News Releases
Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - August 3, 2001
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Washington ranked No. 3 in nation as entrepreneur-friendly state

OLYMPIA — A report issued by the Small Business Survival Committee (SBSC) this week ranked Washington as one of the most entrepreneur-friendly states in the country.

“I am proud that Washington state ranked third in the nation for small businesses and entrepreneurs,” Gov. Gary Locke said. “The ranking demonstrates that our policy initiatives to create a more business-friendly environment in our state are paying off.”

The study, “The Small Business Survival Guide 2001,” ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia using 17 “government-imposed or government-related costs impacting small business and entrepreneurs.” Some of these measures included:

  • Personal income, capital gains, corporate, property and sales taxes
  • Electricity costs
  • Crime rates
  • State minimum wages

These and other measures were combined into one index. Washington state scored 32.010, or third behind only Nevada and South Dakota. In the SBSC 2000 report, Washington state ranked seventh.

“We must continue to strive to make Washington the national leader in business development and entrepreneurship,” the governor said. “This is one reason I created the Washington Competitiveness Council.”

Bringing together business and government leaders to focus on an action agenda over the next five months, the Washington Competitiveness Council will:

  • Address business needs with an action agenda, using the October 2000 report from the Alliance for a Competitive Economy as a starting point
  • Improve the public’s understanding of the importance of business competitiveness to the future of Washington’s economy
  • Engage the business community in advancing a competitiveness agenda
  • Strengthen state and local governments’ ability to respond to business community suggestions and to operate with a customer-service orientation

Martha Choe, director of the state Office of Trade and Economic Development, said of the report’s findings, “Small business owners and entrepreneurs benefit from Washington's highly skilled workforce, a high quality of life, strong community commitment, cultural diversity and numerous other amenities. Washington is a profitable place to do business and a great place to live.”

For more information about the study, please visit the SBSC website at www.sbsc.org/.

Related Links:
- Small Business Survival Committee
- Washington State Office of Trade and Economic Development
- Locke launches Washington Competitiveness Council


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