As the Chamber team plans the return of the Grand Old 4th, the ways in which our community has pulled together over the past 2 years remain at the top of our minds.

With that mindset, the choice for this year's Grand Marshal is obvious, if a little unconventional...

At the head of this year's parade, we are delighted to announce you will see the leaders of the Bainbridge Prepares Partners (Bainbridge Prepares, COBI, BIFD, and the Community Pharmacy), alongside numerous supporting local organizations and hundreds of Island volunteers...

Yes, you did read that right: It will be both a parade-within-a-parade, and a small recognition of what has been their amazingly huge effort to ensure that vaccinations were available to every Islander and many of our neighbors too.

On behalf of the Chamber and our community, we offer our grateful thanks... see you all on the 4th!

WSDOT are now taking public comment on their proposed design to create a modern new structure more likely to withstand earthquakes, alongside other key changes:

Construction of the new elevated passenger walkway at the Winslow terminal is slated to begin this summer.

Tonight (02/22/22)'s meeting features 2 lead items and a 6pm start:

New STFI (Subject To Field Inspection) permits are intended for most indoor residential alterations or remodels (within the existing footprint, without raising roof lines).

Kitsap County’s mainstays continue to thrive - but pandemic-fueled changes in demographics and growth point to fresh greater future opportunities for local business owners.

Hear more at KEDA’s free online Annual Meeting on Wednesday March 30 from 9:30-11:30 am

The Sustainable Transportation Plan, which offered three possible scenarios to meet the island’s growing need for more efficient and inclusive mobility, was reviewed at the Feb. 15 City Council study session.

Council members will likely choose to adopt the plan and may also decide on a preferred scenario at the March 8 Meeting.

With Washington’s estimated surplus of $11.2B, many business leaders are calling for tax relief to help employers continue to recover, reinvest, and create jobs in 2022 and beyond.

Senate Bills 5957 and 5769 both propose tax relief by cutting B&O tax for manufacturers. SB5769 would also repeal capital gains tax and offer significant property tax relief as well.

Follow the passage of SB5957 & SB5769

The Washington Retail Association recently released its list of high-impact bills that were either squelched or are moving forward after the Feb. 15 cut-off.

Bills of interest to businesses include:

Survivors and speakers, including Gov. Jay Inslee, will Commemorate 80 Years of Healing at the National Japanese American Exclusion Memorial March 30.

Bainbridge Island Japanese Americans were the first citizens displaced from their homes and lands and placed in concentration camps as a result of President Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066 on March 30, 1942.

Parking is limited and reserved for survivors, those with limited mobility and speakers.

A park and ride service from Bethany Lutheran will be available to those who wish to attend in person.

Have you always dreamed of owning your own boutique?

The owners of Winslow's Covet Boutique are retiring, which creates an opportunity to own one of Bainbridge’s most established women’s boutiques.

Turnkey operation, proven track record of year-over-year growth, loyal customer base, strong social media presence, website, and established vendor accounts with popular high end quality women’s clothing, jewelry, and shoes. All inventory, fixtures, furniture, and equipment are included with the sale.

Flexible, part-time openings now available both as Licensing Dept. Trainees and Visitor Information Island Ambassadors

International Inbound Travel Association Hosts Steps to Success, a webinar designed to help businesses shape inbound tourism development, build dynamic profiles for 3rd-party travel product sellers, and analyze pricing dynamics.

Join KEDA for an opportunity to learn more about DEI concepts and help build out the organization’s strategies for equity and inclusion.

Whether it’s the pandemic or the false perception that hospitality careers lead nowhere, hiring is tough.

One way to attract new hires is by clearly communicating how future employees can work their way up the ladder to achieve career success.

As vaccination rates continue to increase and hospitalization rates come down, Gov. Jay Inslee said indoor mask mandates for the state would end by Mach 21.

King County won't require restaurants, bars, gyms and theaters to check for proof of vaccination starting March 1.

As of Feb. 10, the latest Kitsap County COVID infection rates are now down to 186 cases per 100,000 residents.

Island numbers are also down to just 99 cases per 100k, right at the level where new cases slow their spread.

Since the start of the pandemic, there have now been 1,747 total cases recorded on Bainbridge, only 8 of them new over the past week.

Vaccination rates on Bainbridge continuing to lead the county - more than 99% of Islanders aged 12 and above are now vaccinated, alongside 73% of 5 to 11-yr-olds.

Drive-through testing is offered 6 days a week in Kitsap County, with the Rolling Bay testing site on Bainbridge open Mondays and Wednesdays 9am-Noon.

Free tests from the new federal website are being distributed.

Free tests from Washington State are being restocked:

Millions of free N95 masks are being distributed to pharmacies and supermarkets, including Safeway, Rite Aid, Walgreens on Bainbridge (limit 3 per person).

To help explain Bainbridge's new restrictions on single-use plastic to consumers, COBI has begun to send out free table-tents to our local eating and drinking establishments.

If you have not yet received yours, or need some more, please come pick them up for free at the Chamber office.

With the support of the City, County, and Bainbridge's own Breath Café, the Chamber has fresh supplies of N95 masks, disposable masks, and hand sanitizer available for free to all public-facing Island business and nonprofit organizations.

We also have free posters available to help businesses make it clear to all customers that masks are still currently required for entry at their location.

To grab yours, give us a call, stop by our offices, or email us - we are here to help...