Klc biz 10 15 final

Business ConnectionK e l s o L o n g v i e w C h a m b e r o f C o m m e r c e

Volume 7, No. 10 October 2015

Please see Chances, page 2

By Brenda Sexton For the Kelso Longview Chamber

“I did not dream about going to prison as a child. I wanted to be a teacher,” Gina McConnell-Otten said.

For 11 years, McConnell-Otten called a correctional facility home, but today as she finishes up a temporary position with Goodwill Work Opportunity Cen-ter of Cowlitz County, she can describe her job as a support specialist for Student Services with the Post-Prison Education Program as teaching.

“With support and education there is nothing we can’t do,” said McConnell-Otten, with the “we” standing for those currently incarcerated, but inspired and driven to create a different life when re-leased.

She volunteers with the Post-Prison Ed-ucation Program (PPEP) – giving back to the program that gave her so much. The Seattle-based nonprofit’s goal is to

reduce recidivism through education and support, two things McConnell-Otten needed when she decided to move her life forward after her 2011 release from the correctional facility.

Inspired by a PPEP visit, while still be-hind bars, she buckled down and earned her high school diploma. She began a work release program in Seattle and earned a scholarship to attend a Seattle community college. The scholarship came from a woman whose brother had been incarcerated. McConnell-Otten was its first recipient.

“I knew I was street smart,” McConnell-Otten said. “But I didn’t think I was book smart.

“I was uncomfortable and worried about stepping foot on a college campus. I thought everyone would see the big F on my forehead, the big F for felon. But no one saw it.”

Her comfort zone continued to be tested. She was selected to be one of several fel-

ons teamed with University of Washing-ton honor students for a quarter. What, she wondered – what would a privileged bunch of kids have in common with someone with a 13-page, front and back, rap sheet?

The two diverse groups discovered com-mon ground, and the project proved suc-cessful and eye opening.

“The PPEP program literally built me up and loved me where I was at,” she said. “They’ve been there through it all for me, thick and thin.”

So have the words of a judge who called her a waste of air, menace to society, and said she would amount to no good. As did the words from a friend she left be-hind in prison who told her, “I want you to not come back here. I want you to be my voice.”

McConnell-Otten took those words to heart. Despite the “smell of lack of hope” that permeates through prisons, she re-

Educating businesses on taking chances

Gina McConnell-Otten uses her education and work experience after release from prison to return to help those still incarcerated.

Kelso Longview Business Connection October 2015

2

turns to share her story with PPEP. She participates in The If Project, a collaboration of law enforcement and previously incarcerated adults, who focus on intervention and prevention by sharing their stories, primarily with at-risk youth. She has testi-fied at Legislative meetings. She shares her story with local organizations.

She recently spoke at a joint meeting between the Cowlitz Wahkiakum Career De-velopment Council (CWCDC) and the Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce's Education Foundation. Chamber CEO Bill Marcum said the two organizations were discussing goals for 2016 to see if there were synergies each could use together to better work place employment.

"She talked about the prison education program and wow, she was dynamic, pas-sionate and knowledgeable," Marcum said.

McConnell-Otten works with at-risk youth in her current position. A job that was hard to find. After she married and moved from Seattle to Kalama, she found her background stood in the way of employment. Using her resources, she found a line through AmeriCorps and ended up at the Goodwill Work Opportunity Center. That job was scheduled to end Sept. 30.

Sad, but OK, she said. She has a plan.

Twelve credits shy of her goal when she left Seattle; McConnell-Otten plans to re-turn to school to finish what she started. Education plays a key role in breaking the cycle of crime, she said. A minimum-wage job is a good start to build confidence, but a 2- or 4-year degree provides a living wage and stability.

According to PPEP, studies show that two years of post-secondary education re-duces the rate of recidivism by more than 50 percent.

Her message: “Everybody wants to feel like they have a purpose. Take a second chance on someone coming out of prison.”

“I did not dream about going to prison as a child.

I wanted to be a teacher.”

Gina McConnell-Otten

FridayOctober 2 – 7:30 a.m.

Boot Camp Retail SeriesPricing Strategies – Cowlitz County

LCC Heritage Room

WednesdayOctober 7 – 7:30 a.m.

Education Foundation CommitteeCanterbury Park, 1335 3rd Ave., Longview

ThursdayOctober 8 – 7:30 a.m.

Ambassador CommitteeCanterbury Park, 1335 3rd Ave., Longview


Boot Camp Retail SeriesPromotions Strategies – Advertising

LCC Heritage Room

TuesdayOctober 13 – 5:30 p.m.Business After Hours

American Workforce Group1104 14th Ave., Longview


Boot Camp Retail Series Online Sales? Facebook? How to get in the game!

LCC Heritage Room

TuesdayOctober 20 – NoonBoard of Directors

Longview Country Club41 Country Club Dr., Longview


Bonus Boot Camp Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

LCC Heritage Room


Boot Camp Retail SeriesWhat does your window/store say to customers?

LCC Heritage Room

Every WednesdayChamber Connections

KEDO/1400 AM – 3 to 4 p.m.Stream live at www.threeriversradio.com

Local guest and current events

Calendar

Chances, from page 1

BOOT CAMPSmall Business

7:30 am - 9 am Friday Mor

★

nings ★ Lower Columbia CollegeHeritage Room at LCC - Admin. Bldg.

Now this is Truth in Advertising ‘Tools you can use to help you imme-diately’. The Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce hit the nail on the head with their most recent Business Boot Camp. As an administrator and business owner with over 25 years leadership experience, I walked away every week with new tools, inspiration, motivation and a desire to strive to improve my business by leaps and bounds. The courses were well planned, the content was interesting, relevant, informative, inspir-ing,, thought provoking and challenging. I can not say that I have ever spent so little and received so much. I can not wait until the next series. The best investment in my business I have ever made. Barbara A. Sudar • Administrator Longview Urology Owner/Partner: Estetica Day Spa

❝

❞

FALL

2015

360-423-8400 www.kelsolongviewchamber.org

RETAILING Six Pack

$100 Members$160 Non-Members

Register at:www.kelsolongviewchamber.org

2015

Sept. 11 What does your window and your store say to customers? Talking about window dis plays, store displays, signage in the store, dust on the items, poor lighting etc.

Facilitator: Bob Green, RW Green and Associates.Sept. 18 Employee Training – Are your employees trained to help the customer

or just ring up a sale? Kevin Hunter, The Business Forum Show.Sept. 25 Purchasing Strategies – Do you have a plan? Facilitator:JerryPetrick,CertifiedBusinessAdvisorSBDCOct. 2 Pricing Strategies – Cowlitz County Facilitator:JerryPetrick,CertifiedBusinessAdvisorSBDCOct. 9 Promotion Strategies – Advertising: mail, radio, online, print. Facilitator: Bill Marcum, Kelso Longview ChamberOct. 16 Online Sales? Facebook? How to get in the game! Facilitator: Tom May, May52 Inc.

BOOT CAMPSmall Business

2015 Fall Series begins Friday, September 11Friday Mornings ★ Lower Columbia College

7:30 am - 9 am ★ Heritage Room at LCC - Admin. Bldg.

Now this is Truth in Advertising ‘Tools you can use to help you imme-diately’. The Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce hit the nail on thehead with their most recent Business Boot Camp. As an administratorand business owner with over 25 years leadership experience, I walkedaway every week with new tools, inspiration, motivation and a desire tostrive to improve my business by leaps and bounds. The courses werewell planned, the content was interesting, relevant, informative, inspir-ing,, thought provoking and challenging. I can not say that I have everspent so little and received so much. I can not wait until the next series.The best investment in my business I have ever made.

