GKC Announces New Board of Directors |
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The Greater Kitsap Chamber Board of Directors and Chamber staff at their first board meeting on July 18, 2022. Pictured (seated from L to R): Susan Larsen, Jason Ritter-Lopatowski, Dave Montoure, Christopher Stanis, John Morrissey, Irene Moyer, and Shauna Washburn. Standing L to R: Amanda Smith, Cary Bozeman, Jessica Arthur, David Emmons, Jennifer Strong, Rick Soper, Breane Martinez, Amy Zinkhon and Jay Mills. Not pictured: Kathleen Arndt, Joel Baxter, Tiffany DeSaveur and Tiffany Schenk. |
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July Membership Luncheon: Education Carnival
Wednesday, July 27, 2022, 11:30 am
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Heroes Golf Tournament @ Gold Mountain
Friday, August 12, 2022
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Sponsorships now available! Contact David for more information.
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Renew your membership today to ensure your place as a Charter Member of the Greater Kitsap Chamber! Questions about when to renew or how to upgrade your membership? Contact Irene now!
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New Members - Welcome to the Chamber! |
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Trimlight is an innovative, patented lighting system that allows customers to have permanent, exterior lighting professionally installed on their homes and businesses, eliminating the hassle and worry out of hanging Christmas or holiday lights ever again! Contact Trimlight Kitsap to learn more!
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KEDA Seeks Economic Development Manager |
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WWU on the Peninsulas Seeks
Program Coordinator for Poulsbo Campus
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Western Washington on the Peninsulas is currently seeking a Program Coordinator for the Poulsbo Campus. This position supports WWU’s degree programs on the Peninsulas. Responsibilities include providing program advising services to current and prospective students, providing student support services, and referrals to other units as needed.
WWU is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer committed to assembling a diverse, broadly trained faculty and staff. Women, minorities, people with disabilities and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply. In compliance with applicable laws and in furtherance of its commitment to fostering an environment that welcomes and embraces diversity, WWU does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex (including pregnancy and parenting status), disability, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status or genetic information in its programs or activities, including employment, admissions, and educational programs.
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Admiral Theatre 2022-23 Season Tickets Available Now |
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Full and half season ticket packages are on sale now. Single ticket presale and on-sale dates have been delayed to August due to an issue with our ticketing software partner SeatGeek (SRO). We apologize for any inconvenience.
Single tickets will now go on sale to the public on Tuesday, August 23 @ 10 a.m. {Presale starts on Tuesday, August 16 @ 10 a.m. and is open to full and half season ticket holders, sponsors, and club members at the Captain level and above ($250 annual donation)}
All it takes to secure your seats for next season is a $100 deposit per seat and take 6 months to pay the balance! (due 12/31/22 with automatic monthly payments)
Don’t miss out! Secure your seats now for The Robert Cray Band, Lyle Lovett & John Hiatt, Jefferson Starship, The Guess Who, Jim Messina, Booker T. Jones, Gunhild Carling, Storm Large, and more!
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Kitsap Regional Library Offers Summer Programs
July 21st & July 30th
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Amazing Magic Show with Jeff Evans - July 21st @ Sylvan Way Library
Sunshine from Polynesia - July 30th @ Silverdale Library
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CKSD Presents Summer Musical
Business Advertising Opportunities Available
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Join Charlie Bucket on his fantastical tour of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory! Complete with all of the enchanting songs you know and love
from the 1971 film starring Gene Wilder including "Pure Imagination,"
"The Candyman," and "I've Got a Golden Ticket!", this production
features a live orchestra, creative costumes, state of the art lighting,
staging, amazing visual effects, and a cast of over 120!
ROALD DAHL'S WILLY WONKA Is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI.
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Support Central Kitsap students and promote your business to
hundreds of local families at our first ever summer musical production, Roald Dahl's WILLY WONKA! The printed summer musical program
will be in the hands of hundreds of attendees at five summer musical performances August 11-14, 2022.
The deadline to reserve space is July 25, 2022. Questions? Contact JaneCa@ckschools.org or call 360-662-1621
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Do you have news you'd like to share about your business or organization?
We'd love to share! Please send information to Irene at the Chamber!
