Klc biz 11 2015

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. 11 November 2015

Please see Selections, page 3

By Wendy Hall Director of Effectiveness and College Relations – Lower Columbia College

The tragic shooting that occurred re-cently at Umpqua Community College provided another horrifying reminder that the higher education community must be ever-vigilant about campus safe-ty. At Lower Columbia College (LCC), we take our commitment to keeping stu-dents safe very seriously, and have rein-forced our already considerable efforts in light of recent events at our sister institu-tion in Roseburg, Ore.

Campus safety starts with prevention. At LCC, we have an interdisciplinary group called the Behavioral Intervention Team that was created to deal with concerning student behavior before it escalates. The

Team functions in a pretty straight-forward manner. Any employee that observes a student acting in a concern-ing or unusual way can make a referral. The Team, made up of administrators, Campus Safety and Security, counseling staff, and Disability Student Support and others, convenes regularly to review referrals and take ap-propriate action.

Behavior need not be threatening to be reported to the Team. Sometimes it’s just a matter of a student needing to be connected to the appropriate resource to resolve their issues. Other times the be-havior is more serious, and may require intervention by law enforcement. Occa-

Campus safety a priority at Lower Columbia

By Mike Karnofski Cowlitz County Commissioner

One of the impor-tant responsibilities of County Commis-sioners is to select replacements when elected offices be-come vacant. The highest-level offices for the Commis-sioners to replace are State Senator and State Representative.

In the past four years, Cowlitz County Commissioners have been involved in four selections. The first two were for the 18th District when Cowlitz County was part of that District along with Clark County. At that time, Ann Rivers was se-lected as a State Senator and Liz Pike was selected as a State Representative. On October 22, the Commissioners selected Dean Takko as State Senator to replace Brian Hatfield and then JD Rossetti as State Representative to replace Takko.

The process for the 19th District selec-tions was much more complicated and

Selecting state senator and representative challenging

Please see LCC, page 2

Lower Columbia College

Kelso Longview Business Connection November 2015

2

sionally the behavior results in a student being expelled from the institution. The situations and responses vary, but in all cases campus safety is paramount in the decision making process.

In the event that something unexpected happens at LCC, we have safety protocols and procedures in place for nearly every conceivable emergency. We have defined processes related to biological, chemical and physical hazards, as well as blood-borne pathogens. We have an online, mobile-friendly emergency handbook for staff and students with detailed instruc-tions for what to do in a variety of situa-tions, including information about how to stay connected in an emergency. LCC uses nine different crisis communication channels to ensure maximum saturation, including two different emergency text alert systems.

We have assigned Emergency Building Coordinators in every facility on cam-pus, most of whom are certified in first aid and CPR. Emergency Building Co-ordinators assist with a variety of things, including locking down facilities when needed (lockdown procedures are also widely accessible through our Emergency Handbook). The handbook also includes a guide to help others quickly determine what type of assistance is needed in re-sponse to a variety of student behaviors.

In order to help increase awareness, we publish crime statistics and “timely warn-ings” to our students and staff about any criminal activity that represents an ongo-ing threat to the campus community. This fall, we are launching a full-scale campus initiative against sexual assault. As part of the anti-sexual assault campaign, we are creating training for students to ensure that they know both their rights and their responsibilities. We are also providing anti-sexual assault training for staff, who

are often the first to hear about incidents involving students and are required to take appropriate action.

Staff will also receive updated emergency preparedness training in the near future that addresses what to do in the event of an active shooter situation. The training will also include information about other types of emergencies, such as the far more likely scenario of an earthquake hitting our re-gion. They will also learn about details related to the college’s updated emergency management plan.

Although this is not an exhaustive list of what we’re doing at LCC to promote safety and security, I am hopeful that it conveys our deep commitment to this issue. We conducted an in-depth review following the tragedy in Roseburg, and have added several items to our “to-do” list to ensure that we are doing everything within our power to keep our campus safe – includ-ing updating our door hardware in some of our older facilities and installing perma-nent informational signage in all rooms on campus.

There is a role for the community in keeping the LCC campus safe. Individuals in crisis are often somewhat disconnected from the people around them. We have a collective responsibility to be on the look-out for people who are disengaged, in or-der to help steer them toward help. If you are aware of an LCC student who needs assistance but are unsure of what to do, please contact our counseling department at 360-442-2330.

We are also in need of funds to upgrade our campus safety features, such as the door hardware noted above. If you can help support our campus safety efforts with a donation, please contact the LCC Foundation at 360-442-2130.

WednesdayNovember 4 – 7:30 a.m.

Education Foundation CommitteeLCC Student Center 210A, Conference Room

ThursdayNovember 5 – 7:30 a.m.Ambassador Committee

Canterbury Park1335 3rd Ave., Longview

November 5 – 11:30 a.m.Ribbon Cutting

Kerr Car Care & Quality Muffler and Dino Doozer Foundation

504 W. Main, Kelso

MondayNovember 9 – 11:30 a.m.

Ribbon CuttingNW Muddy Puppy

1014 N. 19th Ave., Kelso

TuesdayNovember 10 – 5:30 p.m.

Business After HoursStewart Title

1700 Hudson St., Suite 102, Longview

ThursdayNovember 12 – 11:30 a.m.

Ribbon CuttingMcThreads/Designer Jewelry1204 Broadway St., Longview

November 12 – 5:30 p.m.Quarterly Membership Meeting

Port ReportCowlitz Regional Conference Center

1900 7th Ave., Longview

TuesdayNovember 17 – 11 a.m.

Ribbon CuttingAn Amazing Garage Sale

1162 Commerce Ave., Longview

November 17 – NoonBoard of Directors

Longview Country Club41 Country Club Dr., Longview

ThursdayNovember 19 – 5:30 p.m.

Lower Columbia Professionals Bunco NightHosted by Longview Eagles1514 12th Ave., Longview

FridayNovember 20 – 7:30 a.m.

Boot Camp Purchasing Strategies – Do you have a plan?

LCC Heritage Room

Thursday & FridayNovember 26 & 27 – Chamber Closed

Thanksgiving Holiday

Calendar

LCC, from page 1

TUNE IN every WednesdayYour Chamber Connection

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

schedule YOUR 10-minute business spotlight

3


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

Walstead Mertsching provides advice and a variety of estate planning services and issues involving the elderly, including:

• Asset Protection• Community Property Agreements• Durable Powers of Attorney• Guardianships• Healthcare Directives/Living Wills• Medicaid and Long-Term Care Issues• Probate• Tax and Retirement Planning• Wills• Will Contests

EstatE Planning & EldEr law

Attorney Michael A. Claxton

intense than the previous process for the 18th District.

The precinct committee officers from the five counties that make up the 19th District met and nominated three people for each office. Next, getting a time that all 15 Commission-ers (three from each of five counties) could get together was difficult to coordinate. Each County is treated equally in the selection process, so no mater how many citizens the Com-missioners represented their votes all counted the same. The representation of the 15 Commissioners was interesting since there were five Democrats, five Republicans and five Indepen-dents.

The selection process for both the Senate vacancy and Repre-sentative vacancy followed the same process, which included introductions, opening statements from the nominees, ques-tions from the Commissioners, closing statements and then voting. The voting was done so that the public knew which

nominee each Commissioner voted for. In discussions with other Commissioners, each Commissioner made their de-cision based on which nominee would best represent their County.

