Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal 25/01

January 2012 Vol. 25 No. 1

The Voice of Kitsap Business since 1988

The First Commercial Installation Bainbridge Farm uses mycofiltration to protect stream and salmon

By Rodika Tollefson Barbara Eddy has had a passion for horses for many years, and about three decades ago found a way to follow that passion. She moved from Seattle to Bainbridge Island after buying land to turn it into a farm. Through the years, her passion has evolved into Barnabee Farm, where she now boards 17 horses with the help of five employees. The facility also has a trainer who offers riding lessons, and outside experts occasionally come to offer workshops.

Eddy said she’s always been environmentally conscious about the stream that runs through the property.

Salmon come upstream every few years to spawn. She has made sure horses have no access to the stream, and has also installed a storm-water settlement pond and a bioswale. In December, she went one step further to protect it: She selected an innovative mycofiltration product that naturally takes care of fecal coliform bacteria.

L-R Barbara Eddy, owner Barnabee Farm with contractor, David Godbolt, Sentinel Construction

Cover Story , page 4 $1.50 Display until February 1st

Inside

Human Resources, pg 14

Editorial, pp 36-38

Special Reports:

Financial, pp 16, 17

Healthcare Quarterly, pp 8-13

Real Estate, pp 23, 24

Home Builders Newsletter, pp 19-22

Networking, pp 26-28

Environment, pg 33 Automotive, pp 34, 35

Photographs of Jini Dellaccio coming home Jini Dellaccio is coming home to Gig Harbor. Her master works of fine art photography, exhibit, “With a Loving Eye: The Photographs of Jini Dellaccio” will be on display at the Harbor History Museum Mar. 31 to Jul. 29.

Still working at age 95 in digital photography Dellaccio has documented the lives of people and families over the 30 years.

More about this exhibit is available at www.harborhistorymuseum.org, and the Dellaccio collection, at www.jinidellaccio.com.

New executive director at Sound Vista Village Susan Pfundt-O’Neill has been named as the new executive director at Sound Vista Village. She has been in the field of retirement living for more than five years, most recently with Village Concepts as Program Director in Milton.

Pfundt-O’Neill holds a degree in Art History and French Language from Western Washington University. She served on the advisory board for Whatcom Community College, volunteered as an adult literacy tutor and with the YWCA, and as a member of a Relay for Life team for several relays. Sound Vista Village is located in Gig Harbor, and is operated by Village Concepts.

Pfundt-O’Neill (R) with a Sound Vista resident

Sean Green joins Advantage Autoworks Advantage Autoworks, located in the Bremerton Auto Center, at 5012 Auto Center Blvd in Bremerton, recently welcomed Sean Green, along with his philosophy of “expect the best and get it,” to its leadership team.

With many cars in stock, and a free automotive locating service, Green can help find the “grille of your dreams.” Contact the Bremerton Auto Center at (360) 373-1448.

2 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal • KPBJ.com January 2012

Weedin speaks at Puget Sound Business Journal event Dan Weedin, a local based consultant, executive coach and mentor, spoke to a group of business leaders at the Puget Sound Business Journal’s “Biz Development Series” held at Seattle University. Weedin is only one of 33 people in the world accredited as a Master Mentor in the Alan Weiss Global Consulting community.

The topic of the event was, “The Accelerant Curve.” It is a strategy for professional service providers to accelerate their business by being able to enhance services and products to a larger clientele base. The main strategies involve techniques in marketing, branding, and product development.

Weedin has also presented this program to members of the Biz Enrich community of consultants in Seattle and Portland.

The series by the Puget Sound Business Journal is tailored to help local business leaders grow and develop their businesses.

Weedin states, “It was a pleasure to be able to meet so many dedicated business leaders. I’m happy to have had the opportunity to share my thoughts on accelerating their business with them.”

For more information, contact Weedin at (360) 271-1592, dan@danweedin.com, or visit www.DanWeedin.com.

Youra presents Republican leaders portrait to Lynch Port Hadlock artist Dan Youra recently presented his portrait of Four Republican Leaders to Sue Lynch, president of the National Federation of Republican Women.

The artwork created by Youra depicts four nationally recognized Republican leaders from Wisconsin: Scott Walker, governor, Paul Ryan, U.S. Congressman, Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee and Lynch president of the National Federation of Republican Women.

Youra is an editorial cartoonist who specializes in caricatures of political leaders.

Visit RightOnToon.comfor more information on his work.

Alliance of Women Owned Businesses accepting nominations for 2012 awards

Smith receives Spirit of Washington CASH Award

Cook’s Whimsy opens for business in Gig Harbor

The Alliance of Women Owned Businesses (AWOB) is now accepting nomination applications for its 2012 Crystal Star Awards. AWOB intends to recognize Kitsap, Pierce, and Mason county women business owners who inspire, open doors, make hard choices and who make a difference. The awards will acknowledge those entrepreneurs who enhance the status of all women business owners through their creative vision, determination, perseverance, leadership and passion in their business and community. Application packets are available at www.allianceofwomenownedbusinesses.com beginning in mid-January 2012. Completed applications must be postmarked no later than March 23, 2012.

For more information contact Julie Tappero, at 253-853-3633 or julie@westsoundworkforce.com.

Alan Smith, owner of Mr. Honey Do Now Repair Service in Silverdale, has won the Washington Community for Self Help (C.A.S.H.) “Spirit of CASH Award.” The announcement was made at the recent CASH second annual client showcase “C.A.S.H. Works — Supporting Kitsap Entrepreneurs!” More than fifty active CASH fellow business owners selected Smith for his inspiration and willingness to help others,” said Stuart Walton who directs the program in Kitsap.

Smith began his CASH training two years ago and graduated in a class of military veterans. He has developed his successful home repair business and made significant contributions to the program, as a coach, mentor and volunteer, Walton added.

Cook’s Whimsy, a kitchen store, opens in Gig Harbor at 5275 Olympic Dr., Ste. 103. Owner, Carrie Clark, is a graduate of the University of Washington with a degree in business, a classically trained chef, and is passionate about sharing her love of cooking.

Clark invites customers to “be dazzled with the bright colors of Le Cruset and Soda Stream, or the slivery glitter from All Clad. There is something for every cook.”

The store’s regular hours are 10 a.m. – 8 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Sunday, and closed Monday.

For more information, contact Cook’s Whimsy at (253) 514-6396.

Best Western Plus Bainbridge Island Suites recognized with the M.K. Guertin Award The Best Western Plus Bainbridge Island Suites in Winslow was recognized with the M.K. Guertin Award at Best Western International’s annual North American Convention held recently in Orlando, Fla. The award was presented in front of more than 2,000 industry peers.

The prestigious honor is bestowed upon those Member properties that have represented the vision of Best Western’s founder and best demonstrated exceptional levels of service, quality, value and commitment to the brand. The hotels must also meet design and customer care standards, as well as other membership requirements, to qualify.

The Best Western Plus Bainbridge Island Suites, which is located at 350 NE High School Road, is one of only twelve hotels out of more than 2,400 properties in the U.S. and Canada to have received this designation.

“The M.K. Guertin Award recognizes the top Best Western hotels that best demonstrate the highest levels of quality, service and guest satisfaction within the brand,” stated Linda Thurrott, General Manager of the hotel.

Life Cycle Engineering Opens Bremerton Office Life Cycle Engineering (LCE) recently opened an office in Bremerton. The new office will provide a variety of engineering and support services to the Naval Shipyards in both Bremerton and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, along with other Department of the Navy organizations on the West Coast, Hawaii and Japan.

“The opening of LCE’s Bremerton office demonstrates LCE’s continuing commitment to support the Naval Shipyards and the fleet by providing engineering, technical, logistics and program support,” said Mark Petersen-Overton, senior vice president of LCE’s engineering services group. “We are excited about establishing a permanent office which will allow us to better provide services to our clients.”

LCE’s new office location is: 4843 Auto Center Way, Suite B.

The Red Cross is looking for heroes

Martha & Mary’s Steele named volunteer subject matter expert The National Council of State Boards Of Nursing (NCSBN) Licensure Examination, headquartered in Chicago, is responsible for developing and administering the NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PN licensing exams.

Isaac Steele, LPN, of Martha & Mary was approved by the Washington State Board of Nursing and selected by NCSBN to participate as a volunteer subject matter expert on the 2011 PN Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA) Expert Panel that was held in Chicago, IL from Nov. 30 to Dec. 2, 2011.

Steele was one of eight nurses from across the nation to participate on this panel. He was nominated on the basis of clinical specialty and nursing expertise.

All nurses in the United States and its four U.S. territories must take the NCLEX. The licensing exam identifies those candidates who demonstrate minimal competence to practice nursing at the entry level. Passing the NCLEX exam is one of the requirements necessary for attaining a nursing license.

Kitsap Conference Center January 24, 2011 7:30 – 10:00 a.m.

Keynote Speaker: John Mitchell, PhD “2012 Economic Forecast”

– Plus – George Northcroft, GSA Regional Administrator NW Region discusses “Regional Opportunities” A Panel Discussion “Green Grows the Bottom Line”

Free Workshop for Attendees: 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. “GSA Contracting Opportunities” Sponsorship Opportunities Available

REGISTER TODAY! www.kitsapeda.org 360-377-9499 Cost: $50 investor partners/$75 non-investor partners

Sell Globally. Buy Locally.

January 2012 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal • KPBJ.com 3

The American Red Cross Serving King & Kitsap Counties is looking for ordinary individuals who have performed extraordinary deeds.

On March 1, 2012, the Red Cross will present awards to local heroes in Kitsap and North Mason counties who saved lives, exemplified the Red Cross mission or made significant, positive differences in their communities in the areas of emergency response, preparedness and prevention.

The nominee must be a resident of, or employed within, Kitsap or North Mason counties or the heroic act must have occurred in Kitsap or North Mason counties. The heroic act must be ongoing or have occurred between Dec. 1, 2010, and November 30. Nominations are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 2.

Information about the nominations and the form are available online at www.seattleredcross.org or by contacting Karen McKay Bevers, West Sound director at Karen.Bevers@SeattleRedCross.org or (360) 478-7681.

14th Annual Decision Makers Breakfast

BAINBRIDGE FARM

from page 1

Water drains downhill from ranch

The Team — Contractor, Owner and the Kitsap Conservation District

4 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal • KPBJ.com January 2012

Developed by Fungi Perfecti, a company located outside of Shelton, the product consists of biodegradable bags filled with alder chips inoculated with mycelia, a mushroom that eats contaminants as a food source. Runoff is first filtered by natural vegetation, then moves to the bioswale, where the Fungi Perfecti bags have been installed in a such a way as not to be immersed in water because the mushrooms die when submerged.

“We were looking for solutions. We wanted to prove that the pollution on the stream wasn’t coming from Barnabee Farm and if there was some, we wanted to take care of it,” said David Godbolt, owner of Sentinel Construction, which has been working on various projects on the farm.

“Barbara Eddy is very proactive in this arena and very protective of Mother Nature.”

Godbolt and Eddy worked with the Kitsap Conservation District on the

solution. Rich Geiger, district engineer who designed the installation, had worked with Fungi Perfecti in the past as the company developed the technology. He said as far as he is aware, this is the first commercially paid installation of its kind of the product, which has been scientifically tested as well as used at other farms.

“Mycofiltration is the only means I know of where you can apply a filter and the filter actually consumes the contaminant and eats it as food,” said Geiger, who made the recommendation for Fungi Perfecti as a way of mitigating fecal coliform contamination. “The fungus is an excellent physical filter — it creates a network of fibers that are one cell wide, seen only through a microscope.”

He said the results should be immediate because the bags had mature fungus, though the mushrooms do go dormant in cold weather. The installation should be effective for about a year, he said, and after

Here bags installed alongside pond.

Coming Next Issue...

Salmon stream next to property that the mycelium has to be replenished.

One idea is to not use bags and instead inoculate the wood chips directly in the field.

The process has a secondary benefit. As the mycelium starts consuming bacteria, it releases nutrients for plants in the vegetative barrier. “Those plants will flourish and the plants are also effective at removing bacteria and releasing enzymes that promote growth of things that consume fecal coliform bacteria,” Geiger said. “It’s what we call a supercharge, it’s making the rest of the biofiltration more effective.”

The Kitsap Conservation District will continue to be involved with the project and help monitor its impact. Brian Stohl, technical resource coordinator, said a meeting in January with representatives from the district, Fungi Perfecti, city of Bainbridge and the farm will determine a testing and monitoring program. He said as a pilot project, the location is perfect

Women In Business

Bringing changes to business

Area Non-Profits

Wood chips part of micro filtration bags because of its proximity to the stream as well as the existing pond.

Stohl said Eddy’s willingness to do whatever it takes to protect the natural resources is “impressive.” “She’s doing this on her own and going above and beyond a lot of expectations for making the property environmentally friendly,” he said.

Eddy said she is excited to be a pioneer in a way, piloting the mycofiltration technology as the first commercial property. She said finding a cost-effective remedy was important. “I’m waiting to see the results and from what I’ve learned, I expect to see good results,” she said. “I plan to continue using it, if it’s successful, and share the results, and hopefully encourage other people and farms to do the same.”

She credits the conservation district and Sentinel Construction with the success of the project. “David Godbolt has been a terrific guide in this project and his employees have been tremendous help,” she said.

Deadline to reserve advertising space

Jan. 14th For more information: Dee Coppola 800-733-7990 or email dee@wetapple.com

Economic Opportunity… Investment & partnership paves the road ahead Julie Tappero President of West Sound Workforce, Jim Carmichael President and CEO of Kitsap Bank and Russell Steele CEO of Port Madison Enterprises for joining me in increasing our respective businesses’ annual investment in KEDA. We do so because we believe in the value of the Kitsap Economic Development Alliance with regard to our individual company’s well being, as well as the overall economic health and prosperity of our primary market — Kitsap County. And, we do so with a sense of urgency to seize the

opportunity to leverage the renewed energy and performance of the KEDA team and commitment of our board.

I invite businesses throughout Kitsap County to join your peers in investing in KEDA and the vital role it plays in our community’s economic future. As you finalize your business plans and budgets for 2102, I encourage you to invest in KEDA so that together we can tak e KEDA to the next level in strengthening our individual enterprises and our overall collective economic future.

To learn more about KEDA and the

many economic development services it delivers to local businesses and our community log onto www.kitsapeda.org. I also invite you to attend our upcoming Annual Economic Forecast — Decision Makers — convened at the Kitsap Conference Center on January 24.

Best Wishes for a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year.

January 2012 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal • KPBJ.com 5

By Elliott Gregg, Chairman of the Board Kitsap Economic Development Alliance President & CEO, Kitsap Credit Union As 2011draws to a close, and 2012 arrives, I want to thank my fellow Kitsap Economic Development Alliance board members, and our many public and private investor partners, for their continued commitment to work together to grow and diversify Kitsap County’s economy.

This past year was filled with challenge, change and opportunity for our Alliance; a year in which we renewed our commitment to advance KEDA’s mission to attract investment and create jobs throug hout Kitsap County. Central to our renewed engagement was recruiting John Powers to serve as our Executive Director. We responded to John’s challenge to the Board, and broader community, to step up and strengthen KEDA as it partners with businesses and government to sustain and grow our local economy.

There is a clear sense of renewed enthusiasm in our pursuit of new economic development opportunities in Kits ap. Among them are the birth of the Kitsap Aerospace and Defense Alliance to pursue opportunities associated with the Boeing 737 MAX project. In addition, we are committed to enhancing Kitsap’s participation in the Central Puget Sound’s Regional Economic Strategy — Prosperity Partnership 2.0 — a strategy with a defined focus on the military defense cluster in our region. This Strategy also focuses on other i mportant economic clusters in found in Kitsap including marine related industries, advanced manufacturing and emerging information and clean technologies.

Our Board is committed to strengthening the level of private sector participation and investment necessary to fulfill an ambitious agenda of priorities that will guide KEDA’s work in 2012. We want to build upon KEDA’s solid track record of getting the job done. Over the past four years KEDA has assisted hundreds of businesses in attracting new investment, revenues and creating new jobs resulting in over $70M in new business transactions for Kitsap businesses.

