Brian Surratt is president and chief executive officer of Greater Seattle Partners (GSP) and leads GSP’s global marketing, economic development and international trade and investment strategies to drive quality jobs, investment, and talent to the Greater Seattle region. Prior to leading GSP, he served as the executive director of the Puget Sound office of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), one the country’s largest community development organizations. Previously, he was vice president for real estate development and community relations at Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc., an urban real estate investment trust focused on building collaborative life science and technology campuses in the nation’s leading innovation centers.
Chris Mefford founded Community Attributes Inc. in Seattle in 2005 as a community and economic development consulting firm. CAI facilitates economic development strategies, produces compelling economic impact stories and market studies, and builds custom technology tools. Chris is an expert in strategy development and facilitation, regional economic development, and economic and demographic analysis. He often speaks to audiences about regional economies and community development.