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Members of the Chamber for almost 60 years, Cascade Natural Gas has been serving communities in Washington with clean, affordable natural gas since the early 1950s. Today, Cascade serves more than 310,275 customers in 95 communities – 67 of which are in Washington and 28 in Oregon. Cascade’s service areas are concentrated in western and central Washington and central and eastern Oregon.
Cascade serves a diverse territory covering more than 32,000 square miles and 700 highway miles from one end of the system to the other. Interstate pipelines transmit Cascade’s natural gas from production areas in the Rocky Mountains and western Canada.
Throughout Cascade's service areas, their mission is to be an integral part of the community with a firm commitment to being there when you need them. Through their friendly and dedicated employees and the services they provide, their customers can see that they are In the Community to Serve.
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Member Education & Training Resources |
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America's Seed Fund Week
July 18-22, 2022
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America's Seed Fund Week is a collaborative series of events connecting entrepreneurs working on advanced technologies and the organizations that support them to the country’s largest source of early-stage funding – America’s Seed Fund, the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs. Whether you’re a new entrepreneur, existing small business, or entrepreneur support organization, join the America's Seed Fund Week virtual event on July 18-22 to hear directly from federal agency program managers who invest over $4 billion in over 7,000 new awards annually and celebrate 40 years of small business innovation.
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SBA & Public Private Strategies Webinar
Wednesday, July 20, 2022, 11:00 am
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Kitsap Digital Hour:
Business Credibility & Credit
Wednesday, August 10, 2022, 11:00 am
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Quickbooks Online Basics You Need to Know
Thursday, July 21, 2022, 9:00 am
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Want to get started the right way with QuickBooks Online? Want to learn the basic skills within QuickBooks Online so that you know you’re recording your business transactions properly? Want to know why QuickBooks Online is an excellent choice for small business accounting? Look no further as this workshop is exactly what you need!!
In this SCORE workshop, you will learn how to use QuickBooks Online to record your daily business transactions. (No QuickBooks signup required!) Subjects covered include:
- Customer sales and payments
- Supplier purchases and payments
- Banking and Chart of Accounts
- Reporting from QuickBooks Online
- Best practices and common mistakes
Please note that this workshop is only training on QuickBooks Online and not QuickBooks Desktop.
Workshop Fee: $55
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Marketing: Strategies to Identify
and Reach Your Target Customers
Thursday, July 21, 2022, 1:00 pm
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You’ve developed a wonderful new product or service. Great! Now you need to find customers and get them to buy it. You do that by identifying your target market, creating your value proposition, marketing your brand message and then by creating a promotional plan. Learn how to do all these in these processes in this interactive workshop.
Workshop Fee: $40
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Eggs & Issues:
26th Legislative District: House of Reps
Wednesday, July 20, 2022, 8:00 am
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Individuals who wish to view Eggs and Issues via Zoom will not be able to submit questions
to the candidates as we will not be monitoring the chat during the event.
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Business News & Resources |
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Working WA Grants: Round 5
Application Portal Opens August 17, 2022
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The Washington State Legislature has allocated a new round of grant funding for small businesses affected by the pandemic. $70 million was appropriated by the legislature for the next round of Working Washington Grants: Round 5. In this round of Working Washington grants, available funds are set aside for specific targeted groups or sectors:
- 60% is identified for the arts, heritage, and science sectors, including those that operate live entertainment venues
- 40% is identified for most other sectors, including hospitality, fitness and personal services
General Timeline:
- August 17 – 31: Application portal will remain open for 15 days
- Early – Mid September: Review of applications
- Late September: Commerce will notify grantees and disburse funding
Make sure to register for a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number by August 1st, which is required to receive grants from this federally-funded program.
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Could Your Business Go Viral this Year?
Free Training for Businesses
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From WWU Small Business Development Center
The world’s fastest-growing social medial platform, TikTok, is offering free training to help businesses leverage this asset for business growth.
The six-week program, called “Follow Me,” includes step-by-step guides teaching businesses how to use TikTok to grow their companies — including how to advertise on the app. The courses are free to enroll in and will include lessons on running campaigns on TikTok and tips from businesses using the platform.
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A.G. Ferguson Convenes Productive First Task Force on Organized Retail Crime |
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Courtesy of Washington Retail Association
Earlier this month, Attorney General Bob Ferguson brought a diverse group together to participate in his first organized retail crime (ORC) task force meeting. Well over 100 vetted participants joined in, including local, state, and federal law enforcement, city, county, and state officials, retail loss prevention officers, owners of small and medium-sized businesses, ORC association leadership, online sales platform, union, and bank representatives, and the WR team. The media was not granted access to the closed-door meeting due to the likely disclosure of details relating to ongoing investigations.
