Business Pulse magazine March | April 2022

MARCH / APRIL 2022

L I F E T I M E AC H I E V E M E N T AWA R D W I N N E R

Gary Honcoop’s impact on others a top achievement To Honcoop, business is a vehicle for creating opportunity

PLUS:

Gary Honcoop Roosendaal-Honcoop Construction

Congratulations to the exceptional nominees of the 35th Annual Whatcom Business Awards: Start-Up of the Year Small Business of the Year Business Person of the Year Tiger and Pearson join forces Flood recovery and a look at how to avoid these disasters in the future Vicinity Motor Corporation looks ahead — adding 300 employees and delivering 1,000 vehicles per year

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Your local business news brought to you by WHATCOM BUSINESS ALLIANCE

VOL. 47 | NO. 2 PUBLISHER Whatcom Business Alliance EDITOR Matthew Anderson,

Bellingham PR & Communications CONTRIBUTING Tara Almond WRITERS Heather Lea Cheryl Stritzel McCarthy Dustin McKissen Tony Moceri Mary Louise Van Dyke Lorraine Wilde GUEST COLUMNISTS Lance Calloway Drew Smith ART DIRECTOR Whitney Pearce PHOTOGRAPHY Sattva Photo EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Barbara Chase

1415 Iowa St. • 360.734.5717

Cover Photo by Sattva Photo WBA BOARD OF DIRECTORS: BOARD CHAIR: Pam Brady, Director NW Gov’t & Public Affairs, BP Cherry Point EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: ; John Huntley, President/ CEO, Mills Electric Inc.; Doug Thomas, President/CEO, Bellingham Cold Storage; Josh Turrell, Partner, Larson Gross PLLC; Josh Wright, VP/Broker, Bell-Anderson Insurance BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Tyler Byrd, CEO, Red Rokk Interactive; Jane Carten, President, Saturna Capital; Andy Enfield, Vice President, Enfield Farms; Bryant Engebretson, Managing Principal, Tradewinds Capital; Jon Ensch, Commercial Banking Officer, Peoples Bank; Mitch Faber, Partner, Adelstein Sharpe & Serka; Sandy Keathley, Former Owner, K & K Industries; Tony Larson, President, Barlean’s; Becky Raney, Former Owner, Print & Copy Factory; Sarah Rothenbuhler, Owner/ CEO, Birch Equipment; Patrick Schuppert, Commercial Banking Relationship Manager, Wells Fargo; Galen Smith, Operations Manager/Owner, Coldstream Farms; Carryn Vande Griend, Government Affairs Representative, PSE; Billy VanZanten, CEO, Western Refinery Services For editorial comments and suggestions, write info@whatcombusinessalliance.com. The magazine is published bimonthly at 3111 Newmarket St., Ste. 106, Bellingham WA 98226. (360) 746-0418. Yearly subscription rate is $25 (US). For digital subscription, visit businesspulse.com. Entire contents copyrighted ©2022 Business Pulse. All rights reserved.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Business Pulse, 3111 Newmarket St. Ste. 106, Bellingham WA 98226

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IN THIS ISSUE 10

TIGER CONSTRUCTION AND PEARSON JOIN FORCES The company’s workload is now a mix of public works, healthcare facilities, commercial buildings, luxury homes and industrial projects.

15

RECOVERING FROM THE FLOOD

19

VICINITY MOTOR CORPORATION EXPANDS IN FERNDALE

As recovery continues, so does looking ahead to avoid these types of disasters.

The British Columbia manufacturer of alternative energy transit buses and commercial vehicles looks to deliver up to 1,000 vehicles per year.

10

congratulations!

26 WHATCOM BUSINESS AWARD NOMINEES 28 START-UP OF THE YEAR Storia Cucina Bellingham Axe 360 Modular Building Systems Carnal Restaurant

15

19

PLUS 23 Personally Speaking with Gay Dubigk, executive director of the Northwest Workforce Council

57 Developing Whatcom County’s future construction workforce

63 Accountability and transparency for COVID-19 relief funds needed

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BUSINESSPULSE.COM | MAR/APR 2022

36 SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR Pacific Marine Yacht Systems Smith Mechanical Drayton Harbor Oyster Company Van Beek Drywall 44 BUSINESS PERSON OF THE YEAR Josh Burdick, Veritas Media Tonja Myers, Christian Health Care Center John Huntley, Mills Electric John Barron, Barron Heating AC Electrical & Plumbing 52

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Gary Honcoop, Roosendaal-Honcoop Construction

Here for each other.

Please join us at this year’s Lydia Place Virtual HEARTS FOR HOUSING event! Lydia Place helps ensure hundreds of children and their families experiencing homelessness in Whatcom County have access to safe, stable, and secure housing, mental health counselors, and parenting support services. We’re in this together.

HEARTS FOR HOUSING MISSION POSSIBLE FRIDAY, MARCH 25, 2022 | 7PM PST Register for this virtual event at heartsforhousing.com

Matthew Barrow

Commercial Relationship Manager Lydia Place Board Member 1500 Cornwall Avenue Bellingham, WA 98225 360-255-2808 matthew.barrow@wafd.com Business Banking | Commercial Real Estate | Commercial & Residential Construction | Personal Banking | Mortgage Lending

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BP UP FRONT

An uncertain year ahead unfolds, but we have faced (and overcome) uncertainty before I want to begin this issue by thanking the businesses and private sector leaders who have helped guide Whatcom County through 2021.

The past year was not an easy one, yet Whatcom County is still widely recognized as one of the best places in the United States to live — despite being just a few hours away from where the pandemic began over two years ago.

That resiliency is in part a testament to a business community that has committed itself to leading during a time when leadership was badly needed.

Many of those leaders will be recognized on March 24, 2022, at the 35th Annual Whatcom Business Awards & Business Person of the Year Gala, held at the Semiahmoo Resort. Nominees for Start-Up of the Year are Storia Cucina, Bellingham Axe, 360 Modular Building Systems and Carnal. For Small Business of the Year, nominees are Pacific Marine Yacht Systems, Smith Mechanical, Drayton Harbor Oyster Company and Van Beek Drywall. The Business Person of the Year nominees are Josh Burdick

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We need an abundance of visionary business leadership as our community finally transitions to a true post-pandemic economy.

(Veritas Media), Tonja Myers (Christian Health Care Center), John Barron (Barron Heating AC Electrical & Plumbing) and John Huntley (Mills Electric).

We also will be celebrating this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Gary Honcoop, president of

Roosendaal-Honcoop Construction.

As you can see by the list of names and companies being recognized at this year’s event, Whatcom County has a lot to be proud of — and a lot to be thankful for. The list of nominees is certainly not inclusive of every business and every leader who made a positive impact on our region. That list would simply be too long to include in any ceremony or publication. That is good, because we need an abundance of visionary business leadership as our community finally transitions to a true post-pandemic economy. There will be no return to the way the world worked before COVID-19. The economy ahead of us will be brand new — and when facing the brand new, experienced leaders who have stepped up and led during yesterday’s revolutions are more valuable than ever.

This issue of Business Pulse talks about some challenges we face, including massive changes in how workers are prepared for the workforce.

This month’s magazine includes an interview with Gay Dubigk, executive director of the Northwest Workforce Council, and an article on training

Whatcom County’s future construction workforce by Lance Calloway, northern district manager at Associated General Contractors of Washington. Both pieces are fantastic and give readers an idea of the challenges and opportunities facing businesses and the county’s workforce, including our young people. The Whatcom Business Alliance’s YES Whatcom program is working hard to bridge the gap between high school students and local employers with hybrid career fairs planned throughout Whatcom County this spring.

We are moving forward into an uncertain year, in an uncertain time.

By the time you read this issue, it will already be March. However, as we recognize our business leaders for the 35th year, it is important to remember that we have faced uncertain times before. Despite the changes around us, Whatcom County remains the best place to live and work. Part of that is because we live in a beautiful part of the world — but geography isn’t everything. People matter, too, and in Whatcom County, we are blessed to have some of the best businesspeople in the world.

As we emerge from a long winter of unpredictable times and weather, this spring brings an entirely different view from where we were last year … and we are so ready for it!

Barbara Chase, Executive Director Whatcom Business Alliance

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BP NEWSMAKERS

Peter H. Paulsen

Victor Gonzalez

PeaceHealth receives $50 million gift to expand St. Joseph Medical Center PeaceHealth announced that it received a transformational $50 million donation from Peter H. Paulsen to help expand PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham. The gift is the most sizable in PeaceHealth history and one of the most substantial gifts to community health systems in the United States in the past several years.

The proposed Peter Paulsen Pavilion at PeaceHealth St. Joseph will significantly expand access, with a new emergency department and stateof-the-art care for women, children and newborns — all essential services that will directly impact the health and well-being of the entire region.

“With this gift, Mr. Paulsen honors the courageous compassion of PeaceHealth caregivers while reaffirming the value of their dedication and expertise,” said Liz Dunne, PeaceHealth president and chief executive officer.

“His trust in PeaceHealth ensures continued innovation in top-tier community-based healthcare and will transform the health and well-being of those who live in the Northwest Washington region for years to come.

We are deeply humbled by his generosity and inspired by his vision and hope for the future.”

Paulsen joins other initial donors who have contributed $15.5 million to date to support PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center’s Stronger

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Lisa Hazard

Andrea Arnett

Together fundraising campaign.

Dramatic growth in the region has underscored the need for increased capacity and compassionate, innovative care. Paulsen’s prior gifts to PeaceHealth include support for hospice programs to ensure exceptional care for Whatcom County patients and families.

“I am proud to be a lead donor to the Stronger Together campaign,” Paulsen said. “My gift, along with the other $15.5 million already raised, help ensure PeaceHealth’s continued innovation in best-in-class community-based healthcare. I was encouraged by early donors to this effort and hope others will join us. As the name implies, together we can all help ensure that the people of

Northwest Washington have access to first-class care for years to come.”

Paulsen has deep roots in the Bellingham area. His self-made success as a commercial property developer and investor is described in his upcoming book, “From Brick and Mortar to Prosperity.” That success afforded him the resources to give back to the community.

Paulsen was the owner of the renowned Hotel Bellwether, which he designed and built on Bellingham Bay. After selling the hotel in 2010, he relocated to Arizona, where he continued his successful commercial real estate ventures. He is currently retired and resides in Phoenix with his wife, Diana.

New radiation oncologists join PeaceHealth Building on its comprehensive portfolio of the latest technologies to diagnose and treat cancers and decades of experience providing comprehensive and compassionate care to patients, PeaceHealth has announced the addition of three highly

Design concept for new pavilion at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center.

experienced radiation oncologists to its cancer center teams in Bellingham and Sedro-Woolley.

Doctors Victor Gonzalez, Lisa Hazard and Andrea Arnett are respected research scientists and highly skilled clinicians recruited as part of PeaceHealth’s ongoing commitment to offering comprehensive cancer care of the highest quality in one convenient location. They will serve on multidisciplinary teams of specialists and support professionals dedicated to delivering the most appropriate treatment for each cancer patient. The doctors will start seeing patients at PeaceHealth St. Joseph in Bellingham on April 18 and PeaceHealth United General in Sedro-Woolley on May 3.

“The addition of Drs. Gonzalez, Hazard and Arnett significantly enhances our vision to provide the best possible cancer treatment and support to the residents of Northwest Washington,” said Chuck Prosper, chief executive, PeaceHealth Northwest network.

“Joining our stellar medical oncologists, these new radiation oncologists bring innovation, expertise and compassion to PeaceHealth and our patients. Our entire team of cancer center physicians, nurses and support caregivers expertly provide medical and emotional support to patients through the challenges associated with cancer diagnosis, treatment and survivorship.”

PeaceHealth St. Joseph is investing significant resources to grow its Cancer Center with a second state-ofthe-art linear accelerator; upgraded, same-day lab results; more staff to help patients navigate their diagnoses; and greater capacity for infusion services. These investments, supported by a dedicated team of Cancer Center clinicians, technicians and other caregivers, ensure patients get the best possible care close to home.

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BP FEATURE

Cedar Hall student residence facility at Whatcom Community College built by Tiger Construction. (photo by Jaime Del Pizzo)

Stronger together Tiger Construction and Pearson Construction join forces Cheryl Stritzel McCarthy “It was just my dad and a backhoe.”

Scott Isenhart, president of Tiger Construction, is well aware of his company’s humble 1974 beginnings.

Today, the Everson-based general contractor has 60 employees, and its recent acquisition of venerable local builder Pearson Construction adds another 27 employees to that total.

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Tiger does public works projects for school districts as well as state, county and municipal governments. Within Tiger, one division builds civil and highway projects, and another division handles commercial, industrial and institutional work; Tiger built Options High School in Bellingham and remodeled Bellingham Public Library.