Selection, from page 1

All Ads are Full Color – Include Search Boost & Creative Service charges.

Saturday, November 28, 2015 Small businesses are the bread and butter of our community. Let’s help bring awareness to these

independent heroes that contribute so greatly to our economy. This is a great opportunity to bring some excitement to our local small businesses and help them drive traffic through their doors.

Each Advertiser Gets: • 2col.(3.22") x 3” Full Color ad that publishes in the Shop Local Gift Guide Thanksgiving Day (11/26 Daily News, 11/25 Neighbors) Plus Black Friday 11/27 Daily News.• 5,000 online banners on tdn.com• Your ad will also be emailed out to 10,000 Daily News Emails.• Each business will be provided with an entry box and signage.• Each business will offer a $25 Gift Card or Equivalent Prize to one winner. All individual winners will be entered for a drawing for one $250 gift card to one of the participating businesses provided by The Daily News.

To Advertise Call 360-577-2552 by November 12th

$199 package priceBusiness must provide $25 prize

Let’s keep our holiday shopping local!

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94.3% of Daily News readers read advertising inserts.*

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Get your business in front of those customers! Don’t miss this opportunity! *Pulse Research

KELSO LONGVIEW

LOCALFIRST

5


By Bill Marcum CEO – Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce

Small Business Saturday 2015 is November 28. The Kelso Longview Chamber of Com-merce has 467 members. Of those nearly 300 have less than 20 employees, placing them in the “small business” category, thus making Small Business Saturday very important for a majority of our members.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) notes there are more than 28.2 mil-lion businesses, nearly 75 percent, which are led by the “self employed”. The SBA estimates 63 percent of the new jobs being created in the United States are being cre-ated by small businesses. However, only about half of small businesses survive five years. Take a look at the empty store-fronts downtown and at the mall. We, the community, have our work cut out for us. We need to support our local businesses.

Why? Here is a list of reasons to support our local businesses.

1. Supports and Creates Jobs – Which puts more money into the economy. People in the community can afford to buy homes, cars, clothing, dine out and much more supporting other local businesses.

2. Supports Our Community – Nonprofit organizations re-ceive an average 250 percent more support from small business owners than from large businesses. Take a look at the posters for the events that happen in our communities. You see hun-dreds of small businesses supporting those nonprofit events and organizations.

3. Get Better Service – Generally small business will deliver stronger customer service. The local owners have a personal commitment to their business and to their customers, plus they have a more hands-on role, therefore a stronger sense of care for customers and employees. This also provides for more flex-ibility and willingness to meet customer expectations.

4. Invest in Your Community – Local businesses are owned

by people who live here, work here, play here, have kids in our schools, worship in our churches, volunteer here and most of all they invest here.

5. Keep Our Community Unique – Where we shop, where we eat and have fun – all of it makes our community home. Our one-of-a-kind businesses are an integral part of the dis-tinctive character of this place. Our tourism businesses also benefit.

6. It Recirculates – On average, 48 percent of each purchase at local inde-pendent businesses was recirculated locally. According to the American Independent Business Alliance, when

money is spent at local businesses the monies will create ad-ditional spending. Take a look at this graph http://www.amiba.net/resources/multiplier-effect/

All in all when you look at it, local business depends on a com-munity for success and a community depends on the success of its local businesses for a healthy and growing environment. So, shop local... not only this holiday season but also everyday. Help our communities grow and provide jobs for generations to come.

And don’t forget to support our Longview and Kelso business-es during Small Business Saturday, November 28

CEO’s Message

Small businesses pay big dividends in communities

6


Chamber CEO Note: CEDC President Ted Sprague submitted this column from The Stand. He thought it would be of interest to our readers in place of his regular monthly column.

There’s a major port revitalization project proposed in my community. I’m excited about what it means for our local Build-ing Trades members and what it means to my hometown.

This $680 million dollar project will employ more than 1,000 Building Trades members during its construction. It’s located on a 1941-era, shut-down smelter site that had abruptly closed in 2001. The site had become misused since the smelter shut down in 2001, which is sad because I know a lot of people that were proud to work there when it was operating. A new company said they’d clean up the site. Currently this company provides family-wage jobs for local families at its existing port. This company is engineering a world-class port expansion and reached out to us to ensure skilled union labor would build it by signing a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) with us.

What’s not to love?

Unfortunately, there are people who don’t love this project solely because of the commodity it will handle: coal. I am talk-ing about Millennium Bulk Terminals in Longview. It is a trans-loading facility that is on Year 4 of a permitting process that should take 18 months.

I’m sure there are many of you that assume I support the proj-ect because of the jobs it will bring to my members. That is im-portant, but I also support the project because of what I have seen firsthand as a resident of the Longview community onsite, and what I know of the people running the project. I would like to tell that side of the story to all of you who don’t live in our community.

First off, it was Millennium that approached our Building Trades Council to discuss collaborating on a PLA. Usually we are the ones to initiate the discussion with the company and explain the value of a PLA. Millennium already knew the value. When we negotiated the agreement, we were very firm on the need to utilize local labor and train apprentices. Millennium embraced that value and signed onto it. Today they have an electrical apprentice in their existing workforce that receives additional instruction, and skills at one of our state-of-the-art training centers.

As other businesses have explored new opportunities in Cowlitz County, the Millennium management team has person-ally introduced me to those business leaders and recommended to them that they also negotiate a PLA for those projects. They also support the Construction and Trades Fair sponsored by the local school district.

Four years ago, I watched a debate hosted by the League of Women Voters about the Millennium project. Lots of discus-sion was held, but the thing I remember most was the President of Millennium saying they would clean up the site and fix the existing environmental problems there. The place was heaped with junk and the smelter landfills had never been properly closed.

In the past four years, Millennium has:

• Removed more than 200,000 tons of material from the site — mostly recycling it.

• Transformed the workplace culture to value employees, safety, and environment — they just achieved three years

Hard-earned trust for port should pay off

Cowlitz Economic Development Council

By Mike Bridges President – Longview/Kelso Building and Construction Trades Council

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. Please see CEDC, page 7


7

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

without a reportable injury and more than four years without an environmental citation.

• Donated an enormous amount of furniture to Habitat for Humanity, the new Veterans’ Center, and other charities.

• Forged forward with the regulatory process to clean up the old smelter.

• Sponsored local baseball, rodeo, food drives, civic groups, etc. Including a recent donation of $20,000 to Meals on Wheels.

So from my perspective, Millennium is the kind of community partner we want and need. When it comes to the coal export terminal, there are certain things I believe to be true:

• Washington has strict environmental laws.

• Renewable energy is good, but fossil fuels are going to be in use for a long time.

• Millennium’s target markets of Japan and South Korea are building the most efficient plants to burn coal to make electricity and they import 96 percent of their energy

needs.

• The U.S. has cleaner coal than Asia burns today.

These facts lead me to conclude that Asian countries are going to continue to use coal to generate electricity no matter what we do here for decades to come. Currently Canada receives two to three trains a day of U.S. coal due to lack of export infrastruc-ture on the West Coast.

The Millennium project and others like it will create thou-sands of family-wage jobs for workers here in Washington, thus boosting the middle class in our region. I also believe firmly that breaking ground on this project sooner rather than later will also lead to other business opportunities in the region that will aid in growing our current stagnant economy in Southwest Washington. The extensive permitting process for Millennium will ensure that the terminal meets Washington’s strict environ-mental laws.

