Doing the Work in Public
Connection, education, and sharing resources is the base of PNW Fiber Connect — here is more of what that’s looked like this year…
Did you know Pacific Northwest Fiber Connect was founded this year in January 2025? You can read about our roots here and more about our shenanigans here.
Since January we have come so far and done so much. Too much for one blog post! It is an honor to be some of the eyes and ears for our regional fiber economy so that we can build bridges, form alliances, and create relevant programming for our membership.
For this end-of-year blog, we’d like to share a glimpse of some of those bridges and more of our milestones with you, because this work and this community are worth celebrating!
Cofounders Hannah, Kristen, and Jolene in Castle Rock, WA for their 2026 Strategic Planning Retreat.
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Ok, ok - so this is old news to folks who have been following our story, but it is important. Cofounder Hannah (me) wrote the PNW 2024 Sheep’s Wool PreFeasibility Study for the PNW Sheep’s Wool Producer Committee (PNWSWPC) and if you haven’t had the chance to read it and are interested in current developing infrastructure for the regional natural fiber/textile industry, go and read it!
Fun Fact: it was because of this study that a committee member invited cofounder Kristen Buchanan to a meeting in which we met! And thus, it is partly because of this study that PNW Fiber Connect came to fruition!
Based on the findings of this study, the PNWSWPC has spent 2025 networking, gathering research & data, and developing its organizational structure to be a producer-owned aggregation & marketing cooperative.
Cofounder Hannah has continued to work with the PNWSWPC as the Project Assistant and Meeting Co-Facilitator with Emily Manke, the project lead, and has presented to the Committee on:
PNW Wool Processing Pathways
Wool Certifications
Wool as it Relates to Circular Waste
You can find a record of all the Committee meeting recordings, agendas, and notes here.
PNW Fiber Connect is proud to grow alongside the PNW Sheep’s Wool Producers Cooperative because PNWFC is built on the idea that communication and collaboration between local fiber-related organizations are the most effective ways to support regional fiber economies: the more producers, shearers, wool pools, cooperatives, mills, etc. the better. The greater fiber community will benefit from a cohesive team of organizations collaborating to support infrastructural development.
Forces willing, regional buyers will be able to purchase 100% PNW grown wool from the cooperative very soon!
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This year wouldn’t have been possible without a solid, thorough business plan. Here’s a timeline of some of our BOH milestones:
January: Cofounders meet in person for the first time and write the first draft of our Business Plan which quickly grew to include comprehensive and complete Bylaws, Community Guidelines, other legal documents like a NDA, and multiple handbooks for the different groups that would grow to make up PNWFC, like the Board of Directors and Membership.
April: PNWFC submits our IRS application for recognition as a 501(c)6 Chamber of Commerce.
September: PNWFC received approval from the IRS.
October: Once we were officially official, we formed our inaugural Board of Directors.
We believe BOH processes like these are the foundation of a successful business or organization — the sturdier the business plan, the stronger the foundation on which to grow our vision.
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Commerce — defined by Merriam Webster as:
social intercourse : interchange of ideas, opinions, or sentiments
the exchange or buying and selling of commodities on a large scale involving transportation from place to place
Along with all the administrative tasks and processes, we needed to meet our people — the PNW fiber economy, industry, and community. We needed to get the word out and engage in “social intercourse,” it’s in the job description. So we made this website, formed this blog, started regularly releasing a newsletter, and created social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram. Here are some stats:
We have released 20 newsletters this year and 5 blog posts.
We canvassed at a total of 10 events in WA, OR, and ID.
We went from 0 to 400 followers in 12 weeks.
We hosted our first booth at Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival in October.
And what came from all of this social intercourse? Your early support has helped inform who PNWFC is for and how a natural fibers-based Chamber of Commerce can best serve the Pacific Northwest.
We would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to talk with us, ask questions, and answer ours as well as a special thank you to all who have pledged membership with us this year.
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Sparked by ongoing dialogue with regional fiber businesses, PNW Fiber Connect launched the I’m Local! Campaign. While not an official certification, the I’m Local! Campaign is a grass roots marketing resolution that represents an economic effort PNWFC and businesses are making to source locally.
