New Spokane Business Association makes public debut, determined to quash downtown crime

After forming its board of directors, hiring a CEO and hosting a dinner event for about 700 guests, next up for the Spokane Business Association is solving Spokane’s most prominent issues.

“We’re not just another organization to stand up and say, ‘We have a crisis,’ and start throwing rocks,” CEO Gavin Cooley said Thursday afternoon during an interview in the Spokane Convention Center ahead of the event.

When he spoke, the room was empty except for the rushing event staff filling glasses with ice water and folding napkins on the dozens of tables reserved by Spokane businesses and organizations. They included the Ace Hardware General Store, Anthony’s at Spokane Falls, Hainsworth Laundry Company, Washington Trust Bank, NAI Black and Bouten Construction.

The gathering is the latest for downtown business owners. Earlier this week, many gathered at Zona Blanca restaurant to urge city officials to take action against crime. Zona Blanca, opened and owned by chef Chad White, is closing to the public but will remain a catering service for private events.

White said crime and problems surrounding homelessness had reached levels that made staying in business downtown for him unteneble.

Most of the Business Association’s initiatives center on creating a cleaner and safer downtown, which everyone can support, according to Cooley.

“We’re sounding the alarm that there is a crisis and what we’ve been doing isn’t working,” he said. “So we are committed to leading on these issues, and behind that commitment is a collaborative approach with our citizens and with our elected leaders.”

In attendance was Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown and council members Paul Dillon and Jonathan Bingle.

At the event, association officials played a short documentary film that depicted testimonies from Spokane business owners directed at local officials. Those in the film pleaded for political action against crime in downtown Spokane.

When Cooley first saw the footage, he decided to rewrite the speech he delivered to the crowd of hundreds.

“They share an expression of sadness, more than anything,” he said. “These are people who are losing business and really struggling with some of the things going on.”

The business organization’s initiatives include promoting the construction of a new jail, increasing the size of local law enforcement, ensuring Proposition 1 is enforced and relocating the downtown Spokane Transit Authority Plaza.

Before Cooley was hired last month, he visited Houston, a common example of an effective approach to homeless that uses a regional structure.

Earlier on Thursday, Brown announced her administration will not relocate the Compassion Addiction Treatment center from the troubled intersection of Division Street and Second Avenue.

In response, Cooley said the issue cannot be handled by one jurisdiction or organization and should instead be taken on by a group comprised of members from around the region.

“Regional homelessness means every part of the system is collaborating and is governed by one organization so everybody’s marching together,” he said. “I fundamentally believe that cities can’t affect homelessness or effectively offer any social services – that’s not what they’re designed to do.”

But the association’s most important objective, Cooley said, is to ensure businesses in Spokane are safe.

“The symptoms of the problems of today are manifesting in our business community,” he said. “We must resolve the impacts on businesses, or we won’t have the resources to do all the other deeper dives – and I’m a little analytic on that because I spent 18 years as a CFO.”

The longtime chief financial officer at Spokane City Hall will use his experience to ensure the new organization is using funds to make the greatest possible impact on Spokane as a whole, he said.

The association is a private, nonprofit, membership-based organization in which businesses and other organizations pay to have a say in operations.

Members can donate anywhere from $3,000 to become a “bronze” member or up to $50,000 to become a “diamond” member. Diamond members include Washington Trust Bank and two organizations, Playfair Commerce Park and Stone Group of Companies, which are owned by the Association’s founder, Larry Stone.

Other members include Bank of America and BECU credit union.

“The status quo isn’t going to fix these issues; something needs to change, and it’s not going to be free,” Cooley said. “We’re going to have to spend a lot of money to fix this. And it will be money well spent.”

Editor’s note: The story was changed on Sept. 13, 2024, to correct information about membership of the Spokane Business Association. Avista Utilities is not sponsor of the organization. Bank of America, BECU credit union and Spokane International Airport are members of the group, but not diamond members as reported in an earlier version of this report.