Currently, private sector investment constitutes approximately 30 percent of KEDA’s annual resources; the balance is comprised of public sector support. Our goal for 2012 is to double the total private sector investments made by local businesses in KEDA. To achieve this goal we look to increase the number of private sector business partners investing in KEDA by 25 percent, and raise the average annual investment per business by 50 percent — targeting an overall private sector investment in KEDA for 2012 of $150,000.

I’m proud to report that our executive committee member businesses have committed to lead the way in this endeavor. I want to thank

Clauson named to lead Kitsap Transit After a nationwide search, John Clauson, who serves as service development director for Kitsap Transit, has been named to lead the agency by the board of directors. He will take over as executive director when Dick Hayes, 69, who has headed the transit agency since it was founded, retires early next year. Hayes has stated he’d like to retire on his 70th birthday, which is in February.

According to the Personnel and Finance Committee Chair, Poulsbo Mayor Becky Erickson, there were 10 finalists for the position, which drew applicants from around the nation, and one from out of the country. The committee narrowed the field down to the top five. Each candidate was interviewed in person by the committee, except one candidate from Charlottsville, Va., who was interviewed via Skype. All

candidates were required to answer the same set of questions.

Because he was the only internal candidate, several members of the committee admitted they had actually scored Clauson somewhat harder than the other candidates, trying to avoid the appearance of any favoritism. “He was still head and shoulders above the rest of them,” stated Erickson.

Clauson, who is also a longtime Port Orchard city councilman and chairs the City’s Finance Committee, has been with Kitsap Transit since it founded. He started with the agency as a bus driver and has risen through the ranks. The details of the transition, as well as Clauson’s compensation package, have yet to be negotiated with the committee, and will require approval of the full board.

Serdahl named national director of sales at United Industry

6 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal • KPBJ.com January 2012

United Industry, LLC, located in Poulsbo, announced that Laurie Serdahl has been appointed to the position of national director of sales. In this position, she will be developing new business in the public, private and government sectors for the EBED system as well as managing a network of distributors.

United Industry, LLC manufactures the patented EBED system, a fully portable platform that converts from a simple cot to a treatment bed, field workstation, or mass fatality rack. EBED systems are used for Emergency and Disaster Preparedness during events that require surge capacity.

Serdahl brings to United Industry the skills of a sales professional, with 15 plus years of experience in territory account management, as well as skill in rolling-out, launching and commercializing a product. She has also worked as an equipment specialist in government procurement and most recently was employed at Applied Technical Systems as a project coordinator.

Angel named ‘Outstanding Legislator’ by water/sewer districts association

Leadership Kitsap now accepting applications for Class of 2013

Rep. Jan Angel (R-Port Orchard), has been named “Outstanding Legislator for 2011” by the Washington Association of Water and Sewer Districts (WASWD). Angel, who serves as ranking Republican of the House Local Government Committee, was recognized by the WASWD for her support of water and sewer legislation during the 2011 legislative session.

Angel was chosen for the award by WASWD Section 2 which covers a 13 county area south and west of King County down to Oregon. The 2011 Chair and Silverdale Water District Commissioner, Marcus Hoffman, said, “All our districts appreciated Rep. Angel’s continued efforts to help resolve issues and partner with us on important legislation.”

Association members recognized Angel for her support of House Bills 1074 and 1075; legislation that would provide more rights and reduces restrictions on water districts.

Angel said she is honored to receive an award for helping our state with such important infrastructure issues. The26th District legislator added that she plans to continue working with the association to ensure clean, safe drinking water and innovative new technologies in sewer systems.

Leadership Kitsap is now taking applications for the Class of 2013. The application deadline is April 6, for this intensive 10-month training program. If you are interested in becoming more knowledgeable about the Kitsap area and learning how to make a positive impact in civic issues affecting your community, Leadership Kitsap is for you.

The mission of Leadership Kitsap is to educate, prepare and connect a new group of committed leaders for community involvement in Kitsap County. Our vision is to create a community where there is a diverse network of effective leaders educated in public policy issues and committed to serving as stewards.

Accordingly, its programs are designed to help participants acquire not only a fuller sense of the wide array of critical issues affecting the Kitsap community but also the skills necessary to motivate and engage others in collaborative efforts to resolve them.

To find out more information about this 10-month community leadership program or to apply, visit www.leadershipkitsap.org. Applications may also be picked up at the Leadership Kitsap office located inside the United Way office at 647 4th Street, in Bremerton.

For general questions contact Executive Director, Kathy Nelson, at (360) 782-1058 or via email at exdir@leadershipkitsap.org.

New Year’s resolution: Avoiding a crisis nightmare how savvy you think you are, you will never reach the same level of execution and preparedness without help because there just isn’t the same knowledge level and you may be too emotionally attached.

Ask questions. To often, the lack of asking questions due to apathy or ignorance come back to bite you in the derriere.

Be prepared to have fierce conversations with employees and subordinates. Be collegial; but also be demanding. There is too much at stake.

If you’re a board member, make sure you carry Directors and Officer insurance. If you’re a business owner, carry Employment Practices Liability. These are risk transfer

techniques that may save your bacon.

Have a crisis communications plan. This may be the most important. When facing chaos and turmoil, it’s better to be in crisis management than crisis mode. Decisions made in real-time often stink and have long-term ramifications because the shrapnel from the explosions just keeps hitting people; maybe even you! Develop a plan on how you respond to any crisis and you and your organization will be better off than about 95 percent of your peers.

The world often gives us warnings through the misfortunes of others. The Penn State tragedy is a nightmare for the victims and the university. Many innocent people have been hit

by that shrapnel and it was all avoidable. Take responsibility of your business or organization and build your response to crisis before you find it burning all around you. You, your organization, and its people will be thankful you did.

(Editor’s note: Dan Weedin is a Poulsbo-based management consultant, speaker, and mentor. He leads an executive peer-to-peer group here in Kitsap County where he helps executives improve personally, professionally, and organizationally by enhancing leadership skills. He is one of only 32 consultants in the world to be accredited as an Alan Weiss Master Mentor. Reach Weedin at (360) 697-1058; e-mail at dan@danweedin.com or visit his web site at www.DanWeedin.com.)

A New Place in the New Year?

Happy New Year From the Hill Family!

The Hill family will help get you there.

Find out why many families on the move look to us — whether their journey is across town or around the world. We take care at every step and enjoy a long list of repeat customers.

We hold the philosophy that what is precious to you is precious to us.

Nationwide, local &

international moving Long-term heated storage

service Our people and our moving

supplies set us apart Pianos, antiques, hot tubs Office & industrial moving Display & exhibit moving Free no-obligation estimates

DOT #534666 CC43090

800-833-9555 • hillmoving.com 360-697-3969 • 206-842-6715 26394 Pioneer Way NW Poulsbo 98370

Local. Nationwide. Worldwide.

The Hill family takes the business of moving personally...

January 2012 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal • KPBJ.com 7

By Dan Weedin The nightmare in Happy Valley last November involving the sexual abuse scandal at Penn State cost legendary football coach Joe Paterno and the University president their jobs. It has severely tarnished reputations; incited riots on campus; will cost others their jobs; initiate civil lawsuits; and most likely hurt the university in recruiting students (both academic and athletic) to its campus. The collateral damage may be devastating to that institution and take years to overcome.

Don’t think for a minute, however that this case study in crisis leadership is limited to a major college football program. Incidents involving poor judgment, bad behavior, dawdling response, and careless planning and preparation are also issues that big and small businesses face. The ability to avoid and respond to crisis should be a major function of any savvy business executive.

Perhaps when making your business New Year’s Resolution, making readiness, preparedness, and response a part of your leadership plan.

Many of you are business owners. Many of you are leaders in your community in nonprofit organizations. Let’s look at two scenarios involving both t hat you need to consider.

Your business. If you spend any time reading newspapers, you know that bad behavior exists in the workplace. Discrimination, harassment, abuse, workplace romances gone awry, and employee theft all have the potential to blow up and cause at best a distraction or at worst a lawsuit and loss of reputation. Small business owners are often caught unaware of percolating issues because the pressures of business keep you focused away from these matters and squarely on surviving. Unfortunately, not being aware of potential dangers leaves you vulnerable to crisis.

Larger businesses may have a board of directors. This adds a heightened level of accountability. The bad news is that many times the board doesn’t learn about problems until they are full-scale wildfires burning out of control.

This may have happened to the board of trustees at Penn State. The critical decisions you need to make must be made before that decision needs to be made. In other words, plan ahead.

Non-profit boards. Most business leaders at some point find themselves serving on a nonprofit board of directors. This normally starts as an altruistic act, yet in most cases, board members don’t have the needed expertise, or the proper training to deal with challenges that face the organization they serve. When the board is the ultimate decision-maker, this can be a recipe for disaster. As a school board member myself, I know it’s taken me two years to get to a point that I think I know what I’m doing! Consider the boards you serve on and the responsibility you have. What risks are floating out there that you don’t know about? What decisions will you be responsible for making?

Solutions — Be visionary.If you have people in the role of administration or employee, you have tremendous risk for bad behavior and actions that could damage your organization’s reputation and bank account. Reputation damage can be more harmful to your business than the actual occurrence; just ask BP. Regardless of whether you’re the boss, the CEO, or the board, you must be vigilant in crisis leadership strategies. Here are five strategies you can implement right now…

Get training. If you really want to get fit, you hire a trainer because they will maximize your performance and get you stronger faster. No matter

Bodylink helps athletes, general public increase performance and stay in shape

By Rodika Tollefson One of Kitsap’s top training facilities may be hidden off the beaten path, but it’s far from a secret. Tucked in the back of the Kitsap Sports retail store in Silverdale, bodylink’s fitness facility looks somewhat like an ordinary gym. And while some of the equipment may appear familiar, the facility is highly specialized to cater to those

looking for optimum performance in any sport.

Bodylink’s main customer base is comprised of high school and collegiate athletes who want to increase their performance through the Athletic Republic training system — and bodylink (bodylinksports.com) is one of the few Northwest providers of the method. But the training not only benefits competitive or noncompetitive athletes in sports ranging from running to golf, but also anyone interested in general fitness. Some of bodylink’s clients come to the facility for their exercise routine instead of going to a gym.

“It’s less expensive and I have a personal relationship with bodylink. There’s no

8 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal • KPBJ.com January 2012

Ideal Protein™ Weight Loss Method

Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT)

monthly fee to join a club and I feel a more personal touch,” said Pam Doty, a Silverdale resident who started training with bodylink five years ago, when it was offering the program out of its Poulsbo office (which is now focused on physical therapy).

Doty used the bodylink program to train for a triathlon three years ago but even when not training for an event, she’s using it to keep up her fitness routine and stay healthy. She’s tried regular gyms in the past but found them too crowded and social. “I know I’m going to sweat and get the best possible workout I can (at bodylink),” she said.

She’s not the only member of the Doty family to be a regular at the facility. Her 14year-old daughter, a Crosspoint Academy student who made it to the all-state soccer team, and her 11-year-old son, a runner, trained there to increase their speed and endurance as well as to stay injury-free.

“What’s nice about it is they personalize it, they see the areas you need to work in and they also listen to what you have to say,” she said.

Ryan Donaldson, the Silverdale facility and training director, said each athlete’s program is based on an assessment that includes goals, strengths and weaknesses.

Every session follows a protocol based on the specific sport. Usually athletes are scheduled in small group sessions and each person’s session is individualized.

“It’s not our job to coach the athletes in their individual sports, we just want to give them an overall better performance,” he said. “…Each session is planned out top to bottom and if the athletes have specific goals for the session, we try to incorporate them in.”

The sports performance facility has

Maxillo-Facial Surgery

The Anti-Aging Experts!

253-858-2408 360-895-0588 5201 Olympic Dr. NW Suite 140, Gig Harbor

www.OlympicSurgical.com

Ryan Donaldson, Silverdale Director

been in Silverdale since June 2008 and the program was previously offered at bodylink’s Poulsbo headquarters.

Donaldson said as many as 70 percent of clients are high school or college athletes but the overall clientele ranges in age from 9 to 65.

“The purpose of our training program is to not only increase performance but also to have a healthy offseason,” he said.

Athletes can pay for single sessions or purchase packages of eight or 20 — the price per session goes down in each package. They can then schedule the sessions for times that are convenient to them. By working with three to six athletes at a time, bodylink can keep the prices affordable, Donaldson said.

The equipment includes a high-speed treadmill with a maximum incline of 42 percent that can assess weaknesses and strengths in runners’ biomechanics, an arm bike for throwing-based sports, and various specialty machines made by Pro Implosion and Athletic Republic; there is also less “high-tech” equipment such as free weights, foam rollers and medicine balls. Many of machines are designed for explosive power to help the muscles react in the way they are trained.

Donaldson said the advantage of coming to bodylink even for those who are not trying to improve performance for a specific competitive sport is the routine.

“We have accountability here. Once you schedule, you don’t have to think (about your workout), I have it all planned out,” he said. “Every athlete here is disciplined and they don’t get hurt, we make sure of that.”

For those whose goal is to get in shape, Donaldson has more creative freedom for creating a personalized program, but he says even those athletes become competitive — with themselves.

Boot camps keep fitness fun, kick it into high gear

By Rodika Tollefson Riley Chase and his wife, Jennifer Fetterplace, were looking for a way to get in shape more than a year ago when they decided to enroll into a body boot camp offered by Olympic Fitness (www.olyfitness.com) in Port Orchard. The first two weeks, the couple were so sore, Chase said they could hardly even put their arms up above their heads. Since making the commitment to show up for the 5:30 a.m. sessions, however, the two were hooked.

Recently, they finished their third boot camp and are planning to sign up for a few more. Both have lost weight and become thinner, and Chase said he’s probably the strongest he’s been in his upper body in 20 years.

“You hit plateaus and this is where this program works,” he said. “The body boot camp workouts are intense, and you get a lot of results from them... Personal training is very expensive compared to body boot camp. Plus, it’s fun to meet all the people.”

Jenn Wiebusch, fitness coordinator at Olympic Fitness, said the group setting of a boot camp is a big advantage because it keeps participants accountable to each other but also helps them feel supported and inspired. The sessions arefive days a week for eight weeks and include regular weigh-in and measurements to keep track of progress, and she also covers nutrition and lifestyle. Many boot campers return for new sessions, and those who are more advanced can help the beginners.

“What I’m trying to do is give people some confidence they can work out on their own, and getting them into a routine,” Wiebusch said.

The average group size is about 12 and participants range in age from 18 to 60-plus. She said a few people drop out because they don’t feel they can stick with it, but the majority of those who stay will see at least some results. The exercises are tailored to different levels and modified based on each person’s needs to avoid injuries and so on. But the modifications don’t mean the sessions are easy.

“It’s absolutely hard. It needs to be way beyond your limits,” she said. “...My mantra is, you can do more than you think you can.”

Boot camps may be tough but they’re also fun, said Carmel Weiland, personal fitness trainer and owner of Boot Camp Diva (www.bootcampdiva.com). “It’s not a scary or intimidating environment — it’s more of a group fitness class,” she said.

Weiland has boot camps for women at several locations around Kitsap Peninsula, both indoors and outdoors. She said most women come to get stronger and toned up, or to lose weight, and the boot camp environment keeps them accountable and gives them a structured experience. Participants also get access to an online forum 24/7 where they can ask questions and get more support.

“It’s intended for getting results quickly but we want it to become part of their lifestyle as well,” she said. “...It’s more fun than doing it on your own. It’s motivating and more supportive than just a drop-in gym class.”

The advantage of a boot camp is the fact there’s always the opportunity to work harder. “There’s always a challenge,” said Jeanette Bowers, one of the instructors of the boot camp at the Gig Harbor Family YMCA (www.ymcapkc.org/gigharbor-family-ymca).

“You can make boot camp whatever you want it to be.”

At the Y, the morning boot camp sessions that are offered free as part of membership have as many as 50 people ages 9 to 65. They work in small groups of no more than seven people, each at different skill level, and they rotate through 10 stations.

“The advantage of working with a group is that you see what others are doing, and you can do new things, plus you get encouragement from others and you don’t want to fall back,” she said. “You make friendships in these groups so you’re more apt to come often.”

When new members join the boot camp sessions, Bowers said they can work at their own level. But the idea is to push yourself. “Any exercise is challenging. The first step is getting to the gym. The second is sweating and working, that’s why you’re there,” she said.

Those considering a boot camp should look for a well-rounded trainer, Wiebusch suggests.

