Klc biz 7 15

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. 7 July 2015

FridayJuly 3

Chamber Office ClosedVisitor Center Open

WednesdayJuly 8 Noon

Ribbon CuttingThe Soap Factory

1227 Commerce Ave., Longview

FridayJuly 10 Noon

Ribbon Cutting & Open HouseMy Agency and

ASAP Business Solutions1324 Vandercook Way, Longview

ThursdayJuly 16 7:30 a.m.

Ambassador CommitteeCanterbury Park

1335 3rd Ave., Longview

TuesdayJuly 21 Noon

Board of DirectorsLongview Country Club

41 Country Club Dr., Longview

TuesdayJuly 21 5:30 p.m.

Business After HoursFive Dons Brewing

1158 11th Ave., Longview

FridayJuly 31 3 p.m.Ribbon Cutting

Customer AppreciationHeritage Bank

927 Commerce Ave., Longview

Every WednesdayChamber Connections

KEDO/1400 AM 3 to 4 p.m.Stream live at

www.threeriversradio.comLocal guest and current events

Calendar

A dash of fun to brighten the summer

Please see Color Dash, page 3

$40 individual; $85 family of 3 $15 for each additional, up to six

family members All prices $10 more day of race

Color Dash 5KThree Rivers Mall

Aug. 1 9 a.m.

Register at THECOLORDASH5K.com

By Brenda Sexton For the Kelso Longview Chamber

Its a fundraiser with a splash of color and a dash of zaniness. The Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce is the beneficiary of a Color Dash movement that is changing the hue of community fundraising across the United States. Participants start the untimed, family-friendly 5K with a white T-shirt, b provided by organizers, and at each

THECOLORDASH

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Kelso Longview Business Connection July 2015

3

Color Dash, from page 1

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.

kilometer a color is added blue, a sprinkle of green, splash of yel-low, spray of orange and blast of pink.

There are different companies who do it different ways, Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce Project Manager Karen Sisson said.

The Chamber is working with The Color Dash, which has similar events scheduled across the country. They pitched the product to the Chamber unsolicited. Sisson said she and the others in the of-fice were intriqued, especially since they were looking to replace the popular Jingle in July 5K fun run and fundraiser, which was bumping into a similar local parks and recreation Fourth of July event.

Chamber CEO Bill Marcum made a call to friends at the Pendle-ton (Oregon) Chamber, which hosted the event last year.

Overall, they said it was a really great experience and they would highly recommended it, Sisson said.

The event started to take shape when Three Rivers Mall commit-ted to stay on as sponsor.

We really value our partnership with Linda (DiLembo) and the Mall and wanted to continue with an event that would drive people to the area.

It could become an annual event, if it is a good fit for us and the Mall, Sisson said.

Color Dash organizers say the color is safe, 100 percent non-toxic, food-grade cornstarch and coloring.

At the conclusion of the event, the promoters hit the crowd with one last blast of color.

Sisson said although no one in the office has participated in one, Facebook photos from other events make it look like fun, espe-cially for kids and families.

Organizers claim 50 percent of every registration goes back into the community and dashers around the globe have raised more than $1 million for local causes.

The money we raise goes to various Chamber projects including scholarships, Sisson said. Everything we earn goes right back into the community.

Sisson said she hopes the run brings in about 600 participants, similar to that of Jingle All The Way in December.

On paper it looks like a win-win the Chamber hosts a fun, community event that raises money to serve the community and Chamber staff can use its time better serving its members while Color Dash organizers run the event.

Kelsos Color Dash is set for a 9 a.m. start Aug. 1 at Three Riv-ers Mall. Registration is currently being taken at THECOLOR-DASH5K.com. Registration is $40 for individuals or $85 for a fam-ily of three. All prices go up $10 on race day.

A ticket (receipt) is required for entry into the event. Each paid participant receives a T-shirt, bib, tattoo and color pack. T-shirts are only guaranteed for those who register within 10 days of the event.

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4Kelso Longview Business Connection July 2015

By Bill Marcum CEO Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce

The Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce hosted its an-nual Chamber Golf Classic June 8 at Longview Country Club. We had 124 golfers representing more than 90 businesses for this fun event. The weather was perfect, okay, maybe a little bit warm at 89 degrees, but for most it was perfect.

A special thank you to our tournament sponsor Stirling Hon-da, who, for the fifth year in a row, has been our presenting sponsor for the tournament.

The Shamrock Spirits and Grill provided this years lunch, and Steve Jones staff did an incredible job preparing the burg-ers and brats. Thank you, Steve. Cs Photography was there to take photos of every team that participated, then rushed back to the studio and off to Reprographics for printing so we could hand them out at the awards dinner. Whew! And it came off

beautifully. Thank you.

More than 50 items were donated and given away at the raffle and auction at the awards banquet. All in all we had more than 35 sponsors and 20 volunteers to help make this a full day of fun. For a complete list of our hole, cart, and photograph sponsors, see page 8, and for winners, photos and much, much, more please see pages 6 and 7. Thank you to all of you for your sponsorship.

There were some people on the course, who obviously had played golf before, and they played well enough to capture a trophy. In the Gross Division, first place went to the Cowlitz Black Bears team; second place to the Chamber Committee team, and third place to the team from the City of Longview. In the Net Division, first place went to Three Rivers Eye Care; second place to Stirling Honda, and third place to Planet Fit-ness.

CEOs Message

Golf tournament couldnt net a better outcome

The guys representing Ashtown/Bobs Merchandise were hands down the top choice for best dressed at the tournament.

See more photos on the Chambers Facebook page

Please see CEO, page 5


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CEO, from page 4For the first time in tournament history, we presented an

award to the best-dressed team. It was hard to ignore the col-orful fashion statement neon pink shirts and mermaid trou-sers of Ashtown/Bobs Merchandise. They were easily the winner...nice job guys.