Following opening remarks by Ferguson, participants shared their concerns relating to ORC and customer and employee safety. Additional discussions focused on specific steps to improve coordination between law enforcement and businesses and suggestions on how the task force can work together to affect meaningful change.
WR has taken a multi-pronged approach to address the serious impacts of retail theft and organized retail crime:
2. Coordination with the Washington State Organized Retail Crime Association (WASORCA) to increase communication among national, state, and local law enforcement agencies and loss prevention officers
3. Engaging with and supporting the efforts of the Washington State Organized Retail Crime Task Force
4. Passing laws to support and fund law enforcement, enabling officers to do their jobs effectively by providing the tools to deter and apprehend criminals
5. Telling the story of how retail theft impacts retail employees, customers, and retailers of all types and sizes
6. Providing resources for small and mid-sized retailers on how to prepare, prevent, protect, and navigate post-crime
Nicole Lawson, Deputy Assistant Prosecutor for King County, walked the group through specific steps retailers can take to help ensure successful prosecutions. Lawson said that to strengthen a case, prosecutors need surveillance footage, proof of the dollar value of goods stolen, and notice of trespass, which would escalate a theft to Burglary in the Second Degree.
The next task force meeting will be convened in November of this year.
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5 Strategies to Help Retain Employees in the Workplace for Small Businesses |
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The COVID-19 pandemic has brought on numerous challenges for small employers, from supply chain disruptions to increased cyberattacks, which has forced them to rethink their marketing strategies to grow their online presence. Most recently, we’re seeing small businesses grappling with a wave of workforce shortages and labor reshuffling, with an estimated 47 million people who quit their jobs just last year alone. This is why employee retention has become top of mind for small employers, who are also increasingly competing with larger companies for a highly-skilled workforce.
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Washington Hospitality Association:
What You Need to Know
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CKFR's Station 45 Groundbreaking |
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Primary Ballots Delivered for August Races |
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Registered voters in Kitsap County should have begun receiving ballots for the 2022 Primary last week. Ballots have been delivered to the Post Office and are on the way.
The 2022 Primary includes 65 candidates in 18 races for federal, statewide, state legislative and county races. The top two candidates in each race advance to the General Election.
Registered voters who have not received their ballots by Thursday, July 21, can email auditor@kitsap.gov or call (360) 337-7128 to ask for a replacement.
The county's 25 drop boxes open Friday, July 15, and will remain open until 8 p.m., Election Day, August 2. Voters can find the locations for all drop boxes at kcowa.us/vote.
Voter registration is available online at VoteWA.gov for residents with a Washington Driver's License until July 25. Residents can register in person at the Kitsap County Administration Building in the Elections Office at 619 Division Street in Port Orchard or at one of the three vote centers.
The Vote Centers are open 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 30 and Monday, August 1. On Election Day, August 2 the vote centers are open 7 a.m. – 8 p.m. The Port Orchard Vote Center will be in the Commissioners' Chambers of the Kitsap County Administration Building at 619 Division Street. In Bremerton the Vote Center is in the Marvin Williams Recreation Center at 725 Park Avenue. In Poulsbo the Vote Center is at the Poulsbo Fire Station, 911 Liberty Road.
The public is welcome to observe ballot processing in person in the Elections Office in Port Orchard, or online at Kitsap.gov/elections. The Elections Division will host a training for ballot observers at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 16 in the Commissioners Chambers in the County Administration Building, 619 Division Street in Port Orchard. The meeting will also be recorded and posted online at Kitsap.gov/elections. The training will review what to look for and rules for observers.
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COVID-19 Updates & Resources |
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Latest on COVID Subvariants |
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The Omicron subvariant is called BA.5. What's the worry? It is the most transmissible subvariant yet and expected to quickly overtake all previous strains to become the dominant version to spread throughout the U.S. and across the globe. The variant is unique enough to cause those who have immunity from previous Omicron infections to become ill again.
Last week, the CDC reported BA.5 had become the dominant variant in the U.S., accounting for nearly 54% of total COVID cases. Studies show extra mutations in the spike protein make the strain three or four times more resistant to antibodies, though it doesn't appear to cause more severe illness.
