Business Pulse Jan | Feb 2025

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VOL. 50 | NO. 1

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WBA BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

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EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: Pam Brady, Director NW Gov’t & Public Affairs, bp Cherry Point; John Huntley, President/CEO, Mills Electric Inc.; Doug Thomas, President/CEO, Bellingham Cold Storage; Josh Turrell, Partner, Larson Gross PLLC

BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Jane Carten, President, Saturna Capital; Bryant Engebretson, Managing Principal, Tradewinds Capital; Jon Ensch, Regional Commercial Director, Peoples Bank; Mitch Faber, Partner, Faber Fairchild McCurdy LLP; Jim Haupt, General Manager, Hotel Bellwether; Sandy Keathley, Former Owner, K & K Industries; Tony Larson, Founder, WBA; Sarah Rothenbuhler, Owner/CEO, Birch Equipment; Patrick Schuppert, Commercial Banking Relationship Manager, Wells Fargo; Billy VanZanten, COO, Western Refinery Services

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IN THIS ISSUE...

50years

11 IT’S OUR ANNIVERSARY!

Business Pulse has been an important voice for Whatcom County’s business community, fostering local advocacy, celebrating business success and overcoming numerous challenges.

18 WHATCOM COMPANIES, THEN & NOW

Six local companies highlighted in this ongoing photo feature.

25 TOURISM’S IMPORTANCE IN WHATCOM COUNTY

Boosted by Canadian visitors, hotel bookings and local events, read about the impact of tourism in our county.

31 DOWNTOWN: SECURITY, STRENGTH AND GROWTH

Bellingham’s mayor, police chief and downtown business owners discuss security through private patrols, address concerns about panhandling and highlight ongoing efforts.

34 BELLIS FAIR: BEYOND SHOPPING

Bellis Fair Mall offers more than shopping, with community spaces like a library, barber academy and the Mount Baker Rock & Gem Club.

36 HEIDELBERG MATERIALS’ PRIORITIES

Heidelberg Materials’ Bellingham grinding plant focuses on sustainability and safety, testing eco-friendly cement blends, with a safety record and community support. 40

ECO-FRIENDLY HEAT

Home Fire Prest Logs produces efficient fire logs using recycled lumber waste.

TINY HOUSE GROWTH

West Coast Homes builds affordable, customizable, modular tiny homes in Whatcom County.

COLUMNS

54 AI-driven communication, satellite networks, advancements in telephony, email ... how we communicate today.

57 Andgar offers paid, hands-on training through Andgar University.

63 Tax strategies, succession planning, payroll, compensation and more to safeguard your business.

65 Housing, energy costs and regulations ... the economic outlook forecast for

Doug Thomas reads the Sep/Oct issue of Business Pulse in his Bellingham Cold Storage office at the Squalicum waterfront.

Photo: Bodi Hallett

Business Pulse turns 50!

Reflecting on the past, looking to the future

Happy New Year!

As we step into 2025, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to our Whatcom Business Alliance members and Business Pulse subscribers for making the past year so successful. It has been an exciting and busy 12 months, and our organization continues to thrive with new members and advertisers in Business Pulse magazine.

We are hard at work planning more great events for 2025, like the Whatcom Business Awards, to be held March 27 at our new venue, the Hotel Bellwether. Join us for a gala evening of delicious food and business celebration.

The next issue of Business Pulse will feature all the gala award nominees in the categories of Business Person of the Year, Small Business of the Year, Start-up of the Year and Employee of the Year. We will also reveal the Lifetime Achievement Award recipient for 2024.

You are invited to attend our annual member meeting in January at the Bellingham Golf & Country Club.

Learn what’s on the horizon for our organization and enjoy a special guest speaker.

We will continue to bring other popular events, like the Leaders of Industry and Economic Forecast Breakfast, throughout the year.

We especially are excited to celebrate 50 years of Business Pulse and reflect on its incredible journey!

Our first issue of 2025 includes a celebration of our magazine’s 50 years of excellence. We get nostalgic and go on a journey through the history of the only business publication in Whatcom County.

Read on and enjoy feature articles

about local businesses we are fortunate to have right here in Whatcom County, including Heidelberg Materials; Tammi Loucks interviews a $22 billion global entity with roots here in our community on Page 37. Learn more about our local economy on Page 31 as we navigate challenges downtown and beyond with Cheryl Stritzel McCarthy.

Our region is certainly facing challenges, including workforce stressors. Elisa Claassen rolls up her sleeves and investigates opportunities with Andgar corporation.

Home Fire Prest Logs is a family-owned business with an interesting history — read how its business owners navigated

challenges to become a unique niche company.

We love living and working in a state where America begins! Tourism is back stronger than ever, but are local businesses thriving as a result?

Personally Speaking highlights CJ Seitz from the Small Business Development Center at Western, and our advocacy section on Page 51 features economic outlooks from some of our favorite local businesses.

Finance and technology articles promise to give you further insight into business concerns, and a special feature from the rotary club will update you on all the good work they do!

We promise to continue to bring you exciting events throughout 2025. Check out our website and watch for our regular E-news for updates and invitations to join us at WBA events.

I hope you enjoy this first issue of Business Pulse for 2025.

Thank you to our incredible team and magazine supporters — we couldn’t do it without you!

Barbara Chase, Executive Director Whatcom Business Alliance

50years is50 yearsold!

PeaceHealth welcomes surgeons to clinic teams

PeaceHealth recently welcomed several new surgery specialists to its clinics in Bellingham.

David Droullard, MD, MS, is a fellowship-trained colorectal surgeon at PeaceHealth. Dr. Droullard graduated from medical school at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. He completed his colon and rectal surgery fellowship at Corewell Health, Michigan State University, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Bryan Demyan, DO, is a boardcertified orthopedic physician at PeaceHealth in Bellingham. His medical interests include orthopedic trauma and complex fracture care. Dr. Demyan received his medical degree from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Erie, Pennsylvania. He completed his orthopedic trauma fellowship at Grant Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio. His orthopedic surgery residency, where he served as chief resident, was at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation at South Pointe Hospital in Warrensville Heights, Ohio.

Quynh Le, DO, is a breast surgery oncologist in Bellingham. She completed her fellowship training in breast surgical oncology at the University of Southern California, with an emphasis on oncoplastic surgery during breast cancer management. She earned

her medical degree from Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences in Yakima. She also serves as co-director of the Breast Cancer Program at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Cancer Center.

Danielle Parlin, PA-C, is a physician assistant in vascular surgery at PeaceHealth. Danielle received her Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies from Pacific University in Hillsboro, Oregon. She graduated magna cum laude with a degree in biology from Western Washington University. She was born and raised in Bellingham.

Port of Bellingham

Commission adopts $36.7 million 2025 budget, keeps tax levy flat

The Port of Bellingham Board of Commissioners has adopted a $36.7 million 2025 operating and capital budget that supports the port’s mission to promote sustainable economic development, optimize transportation gateways and manage publicly owned land and facilities to benefit Whatcom County. The Port Commission decided not to raise the port’s tax levy.

The $36.7 million budget includes $12.4 million in state and federal grants the port has secured for capital investments to strengthen Whatcom County’s transportation and economic development infrastructure. Highlights of the port’s 2025 budget include the

continuation of large capital projects at the Bellingham Shipping Terminal. The port will also build a grantfunded portable barge ramp at the Bellingham Shipping Terminal in 2025 and begin designing a direct rail connection to the BNSF mainline.

At Fairhaven Marine Industrial Park, the port is upgrading the stormwater system in support of working waterfront jobs, coastal resiliency and clean water.

At Bellingham International Airport, the port’s 2025 budget includes cost control measures to address a large decrease in operational revenues caused by Southwest Airlines leaving because of a shortage of Boeing jets. The port also secured federal funding to start the first phase of construction in 2025 on an International Arrivals Terminal to allow flights from Bellingham to Mexico and Central America.

As part of the budget process, the commission voted to hold the port levy steady. Property taxes will be levied at an estimated rate of $0.1219 per thousand of assessed value, meaning the annual taxes on a $500,000 home would be approximately $60.95 in 2025.

All the port’s tax revenue is used for public priorities such as economic development, infrastructure preservation, the cleanup of environmentally contaminated sites and parks and open space.

David Droullard Bryan Demyan Quynh Le Danielle Parlin

AAM to build 63-foot hybrid ocean sampling vessel

All American Marine, a leader in constructing vessels with hybrid and electric propulsion systems, is excited to announce that it has secured a contract to build a 63-foot hybrid catamaran for the Orange County Sanitation District. The Teknicraft Designed vessel, designed to support ocean sampling and scientific research, will be an innovative hybrid-powered boat, contributing to environmental sustainability in marine operations.

The new 63-foot ocean sampling

vessel will feature a hybrid propulsion system powered by Cummins QSB 6.7 engines paired with ABB’s Series Hybrid technology. The state-of-the-art vessel is designed to meet California’s zeroemissions standards, providing 30 percent of its operational power through a BorgWarner Energy Storage System, which stores up to 588 kW of clean energy.

Built for the Southern California coast, the vessel will enable OC San to carry out environmental monitoring, marine research and ocean sampling efficiently.

The hybrid catamaran will be built

us about your news and newsmakers and we’ll consider it for the next issue!

Please send complete press release and image(s) to: heather@whatcombusinessalliance.com.

with dual propulsion permanent magnet motors that will receive their power from the Battery Energy Storage System. The auxiliary generators that provide charging power are acoustically insulated to minimize noise pollution, providing a quiet work environment for scientists in the state-of-the-art wet and dry lab spaces.

“We are thrilled to partner with the Orange County Sanitation District on this innovative project,” said Ron Wille, president and COO of All American Marine. “We look forward to delivering a vessel that exceeds OC San’s expectations for both performance and environmental impact.”

Construction will take place at All American Marine’s facility in Bellingham, where the vessel will be built to meet US Coast Guard Subchapter T standards. Once complete, the vessel will undergo comprehensive sea trials to ensure it meets all specifications and performance criteria. This hybrid vessel is set to become a key tool for marine monitoring and oceanographic research in Southern California.

All American Marine’s 63-Foot Hybrid Ocean Sampling Vessel. Image courtesy of AAM.

50 years

Floods, fires and fierce determination

Celebrating

50 years of Business

Pulse magazine — a legacy of advocacy and resilience

Business Pulse Staff

In 1975, a group of visionary business leaders in Whatcom County, led by banker Rick Tremaine, founded Whatcom County Business Pulse with a bold mission: to give the local business community a voice. From its inception as a tabloid-style newspaper, the publication was designed to highlight the people, news, issues and trends shaping the region’s economic landscape. Over the past five decades, Business Pulse has grown into an enduring institution, championing the successes of local businesses and driving meaningful conversations about community prosperity.

As Business Pulse marks its 50th anniversary, we look back at its remarkable journey, shaped by visionary leadership, innovative adaptation to change and an unwavering commitment to the business community.

The beginning: a voice for local business

The early 1970s was a time of significant change and growth in Whatcom County. Local business leaders saw the need for a platform to elevate stories about businesses, advocate for their interests and address key economic issues. Under Rick Tremaine’s leadership, a dedicated team of entrepreneurs and professionals launched Busi-

ness Pulse as a tabloid-format newspaper. The publication quickly became a trusted source for stories about the people and industries driving local economic growth.

The desktop publishing revolution: Gerald Baron’s vision

In 1988, Gerald Baron acquired Business Pulse and began transforming it into a full-fledged magazine. This transition coincided with the emergence of desktop publishing technology, an innovation that changed the publishing industry forever. Baron embraced the revolution, swapping traditional typesetting equipment for the groundbreaking Aldus PageMaker 1.0 software and the first-generation laser printers. Time Magazine took notice and interviewed Baron as a pioneer of desktop publishing in America.

Baron’s bold embrace of technology enabled Business Pulse to elevate its visual design and storytelling. Recognizing the need for fresh talent, he hired Tony Larson, a young entrepreneur just out of college who had learned much from his mentor, Gerald’s father, Sid Baron, also a serial entrepreneur who owned many businesses. Together, they set the stage for the next chapter of the magazine’s growth.

50years

At its core, Business Pulse has remained committed to its founding mission: to uplift the individuals and businesses that drive Whatcom County’s prosperity and quality of life.

From disaster to determination: Tony Larson’s leadership

By February 1990, Larson was ready to take the helm of Business Pulse. On Friday, February 9, Larson and Baron finalized the terms of the sale. But the next day, disaster struck: A flood backed up Baker Creek and devastated the magazine’s office, destroying equipment, files, the darkroom and even the current issue about to be published. Despite this significant setback, Larson, with the help of Sid Baron, moved forward with the purchase. Sid Baron offered Larson free temporary office space, including a desk, phone and fax and copy machine. On his first official day as owner, Larson faced the challenge of rebuilding the business from scratch.

Larson’s resilience and vision guided the magazine through this tumultuous start. His mission was clear: to celebrate the individuals and businesses driving positive change and to advocate for the success of the local business community. Larson believed that business success was the cornerstone of community prosperity.