I also want to say thank you to the Golf Classic Committee of Dave Taylor, Scott Fischer, Clay Bartness and staff member Karen Sisson. We start working on this tournament in March, meeting every other week until May and then weekly to make sure everyone who attends is going to have a fun day.

Our Ambassadors volunteer for much of the duties. With the hot weather the red coats were optional, but most donned red polo shirts and assisted with raffle ticket sales and registra-tion, served as hole-in-one witnesses and just about anything else needed that day. Thank you all. Special volunteers in-cluded Jackie Evenson and Leslie Bartness, who shuttled our sponsors to and from their sponsored holes so they could set up their tents and tables. They also were coerced into assisting some of our golfers up the hill to registration. Thank you.

And finally, but certainly not least, a heartfelt thank you to Chamber staff, Amy and Karen. They prepared all the tee prize bags (124), checked in all the golfers, set up the reg-istration, worked the dinner and awards, selling more raffle tickets, raffled off the prizes, coordinated payments and made sure all our golfers had a good time. It was a full 14-hour day for them. Thank you.

Thank you again to all sponsors, all players, and the Longview Country Club staff...see you next year!


6

Golf Classic

1st Gross (60)Cowlitz Black BearsJim Appleby, Bob Rose, Eric Cheatley, Shawn Carson

2nd Gross (61)Kelso Longview ChamberBill Marcum, Dave Taylor, Scott Fischer, Jeff Gray

3rd Gross (62)City of LongviewBob Gregory, Chris Smith, Cory Balkan, Kurt Sacha

1st Net (50.9)Three Rivers Eye CareEd Laulainen, Rick Hopkins, Amy Brudi, Eric Brudi

2nd Net (51.5)Stirling Auto GroupJerry Gee, Virginia Palmer, Scott Persin, Gary Palmer

3rd Net (51.9)Plant FitnessKevin Hale, Adam McQuaid, Yale Pritchett, Andrew Reinhart

2015 Chamber Golf Classic Winners


See more photos on the Chambers Facebook page or click here.

Drivers start your engines! Sixty-two golf carts lined up and ready to transport 124 golfers up the hill.

ServePro, Hole 17 sponsor, staying cool and providing cool beverages for golfers!

Fairway FabulousThe weather and the participants were hot, hot, hot for this years Chamber Golf Classic June 8 at Longview Country Club. There were 124 golfers representing more than 90 businesses this year.

Koelsch Senior Communities Diane Craft provided a break for golfers on the 18th hole.

By afternoon, everyone was ready to cool off in the clubhouse and enjoy a barbecue dinner.

Golf Classic

Title Sponsor Stirling Motors

to ourT hank You2015 Sponsors

Hole 1 Red Canoe Credit Union

Hole 2 Longview Eye Clinic

Par 3, Hole 3 PeaceHealth Foundation

Hole 4Riverwoods Chiropractic

Hole 5Cowlitz River Rigging

Hole 6 Three Rivers Eye Clinic

Par 3, Hole 7Columbia Ford

Hole 8Futcher-Henry CPA

Hole 9 Kentucky Fried Chicken

Hole 10Edward Jones - Nick Lemiere

Hole 11 D and C Lemmons

Par 3, Hole 12 H & S Enterprises

Hole 13 Foster Farms

Hole 14Millennium Bulk Terminals

Hole 15 Les Schwab

Par 3, Hole 16 Ocean Beach Self Storage

Hole 17 ServPro Longview

Hole 18Koelsch Senior Communities

Beverage Cart Express Employment

Professionals

Putting Contest Fibre Federal Credit Union

Tee PrizeSponsor

Prographyx

Lunch Sponsor Cascade Networks

Shamrock Grill & Spirits

Driving Range Sponsor State Farm Insurance -

Fischer & Beal

Photo SponsorReprograghics Propel InsuranceCs Photography

PNE CorpThree Rivers Mall

19th Hole SponsorSignature Transport

Cart Sponsor Bobs Merchandise

Raffle Sponsor Cascade Title

Hole in One NORPAC

Dinner Sponsor Twin City Bank

Dessert SponsorColdwell Banker-Bain

Registration TableCowlitz County Title


By Julia MaglioneCommunications Manager Southwest Washington Workforce Development Council

Despite declining unemployment and an increase in the number of jobs available, some in our community are not enjoying the eco-nomic recovery individuals who have been out of work longer than 27 weeks also known as the long-term unemployed.

Studies show long-term unemployed job applicants are frequently overlooked and sometimes excluded from job opportunities even when they have identical resumes and skills to other candidates.

It is important to recognize the experience, talent and skills of these individuals and give them the same opportunities as other applicants; excluding them from consideration hurts them, your business and our economy. Businesses succeed when their com-munities thrive.

If your company has unfilled jobs and/or if you will be hiring in the future, now is a perfect time to review your hiring practices and remove any barriers that may prevent qualified long-term unem-ployed job seekers from applying or being fully considered for jobs at your company.

According to guidelines released by the White House in October 2014 and agreed to by at least 200 businesses, including 80 of the nations largest businesses, some areas to review:

1. Ensure advertising does not discourage or discriminate against unemployed individuals.

2. Review current recruiting practices to ensure they cast a broad net and encourage all qualified candidates to consider applying, including the long-term unemployed, by taking steps that may in-clude:

On your website, in application materials or in other places where it can be seen by potential applicants, publicize your com-mitment that qualified unemployed individuals will not be disad-vantaged solely on their unemployment status.

Interview or otherwise consider qualified long-term unem-ployed individuals.

Train your hiring teams and recruiters to focus on the occu-

pational and leadership requirements for a given position and not just on an ap-plicants current or recent employment status.

Engage with local and regional entities to reach broad segments of the popula-tion with relevant skills and experience. (WorkSource can help.)

3. Revise your screening and hiring processes so they do not intentionally or inad-vertently disadvantage indi-viduals from being consid-ered for a job solely on their unemployment status.

