February
2017
Business Connection
Volume 9, Issue 2
Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce
Sketching was one of the creative outlets kids were offered during the sQuatch Fest.
Big Foot a big draw and wildly successful I
t was such a success, it looks like it will be annual, Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce bookkeeper and sQuatch Fest organizer Amy Hallock said after the event closed its doors January 28 at the Cowlitz County Convention Center.
Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce Team Bill Marcum, CEO Lindsey Cope, Project Manager Amy Hallock, Bookkeeper Kelso Longview Business Connection is published monthly by the Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce 105 N. Minor Road • Kelso, WA 98626 • 360-423-8400 kelsolongviewchamber.org To advertise, call Bill Marcum, 360-423-8400 or email bmarcum@ kelsolongviewchamber.org Ad Deadline: 20th of each month
“All everyone talked about all night was how we need to do this next year!” Hallock said. “Breweries, vendors and speakers all said they are in for next year.” The daylong event drew nearly 1,400 Big Foot enthusiast to the area to listen to experts in the field, purchase sovenirs and sip some appropriately named beers. If you brought the kids in tow, there were plenty of age-approriate activities to keep young minds, and hands and feet, busy. The number of believers fell around the attendance numbers Chamber CEO Bill Marcum expected. In addition to the crowd, the event drew 25 vendors, seven breweries and five guest speakers. Hallock could not pinpoint where all the visitors originated, but did say those who purchased their tickets in advance definitately favored the out-of-town crowd. The event provided an opportunity for For more sQuatch Fest, see page 3
Dr. Jeff Meldrum, Idaho State University professor and author, kept attendees on the edge of their seats with his findings from his study of Sasquatch.
Thank you to everyone that made sQuatch Fest a complete success! The Chamber could not put on events like these without the support of our Members, Volunteers and Community! Special Thanks to the Mount St Helens Event sponsors – Bicoastal Media and Klog, KUKN, The Wave. Hoffstadt Bluff Sponsors: Golden Ladder Interiors, Bobs Sporting Goods and Cal Portland who sponsored the Kid’s Cave. Columbia River and Speaker Sponsor: Three Rivers Mall Ape Cave Sponsors: The Red Lion Hotel, Foster Farm, Millennium Bulk and Corwin Beverage Elk Meadow Sponsors: Pacific Office Automation, Twin City Bank, Windermere Real Estate and Ecological Land Service. Volunteers: Hollie Burns, Teedara Garn, Pam & Destry Fierst, Len & Brody Hallock, Guy Edwards, Julie Rinard, Karen Sisson, Trent & Deena McGhee, Shanna Busby, Pam Whittle, Darrell Whittle, Natalie Coleman, Clay Bartness, Brenda Marcum, Marlene Johanson, Jason Meunier, Diane Craft, Mark Morris Sasquatch Club, Brooke & Annabelle Fisher-Clark, Rachel Strand, The United Way Crew, Angela Cruz, The Cowlitz Visionary Youth, Carrie & Dave Medack, Shawn & Leah Green, John Paul, Jason Reetz, Tina Hart, Jake Anderson, Chris Brand, Michelle Carr, Lance Welch, Carrie, Brooke Hendrickson, Angela Stuart, John McMeekan, Kim Cooper, Joelle Wilson and Crystal Brown. And to the Following Breweries who participated and donated to our scholarship fund: Five Don’s, Ashtown, Mill City Brew Werks, 54 – 40’ Brewing, Backwoods, Victor 23, & Elysian Brewing. We look forward to working with you again at sQuatch Fest 2018!
sQuatch Fest continued from page 1 believers to share their stories of sightings, and there were a lot of them, and to swap notes with experts in the field like Dr. Jeff Meldrum, an anthropology and anatomy professor from Idaho State University, and researchers like Derek Randalls from the Olympic Project, which is dedicated to gathering information about Sasquatch.
Believers could snap a photograph with the Chamber's resident Sasquatch, Harry, cast a mold of a Big Foot, or shop for souvenirs among any number of the vendors that dotted the Cowlitz County Convention Center.
See more photos on the Chamber’s Facebook page or click here.
February 2017 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | 3
Chamber adds three new members to Board The Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce kicked off the new year by welcoming Nick Lemiere, Chris Roewe and Wendy Kosloski to its Board of Directors.
The selection process Board Members are selected from members in good standing to serve a three-year term, and can serve up to two consecutive terms. The board president assembles a nominating committee, which makes recommendations to the executive board, which in turn makes recommendations to the full board. Once approved by the full board the slate of new board members is sent to the membership with an opportunity for any other member to apply for a position on the board. If no one comes forward the board approves the recommendation at the next meeting of the full board.
Roewe, a partner and broker with Woodford Commercial Real Estate in Kelso, jokes that he joined the board because they asked and promised cookies, but all joking aside: “I thought my local knowledge of what’s going on in business community could help grow and improve the Chamber,” he said. Since joining the Chamber about five years ago, Roewe has served as an Ambassador, a Lower Columbia Professional and as chair for the scholarship committee. He is also a member of Kelso Rotary and LeTip of Longview. His involvement and commitment earned him the Chamber’s 2016 Business Person of the Year award.
Chris Roewe
“I joined to be more involved in the community,” Roewe said. “I already enjoyed going to the events and training they put on so it was a natural fit.” Lemiere, now an Edward Jones financial adviser in Longview, was with Red Canoe Credit Union when he joined the Chamber a decade ago. Like many Chamber members, he joined to get involved more with the local business community. His involvement with the Chamber includes the Lower Columbia Professionals, serving as chair for two years, and he has been an Ambassador since 2007, and chair for the past two years. He has also lent
his voice as a regular host on Your Chamber Connection radio show. He is also active in the community as a member of Longview Pioneer Lions, the Bridge Church, Community Home Health and Hospice Foundation Committee. “I’ve loved the opportunities to volunteer at monthly events, and annual events like the Jingle All the Way 5k, and the Chamber Golf Classic,” he said. “I decided to join the board to help serve the Chamber in a new role.”
Nick Lemiere
Both said they hope to continue the health and growth past board members have created and help provide future health and growth during their tenure. Kosloski, Teague’s Interiors owner in downtown Longview, will be featured in the March newsletter.
Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors Lance Welch, President
Chris Bailey Lower Columbia College
Nick Lemiere Edward Jones
Clayton J. Bartness, DC Longview Chiropractic Clinic
Chris Roewe Woodford Commercial Real Estate
Neil Zick, Treasurer
Ken Botero Longview City Council
Tom Rozwod NORPAC/Weyerhaeuser
Michael Claxton, Legal Counsel
Bob Crisman Gallery of Diamonds
Ted Sprague Cowlitz Economic Development Council
Julie Rinard, Past President
Wendy Hutchinson Millennium Bulk Terminals
Steve Taylor Kelso City Manager
Joel Hanson, Past Past President
Wendy Kosloski Teague's Interiors
Dennis Weber Cowlitz County Commissioner
PeaceHealth
Linda DiLembo, President Elect Three Rivers Mall
Frank Panarra, Vice President Foster Farms
Twin City Bank
Walstead Mertsching
Community Home Health & Hospice KLOG/KUKN/The Wave
4 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | February 2017
Calendar Wednesday February 1 – 7:30am Education Foundation Lower Columbia College February 1 – 8:30am 40 for 2020 Cowlitz County Conference Center February 1 – 9am Business and Tourism Expo Committee Meeting Corner Café Thursday February 2 – 7:30am Ambassadors Committee Canterbury Park February 2 – 11:30am Ribbon Cutting Crossfit Confluence 1255 Alabama St. Suite A Tuesday February 7 – 5:30-7:30pm Business After Hours Columbia Theatre 1231 Vandercook Way Tuesday February 14 – 11am Ribbon Cutting Cowlitz County Master Gardeners 1946 3rd Ave, Longview Wednesday February 15 – 11:30am Ribbon Cutting Bethany Lutheran Church 2900 Parkview Dr, Longview Thursday February 16 – 8:30am-1:30pm Business Back 2 School Mark Morris High Friday February 20 Early Bird Deadline Business and Tourism Expo You signed up? Wednesday March 1 – 7:30am Education Foundation Lower Columbia College
Lower Columbia College By Chris Bailey
President
Why education, and service, matter Lower Columbia College grad Alina Nestjorkina originally planned to major in business, but developed a fascination with medicine on a humanitarian aid trip to Haiti three months after the devastating 2010 earthquake. During the visit, Alina was deeply affected by a malnourished infant who came to the clinic in an unresponsive state. Her job was to use a syringe to put small amounts of formula in the child’s mouth, and gently move her jaw up and down to encourage her to swallow. After several hours, the baby began swallowing on her own and was feeding and responding normally by the time she left the clinic. When Alina returned from Haiti she was transformed. She switched her focus from business to science, and began volunteering at a local hospital. She had the opportunity to interact with both patients and healthcare professionals at the hospital, and was even able to shadow a physician. In that capacity she observed physical exams, deliveries, post-surgical checkups and general consultations. The experience helped her learn about the “backside” of healthcare, and cemented her desire to become a doctor. After completing her associate degree at LCC in 2011, she transferred to Western Washington University. In 2013 she earned a bachelor of science degree. Then she joined the Peace Corps and was sent to Tanzania where she taught science at a secondary school and worked to educate village residents about disease prevention, particularly in regard to malaria and HIV. When a cholera outbreak gripped Tanzania during her stay, Alina tracked the spread of the disease and recorded each fatality. In each case – malaria, HIV, cholera – what struck her the most was the importance of behavioral change to both individual and societal health. After two years in Tanzania, Alina returned to the United States to pursue her dream of attending medical school. Her experiences in both Haiti and Tanzania helped shape her strong personal philosophy about the importance of mental change to the disease prevention and management process. As a future physician, Alina’s dream is to contribute to a healthier global community by spreading education about preventable diseases. One patient at a time. As educators, our dream at LCC is to change the world. One student at a time. Find out how LCC can help you accomplish your dreams, or how you can help a student accomplish theirs, by visiting lowercolumbia.edu.
