Kennewick City Manager and council introduced George Ray III on Oct. 7 as the city’s new economic development director. Ray described plans to support small businesses, assess the local small‑business ecosystem and pursue new funding and industry recruitment opportunities.

Ray said he brings more than a decade of experience helping startups, franchises and professional service firms and mentioned prior roles with Florida International University’s Small Business Development Center and the International Franchise Association. “I’ll be focusing on strengthening small businesses and the community, evaluating the small business ecosystem, but also working with community partners, resource partners alike, and the community in general,” Ray said.

Why it matters: The city framed the appointment as a step to boost small‑business growth and diversify the local economy. Council members welcomed Ray and said they were eager to see initiatives to identify new industry prospects and funding sources.

Next steps: Ray said he would spend the coming months meeting local stakeholders, evaluating business‑support programs and identifying new streams of funding and growth opportunities for Kennewick.