Another way your compa-ny can help get the long-term unemployed back to work is to contact WorkSource to learn about funds they have available to offset your hir-ing costs through on-the-job training (OJT) dollars that would reimburse your company for a portion of the new hires salary as they learn skills customized to your business. WorkSource may also be able to pay for your new employees to obtain certifications or other train-ings needed for employment.

If youve been interviewing candidates and are considering mak-ing some hires, now is a great time to contact WorkSource to find out if your company qualifies for these grant funds. Contact Don-na Hughes at [email protected] or Tana Haddenham at [email protected] or call 360-578-4219.Julia Maglione is communications manager at the SWWDC. She

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

Southwest Washington Workforce Development Council

Best practices for recruiting and hiring the long-term unemployed

Employment and Training Opportunities Available for the

Long-term UnemployedWorkSource has free grant funds available

for education, training and re-employment assistance for individuals who have been out of work for 27 weeks or more.

If youre interested in high-tech or manu-facturing positions, attend a free informa-tion session (beginning July 13) on the sec-ond or fourth Monday of the month from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at WorkSource, 305 S. Pacific Ave., Suite A in Kelso or call 360-578-4231.

10


Boot Camp

Boot Camp BoardmanshipThe Chambers Boardsmanship 101 series concluded with Erin

Brown, Lower Columbia College Foundation executive director, leading discussion on succession planning. The early Friday morn-

ing lecture drew 35 people for the final of the six sessions. We had a great six weeks designed to give people who are current or prospec-

tive board members more information into what is their role, respon-sibilities and accountability when serving, said Chamber CEO Bill

Marcum. Thank you to all who attended and the six presenters.

Sign up Br

ing

your bookke

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your manager

,

your spouse

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no extra cha

rge!

Limit 25 per Camp Session!

BOOT CAMP2015 Small Business

Friday Mornings Lower Columbia College7:30 am - 9 am Heritage Room at LCC - Admin. Bldg.

SAFETY & SECURITY Six Pack

RETAILINGsix pack

www.kelsolongviewchamber.org

BONUS Boot Camp

NO Charge if YOU have attended at least one Six Pack !

Fri., Oct. 23 Critical Thinking and Problem

Solving - Utilize your own think tank to solve Critical issues. Facilitator:

Chris Bailey, President Lower Columbia College

Chamber Members $100 per Six Pack or $25 per CampNon-Chamber Members $160 per Six Pack or $35 per Camp

May 8 Role of the Board vs. the CEO Facilitated by Rick Winsman

May 15 Handling Conflict. Facilitated by Jennifer Leach, WSU Extension Faculty and President of the Longview School Board.

May 22 Financial Accountability. Facilitated by Scott Davis, CPA; Davis & Associates, CPAs

May 29 Working as a Team. Facilitated by Frank McShane, Cascade Networks

June 5 Facilitating and Leading Meetings Facilitated by Terry McLaughlin, Cowlitz County Assessor

June 12 Strategic and Succession Planning. Facilitated by Erin Brown, Executive Director LCC Foundation

BOARDMANSHIP six pack

Register Online Today!

Six Pack - $100 Member Price $160 Non-Member Price

Register Online Today!

360-423-8400

25 maximum per Camp Session

March 6 Workplace Violence, Safety and the Police. Facilitator: Andy Hamilton, Kelso Police Chief.

March 13 Fraud Prevention, Internal and External. Facilitator: David Futcher, Futcher-Henry, CPA

March 20 Technology, Computers and Data Security. Facilitator: Jayson Rogen, Techalytix

March 27 Employee Theft and Theft from Business. Facilitator: Andy Hamilton, Kelso Police Chief

April 3 Protecting Your Image (Social Media). Facilitator: TBA

April 10 No Class Spring BreakApril 17 Protecting your Business

Facilitator: Bob Beal, State Farm Insurance

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: TBA

Sept. 18 Employee Training are your employees trained to help the customer or just ring up a sale? Facilitator: TBA

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

Oct. 2 Pricing Strategies Cowlitz County, Facilita-tor: Jerry Petrick, Certified Business Advisor SBDC

Oct. 9 Promotion Strategies Advertising: mail, radio, online, print. Facilitator: TBA

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

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Tools You Can Use to Help Your Business

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12


Planning your holiday sales in July?Your competition is!

By Jerry D. Petrick Certified Business Adviser

Many industries are already well into the planning and buy-ing cycles for seasonal inventory; for others, now is prime time to think carefully about how you will manage your resources (time, money, people, space, in-ventory) for the upcoming retail sales season.

Ensuring that there is a cycle of targeted planning and ac-tivity taking place throughout the year will help you take ad-vantage of these seasonal peaks. It is critical for businesses to establish and maintain an ongoing marketing and planning calendar to make sure they are not surprised by critical is-sues like cash flow. There are a number of key steps to imple-ment to maximize the opportunities for your business.

Keep everything up-to-date: Remove and refresh all sale items and promotional content from websites once sales are over nothing is more frustrating to prospective customers than out-of-date web promotions. Nothing says your busi-ness is irrelevant than out-of-date promotions or last sea-sons inventory offerings.

Review last years figures: Examine what worked well and identify causes for peaks in sales activity. This will help you understand what seasonal peaks are likely in the year ahead to take advantage of based on last years success.

Keep stocked up for those critical times: Analyze items in the inventory that sold better than others for specific events or times of the year and ensure there is enough stock in place in the upcoming year to meet this demand again.

Break this down into quarterly plans: Having quarterly plans reduces the possibility of retailers overestimating on the amount of stock needed for a quarter, as well as ensuring popular items are available at the right time it also, helps

identify cash flow challenges you can anticipate and resolve.Planning ahead of this time is key to ensure that sales op-

portunities are maximized and that the bestselling inventory from the year is ready and available knowing what items are most profitable in addition to which sell through best is critical. Selling lots of items that lose money is not a winning strategy.

