Over the past month, your local government affairs team has had productive meetings with the new Director of the Snohomish County Health Department and Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers and his team. We are working to build strong relationships to better serve our members in Snohomish County. We want to continue this outreach by meeting with other elected officials in the county soon. Below are a few things we learned that we thought would be of interest to you:

First, Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers announced that the county is launching the Small Business Innovation Assistance (SBIA) program. SBIA will provide a full toolkit of technical assistance coupled with microgrants to help Snohomish County-based small businesses recover from the pandemic’s effects and incentivize new, innovative ideas from start-ups and entrepreneurs. The county’s federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allocation funds the program.

Second, Refugee and Immigrant Services Northwest (RISNW), along with Snohomish County, is working tirelessly to ensure that individuals arriving in Snohomish County from Afghanistan and Ukraine have the supportive services they need to adjust to their new lives and thrive in the county. One key component to setting these new residents up for success is ensuring that able people who want to work are prepared to do so once they receive work authorization. RISNW has several clients eager to secure employment and would be happy to learn about any opportunities our members would have. If you are interested in posting your open positions with this organization please contact us today. Email .

We will continue to pass along information that might help your business thrive in Snohomish County as we continue our work.