By Eric Mathison

When Andrea Reay first took over as executive director of Discover Burien, she paired the part-time job with full-time work downtown at the Seattle Opera.

She’d leave home in the Manhattan neighborhood at 7:15 a.m. and not get back until 9 or 9:30 at night.

“It was a crazy schedule,” Andrea recalls. “It was not pretty.”

Luckily, Discover Burien board members wisely realized that even with a great volunteer base their ambitious plans to add additional events, more committees and expanded member services, called for a full-time director. The group focuses on Burien economic development and community engagement.

So in 2015, the board hired Andrea on full-time. No more leaving Burien to work at the opera.

“It felt so luxurious—just one job,” Andrea jokes.

She even got a part-time assistant.

Andrea’s down to “only” a 57-hour work week now.

That’s the way she likes it.

“I’m the kind of person who is better when busy,” Andrea notes. “I’m happier; I can relax more when I’m busy.”

She adds, “When you find your passion and pursue it as a career, it doesn’t feel like work.”

Lance McIntosh, who serves on Burien Arts Association board with Andrea and me, describes her as “a super nice person--very outgoing, very welcoming.

“She has taken the Discover Burien job and run with it.”

He describes anther side to Andrea.

“She’s also extremely dedicated to family. She works really hard but always has time for her kids,” Lance says.

Sarah is headed to fourth grade at St Francis School in September while Eli starts kindergarten.

Burien Arts trustees hear Andrea’s informative treasurer’s report and try to stick to important business early because they know Andrea’s got to go by 8:30.
“If I get home by 8:45, I can get the kids to bed by 9 for school the next day,” Andrea explains. “I want to make sure their lives are not disrupted because of the work I do.”

Fortunately, her children can tag along while she works the many fun events sponsored by Discover Burien.

Some of Andrea’s earliest memories are of working with family members on evenings and weekends at her father’s independent pharmacy in Federal Way.

“I saw and appreciated the value of good work and contributing to the community,” Andrea recalls.

Her mom and sister still work at pharmacies. Andrea has maintained her license as a pharmacist technician.

“I keep it up as a honor to my dad and I do find it very interesting,” Andrea adds.

Watching her dad’s business struggles prepared Andrea for her current job.

“I understand what it’s like waiting for checks to arrive in the mail so you can pay your bills,” Andrea says. “It’s incredibly stressful for a small business person.”

A “Shop Local” campaign is among Discover Burien’s new initiatives.

“ We can retain more wealth for businesses in Burien,” Andrea insists. “So many studies show even a minor change in shopping can have a profound effect on a community.

“You can get everything you need in Burien. If you don’t know where to find it, call me and I can tell you.”

Andrea moved on from helping at the family pharmacy to earn a BA degree from the UW in theater and classics.

After college she interned in production management at Seattle Repertory Theatre “finding creative solutions to practical problems.

“The director would want a golden stage and we figured out how to make the stage look gold but under budget restraints,” Andrea notes.

She met her husband Chris at Seattle Rep.

They began as friends commiserating with each other over bad dates they had suffered through. Andrea had once been taken to Hooters on a date!

“We said, ‘Why not date each other?’” Andrea explains.

They married in 2004.

By that time, Andrea had moved over to the Seattle Opera. Chris is currently assistant technical director there.

The couple lived in a Fremont condo. When Sarah arrived they started thinking about finding a house with a yard and garden.

Their friends recommended trendy neighborhoods like West Seattle and Ballard. Their real estate agent asked, “Have you thought about Burien?”

“I replied, ‘What’s Burien?’” Andrea remembers. “I definitely had pre-conceptions.”

The agent toured them around town and Andrea’s attitude changed.

“I said, ‘Burien, who knew?’” Andrea says. “I knew it was the community where I wanted to live. It was beautiful and the people were welcoming.

“We would go into a Seattle coffee shop and the people would stare stonily at our kid. In Burien, the people were warm and kind.”

They moved here in 2007. Typically, she passionately threw herself into Burien activities including a seat on the arts commission, a race for Burien City Council and ultimately applying for the Discover Burien position.

Lucky for us, Andrea found the answer to her question, “What’s, Burien?”

Discover Burien’s office and visitor center is located at 427 S.W. 152nd St.

Andrea Reay can be contacted at areay@discoverburien.org or 206-433-2882.

Eric Mathison is a former editor of the Highline Times. He can be reached care of Ken Robinson at kenr@robinsonnews.com.