“When you look for a boot camp program, you need to find someone who will push you — or inspire and encourage you, however you want to look at it,” she said. “You need to look for a variety and you have to get the nutrition part; you can’t just leave it at the exercise if you’re looking at weight loss.”

Once you commit to it, give it your all, Weiland advises. “Make sure you get good sleep so your muscles will recover. It will feel sore the first few weeks but then you’ll recover once the lactic acid is released,” she said.

Chase, who was new to fitness when he started the first boot camp at Olympic Fitness, believes anybody can do it if he can. “I truly believe anybody at any fitness level can start this program. What matters is your commitment,” he said. “It’s easier to commit to a group like this than commit to a personal trainer or working out at the gym or at home.”

Encore Communities ... Offering Comprehensive Retirement Living and Health Care Services on One 13-acre Campus in Silverdale

• Independent one and two bedroom cottages • Community clubhouse for dining, swimming, social activities, recreation and lots of fun!

• Fabulous food, private shuttle bus and • home Comecare tourservices our newly renovated cottages: available Only two available!

• Studio, one and two bedroom apartments • 24-hour on-site licensed nurses • Full range of services to meet your retirement and health care needs

The Nursing Home With a Difference • 24-hour sub-acute skilled nursing care • Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapies, both in-patient and out-patient services • Rated as “The Best Nursing Home In Washington State.” Exemplary AAA Rating!

360-698-6727 Call today! Join us for a campus tour and complimentary meal!

WWW.ENCORECOMMUNITIES.COM Locally owned and managed with over 40 years experience in senior living and health care services

January 2012 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal • KPBJ.com 9

Assisted Living Apartments

Retirement Cottages

Ayurveda medicine’s holistic principles gain momentum He says most people come to Ayurvedic medicine for two reasons, and the primary one is their frustration with the Western medicine approach.

“Western medicine is good for acute illnesses but after that, it’s like a Band-Aid,” he said, adding that it’s the same case with chronic conditions.

The other group of people who like the Ayurvedic approach are those who are conscientious about their health and are interested in a preventative lifestyle that is not a “one kind fits all.” He says even yoga, which is an exercise used in Ayurveda, has different kinds and each kind is beneficial for different people.

The lifestyle principles of Ayurveda are based on establishing a regime and regularity (such as eating meals at the same time, for example), moderation and variation.

“It’s a self-empowering wellness field where you take responsibility for your health. The Ayurvedic practitioner is there as your guide and can suggest treatment but it’s you who’s in the driver’s seat,” Dhru said. “You make the choices and Ayurveda gives you the tools, and not all of them resonate with everybody.”

The H armony Hill (www.harmonyhill.org) weekend retreats where Dhru has been presenting for several years are sponsored by the Franciscan Auxiliary and hosted about three times a year. The auxiliary provides scholarships for cancer patients to attend for free but the retreats are also open to the general public. Patti Wolfrom, an East Asian medical practitioner (EMP) who works at the St. Francis oncology clinic,organized the first retreat as part of a class project when she was studying Ayurveda at Bastyr University. When she suggested to other oncology nurses the idea of continuing the program, she said they loved it, and the auxiliary became a sponsor.

“I think people realize health is individualized but they don’t realize why it’s

New Year Special First Month FREE At Olympic Fitness $20.12 PER PERSON INITIATION FEE *At Olympic & Olympic Fitness Pro *Expiration 1/31/12 *Limited amenities/services at Olympic Fitness Pro

Fully Equipped Fitness Facilities : *

Group exercise classes • Full Gym • Two racquetball courts Fully equipped weight floor & cardio theater Wellness center offering yoga

10 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal • KPBJ.com January 2012

By Rodika Tollefson Ayurveda — a healing and wellness system that originated in India about 5,000 years ago — has been gaining traction in North America for the past decade. Considered a “science of life,” Ayurveda takes a body, mind and spirit approach focused on disease prevention, rejuvenation and lifespan extension. Some of its techniques include yoga, meditation, diet and massage.

“It tells you how to live in harmony with nature to maintain health and wellness, and it focuses on preventing diseases and treating not just symptoms but the root of the cause.

If you can remove the cause, that’s the whole idea. And if you can’t remove it, it teaches you how to live with it and still have quality of Iife,” said Dhaval Dhru, MD, an Ayurveda and yoga practitioner with Three Trees Yoga & Healing Arts Center in Federal Way (threetreesyoga.com) and a presenter at Ayurvedic retreats at Harmony Hill Retreat Center in Union, near Belfair.

Unlike other forms of complementary medicine, Ayurveda has its own pathology, physiology and anatomy. The approach looks at each person as a unique expression of the universal image and as being part of nature, Dhru says, and considers health as a dynamic state of body, mind and spirit (soul/consciousness) balance.

Its principles are based on body constitutions, which take into account more than genetic makeup but also how universal energy, along with the five elements — water, air, ether, earth and fire — impact the person.

The constitution, called dosha, and any of its imbalances guide each individual’s therapies, which could include detoxification, herbal supplements and lifestyle changes.

“If you understand it a little bit, you see that the philosophy makes sense,” Dhru said. “…It’s a common-sense approach.”

Specialty Services : *

Our sister club

But Dhru, who is on the board of directors fo r the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (ayurvedanama.org) and an international speaker, says he hopes that will change soon. A NAMA committee (of which he is a member) is developing a set of standards with the goal of legalizing the field nationwide. That could also open more opportunities for education for practitioners.

“Acupuncture and Chinese medicine are going through similar steps,” he said.

In Washington state, the Ayurvedic community is represented by the Washington Ayurvedic Medical Association (www.ayurvedawama.com), which also provides education such as a national conference coming to Bellevue in April. The association currently lists 24 members who are Ayurvedic practitioners in the state, and only one on the entire Olympic Peninsula.

Dhru says for employers, being educated about complementary medicine such as Ayurvedic is also beneficial. “If their staff are incorporating some of these (health) practices, health care costs can go down,” he said. “It’s been proven to improve employee health, productivity and morale.”

The Doctors Clinic Names New President Randall Moeller, MD, has been selected as president of The Doctors Clinic by the clinic’s board of directors, effective Jan. 1, 2012. Moeller previously served as vice president of The Doctors Clinic.

Moeller, a Board-Certified urologist, was chosen by the board of directors and approved by the shareholders at the annual shareholders meeting in Nov. 2011. Prior to joining The Doctors Clinic in 2005, Moeller ran a urology practice with in Missouri for more than 20 years.

“This is going to be a really interesting time in history for healthcare,” said Moeller. “We have all these changes coming in the healthcare industry. It’s an opportunity and a challenge.”

Brian Wicks, MD, served as president of The Doctors Clinic for the past 13 years. Wicks decided to step down to focus more on his clinical practice.

“We have a superior management team here and the tools to work together toward our goals,” Moeller said. “Our ultimate goal is better patient care and hopefully less expensive patient care over the long term.”

Sick & Tired of Your Wet Basement or Nasty Crawlspace?

•Massage Therapy •Spa Services • Personal Training

895-3450 1476 Olney Ave. SE, Ste 101 Port Orchard Gym Hours: NOW OPEN 24 HOURS!

individualized and what makes us different,” she said. “This is a format to look at those differences and what we can do (for our health). I think it gives people a basic framework to know why something would be good for them or not good for them.”

She says the practices are especially beneficial for cancer patients because they are simple and things like breathing exercises or yoga are easy for anyone to do.

The nonprofit Harmony Hill Retreat Center, which also has its own programs for cancer patients, is looking at the idea of incorporating Ayurveda into its options as well. Program Manager Cindy Shanks says many of the nutrition and other principles are similar to Harmony Hill’s approach.

“It’s an area where we’ll probably see a lot of growth in the next few years,” she said. “A lot of our faculty is becoming more interested in it.”

One challenge for this ancient system in the United States is lack of regulations.

Unlike naturopathic medicine, Ayurveda does not have standardized guidelines or requirements, and in most states — Washington included — the practitioners cannot be licensed to practice it alone. Many are massage therapists, or even physicians as in the case of Dr. Dhru, who offer Ayurvedic treatments as part of another practice.

To schedule a free inspection and estimate call:

871-3433 Serving Kitsap County for 22 years!

www.olyfitness.com

4459 Mile Hill Dr. Port Orchard Gym Hours: Mon - Fri 5am-10pm Sat 7am-7pm • Sun 8am-5pm

360-698-0260 Toll Free: 877-698-0260 WSCL #:CLEANSN93BW 11875 NW Silverdale Way, #105

See firsthand solutions at: www.cleanspacenorthwest.com

For optimum health, go beyond basic nutrition guidelines That doesn’t mean going overboard with fat, of course; it simply means doing some homework to understand what’s best for the body.

In addition to trying to eat foods that are as pure as possible, Adler looks at the “age” of a food. If something has been around for a hundred years or more (like eggs, for example), it’s more likely to be healthy than things created in the past six decades when highly processed foods became mainstream.

“Nutrient density is important. The deeper, darker the color of the food, the

more nutrition it has,” she said. That means spinach is better than iceberg lettuce, egg yolk is better than the egg white, and so on.

Kale is another good substitution for lettuce, said Minich, who also recommends things like baking a sweet potato instead of a regular one. She said it’s important to make healthy eating easy and convenient.

“Make fresh convenient in any way possible,” she said. “Buy pre-cut vegetables, even if they are not organic…

Cut up vegetables or fruit and keep in easily accessible container in refrigerator.”

She also likes to “sneak in” veggies — like pulverizing them in a blender and adding to a healthy protein shake. “Bury vegetables in other dishes: spinach in brownies, if you really want to eat brownies; carrot puree in macaroni and cheese,” she said. Other veggie-packed suggestions include stir-fry dishes and the powdered form from a supplement store or a healthcare provider. Minich recommends the book “Green for Life” by Victoria Boutenko for more ideas.

Health, page 13

January 2012 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal • KPBJ.com 11

By Rodika Tollefson If you’re conscientious about your food choices for a healthy lifestyle, you probably know all about eating whole foods, fresh fruits and veggies and so on.

But there’s more to good nutrition for optimum health, and it has nothing to do with counting calories or avoiding fats.

Many nutritionists discourage people from following fad diets — which could even mean the low-fat, low-cholesterol kind — in favor of an individualized approach based on nutrient-rich, minimally processed foods that address individual needs.

“I encourage people to experiment with different ways of eating to see what works for them. Some people feel drawn to eating one way that is what one might consider ‘healthy’ but think that they should do something else because of their blood type, etc.,” said Port Orchard nutritionist Deanna Minich, PhD (www.foodandspirit.com), author of several books including “An A to Z Guide to Food Additives: Never Eat What You Can’t Pronounce.”

Instead of using a diet approach, Minich recommends “an experiential method in which you see how your body interacts with different combinations of nutrients, times of eating and amounts of food.”

“Making one’s connection more experiential with food means that you have to force yourself to be fully aware of how your body, emotions and mind are responding. With everyone being so individual in their genetic expression, I think that being flexible rather than rigidly tied to a diet is the way to ensure long-term, effective change that gets one in touch with their bodies more than a calorie count,” she said, adding that a nutrition expert can help guide a person through that process.

She said one mistake people commonly make is following numbers instead of their own bodies. “Numbers like calorie counting may be good for an initial transition into a new way of eating, but may not be practical for the long term,” she said.

Jennifer Adler, MS, CN, a certified nutritionist and owner of Passionate Nutrition (www.passionatenutrition.com) with offices on Bainbridge Island and in Seattle, agrees that calorie-counting is a common mistake.

“A lot of people get caught up in looking for things that are low-fat but a lot of low-fat foods have little nutrition and are more processed,” she said. “It’s more about food quality versus calories.”

As one example, she said many low-fat yogurts have additives like gums and thickeners that their whole versions don’t contain, which means whole-milk yogurt is more of a natural product as well as being more filling. “If we pay attention to our bodies, eating something that has more fat will make us feel more satisfied so we will not eat as much,” she said.

Gig Harbor coach wants to turn anyone into a runner

By Rodika Tollefson Kimberly Gartland has never been able to become a runner, despite maintaining other fitness routines. But recently, Gartland made a breakthrough after only one month of training, and was already running three-mile distances after a few weeks.

Gartland worked with Alexa Martin, a Gig Harbor running coach whose goal is to motivate, inspire as well as train people of all skill levels to become runners. A former overweight and asthmatic smoker who first started running at age 19, Martin has been running for two decades. Several months ago she made her passion for training others official, by launching a business called Run It by Alexa (run.alexamartin.com).

“It’s the best money I’ve ever spent,” Gartland said of her training sessions. “She immediately identified my problems — my strides were too long and I was going too fast, and my breathing technique was wrong.”

She plans to continue her individual training as well as joining one of Martin’s group sessions. Martin has been

coordinating a Friday morning trail running group for women, called Dirty Girls Trail Runs, for more than a year and recently launched group running classes.

One of them, a 5K group, is geared to adults who are new or returning to running, and culminates with a nonmandatory 5K race. The next class, which starts Jan. 12, will be training toward a midMarch race.

“The tipping point is five to six weeks for most people. Most of those in the class will be at 5K in 10 weeks,” Martin said.

Despite being a longtime runner, Martin had her own breakthrough more than a year ago when a surgery for a shattered neck disk caused her to lose a year’s worth of training.

When she got back into the swing, she trained with Route 16 Running and Walking store owner Miguel Galeana, who pointed out that her approach to running had been wrong. For one, he said, she needed core strength for distance running because the trunk is what helps runners overcome fatigue, among other things.

“Before, I was the person who was always getting hurt and I thought it was

E

XCEPTIONAL SERVICES FOR EXCEPTIONAL SENIORS

• 24 hour on-site Licensed Nursing Staff • Respite and Hospice Care Available • Studio, One and Two Bedroom Apartments

12 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal • KPBJ.com January 2012

Retirement – Assisted Living

1761 Pottery Avenue, Port Orchard, WA 98366

360-874-1212

because of the biomechanics,” she said. Learning otherwise through her training with Galeana, Martin decided she wanted to teach others how to do it right.

A cross-country coach at Gig Harbor High School, Martin made the move of starting a business after writing a book. The published author of “Girl Wonder,” a young adult novel, she was working on a book proposal for another book when she realized it was like writing a business plan. She was already getting a lot of questions for running advice from friends, and at the encouragement of a Dirty Girls group member, decided to go for it.

“The demand has been really good for the classes, which is why I’m adding more to accommodate more schedules,” she said. She also planned to start a halfmarathon group and eventually a marathon one. “I think people are seeing their friends do these classes and think maybe they can do it too,” she said. “I’m not a tough-love person, I teach them to give themselves permission to be slow.”

Since she was once overweight and not a runner herself, Martin said she understands people who struggle with the idea of being runners. She said the biggest mistake most of them make is not allowing

themselves to be a novice and making it harder on themselves than necessary.

“The hardest part is people comparing themselves to others and getting discouraged,” she said. “I always respect the last finishers — they’re just as courageous to come out to a race.”

She recalls coming in “dead-last” in her first half-marathon, and says she knows the fear that prevents them from starting out or sticking with it.

When she works with athletes one-onone or in a group, Martin not only tries to teach them proper form and good running habits but also to build their confidence.

She sees her job as giving them motivation as well as helping them commit to consistency. Her training also incorporates 10-minute core strengthening sessions three times a week that do not require weights or special equipment.

Martin usually encourages people to run on a trail because it’s easier on the body, as well as being a simple way to exercise. That’s one of the things that attracted Gartland to the idea. “I just want to be able to have my fitness in a flexible time period. I’ve always enjoyed working out and felt disappointed when I couldn’t make it to the gym,” she said.

One suggestion Martin has for beginners, is to start gradually, walking as necessary. For many people, 30-minute run-walks, three days a week, is a good starting point. “Learn to run with a shorter stride for maximum shock absorption,” she said. She also points out that every choice a person makes will impact the training — including food and hydration, sleep and even things like wearing high heels.

“Take yourself seriously and see yourself as an athlete, and learn to differentiate between discomfort and pain,” she said.

Martin’s long-term goal is to offer running for teens, stroller jogging and other classes. Some of her athletes come from as far as Seattle and Olympia for the sessions, and she hopes to continue growing their numbers.

“I love what I do,” she said. “Even on the rainiest, nastiest days, I love it.”

