As the Association of Washington Business celebrates its 120th birthday, we are looking back at twelve decades of milestones in advocacy for Washington’s employers. From the founding of small businesses to the establishment of iconic global companies, AWB has been there for our state’s employers every step of the way.
scroll down
1904
The Citizen’s Alliance, as AWB was known at first, formed in Seattle. The first headquarters is in the Lumber Exchange Building. By 1913, the name would be changed to Employers Association of Washington.
1905
PACCAR begins when William Pigott, Sr. founded Seattle Car Mfg. Co. to produce railway and logging equipment at its plant in West Seattle.
1907
The Citizen's Alliance changes its name to
The Employers' Association of Seattle.
1907
Two teenage entrepreneurs with a $100 loan start the American Messenger Company. It would become the world’s largest package delivery service, UPS.
1911
Weyerhaeuser opens its first headquarters next to the offices of the Northern Pacific Railway in Tacoma. It would be their corporate headquarters for the next 60 years.
1912
UW rowing coach Hiram Conibear recruits English boatbuilding brothers Dick and George Pocock to make racing shells for his varsity crew. The Pocock brothers go on to make racing shells for other schools, as well as pontoons for Boeing.
1912
Pendleton Woolen Mills, based in Pendleton, Ore., expanded into Washington with the purchase of a weaving mill in Washougal, just across the Columbia River. The company would join AWB seven years later in 1919.
1913
The Employers' Association of Seattle changes its name to
Employers Association of Washington.
Decade Two: 1914 - 1923
1914
The Employers Association of Washington seeks to expand its scope of work beyond Seattle, where the organization was founded, noting that...
"...now is the opportune time for state-wide work, believing that in unity of action there is strength and that much better work can be done for all our members, especially those in the out-lying districts of the state, by uniting under the banner of The Employers Association of Washington.”
1914
The Smith Tower officially opened. At 462 feet it was the tallest building west of Ohio. It was the brainchild of New York industrialist Lyman Cornelius Smith, who was also the namesake of the Smith-Corona typewriter. The tower has changed hands 12 times over the years. Famed "Keep Clam" restaurateur Ivar Haglund, who bought it in the 1970s, was reportedly the only owner ever to make money on his investment, according to HistoryLink. The Smith Tower was the tallest structure on the West Coast until construction of the Space Needle in the 1960s.
1915
The Employers Association of Washington
secures space at the new Columbia Building in Olympia to serve as a headquarters during the legislative session. The so-called Legislative Intelligence Bureau allowed the association to produce briefs on measures coming before lawmakers, and publish a weekly bulletin, presaging the Fast Facts newsletter that would be launched decades later.
1916
William Boeing incorporates Pacific Aero Products Co. for $100,000. He buys 998 of the 1,000 stocks issued and moves the operation to a shipyard he bought in 1910. On April 26, 1917, William Boeing changes his company’s name from Pacific Aero Products Co. to Boeing Airplane Co.
1917
By an 8-1 margin, voters in Pierce County bonded themselves for $2 million to buy almost 69,000 acres of land to be donated to the federal government for a permanent army base, which became known as Fort Lewis. The first recruits moved into their newly constructed barracks just a few months later.
1918
The United Dairymen's Association of Washington is formed. By 1925 they have begun using the trade name Darigold. Today the company is still a cooperative, known as the Northwest Dairy Association, with about 300 dairy farm members in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. Each independently owned and managed member farm is an owner of Darigold.
1920
The Employers Association of Washington board of trustees formally approves changing the name of the organization to Federated Industries of Washington.
1921
Board members discuss the idea of moving the association's headquarters to Olympia, but won't follow through for another four-plus decades. The headquarters remains in the Alaska Building in Seattle, the city’s first skyscraper, which today houses the Courtyard by Marriott Seattle Downtown.
Decade Three: 1924-1933
1924
A legislative bureau founded by the Federated Industries of Washington (an early iteration of AWB) expands to include loggers, bankers, and manufacturers. It provides information and analysis on bills and legislative activity.