Pearson does private work for commercial customers

(such as Mount Baker Imaging) and residential customers; one home the company built on Orcas Island in 2007 was later owned by Oprah Winfrey, who sold it in 2021 for $14 million.

Considering Tiger and Pearson as one conglomerate, the company’s workload is 60% public works, 15% healthcare facilities, 10% commercial buildings, 8% luxury homes, and 7% industrial projects. What brings in the most revenue? By volume, public works, Scott Isenhart said. By percentage, it’s luxury homes. For 2022, Tiger forecasts that its workload by volume will shift to 45% public works and 22% luxury homes, with 20% healthcare, 10% industrial, and 3% commercial.

Scott Isenhart is an equal one-third owner of the company with brother Nick Isenhart, superintendent of the civil division, and cousin Derek Isenhart, vice president.

Tiger bought Pearson in January 2021 from Larry Pederson and Bob Griffiths.

“The employees of both companies have made the first year a success, and I’m grateful for that,” Scott Isenhart said. “Everybody’s excited about the future. There’s a lot of growth to be had and a lot of opportunity for our employees.”

Why Pearson? Pearson’s owners were ready to retire, and Tiger Construction was looking to diversify into the private market. Pearson, founded in 1927 and located near the intersection of Van Wyck Road and Guide Meridian, was seeking a buyer that was a local union contractor, which Tiger is.

“Pearson has a great reputation in the county and a great employee base,”

“The employees of both companies have made the first year a success, and I’m grateful for that. Everybody’s excited about the future.

There’s a lot of growth to be had and a lot of opportunity for our employees.”

— Scott Isenhart, president of Tiger Construction

Scott Isenhart, president and part-owner of Tiger Construction.

Derek Isenhart, vice president and part-owner of Tiger Construction.

Larry Pederson, newly retired former owner of Pearson Construction with Bob Griffiths, started working at Pearson Construction after his senior year of high school.

Nick Isenhart, superintendent of the civil division and part-owner of Tiger Construction.

Bob Griffiths, a former owner of Pearson Construction, is working for Pearson as a project manager and estimator. He joined Pearson in 1992 as a carpenter apprentice and became part of Pearson’s ownership in 2006.

(Photos by Janell Summer)

Scott Isenhart said. “That sealed the deal for us.”

The market for custom luxury homes depends on existing customers who spread the word to other upmarket buyers. If you’re not already serving that market, breaking in is tough, Scott Isenhart said.

“Now carpenters for Tiger can go to work for Pearson, and vice versa. It expands opportunities for employees from both companies and mitigates the risk of economic slowdown in any one sector.”

The merger provides added capability both financially and in terms of manpower.

Tiger’s public works business is concentrated in Whatcom, Skagit and San Juan counties, and Pearson is the premier luxury homebuilder in those counties, Scott Isenhart said. Growth is targeted toward those three counties and possibly, in the future, Eastern Washington.

“Tiger’s done a lot of work with Orcas Island School District, and lots of people want us to build houses out

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Whatcom Community College Pavilion & Student Recreation Center built by Tiger Construction.. (photo Bill Perry)

there,” Scott Isenhart said. “That’s shaping up as a pivotal moment for our company.”

Orcas Island already has established civil contractors, so the company will tap them for civil work on the island, Scott Isenhart said.

History Tiger’s founders, Ken and Marsha Isenhart, came from Colorado to Whatcom County in the early 1970s to join Ken’s uncle, Bill Isenhart, and Ken’s father, Jim, who were already working here as developers. Ken launched his own company, Tiger Construction, and started doing residential water and sewer work, mostly for Bill’s and Jim’s contracts at first.

Tiger then expanded into public works.

In 1985, Ken’s brother Steve Isenhart joined Tiger with an eye toward creating aboveground buildings in addition to Ken’s underground infrastructure work. So, Ken Isenhart managed the civil work, involving pipework, excavation and gravel. Co-owner Steve did concrete and framing.

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Pearson, now part of Tiger Construction, built this home in Bellingham’s Edgemoor neighborhood in 2008. (photo by Brandon Larson, Clarity Northwest)

“Belowground, it was Dad’s,” Scott Isenhart said. “Aboveground, it was Uncle Steve’s.”

Ken and Marsha are parents of Scott and Nick. Steve and Sharon are parents of Derek. Scott, Derek and Nick bought the company from their parents in 2015.

Scott and Derek work at headquarters.

“Nick goes to work,” Scott Isenhart said. “Derek and I go to the office.”

Scott’s been working for Tiger since 2004, Nick since 2007, and Derek since 2008. Tiger’s been in business 48 years, and Pearson for 95.

What keeps these outfits successful?

Scott Isenhart has a quick answer: Who does what “I don’t think there’s a school district “The knowledge and expertise of our in the county we haven’t worked for,” employees and their dedication to Scott Isenhart said. “When you build their craft.”

What business lessons has he a school, it starts with concrete founlearned over the years? “Be financialdations. We use our own employees for that. Next is wood framing, walls, ly conservative. Derek, Nick and I floors, roofs. That’s done by Tiger em- learned that from our dad and uncle. ployees too. Then electrical, plumbing, And value your employees!”

HVAC, roofing, that’s done by subYet to come contractors. There’s something like 20 The company, with 143 years of subcontractors on a school.” combined experience, will achieve anPearson subcontracts its civil work other milestone when Tiger and Pearbut uses its own employees for conson consolidate their two headquarters crete and wood framing. into one new building, likely in EverThe brothers and cousin who own son, in about 2024.

Tiger divide responsibilities as well.

“That will be a pivotal moment,” “Nick is a foreman/operator in the Scott Isenhart said, “when we get field,” Scott Isenhart said. “He’s in Tiger and Pearson under the same charge of crews on the civil side.” roof.” ■

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FEATURE BP

Ferndale, east of I-5. (photo by John Gargett)

The great (and disastrous) flood Plans to recover now, avoid in the future Cheryl Stritzel McCarthy “The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth.”

Genesis 7:18

The story of Noah and the flood in Genesis is multifaceted. The story of Whatcom County and its flood can be viewed through just two lenses: flood recovery and how to avoid such disasters going forward.

The one-two punch of floods in November 2021 resulted in the largest natural disaster in Whatcom County history, according to C.J. Seitz, director of the Western Washington

University Small Business Development Center and chair of the new Whatcom County Business Recovery Task Force. Its tolls are profound, especially for rural communities: 80% of businesses reporting damage are in the county’s small cities and unincorporated areas. Reports show Sumas suffered the most losses in number of businesses affected and amount of damage. More than half of all reported structural damage occurred in Sumas, followed by Bellingham, Lynden and Everson. (Most businesses within

Whatcom County are in Bellingham and Ferndale.) Many businesses in Sumas reported 4 to 5 feet of standing water within their structures; affected Bellingham businesses reported lower levels of flooding.

It’s expected that reports of damage will rise over the coming months as structural damage continues to be identified, mold growth increases, and impacts are compounded. In February 2022, the Whatcom County Sheriff ’s Office estimated flood damage at $120 million.

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From left to right: Sumas neighborhood (photo by John Gargett); Main Street in Everson Nov. 15, 2021 (photo by Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office); Train derailment in Sumas caused by flooding (photo by John Gargett); Residential evacuations in Everson (photo by Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office)

Flood recovery In January, the federal government declared Whatcom County, along with other parts of Washington, a major disaster area. The declaration means assistance is available to affected individuals, families and businesses via the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Small Business Administration. Information is on the WWU Small Business Development Center website. Additionally, the Internal Revenue Service offers postponed payment; the United States Department of Agriculture offers assistance for livestock, bees, farm-raised fish, crops, and timber; the federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance program provides benefits; and a federal helpline is available for emotional counseling.

Flood recovery is a cross-sector effort, Seitz said. Local economic development organizations, including the Port of Bellingham, the WWU Small Business Development Center and others, are working with local governments, the Washington State Department of Commerce and the state’s Emergency Management Division. The WWU Small Business Development Center is serving as an

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information and resource point for affected businesses.

“I’m proud to be part of this community that cares so deeply for our neighbors,” Seitz said. “There’s been beauty among the hardships. Two that stand out are the efforts of Whatcom Strong to provide immediate relief to flood survivors, and the financial generosity of our community, demonstrated by the resiliency fund at the Whatcom Community Foundation and several GoFundMe campaigns.”

WhatcomStrong.com is a place to make donations, access donations, volunteer to help, and find information on housing, contractors and local disaster recovery centers.

State Rep. Alicia Rule, from the 42nd District, was working on a bill that would provide immediate shortterm funding to businesses affected by destructive weather and other natural disasters as they await longer-term financing.

“I introduced this bill after getting off the phone with a Sumas business owner who wanted to reopen but couldn’t because there was still muck and rail ties in their dining room,” Rule said. “It’s been critical to get FEMA funds and support for low-income folks after the flooding, but we need

to do more and be better prepared for next time.”

To achieve the federal declaration of disaster, county emergency operations worked to collect and report infrastructure damages; the Whatcom County Business Recovery Task Force was formed; the Port of Bellingham and Whatcom County maintained communication with Gov. Jay Inslee; and damage assessment data was delivered, Seitz said.

And, Seitz said in an email, “We got it!!!”

Avoiding it in the future Fish, farms and floods: in Whatcom County, these are intertwined, and the solution must be as well.

“Let’s dig into what the real, actionable solutions are and get moving as soon as possible,” said Dillon Honcoop, communications director of Whatcom Family Farmers.

Rich Appel, a dairy farmer and president of Whatcom Family Farmers, said that in the summer of 2021, low in-stream flows and record high water temperatures caused fish dieoff. A few months later, massive rain events scoured the river bottom, and “whatever eggs were laid in the river got washed out.”

“Some crops are very sensitive to water: raspberries, blueberries, seed potatoes. You’re not going to grow those crops in the county without secure water. You can’t expect businesses to invest in infrastructure when everything’s up in the air, as it is now.”

— Rich Appel, dairy farmer and president of Whatcom Family Farmers

The entire community needs to desire solutions such as water storage, sediment removal within the river, and diversion dikes to redirect the water away from towns and property if it tops the levees, Appel said.

“It’s not just about farmers,” he said.

“We need our state legislators and other elected officials to step up and provide long-term solutions.”

The Washington State Department of Ecology is preparing to sue more than 5,400 water rights holders in Whatcom County, forcing them to defend their water rights in a court case that could be disastrous for agriculture, according to an article published in Capital Press.

Once that adjudication gets going, it’s expected to take more than 15 years. A recent water rights case in the Yakima River Basin took more than 40 years to complete.

Whatcom Family Farmers would prefer to address the issues, Appel said.

“A number of things we’re proposing would be beneficial to fish,” he said. “Adjudication won’t help. It won’t put more water in the river.”

The glaciers that feed the south fork of the Nooksack River have been receding for years, resulting in less and warmer water entering the river, Appel said.

“Adjudication doesn’t address that,”

he said.

Instead, Whatcom Family Farmers proposes water storage and moving farmers’ water rights out of surface streams and into ground water farther away from feeder streams.

“There’s plenty of water in Whatcom County,” Appel said. “We have huge reservoirs in the ground. We have no way to manage the water.

There’s too much in the winter, and a few months in the summer where we don’t have enough. … Within a month of the rainy season starting, our water tables are full to overflowing.”

The lack of water storage for the Nooksack is unusual, Appel said.

“We have no way to alleviate the flow of the river by storing it, as they do in other rivers up and down the West Coast,” he said.

Farmers are frustrated because instead of spending attention and energy on what can be done, such as habitat restoration or water storage, the community is spending time and money preparing for a court battle.

That money could be spent working toward solutions, Appel said.

If adjudication goes forward, each farmer or other claim holder will have to file an individual claim or lose water rights. Some of the land has been divided, resulting in even more claim holders.

“Every water right will have to be

defended in court,” Appel said. “If you choose not to, you lose your water rights on that property. People look at the cost of defending that water right: It could be thousands for each water right. They may choose to forego their right. It’s extremely expensive.

“Some crops are very sensitive to water: raspberries, blueberries, seed potatoes. You’re not going to grow those crops in the county without secure water. You can’t expect businesses to invest in infrastructure when everything’s up in the air, as it is now.”

Farmers who can’t farm will be forced to look at other options for their land, such as development, which would be worse for flood control and fish recovery, Appel said. Farmers are ready to be part of the solution, but they can’t if their land is converted to development due to a lack of secure water.

The November 2021 floods in Whatcom County highlighted the need for all corners of the community to work together on water management, Appel said.

The flood in Genesis 9:13 ends on an upbeat note with the words, “I have set my rainbow in the clouds.”

