Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal 24/08

August 2011 Vol. 24 No. 8

The Voice of Kitsap Business since 1988

Fun and Business Clearwater Casino Resort part of a thriving enterprise

By Rodika Tollefson To the visitors and locals looking to “get away,” Clearwater Casino Resort is a place where they can escape from the world for a few hours or days. To Kitsap County, it is part of the economic base — Port Madison Enterprises, which operates the casino and hotel as the business arm of the Suquamish Tribe, is the county’s third-largest private employer, behind only Harrison Medical Center and Walmart (based on 2010 numbers from the Kitsap Economic Development Alliance). But to the Suquamish Tribe, Clearwater is not only a way to be sustainable, it is also one of the avenues that help provide programs for tribe members.

“The goal is to make a profit but also to help provide for the needs of the tribe and create jobs — as well as diversify,” said Port Madison Enterprises CEO Russell Steele.

When Steele joined PME nearly a decade ago, the tribe owned a convenience store and a bingo hall, and the original casino, which it had opened in a tent structure in 1995. Today, the commercial venture is a thriving enterprise that also includes Kiana Lodge, a business park, Cover Story, page 31

Russell Steele, CEO Port Madison Enterprises

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Inside Special Reports: Tools for Your Business, pp 8-11 Hospitality & Meeting Facilities, pp 26-29

Human Resources, pg 13

Editorial, pp 36-38

Financial, pp 14-15 Technology, pg 17 Real Estate, pp 23-24 Environment, pg 33 Automotive, pp 34, 35

Port Orchard Chamber, pg 32 Home Builders Newsletter, pp 19-22

Christensen receives Regional Leader Award Edward Jones Financial Advisor Calvin Christensen of Silverdale recently received the Regional Leader Award for his outstanding service efforts over the past year. Only 687 of the firm’s more than 12,000 financial advisors received the Regional Leader’s award.

“When you work for a firm that is known for its outstanding service,” Christensen said, “it’s quite an honor to be singled out for your service record.”

Watson’s new marketing director hails from Amazon.com Watson has announced Dan Feeney, former Amazon.com senior vendor and in-stock manager, joined the firm as the new Director of Product Marketing.

Feeney comes to Watson with over 15 years of market development and product strategy experience at Amazon.com and Hewlett-Packard.

Most recently, while with Amazon, he focused on strategic and operational processes. While at Hewlett-Packard, he led a team of product managers in their drive to maximize the customer experience through strategic initiatives, product development and process integration.

According to Clif McKenzie, Watson CEO, “Dan’s background in product management, particularly his emphasis on client need clarification, will nicely complement our customer inspired product development process.”

For more information about Watson Furniture visit www.watsonfurniture.com.

Smith named new GM at Silverdale Fitness Kitsap Physical Therapy and Sports Clinics (KPT), owner of Silverdale Fitness, has named Stephanie Smith as its new General Manager. She will be overseeing the operations, developing and implementing of new wellness based programs for the fitness and health facility.

Smith has most recently been head of marketing for KPT and also managing Silverdale’s sister facility, Kingston Fitness.

She has over 20 years of experience in the fitness industry from athletic training, corporate health and wellness, and fitness management.

To learn more www.KitsapPT.com or www.SilverdaleFitness.com.

2 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal•KPBJ.com August 2011

Cloward and Gould to join Kitsap Bank’s commercial lending team Kitsap Bank announced that Corrynn Cloward and Suzette Gould have joined the North Kitsap Commercial Lending Team as vice presidents and commercial loan officers.

Both will be located at Kitsap Bank’s Poulsbo location and will serve business customers throughout the North Kitsap community.

A life long resident of Corrynn Cloward Kitsap County, Cloward has 28 years of banking experience starting with Suburban State Bank in Silverdale in 1983.

Through a series of mergers she spent over 20 years with Bank of America until moving to Suzette Gould Frontier Bank as a commercial lender in 2003. Cloward brings extensive commercial experience in documentation, processing, underwriting, and lending.

Gould has been in banking for 15 years, nine years with US Bank in Tacoma before moving to Key Bank; and most recently Frontier Bank. She brings experience in analysis, lending and sales.

“Corrynn and Suzette are a great addition to our North Kitsap team,” stated Steve Politakis, executive vice president and CCO. “Both share Kitsap Bank’s strong commitment to superior customer service by building lasting relationships.”

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Edward Jones branch in Poulsbo named tops in client service excellence

Servpro sets up shop in new digs Servpro of Kitsap County has moved. You may have noticed the bright green garage doors, and orange trim on their newly remodeled building located on Highway 3 in Gorst.

The new space provides over 10,000 square feet of warehouse, and office space.

Servpro of Kitsap County specializes in disaster restoration, and clean up after fire or water damage has occurred. The firm is locally owned and operated, and has been serving the community for over 30 years.

For more information, call their office at 360-373-1290.

New graphic design business opens Melissa Reed announced that she has opened up One-Nine Designs a new local graphic design business. The firm specializes in print design including business cards, letterhead, logos, mailers, advertisements, and more.

“In today’s competitive market, just having a great product or service isn’t enough to guarantee success,” stated Reed, owner and graphic designer. “Your brand needs to stand out and demand customer interest. The advantage of a memorable brand is the connection it makes with your customers. Simply put, good design gets noticed.”

Reed completed her certification in digital graphic design from Rogue Community College in 2001. For the past 11 years she has worked in the health care industry, and most recently as the communications specialist for a large medical group in Kitsap County — creating and designing all print and marketing materials and managing company websites. Whether for professional or personal interest, Reed has been sharpening her skills as a graphic designer for 10 years.

“At One-Nine Designs I can put my creativity to work for you,” she added. “I will deliver a carefully crafted design that will elevate your position in the marketplace and attract the customer attention your business deserves.”

For more information visit www.one-ninedesigns.com or call (360) 286-9640.

Westsound Home & Garden Summer Concert series at Uptown Gig Harbor

Dr. Sean Joseph of Integrated Chiropractic has expanded the clinic’s hours so he can be accessible to patients five days a week.

“To maintain the level of service and expertise our patients expect; it’s an ideal time to expand office hours. During the summer months, schedules are more fluid and it’s important we remain accessible to our patients,” Dr. Joseph said.

The new office hours began July 1 and include Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Tuesday and Thursday 2 – 6 p.m.

To schedule an appointment call (360) 516-6296 or visit www.DocJoseph.com for more information.

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KCS holds its annual golf challenge fundraiser Kitsap Cancer Services (KCS) is a local non-profit organization whose mission is to provide support services for people and families living in the community who are affected by cancer.

This event was the former Celebrity Golf Benefit that was the brainchild of Mark Smaha, past WSU director of Athletic Medicine and his wife, Jackie, a nine year survivor of ovarian cancer.

Formerly featuring local sports heroes, the format has changed to a golf-a-thon concept, where participants gather pledges and play for free. The Golf Challenge will be held at Gold Mountain Golf Complex Olympic Course on Sunday, Aug. 7, offering morning and afternoon start times.

For more information about participation in this event, visit www.kcsgolfchalleng.net or www.kitsapcancerservices.org.

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August 2011 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal•KPBJ.com 3

Since July 7, Uptown Gig Harbor has featured the 2011 Westsound Home & Garden Summer Concert Series at Uptown. Free weekly shows are held Thursday evenings 6–8 p.m. under the pavilion at Uptown Gig Harbor (4701Point Fosdick Drive, Gig Harbor).

In partnership with Westsound Home & Garden Magazine, MultiCare Gig Harbor Medical Park and KGHP FM, the concert line up contains something for everyone.

• Aug. 4 – Common Ground (modern rock) • Aug. 11 – Hard Tail (blues) • Aug. 18 – Broken Trail (country) www.reverbnation.com/brokentrail • Aug. 25 – Summer’s End Music Finale (conglomeration of local teen talent) For more details on these concerts or other Uptown Gig Harbor events, visit www.uptowngigharbor.com or contact Kristin Undem, Tenant coordinator, at (253) 851-4557.

Edward Jones Financial Advisor Pat McFadden and Branch Office Administrator Toby Craig in Poulsbo recently were ranked within the top 25 percent of the country for excellence in client service at Edward Jones.

This honor was bestowed based upon the results of a survey in which random clients were asked to rank the service they received from the staffs of their local Edward Jones branch offices. The survey identified McFadden and Craig as providing some of the most exemplary client service within the firm.

“We are particularly honored by this award as it is one bestowed upon us by our clients,” McFadden said.

Integrated Chiropractic extends office hours

Marine View Beverage expands into new warehouse

4 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal•KPBJ.com August 2011

By Rodika Tollefson When Lance Kahn started working at his father-in-law’s business, Jennings Distributing of Bremerton, in 1977, the company had 13 employees and grossed $10 million or so a year. Operating in the same location since 1968, the company grew steadily as it added more brands.

“I remember our first $1 million month, our $2 million month,” Kahn said.

Today the name of Jennings Distributing no longer exists, but Mountain View Beverage, created through the merger of Jennings and two other distributors nearly 10 years ago, has grown to a nearly $150 million company. At the end of May, the corporation has achieved a new milestone: It moved from the Bremerton location it has occupied for more than three decades, to a newly built space that has tripled its warehouse space.

The Kitsap County location employs about 70 people and services the Kitsap Peninsula along with Gig Harbor and North Mason County, and into Jefferson and Clallam counties, distributing mostly beer and wine as well as some soft drinks and non-alcoholic beverages. Kahn said the company would have stayed in Bremerton but couldn’t find a big enough warehouse space after looking for the past two years.

Instead, it built its own in a relatively new commercial area in Poulsbo that is part of the Olhava development.

“We built as big a building as we could on this piece of property,” Kahn said.

Marine View has some companywide policies and a joint human resources department. But Kahn and the other two partners — Fred Bevegni, who owned Western Beer in Sumner, and BJ Bjerke,

formerly owner of Black Hills Distributing in Tumwater — run their branches independently. While the major decisions are made together, each does business a little differently to fit the size of the operation and their own personalities.

“We don’t have a defined corporate structure — it’s defined by what makes sense,” Kahn said. “…It’s a process that evolves and we’re comfortable with the soft evolution into the corporate office.”

This unique approach reflects the partners’ move to merge in 2002, a decision made as way to grow. The three companies were in business for a combined total of more than 110 years prior to the merger — each with decades-long histories in their respective communities. Their distribution territories touched borders and the owners knew each other casually.

“Neither could do major transactions individually but together have the cash flow (to grow,)” Kahn said. “The reason we came together is survival — size allows us to do new things, like get certain suppliers.”

In 2005, they added a fourth location, in Port Angeles, and companywide they employ close to 350 people.

Family Tradition Kahn was born and raised in Bremerton, a West Sound High grad. He got his first taste of business by working for $1 an hour at the family’s clothing store in downtown Bremerton. “Levi’s were $2.99 and I tagged them until my fingers were blue,” he said.

After leaving for college to study marine science, Kahn returned to Bremerton and married JoAnne Jennings, whose father, Bob, founded Jennings Distributing in 1966 by purchasing another wholesaler.

“I swore I’d never work at a family

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Lance Kahn, CEO Marine View Beverage, Inc business because I worked for my family’s store,” he said.

Instead, two months after tying the knot, he joined Jennings. He had worked his way up from the ground level through the years in just about every job.

After Bob’s death in 1991, the couple together with JoAnn’s brother Jon took over the business. Because the bank valued the company at $1 million and the estate asked for a purchase price of $1.4 million, they had to come up with the difference. Kitsap Bank gave them a loan with a five-year repayment plan.

“Everything we owned was collateral — our homes, cars, clothes,” he said. About a decade ago, Kahn bought out his brotherin-law, Jon, who was ready to retire.

He misses some of the hands-on work but says his job now is more about relationships.

“I love the people I work with. We have some of the greatest people here and everybody has a great level of accountability,” he said.

In return, the company treats its employees as the top asset. They have a generous retirement plan and other benefits, and Kahn said that up until this year, Marine View covered 100 percent of the medical insurance for employees, absorbing rate increases as high as 30 percent some years. This year, one group of employees began paying a small out-ofpocket contribution.

“We literally spent eight hours

discussing the alternatives,” he said.

His partners share his philosophy and values. He said all three are in their late 50s and leave in modest homes, conducting business in a fiscally conservative way and working long hours. Each branch also supports numerous organizations in their communities. Locally, Marine View has contributed to Corey’s Day on the Farm, Kitsap County Fair and Stampede, Harrison Hospital Foundation, Festival of Trees and several food banks, among other groups.

Running the business has meant a lot of personal growth — the business and Kahn evolved together. He said the three owners don’t dwell on numbers when it comes to the size of the company, but on the other hand they discuss how decisions will impact every employee.

After all this time in business, Kahn still works 10-hour days and takes few vacations. He has the title of CEO but doesn’t dwell on it. “We don’t have any big shots in this business,” he said.

British Connection opens in Gig Harbor Neil Bennett has announced that “The British Connection” store opened in downtown Gig Harbor at 3200 Tarabochia Street. The store offers British food and gifts ranging from Flake bars to royal wedding memorabilia.

For more information call (253) 5090474 or visit www.thebritconnection.com.

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Aug. 15th For more information: Dee Coppola 800-733-7990 or email dee@wetapple.com

KPVCB picking up the slack now that state is out of the tourism business impact on the local economy,” said Patricia Graf-Hoke. “The recent visit by 300 Microsoft employees aboard an Argosy Cruise boat for a “day of play” in and coverage by KOMO TV, proves our strategy to position the Kitsap Peninsula as the Puget Sound’s “natural playground” is on target and working.” Graf-Hoke added.

Thanks to the success of the Microsoft event, KPVCB is working on a partnership with Argosy Cruises Corporate Development to create special “eco-recreation” packages that will bring corporate events, meetings, and visitors to other Kitsap Peninsula other marinas and venues.

Reviewing the reports from the

Washington State Dept. of Revenue shows significant increases in Lodging and Accommodations sales. Below are the most recent statistics.

The distribution of tax dollars from additional local Hotel/Motel Taxes generated in Kitsap County have increased: 2010: May: $ 32,382 2011: May: $ 37,205.

2010: June: $26,213 2011: June: $30,331 YTD Jan-June 30, 2010: $165,113 YTDJan-June 30, 2011: $197,848 Distribution of Tax for: State Shared Local Hotel/Motel Tax for Kitsap has also

increased 2010: May: $ 32,382 2011: May: $ 37,142 2010: June: $26,213 2011: June: $30,331 YTD Jan-June 30, 2010: $ 164,434 YTD Jan-June 30, 2011: $197, 788 Graf-Hoke points out that local tourism revenues show nearly a $70,000 increase is taxes collected by local municipalities and Kitsap County over just two months, and says, “That clearly shows the economic power of tourism.”

The KPVCB can be reached at 800-3370580 or www.visitkitsap.com.

August 2011 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal•KPBJ.com 5

It may seem dumb that the State has decided to terminate the State Tourism office, in light of the fact that tourism generates more than $260,000,000 a year in related sales revenue and is responsible for 3200 jobs.

With that in mind, Kitsap Peninsula Visitor and Convention Bureau (KPVCB) Executive Director Patti Graf-Hoke says her agency is now tasked with filling the void left by the State. She wants to begin doing so by specifically addressing the perception that tourism jobs are “fluff,” and she says they have gotten a bad rap.

According to Graf-Hoke, the face of tourism isn’t the tourist — it’s the employees who serve our visitors. She points out that many of those jobs are in the retail sector, which provides revues for local governments.

According to Washington State Department of Revenue reports, tax revenues generated by local hoteliers and returned to Kitsap County and local cities, increased by nearly 15 percent from January-June 2010 to 2011. First Quarter revenues generated by Sales for Accommodations, increased 10 percent from $4,545,783 in 2010 to nearly $5 million in 2011.

The data was confirmed with the Kitsap County Treasurer’s office and a representative from the Washington State Department of Revenue. Second quarter data for April, May and June will be available in early October.

The KPVCB expects 2011 2nd quarter revenues to be even more impressive thanks to major local events like the USGA Amateur Golf Championship event at Gold Mountain, regional baseball tournaments, and other adventure and sports events.

“With the decrease in tax revenues in other areas, this is very good news, especially for our local small businesses which are vital to growing and maintaining a sustainable economy and creating jobs,” said Rob Gelder, Kitsap County Commissioner. “When we look at economic development in Kitsap County and we discuss industry clusters, tourism must be an active part of that discussion. The statistics support the efforts to market the region”, Gelder added.

Steven Gear, Manager of the Oxford Suites & Inn in Silverdale, and KVPCB VicePresident, said there has also been a significant increase in leisure travelers thanks to all the national and international press the Kitsap Peninsula has been getting recently.

The national press coverage was generated by a travel story published in the Seattle Times NW Weekend on April 20, that was picked up by Associated Press in May and June and featured in full-page on the front cover of travel sections in daily newspapers in dozens of cities including Miami, Boston, Denver, New Orleans, North Carolina, San Francisco, Portland, Columbus, and others.

Tourism appears to be good for retail sales, too. Data from the Department of Revenue shows that Gross Retail Sales are up nearly 5 percent for 2011 from 2010. Revenues from Sales of Accommodations & Food Services combined are also up and generated $70,600,000 in the 1st quarter of 2011, an increase in of $1,629,651.00 from 2010.

“The increase revenues from lodging and retail sales prove that tourism and tournaments can and are having a positive

Belfair sewer rates raise stink in the business community

6 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal•KPBJ.com August 2011

By Rodika Tollefson Just a few months before Belfair’s new, state-of-the-art wastewater treatment facility comes online, it has created strong opposition from local businesses over proposed sewer rates. Mason County commissioners are in the process of setting rates for the hook-up and monthly fees, and the proposed fee structure is raising concerns about the town’s commercial future.

“We believe the connection fees and monthly rates being discussed will seriously hinder future growth as projects will not be financially viable for investors or the banks that fund them. In addition, the significant burden that will be carried by a small number of customers will likely result in closure of businesses that simply cannot continue to operate and our community will lose valuable services that have taken years to build,” wrote Port of Allyn Board of Commissioners Chair Judy Scott, a commercial land owner, in a letter to Mason County commissioners on behalf of the port.

The Port of Allyn is one of several entities that have voiced strong opposition to the rates. North Mason School District, North Mason Chamber of Commerce, the local Realtors association and economic development board have issued similar position statements. Many business owners have testified at two public meetings in July that they will have to close doors while others said they would be forced to move to Kitsap County.

“This project will put me out of business. This project will take my house from me,” David Callan, owner of the newly opened Casper’s Pizza and Barbecue, said at a recent public meeting in Belfair. Callan and his wife, Michelle, invested their retirement money into opening the new pizzeria after a previous one left. He estimated to have $500 monthly payments and $20,000 in connection costs “…I put my whole life savings, every penny we have,

into this building, into Belfair.”

Funded largely through federal and state grants, the sewer facility was estimated to cost $26 million during early stages. The cost is currently at $45 million for the first out of four phases, with a debt service of $6 million. The facility was built to satisfy Growth Management Act requirements of providing urban services in Urban Growth Areas, and was billed as a project that was imperative to the health of Hood Canal.

The needs to adopt an interim ordinance connection fees in order for property owners to start applying for permits. Various aspects in the new code such as monthly fees and connection charges for phases 2-4 can do not have to be set until the final ordinance, which would not be adopted until December. But the commissioners’ decision on the Phase One existing properties connection fee and the ERU (the number of gallons used as a base for a single-resident unit equivalent) will be final with the interim ordinance adoption.

And those are the areas that have created a point of contention.

Based on data received recently from the Belfair Water District, consultants hired by the county are recommending 135 gallons as the initial ERU, “…until actual measurements of average single family water consumption can be obtained.” Until the data became available, the proposed ERU was closer 150. By comparison, Allyn, one of three UGAs in the county, has a 214 ERU (the lower the ERU number, the more commercial entities have to pay because their rates are calculated in multiples of ERUs). Business owners argue that not only is the ERU not equitable but that the method to determine the number of ERUs for commercial builds is flawed — because it uses square footage in some cases and water usage in others, and square footage doesn’t always reflect the true water use within a building.

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The county’s proposed connection fee for the Phase One properties is $3,000 per ERU through the end of the year, and property owners can finance up to $1,500 over a 10-year period at five percent interest. The connection charge will go up to $5,000 after Jan. 1, 2012, increase gradually to $7,200 in 2014, and expected to be at $14,500 in five years. Property owners also have to cover construction costs, estimated at $5,900-$7,000 per hookup depending on the system. The initial monthly service charge is proposed at $96 per month. The fees are based on the debt incurred for the first phase (including the plant and other infrastructure), divided among the number of ERUs (affecting 200some properties).

While business owners are not debating the fees themselves, they said lowering of the ERU to 135 in many cases at least doubles their estimated costs. QFC, one of the business that has testified on the ordinance, estimated to pay $100,000 to connect, and the new ERU calculation quadruples that amount including construction costs, according to a QFC real estate department representative, who told the commissioners the monthly rate would also be double what they pay at other locations, and the local store is the one that will have to absorb all the costs.

Brian Petersen, owner of Petersen Chiropractic, bluntly told the commissioners the proposal is “the beginning of the end of Belfair.” He is leading a group of property owners who have hired two attorneys including Gary Chrey of Shiers Law Firm of Port Orchard

who specializes in land use. One of the many sewer supporters who are now questioning the project, Petersen says it is not only unfairly forcing a small number of property owners to carry the burden of a system that will benefit others in the future, it’s also not holding up on the promise of encouraging new development in Belfair.

“I’ve always been pro-sewer and progrowth and I still am pro-sewer but we are not getting the pro-growth piece,” said Petersen, who is also spearheading a group of local leaders working on recruiting new businesses to the area.

Since Belfair is not incorporated, the county will directly see the benefit of any future development, including sales taxes.

However, county officials have said that outside of the $200,000 in REET funding they have committed to the project for a few years, the county cannot pay for the portion not funded through grants because they cannot force taxpayers from other areas to pay for a sewer system in Belfair.

Commissioner Tim Shelton, who is also a state lawmaker, has compared Belfair to Kitsap County’s Silverdale in terms of potential growth.

“It’s going to be a magnet for growth,” he said. “…In the long run… infrastructure does create jobs, there’s no doubt about that.”

At a July 19 meeting that included a public hearing on the draft interim ordinance, Mason County commissioners voted to delay adoption for two weeks in order to allow for more public comments to come in. Unless they decide on another extension, they will vote on the ordinance at their Aug. 2 meeting.

Farkas earns ASQ-Certified Quality Auditor designation The Certification Board of the American Society for Quality (ASQ) announced that Denise R. Farkas has completed the requirements to be named an ASQ-Certified Quality Auditor (ASQ CQA). As such, Farkas as reached a significant level of professional recognition, indicating a proficiency in and a comprehension of quality auditing tools and techniques.

In order to sit for the CQA examination, an individual must have eight years of on-the-job experience in one or more of the areas of the CQA body of knowledge, and three of those years must be in a decision-making position. CQAs apply a variety of auditing techniques in examining and evaluating products, processes, and quality systems against specific standards.

CQAs also plan, develop, communicate, and execute an audit with a defined scope, applying management skills to teams and projects, us appropriate tools and methodologies to verify, document, and communicate audit results, and evaluate the effectiveness of corrective actions.

“ASQ provides certification as a way to provide formal recognition to professionals who have demonstrated an understanding of, and commitment to, quality techniques and practices in their job and career,” explains E. David Spong, ASQ president. “This is a great accomplishment and, although not a formal registration or licensure, it represents a high level of peer recognition.”

Farkas is also a Certified Professional Food Safety, certified HACCP (Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points) Manager, and a ServSafe Instructor and Proctor. She has most recently served with a Halliburton company the past several years, supporting our armed services in Iraq, and formerly owned a restaurant in downtown Bremerton.

Local residents new consultants with Tastefully Simple The following local residents have become independent consultants with Tastefully Simple Inc., a national direct sales company featuring easy-to-prepare foods: • Lori Drouin of Allyn, who can be reached atlmdrouin@hotmail.com • Jennifer Jeter of Bremerton, who can be reached atjgjeter@aol.com These independent business owners offer food samples at home taste-testing parties, along with ideas for everyday meals, recipes, serving suggestions and fun. All of Tastefully Simple’s products are open-and-enjoy or can be prepared by adding only one or two ingredients.

For more information about Tastefully Simple products, taste-testing parties or starting a Tastefully Simple business, visit www.tastefullysimple.com.

Poulsbo’s Sound Brewery piles on more awards

Business licensing moves to Dept. of Revenue

Kitsap Bank celebrates 103 years of service by sponsoring Kitsap County Fair and Stampede

Having been brewing only five months, Poulsbo’s Sound Brewery scored a Gold and Silver Medal at the U.S Beer Open Championships in Atlanta, Ga. This comes shortly after receiving news of six medals at NABA, the North American Brewers Association awards, having tied with Silver City as the most NABA awards in Washington State.

