Hello Grays Harbor Community Members,
I hope everyone had a safe and happy Halloween and are looking forward to the holidays that will soon be upon us. As you start to prepare for the holidays, please remember to “Shop the Harbor First.” We have recently published our 2025 Unique Holiday Shopping Guide that will hopefully provide you with new ideas on where to shop this season.
We continue to be busy this time of year as we start to prepare for the next legislative session in Olympia. Our Board of Directors and myself are setting our legislative agenda for 2025 that will advocate for our businesses and local government partners to help make it easier to do business, and to complete projects in Grays Harbor. We will also be supporting infrastructure projects that will benefit all of Grays Harbor.
Some of you may have received an email or phone call from our Recompete Pilot Program Coordinator, asking for your input on questions that you feel are barriers to why people in the prime working age of 25-54 are not working in Grays Harbor. The Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program aims to alleviate persistent economic distress and support long-term, comprehensive economic development and job creation in places with a high prime-age (25 to 54 years) employment gap. The program uses prime-age employment gap (PAEG) as an indicator of economic distress because it accounts for prime-age workers who have stopped looking for jobs and left the labor force, as well as those who are currently looking for jobs and are unemployed.
If you have any input you would like to share on this matter as a business owner, or from someone who has faced barriers to employment in Grays Harbor, please feel free to reach out to our staff at GGHI. We would be happy to hear your story and to be able to help seek solutions to any barriers for employment.
Upcoming Events:
We will be hosting a Business Forum Lunch on November 19th at the Log Pavilion, where attendees will have a chance to meet our incoming 2025 Grays Harbor County Commissioners. Registration for this event is now open and can be completed through this link. If you miss the deadline to purchase your ticket, please call our office at (360) 532-7888.
Other Happenings:
I will be attending a two-day event with our local government officials at Grays Harbor College where we will have a chance to present to the Washington State Transportation Commission. We will have several panels presenting to discuss our transportation needs, infrastructure projects, as well as how they affect our local economy, and economic development.
Warm Regards,
Darrin C. Raines
Chief Executive Officer
Greater Grays Harbor, Inc.
Greater Grays Harbor, Inc. Contact Information
Darrin Raines, CEO
Phone : 360-532-7888, Email : draines@graysharbor.org
Candie Gleason, CFO
Phone: 360-532-7888, Email: cgleason@graysharbor.org
Kelsey Williams, Marketing Director
Phone: 360-532-7888, Email: knorvell@graysharbor.org
Loretta Thomas, Director of Business Development
Phone: 360-532-7888, Email: lthomas@graysharbor.org
Stephanie Conway, Director of Member Services
Phone 360-532-7888, Email: sconway@graysharbor.org