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Next General Membership Luncheon
Candidates Forum
(names of candidates to be released in the near future)
Thursday, October 2, 2008
11:30 am – 1:00 pm
Great American Casino
Luncheon Cost - $20.00 – At the Door - $30.00
(Cost of the luncheon is set regardless of attendees’ acceptance of a meal)
Reservations Required – Please call 253-582-9400 today!
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Farewell Message from the Chair of the Board
As I write my final message and we enter September, it has suddenly become summer again.
Last year at this time, I was preparing to assume my responsibilities as chair of the board. Time really does fly.
We have accomplished so much this year. Our membership continues to grow, thanks to all of you who recommended and encouraged potential members. It is so important that new member candidates hear from current members about their experiences. Testimonials and word of mouth are still the best way to gain new members.
Financially, we are sound with a small reserve fund for emergencies.
We have enjoyed another succession of high quality “fun” raiser events — Holiday Auction, Chili Cook-off and Golf Tournament met and exceeded the expectations of the planners as well as the participants.
Our networking opportunities have never been better. Whether it’s a General Membership Luncheon, Business After Hours, Blue Ribbon Cutting, AM Chamber Network, ShowCase Lakewood or the Commencement Bay Cruise, staff and volunteers have worked hard to offer a plethora of locations and event dates and times to accommodate all of your busy schedules.
We continue to partner with Clover Park Technical College as the booking agent for the new Sharon McGavick Conference Center, bringing in out of town guests who might not otherwise visit our city.
We have an exciting year ahead of us with Greg Bakamis as the Chair of the Board. He brings years of hospitality and marketing experience to complement our current staff’s decades of service excellence. Greg and the board outlined the coming year and it is going to be great!
The Annual Meeting and Installation that was recently held at the Great American Casino was an A plus event. We recognized our “star” volunteers, as well installed the new Board of Directors. What a great group of members.
I want to thank Linda, Mary Ann and Scott for their efforts this year. We are truly lucky to have them on our team. I also want to thank all of you and our board for your encouragement, comments and humor. It has been a tremendous year and I can’t encourage you enough to get involved.
Mike Stevenson, CPA, CMA, MBA
Brink & Sadler, CPA’s
2007-08 Chair of the Board
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Welcome Our Newest Members!
Adam’s DJ Service Adam Tiegs, Owner 1105 – 9th Avenue, Suite A Milton, WA 98354 Specializing in Weddings and other fine events, we serve the Greater Puget Sound Area and the Pacific Northwest!
Army & Air Force Exchange Service Patrick McGhee, General Manager 9503 Rainier Avenue Building 9503, Logistic Center, Room 220 Fort Lewis, WA 98433-5000 253-964-5955 Providing goods and services to the military community.
Bourne Identity Graphics & Signage Susie Bourne, Owner 12221 Oak Tree Place SW Lakewood, WA 98498 253-651-6623 Signage & Banners.
Curves Lisa Masqua, Manager 7609 Steilacoom Blvd. SW Lakewood, WA 98498 253-588-9700 Full-body, 30 minute, three times a week workout specially designed for women.
El Gaucho Tacoma Emily Holst, Private Dining Sales 2119 Pacific Avenue Tacoma, WA 98402 253-272-1510 El Gaucho is a nostalgic dining event that takes you back to a special time. The tableside preparations of Caesar Salad, Chateaubriand and Bananas Foster are paired with an extensive world-class wine list.
Graemouse Technologies, LLC PJ Hanna, President 9638 Meadow Road SW Lakewood, WA 98499 253-777-0763 Business and residential IT support. Dell authorized reseller. Repair and service all computers MAC and PC. Your one stop computer shop for all your technology needs.
Hardcastle Entertainment, Inc. Ed Griffin, President P.O. Box 1172 Renton, WA 98057 425-255-6992 Provide audio/visual, lighting and disc jockey services.
Lifestyle Equity Builder Jay Staples 3820 South Pine Street Tacoma, WA 98409 253-227-3929 We can help you eliminate 100% of your debt in a fraction of the time you otherwise would, including mortgages, without spending one penny more than you currently do.
