2026 Whatcom Business Awards
At Whatcom Business Alliance, we’re proud to shine a spotlight on the innovators, builders and bold thinkers who power our local economy. These are the people transforming ideas into action, launching new ventures, growing companies, creating jobs and strengthening the fabric of our community. Whether you’re investing everything into a start-up, refining a strategic plan, leading a team or adapting to an ever-changing marketplace, your efforts matter — and your story deserves to be shared.
For 39 years, WBA has produced Whatcom County’s premier celebration of business excellence. It’s an evening filled with excitement, delicious cuisine, compelling video features and distinguished awards. Above all, it’s a chance to recognize the individuals and organizations that help our region flourish. This year’s awards gala will be held March 26 at the beautiful Hotel Bellwether — and once again, the slate of nominees showcases the depth of talent and creativity found throughout Whatcom County.
The Start-Up of the Year category highlights those willing to take the leap and build something new. Grizzly Pipeworks Plumbing Service & Repair has 20 years of industry leadership, tireless work ethic and deep community involvement that continues to inspire. Salt of the Earth Massage shows continued growth over the last few years, has been voted best place to work and has created opportunities for Whatcom County individuals. Sulis Energy has developed a business strategy that enables local companies to achieve the best energy saving and storage results for our community.
Small Business of the Year honors companies that have become trusted cornerstones of our community. Greenhouse Home is a longtime downtown favorite, actively involved with the Downtown Bellingham Partnership and local fundraisers. Marr’s Heating, AC, Plumbing and Electrical has seen significant growth in recent years, growing its staff from 12 to 62 people, with a third-generation owner. Pure Bliss Desserts is another business that has grown substantially, catering to special events and showing customers that you can have your dessert and eat it too!
The Business Person of the Year award recognizes leaders making a meaningful regional impact. Dave Vitt of Kulshan Brewing has played a large role in shaping Bellingham’s brewing scene while also supporting local events and collaborating with small businesses. Kelsey Van Miert of Northwest Health Care Linen has taken a family legacy and expanded into impressive facilities, in honor of founder Jim Hall. Lydia Ahn of VSH CPAs has been faithfully serving in her community for nearly two decades, with a high level of humility, expertise and empathy.
We also proudly recognize the recipients of the Public Service, Employee of the Year and Lifetime Achievement awards — individuals whose commitment, professionalism and passion set them apart. To learn more about this year’s outstanding finalists and winners, and what makes them truly exceptional, explore the stories brought to life by our talented group of writers in this issue.
With so much ingenuity and drive across Whatcom County, this year’s celebration is sure to be unforgettable. Here’s to the people and businesses shaping what’s next for our community — we look forward to celebrating you!
Read about each finalist by clicking the Mar/Apr magazine link on the Home page. Articles start on Pg. 20.
Cranes up, foundations in
Finance, develop, build, grow. All over Whatcom County, we see construction company signs in front of projects big and small, private and public, almost finished or just getting started. Where are the crews now, and what are they building?
Four people answer the question: Kendall Nielsen, president of Dawson Construction; Geoff Stodola, president and CEO of Exxel Pacific; Gabe Rogel, owner of Sender Properties; and Tyler Schroeder, director of economic development, Port of Bellingham.
A couple of big players
Let’s start with the big guys: Dawson and Exxel.
“We’re doing a lot of multifamily housing,” said Nielsen of Dawson Construction. Most prominent is Ironworks at Old Town, a six-story, 84-unit, mixed-used building between Astor and Holly streets, on the previous Lautenbach/Northwest Recycling site, about a block from Maritime Heritage Park and Whatcom Creek. Ironworks will provide middle-income market-rate housing for about 100 people, with 1,600 square feet of ground floor commercial space along D and Holly streets.
“Old Town is rejuvenating,” Nielsen said. “The city has been a great partner. Ironworks is two months ahead of schedule and under budget, so we anticipate returning money to the developer. Model units open in May, with occupancy in June or July.
“We’ll finish Ironworks and roll right into the next one. That entire area (of Old Town) will include senior housing, affordable housing, market-rate apartments, as well as more trails… Bellingham is facing a tremendous housing crisis, and we are proud to put a dent in it.”