I hope this helps shed some light on the commitment, invest-ment, and progress Millennium has made in cleaning up the old site, and the strong community support we have for Building Millennium Bulk Terminal in Longview.

CEDC, from page 6

Quarterly Membership Meeting Thursday, November 12th

Cowlitz Regional Conference Center

Great things are happening at our Cowlitz County Ports and we will have the Executive Director from Woodland, Kalama and Longview Ports to give you an update on what is happening and what the future holds for one of the only shipping areas left in the United States that can offer rail, trucking and cargo shipping via a deep water port. Presented by the CEDC and Kelso Longview Chamber.

$25 in Advance (by Nov. 10th) $35 at the door. Heavy hors d’oeuvres, desserts, coffee, sodas and a no host bar.

Register at: www.kelsolongviewchamber.org

Geir-Eilif Kalhagen Chief Executive Officer

Port of Longview

Mark Wilson Executive Director

Port of Kalama

Jennifer Keene Executive Director Port of Woodland

Thank you Proud Sponsors:

9


By Donna HughesBusiness Services Consultant – Southwest Washington Workforce Development Council

Have you ever hired someone who assured you they had the skills to do the job, only to find out later that they didn’t? A bad hiring decision can negatively impact your business in time and money lost training the person, damage to your company’s culture, lost productivity and stress on existing employees.

While face-to-face interviews will help you identify and weed out some potentially problematic hires, many of the things you want to know about a candidate such as their technical abilities, cannot necessarily be found on a resume.

Pre-hire assessments are one way to get in-depth and objective information about job candidates that can help you determine if they’ll be a good fit for your organization.

WorkSource can help you validate the skills of applicants applying for jobs at your company with an assessment tool called Prove It!

While some agencies might charge you a fee for this service, WorkSource provides local businesses access to the Prove It! sys-tem at no charge. With more than 1,500 validated assessments, Prove It! gives you the power to identify and select the most tal-ented candidates.

Prove It! assessments range from basic to advanced levels and in-clude topics in accounting, clerical, financial, industrial, legal, soft-ware and technical environments. For example, WorkSource can test your applicants for basic math and ruler reading, Microsoft products, blueprint reading, HazMat handling, finish carpentry, masonry, plumbing, HVAC and more. Assessments are done on-line anywhere your applicants have Internet access or can be facili-tated by WorkSource, if you prefer.

When employees are matched correctly, your business benefits from:

• Improved employee engagement and job satisfaction• Reduced employee turnover• Increased productivity• Decreased stress, tension and conflict between employees

and/or with managers• Reduced theft• Increased sales performance

and customer satisfactionOther assessment tools and hiring services are available at no cost

through WorkSource.If you are interested in exploring Prove It! or other assessment

options, contact Donna Hughes, WorkSource Business Services Consultant, at 360-578-4259 or [email protected]

Southwest Washington Workforce Development Council

Hiring the wrong person could costs you thousands of dollars

10


Kelso

Lessons from Japanese cultureBy Mayor David Futcher

I recently returned from a visit to Kelso’s Japanese sister city of Makinohara. Our Asian friends invited us to attend a celebra-tion of the 10th anniversary of their formation via the merger of two adjoining cities. Hmmm…sounds vaguely familiar, no?

The point of cultural exchanges is to promote friendship and peace by learning more about the best facets of each culture – the things that make it work well. In life, we should always be looking to learn from what others do well, and these are some of the things I noticed in Japan:

1. Chill out. You know how that guy in front of you is driv-ing like an idiot, and there’s no better way to let him know than with a honk and a finger? Yeah, not in Japan. As our driver said, “In Japan, horn means, ‘Thank you, have a nice day!’” Drivers would sit patiently and wait as people parked, or even get out and help guide them as they backed into their space.

2. It’s not all about you. As one host pointed out, Japan didn’t have the same kind of natural resources that we have in the USA. They had to work for anything they got, generally working with their neighbors to grow or other-wise produce the necessities of life. This produced a more cooperative society, where everyone seems to be looking out less for themselves, and more for the greater good. As a result, crime is extremely low, and people are polite and considerate.

3. Don’t waste anything. Because space is limited on the island nation, nearly all-available land is used produc-tively. You don’t see many lawns, and just about all-empty lots are used for some kind of agricultural production. You have a back yard? Nope, you have a rice paddy. Even in the grassy area inside highway cloverleaves, you could find tea bushes planted.

If you ever have a chance to visit Japan, you should take it. And pay attention when you’re there. There’s a lot we could learn from them.

Longview

Shining light on school zone driving

By City Councilman Ken Botero

Greetings from the City of Longview as we begin our trek into the winter months. As a community we need to be aware of the cold, winter condi-tions in the area and the things associated with them includ-ing cold weather shelters, icy roads, longer hours of dark-ness, and the flu and cold season. Take the time to be aware of these conditions and know where to get help.

With the winter season upon us we also need to be aware of the children in our communities and the dangers with traffic around our school zones. The City of Longview has recently upgraded the school zone traffic signage in all school zones. The existing signs will be replaced with flash-ing beacon signs warning drivers to reduce speeds when they are in a school zone.

Many school zones will also have driver feed back signs at the entrance to the school zones. The police department cautions drivers to maintain a maximum speed of 20 miles per hour or less through the entire school zone. Drivers will know when they come to an end of the school zone when they see the increased speed limit sign that is higher than the 20 mph posting. Please be cautious during school hours and watch for our children and our flashing lights.

On a brighter note, we invite the community and sur-rounding communities to partake in the Longview Parks and Recreation community survey. This is open to anyone that uses the Longview Parks facilities. We are finalizing our Parks Comprehensive Plan and would like to have your input. The Comprehensive Plan Survey in available online at www.surveymonkey.com/r/LVPRCCoompPlan

Please have a wonderful and safe winter and enjoy our communities.

DECEMBER2015

At Commerce & Broadway inHistoric Downtown Longview

5PM

DECEMBER

12SATU

RDAY

2015

$ $

$

*Cost: $25 w/shirt or $20 no Shirt. $65 Family of 4 - includes Shirts(more family registrations can be added for an additional $10 w/shirt) * A portion will benefit the Lower Columbia Professionals Scholarship Fund.

Costume Contest - 4:30pm Trophies awarded for most festive costumes.

Prizes: Medals for top 3 female and male finishers.Doors open at 3:30pm. Take pictures with Santa, Frosty-the-Snowman, Rudolph and Bumble the Abominable Snowman.

Company Discounts: $2 off per registration (25+ registrations) or $5 off per registration (100 or more registrations). Company teams must sign up through the Chamber.

Registration Deadline: Tuesday 12/1/2105 (to get shirt) Regis-tration for no shirt available through day of the race.Packet Pickup: Friday 12/11/2105 at the MERK Build-ing from 10am to 5pm. (Commerce & Broadway)Registration:www.kelsolongviewchamber.org

12


If passing your business to others – what is your succession plan?

By Jerry D. Petrick Certified Business Adviser

During the holiday season it is common for families to gather and share blessings and fond memories – it is also a good time for family meetings and impor-tant discussions and decision-making; especially if you have a family owned business.

As you well know, small business owners are a special breed. For many small business owners, their company is like their baby. Consequently, they invest the majority of their time and resources to ensure the business stays healthy and has oppor-tunities to grow and thrive. In my experience, few focus on preparing for that inevitable time when they will have/want to hand their ‘child’ over to someone else.