Will the flood and water issues in Whatcom County ever see a similar upbeat ending? ■

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vshcpa.com info@vshcpa.com

SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

START-UP OF THE YEAR Storia Cucina Bellingham Axe 360 Modular Carnal

Pacific Marine Yacht Systems Smith Mechanical Van Beek Drywall Drayton Harbor Oyster Company

BUSINESS PERSON OF THE YEAR

Josh Burdick - Veritas Media John Barron - Barron Heating John Huntley - Mills Electric Tonja Myers - Christian Health Care Center

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT Roosendaal Gary Honcoop - Honcoop Construction

Your Partner in Business

Whatcom Office

2200 Rimland Drive, Suite 205 Bellingham, WA 98226 (360) 734-8715

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Skagit Office

200 E George Hopper Rd Burlington, WA 98233 (360) 707-4290

FEATURE BP Site construction in Ferndale

VMC Optimal S1 model

(Courtesy photos)

Canadian company set to build electric vehicles in Ferndale Vicinity Motor Corporation brings EVs to the U.S. market Lorraine Wilde

T

ransportation accounts for about 29% of the country’s total greenhouse gas emissions, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, making transportation the largest single contributor. Electric vehicles have the potential to drastically cut those carbon emissions almost overnight. This has resulted in an incredible increase in demand for EVs as the country attempts to shift toward more climate-friendly practices, especially in commercial, municipal and public transportation vehicles.

That’s one reason Washington state, Whatcom County and the City of Ferndale have welcomed the recent expansion of Vicinity Motor Corporation. VMC broke ground in Ferndale in July 2021 on a new vehicle assembly facility that complies with the Federal Transit Administration’s Buy America initiative.

VMC is a British Columbia manufacturer of electric, diesel and compressed natural gas transit buses and electric

commercial vehicles. The new facility, located at 5354 Pacific Fern Drive, will assemble and sell the company’s industrial electric truck line — starting with the VMC 1200, a medium-sized vehicle typically used for electric shuttle buses in the paratransit and hotel shuttle market.

“We’re currently selling our Vicinity line of buses and truck models across Canada and the U.S., and we’re excited to accelerate this growth with our own manufacturing facility in Washington,” said John LaGourgue, VMC’s vice president of sales and corporate development. “It’s a big market, and we’re planning to scale quickly to deliver up to 1,000 vehicles a year.”

Serving a country aiming for zero emissions The federal government and several states are making efforts to set hard target dates by which vehicles sold must have no emissions. California Gov. Gavin Newsom an-

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nounced in September 2021 that California would require all new cars and passenger trucks sold in the state to be zero-emission vehicles by 2035. Here in Washington, the Clean Cars 2030 bill passed both houses of the Legislature but was vetoed by Gov. Jay Inslee because the bill was tied to a road usage charge program that was not yet fully developed.

“I am committed to getting to zero-emission transportation as quickly as possible,” Inslee said in a statement.

“In fact, Washington is leading the way by building electric vehicle charging infrastructure, procuring zero-emission transit vehicles and building electric ferries, providing financial incentives for electric vehicle purchases, and advocating for a national 100% zero-emission vehicle standard by 2035.”

Governor Inslee backed up that statement when he attended the groundbreaking of VMC’s new Ferndale facility in July. In addition, the Washington State Department of Commerce awarded the Regional Economic Partnership at the Port of Bellingham a $300,000 economic development strategic reserve fund grant to assist VMC in building its new assembly facility.

At the federal level, the Biden administration also has been working on implementing new policies that would lower carbon emissions in every state.

In April 2021, President Biden announced a new target for the U.S. to achieve, by 2030, a 50-52% reduction from 2005 levels in economy-wide net greenhouse gas pollution. A transition to electric vehicles is integral to that goal.

VMC has been pleased with the warm reception thus far.

“We’ve met and received support from Whatcom Community College

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and Bellingham Technical College, both of which have educational and training programs for their students that will be a great fit for our future employees and have offered a job fair when we’re ready,” LaGourgue said.

“We’re looking forward to these types of collaborations, where we’ll offer internships, mentorship and class tours.

Some of those students will become VMC employees. We’ve had equally positive experiences with our Realtor, who arranged introductions in Whatcom County. VMC has been extremely welcomed into the community, which has made this whole process go more smoothly than we could have anticipated.”

Though EVs still emit carbon emissions through the manufacturing process and, in some states, from the fossil fuels used to generate the electricity they need to recharge, officials hope that the enhanced energy efficiency will result in significant emission reductions. A 2015 study from the Union of Concerned Scientists states that, in the U.S., EVs generate half or less than half of the emissions of comparable gasoline-powered cars, from manufacturing to disposal. That ratio should only improve as battery technology and energy-efficient manufacturing improve.

From humble roots to global climate solutions VMC got its start in 2008 as Grande West Transportation Group under the guidance of William Trainer, the company’s founder and chief executive officer.

“We originally partnered with B.C. Transit to develop a purpose-built, mid-size, heavy-duty bus for transit and community shuttles,” LaGourgue said. “Although the vehicle has evolved,

it’s now in use all across Canada and the U.S.” The approximately 35 employees on the Canadian VMC team have delivered more than 800 transit buses since 2013, helping VMC become the dominant Canadian supplier in the midsized bus market.

Currently under construction, the Ferndale facility will include a 58,000-square-foot commercial building and an adjacent 5,800-square-foot accessory building on a previously vacant site off Ferndale’s LaBounty Drive, near Interstate 5. The company will start by assembling the VMC 1200 there but is building with expansion in mind to accommodate the production of other lines in the near future — including Buy America-compliant electric, CNG, gas and clean diesel units across all sizes and powertrains — to meet growing U.S. demand.

The new facility will bring living wage jobs to Whatcom County.

“We anticipate adding about 30 new employees in a range of job categories initially and have already hired our facility production manager,” LaGourgue said. “As we’re able to get the production lines and facilities up and running, that number could eventually grow to 300 U.S. employees.”

Rather than competing with larger companies already dominating some sectors of the U.S. EV market, VMC is focused on filling the mid-size niche.

“Our VMC 1200 is a fully electric, cabover chassis, class 3 truck,” LaGourgue said. “We can put whatever type of box on the back that the customer wants. We’ll produce the chassis and power train, and we’ve partnered with market leader EAVX and JB Poindexter business units like Morgan, Morgan Olson and Reading that will provide

We anticipate adding about 30 new employees... As we’re able to get the production lines and facilities up and running, that number could eventually grow to 300 U.S. employees.”

— John LaGourgue, VMC vice president of sales and corporate development

whatever configuration the customer needs for the box portion, so customers get a complete product.”

Each will be powered by state-ofthe-art lithium-ion battery technology that gives the VMC 1200 up to 150 miles of range on a single charge, good for a variety of urban settings.

As public transit authorities transition to fully electric fleets, VMC anticipates great demand in the U.S. for its Vicinity Lightning EV electric bus.

“Customers really appreciate the Lightning EV because it’s a little smaller and narrower, at 28 feet, compared to a traditional 40-foot bus,” LaGourgue said. “That makes it a better fit for city streets and residential neighborhoods, and especially medium and smaller cities where the larger buses just don’t make sense.”

VMC EV vehicles are more affordable, efficient and durable than many competitors because of the company’s approach to manufacturing, LaGourgue said.

“Many of our competitors make an EV by taking their traditional design, internal-combustion-powered model, removing the existing power train and adding in the battery and other EV parts,” he said. “We have purpose-built the Vicinity Lightning EV from the ground up, using proven automotive technology, bringing the vehicle to the customer at a very attractive total cost of ownership.”

EVs tend to have cheaper fuel and maintenance costs and, in some states, qualify for tax credits and incentives.

VMC’s EVs also are appealing to

smaller municipalities that can’t afford expensive charging infrastructure. The company’s EVs in classes 3 through 6 are equipped with an onboard charger capable of charging with industry-standard single-phase 240-volt power.

Other changes also make the vehicles more accessible, LaGourgue said.

“The Vicinity Lightning uses conventional hydraulic brakes, not air brakes, so drivers don’t require special licensing.”

Preparing for the U.S. market “We’ve partnered with Faber Construction and have had a very positive experience with the owners, the Faber family,” LaGourgue said. “They had the location, and it is an excellent fit. We’ve designed the facility with flexibility and future expansion in mind, both on the property and possibly to adjacent sites.

We will be operational in Q2 of this year.”

The location offers easy access to port, rail and truck shipping and receiving facilities. Operations at the new facility will include Buy America-compliant assembly, pre-delivery inspections, research and development, as well as general technical work and servicing.

“The Buy America program is meant to ensure that federal funds provided to states and municipalities for larger purchases are spent on American-made products,” explains LaGourgue. “We ensure that more than 70% of the materials are sourced from the U.S., as required by the program.”

Vicinity has a second Buy-America-compliant facility in Elkhart, Indi-

ana, that, through a partnership with Optimal EV, will begin shipping up to 6,000 VMC Optimal E1 and S1 EVs per year, with their first units shipping in the first quarter of 2022.

The transaction doesn’t end when the vehicle is sold. VMC stays connected to its customers. “We also support our customers in order to keep the vehicles in service throughout their life, through parts and service and warranty as needed,” adds LaGourgue. “Buyers will also fly in and stay locally to complete their pre-delivery inspections before we ship their new vehicles to go into service.”

Thankfully, supply chain issues haven’t slowed VMC’s pace toward its goal thus far. “We’ve pre-ordered all the parts and materials for the facility.

Faber Construction is well ahead of the supply chain curve,” says LaGourgue.

“There are always little challenges along the way that may or may not happen, but it’s going well, and we’re on track and on budget.”

VMC is looking forward to continuing to develop new connections and partnerships in Whatcom County and the U.S. Management forecasts that 71% of 2022 sales will be attributed to EVs, rising to 88% in 2023. “I need to stop referring to us as a small company,” adds LaGourgue. “We’ve managed to grow quite a bit, and we’re excited to build relationships here in Ferndale and around the country to meet demand with our high-quality products.”

Those interested in learning more, or joining the U.S. VMC team, can visit https://vicinitymotorcorp.com/. ■

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Taking the long view on workforce development Hilary Parker Gay Dubigk has been the executive director of the Northwest Workforce Council since 1976, which means she’s seen the economy ride out tough times before. Those experiences have led her to take a long view of the current labor shortage. As employers and economists look for the “why,” she stresses that answers should be data-informed and nonpolitical — and that those answers may take years to fully understand.

Yet she acknowledges that this is hard to hear.

“The answers we’re getting now don’t necessarily answer the frustration everyone is feeling,” she said.

Here, we talk about the current labor market and workforce development for the long haul.

community-wide workforce development planning and coordination. We oversee the WorkSource centers. In the state of Washington, there are a number of federal programs, whether they’re labor exchange programs or training, that contribute to workforce development, which run through the WorkSource centers.

BP: More specifically, what does the

Northwest Workforce Council do?

GD: The Council promotes the alignment and integration of education, training and employment efforts. We work closely with economic development and revitalization programs, including the ports, the Small Business Development Center and those economic development agencies that are tasked with creating and generating new employment opportunities.

We are constantly trying to coorBP: How do you define workforce dinate and streamline the programs development? that provide a workforce service. That GD: The question “What is workforce includes community and technical development?” is one I’m a little reluc- colleges (by the way, we have fabutant to answer, because it depends on lous ones in the area), state agencies whether you’re taking an individual and community-based agencies like view, a business view or a community the Whatcom Opportunity Council. view.

Workforce programs are operated by The Workforce Council is a pow- separate agencies and have separate erful mechanism for comprehensive, federal and state regulations, so how

do you coordinate all of them so there’s a single point of entry, so there’s no wrong door? That “one door” is what WorkSource is for both job seekers and businesses.

BP: What do we know about the

current labor market?

GD: The labor market is really competitive. I think that’s the reality. We know there aren’t enough workers, and that’s across industries.

We saw a lot of media pay attention to what was happening in the hospitality industry (during the pandemic), and it was devastating, but it didn’t reflect all business and all experiences.

Anybody in the service economy has been hurt. The fact is, every sector is experiencing a labor shortage.

Hart Hodges (co-director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at Western Washington University) is on the Council board.

He’s been doing a lot of data compilation for us and explaining how to look at the data and what the data is telling us. When it comes down to it, it’s a pervasive labor shortage, and there are no quick answers as to why that’s true.

There’s the labor shortage, and there’s a skill shortage as well.

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BP: What are some of the issues you

see that are affecting employers today?

Are they the same issues as before the COVID-19 pandemic?

GD: The pandemic has exacerbated some of the conditions, but there is not a new bogeyman.

It’s just not one thing, one “it” to be fixed. Do I believe the schools’ erratic schedule has something to do with how many people can come back to work? Sure. I think there’s a combination of things. Child care options, Omicron health risks, retirement options, care responsibilities and differences in opinion about “flexibility” all pay a part in workers returning or not returning to the workforce.