Expanding the vision: events and advocacy

Under Larson’s leadership, Business Pulse evolved beyond a publication. It be-

came a platform for celebrating local businesses and fostering community dialogue. Central to this expansion was Danielle Larson, Tony Larson’s wife, who worked side by side with him in planning and executing many of the magazine’s special events. Together, the Larsons organized and promoted many events, including the Northwest Business Expo, the Business Person of the Year Awards Banquet, the Economic Forecast Breakfast, the Leaders of Industry Conference, the entrepreneurial and success conferences and various seminars and monthly roundtables.

Danielle’s meticulous planning and organizational skills ensured that these events ran smoothly, providing opportunities for business leaders to connect, share ideas and celebrate their successes. These gatherings became cornerstones of the magazine’s mission to uplift the business community and became important profit centers that supported the magazine.

Business Pulse also became a strong advocate for policies that supported the business community, often challenging elected officials to prioritize economic development and policies supportive of local farming, industry and small business.

Rising from the ashes: the 1999 fire

In March 1999, tragedy struck again when a fire destroyed the magazine’s office and much of its archives. The fire occurred just a week before the annual Business Person of the Year Awards Banquet. While the records and planning documents were on the hard drives, the cloud was not yet invented, so all the planning materials were lost. Despite the devastation, the event went on as planned, becoming a powerful celebration of resilience and the role Business Pulse played in the community. The fire underscored the magazine’s determination to continue its mission even in the face of significant obstacles.

Danielle Larson played a critical role during this crisis, helping ensure the awards banquet was a success despite the challenges. The event became a testament to the strength and dedication of the Larsons and their team.

A new era: the Whatcom Business Alliance

In 2012, Larson founded the Whatcom Business Alliance as a natural extension of Business Pulse’s advocacy work. This nonprofit organization was built on Larson’s foundational belief that business success drives community prosperity and his understanding that there is strength in numbers — and, thus, that if he could attract CEOs from Whatcom County’s top companies, the advocacy would be much more powerful. The WBA quickly gained traction, with top business leaders in Whatcom County joining its board. Larson recalled a conversation with early adopter Doug Thomas, CEO of Bellingham Cold Storage: “Doug was one of the first to join the board and become a founding member. I so much respected Doug, the core values he represented and how those could be seen in the way he ran his company,” Larson said. Thomas still serves on the WBA board. Business

Transition to new leadership: Barbara Chase takes the helm

In 2020, after decades of dedicated service, Larson stepped down as president of the WBA and publisher of Business Pulse magazine. The WBA board appointed Barbara Chase as his successor, ushering in a new chapter for the organization and its flagship publication. “Barb is an extraordinary asset to the WBA, Business Pulse and the community,” Larson said. “Having been a business owner herself, she understands the many challenges and obstacles of running a business and how important it is to have the backs of those working so hard to support their employees.” Chase’s leadership continues to build on the strong foundation laid by her predecessors, ensuring that Business Pulse remains a vital resource for the local business community.

Reflecting on 50 Years: a legacy of impact

As we celebrate 50 years of Whatcom County Business Pulse, it’s clear that the publication’s impact extends far beyond its pages. From its humble beginnings as

a tabloid newspaper to its evolution into a respected magazine and advocacy platform, Business Pulse has been a constant voice for the business community.

With more than 500 cover features and thousands of stories celebrating the accomplishments, challenges and insights of business leaders from all walks of life — from large corporations to mom-and-pop businesses, from seasoned veterans to rising entrepreneurs — Business Pulse brought many stories to light.

These stories aren’t just about successes; they are about the full spectrum of the human experience in business — the victories, the failures and the lessons learned along the way.

The journey has been marked by challenges, from floods to fires, but each obstacle has only strengthened the publication’s resolve. At its core, Business Pulse has remained committed to its founding mission: to uplift the individuals and businesses that drive Whatcom County’s prosperity and quality of life.

The contributions of Tony and Danielle Larson, along with their teams, have ensured that Business Pulse not only survived but thrived. Their shared vision and dedication to lifting the community created a legacy that continues to shape Whatcom County’s business landscape.

Larson said he believes Business Pulse Magazine has survived and thrived because of the business community buy-in and the unwavering dedication, skill and passion of its employees. He adds that every individual — past and present — has played a critical role in shaping the legacy of the past 50 years.

Today, as we reflect on five decades of history, we also look to the future. The business community continues to evolve, and so too will Business Pulse and the WBA, adapting to new challenges and opportunities while staying true to their core values.

Here’s to 50 years of Whatcom County’s Business Pulse magazine — and to many more years of championing local businesses, fostering community success and making a lasting impact.

I see pyramids being built Memories of writing for Business Pulse magazine

Cheryl Stritzel McCarthy

Business writing sounds like it’s about numbers and products, about profit and loss. After 12 years of writing for Business Pulse, I know it’s about passion.

Over and over, I’m astounded at what businesspeople in Whatcom County accomplish, what they imagine and then make real.

As a journalist for Business Pulse, I see a breadth and depth of human endeavor that most people miss. With every story, I witness a level of creativity and execution that often takes my breath away.

Consider Simon Graves, an engineer tinkering in his attic, who designs and markets breakfast-nook furniture, launching his company Northerly Customs; Andi Vann, a young woman who spent all her free time baking, who said, “I couldn’t stop baking” and founded Pure Bliss Desserts; and Diana Ambauen-Meade, who mixed up her own natural chicken feed in a little rented cement mixer, eventually founding Scratch & Peck Feeds, now a multistate endeavor.

Consider huge businesses, with thousands of people working toward the same goal, such as bp. We viewed the story of the prosperity bp brought to Whatcom County through a lens of what it meant to three local families. Think of Bellingham Cold Storage, a working waterfront company created to serve local farmers and fishers that now feeds the world. Think of Janicki Industries, headquartered in Sedro-Woolley and expanded into Bellingham, creating equipment needed to build spacecraft.

Touring these companies is like getting to watch the pyramids being built.

Business is full of surprises. Hidden in a warehouse on Fairhaven’s waterfront is Northwest Marine Industries, the longest continually operating fiberglass boat manufacturer in the country. I live just a short walk away, but before I wrote that story, I didn’t know the business was there. Getting to see a 28-foot Sea Sport Commander arise from the shop floor is nothing short of miraculous. Writing about A.L.R.T. Corporation, based in Everson, I learned modern log-

ging involves towers capable of hoisting logs to the sky via cables. Lean, fit loggers called choker-setters scramble up steep slopes, hook logs to cable, then get out of the way. I met Bob Diehl of Diehl Ford (now Bellingham Ford), the second oldest Ford dealership in the world, when it’d been continuously owned by the Diehl family for 111 years.

I interviewed Howard Hammer at age 90, who had the vision for the Irongate industrial area. He put $1,000 down on a 30-acre parcel with a two-bedroom house and moved in on New Year’s Day 1950 with his young family; it was so cold, there was ice inside the windows. I spoke to Michael Watters, a man committed to serving children, who worked as a land developer so he could afford to found and operate the child care centers Kids’ World. I met Shiraz Balolia, founder of Grizzly Industrial. He made $6 on his first sale of a drill press; now his Bellingham-headquartered company has sales in nine figures. I talked to Dick Hempler, patriarch of Hempler’s Foods, who as a youngster scrambled under the sawmill at Bloedel-Donovan Lumber Mills, scooping up sawdust to take back and sprinkle on the floor of his family’s sausage business.

From small to big, vintage to modern, old to new: It is a privilege to write the stories of business in Whatcom County.

Cheryl McCarthy’s articles have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune. Cheryl, who holds an MBA from City University in London, has authored or co-authored five books and specializes in helping others write their memoirs.

50years

Despite floods, fires and 50 years, some of the Business Pulse archives survived. The Whatcom Business Alliance, publisher of Business Pulse magazine, wishes to acknowledge the librarians and archivist who helped make this special issue possible.

Read the full history of this historic print magazine on Page 11.

Images have also been generously provided by the Whatcom Museum Photo Archive.

We hope you have as much fun with this “blast from the past” as we had putting it together!

Downtown construction, Holly Street and Cornwall Avenue, May 1980.

PHOTO: Jack Carver, courtesy of Whatcom Museum.

Crowd at the Chamber of Commerce office to support proposed Chicago Bridge and Iron Cherry Point project, March 1980. PHOTO: Jack Carver, courtesy of Whatcom Museum.

Downtown Lynden, December 1977. PHOTO: Jack Carver, courtesy of Whatcom Museum.

OVER 50 YEARS...

What fun is a 50th birthday if we can’t share it with others? Throughout 2025, Business Pulse magazine will highlight companies that are 50 years and older doing business in Whatcom County. These are the leaders in our community, exemplifying business success and longevity, built from the ground up, formed and thriving across generations.

(Company list courtesy of Bellingham Chamber of Commerce.)

Griffith Furniture griffithfurniturestore.com

Family owned and operated since 1939, founded by John Griffith senior. John Junior took over in 1954, then Steve Griffith in 1994.

Today, Griffith furniture is run by Steve’s son, John — the fourth generation to take the helm.

Images courtesy of Griffith Furniture.

in Whatcom County!

1890

The Bellingham Herald began in 1890 as the Fairhaven Herald, changing its name to The Bellingham Herald in 1903 when the city became incorporated.

2014

Although The Bellingham Herald no longer operates out of this iconic city landmark, the daily newspaper continues to thrive in its 150-plus-year history.

TODAY

The Herald wouldn’t be what is it today without this man, who captured so much of Bellingham’s history. Jack Carver was staff photographer from 1945 to 1981.

Herald Building in 1926, when it was brand new. PHOTO: J.W. Sandison, courtesy of Whatcom Museum Photo Archives.

Staff photographer Jack Carver in 1950.

PHOTO: Nellie Duff, courtesy of Whatcom Museum Photo Archives

PHOTO: Paul Conrad, courtesy of Whatcom Museum Photo Archives.

Jack Dawson founded Dawson Construction Company in 1967, inspired by his father, Clint Dawson, a civil contractor, pictured far right.

Jack Dawson

Jack Dawson led DCC for three decades, establishing offices in Juneau, Ketchikan and Bellingham. In 1998, he passed the business to Pete Dawson, who launched Dawson Construction, Inc., continuing the family legacy as a third-generation contractor.

The Wall of Fame is in Dawson’s office lobby, and includes founder Jack Dawson, and past employees.

Top row L to R: Jack Dawson, founder; Dick Powell, yard manager; John (JP) Poljacik, superintendent; Dick O’Bryan, superintendent; Don Branham; Lanny Allbaugh. Bottom row L to R: Gary Hovde, senior project manager; Jack Hovde, superintendent; Don Lindsay, senior project manager; Bill Smith, superintendent; Jim Prill, business manager; Bob Dunbar, superintendent; Len Andrews. Photo courtesy of Dawson Construction.

Photo taken in 1951, courtesy of Dawson Construction.

Photo courtesy of Dawson Construction.

1956

Family-owned since 1956, originally located on Railroad Avenue.

Dick Brannian

Co-owner Dick Brannian, left, shakes hands with his business partner, Jim Francisco, after bowling a 720 series.

The bowling alley is currently owned and operated by Beth Brannian, Dick’s daughter, who has worked there since she was 16.

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Bowl, circa late 1950s.

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Bowl.

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Bowl, circa late-1950s.

1936

In May, 1936, Mary Bond Lash gathered a group of 12 teachers to discuss the idea of forming a credit union. The meeting took place at the Roeder School Building. Bellingham Teachers Credit Union was officially chartered on June 3, 1936.

1973

Wayne Langei became CEO in 1973. In 1975, the Bellingham Teachers Credit Union changed its name to Whatcom Educational Credit Union.

TODAY

Jennifer Kutcher became president and CEO of WECU in 2014. In 2018, WECU launched a new brand that put the emphasis on “WE,” and in 2023 launched its first branches outside of Whatcom County, in Mount Vernon and Sedro-Woolley.

The Roeder School Building in Bellingham where the first meeting was held. Image courtesy of WECU.

WECU President and CEO Wayne Langei waves from atop a horse-drawn wagon as the first no-fee ATM is delivered to Western Washington University’s Viking Union in 2002 Image courtesy of WECU.

Image courtesy of WECU.

Smith Gardens smithgardens.com

1901

Smith Gardens was founded in 1901 when David, Harry and Nettie Smith purchased 40 acres on Bellingham Bay to start a farm.

1988

Andy, Nellie and Russ take over in the ‘50s as the second generation, and Terry Smith (third generation) starts selling to flower shops as a teen. In 1988, Terry buys 60 acres in Marysville, to begin the second Smith Gardens site.

Eric Smith, fourth generation, is CEO. Mark Smith is chief planning officer. Smith Gardens has 13 acres of greenhouse and 116,000 square feet of field space, shipping 6.5 million plants per year.

Images courtesy of Smith Gardens.

An economy fueled by visitors

Exploring the impact of tourism in Whatcom County

Elisa Claassen

Located in the upper northwest corner of the continental United States, Whatcom County is surrounded by the border with Canada, the Cascade Mountains and the Salish Sea and encompasses a vibrant culture and almost any type of outdoor recreation you can imagine.

