State Sen. Pam Roach (C) accepts Freightliner’s “Hardest Working Cities” award on behalf of Seattle-Tacoma.

Seattle-Tacoma was honored at an award presentation as one of Freightliner Trucks' “Hardest Working Cities.” The program recognizes cities paving the way in community growth and innovation.

The city received the award for its substantial employment in construction and manufacturing, and significant investment in infrastructure projects.

Washington State Sen. Pam Roach accepted the award on behalf of the city and spoke about the hard work put in by Seattle-Tacoma workers, most notably in the ongoing $470 million expansion of the Port of Seattle International Arrivals Facility.

Business and community leaders attended the presentation, held at Valley Freightliner.

“It's an honor for our city to be presented with the 'Hardest Working Cities' award,” said Alex Bernasconi, general manager of Valley Freightliner. “Seattle's major construction projects like the Link Light Rail transit project and the Elliot Bay Seawall project really illustrate our dedication to growth. We're a city that's not afraid to get our hands dirty because we believe in progress.”

National Hot Rod Association drivers John Force and Matt Hagan also attended the event and spoke about the importance of hard work in strengthening local economies.

Freightliner made visits to three work sites around the area to thank workers. Employees at Potelco, Food Services of America and Miles Sand & Gravel were surprised with gift and food deliveries.

To determine the Hardest Working Cities, Freightliner conducted an exhaustive review of more than 400 metropolitan areas in North America. The review measured 11 categories ranging from improvement in unemployment rate to infrastructure investment and the number of jobs in key industry sectors including construction, manufacturing and logistics. Seattle-Tacoma is the ninth city to receive the award since the launch of the program last year.

For more information, visit http://www.hardestworkingcities.com/.

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