Our people asked for a consumer education tool, and while that sounds very fancy, it doesn’t have to be! With the help of some of our founding members, PNW Fiber Connect went stall-to-stall at fiber events to distribute I’m Local! micro-posters as a way for businesses to:
advertise their product sourcing & manufacturing
add value to their product
educate their consumers and start conversations about quality & circularity
We know that supply chain and sourcing challenges are real - that’s why it’s so important that we recognize the work our members are doing to source local and be local.
As this campaign grows & progresses, we’ll add more information here. If you’d like to join the I’m Local! Campaign, you can find a free PDF of the micro-poster here to post at your business!
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At the end of September, we published the I’m Local! for the Holidays blog which includes a mini-directory of our founding and pledged business members.
This felt like a milestone. It was an honor to create something for the farms, mills, artisans, and shops that share in PNWFC’s mission and values to support our local fiber economy. Not only did I have the pleasure of exploring new businesses — each offering something truly unique and, frankly, amazing — but I was also humbled by the number of businesses in this gift guide.
I, and all of us at PNWFC are so grateful for this opportunity to support the people behind the products.
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In July 2025, Cofounder Kristen wrote a letter to the Oregon State Legislature & Oregon House of Representatives in response to the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) Agritourism & Farmstand Regulations Proposal (HB 3133).
You can find information on HB 3133 here and read the introduced proposal here. You can also read the letter PNW Fiber Connect sent on behalf of small family farms in Oregon here.
HB 3133, had it passed, would have prevented small farms from having farmstands in which to sell their products at the source. It would have also restricted opportunities for agritourism activities like corn mazes, flower festivals, farm-to-table dinners, farm tours, and more. HB 3133 would have jeopardized small farmer’s rights & freedoms regarding how they use their land and sell their products to generate income, consequently meaning financial instability for small family farms and homesteads for which their farmstand & agritourism is their livelihood.
However, due to the hard work of folks opposing HB 3133 in calling and emailing their representatives, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek directed the DLCD to pause farm stand rule-making and reassess next steps. The announcement from DLCD can be found here.
While HB 3133 isn’t completely out the door, the rule-making process is paused, giving small farmers the opportunity to make their voice heard and protect their farms. If you are a farmer or rancher in Oregon that would be affected by these proposed changes, please reach out to PNW Fiber Connect here or email us at pnwfiberconnect@gmail.com so we can better support you.
In September and October of 2026, PNWFC will be hosting webinars about legislative advocacy within the fiber & textile industry and how you can engage in your community to make our voices heard. We hope you’ll join us and be the change you want to see!
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Currently, PNWFC is collaborating with Northwest Sewn and Redesign Collective to raise awareness about Washington HB 1420. HB 1420 is our state’s proposal for extended producer responsibility for textiles based on California’s Responsible Textile Recovery Act. You can visit Washington’s legislative website to send a comment in support of WA HB1420 to your legislators.
In September and October of 2026, PNWFC will be hosting webinars about legislative advocacy within the fiber & textile industry and how you can engage in your community to make our voices heard. We hope you’ll join us and be the change you want to see!
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Did you know that PNW Fiber Connect spoke on two podcasts this year?
The first podcast was recorded in February of 2025 - just one month after PNW Fiber Connect officially formed! Cofounders Hannah and Jolene (Kristen was unfortunately out sick) were interviewed by Mechanism (formerly the Urban Manufacturing Alliance) for their Circular Solutions for Flexible Product Fabrication Showcase in which we discussed our origins and visions for PNW Fiber Connect. Follow the above links to listen to the pod and learn about the businesses & organizations involved!
Cofounder Hannah was also interviewed by Kevin Henry on the From the Roots Up podcast in April of 2025 on behalf of the PNW Sheep’s Wool Producer Committee. The Northwest Agriculture Business Center and KPH Media teamed up to produce a podcast highlighting local successes in cooperative agriculture and about farmers working together to make big things happen. The podcast features interviews with a wide array of Washington state farmers from many backgrounds and those who help them.
Episodes include interviews with:
Bryant Her from the Washington Hmong Farmers Cooperative
Hannah Paquette and Laura Ray from Pacific Northwest Sheep’s Wool Producers Committee
Jamese Kwele from Black Food Sovereignty Coalition
A farmer member of Puget Sound Food Hub from NABC’s Latinx Business Development Program
“Cooperatives build equity, wealth, power, and community for farmers all over the world. Let these stories be a much-needed message of hope and a how-to template for farmers to team up and compete in an increasingly corporate-dominated economy.” -Kevin Henry, From the Roots Up host
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PNW Fiber Connect Cofounder Hannah attended the 2025 American Lamb Summit in late July with fellow collaborator at the Northwest Agriculture Business Center (NABC), Emily Manke. Our goals were to network and gain insight into the crossover between the wool & meat sheep industry in order to conceptualize circularity solutions for the PNW regional fiber economy.
