Governor Gregoire Addresses Washington Technology Summit

April 15, 2008

*As Written*

Thank you, Juli, (Wilkerson) for the kind introduction.

I�m pleased to be here this morning.

You know, my mother always told me � don�t be a braggart. But in one case, I haven�t followed her advice.

Everywhere I go -- in this country and overseas -- I brag about Washington�s place in the world of technology.

I talk about our incredible culture of innovation � the fact that innovation seems to be in the very DNA of Washingtonians.

Innovation as plain to see as the Boeing triple-sevens we all fly on�

�Or the array of goods we buy on-line at Amazon.

�Or even the cup of Starbucks coffee we sip in just about any city in the world.

So in a way, when I brag, I�m betting my reputation on you folks and Washingtonians just like you.

You have a heck of a legacy to carry forward, and I and the state of Washington and are counting on you. And if I�m going to boast, I don�t want to be accused of hyperbole.

But I think you�re a safe bet, and I don�t think I need to worry.

What I think is that our competitors need to worry.

Because everywhere I look, we are at the forefront of innovation � from clean energy technology to global health to advances in manufacturing and materials.

Your job is to keep moving forward, and our job in state government is to figure out the best ways to help, and then get out of the way.

Everyone in this room knows we have a technology economy in Washington.

From the software to run our personal computers to the materials to make the most advanced commercial aircraft in the world, to the knowledge that will allow the next generation of vehicles to plug into the electricity grid.

It�s all happening here in Washington. Why?

One reason is because our export-driven economy forces us to be fierce competitors in a global market. We not only accept globalization. We embrace it and make it work for us.

Another is because our world-class colleges and universities provide an educated and skilled workforce along with a healthy helping of cutting-edge research and development.

Yet another is our natural resources, which provide lower cost electricity and a beautiful environment that draws in businesses and workers who appreciate the wonders of our state.

Although our national economy is weakening, and some states are truly hurting, Washington is doing comparatively well.

We are not immune to changing fortunes, but we are in much better shape than most states. One measure of that is the fact that exports of Washington products have doubled since 2004 to $67 billion last year.

Another is a report issued last week by the American Electronics Association that says Washington's technology industry had created 162,800 jobs statewide by the start of 2007 alone.

Moreover, Washington employed more people in the software publishing business than any other state in the country, including California.

So, we are definitely at the top among high-technology states, and we intend to stay there.

I know the theme for this summit is �Washington Next.�

What a coincidence!

Because we have a business plan � something fairly unique among states � which we call �Next Washington.�

Within our plan, we�ve made strategic, conscious choices to exploit our build-in advantages as we nurture our technology sectors, including in global health and clean technology.

In 2005, we created the Life Sciences Discovery Fund to use a mix of tobacco-settlement and private money to help life-science research organizations flourish and to capitalize on their strengths.

It�s all about keeping Washington a leader in Global Health research, from medical technology breakthroughs to improved crop yields to feed a hungry world. We are already putting our strategy to work in the clinics and laboratories of Washington.

It is extremely gratifying to me that the private sector sees the value of the Discovery Fund, and stepped up with funding even before the first state dollars were available.

Right now, one project under way is a search for ways to reduce the scourge of diabetes, which causes so much suffering and takes so much of our health care dollars.

The Fund has already received research money from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Amgen, Group Health Cooperative, Microsoft, Regence BlueShield, and Safeco. That speaks volumes about the future and its mission.

At the same time we are taking steps to create the markets for technology breakthroughs that will deliver something we desperately need -- clean energy.

For example, we�re among the top five states in wind-power generation in the country, and we have a thriving new industry in Moses Lake making components for solar energy, and providing 350 jobs with more on the way.

I just signed landmark legislation to do no less than transform Washington into a state that addresses Climate Change and creates thousands of new Green Collar jobs at the same time.

Among elements of this bill is exploring a cap and trade system for carbon credits.

This isn�t some trendy dream. This is our future, or else we have no future, not just in Washington but throughout the world!

And we intend to get in on the ground floor and be a leader in developing the technology to reduce our reliance on foreign oil.

A big solar-power developer -- Ausra � is designing a way to power a giant steam generator at Hanford � left over from WPPSS � with solar energy generated by giant solar panels that rotate to follow the sun. If the technology works, that generator could become one of the largest electricity suppliers in Washington.

We already have the Energy Freedom Fund, which provides low-interest loans to develop alternative fuels such as converting waste generated in Washington to biodiesel.

Last week, I visited an early pioneer in this effort � Ted Durfey of Sunnyside, who is right now producing biodiesel from oilseed, and looking to do the same using waste. In the end, we are not about using food for fuel.

Ted�s $1 million facility got help from our Energy Freedom Fund and our Renewable Fuel Standard, which requires an increasing amount of diesel be mixed with biodiesel.

What do I expect from all this? Twelve years from now, I expect this state to have created at least 25,000 green-collar jobs.

And we�re already on our way. Right here in Seattle, there�s a company called V-2-Green, which is well into the development of technology that will allow hybrid-electric vehicles to plug directly into the grid to power up their cars. That�s incredibly exciting.

The jobs like those at V-2-Greenhose jobs will be filled by Washingtonians, who will have the skills to do the work.

And they�ll have those skills because we are planting the seeds of high-tech innovation right now. We�re investing wisely in a world-class, seamless, -learner focused education system from pre-school through graduate studies.

We have created and invested in programs to so kids are kids ready to learn the day they walk into a first-grade classroom.

We have invested in more math and science instruction in our schools, and lest we forget the importance of skilled trades, we have nearly doubled trade apprenticeships in the last three years.

And we have increased the number of enrollments available in our two and four year colleges, and provided more financial aid.

In my travels in this country and abroad, Washington is regarded as a state that is definitely �open for business.�

And believe me, it is being noticed.

Forbes and Fortune magazines have named us among the top five states to do business, and Forbes also named us among the three greenest states in the country.

I love that! Forbes finds that we value a being a great place to do business and also value a cleaner environment and quality of life.

You see? These do not have to be diametrically opposed values!

It�s also being noticed that we value having a state government that works. The prestigious Pew Research Center recently completed a study that found us tied for first place with two other states for being the best-managed state in the country.

So I�ll keep bragging Washington, and about all of you -- your culture of innovation -- and your commitment to creating a Washington where families can thrive.

As for me, I�ll keep working to keep our state a place where our high technology economy can continue to grow. I�ll keep working across the aisle, across the state, and across the ocean.

Thank You