Good health and long life include hearing well

By Dr. Megan Nightingale We would all like to live as long as we can and to be the healthiest we can be in the process. When we think of living a long time we often think of eating well and exercising as main contributors to a long life. However there are many aspects of growing older that can either enhance or inhibit our enjoyment of a long life.

In his book “the Blue Zones,” author Dan Buettner and his colleagues found that throughout the world, people who lived the longest had close communication with family, friends and their community.

Staying in daily contact with family and friends was very important in almost every blue zone in the world and was found to be a key element of staying healthy and living long and meaningful lives.

Of course, hearing well is essential for communicating with loved ones. Hearing loss, which now affects 11 percent of the US population (about 34 million people), is a major stumbling block to good communication.

Even the hearing loss that can occur as the result of aging can significantly reduce the quality and quantity of interactions with family, friends and neighbors. Untreated hearing loss often results in embarrassing communication mishaps which over time leads the person with a hearing loss to retreat from social situations. Do you have a friend or family member who often chooses

not to participate in group gatherings?

New research from Johns Hopkins University has found that an older person with untreated hearing loss is at higher risk for developing depression and short term memory loss due to the increased effort and frustration in communication. This can also lead to a higher risk for Altzheimer’s and Dementia than in the normal hearing older population.

Just as new research finds links to serious conditions and untreated hearing

loss, new research in hearing help has led to incredible new hearing instruments that increase the ability to hear well even in noise.

In busy, industrialized countries such as ours, we often communicate in the midst of other noise. People with good hearing sensitivity can have problems hearing well in noise, but when one has even a mild hearing loss, communicating in noise can be next to impossible. New hearing instruments now allow even the seriously

hearing impaired to hear speech through background noise. Individual results can vary however, depending on the type and severity of hearing loss The satisfaction rate with new hearing devices has risen to over 80 percent thanks in part to the new developments in technology to help people hear through noise. Now more than ever it is possible to reconnect with home, family and community through better hearing!

HEALTH

that are separate from vitamins and minerals and help prevent diseases.

Some of the most phytonitrient-rich foods are broccoli, berries, soynuts, pears, turnips, celery, carrots, spinach, olives, tomatoes, lentils and cantaloupes, according to the Stanford Cancer Institute (for a longer list, see cancer.stanford.edu/information/nutrit ionAndCancer/reduceRisk).

“One mistake people make is cutting out every food they enjoy and going out on an extreme,” Werner said. “That could lead to binging and cravings. So do everything in moderation.”

Minich has similar advice. She said people who do too much, too fast can’t sustain that approach in the long term.

“Smaller steps for lasting effects is my preferred approach,” she said. “…Focus

on the basics rather than making it complicated: Stick with produce of many colors, reduce processed foods and eat moderate portions.”

One very basic change Adler suggests is slowing down during a meal and really the food. “Often times you know this is good to do but have a hard time with it,” she said. “(Slowing down) helps metabolize food and absorb nutrition, and you could also realize you don’t like that food (like fast food) after all.”

She recommends preparing healthy meals in advance or making one-pot meals such as soups and crockpot dishes and taking advantage of the healthy “grab and go” options offered at grocery stores. “One thing I recommend do clients is to set themselves up for success,” she said.

from page 11 Leah Werner, a registered dietician and clinical educator for Harrison Medical Center, said eating a rainbow of colors is good advice. And although she agrees that trying to avoid processed foods is key, she said if canned vegetables is your only choice, that’s better than no vegetables at all.

“Sometimes frozen vegetables have more nutrients too (than fresh ones) because they are frozen when packed and don’t lose nutrients when being transported,” she said.

One area people can explore beyond the basics is phytochemicals, Werner said. Phytochemicals, also called phytonutrients, are compounds in plants

January 2012 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal • KPBJ.com 13

14 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal • KPBJ.com January 2012

The difference between a tough, demanding boss and a bully

By Julie Tappero, President West Sound Workforce Hardly a day goes by without hearing a news story about a child who was bullied at school. Many of these stories have tragic endings. The increased public discourse on bullying has resulted in heightened awareness by parents, increased coping education for children and new rules for classrooms and playgrounds.

But what about the workplace? Do bullies exist there? You may be able to mentally run through your own work history and think of a coworker or boss who may have been a bully. Or was that coworker just not a team player? That boss just tough and demanding? Is there such a thing as a workplace bully, and if there is, what can, or should, be done about it?

Here are some facts from the Workplace Bullying Institute. Results of a survey they commissioned showed that 35 percent of workers have been bullied. In fact, they state that bullying is four times more common than illegal forms of harassment.

62 percent of the bullies are men, and 58 percent of the targets are women.

What is workplace bullying? Washington’s Department of Labor & Industries defines it as “repeated, unreasonable actions of individuals (or a group) directed towards an employee (or a group of employees), which are intended to intimidate, degrade, humiliate, or undermine; or which create a risk to the health or safety of the employee(s).” Examples they cite include: • Unwarranted or invalid criticism • Being sworn at • Being shouted at or being humiliated • Micro-managing • Being given unrealistic work deadlines, or blame without factual justification • Being treated differently than others in a work group • Being excluded Is workplace bullying illegal? Generally, it is not illegal. It crosses the legal line when it is harassment based on a protected class, such as race, creed, national origin, sex, age, disability, etc. But an equal opportunity bully doesn’t violate employment laws.

That may change in the near future. The Workplace Bullying Institute in Bellingham is working across the country to pass workplace anti-bullying legislation. Although

the Healthy Workplace Bill has not been passed to date, twelve states are considering legislation.

In Washington, the bill was introduced earlier this year, and was reintroduced during the latest special session. The legislation’s stated purpose is “to provide legal recourse for employees who have been harmed, psychologically, physically or economically, by being deliberately subjected to abusive work environments, and to provide legal incentives for employers to prevent and respond to mistreatment of employees at work.” If passed, workplace bullying would be on a par with other unfair employment practices, such as discrimination and sexual harassment.

Illegal or not, bullying is bad behavior that negatively impacts employees and thus harms our businesses. Studies show that it results in increased stress for employees, reduced self-esteem, depression, family tension, and can even have physical affects on the victim. Clearly when an employee is working in such a negative situation, they will not be able to perform at their best.

Workplace bullying does not just affect the worker, however. Its consequences go well beyond individuals, impacting the entire organization. Employees lose the initiative to be creative and take risks, instead expending their efforts on protecting themselves. Targeted employees will most likely jump ship at the first opportunity, resulting in expensive workforce turnover. As the organization copes with the bullying behavior, productive time and effort is squandered upon managing the situation.

How can you protect your business and create a bully-free workplace? Start by establishing expectations of behavior for the entire staff. Many companies include a Workplace Bullying Policy as part of their company’s Workplace Violence Policy, but it can also stand on its own. The policy should specifically define what actions constitute bullying and will not be allowed.

By including specific examples, it helps everyone understand the difference between bullying behavior and tough high performance expectations.

For example, a policy might not tolerate obscene gestures and language towards an individual, shouting at someone, personal insults, public humiliation, ignoring, sabotage and threats. By spelling out

acceptable workplace behavior, it sets the standard for what is not acceptable. A boss has a right to hold employees accountable and to set high performance standards.

Bosses should not be afraid to give honest performance feedback, and to provide correction and discipline as warranted. A bullying boss is more concerned with his own self-interest than the organizations’, does not treat all employees the same, misuses power and may verbally assault employees.

Make it clear that the policy extends to everyone in the company, including all members of management, and spell out the process an employee follows to make a complaint. Just as you would conduct an investigation of harassment, perform the same thorough and fair investigation of bullying complaints.

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) has identified several corporate responses to the workplace bully. Management may try to give the bully what she wants, hoping that will appease her and end the behavior.

Sometimes blame is misplaced, either on the targeted employee who is complaining, or spreading the blame amongst all parties.

Ignoring the bully in hopes that they’ll stop bullying, or asking everyone to try to work better as a team are also common responses.

How should we respond?

What did our parents tell us to do when we were bullied at school? Stand up to the bully and let them know you won’t put up with it.

The same actions need to happen in our workplaces. Management, especially senior management, needs to establish a zerotolerance policy, stating that all employees have a right to work in a positive environment.

Oftentimes the bully is a strong corporate contributor, or even a member of management. Although that may be the case, action still needs to happen. As soon as it happens, the bully should be confronted and told the behavior isn’t acceptable. The confrontation must be done privately and respectfully. The specific behavior should be addressed, as well as the consequences that the behavior had on you and others. Deal with the facts of the situation, and don’t get drawn into analyzing behavior. Lastly, don’t expect the person to change, but make it clear that the behavior itself must change.

Who knows whether or not Washington will pass workplace antibullying legislation in the next session?

What does seem clear is that at some point it is likely to become law. Many worry that it is difficult to clearly define bullying versus bad management or tough bosses, and that it will result in claims from employees who are simply unhappy with their supervisors. It is also clear that creating a bully-free workplace is good management policy and will undoubtedly increase a company’s productivity and success. That, in and of itself, should be incentive enough.

(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.)

November job growth up Washington added an estimated 12,100 jobs in November, the last month figures are available for. It was the largest one-month gain in four years. The stronger jobs outlook was matched by a substantial plunge in the unemployment rate, from a revised rate of 9.1 percent in Oct. to a preliminary estimate of 8.7 percent in November.

In preliminary estimates, nearly every industry sector posted job gains. Jobs were lost in the other-services sector, education & health services, and government. Altogether, employment in Washington has increased by an estimated 44,600 since Nov. 2010. An estimated 303,528 people (seasonally adjusted) were unemployed and looking for work in Oct. As of Dec. 10, 67,588 workers in Washington had run out of all unemployment benefits.

West Sound Workforce 14 years in business 100 years of combined recruiting experience A century’s worth of staffing expertise Kitsap County

(360) 394-1882

Gig Harbor Office

(253) 853-3633

www.westsoundworkforce.com

Bainbridge Chamber Names New CEO

U.S. patent awarded to local company

Experienced Chamber of Commerce professional Rex Oliver has been named as the new President/CEO of the Bainbridge Island Chamber of Commerce. He succeeds Kevin Dwyer who held the post for more than a decade, and grew the membership of the organization significantly.

Oliver was formerly the President/CEO of the Murrieta California Chamber, a position he held for 10 years.

While with the Murrieta Chamber he served as the President of the Southern California Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (SCACCE) and sat on the board of the Western Association of Chamber Executives (W.A.C.E.).

According to Jeff Waite, Chairman of the Board of the Bainbridge Island Chamber, “We are very excited to have Rex aboard. He brings a wealth of chamber experience and talents to our Island and region. He will work closely with our partners and members as we focus on our core competencies of creating a strong sustainable local economy through promoting the community, providing networking opportunities, representing the interests of business with government, and promoting sustainable business practices.”

Oliver was introduced to the Bainbridge Island Community at a special event that included such dignitaries as Trudi Inslee, wife of gubernatorial candidate Jay Inslee, Dr. David Mitchell, President of Olympic College, John Powers, Executive Director of the Kitsap Economic Development Alliance, and more than 100 other community leaders.

The recruiting process was a multimonth project that included the engagement of Chamber of Commerce consultant, Frank J. Kenny. Kenny acted as interim director of the chamber while also facilitating board retreats, creation of the job description, performing the national search, and negotiations. “The board of directors looked at this time as an opportunity for organizational growth and change. I am honored to have been involved in helping this long-established business association work through the process of establishing a vision and then recruiting a chamber professional of national prominence that will help them see it come to fruition,” Kenny said.

The recruitment team, which consisted of board members, the executive committee, and Kenny, employed the services of the American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE), Western Association of Chamber Executives (W.A.C.E.), and Washington Chamber of Commerce Executives (WCCE) in the candidate search. Steve Snyder, Vice President of W.A.C.E. wrote to say, “Just a short note to congratulate you and the Bainbridge Island Chamber on hiring Rex Oliver from Murrieta CA. I was glad to see the chamber hire a chamber professional.

I am confident that Rex will do a great job for the chamber. I am glad that W.A.C.E. was able to provide assistance in this process.”

Applied Technical Systems (ATS) has announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued a patent for an innovative cellular-like data model to describe and relate complex data structures, perform distributed data analytics and find similar data based on like connections and attributes. The patent was issued as US Patent No. 8,069,188.

When asked to describe the value of the patent to ATS, co-author Bryan Tower stated, “Since we applied for the patent in early 2008, ATS has implemented this engine in a variety of applications that need

to analyze complex data relationships.”

“In the intelligence community, we created an application called Hypergraph that uses the engine to perform distributed data analytics in a secure, private cloud computing environment to enable analysts to quickly and easily perform multidimensional analysis on millions of text documents. The invention in this patent provides a means to discover behaviors and patterns among seemingly unrelated data. For example, a retail store can easily analyze its customer behaviors to determine which products are more

suitable for different demographics. There are numerous applications in healthcare, evidence discovery, threat intelligence, etc.”

Headquartered in Silverdale, ATS also has offices in McLean and Suffolk, Virginia.

For more information about ATS, visit www.atsid.com or call (360) 698-7100.

“Like” Us On Facebook www.facebook.com/kitsap peninsulabusinessjournal

January 2012 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal • KPBJ.com 15

What does investment landscape look like in 2012?

By Brian George As an investor, you know that 2011 was a somewhat “choppy” year, with the financial markets going through many ups and downs. So what can you expect in 2012?

As baseball Hall of Famer Yogi Berra is quoted as saying: “It’s hard to make predictions — especially about the future.”

And these words are certainly applicable for anyone who would like an accurate forecast of the investment climate.

Yet we do know of some factors that may affect your portfolio in the months ahead. Here are a few of them: Strong business fundamentals — This past year, all the noise about the debt ceiling debate, the size of the U.S. deficit and the European financial situation tended to drown out some fairly good news: U.S. businesses’ balance sheets were strong for the most part, borrowing costs remained low, and corporate profits were good – and corporate profitability remains a key driver of stock prices. Heading into 2012, these fundamentals continue to look positive, which may bode well for investors.

16 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal • KPBJ.com January 2012

www.edwardjones.com

Europe’s debt crisis — Greece’s economic problems made a lot of news in 2011, but they weren’t the end of the story in Europe, as major financial difficulties also face Italy, Spain, Portugal and Ireland.

It’s by no means clear how these problems will be resolved, so don’t be surprised to see them lead to intermittent, if short-lived, shocks to the markets.

Election-year patterns — As you’re well aware, we’re voting for president in 2012. But you might be surprised to learn that the S&P 500 index has shown negative returns in only three of the last 21 presidential election years. Coincidence?

No one can say for sure — and at this point, no one can say if this pattern of positive returns will continue during this election year. Still, it’s an interesting phenomenon.

So there you have it: the good, the bad and the quirky. Take them all together, and you still may not be able to foresee what will happen with the markets this year, but you’ll have a lot to think about. But instead of trying to predict what will happen in 2012, you may be better off following these tried-and-true investment strategies: Diversify your holdings. By spreading your money among a wide range of investments, you can reduce the effects of volatility on your portfolio. Keep in mind,

Members SIPC

though, that diversification, by itself, can’t guarantee profits or protect against loss.

Don’t ignore your risk tolerance. If you worry excessively about market fluctuations, you may have too much risk in your portfolio, which means you may need to make some changes.

Always look at the “big picture.”

Financial markets will always fluctuate. But

SBA Accepting Nominations for Small Business Innovation Research Awards 2012 SBIR Tibbetts Awards and SBIR Hall of Fame Awards to be presented in April The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is seeking nominations for awards honoring the critical economic role small businesses play in federally funded research and development through SBA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs.

Three awards will be given: One for companies that have participated in the SBIR/STTR programs; one for individuals who advocate on behalf of the programs; and a third “Hall of Fame” award recognizing companies that have an extended period of extraordinary success

of research, innovation, and product commercialization within the SBIR or STTR program.

The Tibbetts Awards are named after Roland Tibbetts, who was instrumental in developing SBIR, a highly competitive program to ensure small businesses get a chance to compete for federal research and development funding, along with the opportunities it provides to profit from commercialization of the technologies they develop.

The SBIR and STTR programs currently account for more than $2.5 SBA, page 17

Keep Your Retirement On Solid Ground — Your local Edward Jones financial advisors:

Even If Things At Work Are Up In the Air.

Few things are as stressful as worrying about work. Because it’s easy to feel like things are out of control, it’s essential to consider any financial decision carefully. This is especially true when it comes to your retirement savings.

