ISSUE 97 | NOVEMBER 2019
WITH COLDWELL BANKER TOMLINSON
BRANDON RAPEZ-BETTY: HELPING STA BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN SPOKANE AND ITS FUTURE Article by Larry Lapidus, Realtor Growing up near the Blackfoot reservation of SE Idaho, the young Brandon Rapez-Betty had lots of talent, but little focus, until he signed up for his high school’s debate team. There, he discovered the power of his own mind to gather and analyze information, form that information into a coherent vision, and then use that vision to change the minds, and perhaps the lives of others. Rather than forging his skill in debate into a lucrative career in law, as one might expect, he instead took a degree in Urban and Regional Planning, laying down the foundation for his current position as Director of Communications and Customer Service at Spokane Transit Authority. A two-year stint in the Peace Corps accounts for the choice he made of the public over the private sector. The Peace Corps assignment in The Dominican Republic, far from providing the delights of a tropical paradise, confronted him with the harsh realities of grinding poverty in a bleak, uninviting desert, where he had the responsibility of aiding residents to acquire the skills and financial backing necessary to create a functioning economy. Though his move to Spokane was at first prompted simply by a desire to take advantage of EWU’s excellent graduate program in Urban Planning, Brandon soon found himself drawn to the social and economic potential of the city, and its need for people with his peculiar combination of skills. Before coming to STA, he worked first with Mayor Mary Vernor’s Sustainability Task Force, and then with the Downtown Spokane Partnership, both devoted to bridging the gaps separating a vision of Spokane from its fulfillment.
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After such an idealistic and visionary background, what would attract someone like Brandon Rapez-Betty to a municipal transit authority? The answer is obvious to anyone familiar with Spokane Transit: it is a team of visionaries, driven by a fierce desire every day they show up to work to make a positive contribution to the quality of life and the economic vitality of the community in which they raise kids, shop, go to church…..and ride the bus. Far from being a detour, Brandon’s position at Spokane Transit represents the fullest expression of his talents, training and commitment to excellence. CEO E. Susan Meyer networks with transit professionals from all over the country…..all over the world, in fact, to make sure that Spokane’s sense of the future and of the best way to get there is as clear and accurate as it can get. This is translated in the hyperactive mind of Planning Director Karl Otterstrom into a dizzying array of projects large and small, all designed to connect Spokanites with their jobs, their schools and their places of worship and recreation. It is finally the responsibility of Brandon Rapez-Betty to convey all of this information, all of these plans, all of these possibilities, to the people of Spokane as forcefully, usably and memorably as humanly possible. Not a brochure, map, sign, Facebook post or webpage relating to Spokane Transit sees the light of day without passing through RapezBetty’s creative crucible. Check out www.facebook.com/ spokanetransit and www.spokanetransit.com to see what we mean.