Thursday March 2 – 7:30am Ambassadors Committee Canterbury Park Every Monday February 23-April 24 – 7am Legislative Briefing Breakfast Red Lion Hotel, Birch Room 510 Kelso Dr, Kelso Every Wednesday Chamber Connections KEDO/1400 AM – 3-4 pm Stream live at www.threeriversradio.com
February 2017 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | 5
Chamber CEO’s Message By Bill Marcum
A host of events to build business Business Back 2 School at Mark Morris High School February 16, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.: This is a great opportunity to come and see what has changed in the past 40-plus years since you were in high school. It’s not just shop or auto mechanics anymore. Currently 70 percent of all jobs in the United States do NOT require a fouryear degree. Career and Technical Education understands those numbers and research shows that within the next 10 years 75 percent off all jobs in America will NOT require a four-year degree. So how do we provide our kids with the best opportunity to be successful, get a job, have a family and provide for their family? Through career training and technical training. The Chamber provides you this opportunity to spend the morning with Mark Morris instructors and students, and hear about the challenges facing them today. This is the second in a three-part series. Kelso High led the way in October, followed by Mark Morris on February 16 and then RA Long and Discovery Schools in May. Don’t miss this great opportunity to witness first-hand what our schools are doing to prepare our kids for their future. We only have 25 seats available so don’t wait too long to sign up. Boot Camp 2017 sponsored by Fibre Federal Credit Union and WorkSource – Boardmanship 101 starts up again March 3, 7:30 to 9 a.m. each Friday at the Lower Columbia College Heritage Room: This will be our third year of hosting the vital series on understanding your role as a board member for a nonprofit organization. As a board-driven organization this class is for your new and current board members, prospective board members and the CEO. Often board members do not understand their role when they accept a board position. “Oh, It will only take a hour a month...” famous last words as you read your name in the local paper. Understand what your role as a board member is and that of the CEO. What are your responsibilities when it comes to the financial stability of the organization? Now your president? Be prepared... With each registration you can send three people to each class. They can rotate to better serve the area they most want to learn, or attend every class. To register call the Chamber at 360-423-8400 or go to www. kelsolongviewchamber.org. March 3 – Gary Healea – Role of the Board vs. the CEO March 10 – Frank McShane – Working as a Team March 17 – Jennifer Leach – Handling Conflict (colors of the board) March 24 – Scott Davis – Financial Accountability March 31 – Terry McLaughlin – Facilitating and Leading Meetings 6 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | February 2017
(Robert’s Rules) April 7 – Chris Bailey, LCC – Succession Planning Friday Mornings 7:30 – 9 a.m. LCC Admin Building, Heritage Room Business and Tourism Expo, March 8, 3 to 7 p.m., Cowlitz County Conference Center: This will be my fifth year with the Building Bridges Expo. Last year we merged the Business Expo and its 80-plus businesses with the Tourism Expo, the goal...combining both events into one we will generate more interest, more attendance for both organizations and greater visibility for our participating members. It was a huge success. Again this year, KapStone will be one of our “major” sponsors and I would like to specifically thank Rosemary Purcell and everyone at KapStone for their support of many Chamber events during the year and also their support of many, many, community events. Your support and generosity is unmatched. Other major sponsors are Twin City Bank, Prographyx, Millennium Bulk Terminals, BiCoastal Media, PeaceHealth, Koelsch Senior Communities and KUKN, KLOG and the Wave. All of these sponsors are in their fifth year of sponsorship and see great value in this event. Our media sponsors are KUKN, KLOG and the Wave, Valley Bugler, Columbia River Reader, Minuteman Press, Global Images Graphic Design and Marketing, Prographyx and BiCoastal Media. Each of these sponsors assist the Chamber with marketing the event with radio spots, newspaper advertising, graphic design, logo design, social media advertising, banner advertising and signage. They also all contribute a $500 gift certificate toward the $5,000 Media Kit that we raffle off to one of our booth or table venders. That’s $5,000 of professional assistance from 10 different professionals in 10 different areas. How can this not help your business be more successful? Thank you to these fantastic sponsors. We have two deadlines to secure your booth or table space. Early deadline is February 20. Booth space is $250 for Chamber members and $350 for non-members; table space is $150 members and $250 non-members. After February 20 booth space prices go up to $450 members and $550 non-members; table space increases to $250 members and $350 nonmembers. So don’t delay, call us today and save $100 to $200 or go online at www.kelsolongviewchamber.org and get signed up. We are estimating more than 100 businesses participating. From 5 to 7 p.m. we will be giving away gift baskets and certificates provided by many of the booth and table venders, nearly one every 10 minutes will be given away...light hors d’oeuvres will be served, beverages will be available. Come celebrate a true business to business afterhours... there will be no cost to attend the event. Who knows how much fun you will be able to have during the Business and Tourism Expo. Helping our local businesses be more successful.
2017 Small Business
BOOT CAMP 2017 Series begins Friday, March 3 Friday Mornings ★ Lower Columbia College
7:30 am - 9 am ★ Heritage Room at LCC - Admin. Bldg.
March 3
bOARDMANSHIP six pack Role of the Board vs the CEO Facilitator: Gary Healea, PNE Corp.
March 10 Working as a Team Facilitator: Frank McShane, Cascade Networks March 17 Handling Conflict (colors of the board) Facilitator: Jennifer Leach, WSU Extension Faculty and President of the Longview School Board. March 24 Financial Accountability Facilitator: Scott Davis, CPA, Davis and Associates, CPAs March 31 Facilitating and Leading Meetings (Robert’s Rules) Facilitator: Terry McLaughlin, Cowlitz County Assessor April 7
$
Succession Planning Facilitator: Chris Bailey, President, LCC Pricing same as 2013! $
100 Members
★
160 Non-Members
SOCIAL MEDIA 201 Six Pack Starts May 5
❝ The Boardmanship Boot Camp is perfect for those boards who want to go to the next level. From basic board principles to finances to strategic planning, it has everything your board needs to make the next year what you want it to be. If you’re sick of just getting by and want to be an active board of directors to help your non-profit, I highly recommend this Boot Camp for you. Gary Chapin KLTV Board President
❞
360-423-8400
www.kelsolongviewchamber.org
Cowlitz Economic Development Council By Ted Sprague
Executive Director
Jobs and capital investments cure for economic health During the past three days I was able to participate in and listen to the Shorelines Permit public hearing process for the NW Innovation Works project at the Port of Kalama. The Cowlitz Economic Development Council (CEDC) took an unprecedented step and became a “party to the proceeding.” This meant we were able to call our own witnesses and potentially cross-examine others. Along with our attorney, Dave Nelson, we put together a team of former County Commissioner Mike Karnofski to discuss the county and its industrial history. Next, Hahli Clark, executive director of corporate partnerships and training, from Lower Columbia College spoke about the outstanding training capabilities of the college. Finally, I gave a snapshot of the past and present economic situation of the county and how the NW Innovation Works project would impact us from a jobs and tax base perspective. Sure, over three days, there were some slow moments, but overall it was a fascinating time watching this process work. The expertise and passion of the NWI team, the Port of Kalama and county residents advocating for a $1.8 billion project, which will create 1,000 construction jobs and nearly 200 full-time jobs was inspiring. I was also proud of Cowlitz County staff that put forward a recommendation to allow the shorelines permit to be granted. We will know in the next few weeks what the hearings examiner’s decision will be, but I am very optimistic for a favorable decision. That brings us to the direct connection between economic health and physical health. Currently, our health care sector is leading the way in job growth. Over the last decade, according to the State Employment Security Department, job growth in the health care sector
led us with the creation of nearly 1,000 new jobs, while manufacturing and construction lost more than 2,000 jobs. Health care is not only a vital part of our economy, but it is obviously critical to our day-to-day lives. While in the hearing for the last three days this thought kept creeping into my mind, “What do we need as a community to change the rates of poverty, poor health outcomes and stagnant housing market? What is the cure?” It is clear to me – the cure is – jobs and capital investment. Having a job not only helps you economically, but it gives a sense of purpose and community. It is interesting that today is – the national Project Homeless Connect. This is a one-day event, intended to help provide essential services to people in the community that are homeless, or are at risk of becoming homeless. When we testify at a public hearing or talk about regulations with legislators, these are some of the people we need to keep in mind. If we are successful and bring new jobs and capital investment to Cowlitz County everything improves. Our schools have better funding, our fire and police services are able to upgrade equipment, our home values go up, our quality of place rises and our community thrives. Not only that – it builds pride in where we live. In addition to the NW Innovation Works project, we have a portfolio of more than $4 billion in capital investment projects we are currently working on. Despite what you may have heard, they are not all fossil fuel projects. We have several related to our foreign trade zone and export, small and medium sized manufacturing, restaurants and hotels and local firms exploring options to expand their workforce. This is truly an exciting time to live in Cowlitz County.
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8 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | February 2017
360.414.1200 • www.expresslongview.com Jan 2017 Chamber Ad 4 x 2.5
March 8, 2017
3:00 pm - 7:00 pm COWLITZ COUNTY REGIONAL CONFERENCE CENTER
Building Bridges BUSINESS & TOURISM EXPO
SIGN UP NOW!
Up to $200 off for early sign up.
Booth Space (36 Available) Chamber Member
Non-Chamber Member
(any area Chamber Member)
$350 before February 20 $550 after February 20
$250 before February 20 $450 after February 20
For information on joining the Chamber visit: www.kelsolongviewchamber.org/members/become-member
Table Space (84 Available) Chamber Member
Non-Chamber Member
(any area Chamber Member)
$250 before February 20 $350 after February 20
$150 before February 20 $250 after February 20
For information on joining the Chamber visit: www.kelsolongviewchamber.org/members/become-member
Additional Sponsorship Packages Available Includes booth space, logo on all printed material, logo on website, banner at event and all advertising.
