Wednesday, January 18, 2023 |
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Legislature Kicks Off 105-Day Session |
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Photo Credit: Kitsap Daily News
And they’re off: The 2023 legislative session convened last Monday with many new lawmakers and a long list of priorities, including transportation, energy, housing codes, taxation and education. The biggest task for legislators in this 105-day “long session” is to adopt a budget. Gov. Jay Inslee has proposed a $70.4 billion budget as a starting point (see AWB’s response).
State of the state: Gov. Inslee gave the annual gubernatorial state of the state address on Tuesday, with Rep. Peter Abbarno, R-Centralia, delivering the Republican response. From AWB’s perspective, Gov. Inslee’s state of the state comments and early legislative actions are noteworthy on three major issues:
- Childcare: For families, communities and employers, childcare is an important issue and AWB is working on solutions. While both House and Senate leaders opened the session by talking about childcare as a priority, the governor did not.
- Transportation budget: Gov. Inslee’s proposed transportation budget would delay a number of important infrastructure projects across the state. AWB has long supported transportation infrastructure investment and urges the Legislature to maintain the commitments and timelines reached in previously adopted legislative revenue packages. More specifically, we urge lawmakers to focus on projects that are already funded and underway, maintain current timelines, and refrain from accelerating some projects while delaying others.
- Energy facility siting: It’s critical that our state can permit new energy production and transmission facilities to meet our clean energy goals. AWB is working with legislators on bills that would do that, but the proposals from the governor do not line up with those discussions and do nothing to address the main issues. We’re disappointed with the proposals from the governor but are looking forward to continuing to work with legislators and stakeholders on a proposal that offers meaningful changes to make it faster and simpler to build the clean energy infrastructure our state needs.
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Membership Luncheon
Wednesday, January 25, 2023, 11:00 am
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Greater Businesses in Kitsap Grant
Applications Accepted Until January 31st
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The Growing Greater Businesses Program is a small business assistance program serving Silverdale and Central Kitsap County. The Greater Kitsap Chamber will provide financial assistance through grants and other entrepreneurship opportunities for up to 20 businesses. Support will include a series of educational workshops for small businesses that have experienced a loss of business income or activity or have been economically disadvantaged during the COVID-19 pandemic. |
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GKC Foundation Awards $3k in Scholarships
Miss PKS Title Holders Named on Saturday
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The Miss Poulsbo Kitsap Silverdale Scholarship Organization held their annual pageant at Bremerton's historic Admiral Theatre on Saturday evening, with top honors going to Eleeyse Greenlaw (Poulsbo), Kelsey Gotcher (Kitsap) and Isabella Sio (Silverdale). These three title holders will undergo a year of service to their communities, making public appearances for local community service and non-profit groups, sharing their platforms and supporting local businesses and organizations. The Miss PKS Organization works closely with the Greater Kitsap Chamber, with title holders attending all Chamber events as greeters and to assist with fundraising for the Chamber Scholarship Foundation. The GKC Foundation awarded each title holder with a $1k scholarship on Saturday night. Congratulations! |
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Travel with the Greater Kitsap Chamber |
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Looking for an escape in 2023? Join the Chamber as we resume Chamber travel opportunities with a 7-night Alaska Glacier Cruise.
Special rates have been reserved on this cruise for Chamber members and friends with a savings of nearly $2k on what you might normally book.
Enjoy Royal Caribbean's Ovation of the Seas ship with amenities for everyone. But do I have to vacation with my Chamber colleagues? Only if you want! With 16 decks, you can see as little or as much of your Kitsap connections as you'd like!
Suitcases on Standby's Amy Zinkhon, will be at the January and February membership luncheons to answer your questions. Book now and help us celebrate the Greater Kitsap Chamber's inaugural year!
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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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10315 Silverdale Way NW (Kitsap Mall) | Silverdale, WA 98383 | (360) 698-3055 |
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KEDA 5-Year Strategic Planning Meetings
January 19, 24, 26 and 31, 2023
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All interested parties are invited to join KEDA leadership, investors and partners to participate in the important work of identifying priorities and strategies to guide KEDA's economic development work for the next five years. |
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January 19th
3:00 - 5:00 pm
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January 24th
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
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January 26th
3:00 - 5:00 pm
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January 31st
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
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Leadership Kitsap 20 Under 40
Thursday, January 26, 2023, 5:00 pm
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Leadership Kitsap’s 20 Under 40 Awards Program seeks to identify and celebrate exceptional business leaders under the age of 40 who are dynamic trailblazers in the Kitsap community. We share their stories and celebrate their successes, bringing individuals together to grow into a powerful network of young leaders who leverage that network to make even more great contributions to our region’s economy and civic dialog. |
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Since 1987, Gesa has proudly awarded over $630,000 in scholarship funds. Starting with the 2021-2022 school year, Gesa has been awarding $100,000 in scholarships annually!