Barbara A. Sudar • Administrator Longview UrologyOwner/Partner: Estetica Day Spa

❝

❞

FALL

2015

360-423-8400 www.kelsolongviewchamber.org

RETAILING Six Pack

$100 Members$160 Non-Members

Register at:www.kelsolongviewchamber.org

2015

Sept. 11 What does your window and your store say to customers? Talking about window displays, store displays, signage in the store, dust on the items, poor lighting etc. Facilitator: Bob Green, RW Green and Associates.

Sept. 18 Employee Training – Are your employees trained to help the customeror just ring up a sale? Kevin Hunter, The Business Forum Show.

Sept. 25 Purchasing Strategies – Do you have a plan?Facilitator: Jerry Petrick, Certified Business Advisor SBDC

Oct. 2 Pricing Strategies – Cowlitz CountyFacilitator: Jerry Petrick, Certified Business Advisor SBDC

Oct. 9 Promotion Strategies – Advertising: mail, radio, online, print. Facilitator: Bill Marcum, Kelso Longview Chamber

Oct. 16 Online Sales? Facebook? How to get in the game! Facilitator: Tom May, May52 Inc.

4


By Bill Marcum CEO – Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce

I hope each of you have been following the minimum wage publicity that has been sweeping across the state of Washington. This past year the Legislature did not move forward on an in-crease to the state’s minimum wage bill that was proposed. The proposal would have taken the state minimum wage from its already highest in the nation $9.47 to $12 over the next four or five years – ahead of the general cost of living increase of each year.

A $15 minimum wage initiative will be on the ballot for Taco-ma voters Nov. 3. If approved the minimum wage would imme-diately go to $15 per hour for all businesses with annual gross revenue of $300,000 or more. The initiative also sets a cost-of-living increase each year based on the consumer price index for the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue market.

When the initiative was certified the Tacoma City Council put an alternative measure on the ballot calling for the city’s mini-mum wage to move to $12 per hour by 2018.

Liberal billionaire Nick Hanauer is gearing up for his own initiative, which he calls “$16 in ‘16”. A push for a $16 minimum wage statewide.

Polling by the Association of Washington Business (AWB) shows that a $12 initiative would pass by a healthy margin and a $15 minimum wage by a narrow margin at this time.

Below are a couple of links to stories about what was discussed above.

http://ballotpedia.org/City_of_Tacoma_$15_per_Hour_Min-imum_Wage_Measure,_Initiative_No._1_(November_2015)

http://shiftwa.org/liberal-billionaire-gears-up-for-statewide-16-minimum-wage-push-in-2016/

The Tacoma Chamber of Commerce has this site running, tell-ing its members that $15 is too extreme. There are some excel-lent facts and figures for you to look at, http://www.know15.com/

How will a $12, $15 or even $16 minimum wage affect your business? Most business owners I talk with say it will be dev-astating, but not all agree. Either way you need to be informed. Read as much as you can, run a cost analysis on your business and do some research. At some point you; your employees, and your family will be asked to vote on one or more of these initia-tives.

The Kelso Longview Chamber Government Affairs Com-mittee will be listening to you, to our Legislators and, to the AWB, trying to make a determination about how and what your Chamber will support or not support.

Here is my e-mail, [email protected], let me know your thoughts and I will share them with the com-mittee...thank you.

CEO’s Message

Maximum information needed for minimum wage vote

Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce Team

Bill Marcum, CEOKaren Sisson, Project ManagerAmy Hallock, Bookkeeper

Kelso Longview Business Connection is published monthly by the Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce. 105 N. Minor Road • Kelso, WA 98626 • 360-423-8400

To advertise, call Bill Marcum, 360-423-8400 or e-mail [email protected] Deadline: 20th of each month.

6


By Julia MaglioneCommunications Manager – Southwest Washington Workforce Development Council

Technology jobs are growing twice as fast as other jobs na-tionally and offer some of the best-paying positions. Workers for these jobs are in demand in Washington State as evidenced by the more than 20,000 technology jobs currently open.

Technology touches just about every industry and it’s not just computer programmers, software developers, robotics engineers and database managers; manufacturing, health care, finance/bank-ing and law enforcement, among others, all have jobs that depend on knowledge of technology.

Similar to other industries, technology is facing a shortage of skilled workers. By 2020, there will be 100,000 more jobs nation-ally than trained workers.

While STEM-focused education is a critical component of main-taining our country’s competitiveness, it will not be enough to cur-tail the shortages. More than half of projected jobs in STEM fields are in technology occupations; however, not enough students are enrolling in technology classes to meet the need.

The Business After School (BAS) program was developed to help bridge the labor gap by bringing young adults, ages 16 to 24, face-to-face with industries that will have jobs to fill.

BAS Technology Week is Dec. 7, 8 and 9 and we invite businesses to get involved now. Fostering interest and tapping into the talents of our future workforce through participation in Business After School is an excellent way to showcase your company while also providing a young person access and information to potential ca-reers.

Sponsors are the key to making the nonprofit Business After School program successful. Sponsors provide a two-hour onsite visit for participants that includes a company tour, hands-on activ-ity, discussion of the types of jobs in your company, education and training required, salary ranges and opportunities for internships, summer employment, etc. Sponsorship applications for Technol-

ogy Week are due by Oct. 27. Businesses may choose to sponsor a program year for $2,500 or an industry week for $500 or $250.

Business After School highlights four industries a year: engineer-ing, health care, manufacturing and technology. Manufacturing is the focus Oct. 5, 6 and 7 and is being sponsored by American Paper Converting in Woodland, NORPAC in Longview and Co-lumbia Machine, Linear Technology, CID-Bioscience and Sigma Design in Clark County. Registration is required to attend an event and individuals can sign up at www.business-after-school.org. En-gineering will be highlighted in February and health care in May.

For more information, contact Cass Parker, SWWDC’s Program Coordinator, at [email protected] or 360-567-1076 or visit the BAS website at www.business-after-school.org.Julia Maglione is communications manager at the SWWDC. She

can be reached at [email protected] or 360-567-3176.

Southwest Washington Workforce Development Council

Business involvement is key to educating future workforce

Facilitating Growth Through Leadership and Action

We are a membership based not-for-profit

organization. Join us today!

1452 Hudson St. • US Bank BuildingSuite 208 • Longview, WA

360.423.9921www.cowlitzedc.com

Resources•

Access•

Partnerships

Festive Sponsorship Levels

Grand Bell: $1,000 Logo on all marketing materials, website,

advertising, large logo on shirt, runner’s bag, banner at event (provided by Sponsor), promo

item inside runner’s packets, and six (6) free registrations with shirts

Gold Bell: $500 Logo on all marketing materials, website,

advertising, medium logo on shirt, promo item inside runner’s packet and four (4) free

registrations with shirts

Silver Bell: $250 Logo on all marketing materials, website, advertising, logo on shirt, promo item in runner’s bag, two (2) free registrations

with shirt

Bronze Bell: $100 Logo on shirt and promo item in

runner’s bag

12/12/15


8

A new vocational building on campus in our future planningBy Chris Bailey President – Lower Columbia College

In December 2015, Lower Columbia College (LCC) will be 1 of 10 of the state’s 34 community colleges to compete for a new building project. It is expected that 3 of the 10 proposals will be funded by the Legislature based on the state’s bonding capacity.

After a two-year long Facilities Master Plan process, it appears LCC has settled on its proposed project: A new vocational building! Based on the recommendation from our process, it is likely we will be requesting a 50,000-square-foot building. It will house an expanded welding program, and an expanded machining program, along with other vocational programs and some additional general classroom space.

This new vocational building, if approved, will replace some 1950s and 1960s single story buildings. It will improve both en-

ergy efficiencies and classroom effi-ciencies. We are very excited about this potential change to the campus!