The plan is to create about a hundred units of housing every year for the next several years, Nielsen said.
Dawson Construction is also completing Eagle Haven Tiny Home Village for Lummi Nation, a 24-unit, permanent supportive housing development for tribal members. The Family Housing & Early Learning Center at Eliza Avenue and Bellis Fair Parkway, a four-story complex of 63 affordable housing units with a 10,000-square-foot child care center on the ground floor, is in progress. Dawson Construction broke ground in January on a nearby senior housing building of 64 units. The Ferndale Civic Campus (City Hall and Municipal Court) is underway, with completion expected in early 2027.
“An exciting project for us is building our own new headquarters building,” Nielsen said. “Maybe once in a generation does a company build a new office. It’s on Pacific Highway, just down the street from Costco.”
As for Exxel Pacific, the company’s Madrona Condominiums, previously known as the State Street Creamery building, at 820 N. State St. near the university and waterfront, is expected to be completed during the second quarter of this year, said Stodola of Exxel Pacific.
It includes a rooftop deck, views of the bay and islands, bike storage, an exterior courtyard and a parking garage.
“Exxel is working on pre-construction for several new upcoming apartment projects in Bellingham,” Stodola said. “In late Q3 of this year, we’re looking forward to starting a 70-unit affordable housing project at 202 Unity St. for the Bellingham Housing Authority.”
What’s happening with The Manning, a 142-unit, six-story, commercial/residential project on Rimland Drive in Barkley Village?
As of late January, excavation and ground improvements were completed, with concrete foundations going in, Stodola said. The project consists of two buildings, with various indoor and outdoor amenities, over a combined parking garage. Each building will have studio, one- and two-bedroom units. It’s expected to open in the summer of 2027. Construction of five adjacent townhomes will start late this summer or early fall, with completion expected within the timeframe of the overall project.
Exxel Pacific and Dawson Construction are a couple of our big players. What else might be out there, under the radar?
The small operator
Gabe Rogel, a former adventure sports photographer, is owner of Sender Properties, a sole-proprietor company building The Holly Street Climbing Gym and Arête Lofts. That’s a six-story residential and recreational development with four levels of climbing gym and two levels of residential, with 26 condos. The site, vacant since 1927, is across from Old Town Cafe.
Rogel bought the lot in 2021, intending to build a climbing gym, but adding residential was key to getting financing, he said. He got the land use permit in May 2025 and expects a building permit this year. A commercial tenant — VITAL Climbing Gym, a national chain — will lease and operate the fitness space.
Amenities will include 45,000 square feet of climbing gym with ropes routes; indoor bouldering; a yoga studio; a sauna; and a rooftop deck with outdoor bouldering, yoga deck, firepits and views of the San Juan Islands and Mount Baker.
The condos are “market rate but not luxury,” meaning not government assisted but not super high end either, Rogel said. “The goal is to create beautiful spaces to call home, downtown, where you can walk to everything, enjoy incredible views and access world-class body/mind spaces.”
There’s no date yet for groundbreaking. “We get closer every day to finalizing financing,” Rogel said. “Once we do, we’re looking at an 18-month build. The climbing gym will be built as soon as is humanly possible!”
Rogel previously developed a mixed-use residential neighborhood in Driggs, Idaho. “At a smaller scale, I’ve also built a few homes for my family,” Rogel said. “For the past five years, this (climbing gym/lofts) has been, and is, my passion, to provide space for our community to connect with others, to exercise, train, relax, have fun. Climbing gyms are a major asset to a community.”
Though Rogel is a company of one, he’s working with 20-plus professionals.
“Zervas Architects has been with me from day one,” Rogel said. “Love those guys! Exxel Pacific was chosen as general contractor a couple of years ago due to their knowledge of the site and experience with mixed-use buildings. They’re a great crew.”
The Port of Bellingham
The Port of Bellingham’s largest capital project is the modernization of the Bellingham Shipping Terminal, which is well underway, said Tyler Schroeder, director of economic development at the Port of Bellingham. The central dock has been strengthened, stormwater infrastructure improved, and historic contamination from Whatcom Waterway removed, restoring navigation depth to 35 feet.