Edward Jones can help. We’ll start by getting to know your goals.

Then we’ll sort through your current situation and work with you face to face to develop a strategy that can help you keep your retirement on track.

Mary Beslagic

To make sense of your retirement savings alternatives, call or visit today.

if you can keep your focus on your longterm objectives, and make decisions accordingly, you can avoid overreacting to short-term events.

Like other years, 2012 will bring with it periods of both turbulence and smooth sailing.

But by making the right investment moves, you can still chart a course that can allow you to move ever closer to your future goals.

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

360 779-6450

360 779-6123

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

3421 Kitsap Way Suite A Bremerton

5971 Hwy 303 N Bremerton

600 Kitsap St Suite 102 Port Orchard

360 871-9707

360 373-0233

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, AAMS

Bim Prince

8079 E Main St Manchester

2299 Bethel Ave Port Orchard

360 871-0998 1-800-995-0242

360 876-3835 1-888-688-7817

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

Teresa Bryant

Michael F. Allen

Angela Sell

Jim Thatcher

Christy Givans

555 Pacific Ave Suite 101 Downtown Bremerton

3500 Anderson Hill Rd Suite 101 Silverdale

3276 Plaza Rd NW Suite 112 Silverdale

2135 Sheridan Rd Suite E Bremerton

435 Ericksen Ave NE Suite 100 Bainbridge Island

360 373-1263

360 308-9514

360 698-7408

360 373-6939

206 780-9889

Time for New Year’s financial resolutions

By Lori Morgan Once again, it’s time to make some New Year’s resolutions.

This year, in addition to hitting the gym, learning that second language and getting better organized, why not also consider a few financial resolutions?

What types of resolutions might you consider? Here are a few suggestions: Contribute more to your retirement accounts. The new year means that you are one year closer to retirement. To help yourself build resources for the lifestyle you’ve envisioned as a retiree, try to boost your contributions to your 401(k) or other employer-sponsored retirement plan. You can do this if you get a salary increase and devote at least part of it to your 401(k). At the same time, try to “max out” on your Individual Retirement Account (IRA). For 2012, you can contribute up to $5,000 to an IRA, or $6,000 if you’re 50 or older.

Reduce your debts. Look for ways to

cut down or consolidate your debts. It may not be easy, but it’s worth the effort because the lower your debt load, the more money you’ll have available to invest for the future.

Build an emergency fund. If you don’t already have an emergency fund containing between six and 12 months’ worth of living expenses, start building one soon. Keep the money in a liquid vehicle — one that’s separate from your everyday checking and savings accounts.

Without such an emergency fund, you may be forced to dip into your long-term investments to pay for unexpected costs, such as a major car repair, a new furnace or a large medical bill.

Don’t overreact to volatility. In 2011, the financial markets have been volatile, with big gains followed by big drops followed by big gains – a true roller-coaster pattern. Try not to let large, short-term price movements influence your investment decisions.

Many of the factors that cause jumps or declines are not that relevant to longterm results — and as an investor, you want to focus on the long term.

The Check is in the Mail We have survived 2011! That gives us cause to celebrate. as “bad off” financially as they imply.

Quite frankly, when we pull a credit report and see a home delinquent 60 to 90 days or even foreclosure proceedings started we see the increase probability the account placed with us for collections as very collectable. The trend is those folks are obviously not paying their mortgages and are able to live in these homes sometimes for years.

Many people are setting the house payment or a portion of it aside until they actually have to leave the home. I actually have an acquaintance that is moving to Arizona this month with over $80,000 in her pocket while living rent free in her bank owned home.

Now, I am sure this is not the case for every individual that is in foreclosure but for many it is, and the point I am making is… Some of these people have more money in their savings then you do. Don’t get caught up in thinking that because you are responsible and you could never do such a thing that others will not either.

That simply is not true. Especially in the era of entitlement.

Chase to add 100 ATMs at AM/PM locations in Washington Chase is expanding its nationwide network of ATMs in the Pacific Northwest with approximately 130 locations in ARCO-branded AM/PM locations in Washington and Oregon.

“We are making banking even more convenient for millions of Chase customers,” said Jim Sutton, head of ATM distribution and deployment at Chase. “Many of our customers already take advantage of AM/PM’s extensive network, and soon they will be able to use Chase ATMs there with no fee. Select locations will also allow Chase customers to make deposits at the ATM.” The new Chase ATMs began arriving in participating AM/PM stores in late November, and most will be installed by the end of March.

“Chase’s ATMs are an exciting addition to our convenience store offering and will help us grow our customer base,” said AM/PM President Bill Fry. “We expect this to help generate additional fuel purchases and in-store sales, further strengthening the AM/PM brand.”

percent, you will lose purchasing power over time. And if you wanted to sell your bonds before they had matured, you’d have to sell them at a discount if the market interest rate had risen above the “coupon” rate of your bond because no one would pay you full price for them.

Just be aware that no investment is “riskfree,” and try to build a diversified portfolio that can lessen the impact of one specific type of risk.

By following these suggestions, you can go a long way toward making 2012 a good year in which to make progress toward your important financial goals. So plan ahead — and make the right moves.

SBA

manufacturer — started with a staff of 35 and has expanded to a global work force of 17,500.

Selections for Tibbetts Awards are based on several factors, including the economic impact of the technological innovation, overall business achievement and demonstration of effective collaborations.

Nominations opened December 15, 2011 and will close 5 p.m. EST on January 31, 2012. Awards will be presented in Washington, DC, in April’ 2012. To submit a nomination, visit tibbetts.challenge.gov (Tibbetts Awards — companies and individuals) and sbirhof.challenge.gov (Hall of Fame Awards).

from page 16 billion per year in federal R&D funds and are coordinated by the SBA in cooperation with 11 other federal agencies with large external research and development budgets.

The awards are presented to companies and individuals that are beacons of promise and models of excellence in high technology. Typical of past award winners are a Maine company that created a selfpropelled and eco-friendly “AquaPod” for sustainable aqua-culture. A previous Hall of Fame award winner that won numerous SBIR grants — a major west coast chip

January 2012 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal • KPBJ.com 17

By Paula Bartlett, President Saba & Associates As the year whines down this may be an excellent time to take a serious look at those outstanding accounts receivables you have been billing each month. I receive calls frequently asking if an account that is being placed for collections can be written off or not. It is my understating that you can show the outstanding amounts due you as a loss but once the account is paid you would of course have to indicate the income.

Many small businesses have been as lenient as they possibly can in this economic environment but at the end of the year are taking a very close look at the money they should have received for goods or services rendered. If it helps you as a business owner or manager, we have found that many people who state their house or homes are in foreclosure are not

Concentrate on building a portfolio that’s suitable for your individual goals and risk tolerance.

Be aware of different types of risk.

For many investors, “investment risk” strictly means the possibility of losing principal when the value of an investment drops. Consequently, to cut back on their risk in the face of a volatile market, they may sell off stocks and load up on certificates of deposit (CDs), bonds and other so-called “safer” investments. But each investment actually carries its own type of risk. For example, if you own CDs that pay a 2 percent return, and the inflation rate is 3

18 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal • KPBJ.com January 2012

From uncertain to astounding, Port commissioner battles cancer amid community support

By Arla Shephard, Belfair Herald It was last April when Randy Neatherlin noticed he couldn’t swallow food properly.

A couple of times a day, food would get stuck in his throat and it would hurt to swallow, said Neatherlin, a long-time Belfair businessman and current Port of Allyn commissioner.

“That feeling of not being able to swallow, that happens — but twice in one day, and on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?” he wondered.

He and his wife visited a doctor, who took one look down his throat and confirmed the worst — Neatherlin had stage IV esophageal cancer, a fast-acting disease that had already taken the life of one of Neatherlin’s friends a month and a half prior.

“My doctor was very emotional when he told us,” Neatherlin recalled, remembering that he was wearing a T-shirt with a picture of his kids on it at the time. “I stood between the two of them, my wife and doctor, and told them it would be OK.” In the next several months, Neatherlin felt an outpouring of love and support from a community that has cared for him and fought against him time and again over the years he’s lived here.

An uncertain future By the time Neatherlin was a senior in high school, he was already running three businesses in town. The California native, who had spent most of his life caring for an ill mother, had moved to Belfair (after a brief stint as a cowboy, herding horses near Grand Teton, Wyo.) to get to know his father. The two lived in his father’s camper for two weeks before Neatherlin moved into a trailer near his dad’s property for many years.

Neatherlin went on to own and run several businesses in Belfair and become deeply involved in Mason County, particularly North Mason, politics — throwing his two cents in on issues involving the school board, the salmon center, the sewers and more, even when people didn’t always like what he had to say.

“This town took me in completely,” he said. “I always believed in the best for it and I love it more than you could imagine.”

When he received his cancer diagnosis, Neatherlin’s prognosis wasn’t good: He

knew from watching his friend and from his doctors that esophageal cancer moves quickly. Most esophageal cancers fall into two categories — one associated with tobacco and alcohol use and the other often connected to a history of acid reflux, which Neatherlin suffered from much of his life.

Neatherlin had the second type.

His doctor estimated that he’d only had the cancer for three or four months, maximum, but it had already spread to his liver.

One course of action was to undergo radiation, chemotherapy and surgery — the whole gamut — to fight the cancer, but the outcome still didn’t look good, Neatherlin was told. Many people with esophageal c ancer die from complications through surgery or from starvation because the pain from swallowing becomes too great.

Neatherlin tried to stay positive.

“I looked up at God and I thought, I’ve had so much,”* he said. “Who am I to look at him and say it wasn’t enough?” When his doctor told him it would be all right to seek a second opinion, Neatherlin was confused.

“I thought, ‘What difference of opinion?’

I have cancer. How is that going to change?” he said. What he didn’t realize at the time, though, was that he had other options.

Promising treatments After receiving the initial diagnosis, Pam Neatherlin, Randy’s wife, went online. That’s how the couple found Dr. Nick Chen, an oncologist and medical director of the Seattle Cancer Treatment and Wellness Center in Renton, known for housing doctors who perform cutting-edge cancer research and for blending conventional treatments with alternative therapies for “whole-person” care, according to the center’s website.

Soon, Neatherlin was visiting Dr. Chen once a week, for eight-hour chemotherapy sessions and other homeopathic treatments.

He even tried acupuncture once.

“What struck me the most, when going in, was seeing naturopath doctors and the oncology doctors sitting down and talking to me together,” he said. “I like when I see people working together for solutions.”

During those lengthy sessions, Neatherlin would have 11 bags of cancerfighting drugs pumped into him.

“As big as I am, I’ve always been a healthy guy with a low heart rate and perfect blood pressure,” he said. “Watching

them work on me, I felt like I was on an episode of “House,” except I was the patient. It was so surreal.”

While he visited the cancer center, letters poured into his doctor’s office from members of the North Mason community asking Chen to look after Neatherlin.

“Once I got sick, the weirdest thing happened,” Neatherlin said. “I started getting hugs and thanks from people for things I didn’t even know they knew I did.”

By June, a month into his chemotherapy sessions, tests indicated that the chemotherapy was working — an MRI on his liver showed that out of six original masses, two had disappeared and the others had shrunk to one-quarter to one-third of their original size.

Despite the good news and the overall positive attitude Neatherlin tried to keep up for the community and his family (including a grown daughter, two school-age sons and a 1-anda-half-year-old daughter), he still had some dark moments.

It’s hard to look at yourself in the mirror and see that and not think, ‘Randy, you’re dying,’” he said. “The worst moment was when I was alone in my bedroom and a thought popped into my head. I could hear my youngest daughter tell my wife, ‘I don’t remember what he sounds like.’”

An astounding recovery

By Aug. 1, a PET scan, which uses radiation to highlight cancer cells in the body, showed zero evidence of any cancer in Neatherlin’s body. Even the tumor that had been in Neatherlin’s esophagus had been reduced to scar tissue.

Over the next two to three months, as Neatherlin continued chemotherapy and a regimen of homeopathic treatments, full-body MRIs and CAT scans continued to verify what had at one point seemed impossible — he was on the verge of remission.

“The whole goal was to get the cancer out of the liver so we could do surgery on the throat,” he said. “We didn’t realize that the tumors in my throat had disappeared, too.”

On Oct. 27, Neatherlin had an endoscopy from the original doctor who had given him his diagnosis.

“He told me he’d been doing this since 1993 and that this was the most impressive recovery he’d ever seen,” he said.

By November, Neatherlin’s cancer was officially considered in remission. The news spread throughout the community.

“I am grateful (and I’m sure Randy is too) for an incredible cadre of doctors, nurses and staff who have watched out for Randy and cared about him and his family from the start,” wrote community member Mary Swoboda, who sent regular updates to people around North Mason about Neatherlin’s prognosis, in an email. “But most of all, I am grateful for a loving God who sees our hearts and answers our prayers in ways that are beyond our wildest hopes and dreams.”

Neatherlin, who tears up at the thought of the support he’s received from doctors and loved ones, still receives once a month chemotherapy treatments to ward off any cancerous tumors that may still remain.

“I know it could come back tomorrow, one piece that they didn’t get, and I could be gone in a couple months,” he said. “But these people — my doctors, the letters I got — they were so wonderful for me.”

Neatherlin and his doctor, Dr. Chen, will be interviewed on the KTTH 770 a.m. radio station from 11 a.m. to noon on Sunday, Jan. 15. Chen is looking for more patients with Neatherlin’s type of cancer to further study his treatment methods.

(Editor’s Note: This originally appeared in the Dec. 15, 2011 edition of the Belfair Herald and is reprinted with permission.)

SAFE Boats International launches new customer-focused website SAFE Boats International (SAFE) recently introduced its new-look website, which will serve as an easy to access resource center for comprehensive boat information, SAFE services and the latest news from SAFE. The completely redesigned website features over 400 professional SAFE boat images and provides the most up-to-date information about boat model names, sizes, uses, current vessel programs, media activity and employment, as well as an extensive look at how SAFE boats are built and what sets them apart from other manufacturers. “When we decided to redesign the website, we envisioned a resource where visitors have access to the most up-to-date information about SAFE Boats in the most user-friendly environment possible” says Kevin Rowlee, Sales and Marketing Manager of SAFE Boats International.

Though the website was created to be user-friendly for its customer-base, it was also intended to be a resource for a much broader audience. “If you’re a potential customer looking at how we can meet your mission-requirement, a job applicant applying online, or current customer returning for a parts order, we want you to share the same interactive, professional online experience,” Rowlee added.

Safeboats.com was developed and built by Giordano Kearfott Design Inc. (GKD) of Seattle, WA through an extensive process of market research, brand identification within the industry and web design in a startfrom-scratch approach. “SAFE is a dynamic company, with deep experience and an extensive line of vessels. The site is designed to make it easy for visitors to find what they need quickly,” said Susan Giordano, principal of GKD. “SAFE has a compelling story, with global customers, world-class products and dedicated employees, and the site tells the story well.” For more information, visit www.safeboats.com.

January 2012 Edition

Events And Activities Wednesday, January 4th Kitsap HBA Remodelers Council GREEN Building: Making it sell HBA, 4 p.m.

Thursday, January 5th Developers Council Mtg., 7:30 a.m.

HBA Friday, January 6th 2012 Installation Bash!

RSVP Required All HBA Members Welcome 6:15 p.m. @ KGCC Tuesday, January 10th Spring Home Show Cmm. Mtg., Noon HBA Tuesday, January 24th Spring Home Show Cmm. Mtg., Noon HBA Thursday, January 26th Executive Committee, 2:00 p.m.

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

Board Meeting, 3:30 p.m.

Thursday, February 2nd Developers Council Mtg., 7:30 a.m.

HBA Tuesday, February 14th Spring Home Show Comm. Mtg., Noon HBA Thursday, February 23rd Executive Committee, 2:00 p.m.

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

Board Meeting, 3:30 p.m.

Tuesday, February 28th Spring Home Show Comm. Mtg., Noon HBA

Recently the National Association of Home Builders published an article (Home Builders Still Supporting Communities, Despite Downturn) on the ongoing acts of community support and charity provided by home builders around the Country. Nationally, the building industry contributes millions of dollars in cash, building materials, supplies, and volunteer hours to community charities through local community service projects. In the December 19, 2011 article, NAHB Chairman, Bob Nielsen said, “Home builders are making extraordinary sacrifices as they try to survive the ongoing economic downturn, and yet their generous sprit continues to shine in selfless acts of charity every day across the country.” We see it here in Kitsap too. This same phenomenon remarked on by Bob Nielson has played out year after year in Kitsap — in good times and bad.