Manning and Galoia, LLC Tamsyn Manning, Managing Partner 10116 36th Ave. Ct. SW, Suite 109 Lakewood, WA 98499 253-752-3920 Accounting
Smith Bros. Farms Jerry Saxwold, Owner/Distributor 6815 Phillips Road SW Lakewood, WA 98498 253-589-0434 Dairy Products
Viking Bank Janet Thompson, Loan Officer 5821 Sprague Ct. Ste. 101 Tacoma, WA 98409 253-475-0100 Community bank with emphasis on personalized, customer oriented service commercial and residential lending.
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Thank you for renewing your investment in the Chamber!
35 and more years Pierce College Fort Steilacoom
25 and more years Pierce County Library District
15 and more years Classy Chassis Car Wash Lakewood Towing, Inc.
10 and more years Burs Restaurant Lakewood Area Shelter Association Pacific Northwest Insurance Brokerage Washington Landlord Association
5 and more years Lakewood United Northrop Grumman Technical Services
Up to 4 Years Bathfitter Cascade Eye & Skin Care Centers Gary & Carol Milgard Family Hope Center Hampton Inn & Suites Tacoma Huntington Learning Center Infusion Interior Design & Decor Inn at Gig Harbor Mary Kay – Tammy Steele Minuteman Press of Lakewood SafeStore Self Storage Tom Taylor Insurance Brokers, Inc. Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2329
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Sign up to be a Vendor at BOOBash Business After Hours & ShowCase Lakewood!Wednesday, October 15, 2008 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm Great American Casino Open to the Public – Must be 21 years or olderFree Admission!
There’s nothing to fear at this Eerie-sistable Trade Show!
Haunt our members and guests – for a chance to get spooktacular leads...
Bewitch potential clients as you network the night away…Sink your teeth into monstrously delicious hors d’oeuvres…
Enjoy a Ghoulishly Good beverage from the no-host bar…
Costumes are Optional – But always a scream! Best Vendor Booth Award - Decorate for a Ghostly Graveyard Bash!
Please call Mary Ann Miller at 253-582-9400to sign up today.Remember - First Come - First Served!
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Chamber Board Opposes Proposition 1
The Lakewood Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors opposes the idea of banning card rooms in the City of Lakewood.
The Board does not see the need to defend gaming. The four card rooms in Lakewood are legal, thoroughly regulated and socially acceptable; providing entertainment, food, drink, concerts, and meeting/event space to adults who choose to visit these venues.
The City of Lakewood shares significantly in the success of our card rooms through $2.8 million in taxes and over 600 family wage jobs, as well as the benefits of attracting visitors to our area.
Proposition 1 is ill-advised from an economic point of view. Proponents to date have offered no alternatives to the significant revenues that would be lost through the ban. The first draft of the reduced budget presented by the City Manager impacts all departments of the city with the police department taking the largest cut, as well as depleting the human services activities that benefit low income residents throughout the city.
Banning card rooms in Lakewood will not address the issue of problem gambling – but it will severely hurt over 600 hard-working employees who are building productive lives for themselves and their families. Singling out 4 out of 56 gambling licensees in Lakewood, while state-run gambling and neighboring Vegas-style casinos proliferate is outrageously unfair and does not address problem gambling issues.
Banning businesses for the sake of influencing the perceived moral behavior of a few never has – and never will work. Prohibition stands as the best illustration of a monumental failure in that regard.
Conversely, we believe that continued oversight and management of card rooms strikes the best balance between larger community interests and the rights of our commercial enterprises.
Quick Takes
National Short Takes
Don’t forget about the death tax
Washington’s state Supreme Court tossed out our state’s death tax only to have the governor and Legislature re-enact it. Congress passed legislation and started phasing down the federal estate tax with 2011 as the target date for fully eliminating it. Unfortunately, if Congress and the new president take no action, the federal death tax goes back into effect IMMEDIATELY in 2011. The death tax was not an issue in our governor’s race and the presidential race until Sen. John McCain spoke on the issue. McCain opposes the total elimination of the estate tax and proposes that it be reinstated at the 15-percent level. Sen. Barack Obama counters with a whopping 45 percent rate. Some may think this is a tax that only a few wealthy people will pay, so it doesn’t matter what the percentage is, but that wealth is creating more than 50 percent of the jobs in this country and most of the country’s job growth. Largely, that wealth is in equipment, machinery, inventory, factories, stores and buildings that provide jobs — jobs that have the highest probability of staying in the U.S.
