Wednesday, January 24, 2024 |
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Military Appreciation Day Booths Available
Reserve a spot at our family day for Kitsap's military community
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We're putting the family fun back into our annual Military Appreciation Day! We'd love to have your business join us as we introduce Kitsap's military community to all the amazing businesses, services, and nonprofits in and around our county. Reserve a booth and share what you do with active duty, reservists, and retiree families.
Families will enjoy learning all about Kitsap and what it has to offer and can sample yummy bites from some of Kitsap's favorite food trucks, while the kids enjoy carnival games, bouncy houses, and will even get to run an obstacle course made just for them.
Sign up now for a booth and join in this long-standing military family tradition - the only event like this in Kitsap County!
Sponsorships are also available. Contact Tiffany to learn more!
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We welcomed five new members at last week's Chamber luncheon, including clockwise from top right: Pam Schneider, Scarlet Road; Joe Forsthoffer, Joseph Forsthoffer Strategic Communications; Denise Kulak, Sinclairs Twenty-Two; and Bittina and Kevin Sheen with Away With Words Bookshop and the Poulsbo Film Festival.
Welcome to the Greater Kitsap Chamber!
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Celebrating Our Members
Away With Words Bookshop One-Year Celebration
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Congratulations again to new members, Away With Words Bookshop, and owners Kevin and Bittina Sheen on their one-year anniversary as shop owners.
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Get the Most Out of Your Member Benefits |
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Insurance done differently. Our benefits partner BHT offers quality, cost-effective medical plans plus a whole lot more, including concierge level customer service and innovative cost-saving programs and resources.
Before you renew this year, be sure to benchmark your benefits with BHT – and learn how purchasing your benefits package through an Association Health Plan can benefit you.
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Renew your membership today to ensure your benefits as a member of the Greater Kitsap Chamber! Questions about when to renew or how to upgrade your membership? Need a new membership window cling or digital badge? Contact Irene now!
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Missed a previous edition of the Chamber's Community Connections?
View all the past issues on our website HERE.
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New Members - Welcome to the Chamber! |
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New OC Program Offers Streamlined
Path to Post-Service Career
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Photo: OC's Poulsbo campus houses the expanded health care programs launching to meet a worker shortage in the healthcare field. Peiyu Lin/Kitsap Sun
In the coming months Olympic College will provide a new pathway for veterans like Navy corpsmen and Air Force medics who are looking for a career transition to the civilian world, potentially the first program of its kind in Washington.
OC is launching a Corpsman/Medic to Practical Nursing (CM-PN) pathway that allows graduates to qualify as Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) in two quarters after meeting prerequisites, the college announced on Monday.
"Veterans acquire a wealth of skills during their service to our country. However, applying these skills to civilian careers can be challenging,” OC President Marty Cavalluzzi said in a statement. "The Corpsman/Medic to Practical Nursing pathway recognizes and values service members’ military experience and offers a streamlined path to a sustainable career in the high-demand healthcare field."
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Bremerton School District Hosts
Community Open Houses
January 25 & 31, February 5, 2024
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Central Kitsap School District
Asks for Levy Support
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Celebrating our January Members of the Month, Help Desk Cavalry, at the GKC luncheon last week. From L to R: Candace Taylor, Accounts Manager; Kim Brys, Finance Director; Steve Treanor, Founder and Owner; David Emmons, GKC President/CEO; John Morrissey, GKC Board Chairman; and Jeremy Stitt, Business Development Manager. Congratulations, again! |
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1676 NE McWilliams Road | Bremerton, WA 98311 | (360) 930-6990
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Washington Hospitality Action Alerts
Contact your lawmakers in response to these bills
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The Washington Hospitality Association is calling on voters to take action on the above bills that could drastically impact the hospitality industry and consumers. Click on each bill for more information. |
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Tax Proposals Will Raise the Cost of Housing |
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Bills return: Two bills are back this year that would increase housing costs for renters and homeowners. House Bill 2276 would add a 1% real estate transfer tax on property sales above about $3 million, on top of an existing 3% real estate excise tax. AWB members sent emails opposing the bill to key committee members last week.
AWB's Emily Shay testified Thursday in a House Finance Committee hearing that Washington's top REET rate is already third highest in the nation, and the bill would move it to second highest. The tax would impact many multi-family and commercial properties, with the added costs passed onto renters.
Housing revenue: HB 2276 aims to raise revenue for affordable housing, but the Washington Research Council notes that only 7% of revenue would go into housing funds. The vast majority would go into the state's general fund and other accounts.
Local property taxes: Senate Bill 5770, meanwhile, would raise the voter-imposed 1% cap on local property tax growth to 3%. The law would allow local governments to triple the annual growth rate of taxes without voter approval, driving up tax bills for homeowners and businesses.