That allows a much wider variety of vessels — including what are known as Handysize vessels, which are small to medium bulk carriers. “They’re the target-size vessel for our market due to their load capacity and draft,” Schroeder said.
The port is finishing work on two other large cleanup projects, removing contamination from the I&J Waterway in Bellingham Bay and from Harris Avenue Shipyard in Fairhaven. The Washington State Department of Ecology is overseeing a portion of the Harris Avenue Shipyard project.
“This work is almost complete,” Schroeder said. “In-water cleanup will start in earnest in 2027. This property will continue to be used for marine industry.”
At Fairhaven Marine Industrial Park, the port is investing to modernize, protect property from sea level rise, and prepare a new marine industrial business pad for future development. The park currently hosts five marine businesses that employ 100 people. “Demand for marine industrial land in Whatcom County remains strong,” Schroeder said.
In Blaine, the port is partnering with the Department of Ecology over the next two years to clean up historic contamination and establish a port-operated DIY boatyard, giving local boaters more options, Schroeder said.
At the Bellingham Cruise Terminal in Fairhaven, where the Alaska ferry comes in, the port is working with a partner to explore expanding services to accommodate cruises bound for Alaska and elsewhere. The study’s results should be available this year.
“We’re interested in homeporting, being the beginning and end of cruise vessel routes,” Schroeder said. The aim is to increase local hospitality business, airport volume and more.
Also in Fairhaven, the port will start construction this fall on a small beach and dock for non-motorized watercraft, next to the Community Boating Center. The dock will be the first Americans with Disabilities Act-accessible water access north of Everett for hand-launch boaters.
We see cranes
Up and down Whatcom County, from Blaine to Fairhaven, cranes and crews are working to transform the future.
SIDEBAR: Exxel Pacific
Clearing financial hurdles
Despite inflation and interest rates, local construction industry insiders remain optimistic. Here’s Geoff Stodola, president and CEO of Exxel Pacific:
“In the past several years, there has been positive growth from the Opportunity Zone program designed to spur investment in undercapitalized areas of our city, providing needed market-rate and student-housing development. Market-rate projects have shown consistent growth over the years; however, that slowed substantially beginning in 2022 with increasing interest rates. This financing hurdle has negatively impacted the privately developed, multifamily projects locally. Recently, we’ve started to see some improvements in the market with the modest downward trend in interest rates, but there is still a way to go to loosen up equity and lending terms, allowing more projects to pencil financially and move forward.
“While private development is currently more challenging to finance, affordable housing has emerged over the last three to five years as a busy project sector. These projects typically benefit from lower-interest equity and lending sources dedicated to affordable housing. This is an important market sector for Exxel Pacific that we expect to continue as long as we have an affordable-housing shortage.”
Kendall Nielsen, president of Dawson Construction, weighs in: “We’re optimistic. It’s been an interesting time since COVID. We’ve seen this environment of higher interest rates and inflation normalize, but that puts brakes on people’s willingness to spend on capital projects. We hope to see interest rates ease and inflation come down this year.
“Public-money jobs that were in the planning stages a couple of years ago didn’t anticipate inflation this high. Bids now go over what municipalities have budgeted, so some work is being put on hold; work is slowing because budgets are under pressure. We hear the same message from municipalities and others: There’s not enough housing, and it’s too expensive.
“If you’re following bid lists right now, you can see a dozen contractors on the project, a lot of them from out of the area. We see them chase work all over Whatcom County and the islands. That speaks to the pressure contractors feel in this area.
“For us, we’re doing a lot of multifamily housing. Also, we just won the Whatcom Community College Technology and Engineering Center, to start in 2027. We beat a pretty thick field on that project.”
Bellingham’s beating heart
Events, art and community connections
Downtown Bellingham is home to residents, businesses, government and visitors. Every day, there are interactions among these groups as people go about their daily routines or visit the area for shopping, eating or a specific event. While all this activity is underway, the Downtown Bellingham Partnership is working in parallel to enhance the experience for everyone who visits Bellingham’s core. Founded in 2000, the Downtown Renaissance Network, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, was rebranded in 2009 as the Downtown Bellingham Partnership.