Call today 360-423-8400 or register online www.kelsolongviewchamber.org Major Sponsors:
KOELSCH COMMUNITIES SINCE 1958
Media Sponsors:
PRESENTED BY
City of Kelso
City of Longview
By Mayor David Futcher
By Councilmember Ken Botero
Parking in Tam O'Shanter park Tam O’Shanter Park is more than just another park for Kelso. It’s also an economic driver, hosting many sports tournaments that bring visitors to town, often for multi-day events that include a hotel stay. You may have recently read that one of the primary legislative goals Kelso has for our legislative delegation is for state help with Tam O’Shanter park improvements. There’s an interesting plan for the park that we hope can come to fruition with some state assistance. If you’ve used Tam O’Shanter, you know that traffic entering or ex-
Digging up support at all levels Greetings from Longview, that Quality of Place in the making. It seems like just a few months ago we were all interested in what was going on in Olympia, and guess what? Here we are again with the 2017 legislative session finally underway, not only in Olympia but also in the other Washington. We are still not too sure about what is happening in Washington D.C. and we have just an estimate of what the real Washington will be looking at. At the federal level, Longview is focusing on six grant projects to enhance our Quality of Place: • Phase II of the 432 Corridor Improvements • Self-contained Firefighter Equipment
iting the park can create a bit of a bottleneck. On high-use occasions
• Longview Fire Department Ladder Truck
like Highlander Festival – or just about any weekend of baseball sea-
• Columbia Heights Road Improvement
son – getting visitors and, more importantly, public safety personnel
• Beech Street Extension
in and out safely is crucial. The plan involves creating a circulation route that brings visitors in through the current entrance, then adds an exit through the back, behind the girls’ softball fields, joining with the Kelso School District’s current bus access road. Park visitors could exit via that road, coming out behind Rister Stadium. Another key part of the plan is that the current below-grade parking lot would be filled and new parking added at the same level as the larger, newer parking lot by Rister Stadium. Aligning the grade would provide for additional parking spaces and circulation options not presently available, as well as providing an improved surface in the eastern parking areas. We’ve pointed out to our legislative team that the community and the city have invested more than $2.6 million into Tam O’Shanter Park in the past 10 to 12 years. Let’s give credit where it’s due: most of that is from the private sector. Rister Stadium, Heerensperger Field, a disc golf course and remodeled youth baseball facilities are part of the community’s contributions to the park’s improvement. The city’s main capital contribution was the paving of the parking lot. Continuing growth of our parks system is unlikely without outside help. We’ve worked to paint the picture for the state that we’re not depending on them for everything, but if they have some way to help us, we’ll continue to enhance this key recreational and economic asset. 10 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | February 2017
• Bus Replacement Program Federal policy initiatives that we are asking our lobbyist to stay on top of include: to protect small Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and home entitlements; to support regulatory reform and oppose unfunded mandates; to support additional funding for police equipment; to extend and make permanent an alternative fuels tax credit; to support CDBG, HOME, Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistant Grant, Economic Development Administration, Transportation Investment Generating Economic Grant (TIGER), and Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) funding levels; support a marketplace Fairness Act/Internet Sales Tax and AFG planning and equipment. At the local level we are asking our legislative District 19 and 20 members to represent our local needs, including a positive outcome for funding education. In Longview we are working with our legislators in supporting a joint request from local project partners to accelerate the Industrial Way/Oregon Way project funding schedule in the Connecting Washington package to ensure the project can move forward on a timely basis. Seeking direct financial support through the capital budget for the following projects: • R.A. Long Park Plaza Reconstruction Project, $288,000 • Columbia Theater for the Performing Arts heating and ventilation system $500,000 • Law Enforcement Training Range Improvements, $263,000 • Downtown Streetscape completion improvements, $156,000 Areas that we are asking our legislators and lobbyist to help us, and the other 281 cities in Washington state include: ➢ Public Facilities District Sales Tax Credit Extension For more Longview, see page 11
Longview continued from page 10
Innovation is a benefit plan that benefits you.
➢ Heritage Grant Funding, to ensure that the $60,000 Shay Locomotive Plaza Grant application will be funded ➢ Criminal Justice Training Center Funding, assisting in our officer training programs ➢ Regional Mobility Grant Funding, assisting River Cities Transit ➢ Traditional Housing Notices, allowing communities more time for impact studies on transitional housing ➢ Pre-emptions and unfunded mandates
With a Willamette Dental Group plan, you’ll find a menu of dental benefits that has you and your family in mind. With no annual maximum, no deductible, and predictable, low copays, you won’t need to worry about any unknown costs.
➢ Review of Cost Drivers The City of Longview includes supporting the five initiatives and or concerns of the Association of Washington Cities as we partner with the other 280 cities in the state of Washington to make a positive move in a common, positive direction. We all need to step up to the plate and make our voices heard at the legislative sessions and return pride to our communities.
Visit our Longview office at 1461 Broadway St. or learn more at willamettedental.com.
February 2017 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | 11
By Chuck Nau
Retail Consultant and Sales and Managment Trainier – Murray & Nau, Inc.
'When business is tough to get...' As the new year unfolds, all indications are that a SLOW and, possibly, improving recovery is occurring. Once again, despite the glimmer on the horizon, are you and your business associates asking each other the question...“Why Advertise?”
familiar with you, your local business, service or company through past advertising campaigns. Leverage that awareness and familiarity to reduce (buying) reluctance while reinforcing the advantages of safety and security in shopping locally.
Why advertise in a slow recovery period, when shoppers and buyers continue to be very cautious and when business is tough to get?
The best advice and the best value… always come from someone you KNOW!
Simply put...those retailers, service providers, professional businesses and companies that maintain or increase their advertising spending during a challenging economic environment do, indeed, get ahead. In a slow economic recovery, business in NOT bad. Rather, business is tough to get. For those local retailers, service providers, professional businesses or companies who take an assertive, yet well thought out, consistent and ongoing advertising program, opportunities do exist to increase sales and profits which in turn leads to an increase in market share. A REDUCTION in advertising expenditures guarantees reduced profits, sales and lost market share due, in part, to three significant impacts...LOSS of top-of-mind awareness, LOSS of image in the marketplace and local community and a CHANGE in attitudes and perceptions held about the retailer, service provider, professional business or company. Why should you advertise in a slow or slowing economy? To be successful, to grow and to survive, a retailer, a service provider, a professional business or company needs to maintain a constant presence in their community. This presence comes through a community awareness of that business and “who they are” and “what they do”. This awareness and presence takes place through a consistent and ongoing advertising program. What strategy might you undertake to seize the opportunity presented by a recovering economy downturn? Consider, if you will the following...
• Maximize COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES. Seize the moment when your competitors, both new and old, may be cutting back or eliminating their advertising, by identifying and articulating what separates and makes you and your business, service or company unique or different from others. Providing the community, the marketplace, with information about “who you are” and “what you do” will grow market share. • It’s all about LONG TERM. Implement your plan and preparation you put in place when the business decline first began. With the economic certainty improving, continue looking to and designing the future, rather than seeking to reinvent the past or worry about the present! • Don’t buy an ad. Buy an IDEA, a CAMPAIGN. Talk to your local media professionals about investing in a series of ads, within a timeframe, with a budget that you have set aside or allocated, to meet an identified need, problem or opportunity with a desired outcome...rather than placing one time, single shot ad or promotion. By creating a public awareness of “who you are” and “what you do” you help your community, your business, service or company and you GROW.
© Murray & Nau, Inc.
• Stress BENEFITS. Talk VALUE. Your customers and potential customers are looking for reassurances during these challenging and, possibly, uncomfortable times. Stress benefits and values, rather than just price, in your advertising message thereby reducing buying risk for your customers and potential customer.
Chuck Nau of Murray & Nau, Inc. is a Seattle area based consultant and sales and management trainer. He is a 25-year veteran of advertising, sales, media and management, who knows and understands the everyday challenges of starting up, growing, and surviving in today’s ever changing retail climate. He has spoken to and conducted workshops for a number of local retail and chamber organizations, national publishing groups, national retailers and manufacturers, state press associations, and newspaper groups.
• Capitalize on your local AWARENESS and FAMILIARITY. Your customers and potential customers should be aware of and
Comments and questions are welcome and may be directed to Chuck via email: murnau@nwlink.com or at 425-603-0984.
12 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | February 2017
PORT TALK FEBRUARY 2017
Longshoremen work in tandem to load fertilizer to waiting trucks.
AN APPLE A DAY...MEANS YOU SHOULD THANK A PORT! In our busy lives, we rarely stop to consider where our daily products originate. Have you ever wondered where your car, toothpaste or food come from? We all buy items from our local retailer, but where do the raw materials come from?
Larry oversees all Port cargo handling operations.
EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT: LARRY LANDGRAVER SENIOR TERMINAL SUPERINTENDENT What is your favorite thing about working at the Port? The diversity of cargo that comes through the Port is always interesting. Things never get stagnant because we’re always preparing for the next new cargo. We have a great working relationship with our long-time customers and stevedores, and that makes the job really enjoyable.
The short answer to this is that raw materials come from countries all around the world. Japan, Korea, Argentina and Brazil all participate in trade with the United States, providing fertilizers, wind turbines and steel used to create the products we depend on. The amazing thing about the cargo that arrives at the Port of Longview is that it doesn’t stick around for long. It’s constantly traveling to new destinations after brief stays at the Port. Fertilizer is a great example of this movement. Shipped to and unloaded at the Port of Longview, this fertilizer is then trucked to farms in Eastern Washington. Farmers use the fertilizer to grow apple
Project cargo operations, like oversized tanks and wind blades. A lot of strategic planning goes into performing the technical lifts required for completing each operation.