The tourism market has been interlinked with Canadian visitors in the past and has resumed welcoming them — and others — since the pandemic interrupted travel.

Take a look at one large annual event that takes place in Whatcom County: the Ski to Sea race, which starts at the Mount Baker Ski Area, proceeds down

and along the lengthy and scenic Mount Baker Highway, the Nooksack River and Bellingham Bay and ends in Bellingham’s Fairhaven district. Teams of professional athletes mix with everyday family and friends who ski, bike, run and paddle. Thousands of visitors and locals compete, watch or party at the finish line.

Bellingham/Whatcom County Tourism is a nonprofit economic development and destination marketing agency that promotes Bellingham and Whatcom County as a premier year-round travel destination for leisure travel as well as business meetings and conferences, group tours, sports, outdoor recreation and cultural heritage.

Created and incorporated in 1978, BWCT continues to monitor and encourage visitors. From its physical office adjacent to the freeway near Lakeway Drive, it creates an impact by sending staff to conferences, leading workshops and responding to requests for information.

“Destination marketing organizations like ours rely on metric tools to understand and champion the economic impact of meetings and events,” said Katy Willis, BWCT director of destination sales. “Destinations International, in partnership with Tourism Economics, developed an Event Impact Calculator which is utilized by over 300 destina-

United States Port of Entry, Blaine. PHOTO: Elisa Claassen

tion organizations worldwide and is the global standard for measuring net new money coming to a community because of meetings and events. Meetings and events are an important revenue stream for our community. They not only provide direct spending but also generate sales tax dollars and support jobs.”

Willis translated tourism into dollars and the impact on Whatcom County: The Event Impact Calculator from direct sales amounts to $1.27 million, and estimated hotel room night demand is 2,120. For Bellingham Bells baseball, 31 regular season home games account for an EIC in direct sales of $69,688 per game and an estimated hotel room night demand of 23 rooms each game for a total of $2.16 million and 713 room nights for the season. During the American Rhododendron Society conference, held May 1 to 5 in 2024, the EIC in direct sales was $101,300 and 274 total hotel room nights.

BWCT hosts an education series on recreation and tourism. On Oct. 30, 2024, Sales and Sports Development

Manager Eric Rainaud-Hinds and Community Outreach and Destination Development Manager Lindsey Gerhard hosted a session in the Hotel Leo Crystal Ballroom on the impact of tourism from sports, outdoor recreation, cultural arts, events and festivals on the community and discussed how to be involved. BWCT outreach also has included a road trip series in which BWCT partnered with Scenic Washington to produce videos about traveling scenic roadways locally, including Chuckanut Drive and soon another on Mount Baker Highway.

The 2024 report will be released in May; the last completed year was 2023.

According to State of Washington Tourism, total travel spending in 2023 was $750.8 million, up 9.1 percent from 2022.

In addition to the central tourism office, the smaller towns in the county also operate tourism efforts. The city of Blaine has a Blaine Tourism Advisory Committee to more effectively develop its tourism and recreation economy and updates the Blaine Tourism Marketing & Development Plan. It also recommends

programs to the local city council and seeks ways to interface with the public and business community.

On the waterfront

Christine Jenkins has been the director of sales and marketing at the four-star full-service luxury Hotel Bellwether on the waterfront since the spring of 2021. She oversees all marketing efforts, sales, public relations and strategic use of the 10,000-square-foot event space. Prior to this role, Jenkins had 20 years’ experience in the tourism and hospitality industry, including as an employee of BWCT and in a similar position at the Four Points Sheraton. Jenkins has continued to serve on several associated boards, including the Bellingham Tourism Commission and the Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism Board. She is a past member of the Lodging Tax Advisory Board.

In the hospitality industry, Jenkins has seen changes in recent years. Bellwether saw growth during the pandemic, with visitors not venturing as far from home to enjoy shopping, meetings, concerts and museums. Rather than Canadians making their way down, rooms were filled with those seeking in-state leisure opportunities or business travel, she said. In 2024, Jenkins saw more Canadian travel for leisure, shopping and events. Her hotel has large bayside event spaces, and Jenkins said she has seen the guest lists for weddings increase from around 100 to 150 initially to 200 to 300 now.

When Canadians couldn’t visit during the border closure, more locals started to come, Jenkins said, and often the purpose was simply for resting or disconnecting. They needed a place and space to destress and recuperate.

BWCT Communications Manager Becky Mandelbaum relays information from BWCT President and CEO Dylan Deane-Boyle for insight on tourism impacts.

“When restrictions lifted in 2021,” said

Hotel Bellwether. PHOTO: Elisa Claassen

Mandelbaum, “we saw a surge in tourism across the country and internationally, with visitor spending in Whatcom County increasing by 38.4 percent compared to 2020. This upward momentum continued into 2022, with spending increasing 30.5 percent in Whatcom County. Though the rate of growth slowed in 2023, which was to be expected after the boom of ‘revenge travel’ following COVID shut-downs, tourism spending in 2023 still grew 9.1 percent, and visits increased 4.6 percent, coming closer to pre-COVID numbers, suggesting that travel to Whatcom County is stabilizing.”

The $750.8 million injected by visitor spending into the Whatcom County economy in 2023 supported 7,735 local jobs and reduced the individual tax burden by more than $700, Mandelbaum said. During that time, Whatcom County had 3.42 million total visits, a growth of 4.6 percent. A portion of lodging tax collected in the county gets reinvested into the community in the form of tourism promotion grants. These grants, which are administered by local municipalities, help fund local events and infrastructure, such as the July NW Tune Up Festival and public restroom maintenance in highly visited areas such as Glacier and Birch Bay.

Most of the visitors driving from outside the region come from Seattle; Vancouver, British Columbia; and places in Oregon. Meanwhile, visitors have been flying from cities in California and places in the Southwest with direct flights into Bellingham International Airport.

“Canadian spending in Whatcom County typically fluctuates with the exchange rate,” Mandelbaum said. “Another change over the years is that increasingly, visitors on the ground and potential visitors find our information online, making our website, digital content and social media presence more essential than ever.”

Western Washington University’s Laurie

Trautman, a professor and director of the Border Policy Research Institute at WWU, said her department is doing fewer analyses of the impacts of cross-border traffic than before the pandemic.

While the traffic volume is rising, it is still not up to pre-pandemic status. One factor is the Nexus program, which does background checks of its participants for faster cross-border travel. While this program has two appointments — one for each country — at the same time in the US, it often is more extensive on the Canada side, which makes enrollment more difficult.

Trautman also noted that due to the length of the pandemic, shoppers had time to create and sustain new shopping behaviors. At the same time, the local community, she said, did see an increase in local spending. Like others, Trautman also looked to the strength of the Canadian dollar for the most impact on shopping south of the border. The Canadian dollar in November 2024 was close to 70 percent of the US dollar, close to its lowest point since the start of the pandemic in early 2020. The results of the US presidential election, Trautman

said, also are likely to have impacts, especially if tariffs or economic measures are instituted with Canada.

A small border town: Lynden

Scenic Lynden, with population 16,551, is known for its Dutch charm. Unlike Sumas and Blaine, Lynden doesn’t sit exactly on the international border but is in close proximity. Gary Vis, longtime director of the Lynden Chamber of Commerce, recently celebrated a popular festival in his town: the lighted Christmas parade on the first Saturday night in December along the town’s Front Street. It attracts locals and visitors alike as trucks and floats ringed with lights entertain the crowds. (Sumas and Blaine were also contacted but did not respond.)

“Pre- and post-pandemic are in many ways the same,” Vis said. “For example, for our Canadian visitors, most appear to be day-trippers coming down for a bite to eat, some shopping and visiting their favorite stops, such as the Lynden Dutch Bakery or Lynden Heritage Museum (formerly known as the Lynden Pioneer Museum). We seem to have more visitors

Dusk at Peace Arch. PHOTO: Elisa Claassen

coming overnight to visit family in the area or making a trip up to British Columbia and making us a stop for a night or two on the way up or back.

“Visitors from around the country, especially the East Coast, seem to be straight up making a trip to see the West Coast. Lynden is the base camp to see the county and great Northwest.”

Lynden has made a concerted attempt to get locals more involved in community life, Vis said.

“We have taken the approach in our

marketing to focus on who we are as a community,” he said. “On social media, we spend the majority — roughly 70 percent or so — of the space ‘speaking’ to locals, primarily because as a consultant hired by Bellingham Tourism stated a few years ago, we need the locals to ‘make the experience,’ so coming to community events, participating in local activities, etc., in order to build the excitement and energy visitors enjoy. Then, when visitors do make the plunge to visit, they have a spectacular experience and

often make return trips to enjoy more.”

Vis said visitors may come to the Northwest Raspberry Festival in the early summer and then make a return trip for the Northwest Washington Fair in August.

“We often remind our local residents they are a huge part of the visitor experience,” Vis said. “A ‘hello,’ smile and a wave, and just being friendly, are so important, as we all enjoy when we ourselves visit somewhere, as many visitors comment about their positive interactions with the folks who call north Whatcom County home.”

Since pandemic restrictions were lifted, Vis said he has seen many more Canadians coming again for day trips or overnight stays. Lynden also is getting steady visits from within the state and even from the Midwest via recreational vehicle travel, as people tour the country and stay at the Lynden KOA and Oostema Farmstead, which has space in a farm setting for RVs (“Each a unique experience in their own way,” Vis said).

“Based on comments we receive,” he said, “the area in general has such natural beauty that they are stunned: ‘it is better than the photos and websites show.’”

Overall, tourism is a boon for Lynden.

“Tourism does help the local economy to some extent, perhaps more than some appreciate,” Vis said, “and although the hard numbers are hard to determine, if at the end of the year $350,000 or so of Lynden sales tax — about 10 percent of the city’s total sales tax revenue — are generated by visitors, and more people have businesses and jobs because of our visitors, it’s a win for Lynden.” ■

Key takeaways from the Border Policy Research Institute at WWU

Summer 2020, COVID-19 and the US-Canada Border Report 2: Canadians and Taxable Retail Sales within Whatcom County (Reprinted with permission from Border Policy Research Institute at WWU.)

• “In 2018, it was estimated that Canadians comprised up to 41% ($152 million) of Whatcom County’s retail sales in the general merchandise category and up to 44% ($51 million) in the clothing and clothing accessories category.”

• “In 2019, Canadians purchasing gas likely comprised up to 73% of Blaine’s fuel tax revenue ($124,000) and up to 60% of Sumas’ fuel tax revenue ($38,000) It is estimated that retail sales in Whatcom County fell by $54 to $65 million in the first and second quarters of 2020 due to the COVID-19 border restrictions, representing a 5 to 6% decrease in total retail sales compared to 2019. However, because many Canadians also cross to purchase gas and dairy products – two commodities that are not measured in taxable retail sales data – the true decrease in retail sales is likely much greater.”

• In 2018, there were 6.9 million visits by Canadian residents to Whatcom County. Based on data from a Passenger Vehicle Intercept Survey from 2018 (note: another coming in 2025) the three most popular primary trip purposes were shopping for Bellingham, and mail pick-up and gas to the border cities.

• Historically, the exchange rate between the U.S. Dollar (USD) and the Canadian Dollar (CAD) has been a powerful, determinant of Canadian crossing volume as well as external events and policy responses – 911 attacks and COVID-19 policies.

• From a further analysis of shopping sectors, as broken down by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), the categories with the most Canadian influence are clothing and clothing accessories and general merchandise stores (Costco, Target, Kohl’s, Ross, and Wal*Mart) which sell a wide variety of products.

• Canadians who use border town postal facilities for receiving online orders are contributing to the towns’ sales tax receipts. While personnel from Blaine and Sumas were contacted for this article, they did not respond. From the previous studies, during 2013, a peak crossing year for Canadians, per capita sales in this NCAICS retail category for online shopping/mail orders was $3,243 in Blaine and $4,001 in Sumas compared to $251 for Washington State. It is likely Canadians make up more than 85% of Blaine and Sumas’ online retail sales.

• There is no category in the NAICS structure for fuel sales but according to Washington State law, cities within 10 miles of the border have an option of assessing a one cent per gallon tax on fuel sales within their city limits.

• Based on statistical analyses of annual sales data and Canadian passenger volumes, it was predicted that the average Canadian passenger or pedestrian entering the Cascade Gateway with the primary purpose of shopping would spend approximately $95, plus or minus $9, in Whatcom County on taxable retail items at clothing, general merchandise, food and beverage, and/or gas station convenience stores.

What could lie ahead

How is tourism revenue at the end of 2024? Is it going up, stabilizing or down from the past few years?

(Reprinted with permission from Bellingham Whatcom County Visitor Center.)

• According to Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism President and CEO Dylan Deane-Boyle, numbers do not yet exist for local tourism for 2024.

• The U.S. Travel Association is predicting a 2.7 percent increase in domestic trips in 2025 (business and leisure combined), with an associated 2.5 percent increase in year-over-year spending.

• The Travel Price Index (from the U.S. Travel Association), which provides a metric on the cost of travel, is expected to rise in 2025 by 1.9 percent (just slightly below the total Consumer Price Index of 2 percent). The bottom line is that the cost of travel affects decisionmaking on how many trips a year to take and the distance of those trips (and whether to take any trips at all).

