Seattle tax attorney recognized for fiscal expertise, years of service to AWB
OLYMPIA—A Seattle tax lawyer who played an integral role in helping develop one of the state’s best manufacturing competitiveness incentives will take home the 2011 S. Fred Bruhn Award this fall from the Association of Washington Business.
Ron Bueing, a tax lawyer with more than 30 years of experience, is this year’s recipient of the Bruhn Award. Bueing is the current chair of AWB’s Tax and Fiscal Policy Committee and a member of the AWB Board of Directors. He also chaired AWB’s 2002 Machinery & Equipment Workgroup, which was instrumental in negotiating the reform of Washington state’s regulations on the sales and use tax exemption for manufacturing machinery and equipment.
In its first 10 years, the exemption has added $81.5 billion to state coffers, generated more than $16.5 billion in income and created almost 285,000 new jobs. It continues to be a major factor for businesses seeking to either expand or locate in Washington state.
In 2007, the Department of Revenue also appointed Bueing to represent AWB on the Digital Goods Study Committee established by the Legislature to conduct a controversial and technical update to the taxation of what is considered digital products. In 2010, he spent countless hours providing testimony to lawmakers and input to AWB staff on tax bills introduced in the Legislature.
“Ron has contributed so much to AWB over the years, it’s almost immeasurable,” said AWB President Don Brunell. “His work on the M&E tax exemption continues to be one of the best competitiveness incentives our state has to offer on the manufacturing front. Without Ron’s leadership on this, and many other tax issues, we would not have the manufacturing base we have in our state,” said Brunell. “Ron is a genuinely nice person, and it will be an honor to present him with the Bruhn award later this fall.”
Bueing earned his J.D. in 1983 from the University of Washington School of Law; he also earned his B.A. from the University of Washington in 1980. For nearly 20 years, he served as director in charge of the Pacific Northwest Multipractice with Deloitte Tax LLP. In 2010, he joined in the development of a new practice, Pivotal Law Group.
The S. Fred Bruhn Award was established to honor former Safeco Senior Vice President S. Fred Bruhn, a longtime AWB board member and governmental council chairman. The annual award recognizes those board members who give of themselves and their time to improve AWB and the business climate in Washington. It will be presented to Bueing at AWB’s annual Policy Summit event, held Sept. 20-22 at Suncadia Resort in Cle Elum.
Previous winners of the S. Fred Bruhn Award include:
- 2010 Jeff Gingold, Lane Powell, Seattle
- 2009 Brad Carlson, Evergreen Memorial Gardens, Vancouver
- 2008 Creigh H. Agnew, Weyerhaeuser, Federal Way
- 2007 Mike Bernard, Madison Cook, Bellevue
- 2006 Lori Blau, Ponderay Newsprint, Usk
- 2005 Don Dennis, CenturyTel, Gig Harbor
- 2004 Jack McRae, Premera Blue Cross, Seattle
- 2003 Rosemary Brester, Hobart Machined Products, Hobart
- 2002 Wes Uhlman, Wes Uhlman and Associates, Seattle
- 2001 Tom Lemly, Davis Wright Tremaine, Seattle
- 2000 Phyllis Campbell, U.S. Bank, Seattle
- 1999 Forrest “Bud” Coffey, The Boeing Co., Seattle
- 1998 Martin Wistisen, AgriNorthwest, Pasco (posthumously awarded) and Ron Rants, The Rants Group, Olympia
- 1997 John McAlister, TreeTop, Selah (posthumously awarded)
- 1996 Greg Tisdel, Tiz’s Doors, Everett
- 1995 Ambassador Della Newman, Village Real Estate, Seattle
- 1994 Doug Marshall, Darigold, Seattle
- 1993 Larry Stanley, Empire Bolt and Screw, Spokane
- 1992 Luke Williams, American Sign and Indicator, Spokane (posthumously awarded)
- 1991 George Walker, US West, Seattle
- 1990 Dave Clack, Clack and Co., Spokane
- 1989 S. Fred Bruhn, Safeco, Seattle
About the Association of Washington Business
Formed in 1904, the Association of Washington Business is Washington’s oldest and largest statewide business association, and includes more than 7,500 members representing 650,000 employees. AWB serves as both the state’s chamber of commerce and the manufacturing and technology association. While its membership includes major employers like Boeing, Microsoft and Weyerhaeuser, 90 percent of AWB members employ fewer than 100 people. More than half of AWB’s members employ fewer than 10. For more about AWB, visit http://www.awb.org/.
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