I think a lot of people are surprised with the Port’s ability to handle such a diverse variety of cargo. The Port has strategically invested in infrastructure and equipment and, as a result, can handle just about anything.
Routine monthly maintenance is also underway, including landscaping, and lawn and trail upkeep. Minor repairs to the boat launch floats are also planned for February.
Next time you’re brushing your teeth or snacking on an apple, remember to take a second and thank a port.
Soda ash is a variation of salts that can often be found in baking soda, toothpaste and laundry detergent and iron oxide is usually found in paints, coatings and colored concretes. It’s also used in the energy field for the production of solar-powered batteries.
Iron oxide is a component in many of your everyday products.
With such a diverse cargo mix, there’s a great chance that components of your everyday products have journeyed through the Port of Longview!
COMMISSIONERS
COMMISSION MEETINGS
Jeff Wilson / District 1 Doug Averett / District 2 Bob Bagaason / District 3
Regular meetings are held on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of every month at 10:00 am and are open to the public. Meeting times are subject to change. For more information, visit portoflongview.com.
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Norm Krehbiel
PORTOFLONGVIEW.COM
“People don’t always realize the role ports play in their daily lives,” says Terminal Superintendent Larry Landgraver. “Without ports, we would have a tough time accessing some of our most useful products.”
The Port sees a lot of commodities cross its docks, many of which are not easily recognizable at first glance. Looking deeper, you will find that we interact with Port commodities daily without even realizing it. Two great examples of this phenomena are soda ash and iron oxide.
What do you want others to know about the Port’s cargo handling operations?
In preparation for the busy Summer months ahead, the Port is busy replacing damaged waterlines to the boat launch restrooms.
Without the ability to get raw materials to manufacturers via ports, daily products we depend on, such as toothpaste made with soda ash, cars made with steel and apples grown with fertilizer, would be difficult to obtain.
SURPRISE! COMMODITIES IN YOUR EVERYDAY PRODUCTS
Do you have a preferred type of cargo handling operation you like to be involved with?
WILLOW GROVE PARK UPDATE
trees, and after harvest, ship apples in containers through the Port of Seattle to Japan. The cycle is perpetual and occurs with a variety of cargo.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PORT Is there information you would like to see in Port Talk, or do you have questions related to a story that was featured? Please email info@portoflongview.com, or call 360.425.3305
T. 360-425-3305 F. 360-425-8650
10 PORT WAY LONGVIEW, WASHINGTON 98632
Business Toolbox By Jerry D. Petrick
Certified Business Adviser
Ask the ultimate question – change your business I receive surveys and questionnaires constantly! Whether it’s via email, text, or other media – I usually don’t bother responding to those from large companies – those impersonal, automated, noncaring invasions of my email or voicemail. However, I do tend to respond on those rare occasions that a small, local business cares to ask me what I think of my experience at their business. I may be rare, but I tend to notice what businesses do; AND I pay even more attention to what they don’t do! Many seminars and workshops about customer service or growing sales encourages you to spend time and money to develop elaborate surveys to send to your customers to ‘hear the voice of the customer,’ Have you pursued this strategy? What difference has it made in your business? Increased sales? There is a very powerful body of research done by Bain & Company over 10 years ago that attempted to find a “simple, practical and actionable indicator of what customers were thinking and feeling about the companies they did business with.” They wanted to develop, “a number that reliably linked these attitudes both to what customers actually did and to the growth of the company. We wanted, in short, to provide a basis for linking improvements in customer loyalty to business outcomes,” according to Bain. Bain, along with their data partner Satmetrix Systems, tested questions with thousands of customers across multiple industries and found that the way customers responded to one question consistently predicted behavior. The one question, the ‘Ultimate Question’ is:
likely to remain loyal or refer their friends. Detractors (0-6) – Detractors are unhappy customers and account for upwards of 80 percent of negative word-of-mouth. A very simple way to use this input is to calculate (and pay attention to) what Bain calls a ‘Net Promoter Score’, which is easy to calculate. Calculate the percentage of responders that were Promoters and subtract the percentage of responders that were Detractors: Net Promoter Score (NPS) = % Promoters - % Detractors For example: Let’s say you survey 100 customers and their responses are as follows… 9-10 = 42 responses (42 percent) 7-8 = 58 responses (51 percent) 0-6 = 7 (7 percent) NPS = 42 (% Promoters) – 7 (% Detractors) = 35 This single metric can serve as an easy, powerful customer scorecard for your business. The only follow-up question you need to learn to ask is…“Why?” Then…LISTEN! There isn’t an absolute NPS that is good or bad; the key is to regularly check-in and calibrate your business with your customers. Over time and with consistent engagement, you should observe your NPS increasing AND be able to know WHY. The best investment of time is to learn from your Detractors; cultivate your Passives; and adore your Promoters!
“How likely is it that you would recommend Company X (or Product X) to a friend or colleague?”
So, the new and improved way to understand what your customers think goes something like this:
Researchers found that the answers to this question consistently predicted: • customer retention • repeat purchases • referrals • and other indicators of customer loyalty • profit • and passion
“Thank you for doing business with us, how likely is it that you would recommend ABC Company to your friends?”
Just as importantly, this question is quick, respectful, and easy for both customers AND employees. The preferred way to set up your process is to use the common 0 to 10 rating scale where 10 = Extremely Likely and; 0 = Not at All Likely to recommend you/your product/service to a friend/colleague. The responses tend to cluster into three groups: Promoters (9 or 10) – These are your loyal, enthusiastic fans. Passives (7 or 8) – They are reasonably satisfied but are not nearly as
14 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | February 2017
Then…ask the key open ended question: “Why?” This is easy, inexpensive, respectful and a true gift to and from your customers. I encourage you to step back from your business for a moment and ask yourself…how loyal, happy, satisfied etc. are your customers? How do you know? What are you doing to improve your customer loyalty and their likelihood to promote your business? Do you have easy ways for your Promoters to promote your business? If you want to learn more about the Net Promoter system I suggest you read the book: “The Ultimate Question 2.0” by Fred Reichheld. This article was prepared by Jerry Petrick, MBA, CGBP, SPHR, PMP and Certified Business Adviser with the Washington State University Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in Longview. Jerry provides no-cost, confidential business advisory services by appointment. He can be reached via email jerry.petrick@wsbdc.org
Connect with Legislators Legislative Briefing Breakfast Begins Monday, January 23 - 7:00 am at the RED LION and continues each Monday throughout the Legislative Session
Each week, contact is made with our local legislators, either in person or by conference call, for an update on the bills and issues currently under consideration. Gary Chandler from the AWB is our main source of information as to what is going on in Olympia from a business perspective. As a business, you often feel the impact from some of the decisions made by our State Legislators on your ability to do business in Washington State. These breakfast briefings give you an opportunity to discuss personally with your elected officials issues that impact your business and seek options that provide for better business operations in Washington. Three major issues to be addressed during this session that WILL affect your business: Balancing the Budget, McCleary and Predictive Scheduling. Come find out and be heard!
January, 23 - April 24 Legislative Update Breakfast Mondays RED LION, Birch Room 7:00 a.m.
May - December Legislative Committee Meetings First Monday of each month Location for 2017 - Teri’s Restaurant 12:00 Noon
Ribbon Cuttings
Another Option Another Option opened its doors at 600 Royal St. in Kelso and the Chamber Ambassadors were there to welcome them.
Inked In
Ambassadors were also on hand for Accent Ink's ribbon cutting at 1426 12th Ave., in Longview.
See more photos on the Chamber’s Facebook page or click here.
16 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | February 2017
Ribbon Cuttings
Girl Power
The first gathering of 100 Women Who Care of Cowlitz County happened to start with a Chamber ribbon cutting with the organizers.
February 2017 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | 17
Business Back 2 School
Join us for a tour of Career and Technical Education programs at Mark Morris High School! This is a great opportunity to see and experience how education has changed over the past 40 plus years.
February 16, 2017 Mark Morris High School Class Options Include:
Tentative Schedule: 8:30 am – Meet at Lowe’s Parking Lot, Ocean Beach Hwy. 8:45 am – Bus departs for Mark Morris High School: 9:00 am – Arrive at Mark Morris High Welcome and Review Class Schedule in LGIC 9:20 am – 9:50 am – Session I 9:55 am – 10:25 am – Large Group Facility Tour
• Digital Photography • Computer Integrated Manufacturing • Manufacturing/Industrial Arts • Marketing • Microsoft IT Academy • Computer Aided Design and Drafting • Introduction to Engineering
10:25 am – 10:55 am – Session II
11:00 am – 12:20 am – Lunch Period: Q&A, debriefing, evaluation 12:45 pm – Bus back to Parking Lot Cost is $15 and includes bus ride, coffee, lunch. Bus ride to the school is mandatory - parking is extremely limited
Sign up today at www.kelsolongviewchamber.org Future
Business Back 2 School Discovery High - R.A. Long High School: May 11, 2017
Mind Your Own Business (at the Library) By Chris Skaugset
Director – Longview Public Library
Heat up dull winter with Fire It Up Adult Winter Reading program It’s been a dark, cold winter and we at the library are trying to heat
“4 3 2 1” is perhaps Paul Auster’s greatest, most heartbreaking and
things up with our Fire It Up Adult Winter Reading program. Think
satisfying novel. Here, the author has returns to the four-part literary
of Summer Reading, but instead of children we’re focused on adults.
form with the coming-of-age story of Archibald Ferguson. Set in the
Reading, and literacy, is not only critical for children it’s important
20th century, this novel chronicles Archibald’s maturation through
for adults as well both for themselves and as an example for the chil-
four possible, yet divergent, life paths. Family fortunes, careers, and
dren that may be in their lives. Reading is not only something chil-
hometowns shift and change as Archibald’s life unfolds across each
dren do, but adults as well. There is no one skill that is more impor-
metaphorical fork in the road. However, one constant remains: his
tant for anyone to have then to be able to read. This is a great way to
love for Amy Schneiderman. By interweaving each chapter into a
spend these cold, wintry days and nights by giving you a chance to
single narrative and playing with metafiction, Auster winks at the
not only have an excuse to read more, you can also read away any old
multitude of universes contained within a single story and slyly pres-
overdue fines you might have, and perhaps most importantly you
ents the reader with essentially four drafts of a novel in progress.
can give yourself a chance to win prizes including one of four Kindle
Fusing the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics with
Fires. You can turn in a form for each and every book that you read,
the literary genre, Auster illuminates how the discrete moments in
making you eligible for the weekly prizes as well as the grand prizes.
one’s life form the plot points of a sprawling narrative, rife with pos-
For each book you read, and form you turn in, you can have $5 of
sibility.
overdue fines (not lost or damaged charges) waived from your account. Here are some hot, new books that will help you get started.