This may help explain why only about 30 percent of the al-most 19 million family owned small businesses in America succeed into a second generation of family ownership; and only 15 percent make it to a third generation.

Succession planning is a critical issue for all businesses; how-ever, it can literally be a matter of survival for a small business. Due to the added complexities of aging, illness, death, divorce, finances, and overall family dynamics business discussions and decision-making in family owned firms can be unusually emotional and are often avoided or delayed.

A key factor to remember is that ownership, control, and management are NOT necessarily the same thing – nor must they reside with the same people or entity. It is very impor-tant to appreciate that all things being equal, it is usually much more important to CONTROL an asset than to OWN it.

An effective succession strategy is one that:• Supports an orderly transition of ownership interests and

management responsibilities while minimizing compli-

cations between heirs of partners (personal estate plan-ning is vital to provide guidance in this effort and should ideally be developed concurrently) – the personal and company affairs are usually very intertwined and need to be addressed holistically

• Identifies and provides economic support for relevant parties

• Preserves value and wealth by minimizing tax liability• Reflects the values and principles that the business own-

ers hold dear and wish to carry forward or preserve (legacy) – sometimes this is the first real opportunity to clarify your values and decide how to memorialize them

Thus ensuring that the business (and family) you worked to build and care about continues to thrive after your retirement or death.

DEVELOPING YOUR SUCCESSION PLANAs with most things in life and business, there is no “one size

fits all” succession planning solution, and the details will vary based on your unique situation. Here are some important considerations to keep in mind as you develop your succes-sion strategy:

Start Early! – Begin this process as early as possible; I encour-age my clients to include their exit strategy in mind as they write their first business plan. As Stephen Covey says...“Begin with the end in mind.” If you do this, you are less likely to have circumstances make your decisions for you – by virtue of tim-ing or lack of planning.

Choose Your Successors Wisely – If you dream of keeping your business in the family this could be one of the most im-portant and difficult aspects of the process. It is possible those family members you have always envisioned or expected would take over the business may have no interest and/or skill to do so. I suggest taking an objective look at the relative skills, abilities, and interests of potential successors – with an eye to-

Business Toolbox

Please see Petrick, page 13

13


ward the different roles of owner and manager (which may not be the same person). You may also look at longtime, key employees who might be suitable to pass the baton to.

Given the potential dicey issues of family politics, greed, and emotional attachment; you may want to engage a professional to help walk you through this process in a deliberate, objective man-ner. Although this can seem to be an unneeded expense – you will find it money well spent. You will not likely have an opportunity for a ‘do-over’. Keep in mind; the best interests of the business may be served by a non-member of the family – trusted employee, outside expert etc. Your family members can still retain ownership/control without managing the operations of the business.

Choose a Legal Structure for Transfer of Ownership – Depend-ing on your plans for the business after you leave, there can be sig-nificant financial impacts including tax consequences based on the method of transition. If your business is passed on from you with-out thoughtful succession planning (in the event of sudden death without plans/structures in place) the fiscal and family impacts can be dire. It is not uncommon for a forced sale of the business to pay the taxes resulting from inadequate planning; as a result the busi-ness is no longer in the hands of those envisioned to succeed the owner. I recommend consulting tax and legal advisors for advice for your unique situation. Among the various methods for legal transfer of your business you may want to consider:

Selling Your Business – Sometimes this is the most straight-forward plan; especially if there are no appropriate successors. Selling your business can create a cash flow to support your re-tirement interests and lifestyle. You can choose when you wish to sell and under what terms. Again, it is advisable to consult the appropriate professionals to help structure and value the business.

Using a ‘Buy-Sell’ Agreement – This agreement pre-arrang-es the sale of your business interest enabling you to maintain control until the event that the agreement specifies, such as re-tirement, divorce, disability, or death. When this happens, the buyer becomes obligated to purchase your interest in the busi-ness from you or your estate at the fair market value. Because the terms and price are pre-arranged, buy-sell agreements eliminate the possibility of a fire sale upon illness or death.

Buy-sell agreements are often helpful when partners are in-volved and gives the remaining partner(s) certainty about the future of the business ownership.

Set-up a Family Limited Partnership – This structure is de-signed to limit tax estate and inheritance tax liabilities. Creat-ing a partnership with both general and limited interests; you would transfer your business to the partnership, retain the general partnership interest for yourself, maintaining control over the operation of the business, while incrementally gifting the limited partnership interest to family members.

Engage the Pros – As you can see from this brief discussion, suc-cession planning can have numerous aspects depending on your specific circumstances and wishes. This is not a time to be cheap – remember; it is not what something costs that is important...rather, what is it worth? It is strongly recommended that you con-sult with an attorney and a financial adviser to help you structure a legally sound succession plan. As with any plan, make sure you review it regularly (every three years or so) and when there is a material change in your circumstance (death, divorce, retirement, significant tax code change) to make sure your plan still meets your needs.

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 12

Business Toolbox

Chamber Nov. and Dec. 2015

360.414.1200 • www.expresslongview.com

Give the gift of employment by joining Express Employment Professionals’ Pay It Forward Holiday Hiring Drive as we strive to place 100 job seekers in Cowlitz County during the weeks of November 1, 2013 – December 31, 2013. Being out of work during the holidays can be particularly tough, and we would like to make sure as many people as possible earn a paycheck just in time for the holidays.

Join us in our effort to help put 100 people to work in our community in, bringing hope and encouragement to them and their families.

Join us in our effort to help put XXX people to work in our community that week, bringing hope and encouragement to them and their families.

HERE’S HOW YOU CAN HELP1. HIRE: Hire an Express employee during the weeks

of November 1, 2013 – December 31, 2013. Not only will you gain a qualified worker to help meetyour needs, but that worker will earn a paycheckbefore the holidays.

2. REFER: Provide the Express employee a workreference letter he or she can use in their efforts to gain future employment opportunities.

3. SHARE: Share our campaign with other area businesses to assist us with our vision ofemploying and providing a paycheck for 100unemployed people during the holiday season inour community.

POSITIONS TOCONSIDER• File clerk• Data entry clerk• Accounting clerk• Receptionist• Administrativeassistant• General labor• Construction labor• Construction clean up• Housekeeping• Pick and pack• Warehouse• Warehouse clean up

MAKE A DIFFERENCETo learn more about the Pay It Forward Holiday HiringDrive and how you can participate, contact your localExpress office:

Express Employment360-414-1200360-225-0700Jobs.longviewwa@expresspros.comwww.expresslongview.com

CREATE HOPE3rd Annual Hiring DriveNovember 1st - December 31st, 2015Let’s put Cowlitz County back to work!

If 200 workers are placed we will donate $1000 to the Salvation Army!

No Money to Advertise?

14


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

In today’s struggling retail environment, garnering advertis-ing dollars, whether online, in paper, special sections or niche publications continues to be an ongoing challenge.

Coupled with the evolving and changing advertising media (...consider the Internet’s impact on other media!), the media choices for many retailers may, at times, be overwhelming.

“No money to advertise!” Simply stated, this is an all too fre-quent objection refrain from a potential advertiser.

However, when business is tough to get and the retail or ser-vice provider sector continues to be challenging, “No money to advertise!” may be reality, from the potential advertiser’s point of view, rather than an objection.