• Locally, Whatcom County is likely to be just slightly down from an aggregate lodging occupancy standpoint for the full year of 2024 compared to 2023.

• BWCT hopes for slow and steady growth in 2025.

• Something unexpected to many is the FIFA Men’s World Cup coming to Vancouver, British Columbia, and Seattle in 2026. It is being billed as the “biggest tournament of all time.” With Bellingham in between the two locations, the city could see significant traffic. Seattle estimates drawing between 400,000 and 750,000 people, and Vancouver expects to see up to 900,000 people during the games.

Thanks to our Presidents Club members for helping to create a long-lasting impact and furthering the success of our local community.

“We know, anecdotally and from our survey, community members say it’s erratic or aggressive behavior and open drug use that are most concerning.”

— Mayor Lund and Chief Mertzig

The heart of our city

A variety of viewpoints on business downtown

Cheryl Stritzel McCarthy

Business Pulse contributor Cheryl Stritzel McCarthy reached out to Bellingham’s mayor, police chief and select businesses in, or formerly in, Bellingham’s downtown core to get a well-rounded take on our city’s heartbeat.

A Q&A with Mayor Lund and Police Chief Mertzig

The mayor and police chief responded cooperatively to questions about the status of downtown. (Remarks have been edited.)

Q: When did the city hire private contractor Risk Solutions Unlimited to act as downtown security patrols in addition to regular police?

In January 2022, due to reduced police response caused by staff shortages and state legislation that changed

police duties. We also saw a need for security staff who could respond and de-escalate situations that didn’t require a police response.

We first partnered with RSU in a two-year pilot program. Results were positive, showing that downtown stakeholders and others valued the additional security and connections to community services. During the pilot, two separate safety teams provided services: RSU and Streetplus Safety Ambassadors. At pilot’s end, we determined it would be more efficient to combine daytime and nighttime safety patrols under one contractor. At the beginning of 2024, RSU began patrolling downtown Bellingham seven days a week, 24 hours per day.

Q: Could Bellingham get an ordinance prohibiting panhandling?

We won’t speculate. We know, anecdotally and from our survey, community members say it’s erratic or aggressive behavior and open drug use that are most concerning, and our community wants to compassionately address people who are unhoused or experiencing behavioral health challenges, as well as those of the broader community.

We’re responding to what we’ve heard are top priorities: keeping downtown clean and welcoming, maintaining emergency medical services and police officers, creating safe and convenient ways to walk and bike downtown, and supporting organizations that provide social services downtown.

(Existing municipal code finds peo -

Quinn and Foster owner Christine Hayward says crime was the reason she moved her store from downtown Bellingham to Fairhaven. SATTVA PHOTO.

ple guilty of pedestrian interference if they aggressively beg, meaning with intent to intimidate another into giving them money or goods.)

Q: What are the metrics on businesses downtown?

Downtown continues to be our largest employment hub, with more than 8,800 jobs and 558 businesses. It’s also our most successful urban village in terms of retail and housing. Of the jobs, 28% are commercial, 17% food and drink and 8% retail. Downtown is also home to more than 4,600 residents.

See our Urban Village data dashboard (cob.org/services/planning/ urban-villages) for current metrics, and look at our Downtown Forward Progress Report (cob.org/gov/mayor/ top-issues/downtown-forward).

We will collect other data starting in 2025 so we can track progress. We don’t currently track commercial occupancy/vacancy rates for downtown.

Q: Can you speak to the safety and comfort of downtown?

Our police department will be bringing back a bicycle unit to increase police presence while offering a community-oriented policing model downtown. Reports of open drug use, property damage, disorderly conduct and people experiencing behavioral health crises are the primary challenges. The bicycle unit will expedite responses to these calls for service and connect people to resources.

In our recent survey, many people said they feel safer downtown than they did last winter, and about twothirds said they feel positive about downtown’s future. There are so many great things happening downtown, and there are so many businesses and organizations making it lively and fun. We’re committed to keeping it safe and welcoming for business owners, employees and customers.

Downtown is an engine of economic opportunity and the heart of arts, culture and entertainment for Bellingham and the county. We’re investing in this vital neighborhood because when a downtown thrives, the rest of the city benefits, too. ■

Quinn and Foster

Christine Hayward, owner of the contemporary clothing boutique Quinn and Foster, opened her store downtown in 2017 with a five-year lease that ended during the pandemic lockdown. She moved Quinn and Foster to Fairhaven in 2022. (Remarks have been edited.)

Q: Why did you leave downtown?

Crime was the number one reason. I had a lot of theft. It was blatant: they’d walk in, grab stuff, look at me, walk out. They were professionals who knew how to steal a whole bunch of stuff.

A lot of my customers stopped going downtown because people were hanging out on the sidewalk in front of my store, harassing others. When my lease was up, I looked elsewhere, and this place in Fairhaven was new construction.

Q: How did you survive the pandemic?

I adapted. We had to close for 10 weeks. I put together boxes of clothing and mailed them to customers to try at home. I’d gather things that suited that person; they’d buy what they

wanted, mail back what they didn’t. Sometimes I’d just send pictures. I received two government grants to keep my employees paid.

During the pandemic especially, I noticed people camping; they’d lay a sleeping bag in front of my downtown store windows. It somehow became accepted, then normalized. Downtown needs more businesses that are vigilant about keeping people from loitering in front of their stores.

Q: Would an ordinance against panhandling help?

It wouldn’t hurt. I wanted to stay downtown and see it get better. It did get better the first couple of years I was there. Then the pandemic: stores closing, people camping out.

Q: How do rents compare, downtown to Fairhaven?

Fairhaven’s more expensive, but I rented from the city downtown. Now I rent from a private landlord.

Q: How does foot traffic compare?

For my store, it’s better in Fairhaven. You can park, walk around, spend the day, go to lunch, go to all these different shops. A lot of people who shop at my store live in Fairhaven or close by. I

Christine Hayward, owner of clothing boutique Quinn and Foster, moved to her current location in Fairhaven in 2022. SATTVA PHOTO

Cheryl Stritzel McCarthy

Greenhouse Home

views of a mountain behind? I have spent hours of volunteer time to assist city leadership to bring it back to its potential.

Q: What about citizens who avoid downtown due to fear of unpleasant encounters?

City leadership has made great progress in creating a safe downtown; come see for yourself. We live in a community where self-expression is invited, but public safety has been addressed on numerous levels.

Q: How will the increasing minimum wage affect Bellingham businesses?

get more people who walk by, see the sign and come in. I also get a lot of Canadians, people from Seattle, maybe staying at the Chrysalis. Since moving to Fairhaven, I’m up 20 percent in sales. (But we always try to beat past performance.)

When my store was downtown, my regulars came to my store purposely, then left. Downtown may be more of a night scene, with a younger vibe. It has lots of good restaurants.

Q: How is the increasing minimum wage affecting Bellingham businesses?

It’s going to be rough on businesses.

I don’t think raising the minimum wage is the answer. If you push it to $22 an hour, it’s still not enough. It’s not feasible for young people to live here unless they have a job that’s not minimum wage. If you’re making minimum wage, you’re either going to college, living with your parents, or living with a group of others.

Q: Anything to add?

I’m happy to be in Bellingham. I do think downtown needs to be a safe place to go. I’ve talked to others who have businesses downtown; I understand it’s gotten better in the last year.

Bre Green is co-owner with husband Eric of the specialty décor, housewares and furniture store Greenhouse in downtown Bellingham. The couple bought the store in 2017. Bre is the hands-on manager; Eric is a real estate agent. (Remarks have been edited.)

Q: How did you survive the pandemic?

By sacrifice and sheer will. We had so much on the line when the pandemic started with Greenhouse. I sacrificed time with my family and much more.

In early 2021, I realized I needed to envision a larger future. The store needed another income stream.

I had been staging homes for sale for my husband since early 2018. In August 2019, I was approached by HGTV to stage 10 homes for a pilot TV series in Snohomish. I then staged 13 more homes for Season two, each of them unique styles and palettes.

After that, I had enough inventory and styles to deliver this service to Whatcom County. We now stage more than 350 homes each year, which has allowed us to maintain our store and employees downtown.

Q: What about vagrancy?

Downtown Bellingham is unique. Where else do you see these gorgeous, picturesque, historical buildings overlooking a bay with

While it is needed and deserved to try to meet high rent and home costs, it has put a catastrophic squeeze on small businesses unable to meet it and keep the same number of employees. I support increased wages; I just ask citizens who voted for it to see they need to put their money into local businesses, not Target or Amazon.

Q: What are downtown’s success stories?

Look at our restaurant and night life. The energy on a Friday night or Saturday night at 8 p.m. is undeniable. Restaurants are filled, with wait lists.

Q: Its biggest challenges?

Vacant office and retail space. We are missing that energy during the day. We need to bring retail back. If we get office space filled and lunch traffic back, we’ll see more success.

Q: What about downtown’s commercial business occupancy?

The downtown office vacancy rate is 8.2 percent — double the citywide vacancy rate of 4.1 percent — and the retail vacancy rate downtown is 8.4 percent, compared to 3.1 percent citywide. This shows what the last five years have done to the confidence of consumers and business owners in downtown. I see improvements because I’m downtown daily, and I invite others to come back and experience it today.

Q: Why does downtown matter?

Downtown is the heartbeat and personality of the city. Whenever anyone visits someplace new, we go downtown. Much of what we say about any new city is our perception of their downtown.

Bre and Eric Green, owners of Greenhouse. Courtesy photo.

Cheryl Stritzel McCarthy

Minimum wage will hit $18.66 in 2025

Cheryl Stritzel McCarthy

Washington, which in 2024 was the highest minimum-wage state in the nation (only Washington, D.C., was higher), raised it further to $16.66 an hour effective January 2025.

Cities can set minimum wages higher. Bellingham’s minimum wage is set to be $1 above the state level, meaning that on Jan. 1, 2025, the citywide rate became $17.66 an hour.

Starting May 1, 2025, Bellingham’s minimum wage will move to $2 above the statewide rate, so $18.66 an hour.

In 2026, Bellingham’s minimum wage will remain $2 higher than the 2026 statewide rate, which will be announced by the state Department of Labor & Industries in September.

Business Pulse asked Guy Occhiogrosso, president and CEO of the Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce, how the increasing wage is affecting downtown restaurants and other businesses.

“Some businesses have spoken to the need to increase prices even further to compensate for the wage increases,” Occhiogrosso replied. “We were worried about some businesses altering hours due to the wage increases, and this may be showing in the increase in closings.

“I am not certain I can substantiate either, but it does feel like many restaurants are closing or up for sale. This is probably due to a larger number of factors, and with that, we seem to be welcoming new businesses into those spaces fairly quickly.”

Bellis Fair Mall A hub for learning and creativity

Mary Louise Van Dyke

In 2025, Bellis Fair Mall continues to serve as a major destination for the shopping and dining needs of Whatcom County residents and visitors.

However, the mall also features spaces utilized by community-based groups such as clubs, schools and the Bellingham Public Library.

This offers unexpected opportunities for mallgoers when strolling past shops, suddenly noticing the space occupied by Bellingham Public Library, for example.

A library at the mall?

Yes, library services are available at Bellis Fair, with story hours, programming and library materials for all ages.

The Bellis Fair branch opened in April 2023. “We just want to be the best library service we can be on the north side of Bellingham,” said Rebecca Judd, who is the library director. “It’s something residents have been asking about for a long time.”

The mall was selected for several reasons, Judd said. Bellis Fair offers plenty of parking and easy access for bus riders. Shoppers who’ve never visited the library discover services that include free Wi-Fi, public computers, interactive children’s activities and pick-up holds.

“We’re always looking for ways to let people to know we’re there,” Judd said.

The only drawback is the difference in hours between the library and the mall. “People might be confused if they think we’re open during usual mall hours,” Judd said. “Our Bellis Fair hours are: 2-6 p.m. Wednesday-Fridays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and 1-5 p.m. Sundays.“

Northwest Barber Academy celebrated its grand opening at Bellis Fair Mall in September 2024.

Carlo Gonzalez, a barber and owner,

launched the academy in Mount Vernon in 2023 after trying to find barbers who met his standards for haircuts.

Business is “working out great at the mall and creating new opportunities for us,” Gonzalez said, adding that the mall offers a lot of walk-in traffic.

Students learn barbering there in a 1,000-hour program that combines hands-on-learning techniques, business skills and etiquette and preparation for the Washington State Department of Licensing exam. About 18 students are currently enrolled in the program, Gonzalez said.

The academy is primarily a school, but it offers services to the public such as men and women’s haircuts, shampoos and scalp treatments, face shaves and beard trims.

In November, students and instructors offered free haircuts for people in need.

“It’s been a good experience here so far,” Gonzalez said.

The Mount Baker Rock & Gem Club opened a retail store at Bellis Fair in 2020 after holding monthly meetings at Bellingham Parks & Recreation Department facilities for many years.

“We needed a place to set up our lapidary room so we could cut and polish rocks,” said Candi Gerard, who is the club president.