In the U.S. Beer Open Championship Sound received a Gold Medal in the highly competitive “Specialty/Anything goes” category, for their “Monk’s Indiscretion” (already a third place peoples choice winner at Seattle Caskfest) and the third medal in a month for their “O’Regan’s Revenge” in the Irish Red category with a Silver Medal.

The team at Sound Brewery is headed by General Manager J. Mark Hood and Head Brewer Brad Ginn, along with Sales Manager Zac Halls, and CFO John Cockburn.

Washington State’s Business Licensing Service was moved to the Department of Revenue effective July 1. In May, Governor Christine Gregoire signed legislation to move the state’s Master License Service (MLS).

Renamed Business Licensing Service (BLS), information is now available at http://business.wa.gov/BLS or by calling (800) 451-7985. All previous online content has been redirected to the new site.

Previous phone numbers continue to work.

The Department of Licensing, http://www.dol.wa.gov/, continues to issue, renew, and regulate “professional” licenses.

Kitsap Bank announced that it will serve as presenting partner of the Kitsap County Fair and Stampede August 24-28. According to Jim Carmichael, President and CEO, “Kitsap Bank is very pleased to celebrate our 103rd anniversary this August by sponsoring this quintessential summertime event. The Kitsap County Fair and Stampede is our largest annual community event and has a long history of providing fun, affordable family entertainment to people of every walk of life throughout the greater peninsula region. We are honored to help continue this proud tradition, and encourage everyone to come out and enjoy the week of festivities.”

Fair and rodeo week includes fair exhibits and carnival rides, live entertainment including national country artist Lee Brice on Thursday, PRCA Rodeo Thursday through Saturday nights, and Extreme Bulls on Sunday afternoon. Specialty discounted tickets are available at all Kitsap Bank branches July 15-August 23.

For more information or online ticket purchases, visit www.kitsaptickets.com.

Four new business owners Washington CASH graduates

Personal Touch Home Care to hold End of Summer Bash The Personal Touch Home Care is sponsoring an End of Summer Bash at the Silverdale Beach Hotel on Aug. 14 from 2 – 9 p.m. There will be live music, food, games, prizes, venders, and silent auction items. It will be held outside on the patio and lawn and is free to the public. For more information, contact Nita Wilson at (360) 981-1400 or Lisa Floyd at (360) 895-3980.

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August 2011 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal•KPBJ.com 7

Four local entrepreneurs and business owners have graduated from the Washington Community Alliance for Self Help (CASH) business support program and have established new businesses.

Each of the business owners completed an intensive 8-week business development training program offered by Washington CASH where they refined their business concepts and prepared business plans They then participated for one year in the unique CASH support program The four owners are: Chris Price, owner of InMotion Performing Arts Center in Poulsbo; Scotty Zufelt, owner of Star Concrete Design in Kingston; Eve-King-Hill of Bremerton who has established a psychotherapy practice in Poulsbo; and Dave Ryan owner of Manticore Stencil Art, of Bremerton.

“These four business owners have taken huge steps to build their businesses and get them going, especially in this economy,” said Stuart Walton, director of the Washington CASH program in Kitsap. “They each have a solid foundation and are prepared to sell their products and services,” Walton continued.

Washington CASH provides business training; supportive community and capital to help enterprising individuals with limited financial resources gain access to market and achieve self-sufficiency through small business ownership.

For more information, email stuart@washingtoncash.org, call (360) 698-4088 or (206) 914-4824, or visit www.washingtoncash.org.

No Matter How You Look at Moving, We’re Here For You...

Local professionals and entrepreneurs talk about the apps

8 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal•KPBJ.com August 2011

By Rodika Tollefson Not that long ago, owning a mobile phone was a simple affair: take calls, maybe keep a calendar and some notes. Now, you can practically run your entire life with a smartphone — but with 425,000 (and counting) apps for the iPhone and at least 300,000 for the Android, how do you make sure those apps don’t run your life instead?

The Blackberry is decidedly uncool when it comes to apps, so I’ve resisted the temptation to turn my phone into a digital version of a Swiss Army knife. Still, I’ve been saved more than once by my Starbucks app while working in one of my many “mobile offices”: Whip out the Berry, reload the coffee card while waiting in line, then hand the phone over to the barista to scan and pay. And while I haven’t given in to Angry Birds on the iPod, I’ll admit to the need for so me swiping action via Fruit Ninjas or browsing Facebook while watching TV (multitasking is second nature, what can I do?).

Many other Kitsap businesspeople are taking the slow road in the app universe, avoiding bells and whistles but looking for things to make their professional and personal lives easier. A few local

business owners and professionals were game for sharing their favorites, so here are some ideas for those itching for new apps.

Charles Keating, Keating Consulting owner and president of West Sound Technology Association, is fond of Google Voice for voicebased searching, along with Google Maps and streaming Netflix for his daughter. One app that has come in handy in a pinch on more than one occasion is WinAdmin, a Windows remote desktop protocol (RDP) client. It allows the iPhone to connect to the remote computer and run it, essentially turning the phone into a screen and keyboard for it.

“The first time I used it to fix a server, it paid for itself. I was in a place where I didn’t have connectivity for WiFi,” he said.

Outside of work, Keating relies on a weather app when planning outings and his wife, Doña, was in seventh heaven after using Shazam to identify a song she’s been trying to figure out for ages.

“It can sample 15 seconds of audio (except for live music) then recognizes the song and artist, and usually gives you an iTunes link,” he said.

Another music app, Pandora, has made free

time more “productive” for Patti Kleist, executive director for Faith in Action. Now on her second Android phone, Droid X, Kleist has an eclectic music taste that ranges from classical and country to Christian. Depending on her mood, she will choose an artist so Pandora can build a personal “radio station” around that selection.

“It customizes it to my taste without me spending a lot of time doing it,” she said.

But the real lifesaver has been her Droid contact list, which was the reason Kleist switched to an Android phone in the first place.

With a contact and resource list of about 1,400 entries, she needed a way to seamlessly transition from her computer to a handheld.

The answer was Gmail’s automatic synching from her phone. Her next task: Finding a way to create PowerPoint presentations on the phone.

“I do a lot of presentations and it would be nice not to have to haul the laptop around,” she said.

Fred Barrett, Allyn Technology Group chief technology officer, found that very solution through DocumentsToGo, which allows him to create or review PowerPoint presentations on his Droid X. He has also found a solution to the “lost business card” problem: CamCard. It’s a business card reader that snaps a photo of a business card, translates the information into OCR and adds it to the phone’s address book, which later gets synched to his computer.

“I can use business cards for their purpose instead of putting them in a drawer,” he said.

Barrett uses Advanced Task Killer to help preserve batteries but there’s one battery issue he hasn’t quite addressed yet.

“Bubble Buster (a Tetris-like game) has cost me more batteries than anything,” he said.

Since Barrett travels extensively, one app that gets extended play is Google Translate, which can translate something into a foreign language, then both speak it and display it back. “I do a lot of stuff overseas so it’s fun to use,” he said.

Sen. Derek Kilmer’s majority of the travel is in his constituency area, so one travel tool he’s found indispensable is the GPS on his phone along with Google Maps. The GPS has saved him on many occasions; in addition to directions, it can also give alternative routes for avoiding traffic.

“It means generally I spend less time in traffic or getting lost,” he said.

Kilmer said he’s not a very active app user on his Droid, other than basics like the Seattle Times and Kindle apps for reading, but the phone has also proven as a fun entertainment tool for his 5-year-old daughter.

“Sophie will occasionally demand possession of my phone to play an aggressively competitive game of Angry Birds,” he said.

Using apps for entertaining children is a popular idea. Kathy Cocus, business development director for Kitsap Economic Development Alliance, turns her Droid II over to her grandson as needed. The almost 18-monthold loves to play Learn Animal Sounds. “What’s

really cool is you can lock it in a game mode so he can’t do anything else to the phone,” she said.

Besides trying her hand at Angry Birds or reading a Kindle book while waiting in the doctor’s office and such, Cocus likes to use Tweetcaster to keep up with the people she follows.

“I use Facebook quite a bit for work and family,” she said. “If I’m out and about, I’ll use it on my phone.”

Various social media and Google apps are common preferences, and Mike Strube is no exception. The Bremerton Chamber of Commerce executive director no longer opens a book, googling everything instead.

While on the road, he checks into different businesses via Foursquare on his Android phone almost daily, and frequently scans QR codes. The chamber is even in the process of launching its own app, which will be released in the next couple of months.

A new indispensable travel gadget he packs is his iPad. Among other things, it allows him to take his favorite HBO shows on the road — as a subscriber, he can log into his account from anywhere and stream HBO videos.

The iPad is becoming his favorite technology for things like monitoring Facebook and Twitter feeds via Flipboard, which also searches RSS feeds for different categories. “It’s like having a mobile magazine, it’s pretty interesting,” he said.

Susan Harrington, owner of Labyrinth Hill Lavender Farm, is out and about often as well, and she likes to post updates to Facebook on her iPhone as well as posting to her private FB group for lavender growers.

“I like being out in the field like a local lavender tour and be able to post breaking news from where I’m at,” she said.

She’s used the phone to keep occupied during a series of commutes on the ferry recently — she downloaded books from Kitsap Regional Library to OverDrive, an app also available locally for Pierce County Library and North Mason Timberland Regional Library patrons.

Much like regular books, patrons have to check out the digital copies, then renew them after the rental limit (they will not display otherwise), and there’s a limited number of copies available at the same time so they may have to request a hold.

In Harrington’s case, she prefers the audiobook version so she can listen to books while knitting on the ferry, so downloaded them to iTunes. “It was convenient because I had a lot of things to carry,” she said. “I could do two things at once.”

Harrington said she has kept life simple when it comes to apps, not worrying about the latest and greatest, but she may have to give into one thing soon: investing into an iPad. She has students all around the country and is planning a nationwide tour next spring.

“Part of the reason behind iPad is to be able to keep in touch on the road,” she said.

“I may not be able to avoid it much longer.”

Top 10 business applications for empowering your inner geek receipts) while traveling is never pain-free, but Expensify makes it slightly less challenging.

The free app lets you log mileage, file expense reports and upload a limited number of receipts using your phone’s camera (a smart scanning system automatically extracts information like the date and the amount charged). Available on iPhone/iPad, Android, WebOS, and BlackBerry devices.

GoToMeeting (www.gotomeeting .com/fec/): GoToMeeting is the easiest and most convenient way to attend online meetings no matter wherever you are.

Downloading the app for free and joining a

meeting on your iPad2 within seconds just by tapping the link in your invitation email is truly a joy to experience and will warm the hearts of many a seasoned road warrior.

View slide presentations, design mockups, spreadsheets, reports and much more.

Dragon Dictation (www.nuance mobilelife.com): Dragon Dictation is an easy-to-use voice recognition app powered

by Dragon NaturallySpeaking that allows you to easily speak and instantly see your text or emails. With Dragon Dictation you can also dictate status updates directly to your social networking applications like

Facebook and Twitter or send notes and reminders to yourself using your voice.

PrintCentral (http://mobile. eurosmartz.com/products/printcentral. html): Print Central is an app that directs your files to most WiFi/wireless printers without additional software. Print to all printers and any document type via your Mac/PC. Print remotely over 3G and in corporate/other networks where WiFi is not available. You can view, store and print email, documents, files, attachments, Biz Apps, page 10

August 2011 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal•KPBJ.com 9

By Rich Jacobson Often times, the tsunami-esque wave of all the newest widgets and gadgets being offered seems rather daunting and overwhelming. It feels like you’re trying to take a drink of water from a fire hydrant! Well, let’s just say that if I can embrace and implement emerging technology into my business, just about anyone can.

As a local real estate broker in Kitsap County, and a few years shy of my AARP membership, I’ve learned not to be intimidated by technology and have discovered many valuable tools that have helped to efficiently grow my business and made life easier along the way.

With so many apps popping up daily, many of them designed to complement the latest advances in mobile device technology, the greatest challenge is knowing which ones are worth the investment of your valuable time, and offer the most practical help and benefit for your business.

The following is a brief overview of the to 10 business-related applications: Dropbox (www.dropbox.com): Forget having to email yourself large memoryhungry documents or files. A descendant of the Web-based version allows users to sync up their Dropbox files between desktop, mobile and iPad, and share links to documents in their Dropbox with just a few taps of the finger. Label a document as a favorite and view it even when you don’t have an Internet connection. While the app is free, Dropbox’s service includes tiered monthly pricing for more than 2GB of storage.

Evernote (www.evernote.com): Keep track of everything that happens in your life with this app. Evernote lets you gather notes, voice memos, ideas or snapshots on your iPhone and syncs them with your computer (PC or Mac). Extremely useful for creative minds, Evernote keeps your ideas organized and easy to review later. The best thing about Evernote is the smooth, harmonious synchronization it provides, as it adds all of your iPhone notes and items to the service’s Web version as well as to its PC and Mac applications. The app also offers a voicerecording module and takes advantage of the iPhone’s camera to snap photos of things you want to remember.

PhotoSnack (www.photosnack.com): With PhotoSnack, it’s easier than ever to add photos, create elegant flash photo slideshows with music, and share them with your friends and family. You will be amazed to see how intuitive the new PhotoSnack photo slideshow maker is and how useful the latest updates are — add music to photo slideshows; add photos from Facebook, Flickr, Picasa, Photobucket and SmugMug; 24 slideshow templates to choose from, all free.

PDF Expert (http://readdle.com/ products/pdf_expert_iphone/): PDF Expert is the ultimate solution for all your PDF needs. It lets you read and annotate PDF documents, highlight text, make notes, draw with your finger and save these changes, being compatible with Preview and Adobe Acrobat. PDF Expert is the only iPad application that can fill PDF forms!

Expensify (www.expensify.com): Keeping track of expenses (and holding on to

Gig Harbor foundation’s workshops inspire “journey to personal freedom”

10 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal•KPBJ.com August 2011

By Rodika Tollefson When David Nogle picked up his wife, Kathy Westerdahl, from a workshop on the Key Peninsula a few years ago, he knew he wanted to take the workshop himself. Her reaction to the experience and her belief it was a turning point in her life convinced him he would need to try it for himself.

Last July, Nogle took the plunge to attend the men’s version of the workshop, an experience over thr ee and a half dasy facilitated in a small group by the Soltura Foundation. Like all the participants who commit to the Soltura experience, Nogle didn’t exactly know what to expect. Both alumni and organizers are usually tightlipped about the exact format, saying it’s important for people to come in openminded, without preconceived notions.

“They don’t have a clue what to expect, otherwise they’d have it scripted for themselves,” said Execute Director Carole Rosenberg, one of the three Soltura cofounders and the main workshop facilitator.

“Everybody has their own list of expectations and everyone has different perspective.”

For Nogle, it was an opportunity to look inside instead of focusing outward, like people are often conditioned to do.

“There’s few opportunities for men to

open up. It gave me an opportunity to feel safe and able to talk about myself, my background and my life without worrying about people judging me,” he said.

The idea of being able to express oneself, both physically and emotionally, in a safe environment is the guiding principle behind the Soltura workshops, which are offered in three parts. Rosenberg said the sessions get intensely emotional, but participants don’t do anything emotionally or physically unsafe. Beyond that, it’s up to each individual where to take his or her experience.

Rosenberg said it’s difficult to describe Soltura, other than to say it’s not talk therapy (“We don’t talk, we do,” she said) or a “new agey” sort of idea. Rather, it’s an experiential, activity-guided process for self-dis covery, a way to face individual fears and doubts.

“The goal is personal freedom, rekindling a relationship with who you are,” she said.

The premise is personal empowerment, but it’s not exactly the type of personal development experience of a typical setting.

Hosted on a beautiful 28-acre waterfront property in Lakebay, the “trilogy,” as the series are called, brings together people in small groups for t hree to five days of uninterrupted work — no cell phones or television, not many breaks except for lunch and dinner and time for personal reflection. Participants live in close quarters — two- to four-person bedrooms — and share the elegant dining room. They also have access to the tranquil grounds, which include a gazebo, walking paths and beautiful landscaping.

Soltura grew out of a therapeutic program Rosenberg developed for adolescent boys and With an their families.

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undergraduate degree in education and a master’s of science in exercise physiology, she learned how the body deals with physical stresses and how emotions affect the brain.

The basic science behind the workshops is bioenergetics, with the idea that certain emotions poison the body and the poison has to be released, much like it is through massage and other complementary therapies.

“It’s like a four-day massage except you’re doing all the work,” she said.

After Steve and Alix Buckley took one of the workshops, they were so impressed that they put their support behind Rosenberg’s dream of creating a program for a wider audience. The three became co-founders of Soltura (which means “releasing from confinement” as well as “fluency of movement” in Spanish).

Originally based in Texas, Soltura (www.soltura.net) moved to the Key Peninsula in 2007 when the Buckleys found

the secluded property that fit their vision.

Soltura, which became a nonprofit the following year, leases the facilities from them and operates with all volunteers except for two paid staff. Trilogy alumni return to facilitate workshops, become involved on the board of directors, help fundraise and support in other ways. They’re also the program’s main form of advertising: About 90 percent of participants come from word of mouth, and they come from all over the United States and Canada.

“Most are in transition — emotional, spiritual. They seek themselves, trying to learn who they are,” Rosenberg said.

The trilogy format is similar for men and women but uses different metaphors. For men, the series is based on the book by Robert Fisher titled “The Knight in the Rusty Armor,” and fo r women the theme centers on “The Wizard of Oz.” The

BIZ APPS

don’t require an Internet connection to display the presentation.

Two of my favorite resources for staying ahead of the technology learning curve are Mashable (http://mashable.com) and TechCrunch (http://techcrunch.com). One word of caution: For every successful startup launch, the new media landscape is littered with literally dozens of other apps/companies that have failed. Exercise discernment when investing valued time and energy into a particular platform. Nothing is worse than discovering all of your content/data is lost when someone gets their plug pulled!

(Editor’s Note: Rich Jacobson is a devoted husband and father, crabbing enthusiast, clam digger, blogger, social mediast occasional thespian and dashboard percussionist. In his day job as a licensed real estate broker at Windermere Real Estate, he provides knowledgeable empowerment and relentless representation for his clients of residential properties and vacant land throughout all of Kitsap County and portions of Pierce, Mason and Jefferson counties. You can find his ever-expanding digital footprint at places such as KitsapLife.com, SoundBiteBlog.com, CrabbingInTheHood.com, Facebook and Twitter.)

from page 9 photos, contacts and Web pages on your iPad2. You can also transfer docs and files via iTunes using USB cable, and open documents stored in PrintCentral directly into iWork for easy editing.

Genius Scan (www.thegrizzlylabs .com/genius-scan/): Genius Scan makes scanning a document an extremely simple process: Take a photo with the camera; the app automatically detects the document’s edges for you (and then you can manually adjust them by dragging), then the final result is shown with automatic corrections made to the image such as lightening the background and correcting perspective distortion.

Prezi (http://prezi.com/): Prezi differs from Powerpoint in that it is a Web-based program that allows you to create more of a canvas presentation instead of a sequential slide presentation. Think nonlinear. It allows you to incorporate not only text and pictures, but videos and other presentation objects.

You can create your presentation online and then download the final product so that you

Soltura, page 11

The three Ps of crisis leadership: Planning, Patience, and Practice

SOLTURA from page 10 organization’s marketing materials describe the programs as a combination of group, individual and community exercises that mix art, music, drama, humor, writing and guided imagery, but alumni say it’s very difficult to put the program in a box.

Gig Harbor resident Cathy Gabalden, who took the first part in April 2010 and returned for the second recently, said even after having the tools from the first workshop, she was transformed the second time around.

“It was completely different yet as profound,” she said. “It’s so hard to explain Soltura. You think you’re living your life to the fullest…and to come out of that (workshop) is like walking out into the sunshine.”

Just because you don’t have a crisis right away doesn’t mean it’s not working! Your goal is to expect the best and plan for the worst. Patience in developing a model that will be fluid at the outset and go through adjustments and course correction in the middle is a necessity.

Practice: Just l ike I made my teams practice their crisis situations, you’ve got to put your team and system to the test once in awhile. You can’t effectively save someone’s life if you’ve never practiced CPR or First Aid. You can’t effectively respond to crisis if you’ve never practiced it, either. Even if it’s simply going through the exercise of learning to think, act, and make decisions under stress, then your

business and your team are the winners. You take practice swings before hitting a golf ball; practice giving a speech to the mirror before the audience; and practice that musical number before belting it out to the crowd. If you don’t make it a priority to practice your crisis response, you are doing your team a huge disservice. Practicing your plan fundamentally improves morale, increases efficiency, and may just save your business from disaster.

All the risk management in the world won’t prevent disaster and crisis from happening. It’s not a matter of if; it’s a matter of when. As you read this, you know that, too. It’s negligent to not be prepared to respond to perils and situations

that could ruin your business. Everyone gets the same amount of time in the day. How you use yours is about priority, not process. What you make a priority in your business, and in your life, will eventually be brought forward and tested.

Can your business pass the test?

(Editors note: Dan Weedin is a Poulsbo-based management consultant, speaker, and mentor. He helps entrepreneurs, organizations, and small business owners to create remarkable results through leveraging the power of relationships. He is one of only 32 consultants in the world to be accredited as an Alan Weiss Master Mentor. You can reach Weedin at (360) 697-1058; e-mail at dan@danweedin.com or visit the web site at www.DanWeedin.com.)

August 2011 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal•KPBJ.com 11

By Dan Weedin Decisions made in real time more often than not… are really bad.

When crisis occurs, and it will every year, how you respond to it will ultimately determine your survival. If you’re a small business, you don’t get the cash flow, cash reserves, resources, or human assets that your larger brethren in the corporate world do. A sudden loss of cash flow, ability to operate, or reputation damage can literally kill your business regardless of how much insurance you have.

The newspapers and cyberspace are filled with recent examples of crisis — the tornadoes in the Midwest and East Coast; Ice storms; Earthquakes in Japan; Sony being hacked into 5 times; the UK cell phone hacking scandal; Delta being fined for excessive rat feces on their planes. You get the picture.

When I coached high school basketball, I used to regularly run drills called “Situations.”

These would be end of half, and end of game situations where the game is on the line. Over the course of the year, we rarely ran into those situations. However, we were prepared for them when they came and as importantly, we knew how to act in a tight situation. Can you say the same thing about your team?

In order to be prepared to survive a crisis, you must be willing to understand and exercise the “Three P’s.”

Planning: You have to create some time to evaluate your vulnerabilities. Don’t be “Pollyanna-ish” and think it won’t happen to you.

It happens to everyone in one form or fashion eventually. Bring your team together and brainstorm. Triage the perils into priorities and determine how you will handle each one. Will you insure, avoid, control, or some combination?

The reality is that by bringing in your team, you will get a better understanding and rich dialogue about what should keep you up at night.

Patience: In this country, we are constantly on instant gratification mode. We want things done now and we want them done our way.

Crisis management doesn’t work that way. It’s a process that takes patience and perseverance. It demands that all members of your team get engaged, have input, and above all implement.

USO Puget Sound Area marks anniversary with Gary Sinise visit

12 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal•KPBJ.com August 2011

By Rodika Tollefson It’s not often that Kitsap Peninsula rubs elbows with Hollywood A-list stars.

However, in July, Naval Base Kitsap (NKB) personnel got to meet Oscar-nominated actor Gary Sinise as he toured some of the facilities. Best known for his role as Lieutenant Dan in the blockbuster hit movie “Forest Gump,” Sinise and his Lt. Dan Band also performed for NBK sailors, family members and base patrons — thanks to USO Puget Sound Area and community sponsor TriWest Health Care Alliance.

A national nonprofit organization that provides support for military personnel and their family members, USO is well-known for its troop-entertainment program.

Entertainers travel to military bases around the country and the world through the USO for “meet and greet,” or to perform.

USO Puget Sound Area arranged the Sinise visit as part of its 45th year anniversary celebration, and the band performed at Joint Base Lewis-McCord’s Freedom Fest on Independence Day as well.

“We feel Gary is now becoming the face of the USO when it comes to entertainment,” said USO Puget Sound Area Executive Director Don Leingang, a retired Navy commander. “…He’s supported the military for a number of years and he’s doing that through his relationship with the USO.” Sinise, who has an extensive military background in his family, has been involved with the USO since 2003, originally doing handshake tours and signing autographs. A longtime bass guitar player, he formed the band a year later with other musician friends with the goal of entertaining the troops.

Since then, they have made hundreds of appearances at military bases and some public venues all over the world. The tribute band plays an eclectic repertoire or popular songs from different genre.