When a small business owner feels (rather strongly) that she has no money to advertise, your selling opportunity shifts from one of overcoming an objection to one of education. To secure any ad dollars for your newspaper, you must FIRST help her understand where to look and where to find dollars that may be utilized to invest in her business through advertising and promotion.

Within her business and without increasing her budget or without additional cash input, AD DOLLARS DO EXIST to invest in her business. Here are six areas to consider in your search for those elusive ad dollars…

• Bring her vendors and suppliers into the conversation…Inquire from each and every business that she does business with, if co-op advertising or extra promotional dollars exist to support THEIR product placement in her business. Lever-age enhanced product placement in her store or in her ads for those vendors willing to contribute to the promotion of THEIR product or service.

• Take a look at helping her initiate a joint neighborhood mar-keting effort. Inquire locally at the Chamber of Commerce or other city agencies to see if neighborhood promotional dollars or marketing opportunities are available for the asking. This

strategy may also open the door for additional and NEW advertis-ers for you.

• Help her clarify where her busi-ness dollars are going in support of her local community. Do some services or charities or groups duplicate others…would a realignment of her dollar commit-ments maximize results while better allocating those funds?

Then, if you and your small business owner have built a strong relationship and your input is both welcome and encouraged, you might also touch on the following areas…

• Review her current inventory and purchasing habits and controls. (Again) is it possible to tighten her inventory without impacting customer service or revenue, and shift those savings into an ad dollar investment?

• Explore reducing overall salary expense by reviewing her business’ hours of operation. Opening an hour later or closing an hour earlier without impacting customer service or revenue generates 20 hours (one hour/day x 20 days) of saved expense that may be converted to a $ 200/month ad budget (20 hours x $10/hour in payroll expense).

• Last, but not least, challenge her to review her own remu-neration schedule (e.g. her salary!). Remind her that a small re-duction in her personal income this year may reap big benefits for her business and subsequently to her next year and down the road!

“No money to advertise!” …May simply be a challenge offered to you by an advertiser to find the money! Good luck and have fun!

© Murray & Nau, Inc.Chuck Nau of Murray & Nau, Inc. is a Seattle area based

publishing consultant and sales and management trainer. He has been a speaker for and conducted advertising, marketing, man-agement and sales training workshops with newspapers, niche publishers, publishing groups and press associations, throughout North America. Comments and questions are welcome and may be directed to Chuck via e-mail: [email protected]. or at 425-603-0984.

15


Moving forward for membersBy Ken Grams Chair – Kinetiq Group

Fall season is here, and we’ve just survived our general elec-tions. Good news: We couldn’t worry about other political colors (red or blue) changing… this year.

Seems we just finished our state’s budget for 2015-17 with an Olympian fiasco that took “three” special sessions, but that was June. So, what else happened? Through a broad front of state representatives and leaders from Cowlitz County, Cowlitz Economic Development Council, Cowlitz-Wahkaikum Coun-cil of Governments, City of Longview, City of Kelso, Port of

Longview, industrial businesses and your Chamber, funding was secured for transportation issues related to SR432. This initial funding step is to address deficiencies related to congestion and traffic safety of the SR432 corridor (Industrial Way/Oregon Way intersection area) first recognized in 1968 by Washington State. For details or updates go to: www.industrialoregonway.org

➢ What now for your Government Affairs Committee?

Our committee has a few basic priorities or topics of focus:

• Keep Chamber members informed of legislative issues (city, county, and state), while endeavoring to only get involved with issues that are business-impacting;

• Expedite regulatory and permit processes at every level of business (large and small)…and continue encouraging our lo-cal officials to help in this regard;

If you’re in the service industry, you likely ask yourself… Q: Are we easy to do business with or are we competitive?

Q: Shouldn’t we ask the same of our local officials and community leaders?

• Review and identify a position (as appropriate) on legislative bills that impact our community;

• Help formulate a pro-business agenda with lawmakers at all levels;

• Ensure legislators know that the Kelso-Longview Chamber of Commerce is a positive resource when considering legisla-tion impacting our community; and

• Our highest priority is to simply get more businesses in-volved.

Yes, some have said…“we can do better”. However, we (as a community) must take certain steps or take action to actually do better in either attracting, retaining, or growing businesses. So… A: We encourage you to “get involved” (in-person or elec-tronically) and make a difference on business related topics or is-sues that are important to you.

Government Affairs Committee

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

16


Council of Governments

Transportation and technology trends

Where do technology and transportation planning meet? As the Metropolitan Planning Organization for Longview-Kelso-Rainier, the Cowlitz Wahkiakum Council of Governments (CWCOG) is asking its partners questions regarding the future of transportation. Janet Oakley, former South Carolina Depart-ment of Transportation secretary, was the keynote speaker at the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organization’s annu-al conference. Ms. Oakley also served as the founding director of the Association and has a distinguished career in the trans-portation-planning sector. Her keynote was titled the “Conver-gence of Five Technology Trends”. This article takes the founda-tion of her presentation and builds from there.

The first trend she discussed was the explosion of disruptive technologies in the auto industry. The traditional auto manu-facturers will struggle in the years to come to maintain control of the auto manufacturing sector. Technology upstarts are mak-ing a splash in the industry. Google and Tesla are potentially competing directly for auto consumer purchases with driverless and electric vehicles. Both are technology firms jumping into the auto industry. The traditional manufacturers and their sup-pliers will need to step up and partner with technology firms to stay viable. This disruption will also impact the insurance industry. As driverless vehicles take to the streets, the manu-facturers may need to take on the insurance risk of the systems.

Connectivity of the world is the second major trend discussed. The digital universe is growing exponentially. The speaker ref-erenced the EMC Digital Universe that outlines the growth of information in our society. For years we have seen huge growth in the overall knowledge base of mankind and it is not slow-ing. Approximately 4.4 zettabytes of information was included in the Digital Universe in 2013 and an estimated 44 zettabytes is anticipated by 2020. In an effort to put this in perspective, one zettabyte is approximately equal to a billion terabytes. In-telligent Transportation Systems (ITS) including tools like Google Transit and other resources are part of this information growth. ITS is a growing planning priority working to improve transportation safety and mobility. Additional integration of

advanced communications tech-nologies into the transportation infrastructure and in vehicles is in the immediate future.

Big Data for transportation pur-poses is already serving all of us and is the third trend Ms. Oak-ley discussed. Anytime you use an application to get directions – and it includes approximate travel times – you are experienc-ing the use of big data. The vol-ume at which data is being collected will continue to alter the fundamentals of the transportation sector. The low cost of sen-

sors and storage will continue to drive huge amounts of data relat-ing to transportation. Self-driving vehicles will gather and process data for each vehicle and compare to other vehicles in the immedi-ate area to ensure safe operations.

The collection and availability of data will also continue to raise concerns on privacy issues. The ability to track individuals, ve-hicles and objects to extreme levels of precision is growing and will become standard over time.