E. H. Guie (pictured here), former state House speaker, is named its first legal advisor.
1927
Pierce County voters pass a bond measure to buy 771 acres for a new airfield. Through a series of ownership changes and mergers, its name would evolve from Tacoma Field, to McChord Field, to McChord Air Force Base,and eventually Joint-Base Lewis-McChord.
It was named after Col.
William C. McChord,
a military aviation pioneer.
1928
After six years of construction, the Washington State Legislative Building is completed. It is made up of more than 173 million pounds of stone, brick, concrete, and steel, and its 287 foot height would make it the fourth tallest masonry dome in the world (at the time). It cost the state $7 million ($128 million by today’s dollars).
1929
Future AWB manager Ed "Deke" Davis (second from left) leads the state House of Representatives as
Speaker of the House.
According to the Washington State Archives, this is the earliest picture in existence of the newly-completed House of Representatives chamber.
1931
In the midst of the depression, National Association of Manufacturers president John Edgerton tries to raise spirits during a Seattle conference co-hosted by the Federated Industries of Washington:
"The further you get from Wall Street the less you hear depressive talk... If we could stifle Wall Street's stock reports it will do more to kill off depression than any other one thing."
1932
Alaska Airlines was born when two different companies started flying in Anchorage: McGee Airways and Star Air Service. The companies merged in 1935. After several other mergers, the company was renamed Alaska Airlines in 1944.
Decade Four: 1934-1943
1934
A young outdoorsman from Orcas Island named Eddie Bauer invents the Bauer Shuttlecock, which popularized badminton in the United States. A year later, he invents the first quilted down parka after nearly dying of hypothermia during a fishing trip to the Olympic Peninsula.
1938
Folksinger Ivar Haglund opens Seattle's first aquarium on Pier 54. Noticing that his patrons often came with an appetite, Haglund starts selling red clam chowder and fish n' chips from the site. It was an instant success that began his career as a restaurateur with a penchant for publicity and a motto of "keep clam." He opened the first "Ivar's: Acres of Clams" restaurant in 1946.
1939
Near the end of the Great Depression, the Federated Industries of Washington joins with other groups in sponsoring the second annual Pacific Coast Manufacturers' Conference in Los Angeles.
The slogan for the two-day gathering, which attracted more than 60 manufacturers, including 14 from Washington state, is "A Coast-to-Coast Hook-Up for Recovery."
1940
The Tacoma Narrows Bridge is dedicated over a four-day celebration in July. At the time, it was the 3rd largest suspension bridge in the world. But by November, it would become better known as "Galloping Gertie," as engineering oversight and icy winds caused it to rip itself apart. There were no human casualties.
1941
Gov. Arthur Langlie is among the dignitaries to attend as Weyerhaeuser dedicates the world's first tree farm: 120,000 acres of land near Montesano, to experiment with reforestation and fire control. The Clemons Tree Farm included roads, lookout towers, telephone networks and a public education program.
1941
Sunset Field - which had been leased by the City of Spokane to the U.S. government for $1 a year - is renamed Geiger Field after Major
Harold Geiger, a famous Army pilot. The field is renamed Geiger Air Force Base in 1949, and it eventually becomes Spokane International Airport, but its airport code remained GEG.
1942
Work begins on the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, to ease the pressure on Seattle's Boeing Field and Tacoma's McChord Field (which were commandeered by the military). Sea-Tac's first runway was completed in 1944 and officially opened to the public in 1949.
Decade Five: 1944-1953
1944
The Association of Washington Industries is incorporated following the merger of the Federated Industries of Washington and the Manufacturers' Association of Washington.
1945
Premera Blue Cross is founded as Washington Hospital Service. It began operating in Alaska in 1957, and renamed Blue Cross of Washington and Alaska in 1969. In June 1998 Blue Cross of Washington and Alaska merged with Spokane's Medical Service Corporation under the name Premera Blue Cross. The company is headquartered in Mountlake Terrace.
