Whatcom County Open for Business
If you’re looking for a place that will keep both you and your employees happy and healthy, look
no further than Whatcom County. Ranked one of the healthiest places in America, Whatcom County has it
all: Skiing and snowboarding at Mount Baker, an eclectic downtown scene, lively music venues, museums,
local breweries and wineries, farm-to-table restaurants, some of the best mountain biking in the world
and much more.
Whatcom County has created an attractive environment for new and expanding businesses.
Workers’ compensation insurance based on business classification, experience and hours worked as
opposed to paid wages which assures an inflationary increase is not built into the system when wages
rise.
Washington state uses a Business & Occupation Tax (B&O) in lieu of an income tax, depending on the
industry. This can be beneficial to companies since the flat rate tax system allows manufacturers to
retain more earnings as profitability increases.
The B&O tax credit for new hires is up to $4,000 credit for each new position.
Both Washington state and Whatcom County offer tax incentives that benefit a myriad of industries and
sectors. Here are the general incentive categories:
General
manufacturing
• Rural county/community empowerment
zone (CEZ) incentives
• High unemployment county/CEZ
• High technology industry
• Aerospace industry
• Extracting & timber manufacturing
• Food processing/manufacturing industry
• Biofuel industry
• Semiconductor industry
• Aluminum smelting industry
• Farming & agriculture
• Renewable energy/green incentives
• Miscellaneous incentive programs
• Warehouse incentive programs
Green
Incentives
Whatcom County and the city of Bellingham have put a huge focus on green development and
sustainability. Because of this, we offer special incentives for energy efficiency, water conservation
and green building practices. Benefits include rebates, free technical assistance and consultations,
lower utility fees and more. Learn more about our green incentives with Sustainable Connections’
helpful green building guide.
Convenient transportation options:
• I-5
• Eight trucking/freight companies
• Rail service
• Three cargo ship loading services
• Two ship loading/unloading facilities at Bellingham Cold Storage facility and Port of Bellingham
Shipping Terminal
• The Bellingham Shipping Terminal (BST), specializing in break bulk and clean bulk cargo, has a
long history of efficient cargo handling and distribution. With 1,250 feet of dock space, over 85,000
square feet of covered storage and 35 acres of available upland, BST is a full-service marine terminal
that has the flexibility to customize its services to meet your needs. BST is also available as a
long-term, lay-up facility for large ocean-going vessels of all kinds.
• Three nearby port at Port of Vancouver, Port of Everett and Port of Seattle
• Commercial /general aviation at Bellingham International Airport
• International Trade
For Canadian business owners, relocating or opening a branch in Whatcom County is one of the smartest
business decisions you could make.
You can stay close to your Canadian headquarters, while benefiting from a much lower cost of doing
business and a much larger consumer market (the U.S. market is nearly nine times the size of the
Canadian market).
Our four border crossings make it easy to go back and forth between British Columbia and Whatcom
County. In fact, some of our community’s most successful businesses originated in Canada, and grew
substantially after relocating here. We have a number of private bonded warehouses and services in the
county.
Why choose
Whatcom?
✔ A highly educated workforce
✔ No state corporate or personal income tax
✔ Washington state doesn’t impose a tax
on intangible assets such as bank
accounts,
stocks or bonds.
✔ Low average UI tax rate – 1.24% on the
first $45,000 earned. Rates range from
0.10
– 5.7%
Whatcom County
is open for business!
If you’re
interested in opening a business or relocating your business to Whatcom County, call the Bellingham
Regional Chamber of Commerce and we’ll be happy to provide you with resources and referrals to
help you get started.
Economic
Development
and
Business
Resources
Bellingham and Whatcom County are great places to do business. Our cost of living and active lifestyles
make people want to live here. Businesses have access to an affordable and educated workforce.
Additionally, the proximity to the Canadian border and major shipping lanes provides easy access for
import/export. The business-friendly atmosphere has helped to create a variety of organizations and
agencies whose job it is to attract and assist businesses in the county to help them succeed.
Whatcom County offers recruitment activities and assistance provided by the Associate Development
Organization (ADO) at the Port of Bellingham. As the lead economic development agency for the region,
the Port of Bellingham is the first point of contact for companies looking to open a facility anywhere
here in Whatcom County. The Port has close connections with the commercial real estate brokerage
community and can assist with site selection while keeping your project confidential. They work closely
with state and local agencies to help clients get the information they need when they need it. Potential
tax incentives, workforce training programs, Labor Shed Analysis are just a few things they can assist
with in this area. The Port also brings in other agencies and advocacy groups according to the
client’s needs and goals. These typically are local organizations that work in the same sector as
a prospective company and can provide valuable information about opening and operating a business
here.
In addition, Bellingham Technical College (BTC) works with local employers to ensure they have
qualified employees. BTC is responsive to the training needs of local businesses and works closely with
those employers to ensure that there are classes and training specifically for those jobs. Their
proactive approach is evident in their recent manufacturing summit which tasked industry, education and
policy leaders on identifying action steps to address the manufacturing workforce skills-gap and ways to
increase the number of graduates for the manufacturing industry.
The Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit membership organization that functions
primarily as a business advocate. We work in partnership with the Port of Bellingham, City of
Bellingham, Whatcom County, Whatcom Council of Governments, local institutions of higher education, and
economic development agencies on inbound recruitment of new businesses and industries. These targeted
efforts are designed to attract a diverse assortment of industries to create opportunities for all
citizens, regardless of their economic status and level of education, which helps to ensure a healthy
local economy. In addition, the chamber offers a variety of programs to help the business community
including networking & connection events, education, leadership and professional development training,
and promotional opportunities.
There are a variety of programs and organizations designed to help your business. Contact the
appropriate organization below for information or call the chamber at (360) 734-1330 for a
referral.
Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce
119 N. Commercial St., Ste.
130
Bellingham, WA | (360) 734-1330
bellingham.com
Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism
904 Potter St., Bellingham,
WA
(360) 671-3990 | www.bellingham.org
Downtown Bellingham Partnership
114 W. Magnolia St., Ste.
503
Bellingham, WA| (360) 527-8710
www.downtownbellingham.com
NW Innovation Resource Center (NWIRC)
2200 Rimland Drive, Ste. 210
Bellingham, WA
(360) 255-7870 | www.nwircc.com
Port of Bellingham
1801 Roeder Ave., Bellingham, WA
(360) 676-2500 | www.portofbellingham.com
Sustainable Connections
1701 Ellis St., Ste. 221 Bellingham, WA
(360)
647-7093
www.sustainableconnections.org
WorkSource Washington
101 Prospect St., Bellingham, WA
(360) 676-1521
fortress.wa.gov/esd/worksource/
WWU Small Business Development Center
2219 Rimland Drive, Ste.
319,
Bellingham, WA | (360) 650-7232 |
https://wsbdc.org/advisor-location/bellingham/
