Greetings Community Members,
I hope everyone is doing well and are ready for Spring. This is always an exciting time of year in Grays Harbor when the weather is more cooperative to get out and enjoy youth sports or other activities. There are a lot of great events going on throughout the County, and many can be found on our website events calendar at Event Calendar | Greater Grays Harbor, Inc. This robust events calendar is our most viewed page on our website year after year and is managed by the GGHI staff to feature both tourism and business-focused happenings. Please look at the calendar and give one of these local events a try, you may just discover something you really like.
What We Have Been Up To:
This is a busy time at GGHI as we are preparing for our 2026 Leader’s Banquet & Business Recognition Awards Ceremony at the Quinault Beach Resort and Casino on Friday May 15th. This event sells out quickly, so get your tickets or reserve a full table with eight seats! Learn more here.
The 2026 Legislative Session just wrapped up earlier this month. This year’s session was a short 60-day session that was difficult to say the least, with many programs facing budget cuts and new taxes. However, there were some small wins for GGHI such the passage of HB 2426 that we promoted that can help speed up the process for permit appeals. Is this the best solution for permit reform? We hope it is just the start of speeding up the permit process for large construction, development, and commercial development when engineering, codes and environmental regulations are being met or exceeded.
If you would like to hear more about the 2026 Legislative Session, we will be holding our 2026 Legislative Wrap up on Tuesday May 26th at the Aberdeen Rotary Log Pavilion where our Representatives and Senators from the 19th and 24th Districts will discuss the challenges they faced during the session. Get your tickets early for this event, as this is one always sell out quickly.
On February 19th, we had the honor of presenting the 2025 – Q4 GGHI Member of the Quarter to Quinault Nation Enterprises (QNE) in Taholah. Upon winning Member of the Quarter, this qualifies QNE for the GGHI 2025 Member of the Year Award along with Q1 winner Grocery Outlet in Elma, Q2 winner Jodesha Broadcasting, and Q3 winner Grays Harbor Stamp Works. The 2025 Member of the Year will be announced at the 2026 Leaders Banquet & Business Awards Ceremony.
GGHI Membership Opportunities:
Are you interested in becoming a member of Greater Grays Harbor Inc., but are not a business? Well, we are now providing a new opportunity for Individual Memberships for $150 per year. This membership is for individuals, not businesses, and provides an individual with the opportunity to attend our GGHI events at reduced prices.
Other Upcoming GGHI Events:
Lunch With the Mayors: Tuesday, March 24th, Rotary Log Pavillion 11am – 1pm. SOLD OUT!
New GGHI Member Ribbon Cutting for Timber and Targets: Thursday, April 9th at 4pm
GGHI Member Ribbon Cutting for Ristow’s Pet Grooming: Date and Time TBD.
Oyhut Bay Seaside Resort Business After Hours: Tuesday, April 14th from 5:30pm – 7pm.
Business Forum Lunch – Leadership Grays Harbor Graduation & Other Topic – TBD: Tuesday, April 28th, 11:30am – 1pm
Kindest Regards,
Darrin Raines
Greater Grays Harbor, Inc. Staff Contact Information:
Darrin C. Raines, CEO
Phone : 360-532-7888, Email: draines@graysharbor.org
Candie Gleason, CFO
Phone: 360-532-7888, Email: candie@graysharbor.org
Kelsey Norvell-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