In order to ensure you have stock available for shipping when its required, use your calendar and count back from each event to when you need to:

Identify what inventory you will need (60 days prior) List key inventory (45 days prior) Have 100 percent of inventory listed (30 days prior) Have sold/dispositioned half seasonal inventory (15 days

prior)NOTE: If suppliers are relying on international shipping,

check-in 150 days in advance to get confirmation that they will have the stock you plan to be selling.

Follow these suggestions as you contemplate the readiness of your own business:

Preparation Create the list of vendors to be used Check status of or apply for customer status with ven-

dors Contact each to inquire about seasonal purchases, get

order and shipping schedules Get a list of price points, FOBs (free on board), volume

discounts, off invoice allowances, rebates, prompt pay-ment discounts and dating programs

When the vendor says they dont offer those, insist that they do and demand the information

Prepare Orders Put above vendor information on an excel worksheet

Business Toolbox

Please see Petrick, page 13

13


Petrick, from page 12for scheduling and order development

Contact the sales department for each vendor and ask for order recommendations, velocity reports and promotion schedules

Create an order calendar for each vendor using informa-tion from sales

Go back to the excel worksheet and run the numbers for each vendor, with landed costs.

Determine EOQs (economic order quantities) for each vendor/merchandise category

Develop a pro forma order for each vendor and send to the sales representative for confirmation of availability and current pricing

Use the order confirmations to set up an order and re-ceiving schedule and receiving report for each shipment

Finance Use pro forma orders to arrange invoicing dates, dating

programs and vendor credit Discuss additional needs with lender Place orders

Marketing Use the receiving schedule to develop the marketing

schedule Lead times vary by category and customer base, poor

neighborhoods time promotions for the first of the month, etc.

Work with outreach channels, prepare and proof collat-eral

Make arrangements/order/buy for direct mail, blow ins, web based and POP (point of purchase)

Receiving/Stocking/Follow Up Use the receiving schedule and purchase orders to check

in incoming shipments, document overages, shortages, mis-ships and damages

Use the receiving schedule to create a stocking schedule to advise stockers when and where to display the season-

al merchandise/POP Document and liquidate or donate residual inventory,

use documentation as a basis for next years orders Survey customers for insight into consumer satisfaction

with the seasonal programThe competition is keen. Make sure you are prepared to take

advantage of your strengths and cultivate your customers throughout the year they and you will benefit.

This article was prepared by Jerry Petrick, Certified Business Adviser, MBA, SPHR with the Business Development Center in Longview. Petrick provides no-cost, confidential business advi-sory services by appointment. He can be reached via e-mail at [email protected]

LeeRoy Parcel Manager/LPO

[email protected]

Alison Peters Escrow Officer/LPO

[email protected] Woodruff

Escrow Officer/LPO [email protected]

Diane Kenneway Escrow Assistant

[email protected] Bird

Senior Title Officer [email protected]

Connie Bjornstrom Receptionist/Typist

[email protected] McTimmonds

Marketing/Recording [email protected]

1425 Maple St. Longview, WA 98632360.425.2950

www.cascade-title.com

Negotiating in these tough times

14


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

Negotiating, or the simple art of working with another to reach an agreement, is often challenging in good times. Layer on top of that challenge a tough economic environ-ment, and its easy to understand how troublesome seeking resolution, compromise or agreement with another can become.

Very often in your selling and managing career you are called upon to negotiate, and that alone may cause you a certain amount of anxiety. More often than not, many of us might anticipate that any and all negotiations are difficult situations...

To help diffuse your anxiety, minimize some of the con-sternation, and strengthen your confidence, remind your-self that in negotiating, your objective is not to win or lose at the expense of the other. Dont look at the negotiation as a problem, but rather an opportunity to excel! Your objective is to seize the opportunity to build a bridge and establish, or reestablish, a relationship, with your client, a vendor, a coworker or a friend.

As you approach your client, a vendor, a coworker or a friend in a negotiating mode, consider, if you will, the fol-lowing...

Be Prepared. Prior to meeting with your client, co-worker or a friend make every attempt possible, in a timely fashion, to learn all you can regarding the current situation and any prior contributing factors. Think through your options, objectives and goals in relation to the current cir-cumstances. What would you like to do? What can you do? Initially begin to prioritize some of your options.

Set the Parameters. At the outset, work to establish open and honest communication between all the involved par-

ties, strive to develop trust, and remember that in order to gather information you need to LISTEN. Don't tell...rather, ask questions. Be sure that individuals you are negotiating with are able and willing to make any necessary decisions.

Dont Delay. Procrastinating or putting off the negotia-tions til tomorrow may not be in ALL of the parties best interest. Then again, allowing all parties time to let the emotions subside may, indeed, be of benefit. The key is to communicate in a timely fashion, set a resolution timetable, and be faithful to it.

Take the Initiative. Be empathetic. Demonstrate, to ALL individuals involved, that you and your small business have a course of action in place to meet and resolve some, if not all, of the parties key issues. Be willing to acknowledge an error, but dont necessarily apologize, and be prepared to ar-ticulate what steps you will take to prevent its reoccurrence.

Go or No Go. At what point will you feel it necessary to stop the negotiations or bring in additional support or decision makers? If this situation develops, what would be your next step and will it jeopardize not only the current situation but your future relationship with this advertiser, coworker or a friend?

Walk Softly. Dont be concerned with how fast you are moving toward a compromise, rather be sure you are headed in the right direction. Small compromises along the way may build to an acceptable overall solution.

Thank You. Express your appreciation to the client, ven-dor, coworker or friend for bringing this, and possibly other (or past) situations to your attention.

Call Back. After an agreement has been reached, touch bases with your client, vendor, coworker or friend to see if their expectations or understandings were met, continue to reinforce your resolution and the value you (and your

Please see Nau, page 15

15


business) place on the relationship with that client, vendor, coworker or friend?

