Seattle docks seeing international commerce improve by double digits

Pandemic is causing big changes in the supply chain for businesses large and small

For large and small businesses alike, given the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, significant changes to the offering changes are still in effect. Steve Kiggins reports from the 13th quarter.

SEATTLE – – If you’ve been driving around Seattle or Tacoma on I-5 in the past few days, you may have noticed a proliferation of trucks and trailers with large rigs. On some days so many wait to enter the ports that they lead to severe congestion on the motorways.

The pandemic is still causing significant disruption to supply chains from Asia and other parts of the world. According to the Port of Seattle, maritime traffic is in double digits.

As the economy returns to normal, the kinks in the global supply chain are also affecting small mom and pop businesses.

“I think about how lucky we are a lot,” said Anna Copley, co-founder at PickleballCentral.com.

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Copley boasts that their online website is the world’s largest pickleball retailer and that it all takes place in a warehouse in Kent.

“The world is just getting started with pickleball and we’re really seeing it go mainstream,” she said.

Many of the products her company sells come to Kent by container ship from Asia. Business has grown around 50 percent since the pandemic broke out, she said.

The global supply chain is still reverberating since the shutdowns. Today, according to the Port of Seattle, imports have risen 25 percent since last year. Depending on the industry, it was difficult to store products such as bicycles, toys or pickleball paddles on the shelves.

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“It was really touch and go,” said Copley.

Prior to the pandemic, employees who worked at the Kent warehouse also played pickleball in squares painted on the floor. Today the pickleball courts are covered with stacks of boxes on pallets.

Copley said an insecure supply chain has forced the company to get creative and sometimes order larger quantities of products to ensure customers have access to a variety of items rather than being unable to fulfill orders.

“We’re going to buy in excess so we have a pillow just in case,” said Copley.

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