In Emily Fridlund's stellar debut novel, “The History of Wolves”, 14-year-old Linda, an observant loner growing up in the Minneso-
“Idaho” is the stunning debut novel from O. Henry Prize winning
ta woods, becomes intrigued with the Gardners, the young family
author Emily Ruskovich about love and forgiveness, about the vio-
that moves in across the lake from her home. As she gets to know
lence of memory and the equal violence of its loss. Ann attempts to
them, she realizes that something is amiss. Having been raised in
piece together her husband Wade’s past – namely, the murder of his
a commune by unconventional parents, Linda is prone to provoca-
younger daughter, May, by his ex-wife, Jenny, and the disappearance
tive statements and challenging authority. She’s also fascinated by the
of his elder daughter, June, which took place years ago, on the moun-
scandal that occurs when Lily Holburn, a student at her school, ac-
tain where Wade and Ann now live. The book is set in the alluring
cuses a teacher, Adam Grierson, of inappropriate behavior but then
and haunting landscape of Idaho, spanning over 50 years, and de-
recants her testimony. At the same time, Linda forges a friendship
picting Ann’s obsession and determination to figure out what exactly
with the comparatively worldly Patra Gardner and her endearing
Jenny’s motives were and just what happened to the girls. Jenny is
4-year-old, Paul, whom Linda babysits for a summer before his sud-
now in jail, mostly keeping to herself while serving a life sentence
den and mysterious death. Matters take a curious turn once Patra’s
and Ann is caring for Wade while he suffers from genetic early-onset
husband, an older man named Leo, returns after months away at
dementia, training dogs, and making knives. All the while, Ann and
work. Fridlund expertly laces Linda’s possessive protectiveness for
Wade hope that June may still be alive, after 18 years of no news.
Patra with something darker, bordering on romantic jealousy. A
With her amazing sentences, Ruskovich draws readers into the
sense of foreboding subtly permeates the story as Fridlund slowly
novel’s world, using a number of well-developed voices to describe
reveals what happened to Paul. Her wordsmithing is fantastic, rife
various perspectives, allowing readers to understand the complexi-
with vivid turns of phrase. Fridlund has elegantly crafted a striking
ties of the story as well as Ann does. Shocking and heartbreaking,
protagonist whose dark leanings cap off the tragedy at the heart of
Ruskovich has crafted a remarkable love story and a narrative that
this book, which is moving and disturbing, and which will stay with
will stay with readers.
the reader. February 2017 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | 19
Kelso School District
Longview School District
Business & Operations Executive Director Scott Westlund
Superintendent Dan Zorn
Anxiously awaiting action The Washington State Legislature convened for the 65th biennial session on January 9 to begin the arduous task of adopting a 201719 operating, capital construction, and transportation budgets. For schools, the debate over the required 2012 McCleary decision looms largely on how we will address our budgets for next school year. The Washington State Supreme Court’s recent McCleary order clarified that the Legislature has until September 1, 2018, to comply with the constitution and “fully implement its program of basic education.” The Court also clarified that the remaining details of the program “must be in place by the final adjournment of the 2017 Legislative Session”. This order includes funding sources and the necessary appropriations for the 2017-19 biennium. This is a monumental legislative session for Washington State public schools. Our legislators are faced with a historic task with enormous ramifications for our public schools and staff. It should be noted that we recognize that the Washington State Legislature has provided more than $2.3 billion in McCleary related increases the past two biennial budgets for Washington schools. Most notably, these increases have expanded all-day kindergarten, lowered class sizes grades K-3, and provided much needed resources for classroom materials and instructional resources. Our schools are greatly appreciative of the funding and its impact on student learning. In Kelso School District, we have been able to lower our average class size in K-3 to approximately one teacher for every 18 to 19 students, and have been offering all-day kindergarten for many years now. These increases in funding, however, are much lower than the state promised the Supreme Court it would provide. This is largely the basis for which the Supreme Court held the state in Contempt of Court in 2014 and issued sanctions of $100,000 per day until the plan is submitted. The fine currently hovers around $50 million dollars. We hope the state fully complies with its paramount duty to fully fund basic education. There are a few major issues still unresolved that will have a significant impact on our schools. The first is ensuring competitive public school employee compensation; and the second, the over reliance on local taxpayer approved levies for paying for basic education and salaries. In November 2016, an independent report ordered by the Legislature was presented to the Education Funding Task Force. It is clear from the report that educator salaries are well below competitive salaries and rely too heavily on local taxpayer approved levies. We are hopeful that current ideas and legislation to address these two disparities will seriously be considered and adopted. Our local public schools should not have to struggle to address compensation issues when it is the paramount duty of the state to provide them. The failure of the Legislature to address compensation this session will For more Kelso, see page 21 20 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | February 2017
Bond will address facilities On January 23, the Longview Public Schools Board of Directors decided to hold a facilities bond election on November 7, 2017. This bond is being brought forward to start addressing facilities needs identified by the staff and citizen Facilities Advisory Committee (FAC). The FAC worked for two years identifying $250 million in facilities needs and determining our elementary school buildings as the highest priority. The specific scope and focus of the November bond request for construction and renovation projects will be formulated in the next few months. We recognize that we must bite the needs off in chunks and include only a portion of the identified list as part of our November bond request. As we determine the cost of our upcoming bond request, we are steadfast in our resolve to be mindful of our taxpayers and community while focusing upon providing facilities that will meet the short and long term needs of our students. It is of paramount importance that we maximize the life and functionality of existing facilities while we plan for the future needs of our educational system and its students. It is even more important that our schools are safe and functional facilities designed to maximize teaching and learning so that our students can achieve at high levels. We will remain focused on creating and maintaining inviting facilities that reflect well upon our community and its students. Our facilities play an important role in the creation of a positive climate and culture for learning. All of these considerations are important when seeking to improve upon the education we provide our students and the perceptions our community holds regarding its schools. The process to date has been thorough and included many opportunities for community input. Many opportunities remain to engage in the discussion regarding the priorities and the direction of the November bond request. The Longview School Board meets on the second and fourth Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at 2715 Lilac St., and the details of our bond request will be discussed at each meeting. Meeting agendas can be found at longviewschools.com (About us – School Board – Agendas and Minutes). Individuals with questions about a “Vote Yes” effort can give me a call at 406-261-1827 or email me at zornd@outlook.com. The success of this request depends on the involvement and support of Kelso/Longview Chamber of Commerce and the business community. We look forward to our continued partnership as we move forward in our efforts to provide outstanding school facilities for the students we serve.
Kelso, continued from page 20 require Kelso Schools to take drastic budgetary measures in order to meet employee contractual agreements. These reductions, anticipated to be hundreds of thousands of dollars, would be in addition to painful reductions already made this current year.
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Another issue with potential substantial impacts for schools is referred to as the Levy Cliff. In 2010, the Legislature provided for expanded collection of local levies, largely in part to deal with shrinking state resources for schools. Though Kelso schools did not benefit from increasing the levy collection lid, formula calculations for funding do provide our district with greater resources known as levy equalization. Levy equalization is provided to school districts that do not have the assessed valuation to support larger levy payments. These districts are known as “property-poor” districts and receive additional state funds to bring greater equity compared to larger “property-rich” districts. The Kelso School District is expected to lose just over $1 million if the Levy Cliff issue is not addressed this legislative session. The expanded levy increases are set to expire January 1, 2018, as the Legislature anticipated full funding of schools by 2018. There is a lot of uncertainty as to whether the Legislature will complete its work this session and at a level that is expected to fully fund basic education. These uncertainties, and the anticipation that the Legislature may not complete its budget work until well past the April deadline, will cause heightened levels of ambiguity and anxiety as we begin our budget development process in February. We are at a point of not knowing whether we will have to reduce programs, staff, etc., or anticipate increased funding. Until more is known, we will have to prepare for both, which hasn’t been the case in many years.
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February 2017 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | 21
County Commissioners By Arne Mortensen
Solution to homeless begins with charity Given that this is my first elected office (barring PCO) and that I have been in office 12 working days only, my “report” may seem droll, but hopefully not so personal as to be useless. The big issue heard everywhere, from both the public and elected officials, is homelessness. Currently we have a Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness in the works. From what I have seen, it is an application of the same approaches that have been tried many times before with no success. For those who think that government can solve the ills of society, it may be a tough pill to accept that, likely, we aggravate rather that remedy the problem with our approaches. We see in the public considerable discussion and dissension on this topic. I believe that without significant public support, there cannot be a viable solution. Therefore, we should try a “new” solution that takes into account the will of the people when we consider allocating tax dollars to those requesting grant money from government. Let’s assume that the will of the people is reflected by the money they donate to charities; for this writing, it would be the private money donated to any 501(c)(3) organization that attends to the homeless. Because of the tax status of these organizations, we can get an accurate financial report. To be sure we are not convoluted, donations from other government agencies or quasi agencies are not to be counted for this purpose. From each of the entities applying for grants, we get a figure of their annual private contributions, which we use to develop a pie chart that shows their ratio of all the money donated. The entire sum of the tax money collected, as prescribed by an RCW or locally voted regulation(s), for the homeless is given out as grants to each entity in proportion to their share of the private money collected in the prior year. There are several interesting features to this proposal:
•
The public, in effect, decides which entities get the most money.