“It’s a dangerous world and we’re asking a lot of our military,” Sinise said at a press

program worldwide,” he said.

He also hopes the Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band performance opens the door to future visits by entertainers. Although sometimes, local radio stations host miniconcerts by up-and-coming artists at the local bases, it has been years since the USO has had major local performances. The Bremerton concert was attended by nearly 5,000 people.

“The nice about the concert at Bremerton, the families got to experience it,” he said. “…If the base sees the success, they’ll want to do more (of them) for the sailors. If there’s community support, it would be more (likely) to happen again and again.”

Kitsap Bank raises over $25K for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation conference at NBK prior to the performance. “…If I can go out there and help them and serve them, it’s something I can do as a media person.”

He has been involved with various charitable causes related to supporting military and veterans, and last year created The Gary Sinise Foundation to serve military personnel, veterans, first responders and their families.

“I got to the point I was spending so many weekends and time raising money… I needed to find a way to ramp up these efforts,” said Sinise, whose “day job” currently is playing Detective Mac Taylor, the lead character on the CBS hit television show “CSI: New York.”

He added that he’ll continue to provide support to the USO as well.

The USO (which stands for United Service Organizations) was created as a nonpolitical, nongovernmental nonprofit at the request of President Roosevelt with the vision of uniting several organizations mobilized to provide emotional and other support to troops in World War II. It receives no government funding, instead relying on

sponsorships from companies such as TriWest and Boeing and private donations.

In Puget Sound, USO serves nearly halfmillion active, reserve and veteran military personnel and families, both local and traveling. Headquartered at Joint Base Lewis-McCord, USOPSA also has an additional center at Sea-Tac International Airport that includes 24-hour travel assistance, a lounge, meals and other comforts. The organization also operate a “Mobile Canteen,” a 32-foot Winnebago RV that was converted to provide hospitality such as refreshments and kids activities at deployments, homecomings and other events, including at Naval Base Kitsap.

One program, called “United Through Reading,” enables deployed personnel to record a video of them reading a book. The book and the video are then sent to the family. It has been offered at Lewis-McCord for three or four years and Leingang hopes to expand the program to Kitsap by having a dedicated room for it or scheduling regular visits by the Mobile Canteen.

“It’s the second most-popular USO

For the past eight years, Kitsap Bank has been a sponsor of the South Sound JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes. This year’s event, which was held on May 7 at the University of Washington Tacoma campus, drew numerous family and corporate teams — joined by their commitment to help find a cure for Type I Diabetes.

Each year, employees from the bank’s 20 branches and numerous departments, which covers five counties, fundraise for the event and participate in the Walk. Through personal fundraising efforts, employee donations and branch fundraising efforts, Kitsap Bank employees raised an astounding $25,400 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The total tops Kitsap Bank’s previous fundraising best by $4,000. In addition, the Bank consistently has one of the largest teams at the Walk.

“This goes far beyond making a corporate donation. Our employees have embraced this event, spending their own personal time and money to help the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation find a cure for Type I Diabetes,” remarks Anthony George, executive Vice President and CFO. “Many have been personally touched by Diabetes, some have not, but all have demonstrated their commitment to giving back to our community and making a difference.”

Skifstad receives Jack Phelan Blue Blazer Award Edward Jones Financial Advisor Jason Skifstad of Silverdale recently received the Jack Phelan Blue Blazer Award for his outstanding business building skills and client service efforts over the past year. The award was named for the firm’s former national sales manager, Jack Phelan.

Skifstad was awarded a handsome blue blazer with special Edward Jones insignia buttons, similar to the one worn by the legendary Phelan.

“When you work for a firm that is known for its outstanding service,” Skifstad said, “it’s quite an honor to be singled out for your service record.”

Only 147 of the firm’s more than 12,000 financial advisors received the Jack Phelan Blue Blazer Award.

The lowdown on a “uniform” dress code for work American-Islamic Relations Council to devise a solution. They came up with a headscarf with a beret attached to the top which blended well with other employees’ costumes. It just took a little imagination, flexibility, and willingness to cooperate by all.

If you have a uniform policy for your employees, you can avoid being charged with discrimination by being open to the variation in needs of a diverse workforce.

Lest you think it’s just Muslim women that need accommodation, consider the lawsuit EEOC vs. Brinks, Inc. in which the security company was sued for not allowing a Pentecostal woman to make culottes out of their uniform material in order to cover herself up as required by her religion. The result was a $30,000 fine against Brinks plus court costs.

What are the laws about company uniforms and how do they apply to employers in Washington State? First of all, if you require your employees to wear a uniform, you must absorb the full cost of it.

What is a uniform? It is defined as clothing that clearly identifies the employee as working for a specific employer or has the employer’s logo on it. It would also include something that is unique to identify a historical or ethnic background (think lederhosen in Leavenworth). It also covers formal attire, such as a tux or formal gown.

What about clothing that is a certain color and is required under a specific dress code?

The employer is not responsible for this if the tops are white, tan or blue and the bottoms are tan, black, blue or gray. If the colors are any colors other than those, the employer has to either provide them to the employee or reimburse the employee for the cost. There is no wage standard set determining when an employee is responsible for buying these items. Even employees making minimum wage can be required to wear items in these color combinations at their own cost.

The law does have some protections put into place so employees don’t incur too big of a financial burden for clothing at the employer’s discretion. For instance, if an employer requires clothes of a certain color to be worn, then changes the requirement to a different color combination, the employer must provide the new clothing or compensate the employees for it if the change happens within a two year period. And if the

employer requires more than one outfit, then the employer must incur the expense for all of them.

Can you require an employee to provide a deposit when you provide them a uniform, just in case they fail to return it? Washington State’s law says no. Since the burden is on the employer to provide the uniform, you cannot ask the employee to provide you with a deposit for it. What about if an employee rips their uniform or damages it on the job? Can you require them to pay for a replacement?

Again, the law says no. However, you can require the employee to return the uniforms to you when they leave your employment, and if they don’t, you can deduct their value from the employee’s final paycheck. If you want to do this, you and the employee must have agreed to this in writing in advance, and the deduction cannot reduce their pay below minimum wage.

Sometimes employers don’t understand the difference between uniforms and personal protective equipment (PPE). PPE is required equipment to protect employees’ safety on the job. You are required to provide PPE at no cost to your employees if it is something that they would not normally use away from the workplace or is a single use

item. For instance, you are required to provide goggles, welding helmets, rubber gloves, shoe covers, rubber boots with steel toes, etc. Your employee would be required to bring their own work gloves, work shoes, rain gear, steel toe boots, etc.

While uniform policies on their face seem fairly simple, many major corporations have found themselves in hot legal water in this area of the law. If you are unsure of how to administer your uniform policy, contact the Employment Standards division of the Department of Labor & Industries at 866219-7321 to get clarification. Those few moments of your time may save you money and headaches down the road.

(Editor’s Note: Julie Tappero is the President and owner of West Sound Workforce, a professional staffing and recruiting company based in Poulsbo and Gig Harbor. She can be reached at julie@westsoundworkforce.com. View her LinkedIn profile at www.linkedin.com/in/jtappero.

The recommendations and opinions provided are based on general human resource management fundamentals, practices and principles, and are not legal opinions, advice, or guaranteed outcomes.

Consult with your legal counsel when addressing legal concerns related to human resource issues and legal contracts.)

Survey: Job security still a major concern for workers As the economy continues to give mixed signals about recovery, one factor is certain — many Washingtonians are still worried about keeping their job, according to a recent survey.

Despite an uptick in national and statewide hiring trends during the first quarter of 2011, nearly one-third of Washingtonians are concerned about job security, according to data released in the third Annual Washington State Workplace Confidence Survey conducted by Harris/Decima on behalf of Everest College.

When asked about the high unemployment impacting the state and country, 30 percent of workers said they were concerned about losing their job. Compared with last year, confidence in job security has not budged in 2011, with nearly the same number of Washington workers (29 percent) concerned about losing their job.

One change from last year is that more workers are willing to put in extra hours to keep their job. Compared with 2010, significantly more people in 2011 have considered working longer hours to avoid being laid off (20 percent to 14 percent).

The survey found that workplace anxiety levels in Washington continue to be high with nearly two-thirds (62 percent) of survey respondents claiming they suffer from some form of work-related stress. The top stress factor cited by respondents was pay (27 percent), followed by fear of losing their job (20 percent) and their boss (7 percent).

If they lost their job, one-third (35%) of respondents said they would consider leaving Washington to search for a new job, with men significantly more likely than women to look for a job outside of the state by a margin of 43 percent to 25 percent.

Half of the respondents said they have considered one of the following: returning to school to enhance their current career (27 percent); a new career in order to make more money (22 percent); or returning to school to train for a new career (22 percent).

In these uncertain economic times, West Sound Workforce can meet your changing needs — with local, flexible and immediate staffing solutions.

Kitsap County

Gig Harbor Office

(360) 394-1882

(253) 853-3633

www.westsoundworkforce.com

August 2011 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal•KPBJ.com 13

By Julie Tappero P r e s i d e n t ,We s t Sound Workforce As someone who follows employment news, I’m always particularly interested to watch lawsuits that arise against larger companies over their workplace policies. As a smaller business, it’s a constant struggle for us to stay abreast of federal, state and local laws, regulatory interpretations, and court rulings, but you’d think the bigger companies would have an easier time of it.

Take the seemingly mundane area of wearing apparel and uniforms. You wouldn’t expect to see companies getting into trouble there, would you? Here are some recent cases within just within the last few weeks.

In Texas, Sandra Rawline was fired from her job at Capital Title, supposedly because she wouldn’t dye her gray hair. She claims that her employer wanted the office to have a more “upscale” image, and asked her to wear “younger fancy suits”, more jewelry and to dye her hair. Being satisfied with the way she looked, Rawline refused, and a few days later she lost her job. Rawline is suing based on age discrimination. The company claims her termination was performance based, and the courts will sort it out. Having myself once received a poor rating for appearance on a performance review because my boss said he didn’t like the perm I’d recently gotten, I know that such things can happen.

Then there’s Abercrombie & Fitch, which was recently sued when they told Hani Khan, a Muslim employee, that she could not wear her hijab at work. When hired, she had been told her hijab would comply with the company’s “look policy” as long as it was in the company’s colors. In her case, the EEOC determined it was a wrongful termination, and Khan has now sued based on religious discrimination.

An interesting story in contrast to this is about a Muslim employee who was hired by Disney for a job that required her to wear a costume. If you’ve been to Disneyland, you probably remember that most of the employees there wear some type of costume.

Unsure how her hijab could be accommodated, Disney worked with a local

Like the weather, hot investments can cool off

By Clint Boxman We’re in the “Dog Days” of summer — traditionally the hottest, steamiest time of year. But in a few weeks, the temperatures will begin to cool down. Nature isn’t alone in this heating-and-cooling pattern — you can also find evidence of it in the investment world. To be specific, today’s “hot” investments can lose their sizzle quickly — which means that, as an investor, you’ll need to take steps to avoid being left out in the cold.

An investment can become “hot” — that is, its price can shoot up — for any of a number of reasons. For example, a company that provides a well-known product or service may decide to “go public” by making its shares available to investors; when this happens, the stocks become “hot” for a while. An investment may also become hot if a favorable event occurs, as might be the case with a drug company that gains permission to sell a medicine that’s much in demand. And some investments heat up because an

“expert” is touting them in the media.

But although different investments may get hot for different reasons, they all share one thing in common: They will cool off. In fact, by the time you and many other investors hear about a hot stock, it may already be cooling off. If you buy into an investment that’s been hot for a while, you should recognize that its “upside potential” may not be what you think.

To help achieve your financial goals, you may be better off by not chasing after hot stocks. Instead, consider these ideas: Increase share ownership.

One key to building wealth is to increase the amount of shares you own in your investments. Hot stocks are often expensive stocks, so you may be limited in the number of shares you can purchase. As an alternative, look for quality investments that are trading at reasonable prices. You might also consider buying additional shares in quality companies you already own.

Buy appropriate investments.

Even if you can afford to buy some shares in hot stocks, should you? These stocks may not be suitable for your needs, for any number of reasons: too risky for your risk tolerance, too similar

to other stocks you already own, and so on. You need to own investments that are appropriate for your individual needs. Of course, you also need to keep in mind that any investment in stocks – whether hot or not – will fluctuate with changes in market conditions and may be worth more or less than your original investment when you sell.

Diversify your holdings.

By continually pursuing hot investments, you might end up with an unbalanced, non-diversified portfolio.

By diversifying your holdings, you can help reduce the impact of volatility on your portfolio. However, diversification, by itself, cannot guarantee a profit or protect against loss.

Think long term.

Chasing hot stocks is strictly a shortterm move. Successful investors adhere to long-term strategies that require discipline, patience and a constant focus on the future.

By following these suggestions, you’re unlikely to experience the “thrill” of chasing after hot investments — but you will get the satisfaction of building a portfolio designed to help meet your important investment goals.

Local banking team joins Liberty Bay Bank Liberty Bay Bank announced it is expanding its local banking team with the addition of Duane Edwards, Chris Christoff, and Kristi Sutton.

Edwards has 36 years of commercial and private banking experience, with the last seven years residing in the greater Poulsbo market. He joins Liberty Bay Bank as SVP and team leaderrelationship manager.

Christoff has been a community banker and business lender working with small business owners in both downtown Seattle and Kitsap County since 2001. Her diversified banking background encompassing over 30-years of experience in this industry and has opened doors to her current position as business relationship manager.

Sutton has worked in the banking industry for over 20 years. Her extensive experience ranges from branch operations to lending (both in the consumer and commercial sectors). She joins Liberty Bay Bank as relationship associate.

“We are thrilled to have Duane Edwards and his team join Liberty Bay Bank,” said Rick Darrow, President and CEO. ”They bring with them many years of local banking experience and a commitment to a high level of customer service. The addition of such high-caliber individuals who are involved with the community and building relationships is very exciting.”

WE UNDERSTAND 14 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal•KPBJ.com August 2011

www.edwardjones.com

Members SIPC

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Convenience Locations in the community and face-to-face meetings at your convenience A Quality-focused Investment Philosophy A long-term approach that focuses on quality investments and diversification Highly Personal Service Investment guidance tailored to your individual needs

Call or visit today.

Your local financial advisors: Ron Rada

Pat McFadden, AAMS

Todd Tidball

Jason Skifstad, AAMS

8079 E Main St Suite 111 Manchester

19740 7th Ave NE Suite 114 Poulsbo

18887 Hwy 305 NE Suite 100 Poulsbo

3255 NW Lowell St Silverdale

360 871-0998 1-800-995-0242

360 779-6450

360 779-6123 1-800-248-6123

Calvin Christensen

David Hawley

Brian George

Glenn Anderson, AAMS

3100 NW Bucklin Hill Rd Suite 115 Silverdale

23781 Hwy 3 Suite 101 B Belfair

10705 Silverdale Wy NW Suite 101 Silverdale

19032 Jensen Way NE Poulsbo

360 698-6092

360 275-7177

360 307-8636

Denette George

Adam R. Burleson

Jeff Thomsen

Jay Seaton

4275 SE Mile Hill Dr Suite A Port Orchard

2135 Sheridan Rd Suite E Bremerton

5971 Hwy 303 N Bremerton

600 Kitsap St Suite 102 Port Orchard

360 871-9707

360 373-6939

360 475-0683 1-888-475-4450

360 692-1677

360 779-7894 1-866-779-7900

360 876-7538

Schelley Dyess

Clint Boxman

Lori Morgan

Bim Prince

2299 Bethel Ave Port Orchard

8202 NE State Hwy 104 Suite 106 Kingston

213 Madison Ave N Suite 200 Bainbridge Island

25960 Ohio Ave NE Suite 101 Kingston

360 297-8677

206 842-1255

360 297-8664 1-800-738-4180

360 876-3835 1-888-688-7817

Michael F. Allen

Angela Sell

Jim Thatcher

3500 Anderson Hill Rd Suite 101 Silverdale

3276 Plaza Rd NW Suite 112 Silverdale

2135 Sheridan Rd Suite E Bremerton

360 308-9514

360 698-7408

360 373-6939

FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE:

What happened when my debit card was “Swiped”

By Christopher T. Mutchler, CPA, CFE

Bremerton-based American Financial Solutions (AFS) was selected by the Washington State Asset Building Coalition at its statewide conference to receive its “Amazing Impact Award” for AFS’ contributions to Asset Building initiatives in Washington.

The Washington Asset Building Coalition coordinates with similar Asset Building groups at the local level to provide financial education, access to mainstream banking and credit counseling for individuals through local events and community organizations.

AFS was selected for the award based on its active commitment in providing these services and in working collaboratively

with other financial education providers to help individuals in Washington get control of their financial lives. This is the first step for people in building personal financial assets and achieving goals for themselves and their families.

AFS is an active participant with the Seattle-King County Asset Building Collaborative as well as the Kitsap Asset Building Coalition.

American Financial Solutions provides financial education, counseling, and other debt management services nationwide from offices in Bremerton and Seattle. Visit the AFS website at www.myfinancialgoals.org for more information.

Kitsap Bank triples first half earnings Kitsap Bank announced that earnings tripled for the first half of 2011. Profits for the first six months totaled $3.6 million, versus $1.13 million for the same period one year ago. Assets for the bank now total $904 million, up $14 million in the second quarter; while nonperforming assets have continued to decline, and now total less than 1 percent of total assets.

Deposit growth continues to remain very strong.

“The first half of 2011 represents our strongest two quarters in three years,” said Jim Carmichael, president and CEO. “Kitsap Bank has worked diligently throughout the economic downturn to proactively address problem loans, and manage costs through consolidation and lowered expenditures. As a result, we are very pleased to be one of the few banks able to focus on profitability and not problem loans.”

Kitsap Bank is the largest bank in Kitsap County, with 22 percent market share; and ranks second in market share throughout their five-county footprint – the strongest of any community bank.

August 2011 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal•KPBJ.com 15

The Crime On Sunday while enjoying Super Bowl XLV with good friends, “Carlos Dorame” walked into Dillard’s Department Store in Tucson, Ariz. He grabbed four pair of women’s shoes and proceeded to the checkout. The first MasterCard he presented was declined, but he then handed the clerk another card with his name and my debit card number and expiration date. The card was run as “credit” (not requiring a PIN) and approved. Within ten minutes, Carlos was able to make two additional purchases before my bank account was depleted.

The Discovery On Monday I stopped by a fast food restaurant where my debit card was declined.

That afternoon my wife Christine checked our online banking activity where the three charges to Dillard’s were discovered. I immediately cancelled the card.

Then What?

For debit card transactions banks do not automatically reverse the charges. In order to get the funds “provisionally” credited back to my account, I had to: • File a report with the Kitsap County Sheriff • Acquire copies of the receipts from Dillard’s containing Carlos’ actual signatures to establish I did not make the purchases by phone.

• Fill out a report for my bank The matter was settled in April, 2011 (2 months after I completed the paperwork) where the “provision” was removed from the funds. I asked why I was not alerted to three debit charges in Tucson 7 hours after I had used the same card in Port Orchard.

Their response was that activity did not appear to be “suspicious.”

What Happened?

My theory is that someone who had physical possession of my debit card swiped it through a special card reader that stores the information. I am very careful about where I use my debit card. I rarely make online purchases and when I do, make sure that they are secure sites beginning with “https.”

Stolen debit card numbers are sold “on the market” anywhere from $10 to $100.

I concluded the only place where my card is ever out of my possession would be a restaurant where I had placed my card in the receipt book for the host to process. Since my wife and I rarely go out to eat, I reviewed activity on my personal Quicken® register account “Restaurants” and narrowed my search down to only one restaurant where this could have happened.

I located the original receipts from that restaurant dated December 23, 2010. I say “receipts” because when the waitress returned with my card she indicated a mistake had been made and she charged another customer’s lunch to my card. She corrected the error, but added that I might see the extra activity on my bank statement.

What I noticed on the receipts during my review is 90 seconds elapsed between reversing the incorrect charge and processing the proper amount. Maybe it was nothing, or maybe something else was happening with my card…?

Epilogue Without more than a hunch, I never contacted the restaurant. I opened an account at a bank where I now receive “text alerts” based on criteria I established with my online banking. Whenever my account drops below a certain balance or there is a withdrawal over a certain amount, I receive both a text message and an e-mail alert. The alerts do not happen immediately, however notification a few hours after an unauthorized transaction has occurred is better than no notification at all.

Since I had just paid our mortgage, Carlos was only able to charge $400 to my checking account. Had the card been used a couple of days earlier, significantly more could have been seized from my account, potentially requiring me to obtain receipts from several stores in Arizona.

I have not owned an active debit card since I cancelled the stolen card.

My Recommendations: • Consider opting out of overdraft protection. In my case, overdraft protection would have been potentially devastating since Carlos could have continued charging on the account and generating significant overdraft charges.

• Do not own a debit card. I have discussed this matter with three distinguished Certified Fraud Examiners (“CFEs”) and for this exact reason, none of them own debit cards • Never use a debit card at a gas pump or ATM since they are prime locations for skimming machines that are hard to detect.

• If your bank has the technology, set up text message alerts with your online banking.

(Editor’s Note: Chris Mutchler is a CPA and a Certified Fraud Examiner. He works for Southard, Beckham, Atwater and Berry and can be reached at (360) 876-4491 or cmutchler@sbabcpa.com.)

American Financial Solutions wins State Amazing Impact award

Time Out Clock Repair and Melinda’s move to bigger location in Port Orchard Shane Makoviney and Melinda Brown opened Melinda’s on Bay Street one year ago.

Adding Shane’s clock repair background to the mix has created an explosion of business. They had no idea when they first opened their shop on Bay Street in Port Orchard, that there would be so much clock repair business that they would be forced to move to a larger location in only one year.

“They were literally lined up to his clock repair counter at the back of the shop,” said Melinda Brown co- owner of Melinda’s. “It was like a scene out of a Norman Rockwell painting. A line of people would be lined up all waiting with their broken clocks in hand, waiting for the clock repair man to check in their clocks”.

L-R: Shane Makoviney, Port Orchard Mayor Lary Coppola, and Melinda Brown at the ceremonial ribbon-cutting at the expanded quarters for Time Out Clock Repair and Melinda’s The shop has moved to 109 Sidney To get the amount of space that they Avenue, just a few doors down from where needed for the clock repair business and the it was located previously. It’s the shop with garden/home decor/gift shop, they gave up the bright yellow door located just above a few conveniences like moving to the the Wisteria Lane antique store on the second floor, so it does mean that customers corner of Bay and Sidney. Time Out Clock will have to walk up and down t he stairs. At Repair is the main business now, with the bottom of the stairs is a doorbell with a clocks coming in daily. sign that says “If you need assistance up the “We have moved from 700 square feet of stairs with your clock, please ring the bell.” space to over 2,400 square feet of space. I The shop is no longer located directly on the have my own clock repair room, cleaning main drag in downtown Port Orchard, but room, storage room, and plenty of space for overlooks it instead — and the parking is customers’ clocks,” said Makoviney one of better for customers.

South Kitsap’s only Horologist and master Shane and Melinda have found during clock makers. this past year of business that they are more

Kitsap County Historical Society Museum to participate in Blue Star Museums

16 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal•KPBJ.com August 2011

Kitsap County Historical Society Museum has announced the launch of Blue Star Museums, a partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, and more than 1,300 museums across America that will offer free admission to all active duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The Museum is open Tuesday – Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.

Blue Star Museums recognizes and thanks our military families for their service to our county and offers their children the opportunity to experience the educational and entertainment value of museums throughout the nation.

of a destination with the clock repair shop.

“I believe in these days and with our economic situation, that we must find some way to be a destination.

The grand re-opening of the clock repair shop was attended by Port Orchard’s Mayor Lary Coppola, who cut the ceremonial ribbon, along with Amy Igloi from Amy’s on the Bay and Sheila Cline coordinator of the Jingle Bell Run Port Orchard among the other attendees. A generous cupcake donation was made by Bella Bella Cupcakes in Silverdale and the grand opening banner was donated by Creative Concepts of Port Orchard.

“Having the support from friends, family and other local merchants has been huge for us,” said Brown. “We have learned so much in just one year.”

Macroni Kid fills local niche for families Macaroni Kid, a free weekly e-newsletter and website that highlights things for kids and their families to do in the community, recently celebrated its six-month anniversary. It has quickly become a parent publication with more than 880 subscribers to the weekly e-newsletter and 18,00020,000 more Web page views each week.

Under the stewardship of Kitsap resident Diane Kehm, Kitsap Macaroni Kid has quickly become the go-to source for all things family. “As a mom in Kitsap, I know how difficult it has been to keep track of the fun and enriching events and activities available for kids. I’m extremely excited to bring Macaroni Kid to our community and look forward to the opportunity to support the many cultural, not-for-profit, school and just plain fun things there are to do in Kitsap.” Macaroni Kid covers the spectrum of things to do with kids — classes, shows, events as well as things to do at home such as cooking projects, books to read, arts and crafts, and more. Macaroni Kid also highlights a Kitsap mom entrepreneur each week and also offers great giveaways.