Reestablish Your Relationship and Marketing Partner-ship. Working through a successful compromise and es-tablishing common goals now will help you reestablish and strengthen a future long term relationship and partnership.

Last but not least, remember, again, that in negotiating, your objective is not to win or lose at the expense of the other. Simply put, its the simple art of working with another to reach an agreement, a compromise, a first step forward. Good luck!

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 todays 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 14

16


By Bill Fashing Executive Director Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Council of Governments

What does the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Council of Govern-ments (CWCOG) Economic Development Program do? Since March of 1994 the COG has been the lead agency for the local Economic Development District designated by the U.S. De-partment of Commerce Economic Development Administra-tion. The District was recognized by the Economic Develop-ment Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce (EDA), in July, 1998. The district was originally formed to in-clude the geographic areas of Cowlitz and Lewis counties. Re-cently, at the request of Wahkiakum County, the group voted to add Wahkiakum County to the District.

A major function of the program is to create the Compre-hensive Economic Development Strategy for the District and work to help local communities with project development, economic development planning and working regionally to promote economic development. Priorities for 2015-16 in-clude the implementation of two summits to assist in insti-gating some economic activity in the region. The first sum-mit is planned to discuss housing for economic development. Housing supply is an issue throughout the area and will be stressed further with the approval of a couple of pending large projects in the area. A recent national study determined that every county in the country is facing housing affordability challenges. The second summit will address a variety of issues relating to farm, fish and forest. This broad based summit is planned to assist in jump starting additional job creation in the region based on current trends of sourcing food products locally and finding ways to add value to the forestry opera-tions in the area.

The District has gone by the name of the Cowlitz Lewis Economic Development District and more recently by the Southwest Washington Economic Development Commis-sion (SWEDC). The role of the District is to administer the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 and

subsequent federal amendments of said Act and other related fed-eral, state and local legislation consistent with the Act. Work under this program is funded by a planning grant through the U.S. Economic Develop-ment Administration with a lo-cal match of at least 50 percent funded by Southwest Washing-ton Economic Development Commission members and in-kind contributions. The program includes Lewis, Cowlitz and Wahkiakum counties as well as cities, economic development councils, ports, school districts, private businesses and other partners within the three counties.

If you are interested in learning more or in getting involved in this regional economic development effort, please call me, Bill Fashing, at 360-577-3041 or e-mail [email protected] for more information.

Council leads counties toward regional economic development strategies

Council of Governments

Chamber August 2013

360.414.1200 www.expresslongview.com

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17


State of the County

CowlitzQuarterlyThe Chambers Quarterly State of Cowlitz County Membership Meeting featured Cowlitz County Commissioners Dennis Weber and Joe Gardner and County Assessor Terry McLaughlin. The event drew more than 60 people to Lower Columbia Colleges beautiful Laufman Lecture Hall June 25.


18

Finish what you startedBy Chris Bailey President Lower Columbia College

There are more than 23,000 adults* living in Cowlitz and Wahkiakum counties with some college credits, but no de-gree. This surprising figure represents over a third of our adult population, and is one of the regions best resources for fueling economic growth and development.

If you fall into this category or someone you know does there has never been a better time to finish what you started. Here are a few things about Lower Columbia College (LCC) that you might not know that make it easier than you might think to get your degree.

LCC offers a number of alternative options for earning non-traditional credits, including military service, foreign tran-scripts and International Baccalaureate credits. LCC accepts qualifying test scores through Advanced Placement and the College Level Examination Program (CLEP).

LCC also offers credit for professional certificates and train-ing. Most high schools, for example, offer Microsoft Certifica-tion as part of their curriculum. Qualifying test scores trans-late to college credit.

We also offer several dual enrollment programs, which al-low students to be simultaneously enrolled in high school and college. Running Start students, for example, attend LCC as either full- or part-time students and the state covers tuition. We have established computer labs in some of the rural high schools to increase access to outlying areas, and have even partnered with some of our Oregon neighbors to offer some-thing similar to Running Start (which is a Washington state program).

Our CEO program provides an opportunity for high school drop-outs who are under 21 to recover credits and get back on track to graduate. Our High School 21+ program provides adults 21 and older with a portfolio-based opportunity to earn a high school diploma. Both programs are heavily subsidized by the state and are offered at virtually no cost to the students.

For those seeking a bachelors degree, weve partnered with

several four-year institutions to form the Lower Columbia Regional Univer-sity Center on the LCC campus. Ten bachelors degrees and one masters degree are available through a com-bination of in-person and online classes, including a BA in business administration offered by Eastern Washington Uni-versity. Other degrees available include applied technology, criminal justice, early childhood education, education, health care administration, human development, information sys-tems, interdisciplinary studies, nursing and organizational leadership.

At the time of publication, we are still waiting to see what kind of budget the Washington Legislature passes, but it is ex-tremely unlikely that college tuition which is set by our leg-islators will increase this year. At LCC, we are also working hard to keep the cost of textbooks down for students. In the past few years, we have implemented a book rental program and have started to use Open Educational Resources in lieu of textbooks, both of which have resulted in substantial sav-ings for students.

Visit our website at lowercolumbia.edu, call our Entry Cen-ter at 360-442-2311, or stop by today to see how you can get on track to finish your degree.*25 years and older; source: United States Census Bureau

Lower Columbia College

TUNE IN every WednesdayYour Chamber Connection

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

schedule YOUR 10-minute business spotlight

19


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

Chamber Connection

Skyler and Alissa Lee with the Warm Coats, Warm Hearts charity talked with Knowles about their an-nual farm-to-table fundraiser.

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

Canyonview Cyclery owner Mark Plotkin brought a state-of-the-art, motorized bicycle to the studio and showed it off to host Lonnie Knowles during his broadcast.

