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President’s Report One of the newest actions of the Chamber is that we are working with the state’s Office of Trade and Community Development to foster international trade. This aspect comes full force to Bellingham on Feb. 14 when the Russian American Society brings Jeffery Valkar, this state’s prime contact person from Sakhalin Island, to town. (See related story in this Chamber newsletter.) Valkar is the director of the American Business Center Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (ABC), a business support services center on Sakhalin Island, Russia. Sakhalin Island is the site of multi-billion dollar offshore oil and gas projects led by companies such as Exxon, BP, Shell, and others. The ABC was established in 1995 to provide assistance to U.S. companies exploring the Sakhalin market. Since then, hundreds of companies have used the ABCs services and facilities to further their business objectives on Sakhalin. This will be an excellent program. I encourage you to attend and hear also from Stowe Talbot of the Talbot Corp. and Bellingham Cold Storage. The Talbot Corp. has been doing business in Russia for years, so don’t think that you can’t get there from here. It can be done. This international program will continue this year as we bring to Bellingham members of this state’s international trade support system from a variety of countries around the world.
Presentation Set on Business Opportunities in Russia Join us Feb. 14 for a discussion of doing business in Russia with a focus on Sakhalin Island and its real potential for business connections with Washington state and Whatcom County. The event is co-sponsored by the Bellingham/ Whatcom County Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Washington State Office of Trade and Economic Development and the Foundation for Russian American Economic Cooperation. Major oil and gas projects off the shores of Sakhalin Island, Russia, are moving into high gear just across the Pacific Ocean from Washington. Multi-national consortia with participation from such companies as Shell, Exxon, BP and others are entering new stages focused on real infrastructure development. Over the next five years, road infrastructure, trans-island pipeline construction, additional production areas and personnel housing and facilities, and a liquefied natural-gas plant and oil terminal will be constructed. Services in a wide variety of areas will be in demand for the thousands of expatriates who will be working on Sakhalin over the next few years. The time to determine whether or not these developments present the right opportunity for your company is now. Jeffrey Valkar, director of the American Business Center Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk will give an insider’s view of the upcoming commercial opportunities arising as a result of these projects, beginning with an overview and update on project status. Valkar will cover “who’s who” on the island and provide key information on how to successfully enter the market. We hope you will join us for this unique opportunity to get current information about these important projects taking place in our Pacific Rim region. The presentation will also feature Stowe Talbot of Bellingham Cold Storage. Talbot will provide a local company’s hands-on perspective of what it is like to do business in Russia. Join us at Whatcom Community College’s Syre Student Center, room 108, from 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 14 and get the chance to learn about business opportunities in the Russian marketplace.
Monthly Events Offer Networking Opportunities
The Bellingham/Whatcom Chamber of Commerce organizes two fun and informal networking opportunities each month. Bellingham’s premiere networking breakfast is held at 7:30 a.m. the second Friday of every month at Northwood Hall, 3240 Northwest Ave. Close to 100 businesspeople exchange information in an informal atmosphere at breakfast. Bring 30 business cards and be ready to focus on doing business while at the same time having a good time. Each participant sits at a table with seven others and receives one minute to talk. The same exercise is repeated two more times at different tables. Prizes are drawn, information is shared and the day starts off with a good feeling. The next scheduled breakfasts are Feb. 8 and March 8. The cost is $11 per person. Non-members can participate for two meetings. For more information, please call the Chamber office at 734-1330. Reservations are required. However, reservations aren’t required for the Business after Business events, usually conducted the third Thursday of the month. Refreshments, prizes and good people mix together for an enjoyable time. The next Business after Business will be presented from 5 to 7 p.m. Feb. 21 at U Save Auto Rental, 2119 Lincoln St., Bellingham. Businesses interested in hosting this event may contact the Chamber office, 734-1330.