Parents in Kitsap can sign up to receive a weekly newsletter by visiting www.kitsap.macaronikid.com/subscribe. In addition to events in Kitsap, Macaroni Kid Kitsap occasionally features reviews and insights about events and activities in nearby Seattle, Tacoma, and areas in between, as well as featuring ideas for family road trips and travel.

Ideas for articles and event listings can be sent to dianek@macaronikid.com.

Janet Smoak named to serve on KVPCB Board Kitsap Peninsula Visitor and Convention Bureau (KPVCB) president, diane Robinson, announced that Janet Smoak, director of the Suquamish Museum, has been appointed to the KPVCB Board of Directors.

The Suquamish Museum Board selected Smoak in May after an extensive nationwide search. Smoak was appointed by Robinson to fill an unexpired term that extends through 2014.

Boxlight announces release of new projector — Seattle X40N Boxlight has announced the release of the latest in the Seattle Series projector line — the Seattle X40N. The brightest in the series at 4000 lumens (2700 eco mode), this projector includes an input panel and many special features that make use simple and ownership trouble-free.

The Seattle X40N is an XGA resolution projector that will work well in environments that have lighting control issues or larger screen size applications.

Multiple anti-theft features come standard and the projector has auto sensing search, sync, ceiling mount, keystone, and filter alerts. Presenters have flexibility with seven different display modes, logo capture and image freeze, along with an on-board 8 watt speaker bringing quality audio to presentations. In addition, the Seattle X40N qualifies for Boxlight’s “Lamps 4 Life” lamp warranty program and is TAA compliant.

“We have had great success with our Seattle Series projectors. It is a solid line — and over the platforms history, the only request received was to up the lumen output to 4000,” said Jeremy Peterson, Boxlight product manager. “With a proven history of reliability and performance, we are confident the Seattle X40N will be a welcomed addition to the Series.” Peterson added.

For more information, contact Boxlight at (360) 464-2119 or sales@Boxlight.com.

“Common Framework for Copyright Alerts” Announced by Content Industry and ISPs that the ISPs have in place a termination policy for repeat copyright infringers as a condition of availing themselves of the Act’s ‘safe harbor’ provision.” Translation: The content industry is staking its position that ISPs that don’t terminate subscribers after 5 or 6 alerts will lose their DMCA protection.

There are plenty of arguments for why that position is wrong; given that an alert represents nothing more than an allegation untried by a court, we think loss of Internet access would be a draconian measure that Congress did not intend. Nonetheless, it may take an ISP willing to litigate the issue to make the argument.

Next, what opportunities does a user have to respond? The materials state that users can, for $35, request an “independent review” on several grounds before a “mitigation measure” is put in place. (It’s unclear whether users have a vehicle to flag errors in response to earlier alerts in hopes of averting later ones.) The grounds for review include a basis to believe that the user was not engaging in infringement, that the account was incorrectly identified, or that “the alleged activity was the result of the unauthorized use of the Subscriber’s account of which the Subscriber was unaware and that the Subscriber could not have reasonably prevented.” (My emphasis.)

Notably, the review process specifically states that failure to secure a wireless router

Protect your computer, phone from illegal police searches EFF Releases 'Know Your Digital Rights' Guide to Your Constitutional Liberties Your computer, your phone, and your other digital devices hold vast amounts of personal information about you and your family. Can police officers enter your home to search your laptop? Do you have to give law enforcement officials your encryption keys or passwords? If you are pulled over when driving, can the officer search your cell phone?

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has answers to these questions in our new "Know Your Digital Rights" guide, including easy-to-understand tips on interacting with police officers and other law enforcement officials.

"With smart phones, tablet computers, and laptops, we carry around with us an unprecedented amount of sensitive personal information," said EFF Staff Attorney Hanni Fakhoury. "This is sensitive data that's worth protecting from prying eyes."

The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution protects you from unreasonable government searches and seizures, and this protection extends to your computer and portable devices. EFF's "Know Your Digital Rights" guide, outlines various common scenarios and explains when and how the police can search the data stored on your computer or portable electronic device — or seize it for further examination somewhere else — and gives suggestions on what you can and can't do to protect your privacy.

For the full "Know Your Digital Rights" guide, visit www.eff.org/wp/know-your-rights.

will only be accepted once as a defense, a provision with serious consequences for small businesses such as cafes that provide wireless access to customers and individuals with open wifi. Also notable is the fact that users who wish to raise some defenses including fair use authorization must be willing to have their personal information sent to the content owner who provided the underlying report of infringement.

Finally, copyright “education.” Users will be directed to the “Center for Copyright Information,” which is already replete with big-media rhetoric. Educating users about copyright is a worthy endeavor, but such education must be balanced and objective.

Jennergy Inc. recently received two Communicator Awards for its website design With over 6,000 entries, Jennergy was awarded a Gold Award of Excellence for the Bernie Baker Architect, P.S. CMS website (www.berniebakerarchitect.com.), and a Silver Award of Distinction for the Clear Creek Dentistry website (www.clearcreekdentistry.net).

The Communicator Awards is an annual competition honoring the best in advertising, corporate communications, public relations and identity work for print, video, interactive and audio. It is the leading international awards program honoring creative excellence for communication professionals.

“It was a great pleasure to work with the Jennergy team,” said Jay Volz of BBA. “Their professionalism and responsiveness was much appreciated…the design suggestions helped push the website towards a fantastic end result that very nicely shows off our work.”

“Jennergy gave us exactly what we needed, a website that tells our story and helps our patients access our care,” said Dr. Steve Haws of Clear Creek Dentistry. “We have loved working with them — everyone was professional and caring. They have gone beyond our expectations.”

For more information, visit www.jennergy.com or call (360) 779-0699.

The Doctors Clinic Uses the Highest Speed Networking Available “Modern healthcare relies on the use of technology to provide our patients with the highest level of care.

“Fiber optic connections between our clinics enables the efficient use of that technology by giving our physicians and healthcare workers fast access to patient information.”

Jeff Goddard Information Technology Manager

360-613-5220 • TELEBYTE.COM

360-373-2137 • NW-COMMNET.COM

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August 2011 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal•KPBJ.com 17

Commentary by Abigail Phillips Electronic Frontier Foundation A coalition of content industry players and ISPs today announced an anticipated collaborative effort to “curb online content theft,” described in more detail on a dedicated website for the initiative. The PR materials put out by the group are more telling for what they don’t say than what they do.

The framework provides for a series of progressive “copyright alerts”—up to six— that ISPs will send their users based on notifications they receive from content owners of alleged infringement on those users’ Internet access accounts. Initial alerts will include “education” resources, further ones will require users to confirm receipt of the alert. Later alerts will provide for “mitigation measures” such as reduced Internet speed and inability to surf the web until the user takes some action, for example, discussing with the ISP or responding to “educational information about copyright.”

What happens after six alerts? The materials emphatically state that ISPs are not required to terminate subscriber accounts as a condition of the agreement with the content industry and that the collaboration does not amount to a “three strikes” regime. But the materials also take pains to assert that the DMCA “requires

Jennergy, Inc. receives two Communicator awards

Cregg receives Board Certification Tracy Cregg, administrator at the Surgery Center of Silverdale, LLC, has earned the Certified Administrator Surgery Center (CASC) creditional. The CASC credential is a distinction earned by those in the ambulatory surgery centers (ASC) industry who have demonstrated a comprehensive understanding of the knowledge and skills that the role of an ASC administrator requires.

“The quality and efficiency of ambulatory surgery centers have earned them a critical place in our health care delivery system” says Cregg. “I am thrilled to have earned certification as an administrator in the ASC industry, and am thankful for the Surgery Center’s support during this endeavor.”

Earlier this year, Cregg was named one of the “Top 135 ASC Administrators to Know,” by the publication “Becker’s ASC Review”. She has worked at the Surgery Center of Silverdale since before it opened in 2007. Prior to that, she worked in employee benefits administration and the health insurance industries.

Furness earns level II thermographer certification Grant Furness, owner of Peninsula Building Performance, LLC has recently satisfied the requirements to be certified as a level II thermographer by the Professional Thermographer’s Association.

The certification is earned by demonstrating superior knowledge of the physics of heat transfer and the proper use of thermal imaging equipment in several applications.

Furness was awarded the certification after completing a course of study and passing written and practical exams.

Peninsula Building Performance, located in Bremerton, offers infrared thermal imaging to detect moisture intrusion and heat loss in residential and commercial structures. They can also detect broken radiant heat systems, electrical and mechanical faults, fluid flow, tank fluid levels and locating buried tanks.

Furness has owned Peninsula Building Performance, LLC since 2010 and has over 15 years experience in residential and commercial construction. He is also certified as a building energy analyst from Building Performance Institute and heating systems through Performance Tested Comfort Systems. Furness is a graduate of Washington CASH, and is an active member of the Washington C.A.S.H. business support program in Kitsap County.

Reach the firm at (360) 362-2299 or at www.pbp-llc.com.

18 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal•KPBJ.com August 2011

Local senior focus earns statewide recognition

Read Your Local Business News Online www.KitsapBusinessJournal.com

Aging Services of Washington recognized two individuals from Poulsbo’s Martha & Mary senior care facility for outstanding contributions in the fields of aging, health care, housing, and community based services.

They were selected from nominations and professionals across the state.

The Chair Award was given to Chad Solvie, CEO of Martha & Mary, in recognition of exemplary service and efforts this past legislative session in helping promote the passage of new legislation (SB 5708) that will help pave the way to help balance quality with fiscal realities in post-acute healthcare settings throughout Washington State.

Bill Brueggemann, president of the Board of Trustees at Martha & Mary, was awarded the Dr. Herbert Shore Outstanding Mentor Award for demonstrating outstanding abilities in one-on-one teaching, motivating, challenging and developing future leaders in the field of aging services. The award is named for the late Dr. Herbert Shore, an association founder, past president, Award of Honor recipient and well-known mentor.

August 2011 Edition

Events And Activities NOTE Due to the HBA building energy retrofit, many committees & meetings have been moved or rescheduled.

Wednesday, August 3rd Kitsap HBA Remodelers, 4:00 p.m.

Location TBD. Call HBA for details.

Thursday, August 4th Developer’s Council, MOVED Special DATE 8/11/2011 Tuesday, August 9th Fall Home Show Cmt, Noon Location TBD Thursday, August 11th Developers Council, 7:30 a.m.

Location TBD FRIDAY AUGUST 12 CANCELLED HBA Family-Style Picnic Please contact the HBA with questions.

Tuesday, August 23rd Fall Home Show Cmt, Noon Location TBD Thursday, August 25th Executive Committee, 2:00 p.m.

Government Affairs Cmte., 2:30 p.m.

Board Meeting, 3:30 p.m.

IMPORTANT DEADLINES Friday, August 26th Peninsula Home & Remodel Expo Booth Payments DUE in full September 7 Registration for Lien Law & Public Works Contracts Class Registration is open now Call BIAW 360-352-7800

EPA Rejects Third Party Clearance Test for Lead Rule and Remodeling (Adapted from the July 20, 2011, NAHB ReNews

by Bob Peterson, CGR, CAPS, CGP, NAHB Remodelers Chair) NAHB Remodelers commends the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for rejecting a proposal to add third-party clearance testing to the Lead: Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule (RRP). The lead rule applies to homes built before 1978 and requires renovator training and certification, following lead-safe work practices, containing and cleaning dust and record keeping.

Remodeler members and NAHB staff also worked tirelessly to oppose clearance testing by making visits to the EPA, the White House Office of Management and Budget, giving testimony to Congress and submitting comments about the potential harm of enacting the clearance testing proposal. At NAHB’s request this regulation was selected for review by the EPA under the Presidential Executive Order for Regulatory Review (Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review, 76 FR 3821 issued on Jan. 21) concerning the impact of federal rules on small businesses and job creation.

The EPA has been under pressure by NAHB and lawmakers about the lack of a test kit that meets the rule’s requirements and the agency’s actions (such as removing the opt-out) that have raised the costs of the regulation.

Under the current lead paint rule contractors have been required to wipe down the project area after completing remodeling or renovation work and match the result to an EPA-approved card to determine whether lead paint dust is still present — a process that EPA says is “effective at reducing dust lead levels below the dust-lead hazard standard.” The new proposal would have required contractors to hire EPA-accredited dust samplers to collect several samples after a renovation and send them to an EPA-accredited lab for lead testing. Because of the cost of this as well as the waiting period for test results and the limited number of accredited labs nationwide, professional remodelers were very concerned about home owners’ willingness to undergo the process.

Several problems with the rule still remain. The EPA has yet to recognize an efficient, low-cost lead test kit that meets the requirements of the regulation. And last year the agency removed a key consumer choice measure — the opt-out provision — which allowed home owners with no children or pregnant women in residence to waive the rule’s requirement. In this down economy, consumers are still balking at the extra costs of the rule and often choose to reduce the amount of work done on their homes, hire uncertified contractors, or endanger themselves by attempting the work themselves.

For more information about the lead paint rule visit www.nahb.org/leadpaint. In Washington State the lead rules are being enforced by the Washington State Department of Commerce. For information on their role, certification, etc. please visit www.commerce.wa.gov/lead.

2011 OFFICERS President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Justin Ingalls, RCS First Vice President . . Wayne Keffer, CGR, CAPS Second Vice President . . . . . . . . Robert Baglio Treasurer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Randy Biegenwald Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dee Coppola, CGA Immediate Past President . . Ron Perkerewicz

2011 BUILDER & ASSOC. DIRECTORS Derek Caldwell • Karla Cook • John Leage Robert Lubowicki • Judy Mentor Eagleson Jim Way, CGB • Jason Galbreath • Kevin Hancock Leslie Peterson, CGA • Shawnee Spencer

2011 STATE DIRECTORS John Armstrong • Robert Baglio • Derek Caldwell Lary Coppola • Walter Galitzki • Brent Marmon Gale Culbert, CGR, CGB, GMB Wayne Keffer, CGR, CAPS • Greg Livdahl

2011 ALTERNATE STATE DIRECTOR Robert Coultas • Rick Courson

LIFE STATE DIRECTORS Bill Parnell

2011 NATIONAL DIRECTORS Robert Baglio • Justin Ingalls, RCS Wayne Keffer, CGR, CAPS

2011 ALTERNATE NATNL. DIRECTORS David Smith • Mikael Brown • Jeff Coombe

LIFE DIRECTORS Rick Courson • Jim Smalley • Bob Helm Bill Parnell • Larry Ward John Schufreider • Dori Shobert

2011 COUNCIL & CHAIRS Build a Better Christmas. . . Randy Biegenwald Built Green . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Walter Galitzki

By Laws & Nominations . . . Ron Perkerewicz Developers Council . . . . . . . . . . . . . Norm Olson Golf Classic . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shawnee Spencer Govt. Affairs Cmte. . . Wayne R. Keffer CGR, CAPS Remodelers Ccl Chair. . . David Godbolt, CGR, CAPS Membership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robert Baglio Parade of Homes . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dee Coppola Peninsula H&G Expo . . . . . . . . . Melvin Baird Peninsula H&R Expo . . . . . . . . . . . Tom Taylor

HBA STAFF Executive Vice President . . . Teresa Osinski, CGP tosinski@kitsaphba.com Administrative Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . TBD info@KitsapHBA.com Events & Administrative Assistant . . Toni Probert hbaevents@kitsaphba.com

Home Builders Association of Kitsap County 5251 Auto Center Way, Bremerton, WA 98312 360-479-5778 • 800-200-5778 FAX 360-479-0313 www.KitsapHBA.com

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August 2011 Edition

Recently I’ve been hearing that companies are at least Justin bidding on more projects.

Ingalls While that certainly is positive, not a whole lot is being signed Kitsap Trident Homes on the dotted line, unless you 2011 President are focused on remodeling.

One of the most common responses to a lot of us bidding on single family homes is “I can purchase a home for less than it costs me to build.” To that, there’s not much dispute. With the price of homes these days and the influence of short sales and foreclosed properties, it’s a buyer ’s market out there.

If you want something that caters to your lifestyle, you desire a different type of entertaining, or just dream of a specific view, building a new home could be just what you need. Assuming you want things the way you want them, you’re not satisfied with the average house and have a specific vision and expectations, I would encourage you to at least look into the opportunity of building.

Increased energy efficiency can be a huge advantage to choosing to build a new home. With the latest energy code that went into affect this past January we are required to increase insulation values, use more fluorescent lighting and perform blower door tests to ensure you are not wasting any resources.

Many older homes may not be built to these same standards and there are many more choices you can make throughout the building process to do more and thus save you money in years to come.

Another factor to consider is repair. This is not to say that in a new home you would have no regular maintenance, though it should certainly be less. It will help that you often will have a builder ’s warranty, as well as manufacturer warranties on your appliances, plumbing fixtures and heating/cooling systems.

A couple other items to keep in mind are location and design.

Many times prospective home buyers are able to find a home they want, but don’t care for the neighborhood. The opposite is also true and often more likely the case. When you choose to build your own home, you are able to choose where the property is and where the house will be located on the lot. Furthermore, working with an architect or designer will enable you to create a floor plan that will meet your specific wants, needs and desires. There are many highly qualified and creative professionals to helping to keep a target budget in mind.

Regardless if you plan to build a new home, still have a desire to update your own place or are considering purchasing something to fix up at a later date, I would invite you to come and visit association building in the near future. We have partnered with the County to retrofit our office and it will be a showcase for consumers and professionals to view the before and after comparisons after an energy upgrade improving various components. We will be working on such things as insulation, heating, electrical and a new “cool” roof. The intent is to use this opportunity as an educational tool for our members and the general public to see how you can make your clients or your own home or business more energy efficient and comfortable while saving you money in the long run.

Finally, whether you choose to build your own home, purchase an existing home to fix up,or remodel your present home, be sure to select a registered contractor to help you achieve your dreams.

All members of the Home Builder ’s Association of Kitsap County are licensed, bonded and insured and this can all be verified on the Labor and Industries website at www.lni.wa.gov. With the economy providing hardship for many in the building industry, there are many who are not up to date on all their legal obligations. Hiring a contractor without the required state registration, insurance, and bond puts the risk on the home owner.

The cheapest bid, may seem good at the time but can cause more trouble in the long run if you don’t watch out for yourself first.

The HBA is the recipient of Federal Department of Energy grant funding for an energy retrofit of our building. The CGP funds are managed by Kitsap County, and after an energy Executive audit and a commitment to set Vice President ourselves out as a publicly accessible showcase our building is one of many in our county receiving an energy overhaul. We are excited to work with the County on this project and look forward to the additional comfort the changes will afford our staff and building visitors as well as the monthly reduction in operating expenses. This retrofit will include improved insulation, air leakage sealing, improved HVAC, dual flush toilets, a new front door and “cool” technology roof. The project management firm is member company, Sun Path Custom Construction. I want to thank Walter Galitzki and his terrific staff for the professional and hands on approach they’ve taken. I am also pleased the County selected Education and Outreach firm of O’Brien and Company, an HBA member and also the firm we selected 15 years ago to write the Built Green® program. O’Brien and Company will develop all the public outreach pieces we will use to educate the public about the work, purpose, and outcome of this project. Additionally, the County selected from its small works roster several other HBA member firms to complete specific tasks. We are pleased to have the following member companies working on our building: Sullivan Heating & Cooling, Cloise and Mike Construction, and Kitsap Plumbers Group. The work is underway, and will have some affect on the operations of the the office through August. Be sure to call first, if you’re planning to stop in, as we may be out of the building due to construction.

In July the HBA returned over $100,000 to our members through the BIAW Retrospective Ratings Program (also known as ROII or RETRO).

For the 2011 enrollment year, BIAW has made changes to the criteria for participation in RETRO, and many of our members no longer qualify to participate. If you had $10,000 or more in premium to L&I in 2009 and have a history of more L&I contributions than claims, you really should look at the new ROII Select. Currently, the returns are anticipated to be strong for participants in this newly revamped risk pool. You have until August 12th to join.

Whether in ROII or not, there are still good reasons to be an HBA member and supporter. In 2010, we successfully stopped the City of Bremerton from adopting a mandatory residential fire sprinkler code and stopped the County from adopting sweeping increases in required fire flow levels. We continue to bring attention to the County’s ongoing effort to double fire flow requirements and have successfully gained the attention of the water commissioners. We recently stopped the adoption of a penalty focused and heavy handed ordinance on code enforcement as well as curbed the County’s effort to force mandatory lot aggregation and extensive review for boundary line adjustments. On the first page of this newsletter is good news about NAHB’s success in getting the EPA to reject an additional Lead Rule related mandate. Our ability to return large checks to our builder members through ROII may be in the past, but each and every day we are working to reduce the number of large checks you write to area building departments, state regulators, and federal agencies. Please continue to support us in our efforts to support you.

Builders should know that you can receive an easy to get rebate from major manufacturers on all the houses you build or remodel.

This rebate program is for the builder/remodeler even if your sub is the one that purchased an item. If the product is in a home you are the GC on, then you are entitled to a rebate. Please contact the HBA for details. It is as easy as can be and will put a little cash back in your pocket. On average, participants in this program will receive returns equal to, or more than, their annual HBA membership dues.

Check into the BIAW Rebate program today!

Teresa Osinski

August 2011 Edition

Government Affairs Committee Wayne R. Keffer, WRK Construction, Inc. 2011 Chair As a past chair, and current member of the Kitsap HBA Remodelers Council, I thought this month would be a good month to talk bout some things going on with the Council.

For those that don’t know who is involved and what the Kitsap HBA Remodelers Council does, this is a good overview. David Godbolt of Sentinel Construction is this year’s Chair. The Council is available to all HBA members, both associate and builder members. The group meets monthly on the first Wednesday of the month at the HBA at 4 p.m.

The Council meetings are a lively interchange of views and topics. Most months there is a guest speaker that pertains to the building industry. Past examples of speakers and subject matter have included construction technique or materials experts like the meeting we held all about concrete and the trends for pervious options. The meetings are often focused on ways to run our businesses better and this year we have had a couple meetings related to Labor and Industries with L&I staff present to share information and answer questions. The Council often holds meetings about trends or regulatory changes that we must be responsive to if we plan to stay in business. We held a meeting several months ago at a member’s new construction site and conducted a blower door test on its energy efficiency. More recently we held a series of meetings to include the lenders and appraisers to get to the bottom of the “he said/she said” finger pointing going on between these important segments of the construction and real estate sales process.

A couple of notable things the Council does each year are the publication of the Remodel Kitsap magazine and the presentation of the Remodeling Excellence Awards. The magazine is a high quality publication full of great photos of local projects and fact filled profiles about the Council’s professional remodelers. The magazine includes important and timely articles about trends in interiors and remodeling. This is a great tool for the community to access HBA members and is funded through the very reasonable advertising rates. If you haven’t seen it, I still have a couple copies I am happy to hand out, and the HBA has them for you to pick up when you’re in town. You will be impressed by the profiles of our contributing members.

The other unique event the Council holds each year is the Remodeling Excellence (REX) Awards. This annual celebration is coming up in November and is a great opportunity for HBA members to show off their work and be recognized by their peers. The entry is simple and the deadline for submittals is September 16, 2011. All entries must come with the $100 fee (for first entry) and $50 more for each additional entry. If you are not currently a member of the Kitsap HBA Remodelers Council, a $40 membership fee is due at the time of submittal as well. REX winners are also recognized in the Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal and in the Remodel Kitsap magazine.

In summary, this group of remodelers represents the best of what a remodeler should be: involved, educated, and striving to be better today than they were yesterday. Weather a remodeler, associate member, or builder now working in the remodel field, consider being apart of this group.

A note about government affairs: the HBA is happy to announce endorsement of Rob McKenna for governor, Lary Coppola for re-election as Mayor of Port Orchard, and Shawn Cucciardi for Port of Bremerton, Port Commissioner. We will be continuing to interview candidates so watch for the dates in the HBA E-News. The Government Affairs Committee meetings are open to all HBA members and you are all encouraged to attend. The more members present during interviews, the better the discussion and outcome. These endorsements are very important, since all elected positions have impact on our industry and community at large.

BOLT IT – BRACE IT – DO IT! When the ground starts shaking, you’ll be glad you took part in this effort to get your home tied-down to its foundation. The HBA is working in cooperation with the Kitsap County Department of Emergency Management, the Olympic Peninsula Chapter ICC, area building departments, and Simpson StrongTie to bring awareness, education, and action to the importance of securing your home before there is an earthquake.