BP: Does Whatcom County have any

unique challenges?

GD: The border is a huge challenge for Whatcom County. I think the importance of the border crossing has never come into focus as clearly as it has in the last couple of years. It was so much more dramatic in Whatcom County because we’re dependent on Canadians coming down much more frequently, so we could see the effects of the pandemic and the border closure more quickly than perhaps in other communities.

I think community and technical colleges, as well as universities, are having their own struggles, not the least of which is there are not as many students attending classes as there were before the pandemic. Where did the students go, and how do the educational institutions get the students re-engaged? It has been a hard go for these institutions. There are lots of classes, like welding or nursing, that are hands-on. You can’t teach a welder

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to weld virtually. The Council supports and funds training institutions and apprenticeship courses.

Additionally, technology now is clearly a requirement in almost any job. This isn’t unique, but there are still people in the county who neither have the technology savvy nor the broadband connectivity to do the work expected by employers or even for a job search.

BP: What’s one of the most important

things employers can do to ensure a skilled workforce now and in the future?

GD: The sooner employers can be looking at the long game, the more productive they will be in their businesses, and the entire regional economy will be stronger. A lot of workers don’t have the skills and attributes that businesses are requiring, and how are they going to get them? Businesses are probably going to have to take a more active role doing training on-site than they’ve done historically.

Somebody can call and say, “I need five welders, and I need them by tomorrow,” but you’re not going to find five journeyman welders who are going to be ready to go to work tomorrow.

So, it’s how to continually focus your efforts, the monies you do have, on the training that is creating a healthy economy.

We would love to see more interest in workers being upskilled and getting trained. And one of the things businesses can do is train and upskill their current workforce — or recruits, if they can’t find a completely bona fide, trained worker with the skillset they want. These are things employers may not have had to do in the past.

Apprenticeships programs are still

the gold standard. Somebody is working on the job while they’re getting classroom training. Again, can employers teach on-site? And how do you do that, and how do you make room for that to happen?

BP: Are there other ways employers can get involved with local workforce development or the Northwest Workforce Council itself?

GD: Businesses can connect to WorkSource to post their jobs (WorkSourceWA.com). I always recommend posting your job as many places as you can. If interested, employers can connect with WorkSource and become part of virtual job fairs. And employers can always contact NWC directly at info@nwc-connect.org.

BP: What’s the big takeaway from this conversation for employers?

GD: The economy’s growing, although not always as projected. There’s lots of job openings. People are in the labor market, and the labor market is active.

It’s just whether individual employers have the people they need at the precise time they need them. We’re going to have to begin thinking about how to get more people skilled and upskilled, and I don’t think the institutions can do it by themselves. Businesses are going to have to take on more training as well.

I think technical and community colleges would be thrilled to be taking on additional students sent their way from employers. And there are financial aid resources for students these days like there haven’t been in a long time. For anybody who wants to change careers or upskill themselves, there’s lots of opportunity out there now. ■

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S TA R T - U P O F T H E Y E A R N O M I N E E

Jonathan Hutton

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BUSINESS AWARDS

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STORIA CUCINA & BAR

A dream come due

Jonathan Hutton rides experience, family recipes to success Tara Almond Opening a restaurant is difficult.

Opening a restaurant during a global pandemic — amid business shutdowns, supply chain issues and other disruptions — may be more of a challenge than it’s worth for most people.

But Jonathan Sutton, owner of Storia Cucina & Bar in Bellingham, wasn’t going to give up on achieving his dream of owning a restaurant.

Sutton, who grew up on Lopez Island in the San Juan Island archipela-

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go and graduated from Johnson Wales University Culinary School, had worked in kitchens across the country, including a restaurant he owned and managed in San Francisco for eight years. But it had always been his dream to open an Italian restaurant based on his family’s Italian recipes.

He also missed his friends and family in the Pacific Northwest. So in 2019, he moved home and opened Storia Cucina & Bar in May 2020,

amid a roller coaster of pandemic panic. At first, the restaurant was able to offer only a to-go menu, but wordof-mouth spread, and with the help of social media, the restaurant started gaining a following.

“It was super crazy,” he said, “because there was a push to get the restaurant open and, right when that was happening, COVID hit, so Bellingham was a ghost town.”

Sutton said he started off with to-go

food and moved to outdoor dining only. The restaurant moved to 25% capacity and then to 50% capacity, 75% capacity and, eventually, 100% capacity in July 2021.

“We had half a year where it was semi-normal, and then Omicron hit,” he said.

Instead of giving up, Sutton decided to double down. He began working to anticipate future shutdowns and be better prepared. He also worked with the Downtown Bellingham Partnership and the City of Bellingham to close a lane of traffic and build a platform for seating outside his restaurant to accommodate diners hungry to get out of the house.

“We had little fires and covering, so it could be raining or snowing and people could still sit outside,” he said.

“You want them to be able to see the space, also, and get the full experience and see the tall ceilings, the beautiful bar stocked with booze and the pizza oven glowing in the back and enjoy the food fresh as it’s meant to be.”

By the time summer 2021 rolled around, the numbers and seating kept growing. The restaurant was able to hire more staff. Sutton said there are about 50 employees between the front and back, and the restaurant is looking to open seven days a week.

“Once we were able to get to full capacity, it made a huge difference,” he said. “When you’re running at half-capacity, your labor costs are higher, and you’re not doing as much revenue as you should be.”

Sutton said his hard work was rewarded when his Italian grandfather, 83, came across the country to experi-

ence his grandson’s restaurant. As far as future expansion goals, Sutton said he is working on branding the restaurant’s in-house limoncello for retail sale.

Sutton’s advice to those looking to open a new business is that they should be sure they know the industry — or at least know someone who knows the industry and can offer mentorship. At the end of the day, it’s about caring about all those little details that make your business stand out, he said.

“I’ve learned that whatever you’re going to do, it’s best to do it 100% and be passionate about it and invested,” he said. “You need to really embrace and love what you’re doing because it will show through in the work, to the place or to the food, if you’re a restaurant.” ■

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S TA R T - U P O F T H E Y E A R N O M I N E E

Matt Kinney and his son, Zac Kinney

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BUSINESS AWARDS

PHOTO: Sattva Photo

BELLINGHAM AXE

Popular indoor sport makes its way north Bellingham Axe finds bullseye in Bellingham Tara Almond For a city with one of the highest numbers of brew pubs per capita, Bellingham can still sometimes lack in activities — especially in winter months, when the weather drives people indoors.

So after Bellingham resident Matt Kinney visited an axe throwing venue — “Axe Kickers” — in Seattle with his brother, he decided he might be able to fill a need and bring something fun to

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downtown Bellingham.

“It was a blast,” Kinney said. “I’ve always wanted to open a business, and that was a thing that turned me on to it. You can eat and drink all day at breweries, and bowling is great and fun, but I saw the need for more activities and decided I would take a chance.”

The next week, Kinney was searching for a venue and came across the

old Guiseppe’s building on Cornwall next to Bellingham Bar & Grill. He was sold. Bellingham Axe opened later that year, in 2020, and quickly gained followers.

“I saw the building and it was like ‘Awwwwww,’” he said. “It’s a onestop-shop street. There’s Bellingham Bar & Grill if people want to eat dinner, or Pure Bliss Desserts if people want to get a piece of cake before

throwing axes.”

Once a Canadian pastime, axe throwing has gained a huge following in the states, becoming a popular way to spend time with friends and family celebrating birthdays or other events.

Americans spent more than $6 million on axe throwing activities in 2019 at businesses using the Square payment processing system — an increase of more than 300% in sales from 2018, according to one CBS article. In fact, axe throwing has grown so popular that the World Axe Throwing League was formed in 2017 to organize competitions, which are now broadcast on ESPN. Kinney said Seattle has an estimated 10 axe throwing establishments, but there was nothing even close to Bellingham.

Kinney added that despite COVID19 shutdowns, Axe throwing had not been listed on the list of restricted activities, so business continued as usual and steadily grew. Today, Bellingham Axe has seven employees, and Kinney estimates it grossed over $400,000 in 2021. Kinney said there has been great interest in starting leagues, and he will be looking into that over the next couple of years. Bellingham Axe also won “Best Date Night Place” from Bellingham Alive in 2021.

“It’s such a great ice breaker for people,” he said. “You can bring a snack and do an activity instead of sitting across from someone. I’ve also had a ton of people come up say they had so much fun on their first date, or couples who hadn’t been out in years.”

Washington state law has specific rules about allowing alcohol in all-ag-

“You can eat and drink all day at breweries, and bowling is great and fun, but I saw the need for more activities and decided I would take a chance.”

— Matt Kinney, owner of Bellingham Axe

es venues. Kinney said Bellingham Axe has opened a bar to serve beer and wine in a separate but connected part of the building, so patrons can enjoy beverages between axe-throwing sessions.

“It’s been amazing; even if we were not growing, I’d be OK with that,” he

said. “We’re able to pay our employees a decent wage and buy them dinner once or twice a week from local businesses. More than that, though, it’s been a blast bringing some activity and some life on Cornwall; that’s what I wanted, was to bring something fun to town.” ■

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S TA R T - U P O F T H E Y E A R N O M I N E E

Robert Walters

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BUSINESS AWARDS

PHOTO: Sattva Photo

360 MODULAR BUILDING SYSTEMS

Customized modular homes, built by hand

360 Modular continues to expand thanks to quality, custom work Tara Almond The COVID-19 pandemic has proven difficult for many businesses.

Restaurants cut back hours, entertainment venues shut their doors and the world nearly came to a halt. But one Whatcom County company has managed to continue growing, in terms of employees, clientele and expansion of its production facilities.

360 Modular Building Systems opened its 17,000-square-foot facility in January 2021 with just six employ-

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ees. Today, the company has 29 employees on the production floor and an additional five in management. All the employees reside in Whatcom County.

Production manager Robert Walters said the company expects to add another 30 full-time employees in the year ahead — nearly doubling its workforce — and expand its production facility just south of Ferndale.

“We’ve been fortunate during the pandemic,” he said. “We bucked the trend and actually expanded our labor

force, increased in clientele. The interest in what we do has just grown exponentially since we opened our doors.”

360 Modular Building Systems builds wood-framed modular buildings, both residential and commercial. All the buildings are built by hand, Walters said, as opposed to by automated machinery. This gives the company much more control over the process and the details. Once finishes are applied, the buildings look like

one continuous, seamless building — much closer to a traditional stick-andframe home than the double-wide modular homes of the past.

“It’s been a goal of our company to be a productive and positive member of the community and put as many employees on the floor as we can, as opposed to automated machinery,” Walters said. “Plus, we’d rather employ a working person than a computer program.”

The modular process doesn’t mean the homes have cookie-cutter designs.

“What makes us unique is we are able to customize every project, as opposed to just having a catalog of buildings that we can build,” he said.

“Instead, we work with every client to build a customized home or building to their specifications.”

Walters says the company has mini-

mized supply chain issues by establishing good relationships with vendors and suppliers, so there is open and honest communication to establish expectations that everybody can reach.

Walters said the geographic proximity to the Interstate 5 corridor and deep-water ports made Whatcom County an ideal location for a modular building manufacturer, not just for

“It’s been a goal of our company to be a productive and positive member of the community and put as many employees on the floor as we can.”

— Robert Walters, production manager of 360 Modular He said he would advise anyone starting a business in Whatcom County to utilize local vendors and suppliers.

“There are people in just about any business and industry right here in Whatcom County,” he said. “Rather than resorting to Google or searching Seattle-area suppliers, utilize the network that’s local and close first.”

projects in the state of Washington but also Alaska and the rest of the country as well. There’s also a skilled labor pool, he added, thanks to the other production facilities in the area.

“There was nobody in the I-5 corridor doing what we do,” he said. “So we were able to fill a niche.” ■

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S TA R T - U P O F T H E Y E A R N O M I N E E

BUSINESS AWARDS

Aaron Saurer, James Zamory, Sean McDermott and Skip Williamson

PHOTO: Sattva Photo

C A R N A L R E S TA U R A N T

A four-star spin on standard fare At Carnal, Michelin skill meets Hollywood flair Tara Almond What happens when you take a film producer and three chefs from some of the world’s best restaurants and put them all together in an empty space in downtown Bellingham?

The short answer is beef jerky. But not just any beef jerky — this is some next-next-level-classic-French-technique-mixed-with-barbecue style of beef jerky that you’ve never tried.

The long answer is an upscale dining experience featuring straightforward

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American favorites with all the creativity of a Michelin-rated restaurant but at a more accessible price.

The entire vision of co-owners Skip Williamson, Aaron Saurer, James Zamory and Sean McDermott was to harness the skills they learned working at some of New York’s best restaurants to creatively approach some of America’s favorite foods. What they landed on was beef jerky. After about 100 tries, they got it right, and Carnal

Restaurant was created.

