By Lindsay Peyton

Andrea Snyder is ready to hit the ground running – as Burien’s new economic development manager.

She assumed the post at the end of April – and has spent the past couple of months getting to know the community. Now she is ready to get down to business, building business in the city.

“Burien has a lot of stakeholders,” she said. “Hearing from all of those voices and understanding them is going to be a continuous process. I’m trying to meet as many people as possible and support them.”

Interim city manager Tony Piasecki said Snyder was an ideal candidate for the post. 

“Andrea's background makes her a great fit for Burien, having worked in cities both larger and smaller,” he said.  “In her first few months she's jumping right in and is getting our economic development efforts moving forward.”

Originally from Chicago, Snyder was on the path to becoming a lawyer, before a stint in the Peace Corps set her on a whole new path. 

“It was one of those experiences that was definitely formative,” she said.

After earning her bachelor’s degree in prelaw from the University of Wisconsin, she went to West Africa, where she worked with the Peace Corps to help villagers start their own businesses. 

She also assisted women who wanted to create co-operative businesses, selling crafts and farming.

Snyder saw firsthand the power of businesses to transform communities and the lives of individuals. 

When she settled in Seattle after returning from Africa, the lesson continued. She worked for a nonprofit helping those with disabilities find jobs, called Northwest Center. 

Snyder also enrolled at the University of Washington to obtain her master’s degree in public administration.  

While attending graduate school, she took an internship with the Kirkland economic development office.  She spent a year there, starting a program encouraging residents to buy local and building a study on barriers to development. 

Snyder then took an internship with King County Metro. “Transportation is such an important tool for economic development,” she said. 

She wanted to study the ins and outs of public transit – and after her internship, she stayed on with King County Metro in a full time post for two years. 

About five years ago, Snyder took a job as economic development manager of Issaquah. 

She explained that the city had just expanded its economic development efforts – creating a department where it once had a single position. 

While there, she helped build the local economy – focusing on business retention and expansion. 

She enjoyed connecting businesses with the resources they needed to grow, especially when Costco added 1.5 million additional sq. ft.

The development of the downtown area was another one of her top projects. 

“I loved serving Issaquah, but I also wanted to experience serving a different community,” Snyder said. “I was looking for the next thing. I wanted to keep learning.”

When she saw the job opening in Burien, she jumped at the chance.  

“There is so much activity happening now in Burien,” Snyder said. “We have a lot of older spaces turning into news businesses. We have lower barriers to business entry in the region, which means we’re getting more entrepreneurs who want to try new things. They’re bringing creative energy to the city.”

She also was impressed with the city’s economic vision. For example, Burien’s Town Square project and Northeast Redevelopment Area (NERA), an industrial-zoned site adjacent to the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. 

Snyder said the community’s involvement in the city sets it apart. 

“People understand that they can have an impact in the community and want to be a part of that,” she said. “I think that’s special to Burien.”

Snyder wants to help get the word out about Burien’s positive attributes. 

“We can do a better job of telling our story,” she said. 

Other top priorities include business retention and protecting long-term investments in economic development that the city has already made. 

She also wants to attract more businesses and developers, as well as create more jobs. 

“We want to make sure that we’re growing with the region,” she said.