Willow Road Corridor at Risk

Willows Road Corridor Worth Billions to Regional Economy   An Economic Asset of Regional Importance at Risk   Redmond, WA, February 9, 2015 -- OneRedmond today released the Willows Road Corridor Analysis estimating the economic impact of businesses operating in the Willows Road Corridor. The 244 companies who depend on this corridor as their primary transportation access employ over 5,900  that in turn support over 16,000 jobs in the King County economy. These companies generate over $4.5 billion in gross revenue which supports over $6.1 billion in business revenues in the region with a state impact of over $89 million.   "The Willows Road Corridor is home to a diverse mix of companies including globally significant technology and services businesses" said Bart Phillips, CEO of OneRedmond. "The innovative talent employed by these companies power the economy from writing code that control's the globe's electric grid to manufacturing the engines that landed Curiosity on Mars. However, growing traffic congestion is a significant risk to these companies' ability to stay competitive for attracting and retaining high-skill, high-wage workers."  Read More >>   The Willows Road Corridor is located in Northwest Redmond and is home to major corporations like Aerojet Rocketdyne, Physio-Control, Alstom Grid, and numerous medium and small businesses. The study was conducted by OneRedmond in response to growing concerns among employers in the area regarding the increasing traffic congestion and the impact on their ability to attract and retain talent.   "Convening the stakeholders to develop long and short-term transportation solutions to increase employee mobility is imperative" said Kristina Hudson, Director of Business Expansion. "Next, it will be necessary to quantify those transportation improvements necessary to improve access and to elevate the priority of the corridor in the adopted transportation plan."   The City of Redmond ranks among the top-tier regions in the nation in engineering talent and the home of world-class companies like Microsoft, Nintendo, Physio-Control, Aerojet Rocketdyne and the newest arrival SpaceX. Redmond's strong breadth and depth in talent and companies makes it one of the most attractive and robust regions for companies to locate and expand in the nation.

About OneRedmond OneRedmond is a private-public partnership for economic and community development, led by the private sector, working in close partnership with the City of Redmond. Our mission is to assist with the expansion and retention of local employers, attract new companies, and create community vitality. OneRedmond is the catalyst for making Redmond the location of choice for businesses and a vibrant community in which to live and work. www.oneredmond.org                        ###