Gesa offers scholarships in the following four categories:
- $50,000 in awards for High School Credit Union Program Participants
- Twelve Entering College Freshmen (2, $5,000 and 10, $2,000 awards)
- Six Current College Students (1, $5,000 and 5, $2,000 awards)
- Five Loan Repayments for Accredited Degrees ($1,000 award)
If you, or a student you know, is looking for ways to fund their higher education, please share this announcement with them. Gesa Credit Union is committed to serving students in our community and this is just one way they are showing their support!
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Kitsap SBDC Hiring Business Advisor |
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Western Washington's Small Business Development Center is hiring an additional Certified Business Advisor for the Kitsap County office. The SBDC brings a consortium of business development resources to the community. These assets are delivered through one-on-one counseling with certified business advisors, popular and proven training events and best-in-class small business market and strategy research. In Kitsap County, the SBDC is hosted by WWU, in conjunction with its headquarters SBDC in Bellingham. The Kitsap SBDC works collaboratively as part of the Washington SBDC network.
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Pillar to Post - Jarquin Team |
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As part of your community, we are pleased to provide our local customers real estate professionals, home buyers and home sellers with a home inspection service that brings to the buying or selling of a home unmatched quality, precision, integrity, and professionalism.
We call what we do The Moment of Truth. It is the moment when the emotion of buying and selling a home meets the reality of the issues of that home. Our work is to communicate effectively, knowledgeably, efficiently, and openly about the condition of a home. We understand that our customers trust us to inform and educate them about what we see and what we find, and this is a trust we hold in the highest regard.
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7646 Sucia Place NW | Bremerton, WA 98311 | (360) 919-6667 |
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Greater Kitsap Chamber Legislative Updates
2023 Session: Week 1 Report
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As an exclusive benefit to our paid membership, the Greater Kitsap Chamber has again enlisted the services of Brad Boswell and team from Boswell Consulting to provide weekly legislative updates during the 2023 legislative session. Brad will also host a monthly Q&A on the last Friday of each month via Zoom to answer your questions directly. |
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AWB Institute Co-Hosts Meeting on Childcare
"This is the single issue in WA that is still bipartisan."
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Photo: Thinkstock
To kick off the legislative session, AWB hosted lawmakers from both parties and chambers to an in-depth discussion on childcare last week, jointly hosted by the AWB Institute and Children’s Campaign Fund Action.
“This is the single issue in Washington [D.C.] that is still bipartisan,” said Linda Smith of the Bipartisan Policy Center. “For years it was one side putting out ideas and hitting a blank wall. That’s not the case anymore.”
Why it matters: Washington, like the rest of the country, lacks an adequate supply of affordable, high-quality childcare options for families. This is not only an issue for families, but it’s also an issue for employers, costing Washington businesses more than $2 billion per year in employee turnover or missed work, and costing the state economy more than $6.5 billion per year.
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An employer issue: The lack of childcare options for employees is consistently ranked among the top ten issues facing Washington employers, and 13% reported it the most important issue overall. When people can’t find affordable childcare, they leave jobs, turn down jobs, and forego education opportunities. Learn more in AWB’s new issue brief.
The cost of quality: This week the Child Care Collaborative Task Force (which AWB’s Amy Anderson co-chairs) has released a new report to the Legislature and governor, The true cost of quality childcare in Washington, which highlights the problems and proposes solutions.
Contact AWB Government Affairs Director Amy Anderson to learn more.
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Washington Retail Legislative Updates |
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WR has been reviewing closely the bills which were pre-filed as well as new bills dropped during the first week of session. Approximately 3,000 bills are expected to be introduced.
The Democrat party has majority control in both houses with a 58D-40R split in the House and a 29D -20R split in the Senate. The bills that receive House approval will move from the House of origin to the opposite House for possible concurrence and a floor vote for potential approval by the entire Legislature.