Additionally, LCC plans on doing roughly $3 million worth of renova-tion to the Main Building this year. Main is the original LCC campus building, built in the 1950s. The re-model will include a renovation of the old biology lab and cadaver room into more useable class-room, faculty, and staff space. It may also include replacement of the old elevator and some external work to tie the building to the rest of the campus design.

We are very proud of the improved functionality of our cam-pus, as well as its beautiful new look. Come by and see your new-look LCC!

Lower Columbia College

Diane Craft, PresidentKoelsch Senior Communities

Julie Rinard, President ElectCommunity Home Health & Hospice

Lance Welch, Vice President PeaceHealth

Joel Hanson, Past PresidentKLOG/KUKN/The Wave

Neil Zick, TreasurerTwin City Bank

Michael Claxton, Legal CounselWalstead Mertsching

Chris Bailey Lower Columbia College

Clayton J. Bartness, DCLongview Chiropractic Clinic Ken Botero Longview City Council

Bob Crisman Gallery of Diamonds

Linda DiLemboThree Rivers Mall

Wendy Hutchinson Millennium Bulk Terminals

Michael JulianKelso Theater Pub

Bianca LemmonsCowlitz County Title Company

Frank PanarraFoster Farms

Tom Rozwod NORPAC/Weyerhaeuser

Ted SpragueCowlitz Economic Development Council

Steve TaylorKelso City Manager

Dennis WeberCowlitz County Commissioner

Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors

9


Members of the Housing First Coalition recently partici-pated in a training session conducted by Joe Brewer from Seattle. The session focused on building trust and asking im-portant questions and took place in an effort to enhance the effectiveness of the Coalition with an introduction of “Polar-ity Management”. The Coalition is a collaborative partner-ship of local agencies whose primary goal is to combat and end homelessness, address mental health issues, and provide support for persons with substance abuse challenges. The training helped me to think about these issues from a differ-ent perspective and the system can possibly be used by many as they approach those challenging situations where there does not seem to be common ground. Planners sometimes refer to these as a “wicked problem”.

Joe took the participants on a brief tour of Cognitive Biases that influence how we make decisions. He also introduced a powerful yet simple tool for managing conflict called Polar-ity Management. The interactive session ended with a dis-cussion on how the political nature of data impacts opinions and how the kinds of questions we ask can sometimes inad-vertently lead to conflict. The rest of this article takes a fairly simplistic look at Polarity Management.

We have all heard stories about discussing politics and re-ligion at family events. I know it usually does not end well in the Fashing household. I have been trained over the years to become a better listener, believing that it would be useful in solving problems and enhancing understanding. In some cases listening may not be enough. Because we are placing biases and filters on what we hear all of the time, we ulti-mately limit our understanding of what the other party is trying to convey.

Brewer pointed out that we are not always problem solv-ing when it comes to conflict. Sometimes we are addressing unsolvable problems and the proper approach might be an

effort to manage the two poles of the issue. Discussions on these unsolvable problems often end in an agreement to disagree. Complicated topics don’t go away, that is why conflict resolu-tion tactics don’t always work. Conflict management better address these situations.

These unsolvable problems are based on the polar divisions of certain issues. We all tend to see the positive nature of the pole we support and the negative nature of the pole we oppose. What if we all strove to see the positive of the oppos-ing opinion in our efforts to understand the issues at hand? Would it impact the ability to communicate? Would it ex-pand our understanding of the issue and solidify a position or provide greater opportunity for possible compromise?

As a supporter of Pole 1, I natu-rally tend to be in quadrant A and D when support-ing my position. A better under-standing of B and C might help lead me to the desired compromise. Does acknowledging our biases and working to manage the polarized nature of our commu-nity make sense? Does reframing our perspectives work to support the goals we all have for ourselves, our families and for our community?

Communication – Is listening really the answer?

Council of Governments

Source: Dr. Barry Johnson

By Bill Fashing Executive Director – Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Council of Governments

10


All employees are not alike... and that is a good thing

By Jerry D. Petrick Certified Business Adviser

If you look around at your workforce and customers we have more generations in our workforce and our economy than ever before – what does that mean to your business? How can we build better teams; understand our customers; and thrive because of diversity rather than be distracted or confused by it? Keep in mind…your customer base is a reflection of your employee base.

What generations are we talking about?Baby Boomers• Born 1946-1962• Major life influence = parents who lived through the Great

Depression• Beliefs about work = loyal to companies – value their job• Largest population demographic

Generation X• Born 1963-1977• Major life influence = saw parents laid off from long-term jobs• Beliefs about work=companies are not loyal – jobs are tran-

sitory; skeptical• Expect to move from job to job

Generation Y• Born 1978-1998• Influenced by Internet• Information at their fingertips• Want to know WHY?• 2nd largest demographic (60-70 million)• Making their presence felt in the workforce

Generation Z• Born after 1998

• Social media IS• Diversity and equality are as-

sumed• Collaboration is the normFor the first time in history, we

have four generations active in our economy at the same time. This reality presents great opportunities for the institutions and businesses who pay attention to the needs and desires of these groups; especially Generation Y as they overtake the Boomers both in number and economic influence.

To help you further appreciate the opportunities presented by this demographic, let’s take a closer look at how and what they think, believe, and value.

Interesting Facts About Gen Y➢ Teen arrests are down➢ Teen drug use is down➢ Teen drunk-driving accidents are down➢ Teen pregnancy is down➢ Teen abortions are down➢ High school dropout rates are down

The Truth About Gen Y• A generation of new confidence, upbeat and full of self-esteem• The most education minded generation in history• A generation paving the way to a more open, tolerant society• A generation leading a new wave of volunteerism

Gen Y is Education Minded• 90 percent of high school seniors expect to attend college• 70 percent of them expect to work in professional jobs• 70 percent believe college is necessary to achieve career goals• 40 percent of college freshman plan to get a master’s degreeThey want to make a difference…

Business Toolbox

Please see Petrick, page 11

11


A 21-year-old machinist is excited about working in an electrical shop precisely because “it’s an environment where you can produce something useful, and you can see people glad they have this piece of equipment that never existed before.” It’s magic to them.EMPLYOYER’S HINTThe magic for Gen Yers comes in making a difference; in making

something worthwhile; while working with a great team and receiv-ing the rewards they think they have earned.

Team is Important – Collaboration (often using social media – including in the workplace) is vital.

Gen Yers expect to be part of a highly motivated team of commit-ted people. They like working closely and learning from colleagues they respect. They hope to socialize and even form friendships with their coworkers. The human connection is what makes work ‘FUN’ for Generation Y.Reality Check for Business Owners – What happens to Gen Yers

when you also employ crotchety old grouches who seem to have a negative outlook on everything?

Money Matters, BUT…Gen Yers have lofty financial and personal goals and fully expect

to meet them. The dilemma is that most jobs available to Gen Y will be at or slightly above minimum wage and meet none of their financial expectations.

Progressive employers will figure out a way to offer Gen Y incen-tives that their competitors are willing or able to offer. Gen Y will work for both financial and non-financial rewards.

What to Expect from Gen Y• Comfortably self-reliant• Want technology and everything else RIGHT NOW• Want infinitely thrilling opportunities• They have been micromanaged by parents, teachers, counselors,

and others throughout their life• Coach them to manage their time but DO NOT over supervise

or breathe down their necks• They don’t care about climbing company ladders, paying dues,

or cashing out at retirement…they ask:o What value can I add today?o What can I learn today?o What will you offer me today?

o How will I be rewarded today?Although every generation exhibits ‘youthful impatience’; Gen Y

demonstrates healthy impatience and when their tasks and respon-sibilities are at stake they ask…“How can I do my job when I don’t have the training, resources, and information to pull it off?”

