Port of Bellingham announces new hire

Don Goldberg

Bringing more than 25 years of economic development service in commercial, real estate, nonprofit and government sectors, Don Goldberg is the Port of Bellingham’s latest hire.

In a January 22 statement, the Port announced that Goldberg was hired as director of economic development. The position – jointly funded by the Port, city of Bellingham and Whatcom County – places Goldberg with the county’s economic development team, which is made up of business service, economic development and workforce organizations that aspire to boost business and create jobs.

“We are pleased to welcome Don,” said the Port’s executive director Rob Fix in a statement. “Sustainable economic development is central to the Port’s mission and [he] has the experience we need to support our business community and recruit new businesses to Whatcom County.”

Prior to landing the job, Goldberg managed a team of international and domestic economic development managers at the Port of Portland where he helped execute land transactions and create jobs. He’s a certified executive coach and has served on the Port of Portland’s Blue Ribbon committee and on The Intertwine board, a coalition of public and private organizations working to bring nature into the metropolitan region.

“At the Port of Portland, I was able to combine my private sector real estate knowledge with my experience working as a senior project manager for the trust for public land to put creative partnerships together with neighborhoods, environmental groups, private developers, land owners and public agencies” he said in a statement. “Finding out how key players can harmonize leads to a balanced and holistic approach towards development,” he added.

As director of economic development, Goldberg will work closely with the port, city of Bellingham and county – recently, all three entities came together to fund Western Washington University’s small business development center and launch choosewhatcom.com, a website geared toward investors.

In a statement, Whatcom County executive Jack Louws said, “Creating new family-wage job opportunities is a high priority for the port, city and county. Whatcom County will benefit by having a centralized office providing business development services to local companies and leading an increased effort to recruit new employers to our community.”

While Goldberg’s main duty will be to recruit business and create jobs in Whatcom County, his initial focus will be on Bellingham’s downtown waterfront project, according to the Port.

“Downtown Bellingham is the heart of the city and the region and maintaining a critical mass of commercial, cultural and civic activities can become a major stimulator for economic growth throughout Whatcom County,” he said. “The waterfront redevelopment project offers large development parcels and new waterfront amenities which are a unique opportunity for business development within the city center.”

Despite the emphasis on Bellingham, Goldberg said rural areas won’t go by the wayside.

“I see some amazing economic development opportunities within both the urban centers and rural areas of the county,” he said. “There are six million people living within 90 miles of here, and employers have access to an affordable and educated workforce with five local higher-education institutions.”