincorporated and rural areas); ensuring that the Healthy Children’s Fund (2022 Prop. 5) funds are helping families access affordable child care; conducting oversight to ensure accountability, transparency and cost effectiveness as the county builds a new jail and behavioral health center; continuing to implement policies that can help to reduce incarceration and increase public safety; and planning ahead for climate change, flooding, clean water, population growth and affordable housing through our comprehensive plan update.

Newly elected councilmember Stremler, who defeated incumbent Kathy Kershner, told Business Pulse after his election: “I am honored that the good people of District 4 have entrusted me to represent them at council. The opportunity to be part of shaping Whatcom County and preserving the heritage we all appreciate is very exciting. My hope is that the passion we all have for the future of the county can play out in making decisions that affect us all, not throwing money at problems and hoping they get better.

Accountability and progress reviews

built into all programs. I believe solutions can be achieved when all parties involved put forth effort and take responsibility. The future is bright if we work together.” His priorities for 2024 are to establish relationships with other council members and county leaders and to review county policies and procedures that are linked with the concerns that so many citizens have conveyed in the last six months.

Examples he listed are rising property taxes, building permit issues and public safety.

Re-elected councilmember Ben Elenbaas told us: “Land use policy has always been one of my top priorities and will be a focus of the next four years on council with the upcoming 2025 comprehensive plan update, but for the immediate future we need to address our fentanyl crisis that is fueling a massive amount of crime and

keeping people homeless.”

Business Pulse has also heard that there have been some early discussions about increasing the minimum wage countywide based on what Bellingham voters just passed (see below). If this moves beyond just “an idea,” there will surely be a lot of discussion surrounding the impact of having such a high wage, especially in the rural parts of Whatcom County. The WBA will be in the forefront of working with businesses and elected leaders to highlight the negative consequences of being the county with the state’s highest minimum wage.

Bellingham also has a new mayor, Kim Lund, who is interested in working with businesses in the city and had several business leaders endorse and support her campaign. She shares many of the same ideological beliefs as Mayor Fleetwood but will be govern-



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ing and leading in a different way — although she will need to work with a very progressive council.

Two policy areas that will change in the city are the minimum wage, which will increase in 2024 to $1 higher than the state’s already high minimum wage (increasing to $16.28 in January, one of the highest in the country), and the “renter’s rights” initiative that will require landlords to provide 120 days’ written notice of a rent increase above 8% and require “rental relocation assistance” equal to three times the fair market rent or the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development market average, whichever is larger. So, rents in the city can be increased, but not without some “penalties/disincentives” that might not have been clear during the election. There have already been some discussions of a possible legal challenge (both Bellingham’s and a similar measure that passed in Tacoma), so we will report back when we learn more about next steps as this new law is implemented citywide. The new law takes effect on Jan. 27, though the impact might not be seen until the spring, when most of the new leases (for Western Washington University students) will incorporate provisions resulting from this initiative. This will definitely have an impact on rental units and those small businesses/landlords who own rental property in the city, as it could have different consequences on renters than initiative proponents intended.

Finally, some school boards in the county elected new members, with some boards now poised to have a center-right majority and/or more conservative members come January, including Blaine, Ferndale, Lynden and Meridian schools. ■

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BP COUNCIL CONVERSATIONS

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COUNCIL C O N V E R S AT I O N S

Business Pulse recently sat down with Whatcom County Councilmember Kaylee Galloway to talk about her priorities for 2024 and her interest to keep in contact with businesses in the county to better understand their top issues. “There are many issues facing Whatcom County, but among my top focuses in the coming year will be ensuring effective, transparent and community-driven implementation of the Justice Project in addition to addressing housing affordability and homelessness, the upcoming Comprehensive Plan update, and climate mitigation and adaptation, including addressing flood issues, habitat restoration and forest resilience.”

In addition, we talked to her about the new Forest Resilience Task Force that she championed for the council to pass this fall. Business Pulse encourages readers to get involved and make their voices known about current forestry issues and what the future should look like for this important industry in our county.

“I am excited the council passed the ordinance establishing the task force.

This is an incredible opportunity to bring folks together to collaborate and determine how we collectively want to proceed with forestry issues in Whatcom County. This task force will lean on multidisciplinary expertise to develop a Whatcom County Forest Resilience Plan, which will include strategies and actions towards sustaining a thriving timber economy, restoring healthy forest ecosystems, enhancing carbon sequestration and storage, promoting robust recreation opportunities, improving wildfire, pest, and disease resistance, and increasing climate resilience. The plan will also include a framework for engagement with communities across Whatcom County and the various levels of government, which will help inform how the county engages such as with the Department of Natural Resources as they continue to manage public lands on our behalf.”