Roundtables for Business Owners Starting A series of monthly roundtables, professionally facilitated and offered at no cost to selected business owners, is being started by Western Washington University’s Small Business Development Center. Owners and managers from similar but non-competing businesses will have access to experts from their industry who are knowledgeable in areas of special interest to them. Each month, a guest speaker will be invited to give a presentation about a topic, chosen by the group and facilitator at the previous month’s meeting. These topics of interest may include marketing, goal setting and strategic planning, cash-flow management, inventory management, hiring and managing employees and other concerns specific to each industry. Afterward, the group will meet informally to discuss common problems and issues in a confidential setting, offering each other support and insight into how others have dealt with similar situations. Optimally, participants are able to bring to the roundtables any questions or difficulties that they may not feel comfortable talking about to others. Often, business owners are isolated. The roundtable is ideally a place where the members trust one another and offer advice as well as confidentiality for their fellow participants. There will be the opportunity to benefit from the experience of the speaker and facilitator, but over time, the relationships formed with the other participants should also be a source of guidance and encouragement for the small-business owner. Another benefit for those involved in the roundtables is that they are a resource for one-on-one mentoring relationships. Speakers, who will be experts on specific business topics, will attend the roundtable and offer one-time advice and information to participants. They may also be available to work with one or more of the small business owners in a mentoring capacity. These one-on-one mentoring relationships could involve monthly or weekly meetings, phone calls, email correspondence or whatever else the participants decide is helpful and needed. The roundtables begin this month. They will be 3-4 hours long. Each will be limited to 12 participants and there is no cost to participate. A roundtable for downtown retailers is scheduled Feb. 15, followed by one Feb. 21 on manufacturing. Initially, there will be seven industry roundtables from which to choose. The others are: Lynden retailers, construction, technology, business-to-business (professional) services and business-to-consumer services. Other roundtables may be formed depending on the response to the program and the needs of the local small business community. For more information about the BusinessLINC Roundtables or to request a roundtable participant application, contact Kate Clark at the Small Business Development Center. Call 733-4014 or send e-mail to Kate.Clark@wwu.edu. The BusinessLINC Roundtables are being implemented by Western Washington University’s Small Business Development Center, and are supported by the U.S. Small Business Administration, Western Washington University and the Business Service Center, a coalition of the SBDC, the Bellingham/Whatcom Chamber of Commerce and the City of Bellingham.
Chamber President Joins Border Effort Chamber President Mike Brennan joined the Washington, D.C., Away Team in the continuing effort to take Whatcom County’s issues to the nation’s capitol. Brennan is accompanied by Port of Bellingham Executive Director Jim Darling, Whatcom Council of Governments Director Jim Miller, County Executive Pete Kremen and Bruce Agnew, director of the Cascada Project, in this venture. The main purpose of the team’s trip is to more clearly define border issues and work for solutions to this county’s seemingly continuous border problems. Major topics will include: more permanent U.S. Customs and Immigration staff assigned to our crossings, the replacement of PACE with NEXXUS, further improvements to the actual crossing infrastructure and continuing discussion of a possible North American perimeter clearance system. This will be the first opportunity for Brennan to join the group and bring the Chamber and local business issues to the table in Washington, D.C. The Chamber has been the champion of these border projects and more for years and we feel that this is a more effective way to carry the message. We offer a special thanks to the Cascadia Project and Agnew for sponsoring the Chamber’s trip to the “other Washington.” Membership Drive Begins Your Bellingham/Whatcom Chamber Membership Drive is underway. This month kicks off the 2002 membership drive. Your Chamber of Commerce is a hard-working contingent of staff and volunteers that never stop promoting commerce, vitality and quality of life in Whatcom County. If you are called or contacted by a Chamber membership drive volunteer, take a few minutes to hear about how a membership investment can be of huge benefit to you and your community. If you would like to hear more about the Chamber, please call 734-1330. Investment starts for as little as $210 a year for a small company. Membership is based on the number of full-time-equivalent employees involved in business in Whatcom County. The rewards are many. Join Whatcom County’s largest business organization. Sponsorships for Ski to Sea are also available. To learn more, give us a call.
Editor Receives MVP Award Dave Brumbaugh, editor of Whatcom County Business Pulse, received December’s Most Valuable Player award from the Chamber. Brumbaugh has been a regular at many Chamber events — Breakfast Network, Business after Business and ribbon-cutting events — since becoming editor in February 1999. Always with a camera, he takes photos and edits stories for the Chamber’s newsletter, which appears each month in Business Pulse, as well as photos for other stories in the magazine. The 22-year veteran of magazines and newspapers also is editor of Northwest Life & Times for Pulse Publications of Bellingham.