•
The public is the one vetting the charitable entity, so they apply their metrics as they see fit.
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Entities are incentivized to raise funds for their cause. This will keep the charities active in the community.
•
Entities have greater control over their income, so they can do planning that is more reliable than wondering what some commissioner might do to/for them.
Please let me indulge in a non-sequitur but apropos comment: I have been fortunate enough to meet world class people, and one, who became a close friend, was (he passed away last year) Igor Ushakov, at one time a highly placed scientist and engineer who was responsible for the design and implementation of the former Soviet Union (FSU) KGB communication backbone. Through thick accent he told me that we, Americans, were in trouble in the US because we did not know how to deal with bureaucracy. So far, he has proven to be correct. Igor also asked why we move headlong into socialism, when “we” (the Soviet Union) proved to you that it does not work. Of course, the sad record of socialism was written in history well before the fall of the FSU and continues to be written today in Venezuela, Detroit… Consequently, in my job as commissioner I (plan to) ask regarding every issue, “What problem are we trying to solve?” That question is natural for every endeavor; it is essential for progress. I can attest that good progress comes only when that question is answered honestly, realistically, and correctly. And asking this question serves to curb bureaucracy, which has a tendency to grow while imagining that it is solving real problems.
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360-575-9804
www.elamshf.com
Tuesday, February 7, 1231 Vandercook Way Longview 5:30-7:30 p.m Food Beverages Raffle Prizes Entertainment
www.kelsolongviewchamber.org
2017 January 10: Teri’s Restaurant February 7: Columbia Theatre March 14: Engraving Emporium April 11: Jessica Wade, State Farm May 9: Amada Senior Care June 20: Monticello Hotel July 11: Community Home Health & Hospice (FREE) August 8: BiCoastal Media September 12: Wheeler’s October 10: Silver Cove RV November 14: Stewart Title December 12: TBA (Holiday Mixer)
Business After Hours
Say Ahh!
What a fun evening everyone had at Teri's Restaurant for the Chamber's January Business After Hours. Thank you Teri for hosting our event with some great food. Wow! Lots of fabulous comments about the food. Thank you to all who braved the snow to attend.
New board member Nick Lemiere and Chamber President Lance Welch enjoy the Terri's fabulous array of food.
See more photos on the Chamber’s Facebook page or click here.
February 2017 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | 25
Workforce Southwest Washington By Julia Maglione
Communications Manager
Skilled employees grow your own Is your business having difficulty finding employees with the right skills? Are you facing the retirement of skilled workers? Is helping your employees keep pace with industry advances challenging?
vide on-the-job training, identify experienced employees to work with apprentices, provide instruction in-house or in partnership with others and pay progressively higher wages as skills increase.
If you answered “yes” to any of these, it may be time to consider an “earn and learn” strategy.
“Earn and learn” programs are an excellent way for businesses to meet their workforce needs. Investing in individuals through training and education pays dividends in employee retention and productivity.
“Earn and learn” helps employees learn skills while they also earn a paycheck or stipend. It’s also called apprenticeship, on-the-job training and paid internship. Companies are using apprenticeships to transfer knowledge and improve employee skills. It’s not just for the trades; health care, information technology, finance and insurance have implemented this model. Implementing “earn and learn” programs requires us to think differently about education and work. While we have an excellent education system in southwest Washington, our schools cannot keep pace with industry needs and fulfill the specific requirements of every company. We need to grow our own talent and business must play a leading role in creating and running these programs. Companies will need to develop strategies that include tools to assess their workers, identify skills and knowledge their workers must learn, hire new workers or select current employees to be apprentices, pro-
We look forward to handling your next real estate transaction. Our Escrow Team… Why Our Service is the Difference! Since 1982, Cowlitz County Title has been the trusted company the community turns to when buying, selling or refinancing a property. Whether you need title, escrow or property search information, come in for our exceptionalservice. Leave with the secure confidence that your real estate investment is properly insured and protected. Title Insurance Escrow Service ■ Residential & Commercial ■ 1031 Exchange ■ Locally Owned
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Building and sustaining a strong workforce will require investments of time and resources. The good news – companies are not in this alone. Numerous organization in the community want to help. Workforce Southwest Washington, colleges, youth programs and economic development agencies are eager to collaborate with industry and businesses to develop these programs. WorkSource has funds for on-the-job training, paid internships and apprenticeships for employees in a variety of industries. Contact Donna Hughes, WorkSource’s business services consultant, at dhughes@esd. wa.gov or 360-578-4259 before you hire. With nearly 10,000 baby boomers turning 65 every day, the time to address our workforce challenges is now. Julia Maglione is communications manager at the Workforce Southwest Washington. Reach her at jmaglione@workforcesw.org or 360-567-3176.
January Ambassador of the Month Erika Agren
Futcher Group
Ambassador committed to seeing local community thrive Erika Agren understands the commitment it takes to work and volunteer in the community and is being honored for her time and duty to the Chamber as its January Ambassador of the Month.
When Agren is not volunteering her time as a Red Coat, she enjoys socializing with friends and family or curling up with a good book and watching old movies.
Agren, who works at the Futcher Group in Longview, has a strong commitment to seeing the local community thrive. She is always learning about the diversity of businesses and activities in the local area and is always helping share that knowledge with others. Agren enjoys helping promote the community and helping businesses make connections with other businesses and customers, as well as getting out and meeting new people.
Chamber Ambassadors, known as the Red Coats, are an integral part of the Chamber of Commerce. The Ambassador team is made up of active Chamber volunteers whose responsibilities include meeting and greeting at Chamber events, welcoming new members and assisting at ribbon cuttings and community events. Ambassadors juggle busy professional careers while making time to assist the Chamber at a variety of events year long. If you would be interested in wearing a red coat and representing the Chamber, contact CEO Bill Marcum at the Chamber office.
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In The News
Cowlitz PUD employees supported the community during the holidays When the coordinator of the annual Holiday Parade and Tree Lighting stepped down after more than 20 years, Cowlitz PUD stepped up. Taking over the organization and coordination for this community event, Cowlitz PUD was able to raise more than $4,000 through participant donations that helped fund the holiday decorations for the new Streetscape in the City of Longview’s Historic Downtown. The 36th annual Holiday Parade brought out more than 5,000 spectators, more than 100 floats, and masses of volunteers from the local high schools and the utility. Cowlitz PUD’s Connect to Community team is a group of volunteers that helps organize, recruit, and participate in numerous events throughout the community, having logged more than 10,000 volunteer hours by utility staff and family in 2016 alone. Alice Dietz, the Connect to Community coordinator, is continually amazed with the employee’s willingness to get behind their community and show up to help at events. “When I started my job at the utility in the summer of 2015, there was not much volunteering that we were participating with so to see the staff here at Cowlitz eager to sign up to help out in our community is really heart-warming,” she said. Cowlitz’s Connect to Community team will continue to organize the Holiday Parade on behalf of the Longview Downtown Partnership for continued benefit of the community of Cowlitz County. In addition to their assistance with the parade and tree lighting, another holiday volunteer group effort that began in 2015 has already grown
over 100 percent. Wanting to give back to families in its community, a small group of Cowlitz PUD employees joined forces and began Operation Christmas Miracle. Having adopted one family in 2015, Cowlitz employees were able to adopt two families in 2016, providing gifts, groceries, and even deposits on the two family’s utility bills.
Gifford Pinchot National Forest seeks Resource Advisory Committee members The Gifford Pinchot National Forest is looking for people who want to help improve the forest by serving on a federal Resource Advisory Committee (RACs) on the forest. RACs are a provision of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (Secure Rural Schools), and are responsible for reviewing and recommending projects, as well as recommending changes to recreation fees on the forest. Gifford Pinchot National Forest RACs are comprised of a wide range of people connected to and interested in their national forest. People selected for the RAC might include representatives who enjoy different recreational activities on the forest, members of American Indian Tribes, people connected to timber and other forest product industries, environmental organizations, education providers, wildlife and hunting interests, and others. RAC members serve four-year terms and committees typically have fifteen individual members. According to Gina Owens, Gifford Pinchot National Forest SuperviFor more In The News, see page 29
EstatE Planning & EldEr law
Attorney Michael Claxton Licensed in WA & OR
Attorney Brian Brault LL.M. in Taxation
WALSTEAD MERTSCHING AT TO R N E Y S AT L AW
Walstead Mertsching provides advice and a variety of estate planning services, including: • Asset Protection • Community Property Agreements • Durable Powers of Attorney • Guardianships • Healthcare Directives/Living Wills • Medicaid and Long-Term Care Issues • Probate • Tax and Retirement Planning • Wills • Will Contests 28 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | February 2017
A Full Service Civil Law Firm for over 90 Years CIVIC CENTER BUILDING, 3RD FLOOR 1700 HUDSON ST., LONGVIEW, WA
(360) 423-5220 Longview www.walstead.com
In The News continued from page 28 sor, “serving on a Resource Advisory Committee is a great way for community members to engage in a public lands dialogue and to make a positive contribution to our National Forests.”
Heisen House Vineyards – features Liveat sampling and selling their artisan chocolates, plus demonstrating the process of making it from bean to bar. Logo glasses included w tasting to the first 50 guests per day.