“Our whole idea was to get bone marrow into beef jerky,” Williamson said. “It’s wildly complicated, and it turns out it was almost impossible, because it’s mostly fat, and fat wants to move away from the protein fibers. It was basically French techniques mixed with barbecue.”

The restaurant, of course, offers much more than beef jerky. However, the same concept exists in almost all

its menu items, from charcoal grilled onion with preserved orange, roasted hangar steak, and its namesake slowcooked sous vide bone-in beef short ribs finished over an open flame.

Williamson grew up in Gig Harbor but moved to Los Angeles for several years and worked producing films and music. Acknowledging the creative lineage between the culinary and music industries, he wanted to apply that same creativity to his business model. He decided to put a lifestyle food brand under the guise of a restaurant.

Recruiting talent from Eleven Madison Park (with its three Michelin stars) and Smorgasburg (an open-air food market in New York) wasn’t hard.

Abandoning the high pressure of those kitchens in exchange for Bellingham’s proximity to the outdoors and access to fresh, local ingredients and creative community proved to be an easy sell.

“They are super, super passionate — they are true artists,” Williamson said.

“They wanted to take those skills and make a more approachable menu with $30 and $40 entrees.”

They also teamed up with Eric Jackson, a legendary snowboarder who lives in Bellingham, and went to work completely gutting and remodeling the old Up & Up Tavern on State Street. About three months into the process, indoor dining was shut down as a reaction to COVID-19, and most construction work was halted. During the shutdown, Williamson and his crew focused on perfecting their beef jerky. By August and September, people began going back to indoor dining.

Carnal currently employs about 20 people, all of whom are based in Whatcom County.

As far as expansion, the owners plan to use their restaurant as a research

and development lab to develop more meat-based and other snack items.

They also opened Accomplice, a burger restaurant, in an adjacent space, with the same approach of taking straightforward items and using precise techniques to make them shine.

Williamson said that late 2020 was on and off, with more shutdowns, but Valentine’s Day 2021 was “kind of a turning point.” By the time summer 2021 rolled around, the restaurant had hit a stride and continued to grow, he said, though the restaurant industry is always subject to the ebbs and flows of the seasons.

“The chart is going up for sure,” he said. “For Valentine’s Day this year, we probably did three times the business that we did last year. And by May, it’s gonna be rockin’.” ■

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SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR NOMINEE

Shawn Clarke and Jason Reid

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BUSINESS AWARDS

PHOTO: Sattva Photo

PA C I F I C M A R I N E YA C H T S Y S T E M S

Navigating strong growth Pacific Marine Yacht Systems helps seafarers stay safe, comfortable Courtesy photo

Mary Louise Van Dyke Pacific Marine Yacht Systems is successfully navigating the pandemic with partners Shawn Clarke and Jason Reid at the helm.

The Bellingham-based company saw an increase in revenues from $600,000 in 2020 to about $800,000 in 2021; Clarke and Reid anticipate that growth to continue through 2022.

Clarke launched the business, then known as Pacific Marine Electric, in 2011.

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“I moved here from Alaska and wanted to start a new business in the marine industry,” he said.

At that time, his electrical skills were his biggest asset.

“I had no idea how to start a business or run a business,” Clarke said.

Reid formally came on board in 2013 after working for Clarke occasionally on an as-needed basis. The partnership allowed them to round out their services with Reid’s skillsets in marine

electronic and heating systems.

Six months later, the partners brought on their first intern and hired their first employees as demand for their services swelled. At one point, they had five employees.

Today, the company employs two full-time and one part-time staff members, all hailing from Whatcom County. Among the company’s current jobs are lithium battery system installation, sailboat upgrades and

many calls for heating systems.

During the pandemic, a lot of families, individuals and couples hung out on their boats as an escape, Reid said.

Having an onboard heating system allowed boaters to experience longer, more comfortable stays. Children could attend school remotely, providing the vessel was equipped to receive a cell signal.

The company’s services include the sale and installation of lithium batteries, electronics (such as auto pilot and chart plotters), cabinetry, cranes and watermakers.

Watermakers, Reid said, are systems that allow seafarers to make sea water drinkable through desalination or reverse osmosis processes. Clients who make the long voyage to Hawaii

or Australia or who venture a few hundred miles offshore utilize these systems to ensure they have enough drinking water while at sea.

Pacific Marine Yacht Systems works with commercial fishing boats and handles the electrical wiring on new craft. The company also preps boats for cruising offshore, making sure all communications, electronics and other systems are working correctly or are replaced or upgraded as needed.

The partners changed the company brand to Pacific Marine Yacht Systems a few years ago when they discovered that many customers didn’t know the company offered other marine services, Clarke said.

The change helped shore up the business, with the main source of new

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Pacific Marine’s customer base includes boat owners from Whatcom County and the greater Puget Sound area. The Port of Bellingham gives out-of-the-area customers — someone from Anacortes, for example — three days of free mooring while the company is servicing the craft.

Looking to the horizon, the partners want to chart a course that allows a good balance between work and home life. Goals include keeping Pacific Marine on course with structured, carefully paced growth, communicating well with customers, and offering good, living wages to experienced crewmembers. ■

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SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR NOMINEE

Jared and Shelly Murphy

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BUSINESS AWARDS

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SMITH MECHANICAL

Treating people well Smith Mechanical succeeds by putting others first Mary Louise Van Dyke Jared and Shelly Murphy, owners of Smith Mechanical Inc., are looking forward to a bright 2022.

Their goals are to continue looking for ways to improve their processes, help customers and aid employees in their professional growth. The company earned $4 million in 2020 and experienced some growth in 2021.

“Our philosophy is to treat people well, treat employees well, treat cus-

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tomers well,” said Jared Murphy, the company president. “Our faith plays a big part in what we do.”

The Ferndale-based company dates to 1990, when it was started by Steve and Colleen Smith. Jared worked there while still in high school, before he attended Bellingham Technical College for the HVAC/R service technician course and worked for another company. He returned to Smith Mechanical

in 2006 to help manage the business.

In 2010, Steve Smith announced his intent to retire, which sparked the Murphys’ decision to purchase the company and keep it a locally owned, locally operated business.

“It was, I think, a fairly smooth transition, knowing how transitions can go,” Jared Murphy said.

The business has grown by about 50-60% since they took over in 2010,

he said.

The company employs 25 full-time staff and services an area that includes Whatcom and Skagit counties as well as locations in north Snohomish, San Juan and Island counties. Most of the employees reside in Whatcom County.

Shelly Murphy’s job is in accounting. Jared Murphy, who focuses on management, doesn’t do much on the project side these days.

Smith Mechanical is an HVAC (heating, ventilating and air conditioning) contractor in both the residential and commercial markets. Its system design and services cover a variety of needs, including boilers, furnaces, heat pumps, ductless systems, commercial refrigeration sales and service, water

heaters and air conditioning units.

On the heating side, Smith Mechanical’s professionals design, install, service and maintain all sorts of systems, from the more traditional to the newest green energy furnaces that offer efficiency ratings of up to 95%.

One of the company’s recent special projects involved a geothermal system that uses the earth as a source for heating a 20,000-square-foot facility. Other ventures have focused on designing HVAC systems for office buildings and refrigeration for grocery and convenience stores (such as the Community Food Co-op in the Cordata neighborhood), restaurants and other commercial properties. Currently, the company is working on a high-

end heating system for a five-story building in Skagit County, Jared Murphy said.

Occasionally, the company helps organizations with other needs, such as cleaning up from the recent flood.

Smith Mechanical doesn’t focus heavily on marketing through the web or social media, Jared Murphy said.

Most of its customers come through word-of-mouth.

Being successful doesn’t just involve working on big projects, important as they are, Jared Murphy said. More important is “having good relationships with our customers and employers, being good stewards of what God has blessed us with.” ■

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MAR/APR 2022 | BUSINESSPULSE.COM

SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR NOMINEE

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BUSINESS AWARDS

Stephen Seymour and Mark Seymour

PHOTO: Sattva Photo

D R AY T O N H A R B O R O Y S T E R C O M PA N Y

Tumbling with the tide Weathering challenges to produce mouth-watering oysters Mary Louise Van Dyke Drayton Harbor Oyster Company is recognized for getting its spectacshell-er products from tide to tables in a timely fashion.

Raising oysters through water quality issues, floods, snow and COVID-19 challenges “has been a journey,” said Stephen Seymour, who shares ownership of the company with his son, Mark Seymour.

A retired fish biologist, Stephen

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Seymour said the Blaine-based business has grown from a three-person oyster bar to employing up to 18 people at the restaurant and four or five at the oyster farm. With gratuities, staff make a living wage. Staffing issues sometimes occur during the warmer months, with staff moving back and forth between duties at the restaurant and farm.

Stephen Seymour and partners

began oyster farming at Drayton Harbor in 1985. Water quality issues forced him to step away in the 1990s, when he went to work for the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife.

He credits his then partner Geoff Menzies with keeping the farm operating as a nonprofit, community-supported aquaculture organization while working with government officials to

resolve water quality issues.

“Ultimately Geoff ’s the hero,” Stephen Seymour said. “He is the reason we’re still farming oysters in Drayton Harbor.”

In 2013, Stephen Seymour retired from his fisheries job and took over operations, with his son joining him.

“We decided to grab the (brass) ring and see if we could make the farm work,” he said.

Oysters are grown and harvested on the farm using a process that utilizes mesh bags that enable oysters to develop a deeper curved bowl through tumbling with the tide.

“There’s nothing like putting oyster seed out there,” Stephen said. “You can barely see them, and you come back a year and half later and there’s just a carpet of them.”

Regular environmental quality checks are done to ensure customers are eating healthy oysters.

Both the November flood and frigid, snowy conditions in late December and early January hampered the harvest. Dicey weather can keep harvesters out of the water (and the oysters in the water), Stephen Seymour said.

Father and son opened a small oyster bar in downtown Blaine in 2015 and expanded to a new building at 685 Peace Portal Way, constructed by developer Peter Gigante. The restaurant features wide-board flooring and ornate tin ceilings salvaged from the original building on that site. It also has a full kitchen.

The tide-tumbled oysters are sold raw to customers to take home and prepare. They also are offered raw or grilled at the restaurant, with options such as wine and beer (think Dark

Harbor Oyster Stout, crafted by Atwood Ales of Blaine), Drayton Tacos and po’boys (with choice of oysters, cod or shrimp) and oyster stew, Stephen Seymour said.

Border closures during the pandemic took a toll on company earnings.

“Profit-wise, it’s been nip and tuck,” he said. “Half our business was from Canada when the border was open.”

However, diners are flocking to the restaurant in growing numbers to enjoy a shellfish outing. The company expanded its domed outdoor seating area on the plaza.

“I’m overwhelmed about how this small business supports so many other small businesses,” Stephen said. “It’s true how small business are so much a part of the economy.” ■

“I’m overwhelmed about how this small business supports so many other small businesses. It’s true how small business are so much a part of the economy.”

— Stephen Seymour, co-owner of Drayton Harbor Oyster Company

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MAR/APR 2022 | BUSINESSPULSE.COM

SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR NOMINEE

Doug Van Beek

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BUSINESS AWARDS

PHOTO: Sattva Photo

VA N B E E K D R Y WA L L

Thriving in difficult times Founded during the ’80s recession, Van Beek Drywall pushes through the pandemic Mary Louise Van Dyke Van Beek Drywall Inc. operates under the principle that no job is too small or too large for the company to handle.

That philosophy has proved valuable, with the Ferndale-based company navigating sticky pandemic challenges. Owner Doug Van Beek said company revenues were about $7.9 million in 2021, a drop from $9.8 million in

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2020.

The company celebrated its 40th anniversary in December 2021.

Van Beek launched the company at age 22. He had been working for a local business as a drywall finisher but learned that the owner was moving away. Van Beek’s boss encouraged him to get his own business license.

At that time, in the early 1980s, the

country was pulling out of a recession, and putting the new company on its feet required time and determination.

“I struggled for several years, and the company slowly grew from there,” Van Beek said.

Whatcom County is a good place to do business, he said, and about 70% of his 78 full-time workers live here. Some staffers have been with the

company for more than 20 years.

Van Beek Drywall’s services include metal stud framing of all types, from structural to ornamental, interior and exterior. Crews also install rigid insulation, acoustic ceilings and specialty wall systems, ceiling and suspension systems, exterior sheathing, and interior finishes. One employee is dedicated to small patchwork and warranty work.

The work is handled by teams that specialize in installation, taping, finishing and cleanup. Wood framing is provided in some cases, and the company uses a local supplier to furnish and deliver the materials.

The projects are mainly commercial, Van Beek said, with most calls coming from longtime clients in Whatcom and Skagit counties and some from

farther away in Snohomish and Island counties.

