A Positive Outlook for Pierce County

Last Thursday, May 4th, over 300 members of our business community gathered to participate in our first-ever Pierce County Outlook luncheon and expo. This event brought together local leaders from all parts of our region's business ecosystem— from our county executive to local entrepreneurs— to discuss and engage with some of the most pressing issues Pierce County businesses face. 

The morning kicked off with Pierce County Executive Bruce Dammeier giving his expert insights into where Pierce County is headed in the near future. He covered topics including construction, interest rates, and investment in our region. His personal outlook was one of optimism and opportunity for Pierce County. 

Local journalist Angela Poe Russell delivered the keynote address which was sure to inspire everyone in the room with a reminder of what makes the South Sound so incredible. Aaron Deer, chief financial officer for Columbia Bank, discussed the future of banking in the South Sound and helped put national banking issues and trends in perspective at a local level.

Two panel discussions rounded out the afternoon and touched on topics at the top of the mind of many business leaders in our region. The Future of the South Sound panel covered issues that everyone who lives, works, and does business in Pierce County cares about. This included housing and homelessness, workforce development, economic development, and public safety. The South Sound Business Issues panel featured local business owners and entrepreneurs sharing their challenges, solutions, and lessons learned regarding many prevalent issues including cybersecurity, small business, eCommerce, marketing, and coworking. 

Attendees also had the chance to network and explore expo tables from businesses in our community.

Thank you to everyone who attended, participated in, and helped sponsor this amazing event. Please share your feedback and suggestions for future Pierce County Outlook events through this attendee survey!