Members meet there to cut and polish rocks and attend classes on techniques such as wire-wrapping rocks to create unique jewelry.

The store is staffed by volunteers and sells rocks, gems and crystals. Money from sales helps pay the rent and insurance and provide scholarships for Western Washington University students who are majoring in earth science.

Bellis Fair offers plenty of parking and easy access for bus riders.

Top: Canadian and American flags fly at Bellis Fair Mall, where many locals are looking for space to run a business; the Rock & Gem Club is run by volunteers (pictured here Gordie Gerard, left, and Ralph Sisco) and sells rocks, gems and crystals; the Bellingham Public Library’s Bellis Fair branch opened in April 2023; Eric Zamora, director of operations at Whatcom Intergenerational High School. WIHS is supported by a system of community allies and elders who bring unique life experience into the classroom at Bellis Fair. SATTVA PHOTO

CEMENTING a sustainable future

Heidelberg Materials committed to building strong communities and an eco-friendly environment

Tamara Loucks

Think global. Act local. That’s the mantra under which Heidelberg Materials conducts business. While the company operates globally, Heidelberg Materials empowers individual companies within its portfolio, including its Bellingham-based grinding plant, to operate under a localized management structure. Through this autonomy, the grinding plant has racked up an impressive and award-winning safety record, and its team members can champion the local causes and organizations they deem important. The facility is also used to develop and test materials to create more sustainable concrete — because at the organization’s core, Heidelberg

Materials believes in a more sustainable future, a commitment that’s evolved over its 150-year history.

In 1874, Johann Phillipp Schifferdecker founded Heidelberg Materials, Germany’s largest cement plant, in Heidelberg, Germany. Today, Heidelberg Materials, with 2023 revenues of approximately $22 billion, employs more than 51,000 and operates at approximately 3,000 sites throughout 50 countries.

Expansion into the North American market started with the acquisition of Canada’s Lehigh Cement Company in 1977. Over the next three decades, Heidelberg Materials continued to acquire companies throughout Canada and the

United States, including one of the largest US aggregates producers, Hanson PLC, and established itself as a multinational provider of cement, ready-mix concrete, aggregates and other construction materials. The company continued operations under the name Lehigh Cement before officially uniting all North American holdings as Heidelberg Materials North America in 2023.

The Bellingham grinding plant originally opened as a full cement production plant under different ownership in the spring of 1913. In the mid-1980s, facility operations changed to grinding only. Today, the plant’s 10 employees focus on finish grinding, warehousing, distribution

SATTVA PHOTO

and product testing.

Area Operations Manager David Parsons explained the process of finish grinding. “Cement manufacturing is a two-stage process,” Parsons said. “The grinding plant receives what is called clinker, produced by our cement plant in Delta, British Columbia, Canada. It’s a dark grey nodular substance created by heating limestone and other materials in a cement kiln. Clinker gets shipped to the Bellingham grinding plant. The plant then grinds clinker, limestone and gypsum together to get what is commonly referred to as cement, which is used to make concrete.”

The grinding plant acts as an extension of the Delta cement plant by adding storage and grinding capacity. It also serves as a distribution point for the finished cement and enables the company to supply a broader customer base.

“Because we are only grinding clinker at the Bellingham facility, we do not create the emissions that result from the cement manufacturing process,” Parsons said. Coleman Hoyt, Heidelberg Materials

North America’s environment and sustainability manager for Washington and Oregon, said that the facility is the only cement manufacturer and distributor between Everett and Vancouver, British Columbia.

“The cement we supply is a critical material for infrastructure development within Island, Skagit and Whatcom counties,” Hoyt said.

The grinding plant sells about 75,000 to 100,000 metric tons of cement annually, and generates $60k per year in tax revenue for Whatcom County.

Award-winning safety record

Grinding plants can be a hazardous work environment. However, thanks to Heidelberg Materials’ and local management’s emphasis on safety, the Bellingham facility hasn’t had a recorded lost-time accident since June 2018. For eight of the past 10 years, the facility received the Portland Cement Association Chairman’s Safety Performance Award, which recognizes recipients with no reportable illnesses or injury during the year. It’s a

significant accomplishment, as the PCA represents the majority of cement manufacturers across the US.

Simple actions build strong communities

Heidelberg Materials believes in supporting the charitable organizations important to its team members and the communities in which its facilities are located. In North America, that equates to approximately 9,000 employees and 450 locations.

“Through a program called Heidelberg Materials Helps, each location has the independence to choose how its team wishes to give back to communities in which we work and live, whether it’s time, materials or money,” said Jeff Sieg, director of corporate communications in North America. “For company-vetted charities, Heidelberg Materials offers a 100 percent match for employee-made donations up to $300 per year per employee. The company also donates to an organization based on the number of volunteer hours the employee worked.

Previous page, top: Left to right: Jag, Tom Byers, Blake French, Chad Nolan, Anthony Black, Gavin Joswick, Craig Zimmerman, David Parsons and Coleman Hoyt at the Heidelberg plant. This page: operations room at Heidelberg Materials; equipment covered in cement grinding materials. SATTVA PHOTO

Outside of individual employee initiatives, financial support is given to community organizations in need.”

Whatcom County also has benefited from the program.

“We donated a pier the company no longer used in Bellingham Bay to the Bellingham Parks Department,” Parsons said. “The grinding plant has supported Alderwood Elementary School up the street from our facility for 10 years. We live and work in the Bellingham area, so it’s important that we make positive contributions to the community.”

Sustainability commitments

The Bellingham facility is more of a boutique grinding plant, Parsons said, and that gives it the flexibility to create and test specialized, more sustainable cement blends for customers, which is not something most grinding plants undertake.

“Sustainability is important to us and to many of our customers,” Parsons said. “We’ve tested blends that are a higher concentration of limestone and fly ash so

we could use less clinker without affecting the quality of the finished product. Fly ash is an unwanted by-product that would otherwise have gone into a landfill. The more fly ash you can use in concrete, the more environmentally friendly it is.”

However, sustainability is not just a focus at the local or regional level. Heidelberg Materials is committed to creating more sustainable building materials and a more resilient infrastructure on a global scale to address the diminishing resources used in construction. The company’s 2030 sustainability commitments are based on creating a future that is net zero, safe, inclusive, nature positive, circular and resilient.

The company aims to generate 50 percent of its yearly revenues from sustainable products by 2030.

“We’re working towards a carbon-neutral footprint,” Sieg explained. “Our ultimate goal is to produce net zero concrete by 2050, though we’re trying to reach that goal sooner.”

In 2011, Heidelberg Materials launched the Quarry Life Award, part of

its effort to create a nature-positive world through the development of biodiversity programs. The goal is to reclaim 15 percent of quarry space for nature. The program has pioneered 450 projects to promote and protect biodiversity within 15 countries. In 2025, Heidelberg Materials will award approximately $324,000 in grants worldwide; up to six total grants will be awarded within the US.

In 2023, Heidelberg Materials granted a Quarry Life Award to transform 3 acres of a rock quarry in Monroe into a protected habitat for native pollinators such as bees, ants and hummingbirds.

From both local and global standpoints, Heidelberg Materials is committed to being a positive influence and a force for good. The company stands firmly behind its pledge to invest in the development of eco-friendly building materials to both preserve finite raw materials and create a healthier environment. Sustainability isn’t just essential to the future health of our local communities and our planet but also to the long-term viability of Heidelberg Materials’ business.

Mementos of the company’s 150-year history. SATTVA PHOTO ■

Keep the home fires BURNING

Ferndale manufacturer’s patented technology creates affordable, sustainable heat source

Tamara Loucks

How can families more affordably heat their homes? Is there an environmentally friendly alternative to burning cut wood in wood stoves and fireplaces? Could a clean, sustainable heat source be manufactured cost-effectively? Driven by these questions, Glenn Hermanson formulated an idea to create a cost-effective, eco-friendly and sustainable energy source. He designed a proprietary machine to create a high-heat, continuous extrusion process using recycled lumbermill waste to manufacture compressed fire logs, and in 1988, he founded Home Fire Prest Logs in Langley, British Columbia, Canada.

However, while the idea seemed sound, Glenn faced an unanticipated challenge in the business’s infancy.

The equipment Glenn designed to manufacture the fire logs was unique, and a lot of time and money were spent on repairs and development to try to get the machine to operate properly. Production issues resulted in low sellable product volume and therefore a lack of cash flow, which caused continual financial struggles.

With encouragement from his wife, Virginia Hermanson, Glenn didn’t give up. His oldest son, Clayton Hermanson, joined the company. Over the next nine years, Glenn and Clayton persevered, fixing the equipment and refining the machine’s design. Technology finally caught up to his big idea, and Glenn achieved his dream of creating a reliable machine for the now-patented high-heat,

continuous extrusion process to manufacture an eco-friendly, sustainable — and the most-efficiently burning — fire log on the market, the Home Fire Prest Log.

The company’s early survival and growth can be attributed in part to Clayton’s operational acumen and mechanical skills.

“He continually refined operations as needed, and he knows the machine down to every nut and bolt,” said Vice President Travis Hermanson, Glenn’s middle son. “Without Clayton, the company would not have made it.”

Chasing the American dream

With manufacturing issues behind them and business steady, Glenn wanted to expand, but industrial properties in Canada were too expensive. Most of his customers were based in the US, so he researched requirements to relocate the business to Washington state. In 2008, Glenn received dual citizenship and moved the company to its current location, a 25,000-square-foot building in Ferndale.

Virginia sold her successful shoe store in Canada to help fund the move and the necessary facility improvements. Together, the three ran the family business. Virginia focused on sales and business development, Clayton on operations.

“Dad loved the idea of what America stood for,” Travis said. “He was very proud to be an American. He chose Whatcom County because he felt the county really supported manufacturing

and small business in general. The move helped initially propel the company to what it is today.”

Glenn continued to head the company until his passing in 2019. Ownership then passed to Virginia and Clayton, with the latter taking the helm as company president. Travis and the youngest Hermanson son, Shea (operations manager), joined the company in 2023. When Virginia retired in 2024, she sold her shares of the company to the two youngest brothers.

According to Travis, it was his dad’s intention that all three sons join the family business. However, he told the two younger brothers to go work for other companies, learn and acquire new skills, and then someday join Home Fire.

“Clayton has worked hard for 40 years,” Travis noted. “Shea and I are here to learn from him and to take the helm when he retires to keep Home Fire a family-owned and -operated business.”

Creating sustainable energy key to Glenn’s vision

Glenn’s idea to recycle lumberyard waste was sparked by the memory of his father using old potlach steam logs to heat their home in the 1940s and ’50s. But the process to create compressed logs for wood burning stoves in the ’80s wasn’t efficient — manufacturers could only produce one log at a time. The logs were environmentally unfriendly and contained additives like glue, and over time they could damage wood stoves.

Through high-heat, continuous extrusion, efficient-burning fire logs that do no harm to wood stoves could be produced without additives and little-to-no greenhouse gases.

The materials used to produce the fire logs were a major factor in creating a sustainable energy source. Lumberyards, used to having to pay dumps to take their milled waste, were happy to give the waste to Glenn for free. These by-products were clean and contained a low moisture content, about 10-13 percent, because they were kiln dried. Low moisture content creates lower emissions and a safer, more efficient fire log.

However, the biggest hurdle would be perfecting the manufacturing process. Most log producers use piston technology that squeezes an individual log into a compressed form. With Glenn’s design, the machine would create one long, continuous, densely compressed log at high heat, with sensors that would automatically cut at a specified length.

“Early on, the issues surrounding the manufacturing process were challenging,” Travis said. “But Dad never gave up. He taught us the importance of working hard every day to achieve goals and to refuse to accept failure.”

Why use Prest Logs?

The company’s patented technology is what makes Home Fire Prest Logs unique. The machine creates tightly compressed and dense logs with the

lowest moisture content of any fire log on the market.

The density creates a fire log that doesn’t fall apart, burns about 99 percent of the product with minimal ash, doesn’t create creosote, and is the hottest burning fire log available. Prest Logs heat up to 12 hours in a properly dampered, airtight wood stove.

Home Fire’s manufacturing process removes all but about two percent of the moisture. Prest fire logs don’t spit, spark or smoke. The only emissions produced by the manufacturing facility is steam from the moisture being removed from the material.

“The extreme heat and pressure used in the manufacturing process also ‘pasteurizes’ the logs, eliminating fungus, molds and any bugs from the finished product,” Travis said.

He added that while cord wood is considered “dirty fuel” because it produces smoke and creosote, fire logs are greenhouse gas neutral.

Home Fire today

Home Fire Prest Logs are sold through distribution and retail channels in over 240 locations throughout Alaska, Arizona, California, Idaho, Indiana, Massachusetts, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington and 14 locations in British Columbia and Quebec, Canada.

The company’s future burns bright, with one retail chain having sold the

“Early on, the issues surrounding the manufacturing process were challenging [...] but Dad never gave up.” “

— Travis Hermanson, Vice President of Home Fire Prest Logs

fire logs in 30 percent more stores in Washington this past year. The company is in talks with a second customer to significantly expand the number of retail locations selling the fire logs.