FREE Training will be provided as follows: September 24th, Norm Dicks Government Center (6th and Pacific) downtown Bremerton Session 1: For the Professional Contractor - 9AM to Noon Session 2: For Homeowners - 1pm to 4pm ADVANCED REGISTRATION to: Emergency Management at 360-3075870 or dem@kitsapdem.org is required.

Peninsula Home & Remodel Expo September 30, October 1 & 2 It’s time again to “Reinvest in Your Dreams!” Vendors are welcome to submit applications to participate in this fall’s best Expo focused on everything you could want and need for a comfortable home. Booths are reasonably priced and on sale now. Contact the HBA Expo Director, Toni Probert at 360-479-5778 for information on how you can become a part the Peninsula Home & Remodel Expo. Event dates are September 30, and October 1 & 2. Admission ticket prices are kept affordable to give our vendors the best opportunity to reach many Kitsap area residents. Our free “How to Seminars” and other attractions make the Peninsula Home & Remodel Expo a great investment for your business. Don’t delay, this Expo sells out quickly.

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August 2011 Edition

Thank You Renewing Members Over 25 Years Better Than Average Builders (29) Over 20 Years Judkins Drywall Inc (24) Grandy Marble & Tile Inc (22) Harrison Homes LLC (22) Tacoma Truss Systems Inc (22) Pacific Northwest Title Co (21) Over 15 Years Cook Construction Inc. TEC Construction Inc Spellman Construction Inc. Over 10 Years RC Construction Homes LLC dba The Cabinet Shop Johnson Homes Tim Ryan Construction Inc

A Spike is a member who sponsors new members into the association. The association loses a number of members each year from non-renewal due to changes in business circumstances. This membership loss must be made up with new members if the association is to continue; without active Spikes our association would not exist.

Eagle Home Mortgage Schmidt’s Home Appliance & Sleep Center Sound View Construction Inc. Over 5 Years Scrubbles Cleaning Service Kitsap Natural Lighting Hood Canal Heating & Cooling Inc Tiz’s Door Sales 5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY Printer Services Over 2 Years Wild Birds Unlimited CleanSpace Northwest Inc Green Door Architecture & Consulting FIRST YEAR ANNIVERSARY Heritage Builders NW LLC

REMODELERS — Residential or Commercial, BIG or small!

Kitsap HBA Remodelers Council Remodeling Excellence Awards.

IMPORTANT DATE: Entry Deadline is SEPTEMBER 16, 5 p.m. Basic Requirements are: 1) Must be an HBA member 2) Must be a member of the Kitsap HBA Remodelers Council or submit membership payment with REX entry ($40).

3) Entries must have been completed within the last 14 months.

4) Full payment is required at time of submittal ($100 for first entry; $50 for each subsequent entry) 5) Strict adherence to the photo limit is required.

Entrants submitting more photos than allowed will be disqualified.

These annual awards are prestigious and coveted. There are a huge variety of categories that span the residential and commercial field in numerous price levels. Packets will be available in July and all HBA members in the remodeling field are encouraged to participate.

Details on the presentation of awards will come later. GOOD luck every one!

LIFE SPIKES CREDITS Jim Smalley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380.5 Tim Burke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318 Gale Culbert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266 Dee Coppola . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243.5 Kerry Chamberlin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237 Dale Armstrong. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235.5 Bill Parnell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218.5 Michael Hancock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187.5 Andy Mueller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185 Douglas Woodside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182 Kevin Parnell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176 Bob Helm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175.5 John Armstrong. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150.75 Rick Courson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149 James Ingalls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 Randy Biegenwald . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126.5 Greg Livdahl. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Robert Lubowicki . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91.5 David Smith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Michael Brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85.5 Larry Ward. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82.5 Jeff Coombe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77.5 Dori Shobert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Lary Coppola. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54.5 Rick Cadwell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Joanne Lockwood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42.5 Charlie Mackall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Donna Milner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41.5 Cheryl Gallup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39.5 Scott Henden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38.5 Ron Perkerewicz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37.5 Larry Elfendahl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35.5 Justin Ingalls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Wayne Keffer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33.75 Steve Crabb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29.5 Steve Brett . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Barry Keenan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

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SPIKES CREDITS Brent Marmon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Dave Revis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23.75 Jeff Swan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23.5 Robert Coultas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23.5 AnnaLee Todd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Joe Gates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.5 Darren Devitt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 SPIKE CANDIDATES CREDITS Robert Baglio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Walter Galitzki. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.5 Brad Reid. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Corey Watson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Derek Caldwell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Frank Murr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Jim Heins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Judy Granlee-Gates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.75 David Godbolt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Jon Brenton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Karen Alyea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Len Mallory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Robert Simonoff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Ted Bowman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Al Timm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5 Brett Warner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5 Daryl Hemley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5 Ken Holmgren. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5 Mark Khulman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5 Michael Glading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5 Rob Smallwood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5 Ron Galla . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5 Ron House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5 Daniel Ryan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 James Pickett. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 John Leage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 John Ramsdell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Judy Mentor Eagleson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Ken Orlob . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Leslie Peterson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Mike Orcutt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Molly McCabe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Shawnee Spencer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Steve Johnson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Steve Morrison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Bill Carter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Jim Ullrich . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

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BJC Group completes Haselwood Chevrolet Buick GMC renovation The BJC Group, Inc. recently announced the completion of the Haselwood Chevrolet Buick GMC renovation at the West Hills Auto Plex in Bremerton.

The project involved a complete renovation to the interior and exterior of the dealership. Interior work consisted of upgrades and re-configuring of the showrooms, waiting areas, service-writer area, parts, employee lounge, new car delivery, and F & I office areas, as well as creation of a new Wi-Fi area, information kiosks, business development section, and kids zone. Exterior improvements include cladding of existing fascia with new metal ACM panels, prominent entry tower construction, site lighting, and parking lot expansion. The project was completed in three phases to minimize impact on daily operations.

The design, by Peter Aylsworth of Green Door Architecture, Inc. transformed the original dealership at the West Hills Auto Plex into a modern, state-of-the-art facility with all the latest customer amenities.

Before and after photos are available on The BJC Group, Inc. Facebook page as well as on its website at www.bjcgroup.com.

Fischer Painting completes the Summit at Bay Vista project for BHA

COMING SOON TO A JOBSITE NEAR YOU:

Fischer Painting, Inc., which was awarded a contract to paint The Summit at Bay Vista, the Bremerton Housing Authority’s new 83-unit affordable apartment building, recently completed the project. The firm painted both the interior and exterior of the landmark in the revitalization of the City of Bremerton.

“Fischer Painting is proud to have been involved in Bremerton Housing Authority’s achievement,” stated owner Doug Fischer.

“Both the architectural features of the building and overall interior design were enhanced by the selected colors and it was a privilege to be able to contribute to the quality of this project.”

Working through one of the longest, wettest and coldest winters in recent history, the project blended the experience of a large general contractor with the drive of a small entrepreneurial business. The project’s commitment to hire local companies whenever possible provided opportunities for small local business, significantly contributing to the local economy.

Fischer Painting, in business since 2004, is a family owned business headquartered in Kingston. It currently employs 12 painters.

By Carl Hammersburg, L&I’s Fraud Prevention and Compliance Manager Reporters like to classify every fight as Business vs. Labor, Government vs. Business.

These stories always have a clear winner and a clear loser. But, there is no winner when it comes to the underground economy.

Legitimate contractors lose jobs.

Workers don’t have protections of unemployment insurance. Government loses millions in unreported premiums. And consumers have no protections.

The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) takes this issue very seriously. L&I has never turned a blind eye to this problem, and has always taken action within the boundaries of the law. Last year, L&I issued 1,341 citations to contractors caught working without registration. The agency also gained the authority to issue Stop Work Orders to any contractor having workers on a jobsite without industrial insurance coverage for their workers.

L&I has always forwarded repeat offender cases to local prosecutors for consideration of criminal charges. And while L&I doesn’t go around tossing people in jail, They do recognize more should be done. That’s why L&I is working to improve the way it detects contractors who are operating underground, putting more boots on the ground and turning to high tech means to find them.

L&I reorganized the compliance division adding three new compliance inspectors that will be dedicated to reviewing contractor records, advertisements, and complaints to digitally detect those working unregistered. Previously L&I relied solely on inspectors in the field to find those operating illegally. By moving into the digital world, it expands the reach and proactively targets the bad actors.

Contractors need to expect inspectors to show up on the job site. They check each and every person on the job site to make sure subs are registered and everybody’s workers’ comp accounts are up to date. Anyone found working without a worker’s comp insurance account may be issued a Stop Work Order.

In addition to improving the methods, L&I is also counting on those working in the field to alert L&I about wrongdoing. If you know someone working unregistered, report it online or by calling 1-888-811-5974. You can do it anonymously. L&I checks out every lead.

More L&I compliance inspectors on the way

Giving Back to the Community

SILVERDALE OFFICE 360-692-4141 • 800-464-2823 2021 NW Myhre Road, Suite 300 Silverdale, WA 98383

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND OFFICE 206-842-2082 • 800-884-7636 921 Hildebrand Lane NE, Suite 200 Bainbridge Island, WA 98110

PORT ORCHARD OFFICE Title Insurance Escrow Services Real Estate Resources

360-895-7799 1382 SE Lund Avenue, Suite 1 Port Orchard, WA 98366

www.pnwtkitsap.com

August 2011 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal•KPBJ.com 23

Local Pacific Northwest Title employees, family, friends and industry partners teamed up to raise money for the Bremerton/Central Kitsap and North Kitsap Relay for Life events benefiting the American Cancer Society. In total, we raised $1,942.75! Thank you for helping us support Relay for Life!

SBCC enlists environmental groups to help defend BIAW energy code appeal The State Building Code Council (SBCC) has enlisted Earth Justice, the Sierra Club, Northwest Energy Coalition, Washington Environmental Council and the Natural Resources Defense Council in their effort to defend the flawed Washington State Energy Code that the Building Industry Association of Washington (BIAW) has appealed to the Federal 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Attorneys for these environmental groups are preparing much of legal briefs in the case which is set to be heard by the Appeals Court later this year. Ironically, if the State Building Code Council had followed the existing laws, regulations and its own rules during the adoption of the energy code the legal action would likely been unnecessary.

Simler joins Kitsap Bank mortgage department Kitsap Bank announced that Jeremy Simler has joined the bank as residential mortgage loan officer. Simler is based out of the bank’s Silverdale branch, and will primarily serve customers seeking mortgage services in the North and Central Kitsap areas. Additionally, because of his strong reverse mortgage background, he will work with all customers seeking this specialized type of financing. Simler is a graduate of Washington State University.

“Jeremy is known for his superior customer service and attention to detail,” notes Steve Politakis, Executive Vice President and CCO, “I’m confident that our customers will appreciate his approach and commitment to finding the perfect mortgage financing solution to meet their needs.”

24 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal•KPBJ.com August 2011

BHA awards $50,000 to local non-profit groups Five Kitsap County non-profit organizations have been awarded $10,000 each by the Bremerton Housing Authority (BHA) to support local housing-related initiatives. Awardees are the Bremerton Central Lions Charitable Foundation, Communitas, Max Hale Center, Oasis, and the YWCA. The Bremerton Central Lions will match BHA grant funds with an additional $10,000 they’ve raised to create a $20,000 gift to Habitat for Humanity to sponsor a new home for a low-income family.

Communitas, a provider of residential support and services for individuals with disabilities, will use their grant to replace a roof at one of its residential boarding homes in Poulsbo.

The Max Hale Center, an affordable residential facility on 5th Street in Bremerton, will use funds to replace 33 mattresses and box springs in all apartments in its single-room occupancy building, which is owned and managed by Catholic Community Services.

Grant funds awarded to Oasis will be combined with over $500,000 in other local donations to build the first emergency overnight teen shelter in Kitsap County.

The YWCA will use grant funds to supplement case management services and general operational expenses for its “HomePlus” program, which addresses emergency shelter and advocacy needs of victims of domestic violence in Kitsap County.

Donations to these groups were made from the overall development budget for The Summit, the recently completed first phase of BHA’s redevelopment of Westpark into Bay Vista. The donation is a requirement of the Washington State Housing Finance Commission and comes from funds from the Department of Commerce Housing Trust Fund. BHA anticipates awarding an additional $40,000 in early 2012, when the next phase of development at Bay Vista is completed. Notice of funding availability will be posted this fall for the next round of grant funds.

Port Orchard Office/Medical For Lease 1950 Pottery Avenue • Attractive professional or medical office building — space capabilities range from 400 SF up to 5,000 SF • Near South Kitsap Medical Center on Tremont & easy Hwy. 16 access • 2-story w/at-grade access each level • $15 full service, tenant pays janitorial

Estes Builders expanding from Sequim to Poulsbo

WPC receives two safety excellence awards

While for most builders, home construction has dwindled, the national award winning quality work of Sequimbased Estes Builders has continued. The firm is expanding and has opened in Poulsbo at 19255 Powder Hill Place, Suite 100.

Paula Ballesteros, custom home advisor for the firm, is at the helm of Ballesteros the Poulsbo office. She boasts an extensive background in sales and marketing with an emphasis on real estate.

She shares the company’s excitement to build more quality homes in Kitsap County.

Estes Builders has been recognized as one of America’s Best Builder, named a National Housing Quality Gold Award winner, and awarded Best in Class for Customer Satisfaction.

Reach the firm at (360) 930-8841, (800) 630-4399 or www.estesbuilders.com.

Wade Perrow Construction LLC (WPC) of Gig Harbor received two Safety Excellence awards from the Associated General Contraactors of Washington (AGC) as part of the association’s Build Washington Awards competition.

WPC won the categories of “General Contractor Under 150,000 Worker Hours” and “Most Improved General Contractor”, and was presented with the awards at the AGC’s Build Washington Awards banquet.

Jet Heating and Cooling opens, offering “Bridge to Bridge” service Shannon Griffin of Bremerton has opened Jet Heating and Cooling. The company provides a complete range of heating and cooling services, including new construction, energy analysis, new system design and installation and emergency repairs.

Griffin is a recent graduate of the Building Energy Analysis Program and is qualified to make energy-use recommendations for residential and commercial buildings. He is also a graduate of the Washington Community Alliance for Self-Help (C.A.S.H.) Business Development Training Program.

Reach the firm at (360)-620-7332 or jetheating@gmail.com.

TRC awarded tenant work for H&R Block office Tim Ryan Construction, Inc. of Poulsbo was awarded the contract by Colleron, Inc. for the building renovation for the H&R Block new office to be located at 51 NE State Route 3 in Belfair. The project will provide a renovation of 1,100 square feet of tenant improvements for this existing vacant space.

For more information, contact Dan Ryan at (360) 779-7667 or visit www.TimRyanConstruction.com for current project photos and information.

Residential construction position open on State Building Code Council The General Construction Position, specializing in residential and multi-family building construction, on the State Building Code Council is currently vacant. The Building Industry Association of Washington (BIAW) is currently reviewing members who have expressed an interest in the position and will encourage the Governor to appoint someone who can appropriately represent the residential construction industry.

For more information contact Donovan Quebedeaux at BIAW, 800-228-4229, or donovanq@biaw.com.

Lange completes “Generation Buy” course KJ Lange, a managing broker and Realtor with Windermere Real Estate Westsound in Silverdale, recently completed the NAR course, “Generation Buy” as part of her studies for the Graduate, Realtor Institute (GRI). The GRI is a national designation of the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

Commercial Property For Sale • 11 Units • 639 Bay Street • 7 apartments, 4 retail • Fully occupied year-round • 13,500 sq. ft.

• Downtown Port Orchard • Near the ferry, library and City Hall • $695,000

Contact Victor Ulsh, CCIM Bradley Scott Commercial Real Estate

(360) 479-6900 • (800) 479-6903

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Contact Doug Zimmermann at (206) 954-0467

Kitsap Conference Center hosts social, community, business events

By Rodika Tollefson Bremerton’s Boardwalk and the Harborside Fountain Park have been popular places to tie the knot for couple from the Kitsap Peninsula and beyond — thanks to the full-service event amenities offered by Kitsap Conference Center at Bremerton Harborside. But the facility, which turned seven years old this July, is also popular with community groups and corporations alike, and has hosted everything from civic group meetings and reunions to multiple-day conferences and training events.

“The staff are service-oriented, and in my mind, that’s a key ingredient,” said local attorney Ed Wolfe, who has attended variety of events at the conference center that ranged from Rotary Club meetings and memorials to county bar association annual meetings.

Wolfe said the leadership of the management, along with the affordable price and convenience, have especially compelled the Rotary Club of Bremerton to convene its weekly meetings there. “They

photo courtesy Kitsap Convention Center

are treating us very well,” he said.

That sort of treatment is in large part responsible for bringing in customers, both new and returning, according to the Kitsap Conference Center’s general manager, Terry Halvorson. She said people choose venues based on individual needs but “genuinely warm customer service” is what

sets the facility apart.

“Some people have never been here, so it’s important to have a warm welcome,” she said.

Kitsap Conference Center, owned by the city of Bremerton and built with seed money from the Kitsap Public Facilities District, is managed by Columbia

Hospitality. The venue employs about 25 staff including 12 full-time and the rest on call or part-time. Since opening, business has been “somewhat steady,” Halvorson said, and while business has leveled off for the past couple of years, the pace is picking up.

“2012 is looking pretty rosy — we’re thrilled,” she said.

Amenities include three rooms, and the largest, a 6,000-square-foot ballroom, has the capacity of 450 dinner seats and can break down into four equal sections. A smaller room inside the building can accommodate about 70 diners, while the Fountain Room, located separately by the Navy museum, features floor-to-ceiling windows and views of Harborside Fountain Park and Sinclair Inlet.

A full-service commercial kitchen offers in-house catering for the events, and staff planners are on hand to help facilitate logistics and plan details. Menus range from hors d’oeuvres to barbecues and Center, page 26

August 2011 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal•KPBJ.com 25

Using facilitators for better meeting outcomes

By Rodika Tollefson No matter what organization you belong to, you’ve been to those meetings that go on forever or drift aimlessly from topic to topic. There’s an art to conducting efficient meetings or retreats, and while some leaders can expertly guide their teams through discussions, many find it much more beneficial to bring in someone from the outside, an expert facilitator who will not drive the discussion in his or her best interests.

“It’s about having someone who doesn’t have an agenda. The facilitator is outside of the decision-making process,” said Doña Keating of Professional Options, a firm based on Bainbridge Island that offers strategic consulting to businesses, nonprofits and government entities.

She said while one of the facilitator’s roles may be to keep people and time on track, even more critical is to make sure everyone gets a chance to be heard and the discussion flows in the right direction and in a mutually respectful way. “(A facilitator) is somebody who understands meeting dynamics and can ask difficult questions,” she said.

There are different styles of facilitators

— from completely neutral, to more handson, and various hybrids in between. Their roles differ as well, and usually entail much more than time keeping and moving the topics along. Some will include hours of advance preparation that involves meeting with different groups within the company, while others offer facilitation as part of ongoing consulting work for their clients.

Which style is appropriate for an organization will depend on the issues being addressed and the goals of the discussion.

“The approach to facilitation that happens when you don’t know an organization is quite a bit different and the expectations are different,” said De Hicks, president of SCGI, a national consulting firm based in Silverdale that has 27 employees.

SCGI facilitates meetings mostly for existing clients as part of its full-service organization development consulting and Hicks said typically that brings a different level of involvement compared to traditional facilitators whose commitment is more short-term. He said usually leaders are motivated to bring in facilitators due to a “certain level of discomfort” and failed

attempts to solve a problem.

“It’s not just a place for folks to vent. It may be a point of new dynamics, a turning point for the organization,” he said. “(The process) is usually extremely pleasant — they almost always come away feeling engaged and with a great level of encouragement.”

Getting participants to that point, however, is more about the group and their action than about the facilitator, he said.

“My role is as light-handed as possible,” he said. “Folks make the significant decisions and do the work, and I point them in the right direction.”

Leading the discussion in the right direction sometimes means changing gears in the process, and business consultant Jan Harrison said that means a facilitator must be nimble and able to change course.

“You also have to be able to read a group and if something’s not right, be able to call them on it,” said Harrison, a Poulsbo resident who facilitates meetings and leads retreats all around the country.

She gives an example of a meeting when something didn’t seem right, so she

26 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal•KPBJ.com August 2011

CENTER

conducted an anonymous poll that revealed a huge trust issue with leadership, which had to be addressed for a successful outcome.

“I have to be willing to ask the hard questions. I’m OK with making them uncomfortable as long as it’s for the greater good of the organization,” she said. “You have to be comfortable with constructive conflict (as a facilitator) and I use the word ‘we’ versus ‘you.’ For that time, I’m part of their team.”

Facilitators could be considered the professionals looking at an organization or issue with fresh eyes, but that doesn’t mean they won’t do their homework. As one approach, Harrison likes to do a “secret shopper” run to experience how an organization works. Keating finds it helpful to both see results of previous meetings to compare them with achievements and to see gaps. She also creates surveys on the topic at hand, if they are not already available.

“That typically drives the agenda. Based on the concerns and goals expressed, you Facilitator, page 28

included. Those amenities, from a growing number of restaurants to recreational from page 25 opportunities, play a big factor in creating an appeal, Halvorson said. plated dinners, and can be customized.

“That’s hugely important. As Bremerton “We try to create events that fit our continues to grow and thrive, it’s a key to customers,” Halvorson said. attracting (business),” she At its peak, the said. “…The more growth center hosts as many as in Bremerton, the easier it six events a day that is to market it.” could start as early as 6 To help attract new in the morning. It’s not customers as well as new unusual for staff to visitors to downtown, spend the entire night Kitsap Conference Center on the grounds, taking hosts the Kitsap Wine down a late event then Festival. Now in its third setting up for the next year, the festival (Aug. 19morning.

20) is managed by the Discounted prices center in partnership with — 50 percent off the Harrison Medical Center “conference meeting Foundation, which is the package” — are offered beneficiary of the to nonprofits, and many proceeds. local groups from the photo courtesy Kitsap Convention Center “(Former Mayor) Cary Red Cross to the Boys Bozeman challenged us to come up with an & Girls Club have rented the facilities for event to highlight the Harborside Fountain fundraisers and other events.

Park,” Halvorson said. Now the CEO of the The center also targets regional Port of Bremerton, Bozeman and current associations for conferences, which requires Mayor Patty Lent are co-chairing this year’s a lot of one-on-one marketing. “It’s where event. we spend most of our time looking for Kitsap Wine Festival will feature beer business,” Halvorson said. and wine sampling, food from local Still considered a new venue in the restaurants, live entertainment as well as a conference arena, the center requires a lot wine and gift boutique in the Fountain of promotion to attract associations — Room. which have included Rotary International “This is a win-win for us and for and the Washington Association of Harrison. It continues to bring people Firefighters. When a proposal is sent in for downtown. The city is beautiful this time of an event, a variety of information, such as year.” hotel amenities and area attractions, is

BANQUET & MEETING FACILITIES Ban/Mtg? Will Cater? / BYO Cater? Owner(s) / Event Manager(s) Tot. Rms • Max Seat Alcohol?