Since the downturn, our members have continued to find important ways to support our community with their unique talents. In 2010, a host of local businesses came together to build a dream play structure for a local child in the Make A Wish program. Prior to that, members built two ramps to aid those in need of safe entry and exit from their homes. Several HBA members participate in local organizations like Rotary and Kiwanis and do this even though they may have long days on the job completing the work they once had staff to do. Members of the Association hold paid elected offices as well as unpaid. They volunteer as planning commissioners, public facility district board members, and school board members. Some HBA members serve on hospital boards, transit organizations, and a variety of other important civic based groups.

In addition to the precious commodity of time, our members have given hundreds of dollars each of the last many years to support Hang On Kitsap; a program through Catholic Community Services to install safety grab bars into the homes of our elderly or disabled so they may stay in their homes safely. Each December the Association is able to bring the joys of Christmas to all the women and children living in the YWCA Alive Shelter, because of generous contributions of money, and time spent thoughtfully filling the short wish lists of these families in need. Consistently, HBA member companies lend their financial support to local sports teams, schools, and youth development organizations so that they can help local youth achieve great things. This has included helping young men earn their Eagle Scout, as well as supporting local youth sports teams, bands, and other school related activities so that students County-wide may compete, travel to distant places, or purchase necessary equipment.

Each spring the Home Builders Association of Kitsap County proudly supports Habitat for Humanity by sponsoring their surplus building materials sale during the three days of our Peninsula Home and Garden Expo. Proceeds made by Habitat during this sale help to make home ownership dreams come true for hardworking families throughout Kitsap.

The builders in Kitsap truly build communities. They do this literally and figuratively each day. They live here among you and their children go to school with your children. They are an essential part of the fiber of our economy and they proudly show their commitment in the good works they do on behalf of the greater Kitsap community each year. For more information on the Home Builders Association or to find one of our many members, please visit www.kitsaphba.com or call us at 360-479-5778.

2012 OFFICERS President . . . . . . . . . Wayne Keffer, CGR, CAPS First Vice President. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robert Baglio Second Vice President . . . Judy Mentor Eagleson Treasurer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Randy Biegenwald Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dee Coppola, CGA Immediate Past President. . . Justin Ingalls, RCS

2012 BUILDER & ASSOC. DIRECTORS Derek Caldwell, CGB • Judy Granlee-Gates Jason Galbreath • David Godbolt, CAPS, CGP, CGR Kevin Hancock • John Leage Robert Lubowicki • Leslie Peterson, CGA Shawnee Spencer • Jim Way, CGB

2012 STATE DIRECTORS Robert Baglio • Derek Caldwell, CGB Lary Coppola • Judy Mentor Eagleson Justin Ingalls, RCS • Wayne Keffer, CGR, CAPS Robert Coultas • Ron Perkerewicz

2012 ALTERNATE STATE DIRECTOR John Armstrong • Karla Cook • Walter Galitzki Greg Livdahl • Brent Marmon

LIFE STATE DIRECTORS Bill Parnell

2012 NATIONAL DIRECTORS Derek Caldwell, CGB • Judy Mentor Eagleson

2012 ALTERNATE NATNL. DIRECTORS Michael Brown • Jeff Coombe

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

2012 COUNCIL & CHAIRS Build a Better Christmas. . . Randy Biegenwald Built Green . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Walter Galitzki

By Laws & Nominations . . . . . . Justin Ingalls Developers Council . . . . . . . . . . . . Rick Cadwell Golf Classic . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shawnee Spencer Govt. Affairs Cmte . . . . . . . . . . . Robert Baglio Remodelers Ccl Chair. . . David Godbolt, CGR, CAPS Membership . . . . . . . . Judy Mentor Eagleson Parade of Homes . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dee Coppola Peninsula H&G Expo. . . . . . . . . . Ardi Villiard Peninsula H&R Expo . . . . Volunteer Needed

HBA STAFF Executive Vice President . . . Teresa Osinski, CGP tosinski@kitsaphba.com Administrative Coordinator . . Stephanie Buhrman info@KitsapHBA.com Expo & Events Director . . . . . . . . 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

Get Serious...Get Innovative.

Commerical / Residential Maintenance Street / Parking Lot Maintenance Landscape Design / Installation Hot Water Surface Cleaning

Call for Your FREE Consultation Appointment

25% OFF* Landcaping Services

*25% off (normal seasonal pricing) all one-time landscaping services. Offer expires 9/30/11

The Region’s #1 Commercial Landscape Maintenance Company!

Lic# TEAMILI016DU

360.697.6858

• 25% OFF • 25% OFF • 25% OFF

25% OFF • 25% OFF • 25% OFF • 25% OFF • 25% OFF • 25% OFF • 25% OFF • 25% OFF

25% OFF • 25% OFF • 25% OFF •

Mon. - Wed., February 27th - 29th BIAW Board Meetings Olympia WA

Home Builders Continue to Give Despite the Economy

January 2012 Edition

It feels great to be starting a new year. I personally want to thank the HBA staff and the members of the HBA for allowing me the opportunity to serve as the 2012 Wayne R Keffer president.

Construction Inc. As the new year starts it is good 2012 President to remind ourselves of the core values of the HBA. The first thought that comes to me is a question; what are our core values as an Association, and are we meeting them? What can we do to achieve our mission, and what are our goals?

The Home Builders Association of Kitsap County is an Association of professional builders, subcontractors, service providers and purveyors representing the construction industry; both residential and commercial.

The Association provides to its members, and the community, information, education, and services that promote the health and welfare of the home building and commercial construction industry. As leaders of this industry, we foster safe affordable housing and address issues affecting construction generally.

Wayne Keffer

Our Association seeks: • To remain a pro-active, positive influence in the legislative, regulatory and civic arenas.

• To maintain a positive public awareness of the contribution of the home building industry to our communities.

• To encourage ethical conduct, good business practices and professionalism.

• To be recognized as an organization that promotes responsible use and management of natural resources.

I believe that it is easy to see that the Association has done a good job representing these goals. We are the leaders in market driven green building (we were doing it before it was cool). We are the leaders of low impact development (again we were doing this before it was cool, let alone mandated). I also believe our partnering and influence in the county and its cities has helped the Kitsap county citizen, and our members, by keeping a seat at the table and helping to curb the most extreme regulatory burdens.

This year we will continue to pursue these goals and will also be looking for ways to communicate to the community the asset that they have in the HBA and its members.

COMING SOON Last year Justin and Teresa worked very hard on a new website. Thanks to their efforts look forward to seeing that come on line early this year. It will be a great enhancement for our staff, members, and the public. (Be sure to thank them for there hard work when you see it.)

I am Very excited to introduce a new program designed to highlight the great builders and the projects they do. The program is called the Builders Best Awards. This is going to be an award program similar to the Remodeling Excellence Awards but instead will feature new construction products. Please consider applying for this award. It is sure to be a great opportunity for our builder members.

Thanks for your continued support of our industry! Happy New Year and don’t hesitate to contact me directly if you have questions about the HBA, its services, or how to get involved.

Though this article will be seen in January, it is just before Christmas as I write this and I find myself wondering what is in store for the construction industry in 2012. However, my CGP wondering about it isn’t going to affect it and, as my Mother used to Executive sing to me, “Que Sera, Sera (whatever Vice President will be, will be).” Right?

Wrong. The HBA is here to wonder. We are here to plan. We are here to act on the part of the construction industry, so that you can spend the time you should on your business, with your family, and supporting the community.

Those of you that choose to be members, expect me, and the senior leaders of the Association, to take up for you the issues affecting the industry; to promote what is good and to oppose what is bad. We do this through the regular monitoring of local government meetings, and State and National meetings and news. We must consider what is to come so we can be prepared to react, but more importantly, so we can work now to guide policy and help the industry find its legs and stabilize.

Those of you who are HBA members, have made that investment because you consider yourself a part of the construction industry. Being a part of the construction industry means that your ability to make a buck relies, at least partially on there being “an industry” to work in. The HBA has an important role to play and will continue to keep the needs and issues of the Kitsap area construction industry at the forefront of decision maker’s minds. Ultimately, it is in those meetings that the Association is able to affect outcomes.

I was recently at a luncheon chatting with a long-standing member of the local construction industry. He struck me as smart and clearly concerned about the local economy, his industry, and the community as a whole. I was surprised such a successful contractor had elected not to be an HBA member. I was dismayed when he expressed his belief that the Association’s views wouldn’t be aligned with his.

After chatting about Labor and Industry enforcement issues (on which we agreed), and the truth about residential fire sprinklers (on which we agreed) and the concern about increasing regulation (on which we agreed) I asked him what again it was that we would not be aligned on. He gently chuckled and remarked that he wasn’t sure anymore. I took a few moments to tell him about our recent success on stormwater, code enforcement, non-conforming uses, and fire flow, and asked him if he felt supporting our continued efforts were in his best interest? I was then completely flummoxed when he expressed his belief that policy is always proposed far worse then it ends up. In saying this, he seemed not to understand that organizations like the HBA, citizen groups, and other organizations play a role in how the proposal changes. For him, it seemed that "whatever will be will be" was sufficient. He even recognized that to the extent he might be wrong he was reaping the benefit of the HBA's work either way. I thank the over 300 companies that support the work of the HBA and I encourage those of you who haven't yet, to call and learn more about the Association and why membership matters.

I hope the contractor that I had lunch with (and others out there that wonder how to affect local policy) will consider that in the same way I can not adopt the view, "Whatever will be will be", nor can the industry. We are strongest when we work together. This has been seen over and over and over again in history and among interest groups that share common needs and interests. Maybe we all won’t always agree. That happens. It’s OK. But in the long run, across all matters important to the Kitsap area construction industry, the HBA is the best advocate for your collective needs and we spend our time doing it so you don’t have to.

To discuss membership or industry issues, please contact me at your convenience. I look forward to working with you in 2012 and wish you all the very best!

H B A

Teresa Osinski

January 2012 Edition

With the start of a new year we look to the future with cautious optimism.

As we review the previous year, make our New Year ’s Robert Baglio The BJC Group Resolution, and map out our goals and objectives 2012 Chair for the upcoming year, one cannot help but wonder what it will bring.

2012 will undoubtedly prove to be an interesting year with many political races up for grabs that could change the political landscape for years to come. Key races include the presidential race, the gubernatorial race, and local commissioner races. On the presidential front who will emerge from the Republican camp, Newt, Mitt, Ron Paul, or will someone else surge into the forefront?

On the Democratic side we have President Obama. Will he continue with his current, dare I say liberal agenda, or will he morph to the center in an effort to appeal to a larger voter-base? Only time will tell. Then we have our gubernatorial race, with our current Governor stepping down the doors are open for fresh faces and new blood. Jay Inslee has decided to leave his Congressional seat and throw his hat in the ring. While Rob McKenna has decided to give up his post as State Attorney General and run for Governor. And we cannot forget our local races with two County Commissioner seats up for a challenger. Rob Gelder, our North-end Commissioner has to run again, even though he just survived his first bid for elected office. In the South-end we have Charlotte Garrido running for another term. All the way around, it is going to prove to be an interesting year.

With so many races being contested we will most likely have some new faces and new ideas. One can only hope that those new faces realize that in difficult economic times, business needs a reprieve from the continual assault on us in the form of new and more burdensome regulations. In the last few years it has seemed like a barrage of one new regulation after another, each one adding new challenges and costs to the businesses. It seems like the construction industry takes the brunt of these regulations.

In the last few years we have seen increased regulations in multiple areas.

• Storm water • Energy code • Lead based paint • Shoreline Management Plan Update • County Code updates

Government Affairs Committee

In an effort to illustrate the detrimental effects of over burdensome regulations on businesses one of my main goals this year as Chair of the Government Affairs Committee is to work to quantify the dollar impacts of these regulations. I will work with the Committee to compile solid, verifiable, and realistic figures to show the actual impacts of these regulations. There needs to be a better understanding by our politicians and the bureaucrats that when they pass new regulations there are consequences and those consequences need to be weighed against the benefits. Yes, a cost-benefit analysis, what a novel idea. Many of the

Hand-Selected Granite from Brazil Directly Imported for You! After our trip to Brazil, containers of granite are arriving at our showroom in Poulsbo. Discover a vast array of tile selections, slab granite and quartz, stone samples and custom countertops.

Tired of the surfaces in your home?

Time to “GET CREATIVE!”

We carry the industry’s top manufaturers:

360-598-3106 • 206-714-2948 22285 Stottlemeyer Road • Poulsbo (Next to Bond Rd. & Gunderson Rd.)

www.creativecounters.com Bonded & Insured License #CREATCI964BB

regulations are passed in an effort to preserve the environment and who does not want to preserve the environment? Everyone does. But one thing I have come to realize in the twenty plus years I have been in the business is that we have come to a point in many cases where the costs of the more stringent regulations far and away exceed the benefits. The ordinary citizen does not realize this until he or she decides to construct a garage addition, perform a remodel, or build a new house. Then they are usually flabbergasted and totally overwhelmed by the codes, ordinances, regulations, and requirements one must comply with. Not to mention the maze of permits and approvals one must navigate. Hopefully, we can both educate and develop some better awareness of the full impacts of increased regulations on businesses. In a time when most people do not have the discretionary spending to afford to build or renovate unless it is a necessity, we must all work together to make things more affordable, even if it means stopping the regulatory runaway train that seems to be sweeping through our Nation, State, County, and Cities. Let’s hope for the best for 2012 and pray that things start going in the proper direction, jobs are generated, the unemployment rates drops, government spending is brought under control, and our economy rebounds. To paraphrase a quote from Ronald Regan, “Government is not the answer, it is the problem.”

The Biggest & Best Home Show West of Seattle!® March 16, 17, & 18, 2012 Kitsap Fairgrounds and Event Center Three buildings! Vendors inside and out! Landscape displays! Do it yourself information seminars! Master Gardeners on site! Habitat for Humanity’s Builder Surplus SALE! Answers for every question from hundreds of vendors!

NEW This year! Come see:

Ciscoe Morris, Saturday afternoon! - Sponsored by Puget Sound Energy We are always looking for new and interesting vendors.

Our booths are competitively priced and we invest in significant Expo promotion throughout the Kitsap region.

The Peninsula Home and Garden Expo is brought to you by the Home Builders Association of Kitsap County, Kitsap Sun, Wave Broadband, Kitsap Credit Union, and Puget Sound Energy. Visit the HBA website for details at www.kitsaphba.com and in February begin monitoring the details at www.kitsaphbahomeshow.com for updates on informative seminars, events for the kids, and late additions to the vendor list.

January 2012 Edition

Welcome New Members Lester Hunter LWH and Son Construction LLC 10523 Seabeck Highway Seabeck, WA 98380 360-509-0497 Email:HuntersLL@msn.com Sponsor: Bruce Giese

Marty Rank Ranks Construction Company Inc. 11717 NW Quiet Waters Seabeck, WA 98380 360-731-4055 Email: ranksconst@yahoo.com Sponsor: Wayne Keffer

Gayle Briggs HiLine Homes 11306 62nd Ave E Puyallup, WA 98373 253-840-1849 Email: gbriggs@hilinehomes.com Sponsor: Robert Baglio

Brett Warner Strategy Real Estate Inc PO Box 5526 Bremerton, WA 98312 360-405-0077 Email: bwarner@strategyrealestate.net Sponsor: Randy Biegenwald

Thank You Renewing Members Over 20 Years Kitsap Sun (21) Over 10 Years Paul Ogilvie Construction (11)

Over 5 Years Fire One Inc (9) Inex Finish (8) Action Services Corp (6) Over 2 Years Homewood Construction LLC (4)

5 Great Reasons to Buy or Remodel 1. LOW INTEREST RATES Mortgage rates are at record lows. Buying now may be the best deal you will ever get.

Refinancing can reduce monthly payments substantially.

2. GREAT PRICES Housing affordability is the best it’s been in years. As supply and demand in our housing market comes back into balance, prices will begin to rise again.

