I said it last week at the Business Growth Awards and I’m going to say it again – celebrating the hard work and impact of all of you out there in the business community is a great honor. And – who are we kidding? – it’s really fun.
For those who made it out to the awards dinner, thanks – it was great to meet many of you and say hello. And for those you who didn’t, you missed a great time!
In thinking about the awards and what they stand for, I’ve gone back to the words of our event keynote speaker, Egils Milbergs, the director Washington State Economic Development Commission.
“What got us here isn’t necessarily what will get us there,” he said.
I’m sure you all know with your own businesses that adaptability is the name of the game. The survivors are the ones who adapt. With an ever-changing definition of the boundaries of our marketplace, creating the same product or service the same way forever is not an option.
Complacency will kill us, and it’s innovation, Milbergs said, that will secure our place at the top. Spending some time with Milbergs changed my thinking of about what innovation means. (I also learned his favorite factory tour is of the Crayola crayon factory. Mine is the Jelly Belly factory in Fairfield, Calif., if you were wondering.)
Innovation isn’t an end product – a cool new gadget – it’s the process of how we create new products and services.
“The next economy isn’t about doing more of the same,” Milbergs said. “It’s about doing something new.”
And in turn, he added, to stay competitive globally, making incremental changes in our businesses isn’t going to cut it. We’ve got to be radical.
As far as overseas competition, Milbergs said he doesn’t worry too much about other countries climbing the ladder. But, he cautioned, we have to define the next higher rung for ourselves and take our assets to the next level.
Looking at our BGA winners and finalists, it’s clear innovation is taking place in Southwest Washington.
Most represent sectors across the board and have different missions, but they are all expanding, both in profits and geographically. All of the manufacturers have gone global, and most of the other finalists are expanding across Southwest Washington if not the nation.
They are not merely surviving, but thriving.
Attending the BGAs was Milbergs’ first visit to the region in his new post, and he took the opportunity to meet with some of our local innovators, including the Southwest Washington Executive Manufacturers Forum, Columbia Credit Union, Columbia Machine and Burgerville – winner of our Innovator of the Year award.
(Sadly, he didn’t have a burger.)
So, on behalf of the VBJ staff, I’d like to congratulate all of our BGA winners and finalists – you are making Southwest Washington an exciting place to live and cover.