Yearly revenues are weather dependent. Strong sales are forecasted for 2025. In El Niño years, winters are generally warmer, and the company sell fewer logs. However, 2025 is a La Niña year, bringing colder weather in much of the country.

Future goals are to continue to expand the company’s customer base and the number of retail locations throughout the US and Canada that sell Prest Logs. As energy becomes scarcer and the need for clean energy alternatives increases, people will look for new ways produce heat. Thanks to Glenn Hermanson’s forward thinking, Home Fire Prest Logs are an affordable option for a renewable, sustainable energy source to keep families snug and warm in their homes. ■

Page 40, top: the proprietary machine founder Glenn Hermanson created to manufacture compressed fire logs. Bottom: Home Fire Prest Logs Vice President Travis Hermanson stands in front of the company logo. This page: the company warehouse stacked with clean-burning logs, sold in boxes by the half dozen. SATTVA PHOTO

Top: Angela Davis and Brian Hendricks at company headquarters off Hannegan Road. Bottom: A finished West Coast Home on display with a stunning view of Mount Baker. SATTVA PHOTO

Matt Benoit

In an era of ever-increasing housing prices, many Americans have been drawn to the “tiny house” — a less expensive, often-quaint living situation made popular and fashionable by numerous home living television programs and YouTube building videos.

In Whatcom County, there is one dedicated builder of the tiny house: West Coast Homes. The residential arm of Faber Construction constructs both park model and tiny houses, both built exclusively in-house at its headquarters off Hannegan Road between Bellingham and Lynden.

Raymond Faber, the founder of WCH, said its formation can be traced back to around 2012, when Faber Construction was contracted to develop the Wildwood Resorts property on the southern end of Lake Whatcom. Faber finished its site building responsibilities — which included roads, infrastructure, amenities and a marina — but was asked by the developer if it had interest in the modular construction of lakefront cottages.

The finished product was a success for both sides and made Faber realize the potential business opportunity to continue building modular housing.

“We had a lot of organic interest,” Faber said. “We didn’t advertise a lot. Just a lot of word of mouth. It just kind of took off.”

WCH hired Brian Hendricks as its general manager earlier in 2024, with the intention to officially make the company a separate business entity from Faber Construction in 2025.

Defining a ‘tiny’ house

While the company has built more than 50 tiny houses in the past decade,

its refinement of tiny house building has only taken clearer shape in the past several years.

That’s partially because there was no legal definition for what a tiny house actually was until 2021, when one was crafted by the Washington State Legislature. That definition, according to the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, is a dwelling no larger than 400 square feet and built to the specifications of multiple building codes, including the International Residential Code and Washington State Energy Code.

A tiny house may or may not be built on wheels and includes a kitchen, bathroom and sleeping/living area. In most tiny houses, the sleeping area is a loft built to be no more than 70 square feet, with a ceiling no more than 5 feet high. This square footage is not included in the overall 400-square-foot limit for the house, Faber said. Anything over a 5-foot height would define the loft as a livable space, which would then potentially exceed the 400 square-foot rule and also create logistical issues with moving the house, he added.

Depending on zoning, a tiny house can be placed almost anywhere and is considered real property once placed on land. Tiny houses also now qualify as accessory dwelling units in Washington, once they’re built to IRC standards. This means they can be set in backyards and elsewhere within city limits.

Although WCH also builds identical-looking models called “park models” (also limited to 400 square feet), those have a series of different standards and regulations. These models are Recreational Park Trailers built to Department of Housing and Urban Development

standards and in accordance with the American National Standards Institute 119.5 code.

They’re also often limited in where they can be placed, usually restricted to trailer parks and recreational vehicle campgrounds. They can also be placed on existing properties for no more than 180 days, in most places.

Faber describes the superior craftsmanship of a WCH park model as “a trailer on steroids,” with no compromises on the quality of what the company provides its clients for either park or tiny house models.

These tiny houses are built on steel frames and are constructed entirely indoors, meaning they remain safe from cold and damp elements during a winter build.

Tiny house advantages

While park models are generally cheaper and tiny houses present some of the most expensive home-building per square foot, Hendricks and Faber said there are a number of great reasons to consider building or buying one.

Much of that involves finances. Because a tiny house is considered real property, getting a loan for one is basically like signing up for a regular mortgage, Hendricks said. As such, approval may be easier, and interest rates will likely be less than loans for a park model, which will likely rely on a home equity line of credit or other personal loan. While property taxes will no doubt continue going up, especially in comparison to raw land, the much smaller bill compared to a full-size house is also attractive.

“It’s going to go up in value,” Hendricks said. “Just like a regular house. Maybe not the same percentage, but still:

Top: A West Coast Tiny Home being assembled indoors at the company’s headquarters. Bottom and right, top: the beautifully crafted interior design of a West Coast Home. SATTVA PHOTO

It’s an asset.”

The construction of a tiny house completely away from someone’s property also tends to create less havoc in a client’s life, Faber noted.

For WCH itself, tiny houses also present distinct advantages. In areas that can be more difficult to get to or that have limited access, shipping a completed tiny house is likely to be cheaper than the cost of shipping supplies and employees back and forth to job sites.

This is especially true in places like the San Juan Islands, Faber said, where per diem and ferry travel would consume a lot of money and time. Instead, a completed unit is shipped on a barge and placed. Most of WCH’s tiny houses have been placed in Whatcom County, Faber said, with recently sold models also awaiting transport to Sequim, San Juan Island and Hood Canal.

In general, the company will ship a

tiny house up to 900 miles – essentially covering all of Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Clients are responsible for the site prep, shipping, taxes and setup of the house, with the company handling the build. WCH has five different park model options, four different tiny house designs and two modular homes. The modular models are slightly larger than the tiny houses, providing a perfect combination of tiny house affordability with the comfort of a full-sized home. All of them are highly adaptable to client customization.

By working with L&I, WCH bypasses local housing jurisdictions when it comes to building. Permits are submitted, reviewed and approved by L&I, which sends an inspector who affixes an insignia of approval to each unit.

Once a unit is brought to a placement site, local jurisdictions then inspect whether on-site work is compliant with zoning and utility regulations.

The future of tiny

Currently, WCH can build a tiny house in about four months.

Faber said the company hopes to get that time down to around three and a half months in the near future.

Both Hendricks and Faber see a future in which interest in tiny houses will only steadily increase, and they hope to be at the forefront of the cresting construction wave in our region.

Whether it’s a young married couple seeking a starter home, a multigenerational property with a mother-in-law unit for an aging parent or rental income from using one as an Airbnb, the tiny house offers something for nearly everyone who may want one in their future.

“We see multiple value streams in these houses,” Hendricks said. “Nothing but growth is going to happen.”

Left to right: Drywaller Javier Lopez works on an interior room; color schemes for interior design; Dmitrijs Liskovs frames an exterior wall; a West Coast Tiny Home. SATTVA PHOTO

CJ Seitz and the WWU Small Business Development Center

Mary Louise Van Dyke

People looking for advice about growing or starting a business in Whatcom County can find valuable resources and advice through Western Washington University Small Business Development Center.

CJ Seitz, the center’s executive director, heads a team of six certified business advisers who bring different skill sets, knowledge and experience to the center. All staff have previous experience in leadership positions and master’s degrees in business administration. Most of them, including Seitz, gained onthe-ground experience while running businesses of their own.

BP: Who are your clients, and how many people did the Small Business Development Center work with in 2024? Are more people contacting you for advice, program enrollment or referrals?

CJ Seitz: We primarily do one-onone confidential business counseling at

no cost. As of late 2024, we’d worked with about 525 clients, an increase from just under 500 in 2023. We also field questions from some 200 people per year — from calls, emails and/or training participants.

Also, our services include referrals to professional service providers in our community, such as accountants or bookkeepers, and partnerships with subject matter experts across the state on topics such as exporting.

We’ve had an extreme uptick since the COVID-19 pandemic in startup requests. For example, in 2019, about 100 of our clients were looking for startup services, and in 2023, we received 224 requests.

We help people begin, grow or manage their businesses. What we’re seeing is that COVID-19 really facilitated people looking at their lives in a different way. People want more autonomy and agency. We’ve observed a lot more innovation from small business owners and newcomers to business ownership.

BP: What are some issues that clients are dealing with, and what resources does the center use to advise them?

CJ: Beyond startup businesses, which involves feasibility studies, we do financial projections and look at debt service, financial bank packaging with basic startup assistance and research and vetting ideas for expansion or making strategic shifts to their current business model or operations.

Many people speak with us who don’t necessarily end up launching a business. Our goal is to help these individuals make data-driven decisions.

For existing enterprises, the biggest thing we do is help people manage their organization with day-to-day operations and what that might entail, from human resource questions to time management, operations analysis and marketing.

Lately, we’ve seen a lot of employee compensation reviews, with minimum wages increasing and wage compression,

CJ Seitz and Liliana Deck recently visited with Rep. Rick Larsen to discuss their ongoing work at the Small Business Development Center. The visit took place at the Cof& coffee house in Bellingham. Left to right: Cof& owners Heimy Gonzalez and Oscar Quintero, Rep. Rick Larsen, CJ Seitz and Liliana Deck. Courtesy photo.

with new employees earning salaries close to or higher than existing staff.

We work with clients to make sure their businesses have the necessary tools to stay viable and know what levers they can pull to stay profitable.

We also help people who might not have been considered traditionally bankable. These are individuals who don’t have access to funding through traditional lending institutions. We assist them with figuring out ways to become bankable or finding alternative financing options.

We work with many owners who are looking to retire and get their businesses ready for sale. Often, we also assist clients who hope to purchase a business. Business advisers help sellers with market studies, business valuation, financial analyses and other information needed for the transaction.

BP: How do you gauge what the business community’s needs are for your services here in Whatcom County?

CJ: Following the George Floyd murder incident in 2020, we really wanted to know how we are doing here in Whatcom County. We hired a researcher to talk to small businesses in Whatcom County.

From the feedback, there was a lot of learning for us to do in examining how we’ve traditionally done things here in Whatcom County and how we might change in order to be more inclusive and more aware of and engaged with the communities that are here.

We decided to start with the Latino/ Spanish-speaking population (based on local school data, not necessarily census data), as it’s the largest group of people who are speaking a different language/ have potentially different cultural backgrounds than the majority of Whatcom County residents.

To achieve that goal, Liliana Deck, who holds a doctorate in international and multicultural studies from the University of San Francisco, was brought on about

two and a half years ago as a certified business adviser/director for the center’s community business development.

Her work involves trust building and bridging gaps in technology and resources with communities that haven’t been historically invited in mainstream economic structures. She’s been wildly successful, so we are adding a second Spanish-speaking adviser.

BP: How is the center funded?

CJ: We have just over a million-dollar annual budget for Whatcom County.

We’re funded in a few ways. Every dollar of federal funding received from the U.S. Small Business Administration must be matched by local funds from contracts with local government.

Whatcom County, the Port of Bellingham, the city of Bellingham and the city of Blaine are the local governments that provide us with that dollar match. We also receive money through Western for the state’s portion of funding.

Due to increased labor costs, gaps remain in the amount of money needed to provide free services to clients and others. We fill in that gap with grants, such as from the Washington State Department of Commerce and the Washington State Microenterprise Association, among others.

BP: What was your pathway to becoming executive director?

CJ: I lived rurally for a time and owned my own land-care business. Many of the people who lived in that town also owned their businesses. I really got to see the power of small business ownership and people crafting the life they wanted.

From there, I worked in a variety of positions, including with the Washington State Employment Security Department and TRICO Companies LLC of Burlington, earned my master’s of business administration at Western and became a certified business adviser.

I was hired as the interim director here

in January 2015 and named executive director later that same year.

BP: When you’re not working, what is something you do for fun?

CJ: I spend time with my family, including my son, 17, who was involved in high school football. We love to spend time outside in our beautiful mountains exploring.

BP: What is your vision for the center in 2025?

CJ: We’ll keep leveraging the assets we have here. We’re really interested in developing our entrepreneurial ecosystem and working in collaboration with our partners. We have amazing community partners here.

Our center is committed to working toward economic inclusivity, where everyone has the opportunity to thrive, and removing barriers such as access to capital. For example, we just entered into a relationship with the Whatcom Community Foundation and First Fed Bank to start a microloan program for people who can’t access traditional commercial lending.

We are committed to helping retain local viable businesses.

We’re finding increasing interest in employee ownership; another passion of ours is increasing local ownership of people who work in those businesses. When business owners exit, one of their sales options could involve the employee stock ownership plan. Another possibility would be a worker-owned cooperative, a business owned and controlled by its employees.

We have a very strong small business community in Whatcom County.

How technology has changed the way we communicate

Mark Harmsworth

Alexander Graham Bell, with the first successful phone call on March 10, 1876, revolutionized the way society communicates. The subsequent years saw rapid expansion of the telephony network, telephone exchanges and international calling. Until the 1980s, communication remained relatively unchanged in the way the network operated.