The fourth trend is that of the Shared Economy which is devel-oping quickly in major metro areas and impacting transporta-tion in many ways. Car sharing and bike sharing are common place and changing how people live and travel. Firms like Zip-car are allowing people to go without the challenges of vehicle ownership. According to MobilityLab.org, each Zipcar takes the place of about 15 personally owned cars. This impacts car own-ership rates, parking needs and congestion levels to name a few. Customers of disruption agents like Uber and Lyft are changing the way locals and visitors move around many communities to-day disrupting the taxi industry. The presence of spare capacity is a reality in the transport sector and entrepreneurs will con-tinue to seek out new, creative and disruptive approaches to shared transportation. Ventures such as Zipcar were created in

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

Please see COG, page 17

17


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COG, from page 16

response to the fact that a typical car sits idle approximately 23 hours a day and the thought that there are better uses of the capital required to acquire, store and maintain a vehicle. New services and opportunities are on the horizon and will be reaching smaller communities with possible dramatic im-pacts in the near future.

The final trend is the innovation in construction and ma-terials used in the overall transportation system. Substan-tial changes are hitting the market today and will likely see rapid implementation of many technologies. The impact of new processes and approaches to car manufacturing are vis-ible today. Divergent Microfactories has developed the first 3D-Printed car. Others are exploring and improving the ap-proaches to transportation related manufacturing and the re-sulting end products as well. Work with stronger and greener cement for roadways will continue to draw attention in ef-forts to save money, increase the life cycles of roads and re-duce greenhouse gas emissions. Research is also under way to determine the ideal density of road materials to maximize tire effectiveness and fuel efficiency.

This brief summary provides some background on the com-plexities and exciting opportunities of the overall transporta-tion industry. The CWCOG, along with area cities, county and other partners, will continue efforts to plan for an effec-tive and efficient transportation system that meets the needs of area residents, businesses and visitors. Efforts will contin-ue to explore trends and opportunities to build and imple-ment an appropriate level of technological change into the overall planning efforts to facilitate movement throughout the region.

18


PeaceHealth

By Jeff Johnson RN – PeaceHealth Medical Group – Occupational Medicine

Each flu season, nearly 111 million workdays are lost due to influenza. That equals approximately $7 billion per year in sick days and lost productivity. Through education and planning, you can help protect your employees.

Encourage your staff to get a flu shot early. It’s best to get vaccinated before the flu begins to spread. According to the Centers for Disease Control, it takes about two weeks for the flu vaccine to provide full protection. So the sooner employees get vaccinated, the more likely it is they will be fully protected when it begins to circulate within your community.

Even if your employees are healthy, they still need immuniza-tion. Influenza (flu) is a conta-gious disease which often affects the lungs and can lead to serious illness, including pneumonia. Pregnant women, young children, elderly, and those with certain chronic medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes and heart disease are at increased risk of serious flu-related complications. Therefore, getting a yearly flu vaccine is especially important for them.

Flu vaccinations are recommended for two reasons. First, the flu viruses are constantly changing and the vaccine is updated

Protect your employees this flu season

Catch it at peacehealth.org.

Wellness is contagious.

Please see PeaceHealth, page 19

19


each year. Second, an individual’s immunity from the vaccine declines over time. The CDC recommends annual vaccination for optimal protection.

The Washington State Department of Health reported that nationally less than 40 percent of Americans received the flu vaccine, compared to the 80 percent necessary to best prevent the virus from spreading within the community. Remember, flu seasons are unpredictable and can be severe. Between 1976 and 2006, estimates of flu-associated deaths in the United States ranged from a low of 3,000 to a high of almost 49,000 people. If our community should experience a flu pandemic, the impact would be significant both in loss of life and produc-tivity.

The time taken for employees to get a flu shot is insignificant,

relative to lost work time or passing the flu on to the public.

There are many options for flu vaccination for your employ-

ees conveniently available, including their doctor’s office, phar-

macies, local flu clinics or our occupational health program

you may contract with that makes it easy for your employees to

stop by for their flu shot. Encouraging your staff gets a flu shot

is a safe and an effective way to keep all of us healthier this

season.

PeaceHealth, from page 18

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

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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

20


By Chris Skaugset Director – Longview Public Library

People have been trying to make themselves better people, and better business owners/entrepreneurs, for as long as peo-ple have existed. Think of the Horatio Alger novels of the late 19th century as perhaps the beginning of the printed version of this fact. It’s only been in the last century or so that people have written books about ways to make that happen or at least that’s what’s been the hope. Starting with Dale Carnegie’s classic “How to Win Friends and Influence People” the self-help/self-improvement industry has continued to grow and change but always with the idea that there are ways to make our lives better. This genre reached its pinnacle of success with the blockbuster, long-time bestseller, “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne. While I won’t vouch for the validity, or invalidity, of any of them, it is clear that people are still hungering for these types of works. Be-low I’ve included a few titles of this sort, though we have many, many more, as a sampling for what is out there.

As I mentioned Dale Carnegie’s works were the classic begin-ning to these books and is still in print today. In “How to Enjoy Your Life and Your Job: Selections from How to Win Friends and Influence People, and How to Stop Worrying and Start Liv-ing”, readers get a sampling of the power of Carnegie’s simple ways to make your life, and your career, better. This was a best-seller when it came out and continues to resound with people even today.

Bestselling author, Malcom Gladwell talked about this in his great book, “Outliers: The Story of Success”. Gladwell argues that the true story of successful people isn’t focused on intelligence and ambition, as it often is presented, but in a different way such as their family, their birthplace, or even their birth date. And in revealing that hidden logic, Gladwell presents a fascinating and

provocative blueprint for making the most of human potential and in doing so changes the way we think about, and understand, success. While it is certain that he has carefully selected those people who fit this profile, it is still an interesting concept and a fascinating read.

Comedian and entrepreneur Steve Harvey published his own version of this in “Act Like a Success, Think Like a Success”. Harvey tries to get readers to look at themselves and to find their gift, no matter what that gift might be and then to utilize it in whatever way you can to bring success to yourself in all aspects of your life. This is a man who knows what he is talking about, as he struggled early in his life, and has written his ver-sion of how he succeeded and how you can use what he learned to find your own gift and your own success.

Finally, I wanted to mention “The Art of Selling Yourself: The Simple Step-by-Step Process for Success in Business and Life” by Adam Riccoboni and Daniel Callaghan. The authors focus on how best to sell yourself (not literally, of course) both in the modern interview process, your business, and life itself. Filled with real life examples ranging from Donald Trump to Oprah Winfrey to Mark Zuckerberg, the authors show the reader one possible way that they might find success in getting a job, get-ting a raise, or convincing colleagues about their new idea.

All of these books, and the thousands of others that have been written, are an attempt for us to follow that American ideal of pulling oneself up by their bootstraps and making them suc-cessful and finding the American Dream. Obviously, different things work for different people and it’s up to us as individu-als to find out what works for us and what will help us make our own lives better, and if nothing else these books of self-im-provement can help us find our way.

Creating better people, business owners through better books

Mind Your Own Business (at the Library)

Lower Columbia Professionals

Hosted byLongview Eagles #2116Thursday, November 19, 20151526 12th Avenue, Longview

5:30 pm - 7:30 pm$20 per person

Register at:www.kelsolongviewchamber.org

All proceeds go to the LCP Scholarship Fund

Night

FOOD!

FUN!PRIZES!

BEVERAGES!


Bright Ideas

22

ADVERTISING MEDIA - BRANDING & MARKETINGCOLLATERAL DESIGN & PRINTING - PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHYRESPONSIVE WEBSITES - SEO - SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT

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EFFECTIVE ADVERTISING & MARKETING STRATEGY STARTS HERE NOW IS THE TIME TO BRING YOUR BUSINESS INTO THE LIGHT WITH A PLAN!