The Downtown Bellingham Partnership team comprises seven full-time staff members, with additional part-time support in the spring and summer seasons. The team also has a contingent of volunteers, without whom many of the organization’s events would not be possible.
“All of the people involved are dedicated, passionate, creative, thoughtful, hardworking and kind, and we all care deeply about the work,” said Lindsey Payne Johnstone, the executive director, who has been with the organization for 18 years, having begun her journey as an intern during her last quarter at Western Washington University.
While some of what the Downtown Bellingham Partnership does is extremely visible, like Downtown Sounds, much of what it does is lesser known, such as its beautification projects, including landscaping, hanging flower baskets and graffiti removal. The team also serves as a conduit connecting the city, businesses and residents, bringing people together for discussions and working to create an environment that allows all parties to thrive in a downtown that feels designed for them. These different types of gatherings give residents the opportunity to chat with the mayor, explore businesses during the twice-annual wine walk, or help with the Bulbapalooza event, during which volunteers worked with the landscaping team to plant 400 new plants and 1,700 tulip and daffodil bulbs that will brighten downtown sidewalks this spring.
A recent and ongoing project, in some locations in collaboration with Paper Whale, is called Hello Lamp Post. This involves QR codes scattered around downtown on window decals (and, soon, on hotel and airport signage), giving people information about what’s happening through a 24/7 text messaging service.
Johnstone is thrilled with the work that the organization has been doing with her team, exceeding expectations, but that does not mean they are going to rest on their laurels. She has high expectations for downtown and knows her team, in partnership with the community, can continue to see positive improvements.
Johnstone and her team just finished working on a strategic plan that lays out what they want to accomplish in 2026 and beyond. The big picture is they want downtown to be a beautiful, welcoming place that attracts people seven days a week. By utilizing empty spaces (inside and out), adding murals to places such as the parking garage, and creating weekday events, Johnstone is confident the plan they have in place can be executed with the renewed sense of energy downtown has.
“We have a unique opportunity to pilot and test things, and we have the trust from the community to be able to do those things,” Johnstone said. “We have the passion to really dedicate our time and our creative minds to make a different downtown. I think the businesses and broader community can feel that genuine care.”
Besides going downtown and being involved, there are ways you can connect with the Downtown Bellingham Partnership. The DBP has a newsletter that keeps readers up to date on everything that’s happening. You also can volunteer at an event or join the INSIDER program, a downtown loyalty program that offers perks and value added at over 30 downtown businesses.
Businesses located anywhere in Washington state also can support the work of the DBP through the Main Street Tax Credit Incentive Program, which allows businesses to make a tax-deductible donation to the Downtown Bellingham Partnership’s nonprofit work and receive a state B&O tax credit equal to 75% of their donations. This effectively redirects taxes from Olympia to right here in Bellingham, where you can see the impact in the form of flowers, live music and community connection.
More information on all the things the Downtown Bellingham Partnership is doing can be found at downtownbellingham.com.
The 2026 economic outlook: From national trends to local reality
Each December, the Whatcom Business Alliance gathers the county’s business community for its signature event: the Economic Forecast Breakfast. This year’s edition delivered what local leaders needed most — a clear-eyed view of where the national economy is heading, followed by an unflinching look at what that means for Whatcom County specifically. The message from both presentations: 2026 will bring growth, but navigating it requires understanding both the macro forces at play and the unique challenges we face at home.
Whatcom County’s new normal: When the border shifts, so does the economy
Canada and the United States are nearly a year into a relationship that looks very different than it did in 2024. Ongoing tariff uncertainty and drastic shifts in cross-border travel and spending habits have produced variable impacts on Whatcom County’s economy. While it’s still an evolving scenario, there are some clear economic indicators emerging — in addition to qualitative observations — that are significant for our region.
What are travelers telling us?
The only way to get data on why travelers are crossing the border and what they do when they get here is to ask them. Roughly every five years, the Whatcom Council of Governments leads a collaborative effort to survey cross-border travelers at four border crossings between Whatcom County and British Columbia.