Your Chamber ConnectionEVERY 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

20


Kelso

Public participation mattersBy City Manager Steve Taylor

Do you remember the last time you attended a pub-lic hearing regarding a city ordinance or the Countys comprehensive plan? Have you ever provided comment in front of a city council or planning commission? When was the last time you wrote a letter regarding a local govern-ment issue you saw on KLTV or read in The Daily News?

Most residents would have a difficult time answering these questions, because their experiences engaging with their local officials on matters of policy are quite limited, if nonexistent. We all have busy lives working, rais-ing families, mowing the yard, and volunteering in the community. How much time do we really have available to spend researching thick Council agenda packets and preparing educated commentary for delivery at a public meeting where all your friends and neighbors have the opportunity to see you on camera? Intimidating, right? But how can you participate enough to make a difference in government without becoming an expert in municipal matters or employing a full-time nanny?

Local officials are always on the lookout for meaningful input from citizens to accurately gauge the effectiveness of the public services being provided. The ongoing challenge is in adopting new laws and policies under the public eye with only a handful of residents or stakeholders actually providing comment or criticizing the process. The histori-cally passive approach of advertising public hearings in newspapers and linking documents on official websites demonstrates transparency in the conduct of city and county business, yet fails to actively engage a substantial body of citizens in developing the vision and policies nec-essary for community improvement and renewal.

The City of Kelso wants to hear from you about more interactive and effective ways to communicate with elected officials. A key component of effective communication

Longview

City leaders honored for job well doneBy City Manager Dave Campbell

I attended the annual confer-ence of the Association of Washington Cities (AWC) in Wenatchee last month.

All 281 cities and towns in Washington are members of AWC, not automatically, but voluntarily, through pay-ment of dues based on population. Among other things, the organization provides services such as lobbying at the state level, training for city officials, and group coverage for employee health insurance and organizational liability and property insurance.

Attendance at the annual conference is invaluable, and I am thankful that the City of Longview supports continuing education opportunities like it. Officials from very small cities, especially ones that dont have the professional staff that exists among the cities in Cowlitz County, often hear about financial and technical assistance they might not hear about otherwise. Tours of successful capital projects and public-private partnerships in the host city sometimes provide similar information.

The sessions I attended were both practical and motiva-tional. For one, I was reminded about training obligations all cities have with respect to open public meetings and public records. A hallway conversation with a city man-agement colleague provided some intriguing information about how his city has revised its annual budgeting pro-cess. The conference also gave Kelso City Manager Steve Taylor and me the opportunity to meet with representa-tives from other cities around the state who share our concerns about the cost of our employee medical insur-ance plans and how they might be priced in the future; an informal coalition of like-minded cities might help us get our point across more effectively.

During the conference, Longview City Council Mem-ber Ken Botero was recognized with an AWC Advocacy All-Star Award, an award for elected city officials around

Please see Longview, page 21Please see Kelso, page 22

21


Longview, from page 20

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

Free Energy AuditThermal Imaging

Energy Tips

Weatherization

To learn more or sign up visit:www.cowlitzpud.org/ee_audit.php

To learn more or sign up visit:www.cowlitzpud.org/ee_audit.php

the state who have demonstrated a commitment to advocating for cities, not just within their own communities, but also for the interests of others. City Council Member Mike Wallin was recognized for having earned a Certificate of Municipal Lead-ership Award during the past year. Retired City Manager Bob Gregory and soon-to-be-retired (as this is written) City Clerk Ann Davis were presented Civic Service Awards for their years of service. The City of Longview itself was recognized with a WellCity Award for implementing best practices in employee health promotion; that award is largely a result of the work of our Human Resources Department.

22


Hometown StoreLocally owned and operated.

1116 15th Ave, Longview360-703-6464

Your hometown store with so much more!

is having access to accurate, concise information that allows for a dialogue (as opposed to a monologue) between City Hall and Kelso residents. The City has released a newly-designed website (www.kelso.gov) with user-friend-ly navigational functions that help visitors find the information they are looking for with fewer clicks in less time. Facebook pages have been established for City Hall, Police and Public Works Depart-ments. The City Directory allows you to call or e-mail individual staff and councilmembers di-rectly, and the website allows for submission of comments, com-plaints, and kudos electronically to managers and directors. While these tools arent necessarily revolutionary or complex, they do provide convenient ways to obtain information and make your voice heard on your schedule, rather than the Citys.

Later this month, the City will release Kelso Open Budget, an open data application that allows the user to gain a quick overview of general spending across City departments for multiple years or drill down in detail to find specific levels of

authorized expenditures with a few mouse clicks. In addi-tion to increasing public transparency and accountability, the deployment of the application seeks to improve the general understanding of how public resources are gathered and spent on necessary community services.

National Night Out on Aug. 6 at Tam OShanter Park is a family-oriented opportunity to meet your councilmembers face-to-face and attend a regular meeting of the legislative body in person. The Police Department and Public Works Crews will be on hand to display their equipment and answer questions about service delivery and community involve-ment.

Your local officials want to hear from you and value your opinions whether its a brief compliment on Facebook, a concern about neighborhood graffiti voiced at a Council meeting, or a 10-page technical memo opposing an amend-ment to the Citys development code. Public participation matters! The greater the involvement by residents and stake-holders, the stronger the level of trust between the commu-nity and its public leaders. Please let us know how City Hall can open its doors wider to you.

Kelso, from page 20

Tam OShanter Park will host City of Kelso representatives during the Aug. 6 National Night Out event.

23


This months column is a bit pieced together with a ghostwriter for Alice Dietz, who has accepted the position of communication specialist senior with the Cowlitz County PUD. Her last day with the Cowlitz Economic Development Council (CEDC) was June 26 and she was scheduled to start her new position June 29, not much time to get a column together for the Longview Downtown Part-nership, so were doing our best.

In the newsletter, where we captured much of this information, we found this: We are very grateful Alice will continue to work with the Longview Downtown Partnership. Alice shares, I look forward to continuing my relationships with all of you. I love our community and am thankful to continue working with all the great people who live here!