WWW.M-Y-AGENCY.COM

By Russ Meder and Nate Yanez Owners – M-Y Agency

As owners/partners of multiple businesses (one of them being an advertising agency), we are often asked which kind of advertising is most effective? Our immediate response is: “What is your advertis-ing strategy?” About that time, our clients’ eyes glaze over in confu-sion, and the obvious answer arises: “MORE BUSINESS!” We agree!

All of us want more business. Sometimes, that's just a little more business because we are working within tight constraints of a man-aged growth pattern. Other times, we want as much “more” busi-ness as possible because business has slowed, and our profits are shrinking. No matter what kind of “more” we are all seeking, it’s important to be deliberate (even laser focused), in creating the right strategic advertising plan.

An advertising plan is a “to do” list, a guide to action. A strate-gic advertising plan differs from a “standard” or “tactical” plan in

scope. A strategic plan is comprehensive, covering every aspect of an advertising program, from goals to measurement.

The three core parts of any advertising plan (which need to be written and understood) are:

1) What do we want to accomplish? What are our objectives/goals?

2) How will we reach these goals? What will we do, and what will it cost, to achieve our objectives? How do we maintain a cohesive approach to these goals? How do we keep a consistent message throughout the media to maximize our results?

3) How do we measure results? How do we determine whether we have accomplished our objectives?

Over the course of the next few months, we will discuss various aspects of strategic advertising, and how following a distinct, direct course of action will help your business grow. Our priority is to

To-do list guide to building business

Please see Bright Ideas, page 24

Business Connection Advertising Rates Effective March 2015

Kelso-Longview Business Connection monthly newsletter is published the first of each month, posted electronically on our website and over 5,400 emailed to local business professionals, city and county officials. To be included in this monthly email, simply call the Chamber office at 360-423-8400.

All ads include full color and any design work. Deadline is the 21st of the month prior to publication. Digital files: PDF, Tiff and JPEG. Non-Members of the Kelso-Longview Chamber of Commerce please add 30% to above rates. See back for size examples.

To advertise or request additional information please contact Karen Sisson at 360-423-8400 or [email protected] or CEO Bill Marcum at 360-423-8400 or [email protected].

Advertising Agreement Date: ________________

Business Name: _______________________________________________ Phone: _____________________

Contact Name: ____________________________________________ ___ Cell: _______________________

Address: _____________________________________________ City_______________ Zip____________

Email: _______________________________________________________ Fax: ______________________

Number of Issues:______ Size:________ Credit card Check Invoice

Signature__________________________________ Ad Rep Signature___________________________

Size 1 - 3 Issues 4-7 Issues 8-10 Issues 12 Issues Dimension 1/16 Page $110 $90 $70* $50* 2" x 2.5" (*Includes ad on website) 1/8 Page $175 $140 $105* $75* 4" x 2.5" (*Includes ad on website) 1/4 Page $205 $170 $140* $100* 4" x 5.25" (*Includes ad on website) 1/2 Page $325 $290 $245* $190* 4" x 10.5" (V) or 8" x 5.25" (H) Full Page $625 $570 $480* $400* 8" x 10.5" (*Includes ad on website)

24


Ambassador of the Month

The Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce names Jason Reetz as its October Ambassador of the Month honoree.

Reetz is vice president of operations for Pacific Tech Construc-tion. He has been with the company since 2006 and has more than 23 years of project management experience.

He applied to be an Ambassador for the Chamber because he thought it would be a great way to network with local business owners and their employees, while offering him an opportunity to give back to the community.

When he was honored with the June’s Ambassador of the Month honor, he said he has met hundreds of new people through partici-pation in the Chamber’s monthly Business After Hours events and ribbon cutting ceremonies, and volunteering at the Chamber golf tournament.

Reetz is also a board member for the Lower Columbia Profession-

als and the Lower Columbia Contrac-tors Association. In his down time he enjoys hunting, fishing, spending time outdoors and tasting different wines and local craft brews.

Chamber Ambassadors, known as The Red Coats, are an integral part of the Chamber of Commerce. The Ambassador 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 ca-reers while making time to assist the Chamber at a variety of events year long.If you would be interested in wearing a red coat and representing the

Chamber, contact CEO Bill Marcum at the Chamber office.

Meeting new people fuels repeat honoree’s Chamber committment

OctoberJason Reetz

Pacific Tech Construction

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Resources•

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Partnerships

support and empower you to bring your business to the next level. But first, there needs to be an admission of where you are currently. It’s been our experience that many businesses don’t have a plan. They may use multiple mediums like radio, print, web, and TV. However, they lack direction. Maybe they advertise sales or special events, but fail to brand their business.

If, like many others, you find yourself wondering what kind of advertising you’re really doing (and what it accomplishes), then we hope this (and future columns) helps answer some of those ques-tions. Our goal at M-Y Agency is to help your business reach max-imum potential, which in turn will help our local economy and community thrive.

Stay tuned for more Bright Ideas from M-Y Agency.

Bright Ideas, from page 22

25


Longview Downtown Partnership

The arts take center stage in downtown Longview in Novem-ber. Check out these events:

Estate Art Sale, through December 5 – 1318 Commerce Ave. More than 20 artists and more than 100 pieces to explore, including a private trust collection. (Oils, acrylics, drawings, watercolors, serigraphs, giclée, lithographs, linocut, and mixed media.) Some artists are museum exhibited.

Lower Columbia College Gallery Opening Reception, Novem-ber 3, 4-6 p.m. for artist Darren Orange – Cascadian Slipstream. Exhibit runs through December 3. Lower Columbia Rose Center for the Arts, 15th Avenue and Washington Way. Free.

Josh Gracin Veteran’s Day Concert, November 11, Columbia Theatre. Cookin’ Country 105.5, KUKN is saluting troops on Veteran’s Day with a concert from Josh Gracin. Gracin was hon-orably discharged from the Marines after becoming a finalist on

American Idol. He went on to have a gold record and multiple Top 5 hits. Cost is $12 or $8 with military ID.

The Longview Downtown Partnership and the Broadway Gal-lery will be hosting the fifth annual Gingerbread Haus Contest at the Broadway Gallery. Entry forms are available at the Broad-way Gallery, Teague’s Interiors, and on the Longview Downtown Partnership website: www.MYLDP.org

Display, judging, prizes and public viewing will take place from noon to 7 p.m. December 5.

Save the Date! Also December 5 is the Home for the Holidays 2015 annual Downtown Christmas parade.

Brought to you by Longview Downtown Partnership in coop-eration with Cowlitz PUD and the Kelso-Longview Chamber of Commerce

Downtown gearing up for art and holidays

SAVE the Date:

Monday,December 14th

Lower Columbia College

Rose Center

Time: 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Cost: $25 advance/$35 at door

.

26


Chamber Connection

Friendly ReminderJohn Schapman and Jeff Johnson from PeaceHealth St. Johns Medical Center dropped in on hosts Lonnie Knowles and Carey Mackey to remind listeners of the importance of flu shots and staying flu free in the workplace this season.

Life Mortgage’s Tina Hart also found air time with Lindsey Cope from American Family Insurance, who talked about lines of insurance to meet everyone’s needs.

Tina Hart, marketing director for Life Mortgage, discusses the benefits of qualifying for the right home mortgage, and Vashti Langford, with Work Opportunity Center of Cowlitz County, was promoting the retail skills training program (for information call 360-501-8359).