Last year's fiscal note estimated the bill would place an additional $250 million burden on taxpayers per year.
AWB's position: Rather than tax housing and make more it more expensive, lawmakers should continue their work from last session and pass policies to increase housing supply.
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Member Education & Training Resources |
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SCORE: Financial Basics for
New Small Businesses
Monday, January 29, 2024, 1:00 pm
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This workshop is designed to give you, the business owner, the financial skills and know-how needed to perform key tasks like to determine how to accurately compute the amount of funding you’ll need to start your business. You will also learn how to project your future financial results realistically including:
- Projecting sales for a new business
- Understanding your cost of goods sold and gross margin
- Being able to project your operating expenses
- Calculating your net income
- Planning your cash flow successfully
This workshop includes a special section on creating financial statements for service businesses.
Proper management of finances is crucial to any business’s success and a special set of skills is needed to understand and create these critical financial statements. This workshop is suitable for everyone whether you are starting a new business or need to update your skills.
This is an interactive workshop. We encourage participation by all attendees -- so bring along your questions!
Workshop Fee: FREE
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Business News & Resources |
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New Washington Business Outlook Report Offers Key Economic Insights for 2024 |
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What's in store in 2024: AWB published a new quarterly economic report today with insights on finance, energy, agriculture and more. "The feared recession did not happen in 2023 and the economy keeps chugging along. The outlook, however, is not entirely sanguine," Arun Raha, former Washington state chief economist, writes in the latest edition of Washington Business Outlook.
Likelihood of rate cuts: "Last month the Fed stated that it expects to make three rate cuts in 2024, but that does not appear immediately likely at this time," Raha continues. "Inflation remains above the Fed’s desired level and that means the cuts may be delayed until much later in the year."
Energy prices: Washington's gas prices are now 90 cents higher than overall U.S. gas prices, and "without adjustments to the cap-and-invest program, Washington's economy will continue to lag the nation in benefiting from falling fuel prices," writes Grant Forsyth, chief economist at Avista Corp.
As of mid-January, Washington's snowpack sits at 40% to 75% of normal. Without additional snow, we could see a drop in hydropower production and higher electricity prices this summer, Forsyth continues.
Calmer times for ag: Global oil prices have declined, driving down costs for fuel and chemicals for farmers, writes Desmond O'Rourke, founder and CEO of Belrose, Inc. While inflation has slowed, the cost of borrowing has risen. In 2023, prices for major food commodities fell -- good for consumers, but not for farmers, he notes.
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Quick and interesting reads for employers, employees,
local leaders, and everyone in between!
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Nonprofit News & Resources |
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5 Things to Improve Your Digital Ecosystem |
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Photo: Getty Images by Hinterhaus Productions
Creating New Year’s resolutions isn’t just for individuals, it can be a great exercise for a team. Resolutions provide purpose, a filter to run decisions through and something to work toward.
For many marketing and IT teams, making their digital ecosystem more efficient is at the top of their list of resolutions. This is no small task. Digital ecosystems are complex. They constantly change. They can be expensive and time consuming. There are a lot of options to expand and manage them. This list of things to think about can go on and on.
It can be overwhelming to think about everything that might make your ecosystem more efficient, much less turn those thoughts into actionable tasks.
It’s often said, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” This sentiment could not be farther from the truth when it comes to your digital ecosystem. There are more than 1.8 million nonprofits in America vying for support. Corporate philanthropy has dramatically risen over the past several years, but individual giving is not increasing. Waiting for your digital ecosystem to break is a surefire way to fall behind.
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Bremerton City Council Opts for
Shelter and Pallet Homes
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Photo: Kai Uyehara, Kitsap Sun
The Bremerton City Council on Wednesday chose a preferred option to expand overnight shelter capabilities in the city, by voting for what's called a "hybrid" proposal that includes a proposed pallet-shelter community and a low-barrier congregate shelter, departing from Mayor Greg Wheeler's proposal for a single large congregate shelter on Oyster Bay Avenue.
Following suggestion from a collective of homeless and housing service providers, the city council is looking at the Swing Set Mall near the Goodwill plaza off Wheaton Way as a potential location for a smaller indoor shelter and perhaps the pallet community as well, even though a specific location was not approved as part of an ordinance Wednesday. The hybrid shelter has won favor with community members who spoke Wednesday, social service providers and council members alike, but the plan has less of a defined set-up than Wheeler's preferred option. The lack of specifics at this point left Wheeler with deep reservations that a hybrid option will effectively serve the needs of the city's unhoused population in a timely way.
Councilmember for District 2, Denise Frey, will host a community meeting to discuss the East Bremerton location approved last week on Saturday, February 10th at 11:00 am (see Community Information below for more details).
