South Kitsap Community Chamber

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Chamber News

March Luncheon

NEW LOCATION IN MARCH!

Join us to hear Mayor Rob Putaansuu give his

State of Port Orchard address.

This month will be hosted at First Christian Church

4885 Hovde Road

Catering by That One Place - lunch menu available during registration.

Please register early so that we can have a headcount for catering needs.

Registration will close March 7th at 8:00am

March GreenDrinks

News You Can Use

FACEBOOK ENGAGEMENT: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW [+ RESEARCH] HUBSPOT.COM

TOP 6 GLOBAL BUSINESS TRENDS TO WATCH IN 2023 US CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

RETAIL SALES SURGE 3% AT START OF 2023—A CLEAR SIGN ECONOMY CONTINUES TO GROW WA RETAIL ASSOCIATION

2023 STATE OF CONTENT MARKETING GLOBAL REPORT SEMRUSH/SEARCH ENGINE JOURNAL

13-POINT SEO CHECKLIST LOCALIQ

Business Health Trust

Did you know, according to a WebMD survey, 70% of employees believe employers should offer a mental and emotional health program.

Our partner, Business Health Trust (BHT) takes a total health approach to providing employee benefits – including providing robust mental and emotional health support & resources.

The best part? You may save 10-20% on health insurance when you switch to BHT.

Visit bhtquote.com to learn more and get a free quote.

Legislative Updates

The South Kitsap Chamber of Commerce seeks to inform our members about legislation that may affect their businesses. We share from a number of different sources in order to give our members a broad perspective.

We have recently updated the Government Affairs page on our website to include updates about current legislative matters.

Thank you to our partners at the Association of Washington Businesses, the Washington Retail Association, and the Washington Hospitality Association for all their hard work on keeping us informed and representing our interests.

We encourage you to sign up for our Governmental Affairs update emails for regular updates.

Visit Governmental Affairs Site

Virtual Ambassador Program

The Virtual Ambassador program was designed for those members that are busy and don’t have time to commit to the Full Ambassador Program.

Virtual Ambassadors still have an obligation to represent themselves and the Chamber well, but their interaction is primarily through social media.

It is universally recognized that Social Media is a powerful communication tool, but social networks are constantly changing their algorithms, making it harder for businesses to fully take advantage of their online networks.

The Virtual Ambassador program is designed to help push Chamber news and events out to a broader audience of the population. One of the most valuable services the Chamber of Commerce offers the community is our ability to share news.

We are looking for members who are active on Social Media to be our Virtual Ambassadors. Virtual Ambassador will be specifically asked a few times a month to like, comment or share events and news that Chamber of Commerce is promoting. You will not be expected to promote all or our social media posts, just the major ones. We have found that when a few people take an interest in an event and promote it, the reach is much greater.

If you are interested in being a Virtual Ambassador let the Chamber Office know and we will put you on our “VA” list.

Chamber Directory and Community Guide

There is a only a FEW spots left... Contact Matt today before they're gone!

Community News

Kitsap County Comprehensive Plan Update

Find the project overview and schedule, sign up for electronic notifications, get answers to frequently asked questions, and view the comprehensive plan storyboard, at: kcowa.us/compplan

Questions? Email compplan@kitsap.gov

Interactive Map: New Business Applications

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has launched a new interactive map tracking the latest data surge in entrepreneurship in each state across the country.

Entrepreneurship is booming in the United States.

According to the World Economic Forum, total U.S. Business applications doubled in 2020 compared to recent years.

In 2021 alone, a record breaking 5.4 million new business applications were filed, and nearly as many 5.1 million were filed in 2022.

For each state the interactive map tracks:

The increase in new business applications since 2019
State’s ranking of business applications per capita in each state
Number of new business applications filed in 2022
The projected business formations within four quarters
Percentage of applications projected to become employer businesses

View the Map

John Gese Comments on Police Pursuit Law

In a recent guest Column in the Kitsap Sun, Sheriff John Gese outlined the cause of vehicle theft, and other crime, increase in Kitsap County, as well as across the state.

Auto theft has doubled in the last couple of years, and according to Gese had doubled in Kitsap county the second half of 2021 alone. Other crimes have also increased, as a result of the 2021 legislature enacting new laws preventing law enforcement the use of police pursuit.

Gese says that changes to the 2021 need to be made in order to keep Kitsap County residents safe.

Read the full article here

Giving Day Strategy and Tips

Is your nonprofit registered for the 2023 Kitsap Great Give and now you are wondering what's next? Please register for our free webinar with Mightycause when we go over Giving Day Strategy & Tips!

Participate in the Legislative Process

You are a vital part of the legislative process.

The legislative web site offers ways to contact a legislator and even participate in committee hearing activity.

These options are explained in the link below.

Learn how your voice can be heard

KEDA Annual Meeting

March 30th

11:00 - 1pm

Program begins at 11:30 am

Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort & Conference Center

General assembly luncheon event will feature an economic forecast presentation from Hart Hodges and James McCafferty, co-directors of the Western Washington University Center for Economic & Business Research.

Other highlights include:

· Matchstick Labs Microbusiness Accelerator Cohort Spotlight

· KEDA's 2022 Annual Report & 2023 Economic Strategy

· Approve ballot

· Economic Champion Awards

AWB Opposes New Real Estate Excise Tax

AWB opposes House Bill 1628, a bill that increases the real estate excise tax. AWB opposes bills that make housing more expensive, as this bill would do.

Increased costs: This bill would increase the real estate excise tax (REET) to 4% on the portion of the property valued over $5 million and grants cities and counties an additional 0.25% on all sales. The fiscal note shows this bill will raise the cost of single-family homes, multifamily housing, and commercial properties by about $260 million in the current biennium, $1.1 billion in the 2025 biennium, and $1.4 billion in the 2027 biennium.

Highest tax in America: HB 1628 would cause Washington state to have the highest combined state and local REET tax in the country. Even with the $5 million floor, this bill would impact renters in multifamily units.

Higher rents: A modest 20-unit apartment complex that sells for $6.5 million would see an increase of about $5,200 per unit. Most of that cost increase would certainly be passed to tenants in the form of higher monthly rents.

“We cannot continue adding to the costs of housing and expect our affordability crisis to get better,” said AWB Government Affairs Director Mike Ennis. “Passing this bill would add to the already challenging housing climate, increasing costs on the most vulnerable, at every rung of the housing ladder.”