27


Chamber Connection

HalloweenTreatBrenda Courser, a member of the Longview Pioneer Lions, used her time with Lonnie to promote Street of Screams, and to stay on the Halloween theme, Jon Randall, president of Rely Local, talked up the downtown businesses that will open their doors to trick-or-treaters.

Keenan Harvey, executive director for the Humane Society of Cowlitz County, gets a thumbs-up from Lonnie and their upcoming event, Pose your Pet with Santa.

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

28


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* McThreads/Designer Jewelry

* NW Muddy Puppy

Welcome New Members

Join today! Call 360-423-8400

Chamber membership has its privileges

29


Ribbon Cuttings

Welcome EatsChamber Ambassadors welcomed owner Maywee Suksamran and My Thai Kitchen into the fold October 7. The restaurant is located at 421 20th Ave., Longview.

Wake Up CallManager Pamela Reay announced All American Grind’s Chamber membership with Ambassadors October 19. The coffee stand is located at 972 15th Ave., Longview

Home, Suite, HomeLongview Express Employment Professionals’ owner Lisa Straughan and staff gather outside their 1208 Washington Way building, but have moved to Suite 130.

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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!

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Welcome Back!

*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

OUR LATEST RENEWING MEMBERS*Anderson & Anderson Advisory, LLC*Berkshire Hathaway*Better Business Bureau*C's Photography*Cowlitz County Museum*Cowlitz Economic Development Council*Cowlitz Indian Tribe*Cowlitz River Dental *Epson Portland*Erickson Glass Co.*Estetica Day Spa*Fibre Federal Credit Union - Castle Rock

*Branch*Guesthouse Inn & Suites*Kellogg Supply, Inc.*Longview Country Club*Lower Columbia Economic Development *Council*Motion Industries, Inc.*Mt St Helens Creation Information Center*N. W. Deli Distribution, Inc.*Pathways 2020*Prestige Senior Living Monticello Park *Progress Center*Red Lion Hotel & Conference Center*Riverview Community Bank*Sessions Plumbing & Heating, Inc.*Three Rivers Christian School*Timothy E. Nelson, DDS*Weyerhaeuser

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

Ribbon Cutting &

Business After Hours Tuesday, November 10th

1700 Hudson Street, Suite 102, Longview

Check-out Stewart Title’s New Digs and Enjoy Yummy Hors d’oeuvres Prizes Beer by Five Dons Brewing Co Wine by Mount St. Helens Cellars

Music by Larry Moyer Networking & More! Ribbon Cutting at 5pm Business After Hours 5:30pm—7:30pm Register at Cost: $15 advance/$20 door www.kelsolongviewchamber.org

360.423.8400

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In the News

Community Home Health & Hospice hires new bereavement coordinator

Community Home Health & Hospice (Community) welcomes Annanissa Pat-terson as its new bereavement coordinator. Patterson facilitates Community’s free grief support groups, oversees individual coun-seling, and plans grief group events includ-ing potlucks, holiday dinners and youth retreats. She also does community outreach including giving presentations and participating in community events.

Patterson has more than 12 years of grief experience. Her pas-sion for grief counseling began with her work at a women’s shel-ter where the most challenging part of her job was helping do-mestic violence victims overcome their sense of grief and loss.

She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in counseling at Saint Martin’s University in Lacy, Wash. Previously, she studied at Lower Columbia College in Longview, and Washington State University in Vancouver.

Millennium Draft Environmental Impact Statement timing announcement

Cowlitz County, Washington State Department of Ecology, and US Army Corps of Engineers have published a new envi-ronmental review schedule for the proposed Millennium Bulk Terminals-Longview coal export facility. The county and state’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is now scheduled for release April 30. The federal Draft EIS is scheduled to be released in July 2016.

Below is a press release statement from Bill Chapman, CEO for Millennium Bulk Terminals:

Plainly we’re disappointed by the delay but we’re also pleased to be back on track with agencies committed to firm deadlines for the next milestone in the Millennium permitting process. We appreciate all the efforts that led to this new commitment. It will soon be four years since Millennium submitted our com-plete permit applications. We and our investors remain dedi-cated to seeing this project built and operating.

On a daily basis I am reminded that much-needed family-wage jobs in the community continue to be delayed. Just this past Monday we were joined by supporters from Montana and

Wyoming reminding us it is not just new Longview jobs at stake but existing family wage jobs in those states and others.

We look forward to working with the agencies to ensure the analysis are completed, public process underway and deadlines of this new commitment are all met.

Cowlitz County property tax payment deadline approaching fastThe 2015 property tax payment deadline is quickly approach-

ing. The Cowlitz County Treasurer is reminding property owners that they have until November 2 to pay the second half of their 2015 property taxes.

The County Treasurer’s Office is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Please see News, page 35

We look forward to handling your next real estate transaction.

1159 14th Avenue, Longview, WA 98632 ■ Phone: 360.423.5330 ■ www.cowlitztitle.com

Our Escrow Team…Why Our Service is the Difference!

■ Title Insurance■ Escrow Service■ Residential & Commercial■ 1031 Exchange■ Locally Owned

Since 1982, Cowlitz County Title has been the trusted company the community turns to when buying, selling or refinancing a property.

Whether you needtitle, escrow orproperty searchinformation, come

in for our exceptionalservice. Leave with the secure confidence that your real estate investment is properly insured and protected.

Bianca Lemmons VP/Manager/LPO

Deanna Cornelison Escrow Officer

Linda Comley Escrow Officer/LPO

Rita Lawrence Escrow Assistant

Shelby Caufman Escrow Officer

Leah Stanley Escrow Assistant

Kristy Norman Escrow Assistant


In the News

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Monday through Friday for processing payments in person. Tax payments must be federally postmarked by November 2 and mailed to the Cowlitz County Treasurer at 207 N. 4th Ave., Kelso, Wash., 98626. Additional tax information can be reviewed at www.co.cowlitz.wa.us/treasurer by selecting the link “Assessor Parcel Search”.

Tax payments can be made by these methods:

By mail if postmarked no later than November 2 taxpayers should include their tax statement and write the property tax account number on their check or money order. Cash should not be sent through the mail.

In person at the Treasurer’s Office, Cowlitz County Admin-istrative Building-Room 202, 207 N. 4th Ave., Kelso, Wash.,

98626, Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Log on to www.co.cowlitz.wa.us/treasurer for on-line pay-ments. To pay taxes by phone call 1-855-857-3624, be sure to listen carefully to the instructions.

NEW: The treasurer’s office now accepts debit and credit card payments for taxes in the office. If payment is made by credit or debit card, there will be a nominal fee charged for this ser-vice by the credit card processing company.

Tax statements were mailed to owners of record in February, any questions may be addressed by calling the treasurer’s of-fice at 360-577-3060.

News, from page 34

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Working the Room

American Workforce Group hosted October’s Business After Hours event. Tracy Robbins, business manager, Sierra Wishard, recruiter, Julie Nelson, owner, Tori Skinner, business developer, and Carli Osgood, recruiting as-sistant, paused long enough from their hosting duties for this photograph. The evening’s beverages were provided by Kendall Distributing, Pie@Trio’s Pizzeria provided pizza and Adena’s Bakery brought goodies for dessert.

Business After Hours

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Klc biz 11 2015

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