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In a new Kitsap Business interview, KEDA’s executive director discusses the industries, partnerships and investments shaping opportunity across Kitsap County.KEDA Executive Director Joe Morrison is featured on the cover of the July issue of Kitsap Business magazine and in a wide-ranging interview exploring his career, KEDA’s work and his vision for Kitsap County’s future.Since joining KEDA in 2020, Morrison has helped lead the organization through the economic disruption of the pandemic and into a period of significant opportunity. In the interview, he shares how his background in marketing, finance, entrepreneurship and economic development prepared him for what he calls his...

The Kitsap Economic Development Alliance (KEDA) recently announced its 2025 economic impact results, highlighting a powerful return on investment of $11.75 for every dollar invested in its core activities.Those combined efforts, which include its APEX Accelerator government contracting program, supported 1,605 total jobs and generated $330.4 million in total economic output for Kitsap County.“Our goal remains to conduct economically impactful work, helping generate wealth, jobs and investment for all our community members in this spectacular place we call home,” said Joe Morrison, KEDA’s Executive Director. Substantial Progress Made Towards Five Year Strategic GoalsIn addition to assisting 265 businesses and training 56...

Kitsap Community Health Priorities (KCHP) and KEDA recently joined forces to launch a new website, KitsapHealthCareers.org, in an effort to showcase and strengthen Kitsap County’s healthcare workforce.  Kitsap Community Health Priorities (KCHP) and Kitsap Economic Development Alliance (KEDA) recently joined forces to launch a new website, KitsapHealthCareers.org, in an effort to showcase and strengthen Kitsap County’s healthcare workforce. “The kitsaphealthcareers.org webpage is a result of the collective work happening as part of KCHP, led by Kitsap Public Health District. KCHP is a multiyear process that engages partners and leaders in reviewing data, identifying community health priorities, and implementing strategies to address...

Originally published in the Kitsap Sun, this article was updated with information from KEDA’s Annual Meeting and Economic Forecast on April 9. Joe Morrison, KEDA Executive Director morrison@kitsapeda.orgMy new favorite pastime is filling up my gas tank whenever it’s half full. That and monitoring prices per gallon like I never have before.Warning Signs Are Hard to Ignore Related, on Tuesday Goldman Sachs increased their probability of the US entering a recession this year to 30 percent. That same day Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, said his firm’s model now forecasts recession risk at 49 percent, “pointing to stagnant retail sales,...

With support from Matchstick Lab Micro Business Accelerator, Darren O’Connor transformed an EV charging concept into a scalable manufacturing business.In 2019, Darren O’Connor was in San Diego, hanging out. Taking a break from a career in the telecom industry that spanned over 25 years.One day, he noticed his neighbor’s plug in car charger. It was… well, a mess. It looked like our rotary phones did back in the 70s and 80s, with a cord that took on a life of its own. Kinked. Coiled. Tangled. Like a bunch of spaghetti lazily flopped onto a plate. It kinda drove him nuts. Leaning on...