Greater Seattle Partners Announces Departure of CEO Brian McGowan and Appoints Chris Mefford as Interim CEO

Greater Seattle Partners Announces Departure of CEO Brian McGowan and Appoints Chris Mefford as Interim CEO

Board of Directors taps economic development expert as interim CEO and conducts national search for permanent replacement. Seattle, Wash. (May 20, 2021) – Greater Seattle Partners (GSP) today announced its chief executive officer Brian McGowan will leave the organization to pursue a new opportunity. Chris Mefford, president and chief executive officer of Community Attributes Inc (CAI)…

Greater Seattle Partners Announces New Leadership Team for Business Attraction and Global Trade and Investment

Greater Seattle Partners Announces New Leadership Team for Business Attraction and Global Trade and Investment

Seasoned economic development veterans bring greater Seattle region extensive domestic and international experience working in California, Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas and Washington. Seattle, Wash. (May 12, 2021) – Greater Seattle Partners (GSP) board of directors today announced two new senior hires and a promotion to drive economic development strategies for the region. Josh Davis will become…

Taiwan MOU Signing

Taiwan MOU Signing

It was an honor to sign an MOU with the Importers and Exporters Association of Taipei (IEAT) at the TECO office in downtown Seattle on Thursday, May 6th. Led by our CEO, Brian McGowan, we reaffirmed our commitment to deepening economic ties between our respective organizations. Taiwan is one of our top investment and trade…

Greater Seattle Partners Appoints Global Trade Expert to Lead Operations and Strategy

Greater Seattle Partners Appoints Global Trade Expert to Lead Operations and Strategy

Seattle, Wash. (March 15, 2021) – Greater Seattle Partners (GSP) board of directors today announced that former director of the World Trade Center Seattle, Emily Cantrell, will succeed Samantha Gotkin as the vice president of operations and strategy for GSP. Gotkin will return to her consultancy role with GSP as she pursues additional opportunities for…

Our Close Connections with Taiwan

Our Close Connections with Taiwan

Greater Seattle Partners recently received a goodwill package of 5,000 made-in-Taiwan surgical masks from the Importers and Exporters Association of Taipei with assistance from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Seattle. This gift demonstrates the goodwill efforts between our two associations to grow both of our country’s economies as well as a shared…

Seattle #1 in the Nation for Job Opportunity

Seattle #1 in the Nation for Job Opportunity

According to a recent study by LinkedIn that analyzed average volume of job postings on LinkedIn – and the number of people in each area getting hired – Seattle topped the list of 182 U.S. metro areas for 2020. Clearly, the pioneering spirit lives here! Excerpt from the article: For top-ranked Seattle, being Amazon’s home town means…

Seattle Metro Area Becomes 10th Largest Regional Economy in the Nation

Seattle Metro Area Becomes 10th Largest Regional Economy in the Nation

Seattle, Wash. (January 13, 2021) – Greater Seattle Partners (GSP) today announced that the Seattle metro area economy has become the 10th largest regional economy in the country, surpassing the Atlanta metro area in its first jump in this ranking since 2012. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the region grew to nearly $383 billion in…

CEO Brian McGowan Named 1 of 12 Seattle Business Leaders to Watch in 2021

CEO Brian McGowan Named 1 of 12 Seattle Business Leaders to Watch in 2021

Seattle Business Magazine just released their list of “12 Seattle Business Leaders to Watch in ’21,” and Greater Seattle Partners’ CEO, Brian McGowan is featured as a leader who is “moving the economy forward and laying the groundwork for recovery after the pandemic passes.” Excerpt from the article: Like all of us, Brian McGowan spends…

John Hope Bryant: Puget Sound Economic Summit

John Hope Bryant: Puget Sound Economic Summit

It was an honor to participate in the World Trade Center Seattle annual Puget Sound Economic Summit focused on equity and inclusion in the economy. Our CEO, Brian McGowan participated in a panel discussion titled, “Moving Us Forward Together” where he detailed our ongoing regional economic recovery work that is being shaped by both public…

Building a Strong Economy with Public-Private Collaboration

Building a Strong Economy with Public-Private Collaboration

Greater Seattle Partners CEO Brian McGowan talks with Revolve about our economic development plans and the importance of cross-sector, public-private collaboration in building a strong economy. Since inception, our mission has been to drive investment into the region and its industries to create and sustain opportunity and prosperity for all. But now more than ever…