As GSI President and CEO Rich Hadley nears his May 9 retirement date, it’s time for the Spokane business community to pause for a moment and reflect on the impact Hadley has had on the evolution of Greater Spokane Incorporated and the Inland Northwest business community as a whole.

During his 20-some-year tenure, Hadley has made the organization a galvanizing force that has catalyzed large initiatives that some might not have thought possible—and some that might not have progressed otherwise.

The Washington State University Health and Biomedical Sciences Building opened last December on the Riverpoint Campus east of downtown Spokane, the physical symbol of the launch of full, four-year medical-school education in Spokane, something Hadley started talking about more than a decade ago. 

Now, the University of Washington is looking to quadruple the number of medical students it educates in Spokane, and WSU is exploring the notion of starting a medical school of its own, which would be located in Spokane as well. Hadley certainly wasn’t alone in his pursuit of a Spokane medical school, but he helped to spark the earliest discussions and kept the embers glowing as the concept became reality.

Led by Hadley’s mix of calm strength and uncommon energy, the organization also has become more effective in its economic development efforts and more successful in recruiting businesses. The latest win is Exotic Metals Forming Co., a Kent, Wash.-based aerospace manufacturing company that last month announced plans to build a 150,000-square-foot plant here.

As a stronger organization that has promoted collaboration under Hadley, GSI holds greater sway in lobbying efforts in the state and nation’s capitals. Those efforts helped to get the $1 billion-plus North Spokane Corridor project started. While it’s unclear when precisely that highway will be completed, construction is far enough along that one can envision a day when that thoroughfare will reach Interstate 90. 

Of course, it hasn’t been all marks in the wins column. Spokane lost out on its bid for Fairchild Air Force Base to be the first to receive the U.S. Air Force’s next-generation KC-46A tankers last year. 

By leading that charge and through other initiatives, however, GSI has been effective in keeping the base—one of the region’s largest employers—on the business community’s radar. The base’s health should remain a focal point for the organization, regardless of whomever ends up in Hadley’s chair.

Also, Hadley hasn’t been without his critics through the years. Some have been quick to criticize GSI as not representing small business well. It’s unclear what they would have the organization do differently—when pressed, the critics never seem to come up with specifics—but it’s something his successor might keep in mind.

Detractors aside, Hadley leaves his position with a strong, healthy legacy intact, and he leaves the organization with a sturdy foundation on which the business community can continue to build. For that, he deserves our sincere, heartfelt gratitude.