OLYMPIA—The Association of Washington Business announced the Spady family, which founded and owns a Seattle icon — Dick’s Drive-In Restaurants — is the winner of AWB’s 2008 Bruce Briggs Community Service Award.
The Briggs Award is one of five major awards established by AWB. It is named in honor of the late Bruce Briggs, a longtime AWB member and owner of Briggs Nursery in Olympia. AWB will present the award at its annual Spring Board Meeting in Spokane on May 21. “Giving back to the community is a family tradition for the Spadys,” said AWB President Don Brunell. “They make our state a better place to live and work.”
The Spady family — Dick, the founder of the company; son Jim; and Jim’s wife Fawn — are the very definition of community service. The family works tirelessly for causes ranging from educational reform to re-structuring county government, even acting as the driving force behind more than one initiative campaign.
The many awards received by Dick’s Drive-In speak volumes about the Spady family’s care and concern for the community. These honors include the 2006 National Community Service Award from the Daughters of the American Revolution, the 2006 Hero Award from Washington Dollars for Scholars, awards from the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, the 2005 Business of the Year Award with Civic Recognition from the Municipal League of King County, and the 2001 Hero of the Homeless Award from Operation Nightwatch.
Dick’s brings its customers into the spirit of community service with its Change for Charity program. Customers donate spare change to combat the problem of homelessness in Seattle, generating $170,000 since 1999.
“We’re honored to have business owners like the Spady family among our membership,” said Brunell. “They set a high standard, inspiring others to follow in their footsteps.”
Bruce Briggs Award Winners
2008 The Dick Spady Family, Dick’s Drive-ins, Seattle
2007 Ed Schweitzer, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories Inc., Pullman
2006 Pat Dunn, Pat Dunn and Associates, Seattle
2005 Bill and Dolores Kyle, Superior Insurance, Auburn
2004 Dean and Sandi Strawn, Dependable Janitorial Service, Kennewick
2003 Patrick Quigg, Grays Harbor Paper Co., Hoquiam
2002 Gerri Coleman, Express Personnel, Walla Walla
2001 Mike Porter, Tacoma Diesel, Tacoma
2000 Bruce Briggs, Briggs Nursery, Olympia
AWB is Washington's oldest and largest statewide business association. Formed in 1904, its 6,600 members employ more than 650,000 workers. AWB also acts as the state's chamber of commerce and the umbrella organization for more than 130 trade and professional organizations. While AWB's membership includes the state’s major employers like Boeing, Microsoft and Weyerhaeuser, more than 85 percent of AWB members employ fewer than 100 people, and one-third of our members hire fewer than 10.
