Whatcom County leader takes position as director of economic development at Port of Bellingham

The Port of Bellingham has hired Tyler Schroeder, deputy executive for Whatcom County, as the director of economic development for the port’s Regional Economic Partnership.

Schroeder graduated from Western Washington University and has been a county employee for nearly 15 years, according to a February 2 Port of Bellingham announcement. During his time with the county, Schroeder worked on economic development, including infrastructure investment, recruiting industries for job growth and small business support.

“Tyler has in-depth knowledge of the resources necessary to advance a sustainable economy including land use, infrastructure, permitting, workforce development, housing, financing, educational programs and partnership opportunities,” Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu wrote in a statement.

The Regional Economic Partnership at the Port of Bellingham is funded by the port, city of Bellingham and Whatcom County. The organization aims to help local businesses grow, recruit new businesses and improve job opportunities in Whatcom County. The partnership program recently helped recruit Corvus Energy, a zero emission solutions company for the maritime industry, and Vicinity Motors, which opened a $22 million electric bus manufacturing facility in Ferndale, according to the announcement.

Schroeder replaces Don Goldberg, who was hired for the position in January 2018 and resigned last October. Schroeder will remain Whatcom County deputy executive until May to help with the transition.

“The Regional Economic Partnership has been a very successful model and I see tremendous opportunities to build on this strong foundation,” Schroeder wrote in a statement.