The advent of Internet Protocol (IP) networks and, subsequently, the internet, changed everything in the telephone and

data transmission industry. The new networks introduced digital communication and helped a fledgling email and cell phone industry take a larger role in daily communication life.

As recently as the mid-’90s, cell phone use wasn’t all that common. For those early adopters who did use cell phones, a small car was needed to move the battery pack around. Now cell phones are small, portable and almost required to do business in modern society.

Short Message Service (SMS) and subsequently Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) launched with the initial crop of cell phones and gave users the ability to quickly send short 160-character messages to each other.

Back in 1995, email use was becoming widespread outside of government and education networks. Now it’s considered

the primary method of written communication between parties, replacing letters, faxes and mail.

Internal company phone systems have changed over the last few decades. Private Branch Exchange (PBX) systems have been replaced by Voice over IP (VOIP). Plain old telephone service (POTS) is being phased out in favor of digital systems. Many home users no longer have landlines and instead use cellphones and applications such as WhatsApp, Signal or Skype to conduct their conversations.

More recently, the pandemic forced another transformation in the way businesses and people communicate. Prior to the pandemic, in-person meetings were the default way to conduct initial client introductions. Once the lockdowns started, software such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams became the go-to method, magnifying the use of video

to conduct business. After the pandemic, the same behaviors have continued, streamlining business introductions and reducing travel trips.

Privacy is now more important than ever, with new systems enabling encrypted com munications, both voice and electronic, that prevent even governments from decoding what is being said. Gone are the days of wire taps at the local exchange.

What’s next in the communications fron tier? Elon Musk has successfully completed a call from an ordinary cell phone via the Starlink network of satellites in low earth orbit, obviating the need for cell towers.

The “Direct to Cell” system is scheduled to be widely available in 2025. It seems that the last areas of the world that don’t have cell phone coverage are about to lose that distinction.

Artificial intelligence potentially will change communication with on-the-fly language translation and text captioning, a modern-day Babel fish for those fans of Douglas Adams’ “The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.” AI also will bring some element of augmented reality to the expe rience, recreating board rooms and other elements of physical space in a virtual reality. Will it go as far as embedded de vices blending the biologic and technology interface?

From the earliest days of the telegraph to the invention of the telephone and, ultimately, today’s telecommunication digital networks, technology will continue to drive more connectivity and easier access to communicate with anyone, anywhere on the planet.

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Mark Harmsworth was elected in 2014 to the Washington State House of Representatives, where he served two terms. His focus was on transportation and technology, including serving as the ranking member on the House Transportation Committee. Mark works in the technology industry and is an owner of a small business after completing a long career at Microsoft and Amazon.

As part of our commitment to clean water, the City of Bellingham offers wastewater capture kits to businesses, property managers, charitable car washes, and more that help you meet local regulations and protect our community’s waterways. Our Pollution Prevention staff are available to connect you to additional resources and trainings to help you do your part in managing your runoff and waste.

cob.org/pressure-washing (360) 778-7740

Andgar University

Building careers in trades

Andgar was founded by Andy Mellema and Gary Van Loo (hence “And-Gar”) over 50 years ago based on their cornerstone principles of honesty, integrity and quality, per the company website. Since then, Andgar has grown to include fields beyond heating, ventilation and air conditioning in Whatcom and Skagit counties and broader northwest Washington.

Andgar now specializes in commercial and mechanical HVAC and plumbing, food processing equipment, architectural metals, building envelope services and REGENIS biogas digesters, which process manure on farms for sustainability.

Another part of Andgar is Andgar University. Many residents of Whatcom County are familiar with the colleges in the area but maybe not all on-the-job training programs done at the company level. Despite its name and that is does have training affiliations in the trades, Andgar University is not a college, university or private, licensed school. Trainees are paid during training with Andgar University, and no tuition is ever collected.

As the company website describes it, Andgar facilitates accreditation and certification via its learning management system and

using organizations that offer curriculums and coursework for the construction trades industry. Hands-on learning experiences supplement and strengthen the safety and success of the Andgar team.

Tom Bajema, who started at Andgar in 1987, stayed with the company for six years, left and then returned in 2006. He started at the company with no experience but learned fast by “working side by side with expert journeyman-level workers,” he said. He moved up into different roles at the company, and part of his responsibilities now is the training program. He cites the trades as offering good wages (“the sky is the limit,” he said), as those with more experience and in larger cities can demand $50 an hour and more.

Bajema said the training started in 2019 with a more simplified approach, and then by 2020 during the pandemic that developed into Andgar University. The company leased classroom space not far from its headquarters outside of Ferndale in the Grandview Industrial area. Since the classes are small, not a lot of space is needed. The room contains traditional class spaces, with side areas to practice plumbing and other skills.

Chris Mason, the main instructor, got the

role after talking with his manager about the possibility of teaching. He is an Andgar employee who studied HVAC and then also learned sheet metal.

“I’ve always had a passion to teach,” he said. He initially saw himself eventually teaching at Bellingham Technical College but has been able to start this goal with Andgar.

A couple of the 20-or-so students sitting in the classroom gave their first names as Roman and Hayden. Hayden said he called around to see what companies were offering and liked Andgar’s approach.

Andgar goes into the community to career fairs to meet students deciding on career paths. The program is eight weeks long, with students receiving paid training while also working in general construction, HVAC and plumbing. Mason is the sole teacher of the two classes offered currently. He’s a BTC grad technician who still works in the field. The ages in the class were between 20 and 35.

Those interested can apply online for training and employment. For more information about Andgar, see andgar.com. Andgar also supports the work of BTC, which has concentrated programs related to working in the trades.

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Elisa Claassen

Students and on-the-job training at Andgar University. PHOTO: Elisa Claassen

Securing your legacy

Five key steps to building your succession plan

Paul D. Twedt

As a business owner, you’ve poured your heart into building something that supports your family, employees, customers and community. Your business isn’t just your livelihood, it’s personal. In fact, 84 percent of business owners report a strong emotional attachment to their work, according to a 2021 Northwestern Mutual and Forbes Insights survey.

The idea of stepping away can feel overwhelming and raise countless questions. Among the most important: “How will my business survive without me?”

It’s a valid concern. The 2021 study shows that 65 percent of owners worry their business may falter without them — but just 34 percent have a succession plan in place.

Planning ahead not only can ensure your life’s work endures but also can unlock immediate benefits. Here are five key steps to help you create a succession plan that can secure your business’s future and provide peace of mind.

1. Define your goals and objectives

Start by discussing your eventual transition with your family, management team and key contributors. Clarify what you want to achieve with your exit — whether it’s maximizing financial returns, preserving the company culture or ensuring a smooth leadership transition.

2. Regularly value your business

Many owners assume their business’s sale will fund their retirement, but do you know what it’s truly worth? A regular business valuation helps identify gaps between what you need and what your business can generate. Knowing your company’s value is crucial to fair compensation, especially if you need to step away unexpectedly.

3. Decide on future ownership

Who will take over your business depends on such factors as market conditions, your company’s size and your personal goals. Consider these common options:

• Merger or acquisition: Selling your

business to another company can be one of the most profitable exits, especially for solopreneurs. However, it’s often time-intensive and can incur significant costs.

• Management buy-out: Selling to a business partner or key employee offers a smoother transition since that person already is familiar with operations. This can be straightforward and rewarding.

• Family acquisition: Keeping the business in the family preserves your legacy and builds multigenerational wealth. While it may be less financially lucrative, it offers long-term benefits and allows you to groom the next owner over time.

4. Keep plans and legal documents up to date

Your succession plan is not a “set it and forget it” document. Review it annually alongside related legal documents (wills, trusts, powers of attorney, beneficiary designations, etc.) to ensure everything aligns with your evolving goals.

5.

Work with a trusted financial team

A financial team experienced in business planning can coordinate your advisers and help you create a comprehensive

strategy that aligns your personal and business goals. The team can guide you through decisions with confidence, ensuring your business thrives for years to come.

Whatever stage your business is in, planning your exit early helps ensure you protect your legacy and provide for those who depend on you. Taking proactive steps today gives you peace of mind, knowing your business will continue to flourish — no matter what the future holds.

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Paul D. Twedt RICP®, CLU®, ChFC®, is a private wealth adviser at Aria Financial Services. Learn more at https://afs.nm.com/.

Top 10 questions business owners should ask their CPAs

Tanya Silves

As a business owner, working with a certified public accountant offers invaluable insights that go beyond tax compliance. CPAs are advisers who can help you position your business for growth, manage complex regulatory requirements and plan strategically for the future. Here are 10 crucial questions to ask your CPA — plus one essential bonus question — to maximize your business’s value, ensure compliance and prepare for sustainable growth.

1. Why is it important to accurately track my ownership basis?

Ownership basis can be complex, but it’s essential for calculating gain or loss upon sale, contributions or distributions. It determines the taxable amount of these transactions, which can have significant tax implications if not managed correctly. Ask your CPA annually what your basis is and how it is calculated, including tracking initial investments, additional contributions and distributions. Your CPA can help you understand how asset acquisitions and improvements impact your basis and which records to keep. A thorough understanding of your ownership basis may not only reduce your tax liability

upon a sale but also provide clarity in making strategic ownership decisions over time.

2. What should I be doing now for succession planning?

For businesses, succession planning is essential for a smooth transition, especially when there are multiple stakeholders involved. It’s not just about choosing a successor; it involves structuring the transition to protect your business’s value. Ask your adviser to help you create a clear road map, which may include buy-sell agreements, tax strategies and estate planning. Your CPA can work with you to evaluate the tax impacts of various succession structures and identify strategies to minimize costs, such as gifting or deferral mechanisms. The right succession plan ensures that the transition supports the financial and operational health of your business and helps avoid future conflicts among successors.

3. How can we increase my business’s value?

Building business value is often a key goal, especially if you’re looking toward a future sale, expansion or investment. Your CPA can identify strategies to improve profitability, reduce unnecessary expenses and optimize financial structures, making your business more attractive to potential buyers or inves-

tors. Your CPA also can guide you in strategic decisions, such as reinvesting profits for growth, improving operational efficiencies or establishing tax strategies that enhance your bottom line. By identifying and leveraging key performance indicators, your adviser can help you make decisions that actively build value over time, ensuring your business remains competitive and financially strong.

4. What tax credits and deductions am I missing?

The tax code offers numerous credits and deductions that can significantly impact your business’s bottom line, but they’re often complex and easy to overlook. Ask your adviser to review any industry-specific credits that might be available to your business, such as research and development tax credits, green energy credits or job creation incentives. Your adviser also can assess potential deductions, such as depreciation for new equipment, employee retention credits or other emerging opportunities. Your adviser’s guidance here can ensure you’re not missing out on these opportunities and can help you set up structures or processes to maximize your eligibility for these credits moving forward.

5. How should I handle current human resources and payroll compliance?

The world of HR and payroll compliance is constantly evolving, with

changes in labor laws, minimum wage rules and worker classification requirements creating new challenges. Failing to stay compliant can lead to costly penalties. Your CPA can help ensure your payroll processes are up to date with the latest regulations and advise on overtime compliance, worker classification (particularly relevant with gig and contract workers) and even benefits reporting. Additionally, your CPA can assist in identifying payroll systems that simplify reporting and improve accuracy. An organized payroll structure not only helps you avoid penalties but also supports transparency and trust within your workforce.

6. Are my financial statements telling me what I need to know?

Financial statements are the foundation of informed business decisions. However, understanding them goes beyond simply looking at the bottom line. Ask your CPA whether your statements accurately reflect performance and financial health. Your adviser can guide you on using additional financial metrics such as cash flow analysis, profitability ratios and trend analysis to provide deeper insights. Your CPA also can help ensure that your statements comply with generally accepted accounting principles or other applicable standards, making your business more credible to lenders and investors. By leveraging these insights, you can make data-driven decisions that align with your strategic goals.

7. How should I be structuring compensation for key employees?

Retaining skilled employees is crucial for any business, and compensation is one of the primary tools for doing so. However, structuring compensation packages can have tax implications and impact your cash flow. Ask your CPA

about structuring tax-efficient compensation options (performance bonuses, equity options, retirement plans, etc.), which can be tailored to benefit your key employees while also aligning with your business goals. A well-structured compensation plan can boost retention and motivation while minimizing your overall tax burden.

8. How can I reduce my business’s tax burden in the long term?

While short-term tax savings are beneficial, it’s also essential to think about long-term tax strategies. Ask your adviser for ways to manage tax burdens over time, including strategies such as deferring income, using retirement plans for tax savings or managing depreciation deductions and asset purchases. By planning ahead and modeling the potential impact of tax law changes, you can smooth out cash flow impacts and reduce tax liability across multiple years, supporting both stability and growth in the long run.

9. What are my options for raising capital?

If you’re considering expansion, modernization or new ventures, you may need to raise additional capital. Ask your CPA to help you assess financing options, including traditional bank loans, venture capital, equity financing and grants, depending on your goals and industry. Your adviser also can assist in preparing financial statements and forecasts that appeal to potential investors or lenders. Understanding your financing options helps you make informed choices about growth while protecting your current financial position.