For information, go to the Forest Resilience Task Force website: https:// www.whatcomcounty.us/4270/Forest-Resilience-Task-Force.

This will be an ongoing column interviewing councilmembers throughout the year.

PORT OF BELLINGHAM BP

One project at a time Resilience at the Port of Bellingham Jennifer Noveck The Port of Bellingham’s mission is to promote sustainable economic development, optimize transportation gateways and manage publicly owned land and facilities to benefit Whatcom County. Understanding the vital importance of resilience to fulfill this mission, in 2021-2023, the Port of Bellingham undertook many activities to enhance the resilience of the port, its constituents and the local economy.

Of particular focus were addressing ongoing labor shortages, the industrial land and building shortage and climate resilience.

Marine trades industries create or support more than 6,000 jobs — 7% of Whatcom County’s total workforce — and port lands and maritime infrastructure are critical to the success of this important economic sector.

Helping local businesses find and keep employees, particularly those in marine trades, is imperative to Whatcom County’s economic resilience. In response to a growing need for workers, in 2022 and 2023, the Port of Bellingham hosted two job and marine trade fairs at the new Fishermen’s Pavilion in Bellingham. The job fair in 2023 was held in partnership with Bellingham Technical College, the Lummi Nation, the Nooksack Indian Tribe and the Working Waterfront Coalition.

A total of 26 businesses participated in the port’s job fair in 2022. Illustrating the high demand for labor, job fair participation grew to 36 businesses in

2023. More than 300 interested job candidates attended in 2023, resulting in multiple apprenticeship and job placements for local business. In addition to connecting employers to talent, job fairs serve other important functions in workforce development, such as networking and educating the public about the myriad employment and training options available locally.

Despite the ongoing labor shortage, local industries are thriving, and there is strong demand for port-owned land and industrial space for new and expanding Whatcom County businesses. The Port of Bellingham owns approximately 1.4 million square feet of office, commercial and industrial building space and has contracts with 250 industrial and commercial tenants that provide thousands of jobs for the community. The majority of these buildings and lands are full and in active use. Port Real Estate and Economic Development Division staff report higher than normal levels of unmet demand for industrial buildings and land throughout Whatcom County for at least the past two years.

“We get weekly calls and emails from all types of businesses, everything from local companies looking to expand their warehousing or employee space to Canadian businesses looking to set up an American headquarters in Whatcom County,” said John Michener, an economic development project manager at the port. “Busi-

nesses really want to be in Whatcom for a lot of reasons, so we do our best to help them with site selection and any other assistance they may require.”

To meet the strong demand for industrial buildings and land, in February 2023, the port purchased 6 acres of land, including eight buildings with approximately 71,000 square feet of office and industrial space, for $6.2 million. The port’s new industrial complex is located at 742 Marine Drive in Bellingham and is less than a mile from Squalicum Harbor. Astoundingly, the Marine Drive Industrial Park was fully leased and occupied within six months. Many of the tenants at Marine Drive are local businesses that were previously run from the owner’s home or who were in a smaller leased port facility that they have since outgrown. The opening of Marine Drive Industrial Park provided the opportunity many businesses needed to expand their space and hire more employees.

“Expanding industrial areas is a priority for the port,” said Executive Director Rob Fix. “There are significant opportunities for growth. The acquisition of a new industrial complex better positions the port to support our existing tenants and recruit new employers to Whatcom County.”

In addition to the Port of Bellingham’s work to address the labor and industrial land shortage, it also is committed to serving as an environmental leader in Whatcom County. The port’s

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Member Nik P., Co-Owner of Phinney Ridge Painting.

“With BECU, we feel like business partners.”

Being a BECU Business member is like getting all the banking help you need, but with a relationship you actually want. Because we’re a not-for-profit credit union, so the biggest profits we care about are yours.

Learn more at becu.org/businessbanking Business Share savings required to establish membership; not all will qualify. Federally insured by NCUA. Business member was compensated for their participation.

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environmental programs support the cleanup of historic industrial contamination, habitat restoration, stormwater management, environmental stewardship and sustainable strategies.

One great example of this work is the solar panel installation on the Bellingham Cruise Terminal. Located in the Fairhaven Historic District, the terminal is the southern connection for the Alaska Marine Highway System and provides safe and convenient passenger facilities for more than 200,000 passengers each year. The 336 panels were installed in 2021 and remain the largest solar panel installation on any public building in Whatcom County.

Under commission direction, the port has been installing solar for approximately five years and identified the cruise terminal as an ideal candidate due to its roof orientation and the large number of visitors who come through the facility every year. The port also installed informational signs to educate the public about the effectiveness of solar energy. To learn more, you can visit the port’s renewable energy webpage and peruse the solar dashboard.

The dashboard calculates how much energy is being produced by the solar installation at the terminal every day.

