Greetings Community Members, 

I hope everyone is doing well and has had a great summer. Except for GHC, all our schools are back from the summer break, and I wish all students and educators in Grays Harbor a great school year, filled with many great memories.  

Fall is a busy time at Greater Grays Harbor Inc., as we finish our summer events, and prepare for our annual Showcase Grays Harbor Tour on Friday September 19th in the Ocean Shores and North Beach areas. This is always an exciting event where we get to show off some of the beautiful places and happenings within Grays Harbor County.  

What We Have Been Up To: 

On August 27th, I participated in the Grays Harbor County Housing Forum at Grays Harbor College that was organized by Grays Harbor County Public Health and County Commissioner Georgia Miller. There were over fifty attendees at this event from a few cities, county staff, GGHI, state agencies, as well as some of our partners more involved in housing such as NeighborWorks Grays Harbor, Arc of Grays Harbor, Coastal Community Action Program, and Housing Authority of Grays Harbor.  

Some of the topics we discussed were the several types of housing needs in Grays Harbor, including homeless, work force, multi family, and student housing. Other topics were the need for new housing developments across the county to help attract medical professionals to our hospitals. Each panelist brought forward from their position what they have seen as barriers to new housing being built. There is the need to look at permitting, zoning, and building codes that could potentially allow for an increase in housing densities in areas that are better suited for this type of development. 

Future discussions are being planned, and we at GGHI look forward to being a part of this discussion and feel together with all the attendees we can make a difference. 

Grays Harbor County Unemployment Statistics: 

Every month going forward, I will highlight a current as possible economic indicator for Grays Harbor County. Last month I included housing statistics, and will continue to include that topic quarterly, as will I include unemployment and CPI/Inflation rates on a rotating basis. This month we have unemployment.  

Labor Force and Unemployment:

  • The not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.7% in July 2025, up from 4.7% in the previous month and down from 6.0% in July 2024. 
  • The total civilian labor force was 28,571 in July 2025, down from 30,083 in July 2024. 
  • There were 1,630 unemployed people in July 2025, 177 fewer than in July 2024. 

Unemployment Rate Not Seasonally Adjusted:

Upcoming Events: 

The 2025 Showcase Grays Harbor will be held this Friday Sep 19, 2025. This year’s tour will occur in the North Beach area, including Oyhut, Coastal Interpretive Center in Ocean Shores, Seabrook, and Lytle’s Seafood. We can’t wait to highlight the beautiful North Beach area and celebrate business and industry in the area with roughly 100 guests signed up to attend. 

On Tuesday September 23rd, we will be hosting our next Business Forum Lunch Improving the Health & Well-Being of Grays Harbor, where we will be hearing from Dr. Mike McNickle from Grays Harbor County Public Health to discuss some of the things his department is currently working on including the Recompete Study in partnership with Greater Grays Harbor Inc. We will also hear from District 1 County Commissioner Georgia Miller who will discuss Recompete, the recently completed Housing Forum, and County Administer Sam Kim will introduce our new Chief Operating Officer at Grays Harbor County, Thomas O’Connor. 

We’re excited to be visiting GGHI Leader’s Circle Member, Summit Pacific on Tuesday, October 21st for Business After Hours. There will be snacks, beverages, fantastic networking opportunities and much more fun, all while recognizing Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We hope you’ll join us!

We also have a series of GGHI Member Ribbon Cuttings coming up including one at Elma’s Anytime Fitness Grand Re-Opening on September 17th and the City of Elma’s Community Safety & Service Building Grand Opening on October 1st.

Other events we have coming up can be found on our regularly updated Events Calendar. 

Warmest Regards,

Darrin Raines

GGHI 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