Currently, the company is on a job in north Whatcom County at the new Sumas Elementary School. The November floods put a temporary stop to that task, with much of the town being under water.

“I think there’s going to be a lot of work after COVID with those buildings that have been sitting empty,” Van Beek said.

One of the company’s most exciting recent projects involved installing metal stud framing for the lofty, five-story Fairhaven Tower in Fairhaven.

Other notable jobs involved the Sehome High School reconstruction in Bellingham and student housing projects on North State, Forest and Garden streets in downtown Bellingham.

In construction, there are a lot of fly-by-night guys, Van Beek said — people who work for a short time. Van Beek Drywall has successfully attracted people who are long-term employees and “some of the best craftsmen in the industry,” he said.

The company is nonunion and strives to create a good work environment for employees, Van Beek said.

Full-time employees are offered competitive wages in addition to medical, dental and retirement packages.

Van Beek expects nothing to change at the company in the next several years. However, he does anticipate stepping down in the next three to five years, with an employee taking over management.

“Our hope is we’ll be here forever,” he said. ■

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MAR/APR 2022 | BUSINESSPULSE.COM

BUSINESS PERSON OF THE YEAR NOMINEE

whatcom

BUSINESS AWARDS

PHOTO: Sattva Photo

J O S H B U R D I C K | V E R I TA S M E D I A

Video truth-telling is hard but important Veritas Media aims to do right and help the community flourish Heather Lea In today’s world, there are few things more effective for promoting a product or business than video. And while video production was an industry that suffered throughout the pandemic — it’s tough to shoot remotely — Veritas Media CEO and founder Josh Burdick and his team innovated and were able to continue providing a high level of excellence.

Veritas Media offers recruit-

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ment, training, human resources and e-learning video, along with sales and marketing content, to businesses and nonprofits.

When Burdick started out in 2011, he was a college graduate, and Veritas was his side hustle. By 2016, he’d quit his job and was devoted to growing his company. These were financially tight days, but with every completed project, Burdick poured his time, money and

resources back into building Veritas.

“I bought more gear, started hiring freelancers and eventually secured some office space,” Burdick said. “My first full-time hire came in 2017, and by 2021 I had seven (full-time) people on staff.”

Burdick points out that his wife, Nicole Burdick, and his team members have contributed to his success.

“Even though I am the sole oper-

ator of Veritas, I haven’t grown it on my own,” Burdick said. “Seeing what we can accomplish with a team that meshes well together is incredible.”

Revenues in 2021 were $500,000, up $200,000 from 2020. Over the past two years, Veritas Media has done major projects with Lydia Place, Skookum Kids, Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center, Skagit Preschool and Resource Center, Whatcom Business Alliance and more than a dozen others. The company does a lot of work with nonprofits and often subsidizes production costs. In 2021, Veritas gave more than $35,000 in discounts and in-kind trades.

Its organizational philosophy is to help clients “win the day” and to help the local business community grow and flourish.

This year, the company expects a shift to more dynamic videos and hybrid live streaming. Front-burner projects are those that will aid local clients recruit and retain employees, especially in the trades.

“Doing video production in Whatcom County is challenging,” Burdick said. “The perceived value of (these) services are consistently 20-30% lower than our counterparts in the Seattle market. We’ve had to be scrappy and lean to keep the majority of our business in Whatcom County.”

Along with advancing the business itself, Veritas’ most significant recent accomplishments have been producing the virtual graduations for the Bellingham School District in 2020 and 2021; helping raise over $1.8 million dollars for local nonprofits; and being named a finalist for the Bellingham Chamber Small Business of the Year award and

the Wistia Choice Awards in Storytelling and Hardworking Video.

Burdick has been involved in Bellingham organizations such as Technology Alliance Group NW (as advisory board member and former marketing

documentary films such as “Hope for Bellingham” and “See Yourself in Me.” The word “veritas” is Latin for “truth.” Though truth-telling is sometimes hard, Burdick said, it is important.

“We’ve had to be scrappy and lean to keep the majority of our business in Whatcom County.”

— Josh Burdick, owner of Veritas Media

committee member), Lettered Streets Covenant Church, Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce and Whatcom Business Alliance.

Veritas Media also works to showcase the hard reality that members of our community face every day, through

“Exposing this reality is also where we find significance and impact,” he said. “We amplify the organizations and people who are at the forefront of helping those who need it most. I am driven by doing the right thing and helping our community flourish.” ■

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BUSINESS PERSON OF THE YEAR NOMINEE

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BUSINESS AWARDS

Courtesy photo

T O N J A M Y E R S | C H R I S T I A N H E A LT H C A R E C E N T E R

A mighty calling in long-term care Tonja Myers works to keep residents safe while weathering budget cuts, staffing losses Heather Lea Like many health care leaders, Christian Health Care Center’s Tonja Myers has had her hands full during the pandemic — not just with mandates and safety protocols, but also with ensuring the safety of the elderly individuals in her care. And CHCC’s administrator did all this while juggling budget cuts and industry-wide

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staffing shortages.

Though the long-term care center received some funding related to COVID-19, Myers and her team were still forced to carefully monitor budgets, adjust staff and make other changes to continue operations — all while revenue declined and the cost of doing business increased.

“I don’t sell anything anyone wants to buy,” she said, “but when our services are needed, I want to make sure people have the best possible experience.”

The only locally held, nonprofit skilled nursing facility in Whatcom County, CHCC provides patient-centered skilled nursing services, therapeutic rehabilitation, and long-term,

24-hour nursing care.

“We consider it an honor to serve and to share life with the people entrusted to our care,” Myers said.

Sharing life with long-term care residents means providing enriching activities such as gardening and community bicycle trips and helping them maintain connections with friends and family. When visitation was paused at all long-term care centers during the pandemic, CHCC purchased additional iPads and coordinated video visits so residents could stay in touch with loved ones.

Myers received a degree in therapeutic and outdoor recreation from Eastern Washington University in 1984. She became an administrator in training, then tested for her nursing home administrator license in 1988, serving eight years at her first facility in Aberdeen. She moved to Bellingham in 1996 to work in long-term care, eventually taking the administrator position at CHCC in 2015.

Her proudest career achievement has been keeping CHCC residents protected during the pandemic.

“I am a team builder and have a talent for surrounding myself with smart, capable and dedicated people,” Myers said. “I have been able to lead organizations in providing truly exceptional care, even during extreme challenges, and that success lies with my team.”

CHCC, founded in 1956, employs 150 full-time and 40 part-time Whatcom locals. The care center’s mission is to provide skilled nursing care with compassion and love in Christ’s name.

Notable awards and recognitions for CHCC include: the Dr. Herbert

Shore Outstanding Mentor Award; Best Performance in Nursing from LeadingAge Washington; the Antimicrobial Stewardship Honor Roll; and multiple years as the best assisted living facility in Lynden, as voted by readers of the Lynden Tribune.

The care center is a clinical site for Whatcom County nursing programs, and it offers an employer-funded nursing assistant certification class for those looking to start a career at CHCC. Myers is involved in many local organizations, including Aging Well Whatcom, Bellingham Bay Rotary, the

Western Washington University Palliative Care Institute and Washington Health Care Association. She enjoys acting and has participated in shows at the Bellingham Theatre Guild. She personally supports Whatcom Hospice, Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth, Bellingham Music Club and Animals as Natural Therapy.

“I thoroughly enjoy this area,” Myers said. “Whatcom County locals are honest and gracious with their feedback, even during trying times. I look forward to more years of exploring how CHCC can better serve our community.” ■



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MAR/APR 2022 | BUSINESSPULSE.COM

BUSINESS PERSON OF THE YEAR NOMINEE

whatcom

BUSINESS AWARDS

PHOTO: Sattva Photo

JOHN HUNTLEY | MILLS ELECTRIC

111 years of excellence Mills Electric continues building legacy of community support, electrical prowess Heather Lea Mills Electric Co. has a rich Pacific Northwest history. The company began in 1911 with founder Howard E. Mills and stayed in the family until 2007, when an employee named John Huntley was approached by Howard Mills, Jr. The older man expressed having “run out of steam” and said he wanted to move on. This was a challenging opportunity for Huntley, as the company was going through

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bankruptcy. However, knowing what a great company he worked for, Huntley purchased Mills Electric Co. and became its president and CEO. In its earlier days, Mills Electric specialized in commercial service and appliance and lamp repair while also servicing commercial and naval vessels at Bellingham Shipyards in the 1940s.

Today, Mills is an electrical and

instrumentation company, supplying technicians to industrial sites in the Pacific Northwest and all refineries in Washington state. The company also performs work in commercial and residential areas and at two refineries in Billings, Montana, where the company has a regional office.

When Huntley came onboard, Mills had 40 employees. Currently, there are 200 staff, with 150 living in Whatcom

County. Revenues were $45 million in 2021.

Huntley’s proudest career achievement came during the pandemic, when accumulating unknowns about the future put local businesses under a lot of stress.“The Mills team (was) able to keep everyone employed during this difficult time,” he said. “Now that we can see a light at the end of the tunnel — and it isn’t a train coming — it appears the decision is paying off.”

Upcoming 2022 projects include building a new unit and preparing for spring turnaround at BP; spring turnaround at Phillips 66 in Billings and fall turnaround at Phillips 66 in Ferndale; a parking garage at St. Joseph PeaceHealth Medical Center; and a new building for Bellingham’s Lighthouse Mission.

Huntley formerly owned a general contracting business with his father and brother but sold out when Mills began taking too much of his time.

He enjoyed working with his family

while growing up.

“Now,” he said, “I get to work with my sons. I’ve been very blessed in my working career.”

The company’s awards include Outstanding Performer in Safety for 14 years running from the Association of General Contractors; the Contractor of the Year award for Washington state from ACG (twice); the Community Allstar Award from Boys and Girls Clubs of Whatcom County; the Spirit of United Way Award; the President’s Award from the Western States Petroleum Association; and the Safety Excellence Award from the National Electrical Contractors Association.

“Whatcom County has blessed me with so much during my lifetime,” Huntley said. “It has been such an honor to give back to the community.”

Mills Electric has supported the Whatcom County Food Bank, the YMCA/YWCA, Bellingham Hospice House, United Way and Assumption Church, to name a few.

S A V E

The company’s philosophy is short and sweet: safety, quality, performance. Huntley backs all employees 100% and feels there is no job worth doing if it can’t be done safely.

“It really comes down to dedicated and hard workers who love what they’re doing,” he said. “We here at Mills Electric have always had a great working relationship with the people of Whatcom County.”

He also credits his wife of 44 years.

“She has always supported me in the decisions I’ve made,” Huntley said.

“Without her, I would not be where I am today.”

Huntley sits on the PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center Foundation board and a subsidiary board heading up the hospital’s expansion. He will be donating time and money to the project. Mills Electric Co. is also donating time and money to the new Lighthouse Mission building coming soon.

“I’m proudest of all the Mills employees,” Huntley said. ■

T H E

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D A T E S WBA Member Appreciation Night Bellingham Bells Game July 15, 2022 Bellingham Bells vs Nanaimo Nightowls

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MAR/APR 2022 | BUSINESSPULSE.COM

BUSINESS PERSON OF THE YEAR NOMINEE

whatcom

BUSINESS AWARDS

J O H N B A R R O N | BARRON HEATING AC ELECTRICAL & PLUMBING

No time to rest John Barron and team lives out mission of ‘improving lives’ Heather Lea Many important factors make our homes comfortable to live in, not the least of which is heating and cooling. The inner workings of a healthy, temperate indoor environment might not be something most people think of daily, but it’s everything at Barron Heating AC Electrical & Plumbing.

The Barron team lives out its mission of “improving lives” by solving challenges in three main areas of customers’ homes: comfort, health and

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energy efficiency.

Along with heating, cooling, electrical and plumbing, the family owned company offers solar, generators, water filtration, home performance and weatherization, as well as air purification, fireplaces, 24-hour HVAC and electrical services, and more.

In 2020, Barron received silver in Best of the Northwest’s “Best Clean Energy Company” category, and in 2021, it won gold.

John Barron, CEO, began full-time at the company in 1979, working alongside his parents, who founded Barron in 1972. After working in the field for over 10 years, John Barron transitioned into sales management before purchasing Barron in 1998.

Since 2017, Barron has added 100 team members and is working hard to increase skilled tradespeople in the workforce. It’s hiring for HVAC, electrical and plumbing, providing

high-paying jobs with benefits within the community.

This year, Barron will celebrate 50 years in business.

“I thank God every day that I get the privilege to work with our team,” John Barron said. “I’m humbled in the understanding that no person or company can rest on their laurels.”

John’s grandfather, Orie Barron, once told his grandson: “To be successful in business, you only have to work half a day — you just have to decide which 12 hours.”