Legislators Participate in Conference Calls One of the winter’s best-watched sporting events is the annual legislative session. This year is a “short session,” meaning it’s the intention of the Legislature to complete its work in a 60-day window. Unfortunately, most are betting on either an extended session or a special session that would give the Legislature the additional time needed to do their work. Dramatic budget impacts, initiatives that force significant financial bow waves, Sept. 11 and the unusual second year of a difficult biennium will make this year’s session very difficult for the members, and potentially impact almost every state-supported fund and action at the local level. The Chamber has weekly scheduled conference calls to the members of the 40th and 42nd legislative districts that cover Bellingham and Whatcom County to discuss issues, impacts and options for local businesses. If you have a general interest in the session or have a specific issue, you are welcome to join us for the conference call. Check in at the Chamber (734-1330) for the schedule.
Chamber Offers New Group Insurance Plans The Chamber once again is offering group health insurance rates for its business members down to the smallest of the small businesses. The Chamber Plan is offered by Regence Blue Shield (which acquired Northwest Washington Medical Bureau) around the state and now can be offered anywhere in Whatcom County. The plan covers businesses with up to 100 employees and it offers a wide variety of options even beyond just health insurance. This is not just a group plan that businesses buy into. Every business selects its own plan that best suits its employees. Choose from several deductible levels. Choose an office co-pay. Choose prescription coverage. Choose co-insurance levels. Add dental or vision coverage, too. Compare the rates and complete your package with group life, disability income and long-term care coverage. The Regence plan joins with an existing offering from Premera Blue Cross that offers rates for businesses from 5 to 100 employees. The Premera program offers a wide variety of options suited for small to large businesses. Contact the Chamber, 734-1330, for more information on these two plans. It will be worth your while!
SBDC Site Offers Tips for Businesses Learn about starting a business, developing a business plan and marketing your business on new interactive Web site of Western Washington University’s Small Business Development Center. Local entrepreneurs can subscribe now on the Web site — www.cbe.wwu.edu/sbdc — for a free electronic newsletter designed specifically for local businesses. The Web site is a supplement to the center’s technical assistance services. It offers helpful resources for entrepreneurs, including information on financial statements, intellectual property and other business topics. The site also provides specific resources for companies wanting to do business in Canada and nonprofit organizations. A special section offers useful hotlinks to Web sites on a variety of business topics, as well as brief descriptions of what each site contains. The Small Business Development Center at WWU is a free, non-profit organization that offers confidential counseling, primary and secondary research, conferences and seminars for business owners and managers. For more information on the SBDC, contact Tom Dorr at (360) 733-4014 (TTY: 1-800-833-6388).
Chamber Membership Grows The following businesses, individuals and organization joined the Chamber in December: Annette J. Collins / Pacific Northwest Bank Residential Lending Officer 3101 Woburn Bellingham, WA 98228 360-738-2331 Mortgage loans and bankers
BioLife Plasma Services Jeff Hunsaker, general manager 665 Stuart Bellingham, WA 98226 360-756-1700 We collect human plasma for manufacture into life-saving products.
Bytewrite, LLC Frederick Su P.O. Box 2635 Bellingham, WA 98227 360-671-4424 Publisher Crowder & Co. Robin Crowder, owner 618 West Hemmi Rd. Bellingham, WA 98226 360-398-2730 Marketing, sales and custom-service consulting for start-up companyies, retail businesses, associations and health-care providers.
Educationally Speaking Ron Weston, owner 8059 Kayak Way Blaine, WA 98230 360-371-7485 Public radio underwriter — marketing / advertising
J.D Phillips & Associates, Inc J.D. Phillips, owner 1292 E. Axton Rd. Bellingham, WA 98226 360-398-9224 Investment and insurance services
Limbic Systems, Inc Patrick Love, CEO Jim Pennington 725 N. State St. Bellingham, WA 98225 Software development for forensic and medical image analysis
Parthenon Marketing, LLC Eric Grimstead, owner 2610 Alvarado Drive Bellingham, WA 98226 360-220-4866 We guarantee to grow your business through creative and effective marketing strategies.
Chamber Offers Marketing Opportunities
Increase your visibility by sponsoring a Chamber event or activity. Sponsorships and customized sponsorship packages are available for businesses to creatively promote, showcase and access the marketplace to enhance your marketing efforts. The Ski to Sea Festival involves thousands of people living in Whatcom County and many more from outside the county. Other events attract key business people. As we plan for the coming year, please consider one or more of the following opportunities to market as well as invest in your community.