As always, the message here is get out and get downtown. Here are some events:

Bow Tie BashAuto show

July 4, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Commerce Avenue

Free admission.

Presented by Columbia River Corvettes

Registration per car: $15 in advance; $20 day of show.

www.columbiarivercorvettes.com

ArtBroadway Gallery

1418 Commerce Ave.

Featured artists: Bernadette Crider, ceramic; Katey Sandy, paint-ing; student art from gallery classes.

More information at http://the-broadway-gallery.com or 360-577-0544

New BusinessTheres a new gallery opened at 1204 Broadway St. It features

eight northwest jewelry designers handcrafted, one-of-a-kind jewelry, along with repairs. Lacey Wilson is the owner. For information contact [email protected] or 360-560-9016.

Corridor Improvement Project

Check out the tentative plans for the downtown corridor im-provements and what is ahead for 2015. Plans are subject to change as the season progresses and more information becomes available.

Draft timeline:

July: Award construction contract

August: Begin construction

Early-November: Substantially complete, clean-up, punch list items

Mid-November: Project is operational

For additional information please contact: Amy Blain at the City of Longview, 360-442-5206, or e-mail [email protected] or visit the city website at www.mylongview.com

LDP Website

Our website is www.MyLDP.org. If you are interested in having your business featured, send photos, specials, etc. about your busi-ness to Dawn at [email protected]. Businesses are fea-tured on a first come, first-served basis.

LDP Board Meeting

The LDP board meets at 8 am. the second Thursday of each month upstairs above Teagues unless otherwise indicated.

Go Downtown!

President explores career change

Longview Downtown Partnership

24


PeaceHealth

How can you tell an employee is under the influence of drugs or alcohol? What steps can you take to ensure you approach the situation in an appropriate and effective manor?

According to the U.S. Deptartment of Labor 13.9 million people in the United States have used drugs in the past 30 days. This includes 6.7 million full-time workers and 1.6 mil-lion part-time workers

The economic and human costs of drug and alcohol use are astounding. In fact, the National Institutes of Health recently reported that alcohol and drug abuse cost the economy $246 billion in 1992, the most recent year for which economic data are available. In addition, numerous studies, reports and surveys suggest that substance abuse is having a profoundly negative affect on the workplace in terms of decreased pro-

ductivity and increased accidents, absenteeism, turnover, and medical costs.

According to results of a National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)-sponsored survey, drug-using employees are 2.2 times more likely to request early dismissal or time off, 2.5 times

Detect drug or alcohol use in the workplace

Youve got more important things to do with your time. Joint replacement can help you leave the painful ache of arthritis behind. Take the next step at www.peacehealth.org/ortho.

Leave your knee pain behind

Please see PeaceHealth, page 25

25


more likely to have absences of eight days or more, three times more likely to be late for work, 3.6 times more likely to be involved in a workplace accident, and five times more likely to file a workers compensation claim.

The Reasonable Suspicion Training for Supervisors course at PeaceHealth Occupational Health can help.

This course provides support and training for supervisors in making decisions about reasonable suspicion drug and alcohol tests. It is required by the U.S. Department of Transportation for supervisors of workers regulated by the DOT. Attendees will gain the knowledge and confidence they need to make reasonable suspicion determinations.

The course includes:

Effects of drugs and alcohol

Indicators, signals, and symptoms to look for

Prohibited behavior, including how to handle prescription drug use

How to recognize and document performance

How to handle employee refusal and other difficult situa-tions

For more information about classes for your company through PeaceHealth Occupational Health Training Center, contact:

Carol Wegdahl, Training Center Coordinator

360-414-2822

[email protected]

Look for this and other classes offered at PeaceHealth Occu-pational Medicines Training Center, such as:

1. CPR/AED for First Responders

2. BLS for HealthCare Providers

3. Medical Emergency Response Systems (MERS) Training

PeaceHealth, from page 24

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 TeamWhy 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

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

26


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* Mountain View Commercial Contracting* My Thai Kitchen* Umpqua Bank

Welcome New Members

Join today! Call 360-423-8400

Chamber membership has its privileges

27


Ribbon Cuttings

Relay For LifeAmerican Cancer Society Relay for Life of Cowlitz/Wahkiakum kicked off its campaign with a Chamber ribbon cutting June 11. Ivy Masters and a group of volunteers are gearing up for the big event scheduled this year for Aug. 8 and 9 at the Kelso High School track field.

Yum! Yum!Adena Pietsch and her mom

Leanne, co-owners of Adenas Delights, treated Ambassadors

to a taste of their business, which features specialty baked goods, breads and donuts. The

June 9 ribbon cutting took place at their store,1208 Broadway

St., Longview.

28


Ribbon Cuttings

HolyToledo!ToledoTels Dale Merten, COO, Sheila Richardson, marketing manager, and Fred Rider, sales manager, stepped outside the Estetica Day Spa June 23 with Chamber Ambassadors. Estetica Day Spa is a client for ToledoTel as it branches out into the Kelso-Longview area with service. Welcome to the Chamber.

Brewing Up a Good

TimeThe Five Dons well, not

exactly Art Stiltner, Sean Heiner, Tom Hayes, Bill

Heston and Mike Busley, partners, shared their

expertise on handcrafted beer with Ambassadors at

the Five Dons Brewing June 5 ribbon cutting at 1158

11th Ave., Longview.

29


Rolling Out the Red CarpetJohn Hartney, Heidi Schultz and staff of Kendall's Pioneer Distributing welcomed Chamber Red Coats June 16. The distributor of regional craft beer and wine also hosted the Chambers June Business After Hours event later that evening at its 104 Catlin St., Kelso, facility. More than 100 Chamber members attended, see photos on page 35.