.jpg)
1945
Leonard Shoen and Anna Mary Carty Shoen start U-Haul in Ridgefield. The company was born in the garage owned by her family, and quickly expanded through franchising with gas stations.
1946
Industrialist Henry J. Kaiser starts Kaiser Aluminum with the lease and eventual purchase of three Washington state aluminum facilities from the U.S. Government. The original facilities included reduction plants at Mead and Tacoma, and a rolling mill at Trentwood.
1952
The story goes that Floyd Paxton - in need of a sealing solution for bagged produce - invents the plastic bread clip by whittling it out of a credit card on a flight home from California. He starts Kwik Lok soon after. The company is still family-owned, with its flagship manufacturing facility in Yakima.
Decade Six: 1954-1963
1954
The first Dick’s Drive-In opens on 45th Street in Seattle's Wallingford district, founded by 29-year-old namesake Dick Spady and his partners. His granddaughter, Jasmine Donovan, runs the company today.
1955
Ed "Deke" Davis retires after 11 years leading the association. Davis was the first Managing Director of AWI following the 1944 merger of the Federated Industries of Washington and the Manufacturers' Association of Washington. During his tenure, the association more than doubled in members.
1961
George Propstra opens the first Burgerville USA in Vancouver. It has grown to 40 locations in Oregon and Southwest Washington.
1961
President John F. Kennedy visits Seattle for the first and only time. He spoke at the University of Washington's 100th Anniversary and made a brief unannounced visit to see the unfinished Space Needle.
1962
The Space Needle opens on April 21 as part of ceremonies kicking off the 1962 World's Fair in Seattle. It became the tallest building on the West Coast, eclipsing the 1914 Smith Tower on the opposite end of the city.
1963
Nordstrom, the largest independent shoe chain in the U.S., expands into the women's clothing market with the purchase of Seattle-based Best's Apparel. Nordstrom-Best adds men's and children's apparel three years later. They drop "Best" to return to their iconic single name in 1971.
Decade Seven: 1964-1973
1965
Battelle assumes management of the federal government's research laboratories at Hanford. More than 2,200 former General Electric employees joined Battelle, forming Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
1967
Boeing officially opens its 747 factory north of Paine Field in Everett. Over time, the facility grows to become the largest building in the world by volume, covering 98 acres and 472 million cubic feet of industrial space. More than 5,000 widebody aircraft have been built at the Everett factory since it opened.
1969
Two major milestones in one year:
The Association of Washington Industries moves into its new building at 1414 Cherry St SE in Olympia - where we still call home today.
We also make one final name change - to the Association of Washington Business - with a bold, mid-century mod, lowercase logo.
1969
The "moon buggy," built and tested in Kent by Boeing, was delivered just 17 months after NASA gave it the green light. The 480-pound Lunar Roving Vehicles were used on the Apollo 15, 16 and 17 missions, and the three rovers remain on the moon today.
1971
The first Starbucks opened in Seattle's Pike Place Market. The name was inspired by the classic tale “Moby-Dick” to evoke the seafaring tradition of the early coffee traders.
Decade Eight: 1974-1983
1974
Spokane becomes the smallest city in history to host a world's fair. Expo '74 has an environmental focus that helps lead to a transformation of the city's industrial riverfront and is a catalyst for sustainable growth in the region. Some 5.6 million people visited Spokane over six months.
1976
The first Washington Business Week program is held at Central Washington State College after AWB's board votes unanimously to help create and co-sponsor the event. The tagline was "Understanding Private Enterprise." High school juniors attended the one-week program in Ellensburg.
1979
"Micro-soft" lands in Washington, relocating from Albuquerque to its new home in Bellevue. Steve Ballmer joins the team in 1980, and a year later, Microsoft Corporation, Inc., instates Bill Gates as president and Paul Allen as VP.