Combined with many other ongoing efforts and projects at its facilities, the port is taking meaningful action to reduce risks and vulnerabilities, enhance recoverability and increase its ability to withstand shocks. By doing so, the Port of Bellingham is positioning itself as a leader among midsized ports in proactively mitigating and building economic and climate resilience.

To learn more about the Port of Bellingham, visit https://www.portofbellingham.com/. To learn more about renewable energy at the port, visit https://www.portofbellingham. com/981/Renewable-Energy. ■

TECHNOLOGY BP

PHOTO: iStockphoto.com/Norbert Hentges

Will AI take your job?

New tools can help workers improve effiency Diane Kamionka In the past 12 months, there has been a significant increase in business, political and policy discussions around artificial intelligence, large language models and generative pretrained transformer technology. The AI trend that emerged last year with the public beta of OpenAI’s ChatGPT tool around the holidays has gone through a few rounds of considerable improvement this year. The trend is now in the early

stages of formal commercialization, with customers paying for AI to help their businesses be more efficient and effective.

In 2018, the World Economic Forum’s “Future of Jobs” report forecasted that “65% of children entering primary school today will ultimately end up working in completely new job types that don’t yet exist.” ChatGPT is likely the catalyst to the transformation that will enable this prediction to come true. Does this mean that AI will be responsible for replacing humans? It’s unlikely in the near term.

Far more likely, AI will become a valuable tool to help people do their jobs more efficiently and effectively, leading to significant increases in productivity in spaces where AI is embraced and adopted.

What is current artificial intelligence good for?

The generative pretrained transformer technologies that garnered so much visibility in 2023 bring together massive quantities of information.

Via the technology, natural language prompts get responses in the format

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A person who can envision ways to leverage AI to help them achieve outcomes at work will realize a force multiplier in the outcomes they are able to deliver. requested in the prompt. For example, a user can ask a GPT chatbot to evaluate the pros and cons of driving versus flying between Seattle and San Francisco, and the user could request that the response be in paragraph form or bullet points. A user could also ask a GPT to write software code or a SQL query that accomplishes a task, and the GPT would respond with a prop-

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erly formatted response that could even be annotated with comments to help a user find their way through the GPT’s output.

While impressive, this technology is still in its early stages and is not always correct or accurate. However, the outputs of GPT technology are based on recognizing and applying patterns in the data on which it was trained, searching for patterns that match

the prompt it receives, and following some standard patterns to generate a response that follows the norms and practices of the communication media it is asked to output. For this reason, it’s a risky endeavor to simply trust the output of GPT without having some basic knowledge of the topic in order to validate the output. Depending on the situation, a full fact check of GPT output would be a prudent step in utilizing GPT-based work product.

The AI space is quickly evolving and improving. This article is deliberately vague to avoid the risk of being out of date by the time it is published. As AI improves as a tool, its potential only helps us go further.

That said, it does not come without risks related to privacy, security

or other unforeseen dangers. Those responsible for curating this technology are constantly working to improve guardrails restricting its use to ensure it is safe, reliable and trustworthy. The conversation on the responsible and safe application of AI technology is a hot topic at the international policy level, but the reality is that this technology is here to stay and it would be challenging, if not impossible, to “unring the bell” of ChatGPT. How can people prepare for the AI wave?

Predictions like those in the “Future of Jobs” report have circulated for almost two decades, largely in support of a shift in educational paradigm away from historically rote, mechanical or memorization-based models toward those that teach 21st century skills — a set of core transferrable capabilities that focus on competency with topics such as analytics, reasoning, communication and teamwork — rather than a particular set of knowledge on a given subject. The logic suggests that such a set of skills will enable people to adapt to their surroundings without targeting specific jobs as the goal of their education.

With fluidity in job descriptions, those who hope to land the jobs need to be able to adapt, lest their capabilities become obsolete. While it may seem new, the AI wave is not a disruptive factor to the importance of these transferrable skills. On the contrary, AI technology offers such an enhancement to productivity that a person who can envision ways to leverage AI to help them achieve outcomes at

work will realize a force multiplier in the outcomes they are able to deliver. Those who can exhibit directed curiosity with a critical eye will be able to utilize AI to achieve more by staying competitive in the digital economy.

Diane Kamionka, NWIRC’s executive director, has a background in facilitating corporate growth and entrepreneurial startups. In 1987, she founded Cintech Solutions in Ohio and served as president and CEO. Since relocating to Washington, Diane established the Northwest Agriculture Business Center and helped create NWIRC.

Hacking helps children with life-altering conditions The Northwest Innovation Resource Center partners with Camp Korey for Data Hackathon for Good event For more than 18 years, Camp Korey has been providing year-round programs, free of charge, to help children living with life-altering medical conditions and their families. The camp moved to a beautiful 200-acre space in Mount Vernon in 2016 and is expanding its programs.

