Sam Wagner has been hired as economic development specialist for Pierce County, according to a statement released yesterday by Denise Dyer, Economic Development Division manager. He joins the seven-member office located in downtown Tacoma in the Commerce Building, 11th Street and Pacific Avenue.

Wagner comes to the county from the Washington State Office of Minority and Women Business Enterprises, where he coordinated the Linked Deposit Program, an interest rate subsidy program for minority and women’s business enterprises. His state responsibilities included providing technical assistance to business owners and presenting the program to small business organizations and banks.

“This experience prepared him well to meet his new responsibilities at Pierce County, where he will be one of two members of our Business Retention and Expansion team, working to assist businesses located throughout the county,” Dyer said. “We recognize that new jobs and the county’s economic prosperity will be derived from businesses already here.”

Dyer’s division works with the Economic Development Board of Pierce County and other agencies to both support existing businesses and attract new ones to the county.

Wagner, who was selected from a pool of 19 candidates, graduated from the University of Puget Sound with a bachelor’s degree in politics and government and earned a master’s degree in political Science at Northeastern University in Boston.

Economic Development is a division of the County Executive’s Office. Its work includes providing direct services to businesses such as demographic and statistical analysis, loan programs and permit assistance.