Friday, April 6, 2012

A Tale of Two Economies: Finding the New Normal

Town Hall | 1119 8th Avenue, Seattle
Registration: 11:30-noon
Luncheon & Program: noon - 1:30pm

Featuring:
Samuel Anderson, Executive Officer, Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties
Anne Keeney, Executive Director, Seattle Jobs Initiative
Rogers Weed, Director, Washington State Department of Commerce
Roy Whitehead, President and CEO, Washington Federal Bank and United Way of King County Campaign Chair
Lee Rhodes, Cancer Survivor and Founder, Glassybaby

As the economy continues to struggle, we are beginning to ask: What is the "new normal" we can expect and what are the implications for our region's jobs, social services and economic development? After multiple years of incremental, and often painful cutbacks, governments, businesses, nonprofits and individuals are now changing the way they operate in order to succeed. Some sectors such as aerospace and software are hiring and expanding while others, including construction and social services, continue to shed jobs to balance their budgets. Why are businesses in the same community experiencing such starkly different realities? What is the role for corporate citizenship, and how can taking that role seriously help the bottom line? How can individuals experiencing chronic unemployment and underemployment stay afloat while retraining for a new workforce? Is part of the new normal creating a new path to and definition of success? Bring your own questions and join us for this timely conversation.