It was an overall interesting and eye-opening experience made up of 10 presentations, 3 panel discussions, demonstrations on breeding, butchering, and grazing, lots of Q & A, and intentional networking opportunities - all within a short 2.5 days!
This was an amazing space to meet and see what folks are doing all over the country with and for their sheep and - something that hadn’t really clicked until sitting in the conference room with 100 or so large-scale sheep producers and researchers - I also saw how well suited the American Northwest region is for lamb & wool production and that the path that we are on as a community is increasingly viable and totally feasible!
You can view presentation slide decks from the 2025 Summit here for a limited time. As Matt Goble of Snow College (Utah) & Dry Bottom Farms says - “Eat lamb. Wear Wool.”
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“Succession planning is a process and strategy for replacement planning or passing on leadership roles. It is used to identify and develop new, potential leaders who can move into leadership roles when they become vacant.” -Wikipedia
Cofounder Hannah attended the first-ever Farmland Succession Mixer in August hosted by the Washington Farmland Trust in partnership with the Thurston Conservation District, WSU Extension, and American Farmland Trust. It took place in Lacey, WA and was an opportunity to hear from landowners about their succession journeys and connect with professional service providers who assist with farmland succession planning.
The event included the opportunity to ask questions and meet with experts from farmland trust & mediation support organizations as well as legal counsel specific to farm/ranch land succession planning. Besides being an excellent space for networking, there was a wealth of resources available for land owners interested in succession planning including steps for getting started.
With your support, the Farmland Succession Mixer will be an annual event. Email WA Farmland Trusts’s Farm to Farmer Director, Nayla Jimenez Cabezas at naylajc@wafarmlandtrust.org to express your interest and request resources. With permission from the Washington Farmland Trust, PNW Fiber Connect is developing a Succession Planning Kit that will include all the resources and contact information from the Farmland Succession Mixer to help you start your business succession plan.
This is an important subject to PNW Fiber Connect and as we develop, we hope to work with these organizations to expand resources specific to the PNW regional fiber economy. Thank you to the folks at he Washington Farmland Trust, Thurston Conservation District, WSU Extension, and American Farmland Trust who made this event possible.
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In early November, PNW Fiber Connect was honored to be the keynote speaker and panel mediator at The Future of Flexible Product Making & Manufacturing – an event put on by Mechanism* in partnership with The Good Business Network of Washington** dedicated to ethical textile fabrication, small-batch manufacturing, and circular economies.
During this two day event, PNWFC cofounders Kristen, Hannah, and Jolene met with values-aligned businesses to brainstorm what collaborative action actually looks like. We discussed challenges and opportunities to start, scale, and stabilize soft good businesses in the PNW. This event was strongly solution-based with constructive conversations on how to strategize, build (or rebuild), and sustain the vibrant PNW circular textiles industry.
This is part of what Fiber Economy Connection Stewardship looks like – it’s meeting and working together to brainstorm solutions for a future that nurtures the PNW fiber community. It’s listening and learning from different points of view. It’s connecting the dots between businesses throughout the supply cycle, from ground to garment and back again.
We met many amazing businesses and organizations at this event, some of which we plan to collaborate with in 2026. We were honored to be the voice for the PNW raw materials production and processing part of the circular supply system. You can read Kristen’s Keynote Speech here.
*Formerly The Urban Manufacturing Alliance
**Formerly The Seattle Good Business Network
Wow. That certainly feels like a long list! Thanks for reading and we hope you are as jazzed about these bridges and efforts as we are. We are so proud of the leaps and bounds our organization and community have taken this year and can’t wait to see what 2026 holds!
Thank you, Pacific Northwest farmers, ranchers, millers, shops, artisans, and organizations…
We are here for you, because of you, and in service to you.
That’s a wrap — See you in 2026!
I would like to remind our readers that PNW Fiber Connect is currently a 100% volunteer-led organization. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we grow to best meet the needs of our community. Let us know your thoughts and help be the change you want to see.
And, as always, thanks for being here.
-Hannah