Cost of energy driving inflation to a 17-year high
Inflation is at a 17-year high according to the National Association of Manufacturers’ Economy Daily. The federal government says consumer prices rose 0.8 percent in July — twice the rate projected by economists —bringing the annual inflation rate to 5.6 percent. What is driving this staggering inflation? The cost of energy is up more than 29 percent from last year and food prices at up 6 percent overall. The Wall Street Journal believes slower inflation may already be on the way thanks to a combination of factors including a recent drop in oil prices and other commodities; a strengthening of the U.S. dollar, which lowers the price of imports; and continued weakness in the U.S. economy, which suggests the Federal Reserve policy-makers are unlikely to raise interest rates.
State Topics
New mandatory leave laws affect all employers
Two new mandatory leave laws passed by the 2008 Legislature are now in effect and apply to all Washington employers, public or private, regardless of the number of employees. New provisions apply to spouses of soldiers and domestic violence victims.
Spouses of soldiers involved in military deployment now have the right to unpaid time off in certain circumstances. Spouses can substitute paid vacation, sick leave or other types of leave they have accrued (if these benefits are offered by the employer) for any part of the time off they take under this new law.
A new law allows up to 15 days unpaid leave per deployment. To qualify, the worker must:
*Work an average 20 hours or more per week;
*Have a spouse who is a member of the United States Armed Forces, National Guard or Reserves.
The law applies in the following circumstances:
*Time of conflict declared by the President or Congress;
*Before and up to the spouse's military deployment;
*When the military spouse is on leave from deployment.
This leave does not apply when military personnel return from deployment. A worker must notify their employer within five business days of receiving official notice that their spouse will be on leave or answering a call to active duty.
Domestic violence victims will be able to take unpaid time off of work in order to take care of legal or law enforcement needs, or get health care and counseling. Family members of a victim may also take leave to help the victim seek needed help.
Features of the new law:
*Employees may use sick leave or other paid time off, compensatory time, or take unpaid leave time.
*"Family member" includes a child, spouse, parent, parent-in-law, grandparent or a person the employee is dating.
The law says that the victim or caregiver may take "reasonable" leave but does not otherwise specify the amount of time that may be taken.
For questions about any of Washington State's leave laws, contact your local L&I office or the L&I headquarters office in Tumwater at 360-902-5316. There is information on the web at: www.Lni.wa.gov/WorkplaceRights/LeaveBenefits/FamilyCare.
Source: State Department of Labor & Industries
Local Info
A note from our insurance broker, GHB Insurance / Integrated Benefit Strategies.
On August 1st, all individual plan premiums through Regence Blue Shield will be increasing by about 18%.
In addition, Group Health is now offering very competitive individual plans, where you can see any doctor!
If you would like updated individual medical quotes, please take our survey online.
Visit www.ibsbenefits.com and click on the survey link. We will have a representative call you to provide you with options that fit your specific needs.
It can take you up to 6 hours to research options through different insurance carriers. Let our broker do the work for you – for free!
Promote Your Business to New Army Personnel
Let us promote your business at the Fort Lewis Newcomers Orientation in the Lakewood Chamber booth, reaching approximately 500 new personnel and their families each month for only $200 a year! Increase your businesses’ foot traffic with coupons and giveaways. You are encouraged to provide items that are useful and imaginative – discount coupons, magnets, rulers, calendars, etc. will be of more interest and use than a simple brochure.
For details, contact Scott Jonson at 253-582-9400 at the Chamber.