Partial list of services provided Yes / Yes Yes / No Non Profit (Admiral Theatre Foundation / Bryan Johnson / Richard Padro 1 * 800 Yes Tables, Chairs, Audio/Video, Coffee Yes / Yes Yes / No North Forty Lodging / Mark Phelan & Michelle Knox 10 • 260 Yes Tables, Chairs, Audio/Video, Sound System, Podium, Stage Yes / Yes Yes / No Linda Meyers and Ronda O'Sullivan 1 • 80 w/ permit Tables, Chair, Staff, Linens, China No / Yes No / Yes Bremerton Hospitality LLC / Sandy McKenzie 1 • 40 No Tables, Chairs, Coffee and Water Yes / Yes Yes / No Sue & Ken Braaten / Kathy Heerema 4 • 250 Yes Tables, Chairs, Podium, Sound System, Screen Yes / Yes Yes / No Brett Hayfield / Justin Stonecipher & Carol Curry 3 • 120 Wine/Beer Tables, Chairs, Linens, China, Audio/Video Podium Yes / Yes Yes / No Episcopal Retirement Community / Lisa Perron 3 • 120 Wine/Beer Tables, Chairs, Linens, China, Audio/Video Podium Yes / Yes Yes / No Suquamish Tribe - Port Madison Enterprises / Lisa Adair15347 3 • Up to 200 Yes Tables, Chairs, Sound System, Audio/Video Yes / Yes No / Yes Susan Rogers 1 • 30 No Tables, Chairs, Kitchen Yes / Yes No / Yes John Hurr / Jack Edwards 7 • 900 Yes Tables, Chairs, Sound System, Audio/Video, Coffee, Water, Tea, Linens Yes / Yes Yes/Yes Non Profit/ Jo Ann Maxwell 4 • 400 w/Permit Tables, Chairs, Workstations, Projection System, Wood Floor With Mirrors Yes / Yes Yes / No Bob Mathwig 1 • 40-50 Beer/Wine Tables, Chairs, China Yes / Yes Yes / No Bob Mathwig / Krystarah Graishe & Keith Mars 1 • 30 Beer/Wine Tables, Chairs, China Yes / Yes Yes / No Hollis Fay & Anne Thatche 3 • 80 w/Permit Team Buildings Events, Commercial Kitchen, Overnight Accomodations Yes / Yes Yes / Yes Gretchen Schodde, Executive Director / Kelsey Martin-Keating 4 • 170 Permission Tables, Chairs, Audio/Video, Floating Wood Floor & Yoga Equipment No / Yes No / Yes Hoon Corporation / Micah Kim 1 • 25 Yes Available 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Yes / Yes No / Yes Bainbridge Island Parks & Recreation 1 • 150 No Tables, Chairs, Small Stage Yes / Yes Yes / Yes Christa Ministries / Brian Kienle 4 • 300 No Tables, Chairs, Whiteboard, Overhead Projector, TV, VCR, DVD Yes / Yes Yes / No IslandWood / Rebecca Day-Friers 5 • 150 Beer/Wine Overnight accomodations; LCD projector; LEED Certified-Gold facility Yes / Yes Yes / No Suquamish Tribe - Port Madison Enterprises / Jay Mills 2 • 550 Yes Tables, Chairs, Audio, Coffee Yes / Yes Yes / No City of Bremerton, General Manager Terry Halvorson Up to 6 •600 Yes Audio/Video Services Yes / Yes Yes / No Club Members / Janet Jones 2 • 325 Yes Tables, Chairs Coffee Services No / Yes No / Yes Kitsap County 12 • 4,400 Yes Various Facilities Available, Tables, Chairs Yes / Yes No / Yes Kitsap Transit / Denise Lynch 1 • 60 No Tables, Chairs, Kitchen, Audio/Video, Set-up/Demo. Assist.

Yes / Yes Yes / No Squaxin Island Tribe / Angela Ballard 6 • 1,800 Yes Tables, Chairs, Linenes, Audio/Video Services Yes / Yes Yes / No Tiffany Schenk 5 • 300 Yes Tables, Chairs, Linens, China, Audio/Video Yes / Yes No / Yes Shannon Warrington 2 • 100 No Tables, Chairs, High-Speed Internet Yes / Yes Yes / No Dana Kercher 2 • 500 Yes Tables, Chairs, Linens, Dance Floor, TV, VCR, DVD Yes / Yes No / Yes Olympic Property Group / Julie McAfee 3 • 200 Yes Tables, Chairs, Whiteboard, Overhead Projector Yes / Yes No / Yes Julie McCoy 2 • 575 w/ permit Wireless Internet, Audio/Visual, Podium No / Yes No / Yes First Western Investment Hotels / Shawna Seals 1 • 25 Permission Breakfast, Tables, Chairs, Podium No / Yes Yes / No Seabeck Christian Conference Center Inc. / Jodie Madison 12 • 250 No Non-profit only, TV/VCR, Overhead Projector Yes / Yes Yes / No Diamond Investments LLC / Candice Asmussen 7 • 270 Yes Audio/Video, Tables, Linens, China, Chairs Yes / Yes No / Yes Frankie Lee / Jim Stevenson 1 • 818 Beer/Wine Sound System, Stage, Party Lighting, Snack Bar, Video Games No / Yes No / Yes Peninsula Group / Kevin Wojcik 1 • 30 No Tables, Chairs, Audio/Video Yes / Yes Yes / No Wade & Beth Perrow and George & Linda Edman / Katie Wright 6 • 250 Yes Tables, Chairs, Linens, China Yes / Yes Yes / No Oki Golf Group / Trista Shinnick Tables, Chairs, Linens, PA System, Podium 2 • 200 Yes Yes / Yes Yes / No Scott Alexander / Joe Agama 2 • 300 Yes Tables, Chairs, Linens, Audio/Video Yes / Yes Yes / No Betsy Joliffee & Laura Spafford / Betsy Joliffee 1 • 250 Yes Tables, Chairs, Linens, China Yes / Yes Yes / No Brett Hayfield / Bryant Gardner 1 • 40 Yes Screen, Video, Tables, Chairs, Linens

August 2011 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal•KPBJ.com 27

Company Name Phone • Fax Largest Room Address Website Year Founded Admiral Theatre 360-373-6810 • 360-405-0673 3,000 515 Pacific Ave, Bremerton, WA 98337 www.admiraltheatre.org 1941 360-898-2200 • 360-898-4610 2,250 Alderbrook Resort & Spa 10 East Alderbrook Dr., Union, WA 98592 www.alderbrookresort.com 2005 Ambrosia Catering Company 360-479-2885 www.ambrosiacateringllc.com 1994 4954 State Highway 303 NE, Bremerton, WA 98311 Best Western Bremerton Inn 360-405-1111 • 360-377-0597 4303 Kitsap Way, Bremerton, WA 98312 2,850 Best Western Wesley Inn 253-858-9690 • 253-858-9893 6575 Kimball Dr., Gig Harbor, WA 98335 www.wesleyinn.com 1997 Boat Shed Restaurant 360-377-3943 • 360-377-1345 4,500 101 Shore Dr., Bremerton, WA 98310 www.theboatshedrestaurant.com 1979 360-377-0113 • 360-377-2655 Canterbury Manor 703 Callahan Dr., Bremerton, WA 98310 www.episcopalretirement.org 1994 Clearwater Casino Resort 866-609-8700 • 360-598-1414 1,700 www.clearwatercasino.com 2006 Suquamish Way, Suquamish, WA 98392 Cleo's Landing 360-297-4414 11215 State Highway 104 NE, Kingston, WA 98346 www.cleoslanding.com Comfort Inn & Suites 360-377-7666 • 360-479-5028 7,004 5640 Kitsap Way, Bremerton, WA 98312 www.comfortinn.com 2008 Family HOPE Center 253-502-4671 • 253-858-5462 7,200 8502 Skansie Ave, Gig Harbor, WA 98335 www.bgcsps.org 2009 360-479-2422 Family Pancake House 3900 Kitsap Way Suite D, Bremerton, WA 98312 1963 Family Pancake House 360-479-0788 4115 Wheaton Way, Bremerton, WA 98310 1970s Farm Kitchen Inc. 360-297-6615 750 24309 Port Gamble Rd NE, Poulsbo, WA 98370 www.farmkitchen.com 2000 Harmony Hill Retreat Center 360-898-2363 • 360-898-2364 2,000 7362 E State Rte 106, Union, WA 98592 www.harmonyhill.org 1986 360-697-4400 • 360-697-2707 Guest House International 19801 7th Ave. NE, Poulsbo, WA 98370 www.hiexpress.com 1987 Island Center Hall 206-842-2306 8395 Fletcher Bay Rd, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110 Island Lake Camp 360-697-1212 • 360-697-1709 12500 Camp Ct NW, Poulsbo, WA 98370 www.cristacamps.com 1948 IslandWood 206-855-4300 • 206-855-4301 1,865 2005 4450 Blakely Ave. NE, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110 www.islandwood.org Kiana Lodge 360-598-4311 • 206-282-2129 9,800 14976 Sandy Hook NE, Poulsbo, WA 98370 www.kianalodge.com 1930s Kitsap Conference Center 360-377-3785 • 360-377-3860 6,000 100 Washington Ave., Bremerton, WA 98337 www.kitsapconferencecenter.com 2004 Kitsap Golf & Country Club 360-377-0166 • 360-377-0252 3,300 3885 NW Golf Club Hill Rd., Bremerton, WA 98312 www.kitsapgolfcc.com 1924 360-337-5350 • 360-337-5385 40,000 Kitsap Pavilion 1200 NW Fairgrounds Rd., Bremerton, WA 98311 www.kitsapgov.com 1980s Kitsap Transit Gateway Center 360-373-2877 800 2525A 6th St., Bremerton, WA 98312 www.kitsaptransit.org 2002 800-667-7711 22,500 Little Creek Casino Resort 91 W State Route 108, Shelton, WA 98584 www.little-creek.com McCormick Woods 360-895-0142 • 360-876-2254 2,100 1995 5155 McCormick Woods Dr., Port Orchard, WA 98366 www.mccormickwoodsgolf.com Olympic Soccer & Sports Center 360-479-8388 1199 Union Ave, Bremerton, WA 98312 Oyster Bay Inn 360-377-5510 • 360-377-5549 4412 Kitsap Way, Bremerton, WA 98312 www.oysterbayinn.com 1984 Port Gamble Weddings & Events 360-297-8074 • 360-297-7455 2,400 PO Box 85, Port Gamble, WA 98364 www.portgambleweddings.com 2003 Port Orchard Pavilion 360-876-4008 9,500 2009 701 Bay St, Port Orchard, WA 98366 www.portorchardpavilion.com Poulsbo Inn & Suites 360-779-3921 • 360-779-9737 18680 Hwy 305, Poulsbo, WA 98370 www.poulsboinn.com 1965 Seabeck Conference Center 360-830-5010 • 360-830-5504 1,900 www.seabeck.org 1915 15395 Seabeck Hwy NW, Seabeck, WA 98380 Silverdale Beach Hotel 360-698-1000 • 360-692-0932 3,234 3073 NW Bucklin Hill Rd., Silverdale, WA 98383 www.silverdalebeachhotel.com 1986 Skateland 360-373-2162 13,125 1740 Fuson Rd, Bremerton, WA 98311 1984 Super 8 Motel 360-377-8881 • 360-373-8755 5068 Kitsap Way, Bremerton, WA 98312 www.super8.com 1983 2,578 The Inn at Gig Harbor 253-858-1111 • 253-851-5402 3211 56th St NE, Gig Harbor, WA 98335 www.innatgigharbor.com 1997 Trophy Lake Golf & Casting 360-874-8337 • 360-876-6197 2,400 3900 SW Lake Flora Rd., Port Orchard, WA 98367 www.trophylakegolf.com 1999 Tuckers at Gold Mountain Golf 360-415-5432 • 360-415-6880 3,000 7263 W Belfair Valley Rd, Bremerton, WA 98312 www.goldmtn.com 1976 Westbay Banquet Cntr / LeGarmache Catering 360-895-0602 • 360-895-0967 4,500 www.legarmache.com 2003 1327 Bay St., Port Orchard, WA 98366 Yacht Club Broiler 360-698-1601 • 360-692-1348 800 9226 Bayshore Dr NW, Silverdale, WA 98383 1988

Study shows significance of the meetings and events industry to the economy The Convention Industry Council released a new study earlier this year that showed that the U.S. meetings industry directly supports 1.7 million jobs. The study, titled “The Economic Significance of Meetings to the U.S. Economy,” also showed the industry contributes $106 billion to the GDP and $11.3 billion in state and local tax revenue.

The study, conducted by PwC US assisted by a team of industry researchers, spanned more than a year in research and analysis and is the first‐ever study of the size and scope of its kind, according to the Council. The research quantifies the economic contributions made by the 1.8 million meetings, trade shows, conventions, congresses, incentive events and other meetings that take place across the country.

Details on the study and the 14 leading membership organizations which formed the research alliance, can be found at www.MeetingsMeanBusiness.com.

“As the nation grapples with effective ways to work its way out of a recession, the meetings industry plays a critical role in supporting jobs in communities across

America, creating environments that foster innovation, consensus and business success,” said Karen Kotowski, executive director of the Convention Industry Council, the trade organization that represents the meetings sector and educates the public on its economic impact. “Two years ago, the value of meetings, one of America’s top economic and social engines, was misunderstood by governments and the public. This new research quantifies the economic significance of our sector for legislators, regulators and economists alike.”

Jobs, spending, tax revenue and GDP the 1.7 million jobs generated by the meetings industry is larger than many U.S. industries, including broadcasting and communications (1.3 million), truck and rail transportation industries (1.5 million) and computer and electronic product manufacturing (1.1 million). The industry’s 1.7 million jobs generate $60 billion in labor income and support another 4.6 million U.S. workers, including industry suppliers and those who rely on meeting output for sales and revenue.

Spending on goods and services

resulting from meetings and events in the United States totals $263 billion. The majority of direct spending, $151 billion, is related to meeting planning and production, venue rental and other nontravel and tourism-related commodities; $113 billion is spent each year on lodging, food service, transportation and other travel and tourism commodities.

The report said the meetings’ $106 billion contribution to the U.S. gross domestic product is greater than auto manufacturing ($78 billion) and information and data processing services ($76 billion).

“The results of our comprehensive research demonstrate the significance of the meetings industry as a major contributor to the U.S. economy,” said Robert Canton, director of convention and tourism practice at PwC US. “New and proven research standards, as well as definitions provided by the United Nations World Tourism Organization allowed for the measurement of U.S. economic activity resulting from face‐to‐face meetings.”

A total of 205 million people,

representing domestic and international delegates, exhibitors and organizers attend the 1.8 million meetings. Of those, 1.3 million are classified as corporate or business meetings, 270,000 are conventions, conferences or congresses, 11,000 are trade shows and 66,000 are incentive meetings. The vast majority of meetings (85 percent) were conducted at venues with lodging, generating y 117 million Americans and 5 million international attendees.

“The Economic Significance of Meetings to the U.S. Economy” conducted

by PwC US was spearheaded by an alliance of 14 organizations representing the collective meetings, travel, exhibitions and events industries in the U.S. brought together via the Convention Industry Council (www.conventionindustry.org).

“PwC” and “PwC US” refer to PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, a Delaware limited liability partnership, which is a member of PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited, each member firm of which is a separate legal entity.

28 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal•KPBJ.com August 2011

Port Orchard lobbies for conference center

By Rodika Tollefson The city of Port Orchard has set its sights on a regional conference center (or a major sports complex) — but first, lawmakers must be convinced to change state law. The law in question, enacted more than a decade ago, allows public facilities districts to receive a rebate from a portion of state sales tax (0.033 percent) to fund local projects that are of public benefit.

Kitsap Public Facilities District has funded several major projects through this mechanism, which allows it to bond against tax that will be accrued for up to 25 years. It gave seed money to the Kitsap Conference Center, owned by the city of Bremerton. It also paid for improvements to the countyowned fairgrounds to bring the ball fields — now used by the Kitsap Bluejackets — to tournament quality and broaden use of the pavilion. The district’s contribution was about $7 million for the conference center project and $4.5 million for fairgrounds.

But the law has a catch — the money can only be used for projects that were “on the books” by 2004. That means currently, the PFD cannot fund any new facilities.

“What the city would like to do is change that statute to allow the public facilities district to take on new projects,” said Briahna Taylor, a government affairs consultant hired by the city of Port Orchard. She said the city feels the South end of the county is underserved by the PFD while it pays into the taxes collected by the district.

“It’s very difficult to ask for a change to the public facilities district statute so it’s important for the community to be on the

same page about what would happen if the change is made, what projects would be done,” she said, adding that without that community understanding, opposition could mount that would derail an actual bill.

The city is in the early stages of meeting with stakeholders in various parts served of the PFD to “get an idea of what the community wants.” Taylor said the process had just started, so various meetings are expected.

Kitsap PFD Executive Director Mike Walton said many PFDs accumulated funds in excess of their debt service and expenses when the economy was good, but they couldn’t spend those funds on the construction of new projects. Kitsap used the excess on a master plan concept for the North Kitsap Regional Events Center (which would include North Kitsap High School and other properties).

“Some PFDs are now struggling to meet their debt service and expenses and would not be able to do anything major, but in the future we expect things to get better and we’d like to have a choice to be able to do additional projects,” he said.

The districts are supporting the idea of changing the restrictions, including lifting the 2004 deadline and pushing the tax rebate end date out by another decade or so.

“It has a very positive potential impact to allow the PFD to act as a stimulus to generate construction projects that will generate new jobs and have an economic impact on the community,” he said.

While some PFDs own the facilities they finance, KPFD instead funded the

projects in partnership with other entities.

Walton said that eliminates ongoing maintenance and operating costs of those facilities since they are owned by the other entities, and the district would continue to use the same model should the law be changed. However, he added, there are likely to be other proposals from other groups around the county, besides the city of Port Orchard, for project funding.

One bill introduced in the past legislative session in the House proposed amending the PFD law to eliminate certain deadlines including the 2004 restriction.

The bill moved out of the Ways and Means committee but did not make it out of Rules.

It was then reintroduced in the special

session and “retained in present status,” and is expected to be on the table the next session.

Sen. Derek Kilmer, whose district includes Port Orchard, said other avenues are being discussed, including a budget proviso, to solve Port Orchard’s concerns, and he feels state policymakers should be partners with local governments when it comes to the ability to address local priorities. But a change could be challenging in a time of tight budgets.

“Part of the challenge with these tools, any credit against sales tax or tax coffers in the current situation is a more complex (issue),” he said. “…It becomes more challenging to more it across the finish line.”

FACILITATOR

provide both raw data after a function and a summary with her observations.

Keating said she is often approached especially by someone familiar with her style. “They want somebody who’ll get in there with an opinion and feedback,” she said.

Hicks notes he’s neutral regarding operational and organizational issues, but not neutral when using his knowledge of organizational science and effective leadership. Still, he says background and experience alone should not be the main decision driver when hiring a facilitator.

“Meet face to face before you hire someone,” he said. “There has to be an affinity or affiliation — hiring someone with the sense of humor that fits, someone you like. Make sure you feel good about the person and that (he or she) fits in the group.”

from page 26 can guide the discussion,” said Keating, who has facilitated meetings and retreats for such local organizations as the Kitsap Economic Development Alliance and the Kitsap Consolidated Housing Authority.

She notes her role can become a balancing act: “Sometimes you could overstep your role so you have to be careful not to downplay anybody’s ideas. But you also have to remove your own ego and personality out of it and not allow people to bully you or take control of the group,” she said.

One of the facilitator’s most important skills is communication — both being a good listener and a communicator. In Harrison’s case, that includes written feedback. A former journalist, she likes to

GETTING OUT OF THE TOURISM BOX:

Unique events, historic landmarks and Main Street models help entice visitors The secret of Kitsap Peninsula’s appeal, including its 200-some miles of coastlines (the second largest shoreline in the state), is steadily being discovered.

“Kitsap County has some of the best paddling in the world. This is a destination for paddlers, and it’s takin g time to get the word out to (other businesses) in Kitsap County,” said John Kuntz, owner of Port Gamble-based Olympic Outdoor Center, which sells and rents kayaks and offers classes and tours.

Olympic Outdoor Center launched the annual Paddle Kitsap in 2008, a two-day event that benefits the North Kitsap Trails Association and is marketed nationally and internationally. It attracts paddlers from as far as the East Coast and Canada, and about 70 percent of participants come from outside of the area. While the paddle is all-inclusive — the fee covers meals and overnight camping — it’s on a Friday-Saturday (Aug. 5-6 this year) so many visitors come earlier in the week and stay Sunday to visit area shops and attractions.

The center has also hosted the two-day Northwest Adventure Sports Festival for the past two years (also known as Unleash the Beast) to promote adventure sports, including paddling and mountain biking. This year, about 300 athletes participated in four events and many brought their families along. Kuntz said first-time visitors to the area said things like “fabulous,” “I didn’t know it was here” and “some of the best.”

“Adventure sports athletes are affluent, have some of the best equipment and sometimes participate in teams from businesses and corporations,” he said. “…Port Gamble is what I feel will be the center of adventure sports in Kitsap County if things continue the way they have.”

Port Gamble is a growing attraction not just for adventure sports. There has been an interest in the town’s paranormal aspect. Its regular “ghost walks” book for months in advance, and this will be the second y ear for Port Gamble to host a Ghost Conference Oct. 28-30. The conference, which will grow from the two days last year to three this October, was inspired by various paranormal groups doing investigations in Port Gamble, and attracted about 70 people last year from as far as Oregon.

The town’s ghostly reputation continues to grow. Already one zombie-themed movie was filmed there, and a second film with a pa ranormal twist will be filmed in Port Gamble this fall. And the local master of who-dunnit, bestselling author Greg Olsen, is basing his newest book series in the former mill town.

“This could be the next Twilight,” said Shanna Smith, manager of Port Gamble, which is owned and managed by the Olympic Property Group.

Tourism provides about 50 percent of Port Gamble’s economic base, but Smith said promotional efforts focus on much more than paranormal activity. Already a prime destination for weddings, the town is also attractive thanks to its unique history and scenery.

“People come from all over the country… and are surprised to see an entire town intact and pretty rich in history. It appeals to the young and old alike,” said Julie MacAfee, wedding and special events coordinator.

In addition to being designated a national historic landmark, Port Gamble, which was home to the longest-operating mill in the Biz Apps, page 10

Welcome to a waterfront sanctuary surrounded by a wide variety of activities and access to some of the Northwest’s most sought after destinations.

Situated along the shores of Puget Sound on the Kitsap Peninsula, the Silverdale Beach Hotel offers a private retreat from the fast pace of city life.

Our waterfront property, overlooking Puget Sound, is home to bald eagles, salmon, and the occasional sea lion. Our hotel is just one hour from downtown Seattle by ferry.

With more than 5,000 square feet of meeting space, events large or small – for business or pleasure – are easily accommodated.

August 2011 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal•KPBJ.com 29

1,619) by placing at least 2,000 canoers and kayakers into the water at Potlatch State Park.

“We’re trying to find ways to generate interest that takes the place of not having a tourism department in the state. We’re trying to think outside the box of traditional tourism,” said Wagner, who’s receiving help from the Shelton-Mason Chamber of Commerce and local lawmakers, among others, in photo courtesy Tom Woltjer organizing th e record challenge.

By Rodika Tollefson While organizing the feat has already The latest statistics showed an encouraging proved much more involved than he upswing in the tourism industry: In 2010, anticipated, Wagner said it’s one way to get spending by visitors increased both nationwide recognition for the business while also putting (8.5 percent over 2009, not adjusted for the area on the map. “It’s important for inflation) and in Washington state (7.4 Washington, it’s important for the Northwest, percent). But just like in all other areas, the for Mason County — all these areas will get economy is forcing travelers to rethink their recognition. And we’re doing it with no tourism habits and become more frugal in their budget,” he said. spending.

The water is a major draw for the Greater “People are simply shopping less. The ‘shop Kitsap Peninsula, and other entities are taking ‘till you drop’ concept is gone. They’re willing advantage of the uniqueness of the area. In Gig to shop if they feel there’s value, and one of the Harbor, the local canoe and kayak team is in the places they’re willing to spend money is process of planning a symposium for April experiences,” said Patricia Graf-Hoke, executive 2012 to attract competitive paddlers and director of Kitsap Peninsula Visitor and spectators. The city of Gig Harbor’s tourism Convention Bureau. department is promoting the area to tourists in Local businesses that specialize in conjunction with the event. experiences or depend heavily on tourists have “We try to cultivate (various) ideas and been im plementing new ideas to cater to the encoura ge the local groups to do the events, experience-minded. Many are creating their and we help them with marketing and targeting own events to attract visitors from beyond the media,” said Laureen Lund, the city’s marketing area, and frequently they are two- or three-day director. affairs that compel people to stay overnight.

And in the tourism industry, the “heads in beds” (overnight accommodations) is the ultimate goal, since taxes generated by hotel/motel rentals help fund tourism promotional efforts.

Last ye ar, about 200 people flocked to Hood Canal area in Mason County for a twoday Explore Hood Canal Geocache Bash, an adventure-seeking, family-friendly event catering to geocaching, the latest craze in outdoor adventure. This year, thanks to beefedup advertising efforts courtesy of a grant from hotel/motel receipts, organizers hope for an influx of 500 people from as far as Oregon and California.

“We did it over two days because we wanted to put heads into beds, as they say,” said David Wagner, owner of Hood Canal Adventures based in Union with his wife, Valerie.

The couple, who offer geocaching through their business, along with kayaking rentals and tours, wanted to find a way to expose more people to the area. This year, they are hoping to get more local businesses involved with special discounts and pac kages to participants to the second geocache bash, scheduled for Oct. 8-9.

While preparations are in high gear for that event, Wagner is already thinking bigger. Hood Canal Adventures has set its sights on breaking the Guinness World Records for the biggest number of canoes and kayaks in the water at one time. On July 28, 2012 he hopes Washington will snatch the title from Pennsylvania (who set the record in 2010 with

Event planners can help avoid mistakes

30 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal•KPBJ.com August 2011

Hiring an event planner may not be practical for a small event, but for a more extensive event that involves a large crowd or multiple activities, a professional can help save not only time but also money.

Some venues also offer in-house services, but make sure to check what is included.

For every event that flows smoothly on the surface, there is a concerted effort behind the scenes to make it so. For organizations that are often stretched thin when it comes to employees, hiring a planner offers many advantages.

