Gov. Gregoire appoints senior adviser for business outreach

For Immediate Release: December 14, 2007

OLYMPIA � Gov. Chris Gregoire today appointed Bruce Beckett senior adviser for business outreach. He will advise her on statewide business issues, including aerospace.

�I am focused on making sure Washington is the top state in the country in which to do business. We�re well on our way to that goal, as confirmed by Forbes ranking us as the fifth best state for business,� Gov. Gregoire said. �I�m also committed to marshaling all our resources to keep the aerospace industry strong and vibrant in Washington.�

The governor said her appointment steps up to a call at the first ever Governor�s Aerospace Summit late last month for the appointment of a senior adviser to work with the aerospace supplier community throughout the state.

Beckett, a resident of Gig Harbor, in 2007 formed The Beckett Group, a public affairs consulting and lobbying business. Prior to that, he spent 16 years with Weyerhaeuser Co., leading its government affairs and Western Region public affairs teams.

He has also worked for the Northwest Forestry Association, Plum Creek Timber Co. and Georgia-Pacific Corp.

Beckett has held positions on the executive committee of the Association of Washington Business, the Washington Roundtable, TV Washington, the Washington Agriculture and Forestry Leadership Foundation, the Washington Forest Protection Association and the Seattle Chamber of Commerce.

He was the 2006 recipient of the Association of Washington Business� prestigious Ron Gjerde Award as the top government affairs professional in the business community.

Beckett holds a bachelor�s degree in forestry from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master�s degree in finance from the University of Puget Sound.

He begins his new job at the beginning of January.

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