Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers and County Council Chair Nate Nehring announced on April 3, 2020, a countywide economic recovery effort aimed at helping local businesses and workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The effort centers on two newly formed bodies: the Blue Ribbon Economic and Workforce Recovery Task Force and the Future Workforce Alliance. Ray Stephanson, former Mayor of Everett, and Amy Drewel, owner of Mosaic Insurance Alliance, LLC, will co-chair the Task Force. Kim Williams, CEO of Providence Health and Services NW, will chair the Future Workforce Alliance Board, with Drewel serving as vice chair.
"COVID-19 has hit our community hard. It has not only threatened our health and wellbeing, it has disrupted every aspect of our lives including our jobs, our businesses, and our entire economy," Somers said in the announcement.
Both bodies will be supported by the Office of Economic Recovery and Resiliency, which has launched a website at snohomishcountywa.gov/Recovery. The site includes COVID-19 resources for businesses and laid-off workers, as well as an automated chat tool developed in partnership with Microsoft and Zammo.
Chair Nehring said the goal is to build systems now so the county can act quickly once broader economic activity resumes. "We want to create a system to prepare now so that when we are able to get our economic system fully functioning again we will be ready to act quickly," he said.