A few tips for hiring a planner who will be right for your event, whether it’s a fundraiser or a forum: Make sure you understand exactly what the planner can offer, both in experience and resources. Have a job description and goals.

Be clear on your budget and discuss any concerns upfront. Discuss the person’s availability, including the ability to accommodate last-minute requests, and accessibility.

Designate an employee or another “insider” as the point of contact and can offer insights into the company.

Keep communication open but do not

micromanage — you hired the planner for a reason! As long as the expectations were clear from the outset, once the planning gets underway on the right foot (and in the right direction), let the pro do the job.

Ideally, bring the planner on board before you set the date and choose the venue, so you can take advantage of his or her experience in selecting the right place and time. The planner can also conduct negotiations with perspective venues,

which often offer discounted rates during off-peak days/months.

Keep in mind that ultimately, it’s your event. If you disagree with something your planner wants to do, or don’t like certain aspects, don’t be afraid to voice your opinion—trusting the professional is important but you should feel good about the decisions as well.

If you don’t have a clear vision of your event, don’t worry. This is another area

the planner can help in. But it is helpful to have a few starting points in mind and if the planner charges by the hour, the more of those details you consider ahead of time, the less time you’ll pay for during this brainstorming.

Don’t be afraid to ask input on creative budgeting. Both planners and venues should be able to come up with ideas on how to create a great event on whatever budget you choose. But be ready to compromise.

Gig Harbor Wine and Food Festival set for Aug. 6; gates open at noon The second annual Gig Harbor Wine & Food Festival, presented by the Harbor History Museum and the Gig Harbor Historic Waterfront Association, will feature the culinary talents of Kevin Gillespie, executive chef and partner at Woodfire Grill in Atlanta. Gillespie was recently a contestant and fan favorite on Bravo’s “Top Chef.”

Only a few hundred tickets remain for this event, which sold out in 2010. All inclusive tickets can be purchased on line for $75 per person. Ticket includes entry, wine tasting, food, classes, cooking

demonstrations, celebrity cook off, and cookbook signings. More than 35 wineries from Washington, Oregon and California will be represented.

Classes for this year’s event are innovative and educational and will include; • Sparkling Wine for Everyday; Diana Becks of The Wine Studio, Gig Harbor • Hidden Gems (wines under $15); Becks of The Wine Studio, Gig Harbor • Wine and Cheese Pairings (red and whites); Kris Blondin of STINK, Tacoma • The Effect of Vintage on Pinot; Shiela Nicholas, Anam Cara Cellars, Oregon • Wine Cocktails – Way Beyond; Belini Steve Lynn and Emily Hewitson, Morso, Gig Harbor

• Component Tasting – How Your Senses Help You Describe Wine; Lynn and Hewitson, Morso, Gig Harbor • Wine Jeopardy; Lynn, Morso, Gig Harbor • Cheese, Chocolate and Beer; 7 Seas Brewing and JW Restaurant, Gig Harbor The festival will take place on the grounds of the new Harbor History Museum, 4121 Harborview Drive in Gig Harbor, where the Grand Tasting tent will showcase over 35 wineries and over 20 select fine restaurants and food purveyors.

Shuttle service will be available from Gig Harbor High School, 5101 Rosedale Street NW. For more information and tickets, visit www.harborwineandfoodfest.com.

BIZ APPS

in Gig Harbor. She said the mu seum has had visitors from at least 25 states and six countries since its opening last year. Some people want to learn about the area’s settlers or events while for others, it’s a form of entertainment.

“Those who are interested in history tend to be more active tourists,” she said. “Those folks tend to spend more per visit and stay for longer periods of time.”

She said tourism is critical to preservation of local history and while local support is important, “regional visitorship” is that extra layer that supports the local community.

The historic element is one of the economic development tools promoted by the Main Street approach. Gig Harbor’s downtown became a designated Main Street in May (the only other one in Kitsap is on Bainbridge Island) and Gig Harbor Historic Waterfront Association Executive Dir ector Mary DesMarais said a community’s character, including its heritage, is a major tourism driver.

The goal of the Main Street approach, then, is to preserve the historic element while promoting economic vitality. One committee also works on events, and the organization is behind the second annual Gig Harbor Wine and Food Festival on Aug. 6, which Lund said has the potential to grow into a major attract ion.

“We certainly want locals to come downtown and support their independent businesses,” DesMarais said, “but we also want to attract visitors so we can put heads in beds.”

from page 9 country, is one of a few company-owned towns and has a large concentration of historic homes.

OPG organizes historic tours that take visitors into those homes, many of which are not normally open to the public.

“I think there’s the point where people don’t want to go on an amusement park ride, they want to engage their mind,” Smith said.

For those who prefer to engage their mind with cultural experiences, historic landmarks are a major attraction. One of Kitsap County’s major destinations is the Point No Point Li ghthouse in Hansville. Owned by the U.S. Coast Guard and operated by the nonprofit Friends of Point No Point Lighthouse, the landmark is located on a scenic beach that is part of a county-owned park. For the weekend tours alone, it attracts 4,000 visitors from all over the world every season.

JoAnn Johnson, president of the Friends organization, said one visitor made the comment that Europe has its castles , while lighthouses are one of the unique attractions around the United States.

“There is something romantic and alluring about lighthouses. There’s a sense of adventure,” she said. “…They are also very integrated into the history of the area.”

People connect with history, and that is part of its draw, said Jennifer Kilmer, executive director for the new Harbor History Museum

COVER STORY

photo courtesy Clearwater Casino

than a year ago, after the bank foreclosed on the original owner.

PME has remodeled the course to increase playability, and made other changes including making the public rounds much more affordable, according to April Leigh of PME’s public and media relations. “Playership is up already,” she said.

For the local community, one major summer attraction has been the free outdoor concerts on the lawn.

Performances at the Passage, hosted every Thursday night, have a lineup this year that includes Tacoma’s Vicci Martinez, who was a finalist on The Voice television show; Northwest staple hard rock group Rail and popular Beatles tribute band British Export, among others.

“The concerts started as a way to introduce us to the community when we built the resort in 2006. The events became so popular and so well attended, we decided to continue them on a regular basis,” Leigh said. “It’s an opportunity to invite the community to our property.”

Another opportunity is offered to the business community. Clearwater is a member of all Kitsap County chambers as well as chambers in Gig Harbor, Tacoma and Seattle, and every year it hosts an allchamber social event. Scheduled for Aug. 4 this year, the fifth All-Chamber Mixer is expected to attract as many as 300 chamber members for food and mingling — and a little entertainment if they linger after the party for the evening’s concert.

As the hotel marks its fifth anniversary this year, plans are already under way for some remodeling next year, including new carpeting in the hallways. But PME is looking beyond the small touches as well.

“Long term, I see this (the casino) getting bigger, the hotel getting bigger and the opportunities getting bigger,” Steele said.

“We want to expand down the 305 corridor… We want to continue to diversify.”

August 2011 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal•KPBJ.com 31

from page 1 three gas stations with convenience stores, and White Horse Golf Course, the latest addition to the mix, plus construction and property management divisions.

PME employs 780 people (with another 30 positions opened). Of those employees, 60 are members of the Suquamish Tribe and another 60 of other tribes, and the rest are nontribal members who commute from as far as Tacoma and Seattle.

This diversity has helped PME fare well in the economy, Steele said, but the enterprise is not finished growing.

When it first opened, the casino provided 92 percent of the revenues for PME, which was formed by the tribe in 1987.

Now, that number is around 65 percent and the goal is to be at 50.

“We are always looking for new opportunities,” said Steele, who was selected by the KEDA this past spring as the Economic Development Champion of the Year.

A Northwest Getaway Suquamish Clearwater Casino’s permanent structure was built in 2003. The adjoining resort, which includes a standalone hotel and a spa, was added in 2006.

“One of the things that’s unique about the property is the ‘wow factor.’ A lot of people come here to get away, including people from the local community,” Steele said.

Several bonus features make the getaway enticing — including a full-service spa with luxurious services, an indoor/outdoor pool and an expansive lawn with gorgeous waterfront views and beach access. Four dining options in the casino building cover all bases: from a casual deli and a lounge, to a fine dining restaurant and a popular buffet.

“The atmosphere is luxurious but not intimidating… The beds have a reputation for being the most comfortable in the area.

People buy our beds,” said Lisa Adair, Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort sales director.

In addition to the 85 rooms, which range from 390 square feet to 1,200-square feet suites, the resort offers two vacation homes and banquet space. Functions are hosted both indoors and outdoors, including weddings, conferences and business meetings for groups as small as 12 people.

Full catering, equipment including LCD projectors and other services are available for functions. Several national groups have hosted their events at the resort, along with corporate customers from all over Puget Sound and the region.

Both the casino and the golf course, which is about 20 minutes away, provide additional draw for corporate customers looking to incorporate a little R&R into the

schedule. The casino is the only one in Puget Sound located on the water (and only two in the state with a waterfront location).

“The golf course purchase has increased the corporate interest. Some groups are coming to do business and playing golf the next day,” Adair said.

The 386-acre White Horse Golf Course, located in Kingston, was designed by renowned golf course architect Cynthia Dye McGarey and opened in 2007. Port Madison Enterprises purchased it more

August @ Port Orchard 2011 The Port Orchard Chamber of Commerce is a membership based organization of businesses and individuals working together to promote a favorable local business climate, encourage strong community leadership and support quality of life.

President’s Message Desiree Steffens Port Orchard Chamber 2010-2011 President

Thanks to Chamber members Lance Fong of Trophy Lake Golf & Casting, Ron Jake of Bethel Towing, Kathy Michael of Cedar Cove Inn and Rich Peterson of Port Orchard Independent for agreeing to be on our slate of candidates for the Port Orchard Chamber Board of Directors. Thanks to Jay Seaton, Jerry Lampert and Billi Gurnsey for bringing new members to

www.portorchard.com 360-876-3505

the Port Orchard Chamber and receiving 10% off their next dues renewal for each new member they have brought in!

Thanks to the 6 new members we received this past week: Kelly Imaging Systems, Ted Hilliard, Reliable Storage, Ben Pinneo, Young Family Chiropractic and Kumon Math and Reading Center Please join us at our August Luncheon at Cedar Springs and at our Business After Hours at Imagination Station. And Please mark your calendars for Friday, October 14th when the Chamber will install new board members and officers and hold its annual fund-raising auction.

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS M. Burson Inc. Mary Burson 11515 Burnham Dr. NW, Gig Harbor, WA 98332 360-271-1977 Kitsap P.U.D. David Jones P.O. Box 1989, Poulsbo, WA 98370 360-779-3284

SPOTLIGHT ON A MEMBER Jay Seaton/Edward Jones Investments coaches local youth baseball. When the season is over, he and his family pack up and head out of town for camping, fishing and golfing. “Family is really what’s most important!” he states.

Jay is a member of the Chamber of Commerce and proudly support s the organization, “The Chamber really cares about small businesses and wants to afford every opportunity to help them grow through networking and marketing.” When asked to tell our Chamber members one thing about his business he said, “I see a lot of small businesses without retirement plans or business succession plans because the owner thinks they are costly or can’t afford to contribute. Owners have many options to put money away and reduce taxes. Just ask me how! Contact Jay at 360-876-7358.

Thursday, August 11th, 2011, 11:30 a.m.

Location: Cedar Springs, 7354 Bethel Rd. SE Port Orchard Presenter: Carl Gipson Director of Small Business, Technology and Telecommunications at WA Policy Center Carl will talk about the 2011 legislative session and how the decisions made in Olympia on a few things are impacting small businesses, for better and worse and he will speak on what people may expect to see happen in 2012. Carl Gipson is Director of WPC’s Center for Small Business, and he also runs WPC’s Technology and Telecommunications Policy Project. Carl’s analysis and commentary appears regularly in the media throughout Washington. He is the author of Lead the Way: Small Business and the Road to Recovery, Reviving Washington’s Small Business Climate, 24 Ways to Improve Washington’s Small Business Climate, A Citizen’s Guide to Initiative 920 - the Estate Tax, and other publications. He is a member of the American Legislative Exchange Council’s Telecommunications and Information Technology Task Force, and regularly speaks to chambers of commerce and other civic groups on ways to improve the state’s business climate.

Reservations are required! Please reserve by August 9th.

Chamber members are $20 if prepaid and $22 at the door, Non chamber members cost is $22 and they must prepay.

RESERVE Today at www.portorchard.com or call the Chamber office at 360-876-3505.

The Port Orchard Chamber of Commerce Local Chambers are one of the most trusted sources of information in most communities. When folks are looking for a certain business, community event, activities information, a county phone number or a city department, a dining recommendation or importantly, information on economic development, governmental issues, relocation or tourism opportunities, the chamber is often the first organization they call.

Chambers are first and foremost a business association. A study released by the American Chamber of Commerce Executives reveals that membership in a local chamber of commerce can significantly boost a business’s image among consumers, as well as among other businesses. When respondents were told that a particular small business was a member of its local chamber, they were 44 percent more likely to rate it favorably than respondents who were not told of the chamber affiliation. Respondents were also 63 percent more likely to want to purchase goods or services from a small business that is a chamber member.

At the Port Orchard Chamber, our primary business is to assist your business. To educate, inform and provide referrals, benefits and services and marketing/promotion activities for your business. Why don’t you join us? The average membership cost for businesses in our area, is less than a dollar a day. That’s right less than a dollar a day.

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Jay Seaton is a 5 year veteran of financial services and a local to our area. He works with Edward Jones Investments in Port Orchard. He provides assistance on a variety of financial needs, but specializes in business retirement planning, 401k rollovers and wealth management and distribution. He has a BA in Business Management and a minor in Finance. Jay taught aircraft systems for 10 years in VSAF before starting a financial services business in South Dakota 6 years ago. Jay says he and his family came back to Port Orchard because, “Small town, tightly knit community, on the water and no tornados, what else could you ask for?”

His wife, Cami, is a pre-school teacher and together they are raising three boys. When Jay is not at work planning clients’ financial future, he

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Blistering heatwave paralyzes country, stresses power grid

By Kathleen Byrne-Barrantes There’s an enormous heat wave stretching across the rest of the country as this is written. Some form of heat advisory, heat warning, or heat watch has been issued for the nearly 2000mile stretch from Massachusetts to Oklahoma. CNN reported that there were 200 records broken across the country as 32 states held heat advisories.

Climatologists have long predicted that extreme weather events will become more common as our climate heats up, the earth’s weather systems are in a state of flux, and rising average temperatures produce a more variable climate system (as reported in my February 2010 column).

On Friday July 22, Reuters reported that the mercury climbed into the triple-digits along the U.S. Eastern seaboard. Baltimore’s Inner Harbor hit 107 degrees, with its heat index reaching 120 degrees.

The National Weather Service issued excessive heat warnings and advisories for wide swaths of the country’s mid-section and along the East Coast from Maine to Georgia. By mid-afternoon that Friday, single-day records were broken in New York’s Central Park, Philadelphia and at Washington Dulles International Airport, among others. The heat roasted the Midwest for nearly a week, potentially

responsible for at least 34 deaths in ten states, before it moved east and thunderstorms rolled through, providing some relief from the stifling heat.

The higher-than-normal temperatures were likely to hover over the eastern half of the United States for “the next couple of weeks,” the Weather Service said.

According to NOAA satellite imagery, much of the United States was in the “red” that week, as a blistering heat wave tightened its grip and crept eastward.

NOAA’s two satellite systems — the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) and the Polar-Orbiting Environmental Satellite (POES) — are helping forecasters predict the formation, movement and the eventual end of atmospheric conditions. You can view video imaging then and also check current conditions using this link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=16kMdnlED Aw&feature=player_embedded#t=0s In Michigan this week, rolling power blackouts were instituted to help relieve stress on power plants, according to the Weather Service, and 30,000 people were without power in Detroit. Even in Canada, air conditioners and fans set on high to beat the heat this last month helped set a summer peak power consumption record in Alberta.

By comparison, our Puget Sound region’s mild weather and sluggish summer season left most of us wishing they’d share a little heat. KOMO4 news reported that meteorologists recorded 78 minutes where the mercury held above 80 degrees by mid-

July. Measuring in minutes not days!

There were a number of people not sad at all as they hit the ski slopes in bikini tops and shirtless on July 4, as Crystal Mountain resort had the longest ski season on record — 9.2 months! Maybe those who say we live in God’s country aren’t joking.

But, the year before, winter weather in this state hit record lows and winter storms had pelted the nation when temps popped the mercury at -40 while some southern states saw temperatures 30 to 40 degrees below normal. Impacts on the power grid were severe while low temperatures hovered in the 10s and subzero across the country. However, the summer of 2009 had broken records for heat over a longer number of days and highest temperatures reaching 110 degrees at the Bremerton airport. Northwesterners were then running out to install central air while others waited it out.

Unfortunately for some, waiting comes with a price as you could have scored a nice tax credit. For 2010, the tax credit for the installation of an energy efficient air conditioner was 30 percent of the cost up to a maximum of $1,500. For 2011, you can claim a tax credit of only 10 percent of the cost up to a maximum of $300 — a difference of $1,200 in lost tax credit. On the plus side, the

energy tax credit still exists as part of the tax deal signed into law in December, 2010, albeit significantly lower levels.

In New York City, the heat prompted power provider Consolidated Edison to reduce voltage in some neighborhoods in socalled brownouts. PJM, the nation’s biggest power grid operator, said consumers used a record amount of power on Thursday July 21 and near-record demand the next day.

Offering a low-energy option in the heat, food bloggers posted a recipe for CarBaked Chocolate Chip Cookies; suggesting that parking your car in the sun on a 100F+ day, placing a baking sheet on the dashboard, would take less than three hours to bake.

When demand increases, energy providers have two options: Turn up the electricity transmitted on the grid or ask users to decrease use. If demand gets too high, wires may be exposed to unsafe amounts of electricity, causing them to overheat and ultimately short out.

All of this serves as a reminder; that it has never been more important to manage our power consumption effectively to avoid future emergencies. One day, perhaps the smart grid and high efficiency appliances will make brown- and blackouts things of the past.

County installs solar thermal hot water heating system at Courthouse

The Cost of Doing OPEN FOR BUSINESS Business in Port Orchard just looks, well, reasonable...

Move your company to Port Orchard and you’ll discover a business-friendly city.

With no B&O tax, the fastest permitting times and the lowest crime rate.

To learn more contact Mayor Lary Coppola directly at 360-876-7025 or email themayor@cityofportorchard.us.

City of Port Orchard We welcome you to the most business-friendly city in Washington 216 Prospect Street • Port Orchard, Washington 98366 • www.cityofportorchard.us

August 2011 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal•KPBJ.com 33

The county has taken an important next step in becoming more energy efficient thanks to two new solar water heating systems recently installed at the county Courthouse.

The Courthouse restrooms and Sheriff ’s locker room showers are now using free energy from the sun for their hot water needs. Each system contains 30 evacuated tubes (solar hot water collectors) and a hot water storage tank. The systems will pre-heat water using the sun’s energy and will significantly reduce the amount of energy used by the existing water heaters — saving taxpayer money in the process.

According to Autumn Salamack, resource conservation manager for Kitsap County, the project will save an estimated $6,000 annually at current energy prices, and will conserve an estimated 26,000,000 BTUs of energy per year.

“The installation of these systems will help the County meet its energy conservation objectives by reducing the amount of electricity and natural gas needed to heat water at the Courthouse,” Salamack said. “People might not immediately think of the Pacific Northwest as a good site for solar, but even on cloudy, cool days; our solar collectors are providing water heated at over 70 degrees.”

“Kitsap County residents and businesses that use significant amounts of hot water are encouraged to consider solar hot water systems,” said County Commissioner Charlotte Garrido. “The federal government currently offers 30 percent off the cost in the form tax credits, and Kitsap County has partnered with Kitsap Credit Union to make low-interest loans available for installing these systems at homes that receive a comprehensive energy assessment.”

The County used $30,500 of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Conservation Block (EECBG) Program to complete this project. The systems were installed by Sun Wind Concepts LLC, of Bainbridge Island, aiding in the creation of local jobs. This is one of more than 18 County buildings receiving energy retrofits funded by the $2.229 million EECBG award the County received from the U.S. Department of Energy.

For more information, visit www.kitsapgreen.org, or contact Salamack at (360) 3375670, or asalamack@co.kitsap.wa.us.

2011 Dodge Avenger: Compact Charger

By Bruce Caldwell Honey, I shrunk the Charger. That was our first impression of the 2011 Dodge Avenger, which bears a close and very positive resemblance to the full-size Dodge Charger. That’s a good thing and something that should help sell the midsize Avenger.

Styling for midsize sedans can lean toward bland and conservative, so it’s refreshing that Dodge applies their overall bold styling philosophy to the full model lineup.

Walkaround: The Dodge Avenger obviously came from the same styling studio as the larger Dodge Charger. The Charger styling cues are especially evident in the rear ¾ view. The sharp 18x7-inch chrome-plated five-spoke alloy wheels and P225/50R18 tires enhanced the Charger/muscle car image. Our test LUX model was painted a unique (optional) Blackberry Pearl color that looked black from a distance, but had a wild black/purple/dark blue sparkle in bright sunlight.

The fit and finish were above average.

Doors shut with a solid sound and feel. The interior materials were relatively soft and didn’t shout “cheap” even though the Avenger is attractively/competitively priced. The LUX model is the loaded one, but it only carried a $23,545 base price and with several options (including the $845

sunroof) and a $750 destination charge just nudged over the $26,000 total MSRP. Interior: The Avenger is classified as a midsize sedan, but it’s as roomy as many larger cars. Legroom is excellent in both seating rows. Driver/front passenger legroom is in the stretch out category. Rear seat legroom is ample even with the front seat all the way back. Headroom is great for tall passengers.

2011 DODGE AVENGER 34 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal•KPBJ.com August 2011

FIERCELY CONFIDENT

The light frost beige leather-trimmed seats were comfortable and supportive.

Two-temp heated front seats and driver side lumbar adjustment are added bonuses.

Interior storage bins are above average in size and quantity. Our tester had the optional sunroof with a relatively large opening. The sunroof didn’t hamper headroom even for tall drivers.

A thick leather-wrapped steering wheel with lots of auxiliary controls was mated to a tilt/telescopic column, which made finding an ideal driving position easy. A small, but very welcome feature was the super bright LED dome/reading lamps.

You can actually read things with these bright lamps. The navigation system and 6.5-inch touch-screen display were great.

Cargo capacity was quite good. The deep trunk was spacious with a flat floor, although the lift-over was on the high side.

The split fold-down rear seat increased capacity and flexibility.

Under The Hood: For all its muscle car exterior cues the Avenger LUX came up short in the performance department. Our tester was equipped with the 2.4-liter inline four-cylinder engine. The engine is rated at 173 horsepower and on steep hills that didn’t always seem like enough. Under stress the engine was loud and noisy reminding us of an overworked sewing machine. We would have much preferred the optional 3.6liter V-6, which produces 283 horsepower.

Serving Kitsap County for 30 years

The automatic transmission is an excellent 6-speed. It helped keep the fourcylinder engine in its optimum power band.

On some big hills the transmission had to down shift twice.

The plus side of the small engine and six-speed transmission was very respectable fuel economy (especially for a car with such a spacious interior). The EPA estimate is 20-city/31 highway (a wide range that denotes the efficiency of the six-speed transmission). We averaged 27.05 mpg in mixed driving that favored freeways.

Behind The Wheel: The Avenger LUX is a very pleasant car to drive largely due to its fine interior and comfort, entertainment, information, and communication features.

Handling and ride are very acceptable although we wouldn’t compare the Avenger to more aggressively tuned sport sedans.

There is an upcoming Avenger R/T model that should address buyers seeking sportier handling.

We’ve mentioned comparisons to the Dodge Charger, which is a deceptively large car. The smaller footprint of the Avenger was a plus for us. It was more agile in tight city street driving and easier to park and maneuver.

The overall ride quality was pleasant. It was neither luxury car smooth nor sports car harsh. It was an acceptable compromise of road condition feedback/control without the beating some sport sedans deliver.

Whines: We didn’t care for the base four-cylinder engine. The much more powerful V-6 would be more enjoyable and much more in character with the Avenger’s handsome styling.

Bottom Line: The Dodge Avenger LUX offers a lot of style, comfort, and quality at a reasonable price. Had we ordered this car we would have gladly traded the trick blackberry paint ($295), sunroof ($845), and Boston acoustic speakers ($475) for the optional V-6 engine ($1,795). Or, we could have kept all the optional equipment and still had a great car for under $30,000.

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Hot new ragtop joins Chevy Camaro lineup for 2011

nice touch — even though neither the gills or dome are functional.