1981
Nintendo of America relocates to the northwest from New York. The company rents warehouse space in Southcenter from a landlord named Mario Segale, who would be the inspiration for the hero of Donkey Kong and star of their iconic Super Mario Brothers franchise. NOA relocates to Redmond the next year.
1981
Entrepreneur Milt Kuolt and a group of venture capitalists found Horizon Air, with service between Yakima, Pasco, and Seattle. Alaska Air Group acquires Horizon in 1986. Horizon Air remains independently managed.
1983
The first Costco opens in south Seattle. The company's origins go back to a business-only model that operated out of an airport hangar in San Diego, but founders pivoted to create the now-famous membership-based wholesale model, and the rest is history.
Decade Nine: 1984-1993
1984
Edmund O. Schweitzer III starts Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) in the basement of his home in Pullman after the first sale of his microprocessor-based digital protective relay. SEL now employs more than 6,000 employee-owners at 100+ locations around the world to make electric power safer, more reliable, and more economical.
1984
Don Brunell joins AWB as its first vice president of government affairs. He becomes interim president in July 1988 and president a year later. Brunell served through 2013, and holds the distinction of being AWB's longest-running president.
1986
Independent record label Sub Pop is founded by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman. It is credited with popularizing the Northwest's grunge movement, signing bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney.
1987
Talking Rain was founded in Bellevue. In 1992 the company began production of its most popular product, Sparkling Ice.
1990
AWB holds its first annual Policy Summit at Semiahmoo Resort in Blaine. The three-day event was hailed as a "smashing success," featuring a golf tournament and a visit from Gov. Booth Gardner.
1992
Two years later, at the third Policy Summit, AWB hosts its first gubernatorial debate between Mike Lowry and Ken Eikenberry. Lowry would go on to win the state's top office, serving one term before being succeeded by Gary Locke.
The Pacific Northwest was the media darling of the late 80's and early 90's. Washington was the setting or shooting location of many movies and television shows during this time, including "Vision Quest," "Twin Peaks," "Say Anything," "Harry and the Hendersons," "Northern Exposure," "Singles," "Free Willy," "Benny and Joon," "Bill Nye the Science Guy," and of course, "Sleepless in Seattle."
Decade Ten: 1994-2003
1994
T-Mobile's evolution spans nearly the entire decade. VoiceStream Wireless PCS was established in 1994 as a subsidiary of Western Wireless Corporation before venturing out on its own and being bought by Deutsche Telekom in 2001. It was rebranded and relaunched as
T-Mobile on Sept. 4, 2002.
1994
Amazon was founded by young Princeton graduate Jeff Bezos from the garage of his rental home in Bellevue. The company was originally named “Cadabra” (as in abracadabra) but changed to Amazon within a few months, and officially opened for business as an online bookseller a year later.
1996
AWB launches the HealthChoice association health care plan to help small and mid-sized employers gain access to high-quality, affordable health care. Today, roughly 30,000 employees and family members rely on HealthChoice for their coverage.
1996
On Sept. 10, "AWB.org" is officially registered as a domain name on the world wide web, ushering AWB into the digital age with our first website.
1996
Expedia was founded as a division of Microsoft, and was spun off into a private company in 1999. The company adopted the name Expedia Group in 2018.
1999
The Washington Water Power Co. (founded in March of 1889 to develop the lower Spokane Falls) changes its name to the Avista Corporation. Today, Avista provides electricity and natural gas to over 780,000 customers in eastern Washington, Idaho and Oregon.
2002
In an effort to bring employees under one roof (from several outbuildings that existed in what is now the parking lot) and to make room for future growth, a north wing is added to AWB's original structure. The outbuildings are removed two years later.
2002
The first issue of Washington Business hits news stands in the spring. The cover story nods to the famous 1957 Ayn Rand philosophical fiction. Many of the articles inside tackle several of the same challenges employers still face today.