3. OUR HOUSING MARKET IS IMPROVING Inventory of homes for sale has been declining. Pending sales have steadily improved. If you’ve been waiting for the “bottom” of the market and don’t act soon — you’ll miss it.

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.

LIFE SPIKES CREDITS Jim Smalley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380.5 Tim Burke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318 Gale Culbert. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271.5 Dee Coppola . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257.25 Kerry Chamberlin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242 Bill Parnell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221.5 Kevin Parnell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177.5 John Armstrong. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155.25 Rick Courson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154 James A Ingalls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147.5 Randy Biegenwald . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139.25 Greg Livdahl. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Robert Lubowicki. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 David Smith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91.5 Michael Brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88.5 Lisa Phipps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Jeff Coombe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83.5 Lary Coppola . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Justin Ingalls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51.5 Ron Perkerewicz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47.5 Wayne Keffer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Joanne Lockwood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42.5 Donna Milner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41.5 Cheryl Gallup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39.5 Larry Elfendahl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36.5 Steve Brett . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Steve Crabb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29.5 Brent Marmon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 SPIKE MEMBERS CREDITS Dave Revis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24.5 Robert Coultas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24.25 Jeff Swan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Dale Armstrong. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.75 AnnaLee Todd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.5 Joe Gates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Robert Baglio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.5 Darren Devitt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Mike Haley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

SPIKE CANDIDATES CREDITS David J. Godbolt, CGP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.75 Derek Caldwell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Jim Heins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Walter Galitzki . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Bradley Reid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.5 Corey Watson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.5 Judy-Granlee-Gates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.25 Ted Bowman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Frank Murr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Karen Alyea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Ronald E House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.5 Robert Simonoff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.25 Jon Brenton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Ron Galla. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 John Leage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Daniel Ryan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Al Timm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Michael Glading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.75 Ken Holmgren. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5 Steve Johnson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5 Mark Khulman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5 Rob Smallwood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5 Shawnee Spencer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5 Brett Warner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5 Ken Orlob. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5 Bill Carter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Molly McCabe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Judy Mentor-Eagleson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Steve Morrison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Leslie Peterson, CGA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 James T Pickett . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 John Ramsdell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Jim Ullrich . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

4. ENERGY EFFICIENCY Today’s new homes are designed to save you money on your monthly utility bills, and increasingly incorporate exciting new green technologies. Remodels will benefit with energysaving techniques.

5. PROFESSIONAL BUILDERS, REMODELERS & LENDERS The Home Builders Association of Kitsap County has hundreds of member companies ready to guide you through any housing questions you have. Visit our website at www.kitsaphba.com or call us at 360-479-5778.

www.KitsapHBA.com

24 hour emergency clean-up

ACTION

O T ff In he eri Se Be ng rv st ic e

SERVICES CORPORATION

Maintenance

Landscape Maintenance

• Minor plumbing, electrical and carpentry • Minor roof repair and painting

Janitorial Oldest Shredding Company in Washington On-Site & Off-Site Paper Shredding Service Certificate of Destruction Provided 100% Recycling Program for All Shredded Material – Nothing goes to the Landfill

American Data Guard NAID AAA Certified Destruction Company

206-285-5955 • 800-699-6610 www.adgshred.com

Licensed, Bonded and Insured

• Daily, weekly, monthly rates • Construction clean-up • Window and wall washing • Carpet shampooing • Floor stripping and waxing

• All phases offered

Power Parking Lot Services • Parking lot sweeping • Parking lot washing • Parking lot striping • Snow removal

FREE ESTIMATES

373-4265 Commercial • Medical • Executive

TRC completes Kitsap Podiatry project main level access and plenty of parking.

The project’s architect was ADM Architecture, LLC of Poulsbo.

Paul Aufderheide of Kitsap Podiatry stated “It was a pleasure working with TRC. The project was completed on time and on budget. Due to the strengths of TRC, it freed us up to care for our patients and not

Tim Ryan Construction Inc. (TRC) recently announced the completion of its most recent project, Kitsap Podiatry, located on Kitsap Mall Blvd next to the AMC Theaters in Silverdale.

The project included remodeling 2,900 square feet of commercial space into a warm and inviting medical office where patients and staff can enjoy their new surroundings, with additional exam rooms,

be distracted by the construction project. I appreciated how they planned ahead and kept everyone on task to meet our move in date. The team was courteous and led me through the construction process with ease.”

For more information about Kitsap Podiatry, call (360) 698-2505.

The interior design was by Michele Doyle of Michele Interiors Inc. Doyle stated, “Creating spaces for healthcare services is always satisfying. It was a pleasure to work as a team with TRC to create spaces which are both comfortable for patients while improving the work environment for the staff. This puts patients at ease and contributes to an overall improved client and work experience. This was one of the most, wellmanaged projects I have ever had the pleasure to work on - resulting in a quality

finished product for our client!”

For more information, contact Tim Ryan Construction, Inc. at (360) 779-7667, or visit TimRyanConstruction.com.

Urban Land Institute’s Kitsap workshop to showcase local projects He said the nonprofit ULI, which is essentially a nonpolitical, land-use think tank, is focused on research and education.

The organization is trying to reach out to communities outside of Seattle that are experiencing growth, and the conference is a step toward that mission. The institute is working with local land use professionals including city planners and others to organize the event.

Workshop speakers will look at some local urban projects as well as discuss topics such as how to build with the aging baby boomers in mind. “There’s a real inefficiency in housing stalk that is designed to have a full range of neighbors (such as the elderly),” Rose said.

Rose said he has two personal goals for the conference. One of them is to introduce the Urban Land Institute to Kitsap. He also hopes to launch a network, an informal chapter of sorts, for Kitsap land use professionals interested in advocating for great projects and in sharing ideas.

Event speakers include Bill Kreager,

Industrial Acreage for Sale Werner Road & Nollwood Lane • • • • • • • •

AECOM principal; Aaron Murphy, owner of Poulsbo’s ADM Architecture; Linda Pruitt, president of The Cottage Co.; and Charlie Wenzlau, principal of Wenzlau Architects based on Bainbridge Island.

Costs range from $20 (student) to $35

(private sector) for nonmembers, and ULI members receive a $5 discount. The fee includes a full breakfast.

For more information, go to seattle.uli.org, email seattle@uli.org or call (206) 224-4500.

Online registration deadline is Jan. 27.

Happy New Year From all of us at Pacific Northwest Title!

Thank you for letting us provide superior customer service and professionalism to your real estate transactions.

4 acres near Highway #3 Central location near interchange Zoned Industrial Approval for up to 58,000 SF Cleared and generally level Utilities to site Potential subdivide or build-to-suit For sale at $881,000 - $5/per SF

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

Contact Victor C. Ulsh, CCIM & Chris J. Wray Bradley Scott Commercial Real Estate

(360) 479-6900 • (800) 479-6903

Title Insurance Escrow Services Real Estate Resources

www.bradleyscottinc.com

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

www.pnwtkitsap.com

January 2012 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal • KPBJ.com 23

A workshop titled “Growing Great Neighborhoods” and hosted at the Kitsap Conference Center on Jan. 31 will showcase national land-use trends through local examples. The workshop, sponsored by the Seattle chapter of the Urban Land Institute, will focus on how Kitsap Peninsula is embracing urban population growth and planning for an aging population at the same time. The program is geared to developers, policymakers, planners, architects, builders, surveyors and any other professionals interested in urban growth and innovation, including representatives of neighborhood groups, city councils and downtown associations.

“There’s a real opportunity to address density while still having nice neighborhoods and views,” said Jon Rose, Olympic Property Group president and member of the Urban Land Institute’s advisory board. “In Kitsap, waterfront communities and urban areas have to figure out how to make density have good design.”

The Chaffey legacy continues

24 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal • KPBJ.com January 2012

The name Chaffey has been synonymous with excellence and quality in home construction for nearly 50 years.

Herb Chaffey found his passion for building back in 1963 when the average

price of a new home was $12,650. As the years progressed, so did the manner in which homes were built — including a significant number of those Chaffey built in Kitsap County. Throughout those decades,

Chaffey took note as building fads came and went and many new products sizzled and fizzled. He experienced, through his own trial and error, what building techniques and conventions were solid and could be counted on to stand the test of time.

Armed with this experience, the Chaffey legacy has given rise to the Chaffey Building Group, a newly formed company that specializes in forward thinking, innovative building techniques and conventions. Blending Herb Chaffey’s vast homebuilding experience with Kelly Lawrence’s extensive management background, an expert team has been carefully assembled to provide a simplified yet thorough approach to the homebuilding process. This process applies to all aspects of building the home, from the foundation

all the way up to the finishing touches.

Chaffey commits that every home is unique and expertly built by craftsmen who share this same commitment to excellence.

For information regarding Custom Homes or land sales throughout Kitsap County, for more information contact Rick LaBow at 360 340-2397 or visit the Website at Chaffeybuildinggroup.com.

RePower Bremerton Kicks Off The RePower Bremerton program officially launched on Nov. 15, as contractors began work on upgrading a rental home on Acorn Street. The launch, which included an official ceremony with local leaders, also included a home energy assessment demonstration at a home across the street.

“This is an exciting moment for me and my tenants,” said Jim Adrian, owner of the Acorn Street property. “It’s truly a win-win: The rebates make the upgrades affordable and my tenants benefit from a decrease in their energy bills.”

Adrian is one of a growing number of area rental-property owners who have committed to energy assessments and upgrades. RePower Bremerton — along with Puget Sound Energy (PSE) and Cascade Natural Gas Corporation — provides cash-back incentives to offset the cost of qualifying energy-efficiency improvements.

Troy Olson, project manager and contractor with Washington Energy Savers, installed floor and wall insulation at the Adrian property. Olson is one of 18 local contractors who have joined the RePower trade ally network, and has been inspecting and upgrading other homes through RePower’s sister program on Bainbridge Island and other Kitsap County programs.

According to U.S. Department of Energy, energy costs for an average home are approximately $2,200 per year, with a significant amount of energy lost through leaks, cracks and inefficient lighting and appliances. Over half of Bremerton homes are renter occupied. The program has been trying to engage landlords in the upgrade process, seeing it as a key to saving energy in the community.

In July 2010, the city of Bremerton received a BetterBuildings award from U.S. Department of Energy. The city was one of 20 communities selected in the nation to receive funding for energy efficiency. With this award, the city and key partners have come together to implement RePower Bremerton.

Kitsap Credit Union, one of the RePower partners, offers an energyefficiency loan program to finance improvements, which are available for single-family homes with one to four units.

For more information, go to www.repowerbremerton.org or call (877) 741-4340.

Senators push for antitrust investigation into Google CEI experts say investigation would harm competition, not help U.S. Senators Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) have urged the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to launch a thorough antitrust investigation into Google. In a letter to FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz (PDF), Sens. Kohl and Lee — Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee, respectively — expressed concern that Google Search is “biased in favor of [Google’s] own secondary products and services” and that Google is thus threatening open competition in the Internet economy.

The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), with a 20-plus-year record of skepticism toward antitrust regulation generally, including that directed against Google rivals, objected to the Senators’ letter.

Director of CEI’s Center for Technology and Innovation Wayne Crews argued that one of the worst effects of antitrust regulation is that it deprives consumers of the competitive response to so-called “monopolistic” behavior. Crews’ full statement is below.

Antitrust interventionism can too easily undermine true market competition by serving as a kind of corporate welfare for competitors. They can sit still, and gain nonetheless.

Google’s is not the only technology by which the web is searchable; the free enterprise solution is to let the marketplace duke it out. Google, like all firms, answers to the media, policymakers, rivals, business partners, infrastructure firms, emerging search technologies, the global marketplace, shareholders, Wall Street and investors.

These are the appropriate forms of “regulation” to deal with supposed “search bias” or other alleged harmful behavior. The migration from MySpace to Facebook is one example of how quickly things can change in the online world.

It wasn’t long ago that many of us were “locked in” to the Yahoo and Altavista search engines. The very emergence of Google would have been impossible if the antitrust enforcers’ vision of Internet market share were true.

The Point Casino raises $30,000 for American Diabetes Association

but coercive and unearned.

Antitrust is not an alternative to regulation as the Senators imply, it is one of the worst forms of arbitrary, unaccountable regulation. A better, productive, jobenhancing investigation would instead be one into how to restrain federal antitrust interventionism generally — here and in instances such as that leading to the collapse of the AT&T/T-Mobile merger. Clumsy smokestack-era antitrust is an innovation and job killer and has no role in the dynamic Internet economy.

CEI will be watching the case and will comment further on this and other antitrust cases in the future.

— Stress Free — Smart ways to keep your home loan approval smooth and on time We like our pizza hot, fresh and at our doorstep in 30 minutes. Or it’s free, right? We expect our ferries on time—unless we’re running two minutes late and fantasizing about a “Starsky and Hutch”-style car jump onto the aft deck.

But what about a home purchase? Why does it seem so confusing and stressful? Actually, it doesn’t have to be this way. If you’re thinking about a home purchase or a refinance, here are some essential tips that will help you keep your home loan on time and stress free.

• Work with an experienced lending team. When you’re buying a home, there are plenty of mortgage companies who promise “the lowest rate.”

But it’s always worth finding a local lender who will walk you through every step of the process—someone who’s deeply familiar with the unique challenges of home purchase in your community.

• Avoid any major purchases like a car, boat or furniture during the loan approval process. These can affect your credit score and debt-to-income ratio and add complications in the loan approval process.

• Don’t change bank accounts or make large deposits without checking with your mortgage advisor first.

• Avoid applying for any new credit cards or opening a new cell phone account.

• Respond quickly to any requests for extra documentation.

As always, if you have any questions during the home loan process, The Legacy Group in Silverdale is here to help. We’re a respected local lending team with deep roots in the Kitsap community. Contact us to learn even more about stress-free home loans done the old-fashioned way—with trust.

Tim Samuels Loan Officer | MLO-109468 The Legacy Group Silverdale, WA

360.698.6440

www.legacyg.com/locations/silverdale

Legacy Group Lending, Inc. NMLS ID # 4455 Legacy Group Capital, LLC License # 520-CL-43276 Legacy Group Escrow, LLC License # 540-EA-40580

January 2012 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal • KPBJ.com 25

The Point Casino, located on the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe reservation near Kingston, announced the final tally from its annual fundraising drive. Over the past year, $30,000 has been raised for the local chapter of the American Diabetes Association (ADA).

Casino staff presented a check to representatives from the ADA on Nov. 21.

The 2011 fundraising campaign raised almost a third more than the previous year’s drive.

“Our employees really rose to the occasion for this fundraising event,” said Leo Culloo, general manager of the casino. “We don’t have a big staff, just 138 team members, but they contributed over $12,000 of the total from their own pockets. At every level, our team members proved they believe in helping others, and it’s truly a pleasure to work with such generous and caring people.”

Casino team members contributed over $6,400 from voluntary payroll deductions.

There were also “dress down days” for a $5 donation on Mondays and Fridays.

Two annual events also made a significant impact to the bottom line. The charity golf tournament, held in August at the Lakeland Golf Course in Allyn, raised over $13,000 for the effort. The charity poker run, a rally-format motorcycle and car event that incorporates a single-hand poker tournament, raised over $1,000.

“We pride ourselves on being more than just a business; in everything we do we try to be a partner to the community. Like every other business venture of the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, our goal is to always make things better than how we found them,” said Culloo.

The Point Casino is also expanding and expects to hold a grand opening of a new facility later this year. The new Point Casino will incorporate an event center, casual dining, deli, larger buffet area and additional gaming, an expanded parking area, and several lounges including a sports bar/cabaret combo and a showcase center featuring a cigar lounge.

The underlying “big is bad” arguments with respect to Google are invalid as well, leaving aside the fact that software is made out of ones and zeros and barriers to entry are as low as a dorm room with an Internet connection.

That’s because antitrust proponents presume to replace today’s competitive dynamism with an even greater “monopoly” than Google — a powerful FTC with authority over the entire Internet and commercial sector. That is an offense to principles of free enterprise that exposes the notion that antitrust proponents abhor bigness or concentration of power. They in fact embrace power, not merely economic

Content is the key to social media success

By Frank J. Kenny There is an old story, shared by personal development pioneer and radio legend Earl Nightingale, about a fellow that said to his woodstove, “Give me heat. Then I will put in some wood.”

Of course, the fellow never did get any heat from that woodstove.