Organizations that can’t or won’t customize training, career paths, incentives, and work responsibilities need a wake-up call. Gen Y people are more entrepreneurial than Gen Xers. Generation Yers are starting more successful businesses in high school than any previous generation.How can you employ that entrepreneurial spirit in your workplace?Keep the following Gen Y/Z expectations in mind as you consider

the culture and climate you have; would like to create in your busi-ness. Here are some things you can do to meet their expectations so they and your business thrive:

1. Provide challenging work that really matters2. Balance clearly delegated assignments with freedom and flex-

ibility3. Offer increasing responsibility as a reward for accomplishments4. Spend time getting to know your people and their capabilities5. Provide ongoing training and learning opportunities6. Establish mentoring relationships7. Create a comfortable, low-stress environment8. Allow some flexibility in scheduling9. Focus on work, but be personable and have a sense of humor10. Balance the roles of ‘boss’ and ‘team member’11. Treat Yers as colleagues, not as interns or teenagers12. Be respectful – respect will be returned13. Consistently provide CONSTRUCTIVE feedback14. Reward Yers when they have done a good job15. Social media IS – get in front of and embrace the reality; don’t

bemoan the truthTake a moment to reflect on the expectations above. You may

find that these expectations will serve ALL of your employees well – including you, the owner.

This article was prepared by Jerry Petrick, Certified Business Ad-viser with the Washington State University Small Business Develop-ment Center (SBDC) in Longview. Jerry provides no-cost, confiden-tial business advisory services by appointment. He can be reached via e-mail [email protected]

Petrick, from page 10

Business Toolbox

When is your creative time?

12


By Chuck Nau Retail Consultant and Sales and Management Trainer Murray & Nau, Inc.

When’s your creative time? Do you have any creative time?

Yes! No! I do not know!Well, let’s pause for a moment, and allow me to ask you

to do this simple search. Take a look at last week’s calen-dar, or for that matter, look at the last two weeks or past month, and highlight those times you set aside for your creative time.

Surprised? You are at a loss inasmuch as you cannot find any such time...exactly the point of this month’s column.

As a small business owner, retailer or service provider, creativity is fuel for the ongoing nurturing and growth of your business. It not only feeds your business, it feeds your soul! New ideas, new products or services, new questions in search of answers and new opportunities to target for your business’ revenue enhancement – all need some time on your calendar to bubble up into that “aha!” moment.

According to my artist son and many of his fellow artists, creativity is play. That’s the easy part. Learning to allow ourselves to play is the hard part and the hard work, my son will tell you. Likewise, to live a creative life, one must lose the fear of being wrong.

Let’s pause again for a moment…some of this sounding familiar to you?

In today’s changing and challenging environment, finding your creative voice is one of the most critical skills you can invest in. As things change around us, we sometime forget that things need to change within us also. The heart of that change is inside us – the seeing, the observing, the aware-ness.

Enhancing your creative voice to find new ideas, new answers and new solutions will keep you at the forefront, setting you apart from others and a step ahead of your competitors. To discover new things, you will find yourself

stepping out of your comfort zone, conceiving and devel-oping some new ideas while challenging and overcoming some accepted norms. You’ll observe along the way that as you ASK (Always Seeking Knowledge) questions and uncover new possibilities you will develop a hunger and a motivation for new learning and SUCCESS!

Let’s pause one more time...and clarify this thing called creativity.

Creativity is simply being able to conceive, develop and utilize new ideas or strategies when working with existing resources. Your creative thinking will flourish best in an ASKing environment that allows increased questioning and thinking plus an acceptance of challenging the ordi-nary while utilizing your past experience and knowledge.

Much like changing a habit or driving a different way to and from work...the change itself will cause you to notice things in a new way, to increase your awareness of what’s out there.

Creativity is your personal treasure! Enhancing it ever so slightly will help you develop new approaches and find new solutions for every day challenges.

Discipline yourself, a step at a time, to use the power of questions...within yourself, brainstorming with yourself, to stimulate your creativity and assure both your contin-ued learning and growth...continual questioning will help stimulate the flow of creativity. Once you are comfortable (and confident) with yourself and your newfound creative freedom, consider bringing your staff and fellow employ-ees into the loop. Again, the benefits to your business, your work environment and your life will grow.

When’s your creative time? To find it...schedule it! Start slowly...reserve one hour a day, three days a week, for the first month. At the end of the first month, check how well you did and then challenge yourself to do more next

Please see Nau, page 13

13


month. The best time to schedule your creative time? Cre-ative people will often tell you it is first thing in the morning, as soon as you wake up and begin your day. And yes, it’s AL-WAYS best to do it BEFORE you check your phone or e-mail!

Last, but not least, something good is going to happen to-day...make sure you are looking for it!

© Murray & Nau, Inc.Chuck Nau of Murray & Nau, Inc. is a retail consultant and

sales and management trainer. He has been a speaker for and

conducted advertising and marketing workshops with retailers,

chambers of commerce, community marketing groups, and re-

tail organizations throughout North America. Based in Seattle,

Nau is a 25-year veteran of advertising, sales, media and man-

agement, who knows and understands the everyday challenges

of starting up, growing, and surviving in today’s ever changing

retail climate.

Comments and questions are welcome and may be directed to

Chuck via e-mail: [email protected] or at 425-603-0984.

Nau, from page 12

14


Kelso

Three words: Streets, streets, streets

By Mayor David Futcher

What are the three most important issues in city gov-ernment? Sometimes it seems akin to the old adage about the three most important factors in real estate: Streets, streets, and streets.

Our streets are a common denominator that we all share. They’re something we use regularly, and often when we’re in a state of mind that doesn’t exactly lend itself to forgiveness and understanding. So, when lights turn red at an inopportune time or we hit a bump while already stressed out from being late, it’s hard to stay patient. Ergo, we receive a lot of comments about street quality.

We’ve had our transportation benefit district in effect for just about two years now. It provides us with $20 per vehicle each year on the car license fee, or about $150,000 a year. The funds are required to be used on streets. On top of that, we throw around $400,000 of general fund money for maintenance. However, depending on the study, we need to be spending close to $1 million a year just to keep the streets from deterio-rating further.

Some have said, “I pay $20, and the roads are still bad.” I think the reason for that should be obvious. But, they aren’t as bad as if you weren’t paying $20. The $20 fee helped us repave half of Talley Way this year, and replace the intersection at Minor Road and Mt. Brynion.

It’s been 15 years since we stopped paying as much for our car tabs, and the toll that’s taken on our roads isn’t going to be fixed in two years by a small $20 per vehicle fee. The Legislature recently allowed cities to raise the $20 to $40, and we’ll prob-ably look at that option in Kelso. Until we as drivers are paying for what we use, the problem won’t go away.

Longview

Volunteers make our gem sparkle

By City Councilman Ken Botero

With the wonderful summer months fading behind us, and all of the wonderful summer activities within our communities coming to an end, we need to take the time now to reflect on how all of these op-portunities came together. VOLUNTEERS. Volunteers make up the largest work force in our community.

Look at the events that Longview, and our surrounding community provided: Fishing derby at Lake Sacajawea; Concerts in the Park; Independence celebration, including the Independence Day Parade; Black Bears baseball; LCC sports events; Babe Ruth activities; National Night Out; the many different fun runs; the new and ever popular Squirrel Fest; the car shows in the area; and of course, our county fair and service community fairs and expos. That’s just to name a few of the opportunities we had to show off our gem of southwest Washington, Longview.