McChord & Fort Lewis posts to merge in 2010
To view the contents go to: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/05/army_mcchord_050708w/
Lakewood United’s August Programs
The Lakewood United group meets at 7 AM every Thursday at Burs Restaurant, which is located at 6151 Steilacoom Boulevard SW in Lakewood. The events for the next four weeks are as follows:
September 4, 2008 – Enterprise Washington GROW (Growing Roots for our Workforce) – Erin McCallum, President and Sonja Forster, VP of Communications and Membership
September 11, 2008 – Operations of 4/2 Stryker Brigade During Fifteen Months in Iraq – Major Kevin Lambert and Sergeant Major Brian Hollis
September 18, 2008 – Prostate Cancer Awareness – Gaylord Mingo, Prostate Cancer Support Group
September 25, 2008 – The Life and Times of Maury Peerenboom by the Man himself.
October 2, 2008 – Challenges for Deployed Military Marriages - Dan Comsia, Director for healthy marriage/ responsible fatherhood programs of Lakewood.
Lakewood United website: http://communities.southsound.com/main.wsi?group_id=138
Who: All Lakewood, Fort Lewis and McChord community members, Clover Park School District students and employees and local businesses and organizations are invited to attend.
What: An event for the whole family! In addition to live entertainment, a variety of booths sponsored by student and community groups and activities will be available.
When: Friday, Sept. 12, 2008, 3:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Where: Adjacent to Harry E. Lang Stadium, 6615 111th St. SW in Lakewood.
Purpose: To celebrate the beginning of a new school year, acknowledge the cooperative relationships the district has with local partners, showcase students, school programs and have fun!
Cost: Free
Food: Hot Dog Meals (a hot dog, potato chips or pretzels or carrot sticks and a bottle of water) will be for sale for $1. Some community groups may also have food items for sale as fundraisers.
For more information contact Clover Park School District’s Community Relations Office, 583-5040.
We’re Fishing for Ideas…YOURS
Yes! We’re interested in what’s going on with your business. And so are other Chamber Members.
Please pass this along to the person who maintains your mailing list and ask that they add lsmith@lakewood-wa.com to your mailing list for story inclusion in the Chamber Newsletter. Thank you!
110% Club!
Add an additional 10% of your annual dues to belong to the 110% Club. We thank the following businesses for their support!
Bohns' Biz
City of Lakewood
Columbia Bank
Huntington Learning Center
James Guerrero Architects
Liberty Tax Service
Nation Wide Insurance
Northwest Abatement Services, Inc.
Peaceful Atmosphere Massage
Signsations, Inc.
Tillicum Mini-Storage
Members & Visitors Served in June
375 Chamber Members Served – Calls & Walk-Ins
199 Visitor & Meeting Planners Served – Calls & Walk-Ins
Did you know?
The Chamber is open 7 days a week (excluding Federal Holidays)? Weekend hours of operation are 10 am - 3 pm.
August
Ambassadors of the Month
Platinum
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Mac McDonald
Nikken
Gold
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David Lobban
Lobban Photography
Silver
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Patty Huesers
Northwest Skin Center
2007-08 Board of Directors Executive Committee
Greg Bakamis, Chair Great American Casino Rick Stevens, Vice Chair GEICO Direct Mike Block, Treasurer Columbia Bank Shawn Gagnon, Secretary Weinand & Associates Mike Stevenson, Past Chair Brink & Sadler, CPA's
Board of Directors
Jaimie Garrett Venture Bank Mortgage Services Donna Haines CoinForce.com Bill Kittrell Retired David Lobban Lobban Photography Charlie Maxwell Lakewood Refuse Cindy Sims Navy Federal Credit Union
Ex-Officios Debbie LeBeau Clover Park School District Bret Farrar Lakewood Police Department Ellie Chambers City of Lakewood Hallie McCurdie Lakewood Fire Department Tony Robinson Clover Park Technical College Denise Yochum Pierce College Staff Linda Smith President/CEO Mary Ann Miller Membership Director Scott Jonson Visitor Services & Office Administration Beth Tate Visitor Information Services |
Washington's Business Climate is all over the Map
The good news is that none show Washington at or near the bottom in overall business friendliness. However, several troubling statistics exist.