Among the bills that were pre-filed, WR is closely following:
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HB 1140/SB 5187 proposes 2023-2025 fiscal biennium operating appropriations funding for the Attorney General’s Organized Retail Crime (ORC) Task Force. AG Ferguson initially requested $3 million in funding for resources and staffing of the Task Force. Governor Inslee has budgeted $2.265 million. WR supports the Governor’s proposal and encourages the Legislature to increase the appropriation to the AG’s original $3 million.
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HB 1137, which WR drafted and strongly supports, would allow injured workers to return to light-duty work thru approved non-profit organizations if there is no light-duty work available with their employer. If passed, the bill will create equitable access to return to work, which would be especially beneficial to frontline workers and small businesses.
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HB 1131/SB 5154 call for the creation of a beverage container reimbursement program and producers of products with packaging to join a producer responsibility organization that will set forth standards of how producers will pay for and encourage and incentivize the redesign of packaging to be reusable, recyclable, or compostable. The bill is also referred to as the “WRAP Act.” WR appreciates that the 142-page bill does not require retailers to take the beverage containers back at their store locations. We are reviewing this complex legislation and working closely with the sponsors.
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Washington Hospitality Legislative Updates |
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One of the top priorities for the Government Affairs team this year is working with lawmakers to increase state tourism marketing investments. Washington only spends about $1.5 million a year on tourism promotion, while neighboring states like Idaho spends $8 million. Oregon spends $49 million, and California spends $133 million a year.
It’s clear tourism and leisure travel will be vitally important for the hospitality industry on our road to recovery.
HB 1258 will increase state tourism marketing investments to $26 million per biennium.
Action alert status: HB 1258 was scheduled for a public hearing in the House Community & Economic Development, & Veterans committee on Tuesday, Jan. 17. The association testified in support of this bill.
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Member Education & Training Resources |
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Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency Releases Resource Handbook |
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The handbook was designed to provide supply chain guidance to SMBs that may have limited finances, share resources on how to enhance the SMB reporting and vetting processes when purchasing ICT, and offer methods and guidance to tackle the most common and highest priority risks faced by SMBs.
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WTIA Hosts Startup Sales Workshop
Wednesday, January 18, 2023, 11:30 am
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SCORE Webinar: Tax Essentials for
New & Existing Business Owners
Friday, January 20, 2023, 9:00 am
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Paying taxes is inevitable. But reporting and paying the right amount of taxes timely is the goal you want to achieve to give you peace of mind and allow you to focus on more important areas, like driving your business forward.
This 2.5-hour workshop will help you learn about:
- Federal taxes imposed on your business.
- Federal taxes you need to report and pay on amounts paid to your employees.
- Federal taxes you need to report and pay based on your business’s profits.
- Washington taxes imposed on your business and employees.
- City and local taxes imposed on your business.
- Record keeping requirements to ensure you are ready for that taxing agency audit.
Workshop Fee: $55
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SBA Webinar: Why Mentoring Matters
Grow Your Business with SCORE
Wednesday, January 25, 2023, 12:00 pm
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Puget Sound Business Journal Hosts
"How to Prepare Your Business for Success in 2023 and Beyond"
Thursday, January 26, 2023, 11:00 am
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The economic outlook for 2023 is full of uncertainties – rising interest rates, inflation, economic growth, filling key positions, supply chain issues. Join our webinar to hear insights from business thought leaders on the 2023 outlook and what companies are doing to prepare to weather the storm and how they are preparing to thrive.
In this webinar, we will discuss:
- Key actions a business should take to navigate 2023 successfully.
- Overall sentiment of the business environment over the next 12-18 months.
- How businesses can evaluate the business health of their key vendors and customers in the coming year.
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Military Relations Committee |
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Reserve Your Sponsorship & Booth Space Now
Advertising Deadline is January 31, 2023
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Business News & Resources |
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New Veterans Small Business Certification (VetCert) Portal Now Open |
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SBA’s new Veteran Small Business Certification program implements changes from the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 which transfers the certification function from the Department of Veterans Affairs to SBA as of January 1, 2023. The transfer will provide veterans with a central support point for their small business certification needs.
Certification with SBA allows service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses to compete for federal sole-source and set-aside contracts across the federal government. Certified veteran-owned small businesses have additional opportunities to pursue sole-source and set-aside contracts at the Veterans Administration (VA) under the VA’s Vets First program.
As of Monday, January 9, 2023, the new VetCert Portal is live and taking applications.
