Tri-Cities Local Business Association: New opportunities and collaborations
The strength of our local economy is underpinned by Hanford cleanup, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and agriculture, as well as wine, tourism, energy and education. Tri-Cities Local Business Association (TCLBA) member companies also are proud contributors to the jobs, diversification and business growth that drive our economy.
The TCLBA is a nonprofit association serving local businesses and organized labor. We provide a forum for members to share information, form partnerships and grow networks. Our members are loyal and committed to the Tri-Cities, as demonstrated by their participation and leadership in community initiatives that improve education, create jobs and enhance our quality of life.
Our members have deep Hanford roots and are dedicated contributors to Hanford cleanup. They know our community has much to gain from a cleaner, smaller site, greater access to the Columbia River, and land areas repurposed for economic development.
Federal spending for the cleanup has been a significant economic boon to the Tri-Cities. Knowing that spending will diminish as cleanup progresses drives our members to leverage their Hanford experience in developing markets beyond Hanford.
Although Hanford is not a source for sustainable growth, it gives local businesses opportunities to form and grow, which then supports our community’s economic growth.
During 2016, the Department of Energy is fashioning an acquisition strategy that will award new prime contracts for Hanford cleanup. Under the strategy, tens of billions of dollars will be spent over the next decade. DOE has invited the community and others to provide input for the procurement strategy. It’s a unique opportunity to further strengthen the health and diversity of local businesses and, by extension, our community, while improving the efficiency, time and cost of cleanup.
The TCLBA applauds the prime contractors for subcontracting work to local businesses. Many lessons learned from that experience can be applied to the new contract strategy.
Thus, in 2015, TCLBA has worked extensively with elected officials, TRIDEC, the Energy Communities Alliance and the Energy Facilities Contractors Operating Group to propose ideas to DOE for win-win contracting provisions. Together, we are offering suggestions that can advance our collective goals for a clean environment, healthy economy, safe working conditions and good return on taxpayer funds
During 2016, TCLBA will focus further on a refreshed vision for sustainable, diversified economic growth throughout the Mid-Columbia region with a simple mission to help our members grow and diversify.
We will facilitate productive collaborations among our elected officials, regional economic groups, labor, the Hanford prime contractors, interested non-Hanford businesses and DOE in exploring possibilities. Success will be represented by reduced cleanup time and cost.
It will be evident in the progression toward a more diverse and independent local economy with new markets open to us and new partners.
We live here. Our families and neighbors face the hazards of working out in “the Area.” We have more to gain by completing the cleanup, and more to lose if there is an incident, than do Washington, D.C., Olympia, and out-of-town interest groups. We are compelled to see our local economy accelerate even as the federal cleanup presence winds down.
TCLBA appreciates and encourages DOE’s and the prime contractors’ continued efforts to contract more substantial scopes of work to local businesses.
We are committed to helping meet the challenges of tight budgets and extremely difficult technological issues. By promoting a stronger community voice, we are working to empower all of us to achieve our goals for Hanford cleanup, business growth and a vital economy. Go to www.tricitieslba.com.
This story was originally published March 22, 2016 at 10:33 PM with the headline "Tri-Cities Local Business Association: New opportunities and collaborations."