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Home / Washington Business - September/October 2007 / Profile: Brad Carlson, New AWB Chair of the Board, President, Evergreen Memorial Gardens, Vancouver, Wash. |
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Profile: Brad Carlson, New AWB Chair of the Board, President, Evergreen Memorial Gardens, Vancouver, Wash. |
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Written On: September/October 2007 |
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Written By: by Daniel Brunell |
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In October, Brad Carlson will become the first small business owner from Vancouver to head the Association of Washington Business. In fact, he will be only the second person from southwest Washington to chair AWB’s board in the organization’s 103-year history. Jon Shroyer, former president of Sharp Microelectronics in Camas, served as chair in 1998.
Carlson succeeds Kirk Nelson, president of Qwest Washington, and is joined on the 2008 AWB board of directors by Jack McRae of Premera Blue Cross, Mountlake Terrace, who will serve as vice chair; David Brukardt of Sterling Savings Bank, Spokane, who will serve as secretary/treasurer; and Nelson, who will assume the duties of immediate past chair.
Carlson is a Washington State University graduate. He met his wife, Mary—also a WSU grad—in Vancouver, and they married in 1977. The Carlsons have two daughters, Lindsey and Megan, who are now part of the staff at Evergreen Memorial Gardens. With 30 employees, Evergreen is one of the largest funeral homes in southwestern Washington.
The Carlson family has a long history in the funeral business. Carlson’s father, Willard, was a bookkeeper and general manager for two funeral homes in Spokane in the early 1960s. In 1968, he moved his family to Vancouver to take over as manager of a small country cemetery now known as Evergreen Memorial Gardens.
Brad became involved in the business after graduating from WSU and working in computer sales for a few years. In 1986, he and his father pooled their resources and purchased Evergreen Memorial Gardens.
"Visiting a funeral home can put some people on edge. Cemeteries and mortuaries are not places most people visit unless they’ve suffered a personal loss," said AWB President Don Brunell. "Brad Carlson’s instinctive friendliness and soothing manner helps people who have lost a loved one and are grieving."
Service is a key theme in the Carlson family’s lives. "One of the things that I’m most proud of is serving people in one of the most difficult times in their lives. It’s also important to be visible and give back to the community," said Carlson. "You learn a lot by interacting with others in the community."
Carlson has served in many public roles. He was on the board of the local chapter of the American Cancer Society and is active in the Washington State Funeral Directors Association. In Vancouver, he is active with the Vancouver Executives Association and remains a loyal WSU alumnus, donating both time and money to the university.
Southwest Washington is important to AWB. "Too often, people in southwest Washington feel more a part of Oregon than our state. We’ve worked hard to refocus their attention to Olympia, not Salem, when it comes to state government," Brunell said. "We want to make sure our businesses are competitive with those in the Portland area so jobs and tax revenues stay in Washington."
Twenty years ago, AWB had virtually no presence in southwest Washington. “We needed strong leaders from the Vancouver area to change that. Carlson and Shroyer provide that leadership,” Brunell concluded. Shroyer continues to sit on AWB Member Services Inc., board along with former PacfiCorp executive Joe Bedard, who now lives in Washougal.
"I get a lot of personal growth from being a part of AWB. I know I can’t always change the way things are done in Olympia, but my involvement with a strong organization like AWB means that I can make a difference. I get a lot of satisfaction from that." Carlson concluded.
"It is an honor to be named chair. I am looking forward to keeping this well-oiled machine moving forward. I want to see AWB membership continue to grow. A broad base of membership—from the largest businesses to the smallest—is very important."
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