Radio Interview Transcript

Air Date:
October 15, 2004

Channel:
KOMO AM Radio 7:20am

Subject Matter:
Business Owner Confidence Survey

Reporter:
Brian Gregory

Anchor:  New evidence of a recovery underway in our local economy.  Hard to see past the decline on Wall Street but, Brian, what’s going on?

Brian Gregory:  Well, we are turning things around, according to a latest survey from the Rainier Group, the economy of the Pacific Northwest continues to strengthen.  Bob Gruber, the President, checks in this morning and says their latest business owner confidence survey has improved markedly in the past year.

Bob Gruber (Rainier Group):  A year ago, thirty-two percent of those CEO’s surveyed indicated that they planned to increase their workforce.  Today, fifty-two percent plan to hire in the next six months.  That represents an improvement of over sixty- percent.

Brian Gregory:  Now on the other side of the coin, it looks like inflation is coming around here.

Bob Gruber:  Over and above the direct cost of fuel, business owners are experiencing higher costs for goods and services.  And as a function of that, sixty-six percent of the owners of these private companies did reply that they will probably raise their own prices in the next six months. 

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