Now we need to put some positive interest into what we want our community to look like in the coming year. We, as citizens of Longview, take pride in providing activi-ties, along with business opportunities, to provide for that quality of place we echo at every turn. It is time that we, as a community, step up and volunteer our services, whether business or social, to make the coming year special. All of our professional skills can help small businesses grow and create more jobs in the community. With more jobs come more opportunities to provide that quality of place.

What volunteer opportunities are available? Let’s start with our business climate and the opportunity to aid in provid-ing mentor programs for small businesses along with several entrepreneur programs. Some small businesses need a good sounding board to open doors to a more successful future. The team concept of helping another brings pride and a desire to be more productive in our ventures.

Please see Longview, page 15

15


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Longview, from page 14

Spend time volunteering in service programs in the com-munity such as the Humane Society, which cares for ani-mals in the community; the performing arts association, which brings more classical activities to the community; your local city government has several volunteer commit-tees that always have openings to serve as volunteers. And with all the different service groups in each of our com-munities, the list goes on forever, there are plenty of areas to volunteer. We can be part of that charge of making this a quality of place.

We spend many hours volunteering around our homes with chores to make them more appealing. Is Longview your home? If so shouldn’t we take a little pride and make Longview an appealing location for our guests to visit? Just think what a wonderful opportunity it would be if each one of us could volunteer just one hour a week to help make a difference in our community.

Look for a beautiful season ahead and step up to the plate and volunteer just a little time to make our home exciting.

TUNE IN every WednesdayYour Chamber Connection

KEDO AM 1400 – 3 to 4 p.m.Contact the Chamber to

schedule YOUR 10-minute business spotlight

16


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Express, Chamber Newsletter, size 4” x 2.5”, Sept 23, 2015

LOOKING FOR A GREAT EMPLOYEE?

By Michael Julian President – Kelso Downtown Revitalization Association

The 8th annual Highlander Iron Horse Rally and Ride may have been the stormiest in our history, but motorcycle enthusiasts, bik-ers, and the community came out in support despite the challenges Mother Nature provided. The Kelso Downtown Revitalization As-sociation (KDRA) moved the event to the more visible location on Pacific Avenue near the Kelso Theatre Pub, La Favorites, and WorkSource, whose parking lot kindly hosted our vendors.

While the overnight thunderstorms and lightning cleared by mid-morning, high winds – mixed with occasional cloudbursts – continued to gust throughout the day up to 50 mph. This caused the cancellation of the inflatable obstacle course due to safety con-cerns, but children were treated to pirate candy necklaces, color-ing books, crayons and flying discs from the Cowlitz County Dive Rescue booth, and cotton candy at the Elect Nancy Malone table.

Fortunately, our vendors and talent were up to the challenge and kept their tents anchored, tables dry, and prevented their micro-phones from blowing away while approximately 160 people en-joyed the booths and bikes. Longtime supporter Uncaged Cycles kept busy as always along with many other vendors. Musical talent Shastabloom got the party started, and the Hot Roddin’ Romeos

finished off the event. The winds also kept the beer garden indoors, how-ever people found plenty to eat at the Backstage Café and El Charritos.

With more than 50 bikes in atten-dance, people could get up close and look at everything from the most customized show bike to classic Harley-Davidsons, roadsters, cruisers, choppers, trikes, and even a dirt bike or two. Several of the bikes were a work in progress, with their owners in the midst of making modifications. As in previous years, a small number were available for sale, but most of the bikes were not going to be chang-ing hands any time soon.

The ride on Sunday left Kelso as planned beneath stormy skies. Although the group was small, the weather remained clear and the new route was enjoyed by all.

We’d really like to thank our sponsors, vendors, talent, and the community for making the event successful. You can see more than 80 photos of this year’s event in the Highlander Iron Horse Facebook photo album here: https://www.facebook.com/high-landerironhorse The KDRA looks forward to Iron Horse 9 in 2016 and hope you will join us then!

Annual Iron Horse Rally thunders through Kelso streets

Kelso Downtown Revitalization Association

17


Iron Horse Rally

Part of the Iron Horse event team.

Taking a shine to the chrome.

Horse HeavenWhen the sun came out so did the crowd to check out the bikes at Kelso's Iron Horse 8.

An eagle flies across a front fender.

Photo by Jan Levine

Photo by Mare Stern

Photo by Mare Stern

Heading off into the sun.

Photo by Mare Stern Photo by Mare Stern

18


PeaceHealth

As of yet, there is no sure way to prevent breast cancer, the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women in this country. Even so, there are clear steps women can take to reduce their risk. And October, which is nationally recognized as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, is the ideal time to take them.

One key safeguard is for women to maintain a healthy weight, especially in midlife and later. After menopause, most of the hormone estrogen in a woman’s body comes from fat cells. Es-trogen can spur the growth of many breast tumors, and being overweight or obese can raise breast cancer risk. Women may be especially vulnerable to breast cancer if extra pounds settle on their waist, rather than their hips and thighs.

These additional steps may help women reduce their risk for

breast cancer, according to the American Cancer Soci-ety (ACS):

• Avoid alco-hol. Drinking is clearly tied to a heightened risk of developing breast cancer. In fact, your risk increases the more you drink.

• Be active. A growing body of research indicates that exercise lowers breast cancer risk. Aim for 150 minutes of moderate-in-tensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity each week.

October: A good time to consider breast health

Catch it at peacehealth.org.

Wellness is contagious.

Please see PeaceHealth, page 19

19


Mind Your Own Business (at the Library)

• Carefully weigh the pros and cons of hor-

mone therapy. Hormone therapy that uses both

estrogen and progesterone can increase breast

cancer risk in as few as two years of use. The

use of estrogen alone after menopause does not

seem to raise the risk of developing breast can-

cer. If a woman and her doctor agree that hor-

mone therapy is necessary to ease bothersome

menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, it

is best to take the lowest effective dose for the

shortest possible time.

Since breast cancer can develop even with

these precautions, the ACS advises women to

have yearly mammograms starting at age 40

and continuing for as long as they are in good

health.

Regular mammograms (breast X-rays) can

detect cancer in its early stages and give women

a head start on potentially lifesaving treatment.

If you have a heightened risk of breast cancer

– for example, if you have very dense breasts –

ask your doctor if you need additional screen-

ing tests, such as an MRI scan.

Get tested

The American Cancer Society urges most

women to have yearly mammograms starting

at age 40. We hope you’ll support your local

community and long-time business by having

yours done at the PeaceHealth St. John Kearney

Breast Center. We offer 3-D mammograms with

the latest C-View technology, and you don’t

need a referral.

PeaceHealth, from page 18October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Show your support to those women in your employment or employee’s family members or your custom-ers and honor them by sending a note to one or more of your favorite women.

Dear _______________,

Did you know it’s national Breast Cancer Awareness Month? With the sea of “pink” showing up everywhere, it’s kind of hard to miss, right?

Usually, I think “isn’t that nice?” and then go on with my day. But when I hear that one in eight American women are affected by breast cancer, I thought awareness just isn’t enough. This year, let’s take action.

And that’s why I’m writing you. You are important to me and I want you to be around for a long time. Let’s work together to lower our risk for breast cancer. Here’s what the experts recommend:• Be active. You know I hate to sweat, but even just 20 minutes

per day of moderate exercise each week can lower breast can-cer risk. I can do that.

• Avoid alcohol. I put down my second glass of wine when I learned that the risk increases the more you drink.

• Be careful about hormone therapy. Honestly, I hope to avoid it altogether, but I’ve heard it is best to take the lowest effective dose for the shortest possible time.

• Get routine breast exams or mammograms. We both know that having a mammogram is about as much fun as slamming your chest with the refrigerator door, but they have saved thou-sands of lives.