Good advice and a strong family business ethic seem to be the driving forces behind Barron, as is keeping the company family run. John Barron’s son, professional engineer Brad Barron, came on board five years ago and is now chief operating officer. Brad Barron spearheaded the company’s

WholeHome services, including the plumbing and electrical divisions, as well as the Barron Technician School, where new industry team members are trained in-house.

Barron now has 180 employees.

Revenues in 2021 were $30 million, a $6 million increase from 2020.

“I believe if we just ask questions and listen,” John Barron said, “our community and internal Barron team members will tell us everything we need to know to be successful.”

Something dear to John’s heart is supporting multiple families each year through Barron’s “Christmas in July” and “Furnace Fund” giving programs. While a warm home is a basic necessity, it’s out of reach for many. Responding to community recommendations for families suffering hardships, John Barron personally vis-

its each home to decide which system will serve them best. Barron then gifts heating and cooling systems, providing year-round comfort for those who need it most.

And when the needs of the community are within its own team, Barron responds equally well, as it did with this winter’s flood victims.

“It’s one thing to be involved in philanthropy,” John Barron said. “It’s quite another when you are there witnessing the tragedies people go through. When you know their story, you go through the pain with them.

It’s very moving and humbling.

“I believe we live in a place where most people and businesses really care about each other. I consider it a privilege to be able serve our community, now and in the future.” ■

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L I F E T I M E A C H I E V E M E N T AWA R D

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BUSINESS AWARDS

G A R Y H O N C O O P | R O O S E N D A A L- H O N CO O P CO N S T R U C T I O N

To Gary Honcoop, success is helping others Whatcom construction company known for integrity, trust Tony Moceri It’s easy to go through the motions of daily life, oblivious to how the things around us came to be. We go to the bank, fill up our gas tank and head home without thinking about what it took for the buildings and infrastructure around us to exist. It’s normal behavior because everyone is busy, but the next time you are out and about, look at the buildings you drive by, because you will be hard-pressed to make it far in Whatcom County without passing one connected to Gary

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Honcoop.

Honcoop, for the past 43 years, has been in the business of building, and his impact is impossible to miss.

His company, Roosendaal-Honcoop Construction, has built it all, from commercial spaces to housing. While Honcoop is proud of what the company has built, the structures are not what he is most proud of in life.

“Business is the vehicle of what you do, but it’s not necessarily who you are,” Honcoop said. “To me, what is

really important to me as an individual is creating opportunity for others. That is a big deal, creating opportunity for others, and helping other individuals or other companies be successful.”

Honcoop can now look back at his life’s work and see it for what it was, but he didn’t have some grand vision when he started — and he certainly didn’t plan on winning a Lifetime Achievement Award. He was just taking on what was put in front of him.

Along the way, he was influenced by

some impactful people and had a propensity for saying “Sure” when asked if he could do something (whether he knew how to or not).

Honcoop, who grew up on a farm in Lynden, represents the fourth generation of his family living in Whatcom County. As kids do on a farm, he spent a lot of time working, and the skills he learned helped carry him through life.

On his 14th birthday, his dad took him out to the field, pointed at the tractor and baler and told him to use those machines to make something of himself.

With that, Honcoop began his first business, baling hay.

With young Honcoop now making money, his dad taught him about banking and paying bills. The banking lesson occurred at Peoples Bank when he got his first car loan. He had no idea at the time that not only would his banking relationship continue with Peoples Bank, but he would go on to build 25 Peoples Bank branches throughout Whatcom County and the state of Washington — and even one in Oregon.

Honcoop’s father would use this car loan as a tool to express what Honcoop feels is the most important thing his dad ever told him.

“The payment for that car was $50.10,” Honcoop said, “and he flat said, ‘You miss one payment, that car is mine. Not pay and make it up; that car is mine, period.’ He stressed how important it was, your name. He said, ‘Your name, your grandfather built it, I protected it, and now I’m handing it to you because it can open doors. It will continue to open doors if you protect it. Your integrity and reputation are

everything,’” Honcoop said.

This message is something Honcoop continues to carry with him — and it’s what he credits for his success. He built his business and life on a foundation of integrity laid from a very young age. He never missed one of those car payments, building a reputation for always doing what he said he would.

Growing up in Lynden, Honcoop easily could have taken a path toward farming. Many of his friends had their eyes set on going to college and working with computers, which were beginning to take the world by storm. For Honcoop, academics just weren’t where his heart lay. Still, his mechanical mind loved learning how machines functioned and seeing how things went together. Taking any class he could from the shop teacher, Jim Hale, Honcoop began to see the world he would come to love.

“I had two shop classes a day with him, the shop room shop class and the metal shop class. He had us frame up walls, two short walls, and create a corner, and in one of the short walls was a door, and in one of the short walls was a window, and then we put a small ceiling on that,” Honcoop said.

“And then he taught us how electricity works and how it’s generated, and so on and so forth, which struck a tremendous chord with me, and it really, really clicked. At that point, he absolutely had my interest, and I felt like this was something that would definitely work for me.”

In 1976, at age 17, Honcoop graduated from Lynden High School and quickly entered the construction field.

He began doing farm construction and then got into residential construc-

tion, working on a site at which Roger Roosendaal was the crew leader. The company they were working for hit hard times with the market drying up in Sudden Valley, so the two, thinking they knew it all, decided to start their own business.

“Roosendaal-Honcoop was founded on April Fool’s Day in 1979,” Honcoop said, laughing. “That shows you how little we knew.”

They knew little about construction and that the economy was headed toward challenging times, but ignorance can be bliss, especially in your 20s.

With their combination of skills — Roosendaal’s from residential experience and Honcoop’s from time spent doing construction work on farms — they were able to put their heads together and figure out how to complete projects.

As the pair began the company, Honcoop remembered the words his dad had told him about keeping his integrity and reputation in place. By approaching every project with this mindset, he created happy customers, which led to more work. Small jobs would lead to more significant opportunities. When asked if he could do something, Honcoop continued to simply say, “Sure.”

They probably had no business doing many of these large projects — take the 155-foot-tall grain elevator for Ferndale Grain, for example — but for Honcoop, the more mechanical the better, and he would figure out how to get a project done and done properly.

Wanting to grow the business — and ensure that employees could be home at night with their families — Honcoop and Roosendaal came

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L I F E T I M E A C H I E V E M E N T AWA R D

up with a strategy to diversify their downturns — including 2008, which business to capture as much work resulted in the necessity to almost reas possible that was close to home. build the company completely. And, of Roosendaal leaned into his strength course, it weathered the COVID-19 of residential construction, building pandemic. more than 700 homes. Honcoop knew In 2009 and 2017, Honcoop was his strength was on the mechanical named the Building Industry Associside, so he sought projects that fit that ation of Whatcom County’s builder of mold. He learned about refrigeration, the year, two highlights in a career that boilers and fuel tanks, always relying featured a variety of other awards. To on the early electrical classes from his give back to the community he is so shop teacher. The result was a career proud to be a part of, Honcoop served working on everything from gas sta- on the Whatcom County’s Plantions, refineries and dairies to schools, ning Commission board from 2009 banks and fire stations. He even did a through 2019. : project at the Woodland ParkRatings Zooand onAwards: While it is Gary Honcoop receiving LEED Silver (pending) Building NWAIA 2014 Sustainability Award a nocturnal owl space. this award, there are hundreds, if not Team: ss, the team looked project to meet the While Honcoop saw a lot of success thousands, of individuals who particOWNER e as well as other Bellingham Technical College Due to budgetaryin his career, it was not without ARCHITECT its ipated in his career. Thirty-seven of riers, the strategies HKP Architects to the building, but LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT struggles. He overcame a significant ons to be added to SvR Design Company e. Strategies that MECHANICAL after itENGINEER nted include: injury, almost losing his foot Notkin gh Micro-hydro CIVIL ENGINEER was crushed on a job site.

The comd Solar Photovoltaic Wilson Engineering STRUCTURAL ENGINEER pany also survived multiple economic h Composting AHBL

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his years in business were spent with Roger Roosendaal, who retired on Dec. 31, 2016. Over the years, his wife and son both worked in the business, as well as a team of employees and subcontractors who made the completion of all the projects possible.

These people are what truly matters to Honcoop.

“There have been 11 companies spawned from our company, as employees went off and started their own,” Honcoop said. Many resulted in continued professional and personal relationships, he said.

Gary Honcoop is receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award for being a CASE STUDY builder, but his real achievement is the hkpa.com lives he impacted along the way. ■

ELECTRICAL ENGINEER

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NOTABLE PROJECTS

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2017 and 2009 Roosendaal-Honcoop to sustainabilityBuilding Industry Association of that is emulatedWhatcom County’s Builder of the Year

GENERAL CONTRACTOR

y. The building

Chuckanut Bay Foods, new production faculty

Sustainable design principles have The Projecthorticulture Overview Plant, 2015 always been at the heart of Northwest HKP’s Heritage Park, owned by the City of Bellingham.

PROJECT FACTS Buried landfill, digester tanks and old building design decisions, particularly when The parkMercer is heavily used by theHigh public, as a propagation facility Island School, music Square Feet: and BIAWC’s Most Valuable Political Player debris, shorelines setbacks, high-voltage it comes to natural ventilation, destination as well as a greenway throughway.

7,823 SF, 2 story overhead power lines, street easements, cultural artsneeded room addition and renovation passive solar strategies, light, views award. Presented for outstanding The building to allow for movement mitigation, and Old Town Design Review are just and material expression in the Munger Farms, blueberry through the site for visitors, as well as work for Site: a few of the challenges and opportunities faced leadership in the construction Pacific industry, Northwest. HKP architects the students’ access to the fish ponds.

To protect Financial .83 acres Center processing infacility Peoples Bank, Barkley this project. actively incorporates sustainable work on Whatcom County’s Planning the public open green space, the new footprint (within larger park) design principles in all of our work interior TI and 24+ branches throughout could be no larger than the removed buildings. and weto help clients understand (50-59) Commission Board, volunteering Location: commercial storage 1974, Bellinghamcold Technical College has the long-term benefits to ourTC Trading, Since the Pacific Northwest Bellingham, WA help people in the community environment with and to their operation running the Whatcom Creek Hatchery on freezer andbeen loading dock facility Squeezing the program into the tiny footprint, and maintenance costs. this site, teaching students through a “books and 51understanding 55 110urban of zoning, growth Construction Cost: providing clear, organized circulation, and boots” approach the many facets of fish rearing, Semiahmoo Shore, 44 zero lot line water efficiency energy & atmosphere HKP architects $332/sq. ft. relating to the maritime and industrial context areas, limited areas of more intensive habitat restoration eco-systems protection. sales,and administration 314 Pine Street, Suite 205 Barron Heating, 10/10 03/35 residential 22 buildings of the site rendered a buildinghomes with a simplein form w/site remediation They ran this program out of the crumbling old Mount Vernon, Washington 98273 rural development and other issues and expression. With a focus on showing off the building and production shop, power house from the defunct city storage wastewater (pictured above) indoor environmental quality 1402 Third Avenue, Suite 212 Total Cost: workings of the ground floor hatchery, the related to land use, and commitment to 98101 building. treatment plant. Not many people knew the inner Seattle, Washington points achieved $2.6 million 11/15 transparency from the lobby and exterior allows hatchery even existed, or what the students did phone: (360) 336-2155 the BIAWC organization. the public to see and appreciate students’ and Liberty Park points pending Bellaire, Myersthe Estates inside the building.

Completed: regional priority fax: (360) 336-3657 work, even when the building is closed.

Timken, production facility email: hkp@hkpa.com points available housing developments September, 2013 04/04

uaculture Sciences

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WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BP

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Developing Whatcom County’s future construction workforce Planning for the present and future with on-the-job training Lance Calloway How many of us grew up with parents and teachers telling us to get a good education or “you’ll end up digging ditches or pounding nails for a living”?

College certainly was one pathway to a good job, but our parents and teachers didn’t always mention the student loan debt that often accompanied the degree. The construction industry — digging ditches and pounding nails — offers another excellent route to a well-paying career.

In Whatcom County, untrained people willing to pass a drug test, learn, show up on time and work hard can earn $45,000 to $60,000 annually, with good benefits, two years into their careers, depending on the trade.

The greatest challenge for contractors has been attracting people to the industry. In Whatcom County and across the country, contractors report difficulty in filling entry-level

positions, making it difficult to replace an aging workforce.

Plus, an estimated 750,000 people will retire and leave the construction industry within 10 years.

Tom Bajema, training and development coordinator for Andgar Corporation, said his company’s approach to recruiting workers includes reaching youth while they are still in school.

“There is a stereotype that construction is just a job with no career opportunity,” Bajema said. “This lack of understanding steers potential workers to other types of jobs where they feel better career opportunities exist. To break down that stereotype and increase recruiting opportunities, we are working to be more involved at the high school level with (career technical education) program instructors, finding opportunities to visit their classrooms, hosting class tours, and creating worksite learning options for students to get hands-on experience.”

