About GWI

About GWI


The Greater Washington Initiative (GWI) is the regional economic development, marketing and research organization that promotes the Greater Washington region as the premier business destination. GWI was formed on the premise that the region must be promoted as a whole in order to compete successfully for economic growth.

The Greater Washington region, as defined by GWI, encompasses the District of Columbia, Northern Virginia and Suburban Maryland. It is the nation’s 4 th largest region in both gross regional product ($408B USD) and population (6.2M).

Established in 1995 as a private-public partnership and an affiliate of the Greater Washington Board of Trade, GWI markets the Greater Washington region as a vibrant, economically and culturally diverse community for domestic and international business through the collaboration of public and private leaders.

The Four Pillars of our Approach and Focus

GWI delivers on its mission through a proactive, deliberate, and strategic focus. We serve as good stewards of our private and public partner investment by focusing on four key components that represent the pillars of our work:

Strategic Conversation

  • Convening regional business leaders, economic development professionals, colleges and universities, and other community leaders to build collaborative relationships and engage in the conversations that matter to the marketing and promotion of the region.
  • Facilitating the conversation on the regional marketing vision for Greater Washington; identifying existing regional assets, target industries and companies, and opportunities for growing the region strategically and deliberately.

    • Strategic Marketing

  • Conducting comprehensive marketing campaigns to broaden the image of the Greater Washington region as an ideal place to live and work, and generating awareness about our region’s role as a center of business, science and innovation.
  • Telling the right regional story, in the right way, to the right audiences.
  • Proactively sharing information with targeted regional, national and international business audiences through advertising, business-to-business meetings, and industry-specific conferences and events.
  • Developing a dynamic online presence as the central “go-to” resource for constituent audiences.

    • Strategic Business Development

  • Working hand-in-hand with regional economic development professionals to attract specific targeted projects and serving as collaborative partner through the attraction process.
  • Conducting business development conferences and missions.
  • Hosting corporate delegations and site tours.
  • Developing strategic alliances with domestic and international business organizations.
  • Customizing proposals that incorporate specific regional research and analysis of market conditions.
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    Strategic Research

  • Providing the best regional research resources for our target audiences and regional partners.
  • Developing the annual GWI Regional Report to document economic and business trends impacting the region and presenting timely data about Greater Washington’s workforce, economic strengths, and quality of life.
  • Developing specific industry analyses and subsequent marketing brochures to highlight the assets and clusters in Greater Washington.
  • Undertaking special research projects and responding to specific research inquiries from companies, site location consultants, investors, and economic development partners.
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    Please contact us directly via email: greaterwashingtoninitiative@bot.org

    Mailing Address:
    Greater Washington Initiative
    1725 I Street, NW, Suite 200
    Washington, DC 20006
    Tel: 202-857-5999

    Toll Free from within the United States and Canada:
    800-555-6783

    International Toll Free from:
    U.K. 0500892691

    GWI Services

    Contact GWI

    Greater Washington Initiative
    (202) 857-5999