Chris Reilly

Hometown: Spokane
Place of Residence: Lower South Hill
Occupation: Founder/CIO of Aezy

Chris Reilly grew up in Spokane, and after attending college in Bellingham the online marketing expert moved to LA, then on to Seattle. As their family grew, he and his wife Felicia returned to Spokane because it’s a great place to raise kids. Once settled, Chris realized the city had grown into the perfect place to start a business.

Reilly says the changes to his hometown came as a pleasant surprise. “Spokane has become more vibrant and has an incredible amount to offer all kinds of people.”

Reilly says area consumers work hard to buy both local goods and services. And when he started Unleashed Online Media, now Aezy, the business community was incredibly supportive.

“I didn’t fully understand until I got into the community how encouraging the culture of helpfulness is here. It’s made it easy to start and grow a business.”

With no state income tax, Washington is a draw for business owners. Reilly says many world-class people now call Spokane home and they’re able to do their craft without the overhead associated with bigger cities. Spokane is an easy and economical base of operations for globally-viable small businesses.

“When you’re good at what you do, you can oftentimes be a small fish in a big pond. In Spokane people are excited to have you here. You don’t get lost in the shuffle. You can be competitive nationally and shine locally – with community support. That all adds up to a great overall lifestyle.”

According to Reilly, some area business leaders work hand-in-hand with Spokane’s universities. Many are invited into classrooms to help students learn the necessary skills and make connections that can help match them with local jobs after graduation.

“There’s great talent here across all genres. You’ll find innovative musicians, nationally-recognized chefs in a fantastic food scene, and while we’ve become pretty well-known for our wine, our coffee roasters, microbreweries and craft distilleries have won national and international awards. Spokane really does have something for everybody.”