The rigid B-pillar on the coupe is blacked-out, creating a clean side glass outline blending into the hardtop’s roofline.

The short rising rear deck shows off the car’s great looking rear end.

GM designers and engineers sought to make the roofline of the convertible match the coupe, resulting in a top with a smooth, carefully tailored appearance virtually mirroring the sleek coupe roofline.

The convertible top is made of thick, durable canvas. Acoustical headliner material provides a quiet, coupe-like ride when the top is up, and the soft top incorporates a glass rear window with defogger.

The power top retracts in about 20 seconds, and latches with a single handle located at the center of the windshield header. Once the latch is turned, a single button lowers the windows and top.

Interior: Interior materials in the Camaro are good, and excellent leather upholstery is available in black, gray, beige and the twotone Inferno Orange that adorned our test vehicle. The interior design is adequate, as is the no-nonsense instrumentation. The recessed speedometer and tach are stylized in square chrome housings, mimicking the classic Camaro interior. Granted, back then LED light pipe technology, and ambient lighting hadn’t been invented, and would be nice additions here.

The standard bucket seats are comfortable, but lack the bolstering necessary for really hard cornering.

Recognizing it’s a tough call, given the wide age spectrum of Camaro buyers, the low bolsters do make getting in and out easier.

Visibility through the windshield is compromised by the long hood, wide Apillars, and raked windshield, although the strategic location of the driver’s seat helps.

The trunk is deep but the opening is almost flat. There’s a pass-through to the trunk behind the rear seat, although it’s not that easy to get to.

Under The Hood: Camaro LS and LT models use the Cadillac 3.6-liter V6, rated at 312 horses, coupled to a standard 6-speed manual transmission or optional 6-speed automatic (with semi-manual shifting).

Our test Camaro SS featured the 426horse, 6.2-liter Corvette V8, with the 6speed manual. It delivers 420 Lb-Ft. of torque and does the 0-60 drill in 4.6 seconds.

Behind The Wheel: I found the Camaro pleasant to drive — especially with the top down during a rare week of 75+ degree sunshine.

Acceleration was all you would expect, but not on a par with the 500+ horses the same engine puts out in the Corvette.

The gearbox is solid, delivering throws that are shorter than some, with smooth

shifts — including gearing easily down into first when needed.

The Camaro chassis is based on the great GM design that originally came from Australia for the Pontiac G8 sports sedan.

The SS uses firmer shocks, springs and antiroll bars than the V6 models, but the ride isn’t victimized by it. While it isn’t a European sports sedan, handling of the Camaro SS is better than I expected — especially for a ragtop. The reinforced body structure in the convertible keeps handling solid, the grip secure, and the ride comfortable.

Braking is excellent thanks to the fourpiston Brembo brakes on the SS. Whines: Rear visibility over the driver’s shoulder isn’t that good, but frankly, it’s impossible to make it good with such a sporty roofline.

Bottom Line: The 2011 Camaro offers striking design, powerful engines borrowed from Cadillac and Corvette, great transmissions, first-rate handling, ride, and great pricing. In my view, it wins the retro muscle car battle against the Dodge Challenger, and is about on a par with the Mustang GT. GM has confirmed there will be a Z28 Camaro available by the end of the year, with a supercharged V8, like the Cadillac CTS-V, that should match its monster 556 horses. Word is it will add about $8000 to the price — which is still a great muscle-car deal when you think about it.

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August 2011 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal•KPBJ.com 35

By Lary Coppola The reborn Chevy Camaro adds a very stylish ragtop for 2011 that turns more heads than you can imagine because of its striking styling. Everywhere I drove our test SS convertible during the recent warm spell, it was a definite attention getter garnering nothing but thumbs up responses from everyone that saw it.

The Camaro convertible is equipped just like the coupe, and is available with either the silky 3.6-liter V6 or in the SS trim featuring the 6.2-liter V8 — which is what out test vehicle had under the hood.

Ten exterior colors are available, including a Corvette yellow and a new color called Synergy Green Metallic.

Model Lineup: The base Camaro LS comes with the 3.6-liter V6, with a 6-speed manual standard. A six-speed automatic with manual shifting is optional. The LS is wellequipped, including telescopic steering wheel, six-speaker AM/FM/XM/CD/MP3 audio, cruise control, limited slip differential, 18-inch steel wheels, and OnStar Directions and Connections, offering turn-by-turn route guidance, both verbal and visual, for six months.

The Camaro LT adds leather upholstery, six-way power reclining driver’s seat, foglamps, 18-inch painted aluminum wheels, and an integral front fascia.

The top of the line Camaro SS features the 6.2-liter V8 with a 6-speed automatic or 6-speed manual gearbox. It also has special exterior trim, a beefier suspension, 20-inch painted aluminum wheels, and four-piston Brembo disc brakes.

The convertible is offered in similar model configurations as the coupe, with tops offered in black or tan. Rear parking assist is standard on all convertibles.

Option packages include heated mirrors and seats, nine-speaker 245-watt audio, Bluetooth and USB port, steering wheel audio controls, remote starting, and console mounted gauges. Also available is GM’s Head-Up display that projects speed and other data onto the windshield for the driver to view without eyes leaving the road.

A $900 sunroof is optional for coupes, as is a Hurst short-throw shifter, and an RS appearance package for the LT and SS that includes HID headlamps with integrated LED halo rings, and a rear spoiler on LT. Walkaround: This generation Camaro captures the retro look of the original ‘67, with less chrome. It’s also 5.7 inches longer, 3 inches wider. And 2.8 inches taller, thanks primarily to larger tires than the original.

1969 Camaro headlights seemingly appear in the head-on view, and the rear lines reprise the classic 1963 split-window Corvette. In fact, the lines of the ‘63 fastback ‘Vette are obvious from almost any angle — especially from above.

The shark nose sports a black mesh grille, and a long, eye-catching aluminum hood, with its suggestive 2.5-inch power dome.

The SS has an additional wide, thin black simulated intake on the nose — the easiest way to tell whether the V8 or V6 is under the hood — and styling gills located just forward of the rear wheels add another

Editor & Publisher Lary Coppola

Newly exposed labor union manual advocates using intimidation tactics

Advertising Sales Dee Coppola

Pressure manual advocates bullying of employers and their families

Creative Director Steve Horn Webmaster/IT Greg Piper Graphic Design Kris Lively Office Administration Jennifer Christine Web Host Piper Computer Services Contributing Writers Rodika Tollefson Adele Ferguson Don Brunell Kathleen Byrne-Barrantes Dan Weedin Ron Rada Julie Tappero Paula Bartlett Jason Parker

36 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal•KPBJ.com August 2011

Press Releases Email to pressreleases@KPBJ.com

The Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal is a special interest publication dedicated exclusively to providing news, information and opinions to the business communities of the Kitsap and Key Peninsulas, and North Mason County. It is published monthly by Wet Apple Media. Copyright, 2011, with all rights reserved. Postage is paid at Tacoma, WA. The Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal is read by more than 26,000 business, professional, political and military leaders in Kitsap, Pierce, and Mason counties. Additional copies are available for $1.50 each. Annual subscriptions are available for $25.

Reproduction or use of any editorial or graphic content contained herein in any manner whatsoever without the expressed written consent of the Publisher is strictly prohibited. The Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal is proudly composed using Apple Macintosh® computers and printed by The Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA. Views expressed herein are strictly the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the advertisers or ownership of The Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal.

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From the Competitive Enterprise Institute An internal labor union intimidation tactic has been newly revealed via a 70+ page manual by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) that teaches the use of pressure on corporate boardrooms as a means of organizing companies nationwide, rather than recruiting workers on a site-by-site basis.

The goal is to organize employers rather than employees.

Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) Labor Policy Counsel Vincent Vernuccio wrote about this new information in the Washington Times (Labor’s new strategy: Intimidation for dummies; Pressure manual advocates bullying of employers and their families).

Union pressure is nothing new, but what SEIU recommends is not limited to organizing drives and strikes. Rather, the pressure takes the form of a so- called corporate campaign, whereby the union allies with outside third parties raise intimidation to a new level.

To create this pressure, unions attempt to push businesses to the edge of bankruptcy, with little regard for the welfare of employer and employee. They attempt to strong-arm businesses into agreeing to take away the secret ballot for employees in union organizing election via card check.

They also try to force employers to restrict their own speech on union issues, so that workers will not get both sides of the story on unionization.

What explains this brazenly written manual? “In the last decade, unions have become increasingly desperate to obtain new dues paying members,” Vernuccio explains.

Large portions of the SEIU manual, made public through a pending court case, will be excerpted on CEI’s labor website www.workplacechoice.org. A few excerpts are below: • Union members sometimes must act in the tradition of Dr. Marin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi and disobey laws, which are used to enforce injustice against working people.

• Investigations of individual managers.

It may be a violation of blackmail and extortion laws to threaten management officials with release of “dirt” about them if they don’t settle a contract. But there is no law against union members who are angry at their employer deciding to uncover and publicize factual information about individual managers.

• Community action and use of the news media can damage an employer’s public image and ties with community leaders and organizations. An employer may depend on lenders, investors, customers, clients, tenants, patients, or government agencies to provide funds. The most effective outside pressure tactics are often those which could put that flow of funds in jeopardy.

• Individual owners and management officials typically value their time, reputations, and privacy. Tactics which distract them from their primary duties and draw public attention to their activities may help pressure them to reach a fair settlement.

Read the Washington Times op-ed, Labor’s new strategy: Intimidation for dummies; Pressure manual advocates bullying of employers and their families.

View more information on the SEIU manual at Workplacechoice.org.

Top 10 tax-friendly states for retirees in 2011 Where's the best state for you to retire? Here's a good place to start your search: These ten impose the lowest taxes on retirees in the contiguous U.S., according to to Kiplinger. All these retiree tax heavens exempt Social Security benefits from state income taxes. Many of them exclude government and military pensions from income taxes, too, or offer blanket exclusions up to a specific dollar amount for a wide variety of retirement income.

Although relocating to an income-taxfree state such as Florida or Texas may sound appealing, sometimes the best retirement destination is a state that imposes an income tax but offers generous exemptions for retirement income.

Once you narrow your search to a few key states, zero in on local taxes.

Municipalities can impose hefty property taxes or other assessments, or they may layer local sales taxes on top of statewide levies.

Federal taxes? If you claim the standard deduction, they'll be the same no matter where you live. But if you itemize your deductions, you'll be able to write off real estate taxes and state income taxes, reducing your federal tax bill and easing some of the pain.

The Top 10 tax-friendly states to retire in 2011 are: 1) Wyoming 2) Mississippi 3) Pennsylvania 4) Kentucky 5) Alabama 6) Georgia 7) Oaklahoma 8) South Carolina 9) Deleware 10) Louisana

No perfect solution to our energy needs

By Don C. Brunell, President Association of Washington Business Imagine coming home from work, tossing your keys on the hall table and flipping on the light switch. Nothing happens. You sigh, remembering that this is the night your neighborhood is scheduled for a rolling brownout.

Even with electricity at 25 cents a kilowatt hour, there’s not enough power on the grid to supply the homes, hospitals, factories and office buildings in your state.

New laws limit the amount of electricity you can use, and homes are equipped with utility sensors that allow regulators to remotely turn off your energy-hungry appliances.

This scenario may not be as far-fetched as it seems.

Over the years, legislators and regulators have steadily reduced the supply of affordable energy in the United States, while the population — and the demand for energy — has continued to grow.

For example, while France gets 75 percent of its electricity from greenhousegas-free nuclear energy, opponents have virtually tabled plans to develop safe new nuclear technologies in the U.S. Crude oil has become a pariah, with the federal government and states banning oil exploration in many places. Even though technology has vastly improved, and we’re sitting on enough untapped oil to meet our needs for 300 years, U.S. oil exploration has slowed to a trickle.

Coal, which provides half the electricity in the U.S. and the world, is a perennial

Can we create 10 million new jobs or tolerate an army of unemployed?

natural gas into snug steel-cased pipe and safely brought to surface.

Extracting shale gas is already heavily regulated by federal, state and local governments, but opponents fear the process could contaminate drinking water. Every year, crude oil producers safely treat 18 billion barrels of water collected in extraction process, while shale gas producers safely treat an estimated 50,000 barrels.

If there are legitimate problems with the process, government regulators and scientists should continue to work with experts to address them, but we all need to ask ourselves the question: What happens if regulators also reduce supplies of natural gas? What happens to the 70 million homes and businesses in the U.S. that depend on it?

Alternative energy? Dr. Julio Friedmann, of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, says, “Solar and wind power are going to be important, but it is really hard to get them beyond 10 percent of total power supply.”

So, we have some tough choices to make.

There is no magic bullet, no entirely riskfree energy source. Politicians and ideologues should step aside and let the scientists and engineers develop innovative solutions that provide for the future of our nation — or it could be “lights out.”

August 2011 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal•KPBJ.com 37

By Harry Kelber Let’s take an inventory of what we’ve done and where we stand in our top priority campaign for jobs for our unemployed.

We’ve tackled the jobs issue with a record number of conferences, workshops, strategy sessions, rallies marches, picket lines, sit-ins and vigils, We’ve distributed tons of leaflets and pamphlets, used radio and TV programs, created videos and messages on Internet web sites, all designed to educate union members and involve them in the fight for jobs.

And let’s not forget the endless speeches and statements by labor leaders about “Making Wall Street Pay,” for the jobs they destroyed; the many convention resolutions and the blizzard of e-mails we sent to our representatives in Congress and the White House urging them to initiate a massive works program that could provide millions of useful jobs, like what the New Deal did in the 1930’s.

We called together some of the nation’s brightest and most experienced economists to devise a job-creating plan that could employ millions, while improving the quality of life for all Americans.

Congress and the White House were not interested. The one bright spot on the job front came in February 2009, when Congress passed the $787 billion “stimulus package,” and President Obama could claim that 2 million jobs had been created or saved.

“We’ve got to do better,” Obama said, but he hasn’t. He’s focusing on cutting the federal budget deficit, where every spending cut means an actual loss of jobs.

We have hardly made a dent in the jobs crisis, as the following figures will show, in human terms, not in percentages: There are 25 million people who are looking for a full-time job, but can’t find one. Of these, 13.9 million are listed as officially unemployed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Jobs will have to be found for the 100,000 to 125,000 people who enter the labor force each month. Mass layoffs are continuing. There were 19,564 mass layoffs by employers involving 1,854,596 workers in 2010.

What has our economy, the richest in the world, done to provide those millions of jobs that are desperately needed by people, some 6.8 million of whom have been out of work for 27 weeks or more?

Are we reconciled to having a permanent army of unemployed in our midst, while the bankers and investors of Wall Street cling to at least two trillion dollars in cash, and can give themselves compensation packages worth tens of millions?

Isn’t this an immoral, but true, image of our society? And shouldn’t we be doing something about it?

(Editor’s Note: Harry Kelber has been a front-line observer and active participant in struggles over the past seven decades. In 1939, at age 25, he was editor of two weekly labor papers that reported the historic CIO organizing campaigns. As a union printer, he was involved in the 196263 strike that shut down New York City's major newspapers for 114 days, serving as editor of the daily strike bulletin.

Kelber has helped develop generations of new labor organizers and leaders. From 1985-90, he was education and cultural director of IBEW Local 3, the 36,000-member Electrical Workers Union in New Yourk City. In 1992, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, he was invited to direct a week-long seminar for 145 top labor leaders of Russia and the Commonwealth States on the theme, "Democratic Unions in a Market Economy."

In 1995, at the age of 81 and as a rank-and-file member of the Communications Workers, he became the first and only independent candidate to run for AFL-CIO vice president in 30 years — forcing federation leaders to hold an actual election.)

target. Ironically, some anti-coal groups oppose developing clean coal technologies in the U.S. because they want to eliminate coal worldwide, an unrealistic goal.

Here in Washington, the target is clean, renewable hydropower, which supplies about 75 percent of our electricity. Activists want to breach the four dams on the lower Snake River in the name of increasing salmon survival, but they ignore the fact that salmon are thriving, even in the far upper tributaries of the Columbia and Snake rivers — and they have no idea how to replace the electricity the dams provide to millions of people.

The Bonneville Power Administration says replacing the hydropower with gasfired turbines — the cheapest alternative — will increase costs tenfold.

But wait — now, natural gas has become a target.

Coal opponents once touted natural gas as the cleanest fossil fuel, but they now attack gas pipelines and “fracking,” a technique to recover vast natural gas reserves embedded in shale rock deep in the earth.

Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, has been used in the U.S. for 60 years, but with new and safe horizontal drilling, fracking has made shale gas plentiful. High-pressure water, sand and small amounts of additives we use every day around our households are pumped into shale deposits forcing the

Regulators doom local businesses, and how about those Ms?

38 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal•KPBJ.com August 2011

The insensitivity and caviler attitude of Kitsap County toward local business never ceases to amaze me. The latest examples of this are how the County Department of Community Development (DCD) and the Health District have essentially put Juel Lange of Lange’s Ranch out of business, and how the Prosecutor’s Office continues to pursue what has all the earmarks of a personal vendetta against Marcus Carter of the Kitsap Rifle and Revolver Club.

Lange and Carter have both been particularly annoying thorns in the side of County bureaucrats for more than a decade.

Lange for seemingly understanding that it’s easier to get forgiveness than permission when it comes to dealing with the county’s arbitrary and overzealous enforcement of regulations, and Carter for beating county prosecutors in court three times on an alleged gun violation — and doing it without a lawyer, by representing himself.

Lange has run a popular summertime swimming pool and recreational facility for kids near Keyport for 35 years. It’s also available for private functions like weddings, family reunions, business retreats, and such. The money he makes supports veteran’s organizations.

Lange won’t be able to open this season after being a victim of what can only be called a classic flim-flam by county regulators.

He was forced to close in 2004, citing a wave of new regulations he didn’t believe he could comply with. He’s worked since then to comply with the ever-increasing regulatory burden, and believed after spending $30,000 on a new septic system he’d made it over the hump.

But of course he didn’t — and this is where the flim-flam comes in. Lange operated the facility before much of the

current land-use law was written, so he was grandfathered and didn’t have to comply with what had been written after he was operating.

However, when he was forced to close due to the new regulations, and then wanted to reopen, his grandfather protection went away.

Lange now has to get a conditional-use permit to operate in an area zoned for rural residential use. Hell will most likely freeze over before that’s approved. He’ll also have to get permits for portions of buildings he’s modified over the years — including a bathhouse expansion and a small theater he built — and bring them up to LARY COPPOLA current code standards.

The Last Word Me a n w h i l e the Kitsap County Health District is requiring Lange to have a lifeguard at the pool, something he claims has never worked because parents would dump off their kids for long periods, with a lifeguard, while they always stayed and watched without one — and according to Lange, the kids behave better.

The Health District also required Lange to install a second pool drain to supposedly prevent sucking swimmers down the drain, or some such nonsense, while an alternative solution he proposed was not acceptable.

For generations, Lange’s Ranch, with its red geraniums everywhere, Bavarian-style snack shack, merry-go-round, chimes tower, giant chess set, and bubble machine, has been a huge summertime draw for children from all areas of the county. Part of the fun was llamas for kids to feed.

After all he’s invested in trying to comply

with the myriad of regulations, county bureaucrats have finally cornered Lange so he has no alternative except sell the property. I guess it could have been worse, he could have tried to build a tree house for those kids.

Meanwhile, after wasting hundreds of thousand of our tax dollars losing in court on the gun charge, the County has decided to turn the persecution of Marcus Carter over to King County. It will be interesting to learn how much Kitsap County taxpayers will be billed to finance this witchhunt.

The County is also attacking Carter on another front, proposing new regulations requiring all shooting ranges in the county’s unincorporated areas to have a permit to operate. This is a change from the current code, which requires only new shooting ranges apply for a permit.

County Commissioners reportedly requested the code change due to “… ongoing tensions surrounding shooting ranges in the community,” County Commissioner Charlotte Garrido was quoted as saying.

In my view, the proposed changes are little more than another way for the County to attack Carter, who owns and operates the Kitsap Rifle and Revolver Club. The similarities between complaints by surrounding residents — who moved in long after the club was established — and the proposed changes, were not lost on Carter, who was quoted as saying, “Obviously, it’s a political move.” Ya think?

Chalk up yet more victories for overregulation — and more losses for small business — and personal freedom.

I love baseball. I grew up rooting for the

New York Yankees who for generations played their Grapefruit League ball in my hometown of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. My Dad played semi-pro ball with Yankee greats Yogi Berra and Phil Rizutto for the Newark Bears, and introduced me to them as a kid — before I understood who they were. But he instilled his love of the game in me, and I have fond memories of afternoons at Lockhart Stadium with my Dad. Baseball was our common ground. In those troubled teenage years, when I couldn’t talk about anything with my parents, my Dad and I could always talk baseball. I vividly remember our discussions about whether Roger Maris or Mickey Mantle (my personal favorite) would be the one to break Babe Ruth’s home run record, and how disappointed I was when Mantle faded in the stretch due to injury. And our discussions about how the Babe did it in 154 games, while it took Maris all 162.

My grandson Bryce has that same love of the game and he’s become a bit of an authority on it — and is surprisingly accurate considering he’s only 7. He knows a lot of the players and can quote their stats.

I’ve taken him to a few Mariner’s games, and he got to see Ken Griffey Jr. hit the last homer of his career.

On the day this was written, the Mariners broke the club record for consecutive losses — 17. By the time you read this, they may have tied the league record of 19, which considering how badly they’re playing, is a very real possibility.

Will the Mariners ever make a real commitment to winning? The perennial promises of “Next Year” have gotten old. It’s time for the owners to stop screwing the fans. “Next Year” is here — at least for me.

Just a smattering of miscellaneous stuff…

ITEM — U.S. senators failed, 51-49, to end GOP blockage of a non-binding bill urging that increased tax revenues from millionaires be part of any bill to raise the national debt ceiling and curb the growth of federal debt.

A yes was to ADELE FERGUSON end a R ep u bl i c an Politics filibuster against SB 1323.

COMMENT — As I understand it, millionaires and the like already pay a healthy share of their income in taxes and provide a heckuva lot more jobs than poor people do.

What I would like to see is requiring the 51 percent of the country’s taxpayers who don’t pay any income tax at all and receive subsidy checks to boot pay some portion of income tax geared to their income. Didn’t the president just say “We have to ask everyone

to play their part because we are all part of the same country. We are all in this together.”

I don’t call it together when half pay income tax and half don’t.

ITEM — The Seattle City Council and City Attorney Pete Holmes are joining Mayor Mike McGinn in a first step toward extended bar hours in the city. The mayor announced they are starting a process to get the state to allow bars to serve liquor after 2 a.m., the current statewide cutoff. The aim is to avoid dangers from the drunks dumped out of the bars at 2 and hitting the streets for home. Assistant Seattle Police Chief Mike Sanford backed the request, telling a news conference the streets would be safer.

COMMENT — Now how in the world could it be safer with a bunch of drunks hitting the streets at 3 a.m. or 4 a.m. or 5 a.m. instead of 2, unless the intent is to disperse them in batches instead of wholesale.

Wouldn’t the hard drinkers who don’t leave until the bar closes at 2 simply stay on until the new closing time, unless there would be

no closing time and the bars would be open all night? This ain’t Las Vegas, Mayor.

ITEM — By a vote of 233-193, the U.S. House failed to reach a two-thirds majority needed to repeal the law phasing in new light bulbs that, while considerably more expensive, last longer and use less energy than the incandescents we’ve used for so many years. It’s estimated the new ones will cut nationwide energy costs by $12 billion annually. The new standards take effect starting Jan. 1.

COMMENT — I don’t believe it, the projected savings, that is. And two of the new light bulbs that I bought because they were on sale have already burned out. My incandescents last a lot longer than that. I think this is just more overkill by the nuts who blame people for global warming and are willing to send our industries into a tailspin trying to prove it.

ITEM — If the murder of Caylee Anthony had taken place in the 12th Century, says USA Today, the most

accepted system of justice was trials by ordeal. Medieval courts relied entirely on God to pronounce the guilt of an accused.

Defendants were drowned, burned, given poisoned bread and subjected to other abuse to see a sign of divine judgment.

People accepted the results because one could not question the judgment of God. COMMENT — We don’t have to go back that far. My father was born and reared in the backwoods of Tennessee and when he was a boy, one of his uncles was found dead lying by a railroad track. There was a question as to whether he bad been beaten to death or was hit by a train. The matter was resolved in the usual way back there and then by wrapping the body in new quilt, then washing the quilt. If the blood stains came out in the washing, his death would be deemed accidental. If not, that was considered a sign from God that he had been murdered. The stains came out.

(Adele Ferguson can be reached at P.O. Box 69, Hansville, Wa., 98340.)

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Submit your nomination today and help us highlight the best and brightest young business leaders on the Kitsap Peninsula.