In past years, Canadians — who comprise the majority of cross-border travelers — came to Whatcom County for short, frequent trips with the primary purpose of shopping, followed by gas purchases and recreation.
Another survey was conducted this past summer, and findings indicated a notable shift in Canadian cross-border habits: A larger percentage are crossing for recreation, vacation and family visits, while the percentage of trips for shopping, package pick-up and gas purchases have plummeted.
Retail sales tax
Given the volume of Canadians who have typically traveled to Whatcom County for shopping, it is reasonable to assume they have a measurable impact on our retail sales tax revenues. Measuring that impact, however, is challenging. In the pre-COVID years, there was an observable (and statistically significant) relationship between the number of Canadian visits and taxable retail sales in several categories, including general merchandise, online sales and clothing. In 2018, the Border Policy Research Institute at Western Washington University estimated that Canadians contributed roughly $185 million to retail trade, in addition to food purchases (which are not taxed in Washington), as well as over half of the local option gas tax revenue in Blaine and Sumas — an important source of funding for those communities. (In Washington state, all cities and towns within 10 miles of an international border crossing and transportation benefit districts with an international border crossing within its boundaries may levy a fuel tax of up to 1 cent per gallon.)
Given the shift in cross-border consumer behavior, both in the post-COVID years and again in 2025, many of the assumptions that go into these analyses need to be revisited. Preliminary estimates by BPRI indicate that in 2024, Canadians spent as much as $188 million in taxable retail sales (in retail trade). While still a large number, the relative percentage attributable to Canadians has dropped since 2018. More to come on that.
Overall tourism
In addition to the usual (shopping) suspects, Canadian visitors support numerous aspects of our tourism and hospitality markets. This includes Bellingham International Airport, where Canadians have composed over half of passengers, as well as our hotels and entertainment industries. Year-to-date hotel occupancy was down 5% from 2024 in Whatcom County, as of September, according to Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism. Canadian participation in events like Ski to Sea, the Lake Whatcom Triathlon and the Bellingham Bay Marathon declined by nearly half this past year. According to the Birch Bay Visitor Info Center, Canadian visitation to the center has dropped by 12% this year compared to last, and registration by Canadians in Birch Bay’s Polar Bear Plunge has dipped slightly, by 6%. Anecdotal observations suggest that vacation home rentals by Canadians in the area also are down. Recreation is also a big draw for Canadians, with many activities, such as mountain biking or hiking, not captured in any datasets.
Is our region unique?
Yes and no. Cross-border travel has dropped across the board, resulting in economic impacts in many regions along the border. However, two defining features have caused our region to see greater reductions than other areas. Because rural Whatcom County is adjacent to the dense population centers of the Lower Mainland, the main driver for cross-border travel is southbound (Canadians comprise as much as 70% of cross-border travelers). Also, because Canadian travelers primarily cross for discretionary reasons, their consumer behavior is easily influenced by changes in the value of the Canadian dollar, US border policy, or even the price of gas, resulting in considerable economic impacts — particularly in places such as Blaine, Sumas and Point Roberts, where industries have been built up to cater to Canadian consumers.
A changing border-crossing landscape
I have always been a believer of the old Morton Salt ad and the saying, “when it rains, it pours.” This appears to be the case for the Canada-US border, with multiple changes creating a “thickened” border crossing environment. Some of this additional friction is related to the Canadian boycott of US travel, driven not just by political reasons but also by concerns about enhanced border screening and safety within the US. Other changes are related to US requirements that are either new or are newly applied to Canadian travelers who traditionally had been exempt. This includes a registration provision for visitors staying in the US for longer than 30 days.
Teasing out the impact of Canadians on certain aspects of Whatcom County’s economy is an indirect path peppered by numerous assumptions. However, understanding the influence of the border — and our Canadian neighbors — is undoubtedly an important aspect of our quality of life in Whatcom County that goes well beyond economics. ■
Laurie Trautman is the director of WWU’s Border Policy Research Institute, where she engages in a range of research activities focused on the border between the US and Canada and the “Cascadia” region that encompasses parts of Washington state and British Columbia.