The long-vacant Sears building in Lacey has a new owner and a future tenant, J&I Power Equipment co-owner Greg Longnecker told The Olympian this week. The Longnecker family, which operates a store on Pacific Avenue Southeast in Olympia and in Yelm, acquired the property at the end of January and expects to move the Olympia…

The Washington State Department of Commerce has launched the first of five planned small business loan and investment programs aimed at increasing access to capital for small businesses in Washington state, particularly those that have been historically underserved or underbanked. A total of $163 million in funding comes from the U.S. Treasury’s State Small Business…

Chmura Analytics examined data and reported on the general health of city and metropolitan area from an economic perspective. They crunched the numbers and compiled the data shared in the accompanying report and charts.  The report and charts shown that Lacey-Olympia-Tumwater MSA is ranked #2 nationally and perceived to be very healthy and have long-term…

Given the rapid changes to consumer demand, interest rates and inflation that the nation has experienced over the last two years, we continue to be impressed with the resiliency shown by our local economy in adapting to those changes. Thurston County continues to benefit from a diversified private sector employment base and a foundational public…

On July 26, the Thurston Economic Development Council (EDC) held an old-fashioned BBQ & Hootenanny! That’s right – delicious food, drinks, hay bales, a Cornhole Tournament, Bluegrass music from Runaway Train, and hippity-hop races featuring local celebrities. They also gave out awards to organizations that have shown ‘Economic Courage’ including fortitude, perseverance and success in…

On July 8, the Lacey South Sound Chamber hosts this year’s South Sound BBQ Festival and there’s still plenty of time to sign up as participant or vendor. Read More

South Lacey residents are in a great location with many options. They can be in rural southern Thurston County in minutes, be fishing on a lake in half an hour or easily hop on the train to shop in Portland for the day. Read More

Are you an emerging filmmaker looking to fund your next project?  The Washington Filmworks are investing in the future of local visionaries with a new grant for projects with budgets between $20K-1M. This program is designed to support emerging Washington filmmakers with early stage funding commitments and funding assistance. Most types of motion picture content…