Page 6 - 2020 Burlington Business Directory

6 Letter from the President

Welcome to Skagit County’s “Hub City.” Burlington is the
place where I-5 and Highway 20 intersect and the railroad
lines, North/South and East/West meet. Burlington is also
the center of retail activity for Skagit County. We have the
distinction of being the city where the most money is spent
per resident in the State of Washington for the last 10 years.
$83,000 comes into our community per resident per year.
At the center of all of this is the Burlington Chamber of
Commerce.
2019 has been a big year for our community. We have
welcomed two new hotels and some outstanding new
businesses. As we feel the pressure of the growth in King
Peter Browning County and Whatcom County it is clear that we will be the
President | CEO natural choice for growth due to our available space and the
easy access off the freeway. We continue to have, if not the
lowest, one of the lowest tax rates on the I-5 corridor making large purchases like
automobiles significantly less expensive. Our biodiversity in the surrounding farm
region has helped to bring our community together around local products. We have
many restaurants and beer producers using primarily local products. Businesses
like Farmstrong Brewing Company use only local grains for their beer. We have
companies growing grains and producing flour that are getting lots of positive
responses from domestic and international bakers. Our fields are looking like the
diverse agricultural mix that is a sign of a healthy agricultural economy.
Our Chamber is dedicated to promoting economic vitality in Burlington and
throughout Skagit County, as well as providing advocacy with State and local
legislators with a focus on helping our businesses to grow. A major success during
2019 is the Tourism Promotion Area efforts by all six Chambers. We worked with
the county and all the Hotels over 50 rooms to levy an additional fee to help pay for
tourism promotion in a much larger radius than in the past. This is in part a response
to all the international tourists that get to Skagit County without a clear idea what to
do when they get here. With the TPA funding we can better prepare tourists so that
when they arrive, they will have a well thought out agenda for their visit.
Burlington has over 80% of the Hotel rooms for Skagit County. In an area like
Skagit County with all our natural beauty, hiking opportunities, activities on the
water and Skiing in the Mountains, People need a good place to eat and sleep after
a day in the outdoors. That is Burlington’s role. We can offer you a wide range of
hotel options, a good variety of restaurants and shopping options and some evening
entertainment.
The “Hub City’ prides itself in being welcoming and accommodating to visitors as
well as our friends and neighbors. We have outstanding retail destinations and some
of the best competition level soccer
fields in Washington State. We are
the gateway to the San Juan’s on
our Western border as well as the
incredible Cascade Mountains on
our Eastern border. This is a place
where many of us have chosen to
work, play and be a part of a vibrant
community. Welcome to Burlington.
We hope you enjoy your stay and Steph Vervaart Delaney Dynes
make a visit to beautiful and diverse Director of Operations Visitor Information Center
Skagit County a family tradition.
Lead & Chamber Support