Decade Eleven: 2004-2013
2004
AWB celebrates a centennial of business advocacy in Washington state with the release a video looking back on its first 100 years.
Click on the GIF to take a look.
2004
Google opens its first engineering center in Washington state in Kirkland, becoming one of the first big Silicon Valley tech giants to establish an engineering center in the Seattle area.
2006
Real estate website Zillow.com goes live and has 25 million visitors in just over half a year. The innovative site was the idea of two former Microsoft employees, Richard Burton and Lloyd Fink. The name is a combination of their zillions of data points and finding the perfect place to lay your head on your pillow.
2006
AWB enters the blogosphere with the launch of Olympia Business Watch, a blog aimed at "reviewing the news and events shaping business and politics."
We make the move to Twitter and Facebook a few years later.
2007
DiscoverOrg is founded by Henry Schuck and Kirk Brown. They later acquired Vancouver's Zoom Information, now known as ZoomInfo. The firm provides data for companies and business individuals with a search-engine specializing in business information.
2008
Scott and Ally Svenson start MOD Pizza in Seattle, aiming to bring speed, individual style and value to a classic American favorite. They think employers can be a force for good in the lives of the people they employ and the communities they serve, with a focus on hiring individuals facing barriers.
2010
Kris Johnson is hired at AWB as executive vice president. Johnson came to AWB after leading the chamber of commerce in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Prior to that, Johnson was manager of public affairs at Greater Spokane Incorporated before heading up the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce. He is later named AWB president and CEO in 2014, taking over for longtime president Don Brunell after his retirement.
Decade Twelve: 2014-2024
2014
AWB forms the Grassroots Alliance, strengthening its connection with local chambers of commerce. Rich Hadley, who had recently retired as the leader of Greater Spokane Inc., crisscrossed the state to recruit members. Today, the alliance has grown to 110-plus members.
2014
AWB holds its first D.C. Fly-In, with an emphasis on support for the Export-Import Bank of the United States. The D.C. Fly-In becomes an annual event, bringing employers from Washington state to the nation's capitol to meet with members of Congress and other leaders each December.
2016
AWB is named Chamber of the Year by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, becoming the first state chamber of commerce to win the award.
2016
AWB holds the first Evening of Excellence awards gala at Benaroya Hall in Seattle to celebrate outstanding Washington employers.
2017
AWB expands its events calendar by holding a Rural Jobs Summit, Workforce Summit and Federal Affairs Summit.
2017
AWB rebrands with a new logo and look emphasizing its mission of being a catalytic leader and unifying voice for economic prosperity throughout Washington state.
2017
AWB embarks on the first Manufacturing Week bus tour, a cross-state celebration of Washington’s manufacturing sector. The tour has continued every year since, including the pandemic year of 2020 that featured outdoor livestreamed video interviews with manufacturing leaders.
2019
AWB’s first international trade mission takes members to Japan. Since then, AWB has led trade missions to the United Kingdom, Mexico and Canada.
The Covid Era
As the world shut down for the pandemic, AWB ramps up its efforts to advocate and support employers. Staff call every single AWB member to check in and connect them with resources. We host Gov. Jay Inslee for a webinar attended by thousands. Manufacturing Week crosses the state with special live broadcasts from cities like Vancouver, Walla Walla and Everett. The Grassroots Alliance helps distribute aid to chambers and small businesses. We recruit manufacturers to pivot to creating in-demand goods. The Rebound and Recovery website offers help to small businesses. And Capitol Focus is our socially-distanced solution to keep our members connected to Olympia.
2020
The AWB Institute relaunches as Washington in the Making in the midst of the pandemic. Front and center are the Vitals, a real-time dashboard showing both statewide and county-level data on how our communities are doing – what’s working and where we need to focus to improve.
2024
AWB reunites with the Washington Chamber of Commerce Executives when it reaches an agreement to provide management services for the organization, bringing WCCE back inside AWB after decades.
