On Monday of this week there was a public hearing held on the state budget. Marty Brown, director, Office of Financial Management, hosted the event.

The entire hearing is available on TVW. I’ve embedded the video to start on the comment from the non-partisan group called State Budget Solutions that is working across the nation supporting the state budget crisis. They have developed five recommendations for our state and they identify the impact on businesses when it comes to new taxes. Their comment is about two minutes long.

Marty Brown is also accepting ideas to help balance the budget. Here is the link to that site where you can submit your ideas: http://transformwabudget.ideascale.com/

ImmigrationWorks is planning a Northwest Employer Summit in Seattle on August 12. The meeting will bring together employers who rely on immigrant workers and grasp the urgent need for immigration reform for a packed day of speeches, panels and strategy sessions.

High-tech entrepreneur and scholar, Vivek Wadhwa, will give the lunch keynote, and there will be remarks by Washington Sen. Patty Murray. Other speakers will include pro-immigration business advocates from across the country and a panel of employers who rely on immigrant workers – small business owners who know and can explain better than anyone how immigrant workers keep U.S. businesses running and contributing to a dynamic, competitive economy.

ImmigrationWorks USA is a national federation of small business owners advocating immigration reform. The organization links 25 state-based, pro-immigration business coalitions: employers and trade associations from Florida to Oregon and from every sector of the economy that relies on immigrant workers. IW coordinates and supports these groups as they fight for better immigration law in Washington and in the states.

Click HERE to register or to find out more about the Northwest Summit.

Bob Mauer from Bargreen Ellingson worked with us to show operators how you can substantially change their profits. Watch this 3-minute video on the rules of 9 and improve your business.

If you are not aware, the WRA has developed a group of thought leaders focused on nutritional disclosure. The group is comprised of restaurants, health departments, health care providers, nutritionists,menu analysis companies and educators.

Burgerville is a valuable member of that group. You will see in this video below why they are an excellent partner in this arena.

The National Restaurant Association projected this week that nationally we will see an increase of 428,000 restaurant jobs this summer. That is good news.

In Washington state we have seen a decrease of 18,000 jobs in the restaurant sector since the great recession hit so any sight of improvement is welcomed. Historically Washington has tended to lag behind the nation in terms of upswings and downturns so timing for our state may not align with their projections perfectly. However, one can hope.

You can see the full release from the NRA with projections on their website. For the full release>>>