Expo ’74 was a crowning moment in the revitalization of Spokane and the Inland Empire. The culmination of years of planning and hard work, the World’s Fair was at once a testament to the region’s creativity, fortitude, and entrepreneurial spirit and a showcase for a local business community exemplifying those traits and serving as one of the event’s driving forces.  

Downtown Spokane’s role as a destination for shopping, services, and commerce had been diminishing in the decades following World War II. Suburbs and malls were diverting traffic, and travelers turned to airlines or automobiles over the train, and cargo shifted to trucks.

The region was at an inflection point. It could either continue its downward trend or find a way to jumpstart a renewal. It chose the latter, and Washington Trust Bank was proud to play a role.  

Together, local civic and business leaders created a bold vision to forge a brighter path for Spokane’s future. An environmentally minded transformation of downtown and the riverfront was designed to spark a renaissance and be a catalyst for sustainable growth. The bid for Expo ’74 was the rallying call. 

Phil Stanton, the third generation of the Stanton family to lead Washington Trust, was instrumental in planning and executing Expo '74. He saw it as an opportunity to recommit to Spokane and the region. This commitment included constructing the Bank’s first downtown tower, Tower West, and its opening coincided with Expo ’74. The Bank also sold more Expo ’74 tickets than any other outlet in the world.

Washington Trust maintains its commitment to the region today and is still banking many of the businesses it was working with in 1974. As they were then, these entities are still serving the community and supporting the local economy.  

In 1973, at 26 years old, Alvin J. “Fritz” Wolff Jr. had just become CEO of The Wolff Company. Though young, Wolff felt able and prepared to lead the company his father founded, but Spokane had challenges in the ‘60s and ‘70s. “It was a hard time with inflation, and the economy was sluggish,” he said. He admired the downtown and train yard revitalization achieved by Expo ’74.

When asked about the difficult place Spokane found itself in in the ‘60s and ‘70s and its challenges today, Wolff drew a connection to another hard time: the global financial crisis. “Our family has worked with the bank for 70 or 80 years and gotten to know lots of people there,” he said. “When GFC happened, other banks wouldn’t talk to us. But Washington Trust wanted to meet. We both wanted to be transparent and have that relationship.”

Neil Ziegler is vice president of Ziggy’s Home Improvement, the locally owned and family operated do-it-yourself stores his father started. He was 13 when the World’s Fair came to Spokane, and he remembers seeing Bob Hope and John Denver at Expo. He also remembers the education he was getting in the family business. “My dad would have us come in and sweep up nails. When we got older, we worked in the lumberyard out back and in the warehouse,” Ziegler recalls.

The “we” were Neil and his three brothers, making it a true family business. That family focus has kept Ziggy’s plugged into the Spokane community, through good times and bad. “Our business has gone through ebbs and flows, but this community has been good to us, and we’ve always tried to be good to it,” said Ziegler.  

Much like today, concerns around drug use prompted community action, and YFA Connections was founded in 1969 to provide education, prevention, and intervention services to address increasing drug use among Spokane’s youth. The organization has evolved with the community’s needs. “The ways in which we serve have shifted, but our mission remains the same,” said CEO and President Angeal Getz. “It’s neat to have been a part of the community for so long.”

YFA Connections now provides shelter services for youth through its Crisis Residential Center and HOPE Center, as well as school-based mental health services. They also provide substance use disorders treatment for adults.

Downtown Spokane and the region today face different challenges than those that spurred Expo ’74. But like stakeholders intent on turning Spokane’s fortunes with Expo ’74, Washington Trust is committed to finding solutions to today’s issues. The Bank continues to invest in downtown Spokane, recently purchasing a second building, Tower East on 1st Ave., expanding its headquarters and employing over 550 people in the downtown core. This continued investment in people and the community reflects the hopes for Expo ’74 and the values that will power the region forward.