You may have heard that Forbes Magazine ranked Washington state as the 3rd best state for business. Forbes is a respected national business magazine. Washington's leaders should be proud of the good press. Does Forbes saying we're number three truly make it so? Is the debate about our business friendliness over? Let's take a closer look at Forbes' criteria.
Washington ranked particularly well (2nd) in Forbes' "labor rank," a criteria measuring educational attainment, net migration and population growth. We ranked 2nd in the "growth prospects" category, a criteria that judges the prospects of individual income growth and business start-ups. For years Washington state has been ranked as a state with a high start-up rate, but we've also been ranked as a state with one of the highest business failure rates.
Forbes ranked us 6th in the "regulatory environment" category; something the hundreds of small business owners Washington Policy Center has worked with over the years might object to. We also made a big jump in the economic climate from 16th last year to 7th this year.
Where we didn't score particularly well was in the "business costs" (28th) or "quality of life" (25th) categories. I'm curious as to how we can rate so well overall and yet be ranked so low in categories that include the cost of actually running a business.
Forbes is not the only national study to rank Washington particularly friendly to business. The Small Business and Entrepreneurship (SBE) Council ranked Washington the 4th best state in tax systems for small businesses. That sounds like even better news, right? But wait a minute.
The SBE Council had sixteen different sets of criteria including personal income tax, corporate income tax, AMT taxes, property taxes, gas tax and so on. What is notable about the SBE Council's ranking system is that out of the sixteen measures, Washington only registers in eight of them. Washington has no personal income tax, corporate income tax and several of the other taxes that states were ranked by, and therefore Washington has an artificially high ranking.
Washington ranked perilously low in the categories for which there is data. We came in 25th in property taxes, second-to-last in sales, gross and excise taxes (includes our B&O tax), 43rd in unemployment taxes, 46th in gas taxes, and our state's estate tax was not ranked using a comparison of percentages among other states but only by the fact that it exists. That Washington received the highest marks among taxes we do not have, and mid-to-worst among taxes we do have, should be kept at the forefront of the discussion.
The Tax Foundation ranked us 11th overall. We tied for first in the personal income tax category (because we don't have one) but when they account for our B&O tax we came in at 31st. We also ranked dead last in their sales tax measure. The unemployment insurance and property tax rankings were not much better. The American Legislative Exchange Council ranked our economic outlook at a worrisome 31st. Here too we ranked tops in the income tax standings, but fell to 25th for property taxes, 49th in the sales tax burden and 28th in the estate tax.
Despite the tax and regulatory burdens faced by entrepreneurs in this state, thousands of businesses open each year. But the pool of people willing to risk their livelihoods and their capital is finite--at some point the cost of doing business will become prohibitive. In 2007 the state's business community paid almost $15 billion in taxes--an increase of 36% since 2002. At what point does the business community look for better, cheaper options and friendlier states?
During this election season, as rankings are being thrown about remember that while the business climate may be good for some, it certainly is not great for everyone. The data in these reports show where we need the most improvement.
by Carl Gipson |
Photo Gallery
Blue Ribbon Cutting at CenterForce
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Annual Commencement Bay Boat Cruise
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September Events Calendar
Thu 11 |
11 am |
Executive Committee |
Chamber Board Room |
Thu 11 |
12 noon |
Board of Directors |
Chamber Board Room |
Tue 16 |
7:30 am |
Military Affairs Committee |
Burs Restaurant |
Wed 17 |
4:30-6:30 pm |
Business After Hours - Famous Dave's BBQ |
1901 South 72nd Street |
Thu 18 |
12 noon |
Membership Committee |
LaPalma Restaurant |
Wed 24 |
8:00 am |
Amabssadors Club |
Chamber Board Room |
Thu 25 |
5:30 pm |
Blue Ribbon Cutting at CPTC Spa |
4650 Steilacoom Blvd SW |
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4650 Steilacoom Blvd Building 19, Suite 109 We are open 7 days a week to serve you! 9 am - 5 pm Monday through Friday 10 am - 3 pm Saturday and Sunday |
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