Washington Business Alliance
About Us
OUR STORY
The Washington Business Alliance was founded in 2010 by David Giuliani, the co-inventor and CEO of the Sonicare & Clarisonic companies, and former Starbucks President Howard Behar. Frustrated by divisiveness and uneven progress in state politics, they imagined the results that could be achieved if we brought the best business methods and entrepreneurial thinking to the work of government. Committees of volunteer business executives began organizing to explore how best to influence the state in this direction. Modeled after the successful Oregon Business Plan from our neighbor to the south, the Business Alliance launched PLAN Washington in early 2014 at K&L Gates in Seattle.
BOARD
Alan Crain
Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, Kitsap Bank
Alan is Executive VP and CFO at Kitsap Bank. He has worked in the financial services sector for over 25 years, previously serving as CFO of Seattle Bank and Cashmere Valley Bank. Alan is a member of the Washington Society of CPA’s and sits on the Advisory Board of the College of Business at Central Washington University. Alan received his B.S. degree in accounting from Central Washington University in 1987 and a 1996 graduate of the Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington Graduate School of Business.
Greg Herlin
President & CEO, C-Keg
Greg serves as a board member for Clean & Prosperous Institute and Clean & Prosperous Washington. He was named Seattle Business Magazine’s “Manufacturing Executive of the Year” in 2013, and holds a place on PSBJ’s Fastest Growing Companies “Hall of Fame”. Greg co-founded Cashmere Molding in 1991 serving as President and CEO. Through the use of innovative revolutionary Advanced Manufacturing Techniques, Cashmere led the way in “onshoring” millions of dollars in injection molded plastics. Greg is now the President & CEO of C-Keg, leading the IoT revolution in the beverage industry.
David Giuliani – Founder – In Memoriam
The late David Giuliani was best known as the co-inventor of the Sonicare toothbrush and the Clarisonic skin care system, and as co-founder and CEO of both companies. David was a featured speaker at the White House Conference on Corporate Responsibility, was honored as the “United States Small Business Person of the Year” by President Clinton, and was selected as the “National Entrepreneur of the Year for Manufacturing” by Ernst & Young.
But his recent achievements may have been his most lasting and impactful. Over the last 10 years, David turned his attention to solving the problem of climate change. He worked hard to bring together expertise from all perspectives, regardless of political orientation, to identify, quantify, and address key issues. As an entrepreneur he always looked for “win-win” solutions to address climate change and improve economic and societal health.
Through the Clean & Prosperous Institute, David helped pass Washington state’s historic Climate Commitment Act. That legislation is widely recognized as the “gold standard” of state climate policy.
CURRENT PROJECTS
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Contact us at info@wabusinessalliance.org