SEATTLE— Business and government leaders announced today they have joined together to create a unified economic strategy for Puget Sound with the goal to create 100,000 new jobs for the region.

The Prosperity Partnership represents the first time that community leaders from throughout the central Puget Sound counties have agreed to collaborate on a unified economic agenda for the region. Instead of individual communities competing with one another for economic activity, the Prosperity Partnership will pursue a single agenda for the benefit of the entire metropolitan region.

"We are one region and we need one economic agenda. The Prosperity Partnership allows us to leverage all our strengths for the benefit of the entire region," said Pierce County Executive John Ladenburg.

Business and Government Leaders Spearhead Effort The Puget Sound Regional Council initiated this four-county initiative in collaboration with the economic development councils of King, Pierce, Snohomish and Kitsap counties and the Washington State Department of Community, Trade, and Economic Development.

Co-chairs of the Prosperity Partnership are Mark Emmert, President, University of Washington; John Ladenburg, Pierce County Executive; Tomio Moriguchi, Chairman and Chief Executive, Uwajimaya; Alan Mulally, President, Boeing Commercial Airplane Company; Rita Ryder, President, YWCA; and Bradford L. Smith, Senior Vice-President, Microsoft Corporation.

Mobilizing the Region to Take Action
"The Prosperity Partnership is focused on preparing our region for the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead," said Microsoft Senior Vice President Bradford L. Smith. "The outcome should be a comprehensive strategy to make the appropriate changes and investments to ensure that the Puget Sound region is one of the most competitive in the nation and in the world."

The Prosperity Partnership's first step is to develop an economic strategy and set goals for the entire Puget Sound region.

Once the agenda is set, the Prosperity Partnership's focus will be on implementation - securing ongoing public and private investment, advocating for public policy changes and marketing the region both domestically and internationally.

"Using the agenda and our regional clout, we'll build bridges across the community that will help us make great progress together," said Rita Ryder, President of YWCA.

Regional Economic Summit Scheduled
Hundreds of leaders from the public, private and non-profit sectors are coming together on November 19, 2004 at a Regional Economic Summit.

The Summit is the centerpiece for building the economic agenda. It will engage the region's economic leadership in tackling the primary economic challenge we face - adapting to the changing global economy and creating jobs for the Puget Sound region.

PSRC develops policies and coordinates decisions about regional growth and transportation planning in King, Pierce, Snohomish and Kitsap counties. The Council is composed of over 80 county, city, port, transit, tribal and state agencies serving the region. It distributes about $160 million in federal transportation funds each year. PSRC sets priorities and evaluates the most efficient ways to target those funds to support state and local transportation and growth management plans.