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State Survey: Housing is #1 Issue
for Most Washingtonians
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Courtesy of the Washington State Department of Commerce
Housing and homelessness topped a list of 12 issues in a new survey that asked Washington state residents to rank their top two problems facing the state. The Department of Commerce partnered with the Puget Sound Regional Council to conduct the 12-county survey in late 2022. Other issues on the list included crime and public safety, traffic and transportation, climate change and healthcare.
Housing and homelessness topped a list of 12 issues in a new survey that asked Washington state residents to rank their top two problems facing the state. The Department of Commerce partnered with the Puget Sound Regional Council to conduct the 12-county survey in late 2022. Other issues on the list included crime and public safety, traffic and transportation, climate change and healthcare.
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Nonprofit News & Resources |
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The Greater Kitsap Chamber is proud to be one of only five Chambers statewide selected to partner with the Nonprofit Association of Washington (NAWA) to bring education and resources to nonprofits in Western Washington. Stay tuned to this section of our weekly newsletter for education, resources and more for our nonprofit community. To learn more about NAWA, please visit their website here.
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How to Build Your Nonprofit Community |
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Photo: Getty Images by Yuichiro Chino
Although many in the nonprofit sector are loath to admit it, we lag behind our for-profit counterparts in some regards. Heresy alert: in most ways, “selling” our missions is no different than selling consumer goods. In both cases, what we’re after is a satisfied customer; people who are satisfied come back for more. Does it matter that the sources of satisfaction are very different? Not at all.
There is one area where for-profits are five to 10 years ahead of nonprofits, namely building communities around their brands and products. We need to catch up — and quickly.
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COVID-19 Updates & Resources |
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Masks & COVID Testing Kits Available
Free at the Greater Kitsap Chamber & Visitor Center
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The Kitsap County Department of Emergency Management provides local businesses with free KN95 masks and COVID testing kits. Pick up your supply at both Greater Kitsap Chamber locations today. |
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COVID-19 Support & 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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Navy Hiring Event
Thursday, January 19, 2023, 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
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Project Connect Fairs Offer Free
Community Services at Three Locations
January 24, 25 & 26, 2023
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Free Training Offered by CKFD
Sunday, January 29, 2023
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Start 2023 at Oxford Suites Silverdale
Savings of up to 20% off for wherever 2023 takes you!
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Find a comfortable and cozy home base for your 2023 adventures at Oxford Suites Silverdale with up to 20% off when you stay two nights or more. Whether you are traveling for sports competitions, a business meeting, or a weekend getaway, the Oxford Suites Silverdale Team is awaiting your arrival with convenient perks, friendly service and all the amenities that bring our guests back time and time again! |
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History Uncorked: Prints of Wales
Thursday, January 19, 2023, 7:00 pm
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Admiral Theatre Presents:
Booker T. Jones
Friday, January 20, 2023, 7:30 pm
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Booker T. Jones is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, four-time GRAMMY winner and arguably the most famous Hammond B3 player in history. As leader of the legendary Booker T. and the MGs, this pillar of soul music collaborated with Otis Redding, Albert King, and more during his tenure at Stax Records. Since then, Booker has lent his trademark keyboard chops to and produced classic albums such as Willie Nelson’s multi-platinum hit Stardust and Bill Withers’ Just As I Am featuring the hit song “Ain’t No Sunshine”.
With his Hammond B-3 organ, Booker T. Jones, along with the MG’s, would come to define The Memphis Sound. As leader of the famed Stax Records house band, and one of modern music’s most acclaimed figures, his first recording, “Green Onions,” was an international sensation, selling more than one million copies and claiming a place among Rolling Stone’s top five hundred songs of all time.
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Kitsap Wedding Expo
Saturday, February 4, 2023, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
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Welcome to Jane Austen's World
A Classic Collaborations presentation with Tames Alan
February 4 & 5, 2023
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Save-the-Date!
Light Up the Night Daddy Daughter Glow Dance
Saturday, March 4, 2023
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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
VP, Membership & Strategic Communications
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Joe Barboza
Operations Manager
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Brenda Kelley
Tourism Coordinator
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Bremerton Office (360) 479-3579 | 4th & Pacific Downtown Bremerton
Silverdale Office (360) 692-6800 | Kitsap Mall next to Macy's
PO Box 1218 Silverdale WA 98383
If you need assistance, please contact us directly.
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