If taking these actions mean we’ll live a little longer, then – let’s do it – together.

I love you too much to risk losing you.

Sincerely

________________________________

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By Chris Skaugset Director – Longview Public Library

The world of business and entrepreneurship are always changing and evolving and more and more people are writing down their experiences and ideas about what it takes to start, and run, their own business. While we certainly can’t buy all of the new books about business (nor any other area either for that matter) we do try to select ones that we think might help budding entrepreneurs, and experienced ones, to start and grow their idea. Below, you’ll find three of our more recent Small Business Collection additions and one fun title that if you’re into business, or into board games, that you should definitely check out.

“Boss Life: Surviving My Own Small Business” by Paul Downs is my first choice for this month. The author describes a year in his life as the owner of a small Pennsylvania furniture factory that specializes in handcrafted boardroom tables. It is clear that Downs knows what he is talking about. In addition to his 29 years of ex-perience as a cabinetmaker and business owner, he has been a fre-quent contributor to the New York Times “You’re the Boss” blog. It’s a well-written, jargon-free book filled with helpful business funda-mentals and a fascinating narrative about the day-to-day happen-ings in his factory that is both informative and entertaining. Even if you aren’t interested in the business side of the book, it’s also a great book for anyone interested in woodworking or furniture making.

The next book is Jay Samit’s provocatively titled “Disrupt You!: Master Personal Transformation, Seize Opportunity, and Thrive in the Era of Endless Innovation”. Samit is a digital media expert who as launched, grown, and sold start-ups in the e-commerce, digital video, social media, mobile communications, and software indus-tries. In this book he describes how specific strategies, based on the idea of disruption, which companies use to grow and flourish can be applied to individuals to help anyone achieve success and

lasting prosperity. He incorporates examples from his own experience, as well as anecdotes from other business innovators including Steve Jobs, Elon Musk and Richard Branson. So, if you are looking to find your niche in the business world, have a great idea but aren’t sure how to make it happen, or if you’re just one of the many people who are worried about becoming obsolete in this era of rapid, technological transformation, this interesting book has something for you.

The classic book by entrepreneur Guy Kawasaki has been up-dated for today in “Art of the Start 2.0: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything”. Kawasaki’s goal is to make entrepreneurship easier in a very practical guide that takes budding entrepreneurs through the steps necessary to launch a business. He arranges the book into categories such as conception, activation, proliferation and obligation that cover areas such as the art of startup, launching, fundraising, building teams, and being a good leader/businessperson/human being. This is a valuable, and well-written, tool for the budding entrepreneur, business students, or even seasoned business veterans.

Finally, I have a fun title for you. It’s Mary Pilon’s “The Monopo-lists: Obsession, Fury, and the Scandal behind the World’s Favorite Board Game”. What board game exemplifies small business, entre-preneurship, and the American Way more than Monopoly? That’s, of course, a rhetorical question and even if you don’t love Mo-nopoly, Pilon has written a fascinating and well-researched book about the origins of this favorite of games. While in many ways, Monopoly is a benign game, unless you played in my family, its his-tory is quite a different story. Pilon has written an absorbing book that is part social history and part tale of corporate greed that, in some respects, may even be more entertaining than the game itself.

The right inspiration might be in the pages of these business books

Mind Your Own Business (at the Library)

21


Longview Downtown Partnership

There are plenty of things to do in Longview. Here are just a few from the Longview Downtown Partnership’s latest newslet-ter.

Classic ConcertThe Columbia Theatre is hosting 1960s pop band Herman’s

Hermits, starring Peter Noone, Oct. 1 at 7:30 p.m.

Audience members are likely to hear classic hits like “I’m Into Something Good” when the group takes the stage. Herman’s Hermits sold more than 60 million recordings with 14 singles and seven gold albums.

Tickets are $15 to $45. For more information, go to www.columbiatheatre.com

New SculpturesThe Longview Outdoor Gallery installed three new sculp-

tures downtown in September. Modern Bloom was installed in front of Teague’s Interiors; Universal Beginnings was placed at Commerce Avenue and Maple Street, and Journey is in front of Elam’s Home Furnishings. A fourth new sculpture, Night Watchman, will be installed in front of Theil’s Musical Instru-ments as well.

The event marked the third rotation of temporary sculptures downtown.

Streetscape UpdateFor those who haven’t been downtown yet, things are chang-

ing fast! The contractor should finish removing the sidewalk on the east side of the street soon and be ready to focus on build-ing concrete forms for street curb and raingarden walls. The electrical subcontractor will also start, working behind AES to install street light conduits, with the landscaping contractor immediately following with irrigation sleeving. If anything has slowed their progress, it is the contractor’s need and desire to be painstakingly careful to remove the sidewalk without damage to building facades and brickwork. So far, they’ve done a good job. They’ve also done well to maintain an orderly jobsite and we’ve received compliments both from wheelchair patrons who’ve used the ramps as well as business owners who tell us their cus-tomers are able to navigate the construction without confusion.

Streetscape Part 2Phase 2 of the city of Longview's Streetscape renovation is

under way. Jon and Christine Randall, owners of the trolley, have volunteered to shuttle shoppers from the rear parking lots around to storefronts on Commerce Avenue on Wednes-days and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Although they have generously offered ths service free of charge, they ask for a small donation of $1 per person to ride.

For an event calendar, coupons, meeting schedule, our down-town shopping guide or more information about the Longview Downtown Partnership, visit our website at www.MyLDP.org

Concert, gallery additions top city to do list

LeeRoy Parcel Manager/LPO

[email protected]

Alison Peters Escrow Officer/LPO

[email protected]

Bonnie Woodruff Escrow Officer/LPO

[email protected]

Diane Kenneway Escrow Assistant

[email protected]

Dennis Bird Senior Title Officer

[email protected]

Connie Bjornstrom Receptionist/Typist

[email protected]

Lindsey McTimmonds Marketing/Recording

[email protected]

1425 Maple St. Longview, WA 98632360.425.2950

www.cascade-title.com

22


Ambassador of the Month

Nick Lemiere was September’s pick for Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce Ambassador of the Month honors.

Lemiere is a past September Am-bassador winner, earning the honor, which is based on volunteer ser-vice, in 2014. He is an Edward Jones owner and financial adviser. His of-fice is located at 2020 9th Ave., in Longview.

Lemiere joined the Ambassadors in 2007 hoping to meet new people and help them get settled into the business community. He also volunteers with the Southwest Washington YMCA Board, Pioneer Lions, The Bridge Church, and Community Home Health and Hospice Foundation.

He is married and has a son. For fun, Lemiere likes to play

music, and walk or bike around Lake Sacajawea with his

family.

Chamber Ambassadors, known as The Red Coats, are an

integral part of the Chamber of Commerce. The Ambassa-

dor team is made up of active Chamber volunteers whose

responsibilities include meeting and greeting at Chamber

events, welcoming new members and assisting at ribbon

cuttings and community events. Ambassadors juggle busy

professional careers while making time to assist the Cham-

ber at a variety of events year long.

If you would be interested in wearing a red coat and repre-

senting the Chamber, contact CEO Bill Marcum at the Cham-

ber office.

September magic month for Lemiere

SeptemberNick Lemiere

Edward Jones

2015 Cowlitz PUD Poster Contest2015 Cowlitz PUD Poster ContestEasy and Fun All Ages

Time to use your artistic talent and creativity to design a poster that demonstrates what electricity means to you and incorporate “80 years of electricity” into your design. Winning entries will be honored at our “80th Anniversary Celebration,” in 2016 . For more details on this contest visit www.cowlitzpud.org.