Despite rising cases, increased hospitalizations, and urging by the CDC, Washington state Governor Inslee says he does not plan to reinstate masking requirements. At least not yet.
While another wave of cases this summer could prolong the pandemic, especially after most public health precautions were lifted and available vaccines started losing efficacy, we don't need to panic, but we should take precautions.
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COVID-19 Vaccine & Testing Resources |
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Kitsap County Health District is now posting a regularly updated list of COVID-19 vaccine providers in Kitsap County. This list can be found here.
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Nationwide Blood Shortage
Prompts Urgent Local Drives
July 21 & 22, 2022
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American Pickers is Coming to Washington |
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The American Pickers are excited to return to Washington! They plan to film episodes of The History Channel hit television series throughout Washington in October 2022.
American Pickers is a documentary series that explores the fascinating world of antique “picking” on The History Channel. The hit show follows skilled pickers in the business, as they hunt for America’s most valuable
antiques. They are always excited to find sizeable, unique collections and learn the interesting stories behind them.
As they hit the back roads from coast to coast, the Pickers are on a mission to recycle and rescue forgotten relics. Along the way, they want to meet characters with remarkable and exceptional items. They hope to give
historically significant objects a new lease on life while learning a thing or two about America’s past along the way. The Pickers have seen a lot of rusty gold over the years and are always looking to discover something they’ve never seen before. They are ready to find extraordinary items and hear fascinating tales about them.
We at American Pickers continue to take the pandemic very seriously and will be following all guidelines and protocols for safe filming outlined by the state and CDC. Nevertheless, we are excited to continue reaching the
many collectors in the area to discuss their years of picking and are eager to hear their memorable stories!
The American Pickers TV Show is looking for leads and would love to explore your hidden treasure. If you or someone you know has a large, private collection or accumulation of antiques that the Pickers can spend the
better part of the day looking through, send us your name, phone number, location, and description of the collection with photos to:
Facebook: @GotAPick
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State Parks News: Fire Safety |
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Despite our wet spring and slower start to hot summer temperatures, we still need to do our part to prevent wildfires. Here are a few tips to help you keep yourself, your family and your state parks safe this fire season:
- Follow all burn bans.
- Park on asphalt, not on the grass. The heat from the underside of your vehicle can start a fire.
- Fully extinguish campfires and grills. If it’s too hot to touch, it’s too hot to leave.
- Make sure cigarettes are extinguished completely in water and disposed of appropriately.
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Check out the Department of Natural Resources’ fire prevention blog and burn restriction map for wildfire information.
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Know before you go: sign up for State Parks alerts.
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Plastic-Free July is Here |
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Plastic Free July® is a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution – so we can have cleaner streets, oceans, and beautiful communities. Will you be part of Plastic Free July by choosing to refuse single-use plastics?
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Kitsap Pride
Saturday, July 23, 2022
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Day Trip from Central Kitsap |
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Summer Art Markets @ BIMA
Sundays, July 11 - August 15, 2022
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Peruse vendor booths featuring handmade, locally crafted treasures and speak with local artists every Sunday in the plaza at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art.
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Silverdale @ Sunset Concert Series
Wednesdays, July 27 - August 24, 2022, 6:30 pm
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Whaling Days @ Silverdale Waterfront Park
July 29 - 31, 2022
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Admiral Theatre Presents:
Bucklin Hill Band
Saturday, July 30, 2022, 7:30 pm
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An accomplished group of showmen with years of professional musical experience. Members of Bucklin Hill played with legends such as Ray Charles, Rod Stewart & Papa John Creach, just to name a few. They have entertained audiences around the world, and their rich musical talent can be heard on TV and film.
Bucklin Hill is much more than just a country band. It’s a rich diversity of talent and musical backgrounds. The show feels like a country review, with a mix of styles from traditional to rock to bluegrass and much, much more!
This show is generously sponsored by Michael Huey, DMD
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Stay in the know with what's happening for events
in Central Kitsap by checking out and liking the
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Have something to share? CLICK HERE to submit stories and
events for Tuesday's Community Connections!
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David Emmons
President/CEO
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Irene Moyer
Director of Member Relations
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Joe Barboza
Operations Manager
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Kate Cofer
Membership Coordinator
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Brenda Kelley
Tourism Coordinator
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