Port of Seattle Commissioner Hamdi Mohamed told Kent business leaders Tuesday, Aug. 25 that airport growth, workforce shortages, public contracting and a potential second airport are closely tied to the economic future of South King County.
Mohamed spoke Aug. 25 during a Kent Chamber CEO Roundtable that brought together business, civic and community leaders to discuss the Port of Seattle’s role in regional economic development. The discussion focused heavily on small business access to port contracts, workforce training and the effects of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on nearby communities including Kent, Auburn, SeaTac, Burien, Des Moines and Tukwila.
“We are in a very unique time where our small businesses are being impacted by everything that’s happening at the state level, at the local level, and even higher at the federal level,” Mohamed said.
Mohamed, who was elected to the Port of Seattle Commission in 2022, described the port as a countywide agency whose impact extends across the state through aviation, maritime, cargo, cruise and real estate operations. She said the port has about 2,000 direct employees, supports about 150,000 jobs connected to port activity and generates more than $22 billion in business revenue.
The port’s largest asset is Sea-Tac Airport, Mohamed said, noting that the airport has grown in passenger traffic, not footprint. She said the airport expects more than 52 million travelers, a level of activity that brings economic opportunity but also traffic and other impacts for surrounding communities.
“Our top priority is always safety,” Mohamed said. “When you think about these different lines of businesses, we are always thinking about how do we safely move people through the airport so they can get to their destinations.”
Mohamed said the port is working to improve airport roadways, expand capacity inside the existing airport footprint and connect more local businesses to contracting opportunities created by major capital projects.
She also said she supports planning for a second airport in the region.
“I definitely do think that we’ve done a lot to improve Sea-Tac Airport,” Mohamed said. “But if our region continues to grow, people continue to move here, we’re having larger events and we want to welcome that economic activity and people here, but at the same time, we recognize that there’s so much we can do with the existing footprint.”
Mohamed said chambers of commerce can support that effort through advocacy and by including the issue in legislative agendas.
“I am the one Port of Seattle commissioner who lives in South King County,” Mohamed said. “I definitely hear from the community closest to the airport about the need for a second airport.”
The roundtable also highlighted contracting opportunities connected to port projects, including airport construction. Port representatives encouraged businesses to register with the port’s VendorConnect system, pursue needed certifications and attend port programs and events designed to help small and diverse businesses compete for contracts.
Kelvin Donqua, a diversity and contracting community engagement and training program specialist at the port, said the port works with small and diverse businesses through networking events, webinars and community outreach to inform them about upcoming opportunities.
Port representatives said businesses should also understand the scale and complexity of port work before pursuing contracts directly. Some small businesses may need to build experience with smaller projects before taking on large airport or maritime contracts, they said.
Mohamed said the port has set goals for women and minority-owned businesses and continues to press larger prime contractors to include smaller firms.
“There are small businesses that get to that level and want to partner, and making sure that experience is good for them too,” Mohamed said. “On-time payments from the primes is important. So I advocate for that all the time.”
Workforce development was another major focus of the discussion. Mohamed said aviation and maritime employers are facing labor shortages as older workers leave the field and younger people are not always aware of available career paths.
She said the port has doubled its investment in workforce development since she joined the commission, with the goal of helping more people connect to aviation, maritime and construction careers.
Port workforce development director Anna Pavick said Auburn residents represent the largest share of workers on the port’s airport construction sites, with Kent also among the top communities represented. Pavick said the port partners with Green River College through Airport University and has a new aviation security training program at Highline College.
The discussion also touched on the need for stronger career and technical education pathways in local schools, including aviation and maritime curriculum.
Mohamed said those industries can offer living-wage careers that many students may not otherwise discover.
“We need our kids to be able to think outside of the box,” Mohamed said. “So many of our kids don’t want to be in an office space and behind a computer.”
Video
Below is video of the roundtable, as filmed/edited by Scott Schaefer (runing time 1-hour, 4-minutes):