Prizes

23


Chamber Connection

Laurel Murphy and Hans Schaufus, board members for Longview Outdoor Gallery, join Lonnie Knowles to celebrate LOG’s 5th Anniversary and the recent permanent art pieces donated to the city of Longview.

Huyen Truong, program coordinator for Community Foundation for Southwest Washington, stopped by our studios to promote GiveMore24 and the non-profit organizations that benefit from the drive.

Stream live at www.threeriversradio.comLocal guest and current events

“Your Chamber Connection”EVERY Wednesday Hosts of the Show: Carey Mackey, Red Canoe Credit Union ; Lonnie Knowles, Stewart Title, and Karen Sisson, Kelso Longview Chamber.

Would you like an opportunity to be on Your Chamber Connection or to have more information about the qualifications of an open house or ribbon cutting? Contact Bill or Karen at the Chamber 360-423-8400

Prom Promotion

Tammy Davis, manager for Grounds for Opportunity Café and

Training Kitchen, dropped in on Your Chamber Connection host Carey Mackey to talk about the

2nd annual Senior Citizen Prom that took place Sept. 29.

24


Business Association with opportunities to promote trade through Chamber socials, special events and committee participation.

• Annual Meeting and Banquet• Networking Events• Committee Participation• Business Contacts• Quarterly Membership

Meetings• Civic Representation• Monthly Business After Hours

Business Services include marketing for your business, refer-rals and access to Chamber publications and research data.

• Mailing Labels• Membership Window Decals• Member Referrals• Ribbon Cutting• Website Links• Member to Member Discounts• Membership Directory• Tax Deduction• Newsletter• Business Card Display• Use of Chamber Logo

Representation through action committees, candidate fo-rums and up-to-date action alerts.

• Legislative Representation

• Issues Tracking and Information

• Task Forces

• Candidate Forums

• Legislative Update Breakfast

• Demographics Publication

PackagesBasic Membership Package – $275 or $26 per month.Bronze Membership Package – $500 or $46.66 per month.Silver Membership Package – $1,000 or $86.33 per month.Gold Membership Package – $2,500 or $211.33 per month.Platinum Membership Package – $5,000 or $416.66 per

month.Diamond Club Membership Package – $10,000 or $834 per

month.Nonprofit Package – $180 or $18 per month.

Celebrate new Chamber members with us* A’Dawn Cruise and Travel

* All American Grind Coffee Shops

* Silver Cove RV Resort

Welcome New Members

Join today! Call 360-423-8400

Chamber membership has its privileges

25


Ribbon Cuttings

A Real Good StartThe Chamber’s Red Coats took advantage of a sunny, fall day Sept. 10 to welcome Real Living The Real Estate Group to the community outside on the sidewalk in front of their new office located at 1338 Commerce Ave., Suite 101, Longview.

The Art of DedicationSept. 24 proved to be a big day for the Longview Outdoor Gallery as members and volunteers officially joined the Chamber, celebrated the art organization’s 5th anniversary and unveiled its new donor wall in downtown Longview. For more information about the Gallery’s latest installments, please see the Longview Downtown Partnership column on page 21 of this publication.

26


State of the Cities

MembershipLuncheonOur thanks to Steve Taylor, Kelso City Manager, David Futcher, Mayor of Kelso, Dave Campbell, Longview City Manager and Don Jensen, Mayor of Longview for updating members on current projects, progress and challenges at our State of the Cities address Sept. 16 at the Cowlitz Regional Conference Center.

729 Vandercook Way Longview, WA 986321-800-319-2265 | 360-414-4101

Creating products to fuel the world

The Sky is the Limit!

We started in a garage in April 2007. Twin City Bank has provided us the necessary funding to grow our business into a multi-million dollar company.

By early fall Twin City Bank will help us move into our new 15,000 square foot facility with room to continue our growth.

Jon HansenGeneral ManagerFabricast Valve

twincitybank.com

27


Welcome Back!

*American Medical Response*Beacon Hill Sewer District*Cascade Title Company*CCS*City of Kelso*City of Longview*Comcast Spotlight*Costco Wholesale*Cowlitz County*Cowlitz County CASA*Cowlitz County P.U.D.*Cowlitz County Title Company*Cowlitz Wahkiakum Council of Governments*David E. Houten, DDS*Diamond Showcase*Document Management Archives*Dorothy Bain Hanson*Emerald Kalama Chemical*Express Employment Professionals*Freddy’s Just for The Halibut*Gordon Sondker*Interwest Benefit Consultants*KapStone*Koelsch Senior Communities*L.G. Isaacson Company*Longview Memorial Park, Funeral Home & Crematory*Lower Columbia College*Miller Paint*onthemark associates*Pacific Tech Construction, Inc.*Port of Longview*Rodman Realty, Inc.*Steel Painters/Railco*Swanson Bark & Wood Products, Inc.*The Golden Palace*The Red Hat*Three Rivers Eye Care

*Walstead Mertsching, PS*Watkins Tractor & Supply Co.*Acupuncture Northwest*Budget Blinds of Longview*Columbia Bank*Columbia Funeral Service*Columbia River Carpet One*Columbia River Mill Outlet*Compendium Consulting*Continental Investors Services, Inc.*Cowlitz County Guidance Association*DeFrancisco Lampitt and Brado PS*DSU Peterbilt*Estetica Day Spa*Fire Mountain Grill & Summerland Catering Services*G L Booth – JG Davis & Associates*Green Hills Crematory – Cascade NW Funeral Chapel*Kay Green*Signature Transport, Inc.*State Farm Insurance – Scott Fischer*Teague’s Interiors*Diamond Residential*Applied Application*Broderick Gallery*American Legion*Coleman Cellular*Port of Woodland*Advanced Dental Services*All Out Sewer & Drain Services*Baker Lumber Company*Brusco Tug and Barge*Carl’s Towing Service & Repair*Carlson’s Heating & Air Conditioning*Cascade Natural Gas Corporation*Coldwell Banker Bain*Cole’s Appliance Repair*Comfort Inn

*Community Home Health & Hospice*Cowlitz Credit Union*Cutright Wholesale Plumbing Supply*Family Health Center*Industrial Packing*Interiors Plus*Life Works*Longview Housing Authority*Longview Orthopedic Associates*Longview Public Schools*McDonald’s of Longview*Pacific Fibre Products*Nipp & Tuck*Paperback Galore*Rush Insurance/Financial Services*Schlecht Construction*Somerset Retirement Home and Assisted Living*T.C.’s RV and Mini Storage*United Finance*Viking Automatic Sprinkler Company*Wasser & Winters Company*William (BJ) R. Boatsman*Errand Girl*American Family Kari-Ann Botero*Guild Mortgage*Interstate Wood Products, Inc.*Lower Columbia CAP*M & R Painting, Inc.*Mint Valley Federal Credit Union*Newrock Homes, Inc.*Northwest Auto Specialist, Inc.*Retirement Strategies*Simpson Timber Company*Superior Tire Service, Inc.*The OM Home*Triangle Bowl*Cowlitz County Chaplaincy *Biggs Insurance Services

We at the Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce would like to give a SHOUT OUT and a big THANK YOU to the following loyal members

for renewing their partnership with us.

