Economic development news from Spokane covering the past several months includes -

Greater Spokane Incorporated has hired Dawn Picken as the Director of Marketing and Communication effective January 2, 2008.  Picken brings fourteen years of media experience to Greater Spokane Incorporated. For the last eight years, she was a Morning Anchor and Consumer Reporter for KREM-TV in Spokane. She has covered issues of every type through reporting, interviewing, writing, editing and on-camera presentation. Prior to that, she was a freelance news anchor for Northwest Cable News, an anchor and reporter for WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and a news reporter for WICS-TV in Springfield, Illinois. Picken has been active in the community with Eastern Washington University, St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral, March of Dimes and Catholic Charities.

American Family Insurance announced in early December 2007 that it has opened operations in the City of Spokane Valley offering auto, home and life insurance products. The rapidly expanding company looked for locations in the Inland Northwest and chose Spokane Valley to expand its market share. The company currently employs 18 and anticipates growth up to 70 employees in the future, with additional offices located in Spokane on the North and South-sides of the city.

Spokane was selected in November 2007 to participate in When Work Works, a nation-wide initiative on effective and flexible workplaces that is designed to share research and best practices on what makes work “work” in the 21st Century. When Work Works is an ongoing program led by the Families and Work Institute, the Institute for a Competitive Workforce, an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the Twiga Foundation.  Spokane is one of 30 communities selected from across the nation for special targeted efforts to share research and practical guidance on workplace flexibility as a critical ingredient of an effective workplace. Being selected as a When Work Works community is an honor and presents an excellent opportunity to educate Spokane area businesses on the benefits of offering flexible work options while working to attract and retain talented individuals to the region.

Governor Chris Gregoire announced in October 2007 that the Spokane University District has received one of eleven Washington State Innovation Partnership Zone designations. The state’s Innovation Partnership Zone legislation, passed in 2007 (SHB 1091), was designed to promote and develop regional economies that bring together research, higher education, workforce development, innovation and economic activity to capitalize on the catalytic opportunities available when communities are nurturing all of these elements.

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