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Ferry Town Hall with Rep. Greg Nance
Saturday, January 27, 2024, 1:00 pm
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Kitsap Humane Society "My Furry Valentine"
January 5-February 8, 2024
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Harsh Winter Leads to
Decline in Blood Donations
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Blood banks and organizations that serve Washington and the Northwest are close to calling a Code Red – a critical supply warning to hospitals and emergency departments that donated blood is running out fast.
A Code Red is declared after four consecutive days of emergency blood levels. It rarely happens due to a single event, but January’s cold weather caused a severe dent in emergency blood supplies beyond the usual donation slowdown during the holidays.
“It's typically something we don't declare more than once every year or two. Conditions need to come together like a ‘perfect storm’ in order to really jeopardize the blood supply,” said John Yeager, senior media content strategist at Bloodworks Northwest in Seattle.
Jennifer Hawkins, regional director of Vitalant in Spokane, said in seasonal terms, the holiday lull was not much different than in previous years. What makes the situation different now is that the cold weather and icy conditions make it harder for donors to make their appointments. “We have canceled most of our mobile blood drives due to extremely low temperatures, snow, and ice and closures around the Inland Northwest,” she said. “But patient need doesn’t go on a holiday, and we no longer have reserves to ride through the slow times.”
The American Red Cross in Washington also had problems resupplying collection sites because of road closures and icy conditions, forcing the cancellation of blood drives across the state. Additional challenges lie ahead as seasonal illnesses like the flu and COVID-19 keep donors from meeting their appointments.
The shortages are most severe in Type O negative blood, which is at emergency levels, but there is also great need for O+, A- and B- blood types. One pint of donated blood can save up to three lives, providing red blood cells, plasma, or platelets to people in need.
Blood banks urge volunteers to please book appointments to donate blood as soon as it is safe for them to do so. Bloodworks Northwest alone has 13,000 open appointments in January, so finding a time that is convenient should be easy.
Appointments can be scheduled at your convenience and take about an hour. Learn more details, including eligibility requirements, by visiting Northwest Blood Coalition members’ websites:
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Project Connect Fair
January 23, 24, & 25, 2024
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Overdose Awareness & Prevention Training
Thursday, February 1, 2024, 6:00 pm
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Topics will include overdose risk factors, signs of an overdose, how to respond to an overdose, and common myths and misunderstandings about fentanyl.
The training will cover how to give naloxone (Narcan), an easy-to-use medication that can reverse opioid overdoses. Naloxone will be provided to attendees as supplies allow.
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Bremerton District 2 Community Meeting
Saturday, February 10, 2024, 11:00 am
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Meals on Wheels: Miles for Meals
Registration Now Open
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Masks & COVID Testing Kits Available
Free at the Greater Kitsap Chamber & Visitor Center
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The Greater Kitsap Chamber still has some supplies available if your local business is in need of KN95 masks or COVID testing kits. Pick up your supply at both GKC locations today. Available while supplies last.
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Roxy Theatre Presents:
Dan Rosenberg & Friends
Saturday, January 27, 2024, 7:30 pm
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Petty Thief @ Clearwater Casino
Saturday, January 27, 2024, 9:00 pm
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Enjoy an evening with amazing entertainment Fridays and Saturdays in the Beach Rock Music and Sports starting at 9pm. General Admission tickets may be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com or in the Casino Gift Shop for just $15*. Gather the gang and head over for an evening of entertainment and fun. Doors open at 7pm, so come early to secure your seat for the show.
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Foghat @ Admiral Theatre
Friday, February 2, 2024, 7:30 pm
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Foghat celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2021, and their live performances show why the band is still around and will continue to keep on rockin’ as long as they want to! Join us for the timeless music, incredible energy and expert musicianship of a seasoned band with a remarkable history. These guys just love to play!
Are you ready to take a ‘SLOW RIDE’? Just great Rock ‘n Roll/Boogie & Blues!
With the band as high energy and intense as ever, Foghat’s audience now consists of fans of all ages… kids who learned about Foghat from Guitar Hero III, the ‘Dazed & Confused’ generation, and the boomers who bought their vinyl or 8 tracks!
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BCT Presents: Crimes of the Heart
February 2-25, 2024
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The three Magrath sisters are back together for the first time in a decade. Lenny is the caretaker of the sisters’ cantankerous Old Granddaddy. Meg left home to pursue stardom as a singer in Los Angeles, but has, so far, only found happiness at the bottom of a bottle. And Babe has just been arrested for the murder of her abusive husband. Under the scorching heat of the Mississippi sun, past resentments bubble to the surface and each sister must come to terms with the consequences of her own “crimes of the heart.”
Content Advisory: Contains adult language, references to attempted suicide, and verbal descriptions of domestic violence.
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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 our weekly Community Connections!
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David Emmons
President/CEO
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Irene Moyer
VP, Membership & Strategic Communications
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Tiffany Diamond
Events 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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