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Darren Leyenhorst, general superintendent with Faber Construction, a Whatcom County nonunion general contractor, said successful recruiting requires showing people the high-paying jobs in the industry.

“We are competing with others who are looking for talent, and we need to make our line of work as appealing as possible,” Leyenhorst said. “I think that the narrative in the past has been that the construction industry doesn’t have high-paying jobs or that all the jobs are not mentally challenging. This is not the case. Many of our workers make great incomes and enjoy the different kinds of work and daily problem solving.”

Attracting new talent is the first step, and the second is providing comprehensive and quality training. Some Whatcom contractors use traditional certified apprenticeship programs, and others have developed their own on-the-job training for entry-level workers.

Apprenticeship is a combination of on-the-job training and related classroom instruction under the supervision of a journey-level craft person or trade professional. Historically, entry into apprenticeship programs were through the trade unions, and many people still use this route. Trade unions have established the core of the required proficiencies in skills, knowledge and safety that are taught through apprenticeship. In Washington, certified apprenticeship programs are required to meet the Washington State Apprenticeship & Training Council’s specified number of hours of work under the direct supervision of a journey-level professional, along with established classroom instructional

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“Just getting the education system and counselors to understand, support and endorse the variety of career occupations that exist in the construction industry would be a big win for the industry.”

— Tom Bajema, training and development coordinator for Andgar Corporation hours.

Certified apprenticeship programs can be offered by both union and nonunion contractors if they meet the specified WSATC requirements for the trade. Entities such as the Construction Industry Training Council of Washington or the Inland Northwest Associated General Contractors offer apprenticeship training programs to nonunion contractors. Nonunion contractors can enroll their employees in these apprenticeship programs while they work for the contractor to meet the state requirements and standards to become a journey-level tradesperson. Some apprenticeship programs also provide college credit toward an associate degree.

Frank Imhof, chairman and founder of IMCO Construction, a nonunion heavy industrial civil general contractor, said there’s good money to be made in the industry.

“Apprenticeship workers at IMCO earn a minimum 50% of the prevailing

wage the first year, and by the fourth year they earn 100% of prevailing wage for the trade they work in,” Imhof said.

“This means that working 40-hour weeks while in the apprenticeship program, they can make as much as $65,000 per year, and when they reach full journeyman level, they make as much as $140,000 for a year, depending upon the trade they choose.”

Faber Construction also develops workers through on-the-job training, Leyenhorst said.

“Our apprenticeship program helps Faber Construction by giving comprehensive construction learning while developing on-the-job experience,” Leyenhorst said. “The program also lets us integrate new talent into our company culture to ensure they are a fit. It also has been very successful for us, as most who graduate from apprenticeship training are ready to move into leadership roles.”

Mirroring requirements from the Washington State Department of Transportation and other state agencies for public works projects, Whatcom County and the City of Bellingham have enacted local legislation for apprenticeship requirements. Beginning in January 2023, any public works construction project greater than $1 million will require contractors to ensure that 15% of their workforce hours are performed by apprentices.

“Apprenticeship helps any contractor doing public works construction,” Imhof said, “because on public works, contractors must pay prevailing wage or more to their employees. As our workers are aging, it is extremely important to have affordable training for new people who know nothing and are not productive and need training.

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With a couple of years of training, they become very productive and subject to journey-level wages.”

Leyenhorst said that the apprenticeship requirements are unnecessary.

“It is unfortunate that entities are mandating apprenticeship percentages, as this just drives up the costs of projects overall and makes requirements difficult,” Leyenhorst said. “We do not think that this is needed to encourage apprenticeship. It is to the benefit of Faber Construction and its employees to be involved in an apprenticeship program, as it provides us with skilled workers who know their job and work well with company culture.”

Apprenticeship requirements pose a challenge for nonunion contractors, as their on-the-job training programs are not recognized by the apprenticeship standards. To meet the requirement,

nonunion contractors have the option of becoming signatories to a particular trade union, developing their own approved certified apprenticeship program, or sending employees through programs such as the CITC or AGC Inland NW apprenticeship programs.

Each option comes with increased expenses.

To teach its employees, Andgar, a local residential and commercial mechanical contractor, started Andgar University.

“We have training available to all positions and experience levels,” Bajema said. “By having employees with the right skillsets and knowledge on the job, we are able to deliver high-quality products and services to our customers. We also know that by providing quality training programs, it positively impacts worker safety and improves our employee retention rate.”

The need for workers in the trades, both in Whatcom County and across the country, is only going to grow. The federal government committed $1.9 trillion dollars in the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and many construction projects are slated to enter the pipeline, with incredible opportunities for great family wage jobs with benefits. ■ Lance Calloway is the northern district manager of The Associated General Contractors of Washington. He graduated from WWU with a BA in economics and has been active in the community as a longtime member of the Bellingham Bay Rotary Club. He served on the board of directors for the Bellingham/Whatcom County Visitors Bureau, Whatcom Symphony and Bellingham Sister Cities, and as vice president of the Washington State Adult Soccer Association.

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FINANCE BP

PHOTO: Getty Images/Vesnaandjic

New construction projects require vision and trusted partnerships A lender can help you achieve the long-term security associated with owning your own building Drew Smith Climbing rent prices, declining inventories and low rates are creating an opportunity for business owners to consider the advantages of new construction.

Whether your business has expansion plans and you’re outgrowing your current space, you have significant tenant improvements to make on your existing building, or you want a better location for your business, a lender can explain the ins and outs of new construction lending and help you achieve the long-term security associated with owning your own building.

When it comes to underwriting commercial loans, banks look at a multitude of factors, and construction financing is no different. Could new construction be the right move for your business? Here are some factors to keep in mind.

A trusted contractor mitigates lending risk.

Borrowers often underestimate the importance lenders

put on the reputation of the project team assembled. Due to the inherent risk associated with all construction projects, the more experienced the contractor is, the more comfortable the bank will be to take on the risk. Be prepared to explain how experienced the contractor is with the type of construction project you’re proposing, how speculative the project is, whether signed leases are in place, and whether the project principals have excess liquidity and outside income to support the project in the event of cost overruns or project delays.

Cash on hand can offset risk.

If there are perceived weaknesses in a project, a lender will lean more heavily on other aspects of your loan application. This could include requiring more cash on hand to cover possible contingencies. In general, a lender will want to know how much cash the borrower has in the project, as well as the proposed loan amount compared to the value of the project (the loan-to-value ratio). The lender will also

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be interested in the loan repayment source. For example, is it an owner-occupied building for a successful business? Does the repayment come from the property itself (via lease income)?

Who are the tenants, and how are the leases structured? A loan secured by a building with an investment-grade tenant is viewed differently than one with a tenant who doesn’t provide the same financial strength and stability.

Fixed bids can help you stay on budget.

A fixed-bid contract is one where the contractor gives a contractual bid to complete the project for a predetermined price. Assuming there are no change orders or allowance overages, the contractor is required to complete the job for the predetermined dollar amount. If the project costs more money than expected (even if it costs more than the original bid), that burden is borne by the contractor. Banks

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tend to have a strong preference for fixed-bid or “guaranteed maximum price” contracts, as they limit the risk associated with overall project costs.

Be aware of the costs involved.

In addition to the price of the land and the construction costs themselves, business owners should have a firm understanding of other expenses related to construction financing. For example, interest reserves are the cost of loan interest while the building is under construction. Say, for example, you’re constructing an apartment building. While the project is underway, the building is vacant and not generating income, but there is still a loan to service. It’s a carrying cost that is often overlooked when budgeting for a new project. Other costs include loan fees, third-party financing costs (title, escrow, construction draws), contingency reserves, permitting and

additional soft costs. It is a good idea to discuss these costs with your lender and make sure you are budgeting for the project accordingly.

Whether your business needs new industrial warehouse space or you’re seeking a high-traffic downtown storefront, it’s a good time to take advantage of market conditions in Whatcom County while contributing to the economic vitality of the community. If new construction sounds intimidating or more than you’re ready for, remember that it’s never too early to start the conversation with a lender about your long-term plans to see whether new construction makes sense for you.

Drew Smith is a senior vice president and commercial banking officer at the Peoples Bank Bellingham Commercial Banking Group. Please contact a local lender at one of Peoples Bank’s nine office locations in Whatcom County to learn about financial solutions that are right for your business.

if you believe business success is essential to community prosperity.

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OP-ED BP

PHOTO: iStockphoto. com/Panorama Images

Businesses call for accountability and transparency for COVID-19 relief funds What is the plan for the $100 million sent to the area from the American Rescue Plan Act? Dustin McKissen Two years ago, everything changed. Businesses closed.

Streets became deserted. Peanut butter and toilet paper flew off shelves faster than stores could replace them. Over the ensuing 24 months, nearly everything about daily life changed. Even as the pandemic wanes and COVID-19 becomes a normal — if unfortunate — feature of our lives, there are still questions about the pandemic that need to be answered, particularly regarding how the massive amount of taxpayer funding has and will be used.

The numbers are big. Whatcom County’s governments and educational institutions received more than $100 million from the Biden administration’s $2 trillion American Rescue Plan Act. The bulk of that money went to the county, which received $44.5 million. Combined, the seven cities in the county received about $34 million.

“We want to target these investments where the highest community needs are,” said Satpal Sidhu, the Whatcom County executive, in an August County Council meeting.

As a result, the county divided its focus among five areas:

housing security, childcare, public health, infrastructure and government operations.

The county and cities weren’t the only local institutions to receive funding. Bellingham Public Schools received $15.5 million. Western Washington University received $18.2 million. Whatcom Community College received $4.8 million, and Bellingham Technical College was given $3.6 million. Whatcom Transportation Authority received $21.2 million.

Those numbers are big enough on their own, but it is also important to note that the American Rescue Plan Act was one of three rounds of federal funding. Though the numbers are not readily publicly available for all the entities and institutions listed here, Whatcom Transportation Authority received nearly $40 million combined from the three rounds of federal pandemic relief that occurred during the Trump and Biden administrations. The numbers listed here are also not inclusive of state funding directed at Whatcom County and its governmental institutions.

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The county made most of its public statements about how the latest round of funding would be spent before the waves caused by the Delta and Omicron variants of the disease.

Given the impact those variants had on everything from labor and supply chains to spikes in hospitalizations, local governments and schools have likely had to improvise regarding how they spend relief funds — especially because Congress has little ability or inclination to provide additional relief funds.

The reluctance to provide additional funding isn’t just the result of differing beliefs and positions on COVID-19 in Washington, D.C. It reflects major shifts in public attitudes toward the disease. A nationwide poll conducted at the end of January by Monmouth University showed that 70% of respondents agreed with the statement that the virus is “here to stay and we just need to get on with our lives.”

Faced with strong public support for a return to normalcy, the ability to muster support for future rounds of multitrillion- or even multibillion-dollar relief packages is limited. Significant amounts of money are left to be spent, and the pandemic appears to be receding in severity. As a result, addi-

tional relief in the form of cash from the federal government is probably not needed. Even when the need is great, ingesting significant amounts of funding, identifying equitable ways to spend those funds, and then tracking and accounting for how those funds are spent is easier said than done — and takes some time.

However, accountability and transparency are absolutely needed.

“For businesses, the needs and challenges are everywhere,” said Barbara Chase, executive director of the Whatcom Business Alliance. “Not all of those needs can or should be met

by COVID-19 relief funding. That said, our community needs to know, specifically, what challenges the funding attempted to address and what the results of the spending were. As taxpayers, we all need to know how this money is used to heal our community.”

One of those needs is worker training. Whatcom County businesses faced worker shortages in critical areas before the pandemic. Jobs that pay relatively high wages that do not require a four-year degree were already going unfilled. The shortage of plumbers, electricians, masons and other skilled labor workers was an acute problem even before education and the labor markets were significantly affected by

the events of the past two years.

“Not everyone needs or benefits from a four-year degree,” Chase said.

“That was even more apparent in the pandemic. A degree doesn’t guarantee a job when everything shuts down.

What does guarantee a job is having a set of skills that are in demand.

Plumbers were still a necessary part of life during the pandemic — and maybe even more so, with entire families spending all day at home. As a business community, we would like to better understand how the county’s governments and educational institutions are using the funding they received from every round of federal relief to get our future workforce back on track and trained for jobs that are always in high demand.”

An expectation of continued, ongoing, detailed accountability is not the same thing as saying there is a suspicion that COVID-19 funds are or will be misused. Instead, this is a moment for institutions that received funding to collaborate with the business community. The business community can better serve the public by understanding how relief funds are being spent and providing input on how Whatcom County can come out of the pandemic stronger than before.

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