Ribbon Cuttings

30


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

*Freddys 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

*Teagues 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

*Carls Towing Service & Repair

*Carlsons Heating & Air Conditioning

*Cascade Natural Gas Corporation

*Coldwell Banker Bain

*Coles Appliance Repair

*Comfort Inn

*Community Home Health & Hospice

*Cowlitz Credit Union

*Cutright Wholesale Plumbing Supply

*Family Health Center

*Industrial Packing

*Interiors Plus

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.

*Life Works

*Longview Housing Authority

*Longview Orthopedic Associates

*Longview Public Schools

*McDonalds 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

*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

*Lexis Pizza

OUR LATEST RENEWING MEMBERS

*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.

*Pap 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


Welcome Back!

31

32


In the News

United Way of Cowlitz County changes fund distribution method

In June, the United Way of Cowlitz County made a strategic change in the way it will allocate funds to local agencies. Contri-butions to agencies will now be distributed based on donations received rather than the past practice of distributing funds based on pledges. This change is intended to avoid the fiscal challenges that surfaced in the past year. According to Executive Director Dave Green, Put simply, United Way of Cowlitz County will dis-tribute the funds it has on hand rather than anticipating funds that are promised through pledges.

Green also shared that donations that were designated for a specific agency, or designated funds will be distributed on a quarterly basis after they are received. The first payout of the des-ignated funds will occur shortly after the end of June. In order to implement the new practice described above, no funds other than those designated by donors to specific agencies will be dis-tributed this year. All other funds will be held over for the next

allocation period at the conclusion of the current campaign year which ends in March of 2016. At that time the allocated funds will be paid monthly to the various agencies.

Green has made it a point to share this change with every local United Way agency, in person to the degree possible. When asked about how the agencies responded, Green commented, The leaders of these agencies understand the need for this change and their responses to this news has been positive. They recognize the need to think long term and to eliminate the speculation associ-ated with distributing funds based on pledges.

Contributions to United Way come in basically two forms. Some funds are donated to United Way for general distribution to agencies in the community. Other funds, referred to as designat-ed funds, are contributions made to United Way and the donor specifies the specific agencies to which the funds are intended.

Exciting finishes highlight opening of Cowlitz Black Bears 2015 season

The first third of the Cowlitz Black Bears, season is in the books. Exciting finishes have been the norm, with half of the Black Bears 18 West Coast League (WCL) games decided by one run or in extra innings. Here are some highlights from the early action:

Joe Balfour (San Jose State) is tied for fourth among all WCL pitchers with a 0.95 ERA.

Lorin Archibald (Lower Columbia) and Ryan Aguilar (Ari-zona) both are in the Top 5 in the league in RBI.

Lars Rider (Central Washington) is second in the league in saves.

Slate Millers (Washington) .333 batting average leads the Black Bears, and is just outside the leagues Top 10.

As a team, the Black Bears are second in runs per game, averaging just under seven per outing.

Casey Henderson (UC Riverside) hit two home runs and had 7 RBI in one game against Bend June 28. In the same game, Bowen Ogata (Utah) went 5 for 5. All are single game highs for the Black Bears.

Seven current or former Cowlitz Black Bears heard their name called in the 2015 Major League Baseball Draft, bringing

Please see News, page 33

33


In the News

to 33 the number of Black Bears drafted or signed during the past five years:

Chris Iriart (14) Oakland Athletics, 12th round.

Porter Clayton (11) Tampa Bay Rays, 19th Round.

Domenic Mazza (13) San Francisco Giants, 22nd round.

AJ Graffanino (15) Cleveland Indians, 26th round.

Kyle Garlick (11) Los Angeles Dodgers, 28th round.

Cole Irvin (12) Pittsburgh Pirates, 32nd round.

Mitchell Tripp (12) Cincinnati Reds, 36th round.

News, from page 32

WALSTEAD MERTSCHINGATTORNEYS AT LAW

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

Pitcher Joe Balfour delivers in the Black Bears victory over the Harbour Cats.

34


Ambassadors of the Month

Jason Reetz and Carrie Medak were selected to receive Junes Ambassador of the Month award.

Reetz has been with Pacific Tech Construction since June 2006. 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, and also offer him an opportunity to give back to the community.

What a pleasurable experience this has been, Reetz said. Since becom-ing an Ambassador, I have literally met hundreds of new people through the monthly Business After Hours events, the ribbon cutting ceremonies that I have attended, volunteering at the Chamber golf tournament and amongst my fellow Ambassadors.

Reetz is also a board member for the Lower Columbia Pro-fessionals and the Lower Columbia Contractors Association. In his down time he enjoys hunting, fishing, spending time out-doors and tasting different wines and local craft brews.

Medack, who works for Diamond Residential Mortgage, has been an Ambassador for the Chamber since the group was formed in 1991 and has earned the Ambassador of the Month honor on nu-merous occasions. She believes it is an honor to be an Ambassador,

and sees it as an opportunity to be the face of the Chamber.

It gives me the opportunity to meet new people and businesses that I might not get the opportunity to know otherwise, she said.

Medack has been in the mortgage business since 1998 and has been with Diamond Residential Mortgage

since 2014. She enjoys helping people re-alize their dream of home ownership or assisting with refinancing.

In her spare time, she enjoys taking trips in the familys fifth-wheel travel trailer

and spending time with family and friends.Chamber Ambassadors, known as The Red Coats, are an inte-

gral 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 communi-ty events. Ambassadors juggle busy professional careers 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.

Busy month provides Chamber leaders chance to double up on selection

JuneJason ReetzPacific Tech

Construction

JuneCarrie Medack

Diamond Residential Mortgage

35


In Good Spirits!Kendalls Pioneer Distributing served up craft beer and wine as host of the Chambers Business After Hours event June 16.

Business After Hours

See more photos on the Chambers Facebook page or click here.

Austi Bandro with Fibre Federal Credit Union shows off her prize.

Michelle Falter with Engraving Emporium was a winner.

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