*Clay Bartness*Comcast*Dick Hannah Toyota*Fred Meyer, Inc.*Heritage Bank, Kelso*Heritage Bank, Longview*Hometown National Bank*Island Sun Tanning, Inc.*Kemira Water*Longview Engineering and Design*McCord Bros. Nissan Dodge*Millennium Bulk Terminals*Minuteman Press*Professional Communications Services*Servpro of Longview/Kelso*Sierra Pacific Mortgage*Sterling Insurance*Twin City Bank*U.S. Cellular*Waste Control Recycling, Inc.*Woodford Commercial Real Estate*United States Army*Lexi’s Pizza*B & B Air Conditioning & Heating – Entek Corp.*Bicoastal Media dba KLYK/KRQT/KEDO/ NEW COUNTRY*Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts*Community Health Partners/Cowlitz Free Medical Clinic*Craig Stein Beverage*Dahl McVicker Funeral Homes*Frontier Rehabilitation & Extended Care Center*Gibbs & Olson, Inc.*Humane Society of Cowlitz County*Life Mortgage*Music & More D.J.s*Noelle McLean PS*Pacific Lumber & Shipping Co.*Papé Machinery

*PNE Corp*Pro-Caliber Longview Motorsports*Red Canoe Credit Union*Red Canoe Credit Union 30th*Red Canoe Credit Union Washington Way*Safway Services, Inc.*Searing Electric & Plumbing*Steel Chapel Longview Memorial Park*The Dog Zone*Utilize I.T., Inc.*Wal-Mart*Red Leaf Coffee*BA Design*American Red Cross*Animal Health Services*Suzanne Arnitz*Baxter Auto Parts*Behrends Body Shop*Bob’s Sporting Goods*Burger King*Collins Architectural Group*Country Village Nutrition Shoppe & Café*Day Wireless Systems*Esteem Salon*Ethnic Support Council*Fiesta Bonita Mexican Grill & Cantina*Foster Farms*Gallery of Diamonds*Global Images Graphic Design & Marketing*Hilander Dental*Hydraulic Service, Inc.*Kelso Rotary*Les Schwab Tire Center*Northwest Motor Service*Overhead Door Company of Southwest *Washington*Peter C. Wagner, D.M.D., PS*ProBuild*Propel Insurance*Shamrock Tavern*Shirley L. Smith

*Stirling Honda*Sweet Spot Frozen Yogurt*Taco Time*The Daily News*The Roof Doctor*Twin City Glass Co.*Twin City Service Co.*Weatherguard, Inc.*Wilcox & Flegel Oil Company*Workplace Wellness*WorkSource Cowlitz/Wahkiakum*B & R Mini Storage*Banda’s Bouquets*Be Cause Business Resources, Inc.*Best Western Aladdin Inn*Busack Electric*Calportland*Columbia Security*Copies Today Speedy Litho, Inc.*Cowlitz Container & Diecutting*Edward Jones-Nick Lemiere*H & S Enterprises*Habitat For Humanity Cowlitz County*Hart Radiator*Heartsong Massage*J. L. Storedahl & Sons, Inc.*Kaiser Permanente*Les Schwab Tire Center*Longview Timber Corp*Longview Urology*Ocean Beach Self Storage*P. T. Northwest*Pacific Office Automation*Papa Pete’s Pizza – Longview*PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center*Pets, Pawns & Imports*SW Washington Symphony*The UPS Store*TSYS Merchant Solutions*Washington State University Vancouver*Zip Local


Welcome Back!

28

29


Welcome Back!

OUR LATEST RENEWING MEMBERS*Brown & Brown Northwest Insurance*Corwin Beverage*Cowlitz River Rigging, Inc.*Educational Service District No. 112*Emergency Support Shelter*Employers Overload*Fairway collections*Futcher Group*Kelso School District*Kelso Theater Pub*Kelso-Longview Television, Inc.*KeyBank

*Longview Early Edition Rotary*Longview Eye & Vision*Longview Physical & Sports Therapy*Longview Self Storage*Northwest Hardwoods, Inc.*Opsahl, Dawson & Company, P.S.*Renaud Electric Company, Inc.*Reprographics, Inc.*Solvay*Southwest Washington Blood Program*United Way of Cowlitz & Wahkiakum Counties*Willamette Dental

30


In the News

SWWDC seeks firm to develop outreach campaign for long-term care industry

The Southwest Washington Workforce Development Coun-cil (SWWDC) and its partners in the Columbia-Willamette Workforce Collaborative (CWWC) are seeking quotes from companies to develop a marketing outreach campaign to el-evate the long-term care industry and attract individuals to careers in long-term care.

The request for quotes can be viewed on SWWDC’s website, www.swwdc.org. To be considered, quotes must be received by SWWDC no later than 5 p.m. Oct. 9.

Darren Orange opens exhibit at Lower Columbia College’s Rose Center

The Lower Columbia College Rose Center for the Arts will

host Cascadian Slipstream, an exhibition of Columbia River oil painting abstractions by Darren Orange.

The exhibit runs from Nov. 3 through Dec. 3 at the center, 1600 Maple St., Longview.

An opening reception is scheduled for 4 to 6 p.m. Nov. 3. The exhibit’s regular hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday and Tues-day and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday.

In the exhibit, Northwest artist Orange continues an explora-tion of reflection and abstraction of the natural environment. Cascadian Slipstream is a body of oil paintings created mostly by a intuitive automaton nature, or a surrealist automatism with subtle references of the Columbia River and the greater Northwest. His works have been exhibited nationwide and have been included in collections worldwide and calls Astoria Oregon home.

WALSTEAD MERTSCHINGAT TO R N E YS AT L AW

A Full Service Civil Law Firm for 89 Years

CIVIC CENTER BUILDING, 3RD FLOOR1700 HUDSON ST., LONGVIEW, WA

(360) 423-5220 Longviewwww.walstead.com

Attorney Michael A. Claxton

Business & Corporation Law

Walstead Mertsching serves businesses of many sizes and in various stages of development. Whether your company is a small sole proprietorship or a large corporation, we can pro-vide assistance and guidance. Utilizing a solutions-oriented approach toward achieving defined objectives, our goal is to allow our clients to successfully execute their business plans.

• Complex Litigation• Formation, Reorganization, and Dissolution• Labor/Employment Issues• Mergers and Aquisitions• Purchases and Sales• Succession Planning

Please see News, page 31


In the News

31

Construction continues on Tennant Way Improvement Project with paving

Tennant Way construction is near completion. The contrac-tor was scheduled to complete all of the concrete and pave-ment improvements by the end of September.

The next phase of the project is grinding the existing pave-ment and overlaying with new pavement. This phase of the project is weather dependent and requires dry conditions pri-or to the start of the grind and overlay.

The tentative schedule and roadway closures (weather de-pendent) for this work are as follows:

Oct. 8, Westbound, Tennant Way between 7th Avenue and 15th Avenue, 7 p.m. to 9 a.m.; Oct. 9, Eastbound, Tennant Way between 7th Avenue and 15th Avenue, 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.; Oct.

10-12, Westbound and Eastbound, Tennant Way between 7th Avenue and 15th Avenue, 7 a.m. (Saturday) to 6 a.m. (Mon-day).

Side streets will be open to local traffic only for business ac-cess.

LCC named 22nd best community college in the United States

In a newly released list of the best and worst community col-leges in the nation by WalletHub.com, Lower Columbia Col-lege received the top ranking in Washington state, coming in at number 22.

WalletHub.org based their rankings on 17 relevant metrics in four dimensions, including: 1) Cost and Financing, 2) Class-room Experience, 3) Education Outcomes and 4) Career Out-comes.

News, from page 30

32


A HealthyGathering

September’s Business After Hours Sept. 15 brought us, and Ruth Melvin and Pat Williams, to the Spirit of Health journey at PeaceHealth St. John Medi-cal Center, where we toured the occupational health mobile unit and Kearney Breast Center, met providers and learned about services and programs.

Business After Hours

See more photos on the Chamber’s Facebook page or click here.

The doctor is in with Annette Nelsen and Jessica Brunell.

The occupational health mobile unit was parked outside and available for tours.


Business After Hours

33

Judy Allen was a winner at the PeaceHealth After Hours The Jeff Steinback Trio provided music.

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