About Us
The Washington Clean Technology Alliance is a trade association of cleantech businesses and supporters in Washington State. Founded in 2007, we facilitate the generation and growth of cleantech companies, jobs, and products in order to advance the state’s position as a leader in cleantech.
History
The Washington Clean Technology Alliance was founded in 2007 through a collaborative effort of business and economic development interests in the Greater Seattle/Puget Sound region. It was developed in response to a growing need in the region for an organization advocating and working for the emerging set of industries known collectively as cleantech, green tech, or environmental technologies.
In November 2004, the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) launched the Prosperity Partnership, a broad-based coalition of business, government, academic, labor, and nonprofit organizations in the central Puget Sound region dedicated to the development and implementation of a regional economic strategy. (The PSRC is the region’s transportation, growth management, and economic development planning agency.)
The PSRC’s 2005 Regional Economic Strategy took a two-pronged approach: (1) Rebuild the region’s economic foundations to meet the demands of the changing marketplace, and (2) Identify the unique needs of individual clusters and collaborating regionally to meet those needs.
The Prosperity Partnership identified clean technology as one cluster with a strong and growing base of employment both around Puget Sound and across Washington State. The cluster strategy development effort and discussions around the region revealed the need for a dedicated trade association to support this emerging cleantech cluster.
In 2006, the Washington State Department Commerce, enterpriseSeattle, and the PSRC co-sponsored a series of workshops and events to build the foundation of the organization. A Steering Committee was formed and a few committed leaders in cleantech stepped forward to become the Charter members of the Washington Clean Technology Alliance.
David Allen of McKinstry was elected the WCTA’s first Chair in 2007. In 2010, Bill McSherry of Boeing succeeded him as Chair. In 2010, Tom Ranken was appointed the WCTA’s first full-time executive.
By yearend 2011, the WCTA boasted almost 90 corporate members, more than double the prior year.
