Starting with fur trading in 1791, the Greater Seattle region has done business with Japan for more than 200 years. And the area continues to offer partnership opportunities to Japanese companies.
While Mitsubishi capitalized on the region’s aerospace expertise to test its jets, Sumitomo Life acquired Bellevue-based Symetra and Toray Industries set up a facility in Tacoma.
“We’re thankful for all the collaboration with our Japanese partners in all fields and want to continue building upon those great relationships,” Greater Seattle Partners CEO Brian McGowan said.
Formed in 2018, Greater Seattle Partners is focused on telling the region’s success story. Tasked to promote trade and bring in more investments, GSP wants people around the world to know how Greater Seattle built one of the fastest-growing economies in the United States.
The achievement is a testament to the strength of the three counties of King, Snohomish and Pierce. And although best known for Seattle, the area also covers other key cities such as Everett, Tacoma and Bellevue.
The region is one of the few in the world with three deep-water ports and offers three daily nonstop flights between Seattle and Tokyo.
Because of its open business climate, Greater Seattle has attracted a highly educated, talented workforce that is ranked the world’s fifth-best concentration of talent. It also recently placed in the top five areas that created 90 percent of the tech jobs in the U.S.
While Microsoft and Amazon, two of the three highest-valued companies in the world have their headquarters in the area, Greater Seattle is also the home of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Nintendo of North America, Costco, Nordstrom, Paccar, Weyerhaeuser, Tableau, Expedia, REI and Starbucks.
“The quality of life here is great, but what’s really special about this region is that it’s perfect for innovators and pioneers. We’re literally changing the world,” McGowan said.