CEO Report on Advocacy, Policy and Business Issues
May 2, 2022
Vol. 14
Government Affairs Council tomorrow
Tomorrow’s guest will be Mark Johnson, SVP of Policy & Government Affairs at Washington Retail Association. The association has created a guide, Organized Retail Theft: Insights for Retailers, to assist retailers large and small across our state dealing with a swell of retail thefts and growing persistence of organized retail crime. The guide is one of the tools they provide to help retailers protect their employees and customers while safeguarding their businesses.
Crime discussion with County Councilmember Zeiger and Rep. Chambers
Chamber CEO Tara Doyle-Enneking sat down for an interview with Pierce County Council Member Hans Zeiger and Rep. Kelly Chambers (25th Leg. Dist.) for an important discussion about crime, one of the most significant challenges currently facing our local businesses.
CM Zeiger provided statistical data on crime from Pierce County, while Rep. Chambers provided an overview of bills passed in 2021 & 2022 here in our state that have impacted our current climate. The statistics are staggering! How did we get here, and what can we do about it?
As your Chamber, we are pledging to combat crime and push back on the policies that were created, and to do all we can what we can to support the effort to "reform the reforms." In today's Chamber Advocate, we're asking you, our Chamber community members, to sign on to a letter asking Gov. Inslee to convene a special session to revisit these reforms.
Economic Forecast & Annual Membership Luncheon
Our Economic Forecast & Annual Membership Luncheon event is less than one month away! We invite you to join us at this annual event, which provides relevant information on what is happening with business, development and other growth opportunities in Pierce County. The luncheon also serves as the Chamber's Annual Membership Meeting.
This must-attend event will feature the following speakers:
Bruce Dammeier, Pierce County Executive
Josh Stovall, Director of Research & Data, WorkForce Central
Don Meyer, Commissioner (Pos. 4), Port of Tacoma
Eric Johnson, Executive Director, Port of Tacoma
Jeff Hussey, CFA, Wealth Manager, Investors Portfolio Services
Our Economic & Workforce Development Committee is working on developing resources to help attract new businesses to our area. We're working closely with economic development officials in Puyallup and Sumner, and learning directly from aspiring entrepreneurs what resources are needed.
At our last committee meeting, we invited one such aspiring business owner to join us. Meka Finister submitted a form on the economic development area of our website, and was quickly connected with Meredith Neal, City of Puyallup's economic development manager. At the meeting, she received a variety of resources, advice, and connections from our committee members. In return, her participation is helping us to learn more about how we can help provide the right resources at every step.
We're looking forward to watching Meka's journey toward opening her business and helping her along the way!
City2City Tour: October 2022
Continuing on the topic of economic development, the Chamber is launching a new program this fall: The City2City Tour.
We will bring together community stakeholders from our area on an in-depth, guided visit to a thriving, revitalized community with a track record of success. We've selected Gilbert, Arizona as our destination.
City2City
October 2-5, 2022
Gilbert, Arizona
We invite you to join us on this trip, where we'll learn lessons and innovative ideas to help guide future decision-making in our community.
Today I have an important request for you: I hope you'll consider signing on to a letter I will send to Gov. Jay Inslee asking for a special session to address an urgent issue facing our small businesses today: Crime.
Every month I sit down for a small roundtable discussion with our members via the 12@12 Chamber CEO Chats. While topics have varied, crime is far and away the number one issue they face.
During the 2022 Legislative Session, a series of bills were introduced that would amend some of the significant police reform bills of 2021. However, some of those "reform the reform" bills were not passed, most notably, SB 5919. SB 5919 would restore the authority for police vehicular pursuit when there is reasonable suspicion a person has violated the law, never passed out of committee.
We are urging the Governor to convene a special session to address this issue. Please add your name to my letter below:
This letter is just one of a variety of steps we are taking on behalf of the business community.
Town Hall: We're planning a Town Hall on the issue, with the date and location to be determined soon.
Social media campaign featuring video testimonials: We're gathering a series of video testimonials from folks whose businesses have been targets of crime. If this applies to you, and you'd like to participate, please email lori@puyallupsumnerchamber.com. These videos will be used in a social media campaign intended to draw attention to the issue.
12@12 Chamber Chat
Our next 12@12 CEO Chamber Chat is scheduled for Wednesday, May 18 at 12:00pm. If you're a Chamber member and you want to participate, you may register online or or email hannah@puyallupsumnerchamber.com. Space is limited!
Chamber Advocate
The Chamber Advocate keeps our members & business community informed of developments regarding policies and issues pertinent to the business community. Here you'll find political and government affairs news, as well as calls to action for Chamber members to garner support for specific issues.
Please share your newsworthy stories with us as they relate to government affairs and economic development as we may feature them in this newsletter.
Our Chamber exists to be the catalyst for business growth, the convener for leaders and influencers, and the champion of business and stronger communities.
