The COVID-19 pandemic barreled in to 2020 like a wrecking ball. As a relatively small state agency with about 370 employees who lead nearly 100 programs related to economic and community development, every team within the state Department of Commerce was called in to the response in some way.

The pandemic didn’t cause just a public health crisis, but an economic crisis as well. Nationally and in Washington state, entire sectors were shut down as officials tried to contain the deadly virus. To help blunt the economic fallout of the pandemic, the governor’s office released millions of dollars in emergency funding and Congress passed the CARES Act. Commerce played a central role in delivering those aid dollars to communities. The agency distributed nearly $200 million for businesses and nonprofits, $110 million to households for rent assistance, and more than $450 million to local governments and Tribes around the state.

More than 30 employees were activated to the state’s emergency operations center while dozens more pivoted within the agency to support the unprecedented volume of work necessary to quickly process thousands of business grants, rent assistance contracts and other supports for community partners around the state. The almost-overnight switch to a virtual work environment required the agency to quickly adopt secure new online tools for managing contracts, documents, employee meetings, workflow and more.

A response of this magnitude required help from private, philanthropic and community-based organizations. Commerce engaged in new partnerships to spur manufacturing and distribution of personal protective equipment, fund safety supplies for child care providers, provide culturally and linguistically appropriate support for underserved businesses, and more. Check here for a full summary of the agency’s COVID response efforts.

Washington state’s recovery has been slow but steady, but experts agree this is a different kind of recession from what we’ve experienced in the past. Economic impacts vary significantly among different industries, counties and communities. Commerce developed an Economic Recovery Dashboard to help state and local leaders focus recovery efforts on the communities and sectors facing disproportionate challenges. This includes rural communities as well as women, communities of color, people with lower incomes, and indigenous people.

Yet, even as dozens of employees were immersed in the pandemic response, the agency continued many crucial initiatives related to energy policy, poverty reduction, economic development, housing, child care, equity, behavioral health and more.

Here’s a look back at five notable accomplishments at Commerce during this unusual and challenging year.