Werner Paddles hosted a visit from U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-WA) on Sept. 4 to demonstrate the economic impact outdoor recreation has on her district, which encompasses the majority of Whatcom, Skagit and Snohomish counties and well as the eastern third of King County.
President Bruce Furrer provided DelBene with a tour of the company’s headquarters in Sultan, WA, where more than 70 people work.
“She toured our factory as part of a day long visit to Sultan and the Sky Valley highlighting the positive economic impact recreation has on the area,” said Furrer.
Furrer provided DelBene with a brief history of the family owned company, including how it has grown steadily through several recessions over the last 26 years. He discussed how recession proof the outdoor industry has been historically.
After learning how the company hand crafts its paddles, Furrer and DelBene departed to the city hall of Sultan where the Congresswoman hosted a round table discussion about the positive recreation based activities in the area.
The roundtable was attended by the Forest Service, American Whitewater, the local Parks Department, Cascade Canoe & Kayak, and local outfitter Outdoor Adventures to name a few. All in all there were 50 people from various parts of the recreation spectrum in attendance with local officials.
DelBene subsequently wrote about the importance of outdoor recreation to her district's economy in an article that was published in the Sept. 8 edition of The Herald, the newspaper serving Everett, WA.
