Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers announced the appointment of Terry Ryan as Aerospace Economic Development Director for the county. This new position will allow Snohomish County to focus on retaining, attracting, and diversifying the aerospace sector. Terry will also be responsible for outreach on the new Master Plan update, engaging all tenants, community members, and other interested parties on matters related to aerospace. “With aerospace at Paine Field representing almost $60 billion in economic impact to Snohomish County, it is vital that we have someone who can focus 100% of their time and energy on this critical sector and will understand its needs,” said Executive Somers. “We must be aggressive when it comes to our largest economic engine, and we must look for continuing opportunities to strengthen and diversify our aerospace ecosystem, including a focus on suppliers, services, and manufacturers.”
“All my years of business experience building customer relationships and my tenure in elected leadership have prepared me for this. I am excited to take point on the aerospace sector,” said Ryan. “Paine Field and the businesses in our aerospace cluster are our economy’s crown jewels. I will be working hard to ensure we can globally compete for business. The start of commercial service last year only makes Paine Field that much more valuable as a place for aerospace businesses. We are going to support everyone, large or small, who makes Snohomish county such a great place to innovate and invest.” “We need our public partners to be forward-leaning in their support of the aerospace sector in Washington,” said Emily Wittman, President and CEO of the Aerospace Futures Alliance. “The appointment of an Aerospace Economic Development Director is a welcome resource in the county that gives our companies a single point of contact for continued partnership.”
“Aerospace is one of our county’s greatest strengths, and we are building a team in Snohomish County to ensure we are fully prepared to take advantage of every opportunity that comes our way across all of our sectors,” said Kendee Yamaguchi, Snohomish County Executive Director. “Terry will be part of our Snohomish County Dave Somers County Executive larger economic development team that is charged with keeping us competitive, identifying opportunities, supporting existing businesses, and being innovative about how to use the county’s most prized assets, including Paine Field Airport.” “Paine Field is the heart of the global aerospace industry, and we need to do all we can to sustain and expand our capabilities,” said Arif Ghouse, Director of Snohomish County’s Paine Field Airport. “Terry will be a much-needed addition to our staff, give us opportunities to support all of the airports tenants, and help us strategically prepare for the next generation of aerospace investments.”