Projects enabled by Secure Rural Schools have broad, communitybased support with objectives that improve forest infrastructure, access, watersheds, hazardous fuels reduction, native plants and animals, or forest ecosystem health. Projects must be on national forest lands or directly benefit national forest resources.
Olequa Cellars – will feature a wide variety of chocolates by different chocolatiers to create the ideal pairing with their wines. They will also release their 2013 Caruso’s Red, an award-winning blend of Syrah and Merlot.
If you are interested in serving as a member of a Gifford Pinchot RAC, contact Gala Miller at 360-891-5014 or galamiller@fs.fed.us for assistance in completing a simple application. Applicants must be a resident of Washington State and complete the Advisory Committee or Research and Promotion Background Information Form (AD755), returning it to the Gifford Pinchot National Forest no later than February 6. More information is also available online at: www.fs.usda. gov/main/giffordpinchot/workingtogether/advisorycommittees
Koi Pond Cellars – will offer wine and chocolate fondue on February 10 from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday they’ll offer pairings of their wines with goodies from Killa Bites Chocolate. Live music throughout the weekend.
Southwest Washington chocolate and wine pairing just in time for Valentine's Skip the traffic and stay local for Valentine’s Day. Join participating Southwest Washington wineries for a weekend of Wine and Chocolate. Each participating winery will be open noon to 6 p.m. on February 11 and 12. Emanar Cellars – Whimsy Chocolates will be on location pairing their confections with our wines. Classic guitarist David Rogers starting at 6 p.m. on February 11.
Pomeroy Cellars – will pair their wines with confections from Moonstruck Chocolate Co. throughout the tour weekend.
Rezabek Vineyards – Pouring at English Estate Winery for Valentine’s Day – will be releasing a new Tempranillo Dessert Wine, a Port-style wine that pairs perfectly a bit of dark chocolate. Stavalaura Vineyards – will offer Killa Bites chocolates paired with their estate Stavalaura wines. English Estate Winery – will join up with Peggy’s Handmade Chocolates to offer wine and chocolate pairings all weekend. New release: Estate 2014 Pinot Noir. Dinner and live music February 10. Burnt Bridge Cellars – will be offering pairings all weekend with handcrafted chocolates made from bean to bar by local chocolatier Creo Chocolate.
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Alison Peters Bonnie Woodruff Diane Kenneway Dennis Bird Escrow Officer/LPO Escrow Officer/LPO Escrow Assistant Senior Title Officer alison@cascade-title.com bonnie@cascade-title.com diane@cascade-title.com dennis@cascade-title.com
Lindsey McTimmonds Marketing/Recording recording@cascade-title.com
1425 Maple St. Longview, WA 98632 360.425.2950 www.cascade-title.com
Connie Bjornstrom Receptionist/Typist connie@cascade-title.com
February 2017 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | 29
PeaceHealth St. John Susie Griffin
Wellness Services Coordinator
Wellness in the workplace can work for everyone This is the first in a series that addresses employee retention.
In short, the obvious takeaway is to keep your employees. But…how?
In the business world it is common knowledge that replacing employees is an expensive endeavor. According to Christina Merhar’s research in the article, Employee Retention: The Real Cost of Losing an Employee, percentage of costs can vary from 16 percent (low paying jobs) to 20 percent (median) and up to 213 percent (CEO) of the role’s annual salary. The costs, according to the article, can be contributed to several factors such as: • The cost of hiring a new employee including the advertising, interviewing, screening, and hiring. • Cost of on-boarding a new person including training and management time. • Lost productivity... it may take a new employee 1 to 2 years to reach the productivity of an existing person. • Lost engagement...other employees who see high turnover tend to disengage and lose productivity. • Customer service and errors, for example new employees take longer and are often less adept at solving problems. • Training cost. For example, over 2 to 3 years a business likely invests 10 to 20 percent of an employee's salary or more in training • Cultural impact...Whenever someone leaves others take time to ask "why?"
In addressing that question, I’m going to back up a couple years to 2007. I was 1 of 37 massage therapists working at Google (yes, that Google) in Mountain View, Calif., Google’s headquarters. Google was the trailblazer in setting the bar for employee retention by implementing one very simple, yet important tactic; Google created a home like environment at work. There was nothing you couldn’t get or do at home that you couldn’t get or do at Google. Google had onsite laundry (free), onsite oil change, onsite dry cleaning service, onsite mobile library, onsite food (free), both in ready to eat, 24/7 stocked micro kitchens and scheduled meals stationed in the many cafeterias around the campus. They also had napping pods, game rooms, and of course, massage. They also had a volleyball court, an onsite gym, and bikes and scooters to get around. They had a phenomenal child care center (the waiting list was a least a year) and a free wifi outfitted shuttle to pick you up anywhere in the bay area. In addition to these tangibles, there were always the who’s who of literary, entertainment, and politics on campus, either getting a tour or giving a speech. Needless to say, it was a very dynamic environment to be in. I know what you are thinking: “I’m not Google. I can’t afford to offer all, or even part, of those amenities to my employees.” In short, you don’t have to. A large part of the answer of retaining highly productive employees is very simple. In fact, you will probably be surprised. Stay tuned.
Keep your beat PeaceHealth doctors help care for your heart – from preventative care to emergency procedures – so you don’t miss a beat.
peacehealth.org/heart
30 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | February 2017
Welcome New Members
Xyngular Rocking Horse Ranch
Cross Fit Confluence
Business Association with opportunities to promote trade through Chamber socials, special events and committee participation. • Annual Meeting and Banquet • Networking Events
100 Men Who Care – Lower Columbia Chapter • Business Card Display • Use of Chamber Logo
Representation through action committees, candidate forums and up-to-date action alerts. • Legislative Representation
• Committee Participation
• Issues Tracking and Information
• Business Contacts
• Task Forces
• Quarterly Membership Meetings
• Candidate Forums
• Civic Representation
• Legislative Update Breakfast
• Monthly Business After Hours
• Demographics Publication
Business Services include marketing for your business, referrals and access to Chamber publications and research data. • Mailing Labels • Membership Window Decals • Member Referrals • Ribbon Cutting • Website Links • Member to Member Discounts • Membership Directory • Tax Deduction • Newsletter
Packages Basic Membership Package – $275 or $26 per month. Bronze Membership Package – $500 or $46.66 per month. Silver Membership Package – $1,000 or $86.33 per month. Gold Membership Package – $2,500 or $211.33 per month. Platinum Membership Package – $5,000 or $416.66 per month. Diamond Club Membership Package – $10,000 or $834 per month. Nonprofit Package – $180 or $18 per month.
Join the Chamber Today! Call 360-423-8400
Steve Dahl
Real Estate Broker / Property Manager
1700 Hudson Street, Suite 101 Longview, WA 98632 SRDahl@PNWR.com I’m committed to providing high quality, personal service. Your endorsement to family, friends and colleagues is the life blood of my business. I greatly appreciate your referrals!
Cell (360) 431-3540 • Office (360) 423-4663 • Fax (360) 423-4693
www.PNWR.com
1157 3rd Avenue, Suite 218
1157 Longview, 3rd Avenue, WA Suite 98632 218 1157 3rd360.952.3100 Avenue, Suite 218 Longview, WA 98632 Longview, WA 98632 www.amadaseniorcare.com 360.952.3100 360.952.3100 www.amadaseniorcare.com www.amadaseniorcare.com February 2017 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | 31
Chamber Connection
Real News
Great radio show January 18 with Billie Bevers from Cowlitz County Master Gardeners, former County Commissioner Mike Karnofski, who was on hand to talk about life after serving for six years, and our own Amy Hallock from the Chamber talking about sQuatch Fest.
See more photos on the Chamber’s Facebook page or click here.
“Your Chamber Connection” EVERY Wednesday Hosts of the Show: Carey Mackey, Red Canoe Credit Union ; Brooke Fisher-Clark, United Way; and Karen Sisson, NORPAC Would you like an opportunity to be on Your Chamber Connection or to have more information about the qualifications of an open house or ribbon cutting? Contact Bill or Lindsey at the Chamber 360-423-8400 32 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | February 2017
Stream live at www.threeriversradio.com Local guest and current events
Welcome Back!
The Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce would like to give a SHOUT OUT and a big THANK YOU to the following loyal members for renewing their partnership with us. *Interwest Benefit Consultants *Columbia River Carpet One *Compendium Consulting *Cowlitz County Guidance Association *Estetica Day Spa *State Farm Insurance – Scott Fischer *Diamond Residential *Applied Application *Broderick Gallery *American Legion *Coleman Cellular *Port of Woodland *Cowlitz Credit Union *Industrial Packing *Pacific Fibre Products *Errand Girl *American Family Kari-Ann Botero *Guild Mortgage *Hometown National Bank *Island Sun Tanning, Inc. *Kemira Water *Sterling Insurance *United States Army *Lexi’s Pizza *B & B Air Conditioning & Heating *Community Health Partners/Cowlitz Free Medical Clinic *Pro-Caliber Longview Motorsports *Red Canoe Credit Union Washington Way *Red Leaf Coffee *BA Design *American Red Cross *Esteem Salon *Hydraulic Service, Inc. *ProBuild *B & R Mini Storage *Banda’s Bouquets *Be Cause Business Resources, Inc. *Best Western Aladdin Inn *Busack Electric *Calportland *Columbia Security *Copies Today Speedy Litho, Inc. *Cowlitz Container & Diecutting *Edward Jones-Nick Lemiere *H & S Enterprises *Habitat For Humanity Cowlitz County *Hart Radiator *Heartsong Massage
*J. L. Storedahl & Sons, Inc. *Kaiser Permanente *Les Schwab Tire Center *Longview Timber Corp *Longview Urology *Ocean Beach Self Storage *P. T. Northwest *Pacific Office Automation *Papa Pete’s Pizza – Longview *PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center *Pets, Pawns & Imports *SW Washington Symphony *The UPS Store *TSYS Merchant Solutions *Washington State University Vancouver *Zip Local *Berkshire Hathaway *Cowlitz River Dental *Dream Dentistry *Reality Homes *Longview Eagles *Service Master *Ricoh *Planet Fitness *WA Division of Vocational Rehabilitation *ASAP Business Solutions *My Agency *Area Agency on Aging Disabilities of Southwest Washington *Dino Doozer *Windemere Kelso-Longview *Advanced Dental Services, LLC *All Out Sewer & Drain Service, Inc. *Baker Lumber Company, Inc. *Brusco Tug and Barge, Inc. *Carl's Towing Service & Repair, Inc. *Carlson's Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. *Cascade Natural Gas Corporation *Coldwell Banker Bain *Cole's Appliance Repair *Comfort Inn *Community Home Health & Hospice *Cutright Wholesale Plumbing Supply *Family Health Center *Interiors Plus *Life Works *Longview Housing Authority *Longview Orthopedic Associates, PLLC
*Longview Public Schools *Masthead Restaurant *McDonald's of Longview *McDonald's of Longview II *Nipp & Tuck Inc. *Ocean Beach Animal Hospital *Pacific Fibre Products, Inc. *Paperbacks Galore, Inc. *Rush Insurance/Financial Services, Inc. *Schlecht Construction, Inc. *Somerset Retirement Home and Assisted Living *T.C.'s R.V. & Mini Storage, Inc. *United Finance *Viking Automatic Sprinkler Company *Wasser & Winters Company *William (B. J. ) R. Boatsman *Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce *Interstate Wood Products, Inc. *Kalama Chamber of Commerce *Lower Columbia CAP *M & R Painting, Inc. *Mint Valley Federal Credit Union *Newrock Homes, Inc. *Northwest Auto Specialist, Inc. *Retirement Strategies *Simpson Timber Company - Longview Lumber Operations *Superior Tire Service, Inc. *Woodland Chamber of Commerce *Longview Outdoor Gallery *The OM Home *Triangle Bowl *Cowlitz County Chaplaincy *Biggs Insurance Services *Clay Bartness *Comcast *Dick Hannah Toyota *Fred Meyer, Inc. *Heritage Bank - Kelso *Heritage Bank - Longview *Longview Engineering And Design *McCord Bros. Nissan Dodge *Millennium Bulk Terminals *Minuteman Press *Professional Communication Services *Servpro of Longview/Kelso *Sierra Pacific Mortgage *Twin City Bank *Waste Control Recycling, Inc.
February 2017 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | 33
Welcome Back! *Woodford Commercial Real Estate *Bicoastal Media LV DBA KLYK/KRQT/ KEDO/KBAM/KPPK *Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts *Craig Stein Beverage *Dahl McVicker Funeral Homes *Entek Corporation *Frontier Rehabilitation & Extended Care Center *Gibbs & Olson, Inc. *Humane Society of Cowlitz County *Lemondrops Photography *Life Mortgage *Music & More D.J.s *Noelle McLean, PS *Office Depot Max *Pacific Lumber & Shipping Co. *Papé Machinery *PNE Construction *Red Canoe Credit Union *Red Canoe Credit Union - 30th *Safway Services, Inc. *Searing Electric & Plumbing *Steele Chapel Longview Memorial Park *The Dog Zone *Umpqua Bank *Utilize I.T., Inc. *Walmart *Animal Health Services, Inc., PS *Arnitz, Suzanne *Baxter Auto Parts Inc. *Behrends Body Shop *Bob's Sporting Goods *Burger King - Longview (Main) *Collins Architectural Group, PS *Country Village Nutrition Shoppe and Cafe *Day Wireless Systems *Ethnic Support Council *Fiesta Bonita Mexican Grill & Cantina *Foster Farms *Gallery of Diamonds *Global Images Graphic Design & Marketing *Hilander Dental *Kelso Rotary *Les Schwab Tire Center *Longview Tire Sales, Inc. *Northwest Motor Service *Overhead Door Company of Southwest Washington *Peter C. Wagner, DMD, PS *Propel Insurance
*Shamrock Spirits & Grill *Shirley L. Smith *Stirling Honda *Sweet Spot Frozen Yogurt *Taco Time *The Daily News *The Roof Doctor, Inc. *Twin City Glass Co. *Twin City Service Co. *Weatherguard, Inc. *Wilcox & Flegel Oil Company *WorkPlace Wellness *WorkSource - Cowlitz/Wahkiakum *Brown & Brown Northwest Insurance *Corwin Beverage *Cowlitz River Rigging, Inc. *Educational Service District No. 112 *Emergency Support Shelter *Fairway Collections *Futcher Group *Hart C's Steakburger & Thai Food *Kelso School District *Kelso Theater Pub *Kelso-Longview Television, Inc. *KeyBank *Longview Early Edition Rotary *Longview Eye & Vision *Longview Physical & Sports Therapy *Longview Self Storage * Mobile Mic Entertainment *Northwest Hardwoods, Inc. *Opsahl, Dawson & Company, P.S. *Renaud Electric Company, Inc. *Reprographics, Inc. *Solvay *Southwest Washington Blood Program *United Way of Cowlitz & Wahkiakum Counties *Willamette Dental *Anderson & Anderson Advisory, LLC *Better Business Bureau *C's Photography *Cadillac Island Casino *Cowlitz County Museum *Cowlitz Economic Development Council *Cowlitz Indian Tribe *Epson Portland *Erickson Glass Co. *Estetica Day Spa *Fibre Federal Credit Union - Castle Rock Branch *Fibre Federal Credit Union - Kelso Branch
34 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | February 2017
*Fibre Federal Credit Union - Ocean Beach Branch *Fibre Federal Credit Union - West Kelso Branch *Fibre Federal Credit Union - Woodland Branch *Guesthouse Inn & Suites *Kellogg Supply, Inc. *Longview Country Club *Lower Columbia Economic Development Council *Motion Industries, Inc. *Mount St. Helens Creation Information Center *N.W. Deli Distribution, Inc. *Pathways 2020 *Prestige Senior Living Monticello Park *Progress Center *Red Lion Hotel & Conference Center *Riverview Community Bank *Sessions Plumbing & Heating, Inc. *Three Rivers Christian School *Timothy E. Nelson, DDS *Weyerhaeuser *Advanced Message & Dispatch *Beacon Hill Rehabilitation *Bob Beal Insurance Agency Inc. – State Farm *Building Industry Association of Clark County *Cascade Networks, Inc. *Cascade Select Market *Columbia River Reader *Davis & Associates, CPAs, PS *Eldon Robbins Auto Sales, Inc. *Goodwill of the Olympics and Rainier Region *Longview Downtowners *Longview Pawnbrokers & Bail Bonds *North Pacific Paper Corporation/NORPAC *Performance Sheet Metal, Inc. *Prographyx *Snap Fitness *Stageworks Northwest *Stewart Title *Super 8 of Kelso/Longview *Three Rivers Mall *Youth & Family Link *Altrusa International Inc. of Longview-Kelso *Be Cause Business Resources, Inc. *Canterbury Inn *Columbia Ford Hyundai Nissan *Craig Martin The Voice dba Martin Audio
Welcome Back! Services *Ecological Land Services, Inc. *Eoff Electric Company *Fibre Federal Credit Union - Main Branch *Jansen Flowers & Gift Gallery *KLOG/KUKN/the WAVE Radio Stations *Longview Radiologists, P.S., Inc. *Omelets & More *PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center Foundation *Teri's Restaurant *American Medical Response *Beacon Hill Sewer District *Cascade Title Company *CCS *City of Kelso *City of Longview *Comcast Spotlight *Costco Wholesale *Cowlitz County *Cowlitz County CASA *Cowlitz County PUD *Cowlitz County Title Company *Cowlitz Wahkiakum Council of Governments *David E. Houten, DDS
*Diamond Showcase *Document Management Archives *Dorothy Bain Hanson *Emerald Kalama Chemical *Express Employment Professionals *Freddy’s Just for The Halibut *Gordon Sondker *KapStone *Koelsch Senior Communities *L.G. Isaacson Company *Longview Memorial Park, Funeral Home & Crematory *Lower Columbia College *Miller Paint *Pacific Tech Construction, Inc. *Port of Longview *Rodman Realty, Inc. *Steel Painters/Railco *Swanson Bark & Wood Products, Inc. *The Golden Palace *The Red Hat *Three Rivers Eye Care *U.S. Cellular *Walstead Mertsching, PS *Watkins Tractor & Supply Co.
*Canterbury Gardens *Canterbury Park *Congressman Brian Baird *US Senator Patty Murray OUR LATEST RENEWING MEMBERS *Acupuncture Northwest *Budget Blinds of Longview *Columbia Bank - Longview Branch *Columbia Funeral Service *Columbia River Mill Outlet *Columbia Wellness *Continental Investors Services, Inc. *DeFrancisco Lampitt and Brado PS *DSU Peterbilt *Fire Mountain Grill & Summerland Catering Services *G L Booth – J G Davis & Associates *Green Hills Crematory - Cascade NW Funeral Chapel *Kay Green *Lower Columbia Contractors Association *Signature Transport, Inc. *State Farm Insurance - Scott Fischer *Teague's Interiors
Your Locally Owned and Operated Community Bank • Checking, Savings and CDs • Business Loans • Construction Loans • SBA Loans 729 Vandercook Way, Longview
(360) 414-4101 www.twincitybank.com
There’s a Difference. February 2017 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | 35
lineth ! d a e D h 16 Marc
2017 VISITOR & MEMBERSHIP GUIDE
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Space is limited - Call today! 360-423-8400
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105 Minor Road Kelso, WA 98626
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