• Annual membership meeting (October) • Small business education seminars (monthly) • Holiday Port Festival (December) • Border Business Conferences (fall and spring) • NAFTA Conference (winter) • Ski to Sea events: golf, junior parade, junior race, grand parade, race (May) • Breakfast Network meetings (monthly) • Membership orientation meetings (quarterly) • Business after Business (monthly) • Business Service Center (annual) If you are interested, now is the time to call. The Chamber of Commerce can assist you in promoting economic enhancement and the general well-being of Bellingham and Whatcom County.
Chamber Officers Listed
The Bellingham/Whatcom Chamber of Commerce’s officers and board of directors for its 2001-2002 year are as follows:
Chair: Phil Serka, Adelstein Sharpe & Serka. 1st Vice Chair: Nancy Jordan, Sound Wise, (Small Business Council chair). 2nd Vice Chair: Tom Kenney, Haggen Foods Inc. Treasurer: Scott Hume, A.G. Edwards. Secretary: Mike Hudson, executive director, Institute for Workforce Development and Sustainability. At large: Art Anderson, Associated General Contractors of Washington. At large: Drew Pettus, attorney at law. Immediate past chair: Randy Bode, Larson Gross CPA.
Board of Directors Lani Choat Scott Wheeler Pam Lund Phil Kolody Dennis Murphy Fred Poppe John Arntsen Tonja Myers Kathy Larson John Sleeth Steve Schoenfeld Judy Singer Fred Holubik Drew Schmidt Rick Tremaine
Ex-officio board members Ray White Jim Miller Steve Price Stephan Jilk Gay Dubigk Michael J. Brennan
Chamber Memberships Renewed
The following businesses and organizations renewed in December their Chamber membership:
AG Edwards & Sons, Inc. ARC of Whatcom County Bellingham Home & Office Cleaning Boys & Girls Club of Bellingham BSK Construction, Inc. Cascade Radio Group Community Bible Fellowship Farmers Insurance Garys’ Men’s & Women’s Wear Griffith Furniture, Inc. Home Depot Homestead Northwest, Inc. Island Mariner Cruises James Sturdevant, Attorney at Law La Fiamma Wood Fire Pizza Law Office of Tom Ashton Multiple District 19 Lions Maureen O’Brien Minuteman Press Mobile Music Unlimited New Hope Foursquare Church North Puget Sound Hearing Northwood Hall Office Depot, Inc. No. 851 Opportunity Council Ott & Associates Pacific Concrete Industries Parker Northwest Associates Payroll, Etc., Inc. Son Rise Property Management SoundWise Strategic Asset Alliance Top to Bottom, Inc. U-Save Auto Rental Varner, Sytsma & Hernden Walley’s Water/Custom Labels Women’s Professional Network Zanzara, Inc.
Puget Sound Energy Gains National Award
A leading national trade magazine recently chose Puget Sound Energy (the utility subsidiary of Puget Energy) as its Utility of the Year, marking PSE’s second national award as the top U.S. utility for 2001. The honors stem from the Washington state utility’s launch of an innovative time-of-use energy-pricing program that rewards consumers for using electricity more efficiently and inexpensively. Electric Light & Power announced PSE’s selection in the magazine’s December 2001 issue, saying the utility “changed its way of thinking” to develop its energy conservation program and “is now the leader for the rest of the country in terms of demand-side management.” Last summer, PSE received the Edison Electric Institute’s highest honor, the Edison Award, as America’s top investor-owned utility for 2001. PSE’s Personal Energy Management program, Electric Light & Power magazine says, is the nation’s largest undertaking to price electricity based on the time of day it is used while also showing consumers the comparative, fluctuating cost of providing their energy. About 320,000 homes and businesses currently pay PSE’s time-of-use rates for electricity. They pay about 30 percent less during low-demand, off-peak hours than at high-demand times of day. The utility recently proposed to extend the pricing plan to virtually all of its 930,000 electricity customers. Electric Light & Power noted that the California Consumer Power and Financing Authority now is advocating a time-of-use energy plan based on PSE’s program “to help prevent recurrence of (California’s) ugly nightmares.” Personal Energy Management also earned PSE worldwide recognition as a finalist for Power Company of the Year as part of the 2001 Global Energy Awards presented by the Financial Times. |
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