10. How do I best protect my assets?

Risk management is essential in any business, and asset protection should

be a key consideration. Your CPA can advise you on strategies to protect both personal and business assets, including setting up separate legal entities, creating a comprehensive insurance plan, and using trusts or other financial instruments. By actively managing these protections, you can reduce exposure to liabilities and create a more secure financial foundation for your business and personal wealth.

Bonus: Should I be reviewing state and local tax issues for remote employees or out-of-state sales?

In today’s business environment, it’s increasingly common for businesses to have remote employees or customers across state lines. However, these scenarios can create complex tax implications. Ask your CPA about reviewing your obligations for state income taxes on employees who work remotely, services being performed for recipients in other states, and any sales tax liabilities for products or services sold out of state. Compliance with these tax rules is critical to avoiding penalties and unexpected tax bills, as state tax authorities are increasing their scrutiny on businesses with out-of-state activities. Staying informed regarding your multistate tax obligations can protect your business’s reputation and keep you compliant with evolving state tax laws.

By asking these strategic questions, you’ll gain a clear road map for growing and protecting your business. Your CPA is a valuable partner in helping you navigate these complex areas, ensuring that your business remains resilient and prepared for the challenges and opportunities ahead.

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Tanya Silves is a partner and tax director at Larson Gross CPAs & Consultants.

2025

How local businesses and leaders see 2025 unfolding

Dann Mead Smith

As we start a new year, Business Pulse asked some local business leaders for their economic forecast for 2025, both for their own business/industry and for the county in general.

In addition, the Whatcom Business Alliance held its annual economic forecast event in December, featuring a national economist from Wells Fargo who outlined her predictions and what she will be watching at the national level in the new year.

Here are Wells Fargo economist Shannon Grein’s thoughts on some overall economic trends to watch:

• Population growth in the county is estimated to increase by about 1 percent per year, with the trend continuing of older people of non-working age moving in.

• Washington’s unemployment rate is slightly higher than the national average, and hiring has slowed in the state.

• The Trump administration is inheriting a strong economy “but some vulnerabilities are surfacing,” such as a slightly slowing gross domestic product growth and inflation trending higher (her forecast is 2.2 to 2.5 percent).

• Uncertainly over the threatened tariffs against Mexico, Canada and China. Are they “negotiating tactics”?

• She does not see a recession in 2025.

• Hiring has slowed, but no “massive layoffs” are forecast.

What follows are some on-the-ground thoughts from local business leaders in our area as they start the new year.

Tiera Nipges, co-owner of Pacific Facility Solutions in Bellingham

“My thoughts on the economy right now are about overall affordability in Whatcom County. My employees are increasingly telling me that they are having a hard time paying their bills and affording to live here. Housing affordability is a huge issue for anyone who rents or has bought a home in the past four years. It’s very difficult to maintain a stable workforce when even middle-income earners are struggling with the cost of living here. As a business owner, I am looking to the future and only seeing things getting worse.”

Nipges also mentioned that energy costs are a major contributing factor in affordability, both for her business and for her employees.

“Energy and the price of gas will increase in this state and further increase the cost of pretty much everything. As a small business owner with a fleet of company vehicles, fuel prices are a big concern for me. With the failure of Initiative 2117 (repealing the Climate Commitment Act/carbon tax), I am deeply concerned about how much fuel and other energy costs will rise over the next five years.

“The economy appears fairly solid in Whatcom County at this time, but my experience is that too many of our citizens

are still struggling to make ends meet. The best way to improve that locally is to focus on housing — namely, building more of it and more lower- and middle-income units.”

Nico Sanchez, founder and owner of Black Noise Records in Bellingham

“Regarding our store, we are just going to continue striving to provide the best store/ selection that we can at competitive prices going into 2025.

“As far as the general economy is concerned, I understand it is mostly out of our control, so we will just continue to strive for quality in any way that we can through the store and [record] label. In order for small businesses like mine to thrive, the store must fulfil a need in the community, which I believe we have tapped into over the past four years. More importantly, in order for businesses to succeed in a town like Bellingham, people’s basic needs need to be fulfilled, and the cost of living needs to be attainable. When people have disposable income, they are able to support small businesses like mine.”

Lance Calloway, Bellingham resident and northern district manager of the Associated General Contractors of Washington

“As we move into 2025, it’s a bit uncertain what will happen. AGC’s contractors mainly work on public and commercial projects. The good news is that funding from the

federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is starting to come through, so there will be some substantial projects moving forward. However, state and local governments, as well as school districts, are facing significant deficits, which might delay some projects until their financial situation improves. Despite this, many local contractors I’ve talked to have a decent number of projects lined up.”

Ryan Likkel, CEO of Western Refinery Services

“We are optimistic on the year ahead. We do expect some headwinds to slow our start in 2025, but we expect the year to settle in and be a decent growth year for our company.”

Likkel also shared his thoughts on the state of the local economy in general.

“Even after the election, there still seems to be a lot of uncertainty in the economy. I think the looming threats of tax increases to cover budget shortfalls at the state level keep the business community uneasy.

“The regulations at the local level make expansion very difficult. The example of Healthy Pet shuttering their local manufacturing plant here in Ferndale and the inability of Philips 66 to add their Green Apple project, both because of permits or the local regulatory environment. In one case, a company picked up and moved 200plus jobs out of state, and the other was unable to expand their scope of work. Both businesses tried to make a change to improve efficiency and become greener, but the local government did not want to approve the changes requested. All in all, we believe this makes for a very slow deterioration of the local economy.”

Dan Dunne, president of the Building Industry Association of Whatcom County

“My overall feeling is that we are ending the recessionary trough of the economic cycle but entering a period of unknowns, with a lot of potential federal policy changes that affect the economy that are outside of our local control.”

Dunne is focused on housing, water and issues surrounding the new Whatcom Comprehensive Plan as he looks at what to expect in 2025.

“The Comp Plan is in process, and it looks like all the jurisdictions … will allow more housing in existing urban growth areas, annexing land and infrastructure investment. Much of the expected increase in housing stock is in multifamily housing, such as apartment buildings and duplexes, which are generally rented out. However, jurisdictions are also creating barriers to building homes, including tree protection ordinances, more stringent wetland rules and renter protection ordinances.”

His thoughts on water issues included: “The Nooksack Adjudication has a long time frame and an uncertain outcome, but the current effect is to produce uncertainty for the value of homes on wells. This uncertainty will decrease the price of these homes and increase the price of homes with guaranteed water (on a municipal source).

“So how does all this affect housing? There is a large unknown at this point in time how federal policies on spending, interest rates, immigration and tariffs will affect housing in Whatcom County. However, my best guess is that decreasing interest rates and inflation will make homes more affordable, as will local policy choices that make it easier to build homes and provide more land to build on. However, this will be countered by a growing older population and a tighter labor market (especially in the trades) and an increasingly difficult regulatory environment, which increase the cost of housing.”

Ben Faber, president of Faber Construction in Lynden

“Generally, we are cautiously optimistic for 2025. In 2024, we have seen a pullback in the private market due to interest rates and wanting to wait to see which way the

national political winds blow. Now the new administration is certain, and with the [Federal Reserve] signaling at least a couple rate cuts, we see some developers are getting off the sidelines. Faber’s diversity of work is what keeps our backlog full; we straddle the public and private markets well and push more into one or the other depending on how soft things are. Heavy civil (infrastructure) public work will continue to be really strong in 2025, and we anticipate some of the private commercial projects will follow.”

Doug Thomas, president and CEO of Bellingham Cold Storage

“Bellingham Cold Storage is optimistic about 2025 as it relates to demand for our cold storage and logistics services; however, the added impact of higher electricity and fuel prices will definitely have a damper on our industry in general, which is tremendously reliant on fuel and energy. Unfortunately, this often translates into higher consumer prices at the grocery stores, restaurants and school lunch programs that we serve, and if taken too far, we will find ourselves uncompetitive with our neighboring states when it comes to providing goods and services.

“The state of Washington’s cap and invest mandate/CCA law may prove to be simply too much for Washington businesses who are energy intensive to compete, and the next few years will tell that tale.”

Dann Mead Smith is the co-founder and codirector of Project 42. He is the former president/ CEO of Washington Policy Center and has been writing for Business Pulse for three years. Dann lives part time in Birch Bay and Seattle. ■

Rotary in Whatcom County… and beyond!

When you think of Rotary International, is the first image that comes to mind a bunch of men in suits writing checks to build parks depicted in black and white photos, buried in photo albums of your grandparents?

If so, it is time to update that image! Rotary Clubs in Whatcom County are alive, vibrant and still very relevant to building the community you enjoy today.

First, what is Rotary?

Rotary was founded as a service organization in Chicago in 1905. The goal of the original club was to create an organization through which professional men

could exchange ideas and focus on civic service, ethical leadership and promoting peace. Through the years, Rotary grew to become an international organization open to all. The overarching goals are similar, but the scope has broadened to include disease prevention and treatment, providing basic education and literacy, encouraging community economic development, improving maternal and child health, and helping the environment. Today, there are over 46,000 Rotary Clubs around the world in more than 200 countries that are working toward the same broad goals.

Rotary comes to Bellingham

Rotary’s roots in Whatcom County are strong. The first Rotary Club (the Rotary Club of Bellingham) was founded in 1917 (No. 331 in the world!). This club meets at 12:15 p.m. on Mondays at Whatcom Community College.

Community capital improvement projects and nonprofit grants

The Rotary Club of Bellingham has helped spearhead or provided some of the funding for numerous projects that Bellinghamsters enjoy to this day: Boulevard Park, the Depot Market, Arne

Rotary Club of Bellingham members at Whatcom Community College in May 2023. (Courtesy photo.)

Shauna Naf

Hanna Aquatic Center, Civic Field, Hospice House and Fairhaven Village Green. More recently, the club has provided large capital improvement fund grants for the Community Food Bank, the Community Boating Center Wheelhouse building, the Max Higbee Center, the parking lot at Galbraith Mountain and the Whatcom Center for Early Learning. The club is currently raising funds for the Lighthouse Mission medical center housed inside its new building downtown.

The club also provides smaller funds for nonprofits for specific projects. In the past several years, the club has granted more than $20,000 to local nonprofits, including the Boys & Girls Club of Whatcom County, HomesNow, Skookum Kids, Camp Kirby, the WildBirds backpack program and Scout Troop 4019.

Service projects

But the club does more than write checks! It is an active participant in numerous service projects throughout Bellingham each year. In fact, the annual cleanup of Sunnyland Memorial Park in anticipation of Memorial Day was one of the first community volunteer park cleanups way back in 1992 that inspired the city of Bellingham to adopt the park volunteer program. According to the city of Bellingham, from September 2023 to June 2024, 13,286 volunteer hours were logged across the city, with people of all ages coming out to work on Bellingham’s parks.

Additional club service projects in 2024 included helping the Community Boating Center get ready for the season and then close everything up for fall, working on the Whatcom Center for Early Learning house, bell ringing for the Salvation Army, and food packing with Children of the Nations (in 2024, the club and volunteers packed 41,256 meals with 102 volunteers in two and a half hours).

International focus

Although much of the club’s service is close to home, it is involved in a few projects with far-reaching impact, including:

• Support for the International Project Alliance, a large collaborative group of Rotary Clubs, organizations and individuals in northwest Washington with a long-term commitment to helping the people of the Copán Ruinas region of western Honduras. IPA projects cover most areas of international aid, including education, health, food and agriculture, water and sanitation, construction, and economic development, supporting the indigenous Mayan people in 38 mountain villages.

• Funding for the African Ruggedized Education System program, which provides an educational learning hub, computers and a way of charging them in communities in Kenya that don’t have reliable power or internet access.

• The Bellingham club and other clubs in Whatcom County also participate in the Rotary International Student Exchange Program, which currently is playing host to high school students from France, Ethiopia, Spain and Japan, with students outbound to Mexico and Italy.

Scholarships

The Rotary Club of Bellingham Foundation, funded by members and investments, donates, on average, more than $90,000 per year to local students through the Whatcom Scholarship Fund program and named scholarship funds.

Wow! That’s some impact.

You bet! When Rotarians get together to work on a cause, they are unstoppable! But being a member of the Rotary Club of Bellingham isn’t just all work with no play. The club promotes camaraderie in its weekly meetings and social events. Many members have forged lifelong

friendships. Business relationships flourish and club members have done everything together, from biking hundreds of miles to traveling the world.

Think Rotary may be right for you?

While club members today are much more likely to attend a meeting in jeans or business casual than the suits of yesteryear, Rotary still is very much a part of creating a vibrant future for Whatcom County. The club would love for you to be a part of it! Its ranks are looking for people just like you who are ready to make a difference in 2025 and beyond. If you possess the spirit of service, take the next step: visit the Bellingham club’s website at www.BellinghamRotary.org or reach out to rcob@comcast.net to join a meeting or learn more about becoming a Rotarian.

Did you know? ■

There are six Rotary Clubs in Whatcom County plus an Interact Club (for high school students) at Squalicum High School and a Rotaract Club (for college students) at Western Washington University. Each club has a different culture and focus. Learn more at portal. clubrunner.ca/264/page/ whatcom-county-rotary-clubs.