Washington State may be tucked away in the north west corner of the United States but its culture of creativity, innovation and invention has fundamentally changed the world in which we live.

If you have flown aboard a passenger jet that starts and ends with the number ‘7’, ordered your morning coffee using more than three words, were shocked to find out that Amazon is also a South American river, or logged into a video game that was so intense you thought you deserved combat pay, chances are good you are already well acquainted with Washington State.

Washington companies and entrepreneurs have a knack for zigging while others zag. Historically, businesses in the state have cut across the grain of what is accepted and expected, embracing the ragged edge of the impossible or unthinkable. From this rugged, pioneer spirit comes legendary businesses that have redefined and disrupted entire markets – Amazon, Boeing, Costco, Microsoft and Starbucks to name just a few – and countless products and services that have saved lives, made us more productive, inspired our creativity, challenged our perceptions, advanced our humanity, expanded our horizons and took us to the outer boundaries of the unknown.

INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES ABOUND
Over the last decade Washington State has become a haven for investment, largely by multinational firms and entrepreneurs who are savvy enough to recognise the state’s tremendous potential for expansion, growth and prosperity.

Taking advantage of Washington’s low energy rates (as low as 4.25 cents per kilowatt hour) and clean, renewable hydroelectric power, BMW and SGL partnered to build a new plant to meet the global demand for carbon fibre. A $200 million expansion is under way that will make the facility the largest composites plant in the world.

In aerospace, worldwide demand for commercial aircraft is estimated to be nearly 37,000 new planes over the next 20 years. The next-generation 737 MAX and 777X, along with the 787 Dreamliner, have created a long-term pipeline of steady work for international companies that want to be part of Washington’s robust aerospace supply chain.

On the information and communication technology (ICT) front, brash new start-ups join such established giants as Amazon, Microsoft, Zillow, Ziluly, Cheezburger, RealNetworks and Cray to create a vibrant ecosystem of innovation and invention. Washington’s reputation for hardware and software engineering and programming excellence has attracted Facebook, eBay, Salesforce, Google and Twitter to the state as well.

International firms from a wide range of industries are discovering that Washington State is a great place to do business. These include BAE Systems, Dassault Systems, Philips Healthcare, Mitsubishi, REC Silicon, Safran, Sharp, Shell, Toray and Zodiac. These firms are drawn by the state’s highly-skilled workers, pro-business stance, culture of creativity and easy access to foreign markets. Combined, international companies employ nearly 100,000 workers throughout Washington State.

A KEY HUB FOR INTERNATIONAL TRADE
One of Washington’s key advantages is its centralised location for trade. The state is equidistant between European and Asian markets and airlines offer direct service to major international destinations. The state’s 75 ports shipped $81.9 billion in goods in 2013, making the state the 4th largest exporter in the United States.

Washington’s 11 foreign trade zones (FTZs) offer additional advantages to foreign investors, allowing firms to receive and ship raw materials, parts and finished goods without paying duties or taxes or doing a lot of paperwork. Goods can be assembled, packaged, repaired, tested, shipped and stored indefinitely in an FTZ with no penalty, allowing businesses to retain more capital and improve cash fl ow while goods move in and out of the United States.

To help international firms achieve success in the US, Washington State’s Department of Commerce has a team of business experts at the ready. These seasoned business professionals can introduce you to prospective partners, connect you to key government officials and industry leaders, help you enter new markets, identify potential sites and streamline permitting and immigration. In the vast majority of cases these services are free to companies doing business in Washington State.

Low taxes help fuel the fi re of innovation and invention. Washington does not have a corporate or personal income tax or a tax on capital gains. Overall tax liability is low: Washington ranks 42nd in the US in local and state taxes as a percentage of gross state product. Tax incentives and deferrals in key sectors further reduce tax exposure.

A WINNING SECTOR-BASED STRATEGY
Washington State’s economy is strong and diverse, focusing on key sectors that are proven economic drivers: aerospace, clean technology, life sciences and global health, information and communication technology (ICT), maritime, agriculture and food processing, advanced manufacturing and military and defence.

AEROSPACE
The undisputed leader in US aviation and space, Washington State has been designing and building revolutionary aircraft for nearly a century. The state has more than 1350 aerospace companies that employ 132,500 workers, many from second and third generation aerospace families. These businesses produce components and parts for Boeing, Airbus, Embraer and Bombardier and many other aerospace customers around the world. Washington also produces more than 700 unmanned aerial systems in its growing UAS and UAV cluster.

INFORMATION & COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)
Washington’s rapidly growing ICT sector is No.2 in the nation, employing 313,000 plus tech-based workers in 14,000 different companies, from juggernauts such as Microsoft and Amazon to smaller start-ups bent on becoming the next big thing. The state is also home to 300 gaming companies, including Valve, Bungie, Big Fish and PopCap Games. ICT companies generate more than $36.4 billion in revenue annually and new companies are attracted to the state by the wealth of top-tier tech talent.

LIFE SCIENCES & GLOBAL HEALTH
Anchored by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, a national research laboratory and 500 life science/global health organisations, Washington State has been a pioneer in medical research and global health since 1858. The state’s researchers developed the protocols for successful bone marrow transplants and invented the portable kidney dialysis machine that is used to treat 750,000 patients worldwide. Researchers continue to push the boundaries of health science, using the body’s own immune system to fight certain forms of cancer and painting tissue with synthetic scorpion venom to separate cancerous tissue from neighbouring healthy tissue.

CLEAN TECHNOLOGY
Washington is one of the nation’s leading innovators in clean technology. Nearly 75 per cent of the state’s energy comes from renewable power sources fuelled by the water from Washington’s 50,000 miles of rivers and streams. From biofuels and biomass technologies to solar, wind and tidal power, more than 100 companies in Washington are taking advantage of the state’s aggressive clean tech strategies and targeted tax incentives to explore new ways to reduce the world’s carbon footprint.

WHEN YOU CHOOSE WASHINGTON YOU CHOOSE SUCCESS
Washington State has a rich and distinguished history of creating, nurturing and building some of the most well-known businesses, innovative products and services and highly respected brands in the world. The state’s business legends have ushered in the age of jet and space travel, spawned an international coffee culture with a language all its own, built digital empires out of slivers of silicon and strings of binary code, and in the process, fundamentally changed the way we think, shop, travel, communicate, eat, drink and play.