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Economic Development Council reports 90 business outreach visits; warns state ADO funding at risk
Summary
At a quarterly briefing, the Mason County Economic Development Council reported 90 business-retention outreaches year to date, described training and site-selection activity, and urged county support as state ADO funding faces proposed cuts.
Kevin Chudy, representing the Mason County Economic Development Council, briefed the Board of County Commissioners on the EDC’s quarterly work, saying the office has completed 90 business retention-and-expansion (BRE) outreaches so far this year.
Chudy told commissioners the EDC is back to regular in-person visits and is tracking program metrics to justify state ADO funding. He said the EDC has offered scholarships for small-business training, noting three businesses completed a winter session of the Scale Up program and 13 businesses and entrepreneurs completed the Business Enterprise Start-up Training (BEST) program with scholarship support from the county and partners.
The EDC also reported three site‑selection inquiries submitted through the Washington State Department of Commerce and said those leads remain confidential while they move through the state process. Chudy said the EDC is collaborating with Pac Mountain Workforce Development — he was recently elected chair of that board for the 2026–27 year — and is partnering on workforce initiatives including the “Opportunity Starts Here” campaign and national conferences to attract training resources to the region.
Chudy warned commissioners that the governor had proposed deep cuts to the state ADO program — a roughly 50% reduction in the administration’s proposal — and asked the county to support efforts to hold ADO funding at 2023 levels. He outlined the EDC’s plan to implement a project-scoring process for the Statewide Economic Development Strategy (SEDS) list to prioritize projects that improve site readiness and could be used on the county’s legislative agenda.
The EDC said ARPA funds supported a cluster study that will be presented to the commission on May 12 and that staff will continue to submit comments on the county comprehensive plan, especially the housing, economic development and climate-change elements.
Chudy asked for commissioners’ help signing in or testifying on legislative items when appropriate and said state budget negotiations might trigger a special session. He said the EDC will provide email updates to the commission as the funding situation evolves.
Chudy concluded by thanking commissioners and offering to return for follow-up questions at the commission’s request.