The Northwest Innovation Resource Center is based in Bellingham and has been helping entrepreneurs in northwest Washington for more than 12 years.

Most of this help is free of charge.

The two nonprofit organizations are joining forces for a Data Hackathon for Good fundraising event that will bring teams of computer programmers together to compete in a two-day competition to create solutions to benefit nonprofit organizations.

The event will take place April 27 and 28 at 24880 Brotherhood Road in Mount Vernon. It will culminate with expert judges announcing the winner in a presentation at Camp Korey on April 28, and the public is invited to attend.

All proceeds from the event will benefit Camp Korey and their programs that benefit the children. Anyone interested in sponsoring a team or donating to the event — or who has a company that would like to enter a team in the competition — should contact davewald@hotmail.com.

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BP FINANCE

The economy is hurting Whatcom families Nicole Burdick Families in Whatcom County continue to battle the trifecta of recent inflation, interest rate pressure and the longterm fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. While data shows that inflation is cooling, the gap between wages and the cost of living isn’t closing, and much of the emergency funding related to COVID-19 is now gone. The bandages that helped us survive the pandemic are coming off, and it’s not looking good.

More families than ever are experiencing food insecurity, and local resources are struggling to keep up with the need. In an interview with Cascadia Daily earlier this year, Bellingham Food Bank Executive Director Mike Cohen revealed that 15%-20% of Whatcom County residents visit a food bank weekly, and visits have increased from 40,000 per month to nearly 90,000 as of earlier this year.

As the food bank struggles to serve a growing clientele while battling rising food prices, it has gone from spending $1 million on food per year before the pandemic to an estimated $3 million in 2023.

Families are also increasingly struggling with housing insecurity. Priced out of home ownership by current prices and interest rates, many people remain subject to unpredictable

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rent increases. Local attempts to increase housing affordability, such as the recently passed tenant protection initiative in Bellingham, fail to solve the problem. Some renters may appreciate the renter relocation assistance (three months of rent) that landlords must pay if they raise rent by 8% and the tenant moves as a result. But this doesn’t kick in unless rent is raised more than 8% per year and the tenant moves. Moving requires them to find a more affordable rental — a challenge given our county’s low vacancy rates and overall high rent prices. Many real estate professionals fear that this initiative will actually have the opposite effect, incentivizing landlords to increase rent by under 8% each year.

As housing and groceries eat up an increasing portion of families’ takehome income, less money is available to set aside for emergencies. One nationwide poll conducted by CNBC revealed that at least 53% of Americans have no emergency fund, a number that increases to at least 74% for those with an annual household income below $50,000. While no current local data exists, this statistic is likely higher in Whatcom County given our higher cost of living relative to other parts of the country.

Then there’s our middle class — those of us who can afford our mortgage and our groceries but find there’s less left in the monthly budget than there used to be. These families may

be forced to choose between taking a vacation that’s fully paid for or funding their kids’ college fund. Or perhaps they’re dipping into savings or reducing their retirement contributions.

It makes sense that when individuals are unable to buy a home or build emergency savings, they become increasingly dependent on government programs. What is less obvious, but of equal concern, is the long-term impact of foregone savings that we don’t feel yet. When people enter their retirement years without adequate money saved, they risk becoming dependent on government programming as well — regardless of how much they earned in their working years.

We have to start by putting on our own oxygen masks first. It may be counterintuitive, but saving for our own future sets us up to be self-sustaining and able to give in the future.

Then, we can support our local nonprofits as they do some of the most important work. Our private funding helps these organizations, and therefore our community, become less dependent on government funding, which is a win for everyone.

Nicole Burdick, AAMS®, is an LPL financial advisor and founder of Money Maven Financial, a female-focused financial planning firm. She prides herself in helping her clients master their money, whether they’re new to investing or dealing with complex situations.

Visit https://www.moneymavenfinancial. com.

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An IRA CD is a certificate of deposit (CD) which earns interest within an individual retirement account (IRA), a savings account with tax benefits. With a Traditional IRA, your contributions are tax-deductible for the current tax year and you pay taxes on the contribution and interest when you withdraw in retirement, possibly at a lower tax rate than when you worked full-time. With a Roth IRA, you pay taxes on the contribution now, but the earned interest can grow tax-free.

Our IRA CD 12-month term is now 5.05% APY (annual percentage yield), available in both Traditional and Roth IRAs with a $500 minimum deposit. A penalty will be imposed for early withdrawal. The penalty is waived at age 59 ½, you are disabled, or in the event of your death. Fees could reduce earnings.

Scan the code to view rates or visit www.ourfirstfed.com/personal/savings/ira Interest Rates Effective: 11/30/2023

Our team can help you navigate your CD options

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