He simply didn’t understand one of the key rules of life; one must put wood in first and then the stove will return heat. As it concerns social media, far too many people expect to see positive results from social media before they have put in the wood, or in this case, valuable content.

What do I mean by valuable content? I mean posts that either add value to a person’s life by solving a problem, thereby improving their condition, or remove some pain, or potential for pain.

See, people always want their lives improved. You could say that your customers always want more. More security. More success. More time off.

More knowledge. More. More. More. That is human nature.

Businesses that want to utilize social media successfully must provide their customers — or potential customers — with that opportunity for More. They do that by posting valuable content.

What exactly should they post?

Information that their target market will find valuable. A plumber should post tips about common household or commercial plumbing issues, depending on their target market. This will give the customer more knowledge. Provide your audience with how-to videos, new information, new insights.

Post specials, sales, discounts. Give them a reason for becoming and staying a fan of your page.

Share case studies on how you improved a client’s conditions. Explain the client’s situation before the intervention, share what strategies or methods you applied to improve their situations, and detail the results of how the client ended up with more.

Interview expert in your industry, perhaps a nationally known author, and share the interview with your audience.

26 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal • KPBJ.com January 2012

“Partners in Business” “Telebyte Northwest has been our internet provider for nearly 10 years. As in most businesses, email is critical. In our business, our email has to go through a management system before we receive it. Occasionally, we have issues. We can call Telebyte and they will preview to find the problem. Many times they have contacted the management system to help solve the problem.

“Telebyte is a local company and they go above and beyond to assist us.

“I am happy to recommend their reliable service — and I have!”

— Tim Quigley, President Tim Quigley Insurance

360-613-5220 • TELEBYTE.COM

360-373-2137 • NW-COMMNET.COM

TELEBN005JM

CC01NWCOML002LH

Entertain your audience with stories, images, and videos. People enjoy and good laugh and that is providing value. Don’t get carried away with this one though.

Where does all this effort get you?

People like to do business with others that they know, like, and trust. When you provide value to your potential clients you plant seeds of a stronger relationship. When the point comes that they need what you offer, they will be much more likely to choose to do business with someone who has already provided them value. And once they are customers, they can now become powerful social media word-of-mouth advocates for you, using the reach of the Internet to spread the word about your business far and wide.

One last thing. Don’t forget that the content you provide must be of value to your TARGET MARKET. If you are sharing amazing new insights or information about your industry with only your family and friends, yet they are not potential customers, then you are not posting valuable content. That is just wasting time and effort.

(Editor’s Note: Frank J. Kenny is the author of The seven Secret Laws of Society, and is nationally recognized as a social media marketing speaker, and consultant. He leads owners and executives through the steps of growing their organizations through the revolutionary changes occurring in the business and non-profit world. Specifically, he helps businesses and non-profit organizations in their successful integration of new media, social media marketing, and modern technology. Through a proprietary project management model, he can help them to dramatically increase their sales, save money, grow their memberships, and even regain their time. Reach him at frank@frankjkenny.com, or on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and a myriad of other social media sites, as well as at www.frankjkenny.com.)

Learn from social media success stories

By Rodika Tollefson There’s no cookie-cutter answer to a successful social media strategy. The idea is to engage your customers and followers, and how you do that could be a subject of several books. But a look at some successful social media campaigns could provide some interesting ideas.

One of the top campaigns, if not the best of all times, was launched by Old Spice with its memorable “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” video/commercial. Trying to revive its brand, the company hired an Oregon agency that decided to target women as the primary buyers of their men’s body wash. Instead of stopping with the unique and quirky commercial/YouTube video, the agency decided to engage people via social media, creating 186 short YouTube responses to celebrities’ and others’ tweets about the video.

The Old Spice video spread like wildfire, as did the YouTube responses. It was copycatted, parodied, mentioned by Oprah — you get the idea. The result was 20 million YouTube views by the third day of the campaign, a 2,700 percent increase in the number of Old Spice’s Twitter followers and a 360 percent increase in its website traffic. The bottom line, of course, was an increase in sales: nearly 30 percent in the first six months and growing after that.

Not everyone can mount such an extensive outreach and let’s face it, there’ only one Man Your Man Could Smell Like.

Nonetheless, there’s a valuable lesson in the Old Spice success: Dare to be different. To create engagement, you need to give your audience something engaging to begin with. No one is going to react to a post about the latest Old Spice fragrance, no matter how clever — so give them something to talk about.

Ford took a different approach when it was getting ready for the U.S. launch of its newest car, the Fiesta. The company wanted to appeal to the younger drivers and work past stereotypes its brand has created among the millennial generation. To do that, it launched a nationwide contest in search for 100 “agents” for its Fiesta Movement. The “agents” got to drive the car for six months (with free gas/insurance) and completed different “missions” every month, sharing them online. Essentially, Ford gave the control of its message — to some extent — to the masses and allowed for an authentic conversation.

The campaign reportedly resulted in 6.5 million YouTube views and 50,000 requests for information before the car was even available, and a sale of 10,000 units in the first Learn, page 27

Social media management gets added to job descriptions

from page 26 six days the Fiesta came on the U.S. market.

The company also reportedly said the cost was lower than a traditional nationwide television campaign.

You’re not likely to have the advertising market or the army of creatives like the Fiesta Movement had, but you can still take a page from Ford’s book. Social marketing is about being authentic. By giving its agents the freedom to be creative, and by not controlling what they said or how they approached their missions, Ford had to relinquish some of the controls inherent with traditional advertising — not an easy concept for many companies. Ford also capitalized on the idea that in the new digital world, consumers are going to talk about your brand with their friends and friends of friends, whether you like to or not — so give them an experience or a product worth talking about.

But make sure to follow up too.

Creating an active following does not take a big budget. Take the example of a company called Bacon Salt. It gained a bit of notoriety after two technology executives decided to create a new product, and with no marketing budget worked their way into getting all sorts of online and traditional media coverage, including a coveted spot on Oprah.

It all started with their social media strategy. The two geeks looked around on several social media sites for people who loved bacon, then connected with them and spread the word about their product. Soon, a small group of those followers told their friends, who told their friends — the result was nearly 38,000 fans on Facebook. All it took was a good product, a couple of very enthusiastic entrepreneurs, and a small percent of followers who loved Bacon Salt enough to help it go viral, the golden egg of any social media campaign.

One approach that is inexpensive and effective is cross-promoting: pointing all the social media platforms to each other.

That’s one of the strategies used by

Bainbridge Island-based Popcorn Chef, which grew its worldwide Facebook fan following to more than 22,000 since last April, doubling the number of followers in about six months.

Owner Doña Keating (whose primary company is a business, technology and information consulting firm called Professional Options) said that in addition to promoting the page through other channels such as email blasts, they created engagement through contests that came with prizes — such as helping name a new product or flavor. Some contests had nothing to do with gourmet popcorn, however. They were fun interactions like posting an odd photo and asking for captions, with offsite judges selecting the winners.

And while the growth in numbers has been excellent, Keating said they don’t look at those numbers the way the average business does. “We have a really strong customer base and a steady stream of orders. This is a fun business for us and it happened to turn extremely lucrative.

We’re not looking at the numbers from the perspective of how many we convert to customers,” she said.

Keating, who consults on social media through her other business, said one thing that’s important for entrepreneurs or executives to decide is whether their business is conducive to social media in the first place. Another decision is about making sure you have the resources to either keep up the engagement yourself or hire someone — it’s one thing to schedule some tweets but without a sustainable strategy, you will not succeed.

“The biggest thing is to make sure you do it on your own terms,” she said. “You should never be at a point where you feel guilted into it or making it stressful.”

“LIKE” Us On Facebook www.facebook.com/kitsap peninsulabusinessjournal

Want to get your business going?

Begin with our FREE 10-Point Do-It-Yourself Marketing Check-Up. Take this free sales and marketing check-up to see where you stand. If you need assistance, we can design a program to fit your budget to get your business going and growing. Email today for your free 10-Point Check List.

Sales & Marketing Planning • Media & Community Relations for retail, service, professional & non profit organizations

360-271-9448 •

hoke@hokeconsulting.com

January 2012 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal • KPBJ.com 27

By Rodika Tollefson The job of a social media manager is becoming increasingly common in the corporate sector and is one of the fastest-growing careers. It’s not surprising — considering that businesses big and small are embracing the benefits of the social media platforms, and are trying to use best practices when implementing their strategies. Some recruiters say that the more advance-level social media positions are difficult to fill because those professionals are receiving multiple offers — and even for an entry-level social media manager, the starting salary is an average of $50,000.

In Kitsap County, the trend has been slower. Many local businesses and institutions polled for this article, including some large ones, said they have considered adding a new position but are not taking that step yet, partly because of the expense and partly because they haven’t reached the need yet. Instead, they are finding other ways of filling their current needs, whether it’s training existing staff or turning to outsourcing.

“If a company wants a full-time professional to do this, it’s a manager’s salary and most companies can’t afford to add a brand new position,” said Frank Kenny, a social media consultant for businesses and associations who has been speaking and teaching on the topic of social media nationwide.

Kenny is one example of how smaller businesses are filling the niche. He is one of the outside consultants hired by Alderbrook Resort and Spa to coordinate its online presence.

Michael Carnovale, the resort’s general manager, said they have considered various options for managing their social media strategy and decided to use a team approach. They hired Zach Anderson to manage search engine optimization functions while Kenny manages the strategy for social media platforms, which include not only Facebook and Twitter, but tools like Foursquare and Bing. The partnership also includes the public relations firm that is responsible for the Alderbrook web design and other marketing.

In addition, a company employee is coordinating the work that needs to be done inhouse, while Carnovale oversees the team effort. “It takes a lot of time and expertise to have social media run as an engine,” he said. “… I’m like the conductor who is trying to get the elements to work. That’s the reality of today’s marketplace — social media drives the marketing and those avenues take a lot of expertise… We’re trying to do it in a strategic way so everybody’s working on a common goal. They know where the trends are moving and what needs to be done, and I have to rely on them to help me see where it’s moving.”

At MoonDogs Too, the strategy for now is to keep social media job duties in-house, but owner Darryl Baldwin says he sees where in the future, he may need to hire someone, maybe on a part-time freelance basis, to coordinate various marketing aspects including online.

MoonDogs is among the local restaurants that are very active in channels such as Facebook.

To manage the social media presence, Baldwin decided to put it in the hands of his senior employees. Each shift manager is responsible for his or her own postings and creating a buzz.

Five of his staff are administrators on the Facebook page.

“I like the fact that everyone is doing their own thing though one person per se would be nice to have for doing email updates and other things,” Baldwin said. “We let them run with it and the criteria is that we have a reputation to uphold. By doing this, we pass our culture into Facebook and people get a feel for us.”

He notes that he monitors which posts get the biggest response and sometimes the most unexpected things get the most comments — such as a post by a manager who has poor spelling, which reached a total potential network of 200,000 “friends of friends.”

Baldwin said his social media strategy ties into the advertising budget, and as print media becomes less popular, he plans to expand to other platforms, such as mobile. “The thing we are trying to determine is how many is too many,” he said. “The biggest challenge is staying on top of the new mediums.”

As companies are exploring their strategies in managing their social presence, many are adding new duties to existing jobs, though not formally in all cases. At Kitsap Credit Union, addressing job descriptions is likely one of the upcoming steps as the institution continues to work on its social media deployment strategy. The credit union has been working on implementation for the past year, following a detailed process that has included defining its voice and approving policies.

Leah Olson, KCU vice president of marketing, said they have studied examples of how peer credit unions of similar sizes have approached social media including the staff time necessary to manage it. Based on their research, credit union leaders decided to add social media duties to several employees until they learn first-hand if there’s a need to expand.

“We have been discussing who will be doing what — who will have access to passwords, who will post responses,” she said. The designated individuals are doing ongoing training to learn about best practices and other aspects. Olson noted that since privacy and security is a major concern for a financial institution, policy development is an important step.

To guide its new social media team prior to launching, Kitsap Credit Union has developed a document that describes aspects such as what type of content should be posted, the purpose of social media, the voice etc. The document is under three pages long and includes comprehensive guidelines, which includes the goal of using social media to expand the community outreach. “(Social media is) really a tool to further the dialog and the engagement with the public and the members,” she said. “…It’s important to have written document because of staff turnover and if you have guidelines on paper, it can be passed on from one person to another.”

LEARN

Ridge Motorsports Park hosts inaugural event

The new “Bucket List”

By Bill Hoke If you’ve never thought about a bucket list or are too young or too engaged in your career, you may want to come back to this article in a year, or 10.

But for those who are in their twilight years, or have seen their ranks diminished by the timely, or untimely, loss of friends, making a bucket list may have crossed your mind. If so, let me share an experience gained while drifting into my 70s.

I made a conventional bucket list a few years ago, from taking my grandchildren to Washington, D.C., to getting to the base camp of Mt. Everest, to hiking in the Alps to publishing a book of poems. I took off a climb of Mt. McKinley, but maintain a hike of Bailey Range.

My bucket list, like most, includes going places, seeing things, collecting a few more experiences. But this past year, my old friend Peter Lewis (Audisee, Car Tours and hundreds of audio triumphs via his Clatter & Din Studio) mentioned to me a name from our past, George Toles. If you don’t know George, I can sum him up in a word: gentleman. In a business where we were sometimes not at our best, George is, still, a good and decent man.

I recalled to Peter a very shameful incident in my life in advertising where I participated in a scheme that resulted in George being summarily fired from the Kaye-Smith studios in Seattle. Spend much time in advertising management, work in New York, L.A. or be a Mad Man graduate and you may find you’ve sullied yourself by letting ambition override common decency and good sense.

When I told Peter I’d never talked to George since that awful event, he said he was going to hang up and told me to sit down right then and write George what I had just confessed: I was a jerk, and I am sorry for it.

George’s reply to my email was, of course, loving and forgiving and we engaged in a nice exchange of emails and began to discuss the idea of making amends — trying to make things right, apologizing, praising, admitting and asking for forgiveness. Our dialogue led to George composing a wonderful song lyric and then recording a piece of music.

OK, Bill, there are others out there who need to hear from you. And they take precedence over the terrestrial destinations on my traditional bucket list.

“LIKE” Us On Facebook

28 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal • KPBJ.com January 2012

www.facebook.com/kitsap peninsulabusinessjournal

I’ve got work to do. A new bucket list, this one with the names of people I need to make an effort to say, I’m sorry to, or thank you for being my friend, or I wish I didn’t have to fire you like that.

You can’t run an advertising agency, be in the media business or work in a creative industry that lives and dies by unfathomable client vagaries and not have gotten your hands dirty. It can be a tough, mean and nasty business and you may have some amends to make. Who’s on your list?

This doesn’t necessarily lead to redemption or excuses from those bad behaviors, but I can report that from George Toles I have gone to others. And, while most were genuinely glad to hear from me, one said, “It’s too late for that, Bill.”

Metaphysics wasn’t exactly running rampant on Madison Avenue in my day and I’m sure the same was true on Wall Street and Fleet Street and Wilshire Boulevard, where the intense competition caused unintended consequences. And, if we’re honest, some were intended.

I also tracked down some former teachers, an ex-boss who taught me some life lessons, a mentor and three college roommates and all of those contacts were poignant.

So, thank you to Peter for pointing me in a new direction, to George for being so graceful and to Larry Coffman, who said this might make an interesting article.

I hope he’s correct.

(Editor’s Note: Bill Hoke is a former advertising agency creative director and lives in Kitsap, where he is semi-retired. Learn more at hoke@creativeconsulting.com and by checking out his entertaining and informative commentary at www.marketingimmortals.com.)

Ridge Motorsports Park, located in Mason County, recently hosted its inaugural event. The two-day event featured motorcycles and road racing cars.

The event was well attended by riders and drivers coming from as far away as Northern British Columbia, Idaho, and San Francisco to attend the event. There were over 80 motorcycle riders that participated and 85 of car drivers.

Mark DeGross of “2 Fast” the organizer of the event commented that all of the riders were impressed with the track and he went on to say, “I can’t believe we have such an awesome track here in the Northwest; everyone loved it.” DeGross is confident in the facilities success and he has scheduled to do nine motorcycle riding events during the new season.

Christopher Johnson owner of Washington Motorcycle Safety Training a native of England compared this track to the greatest tracks in Europe. He stated, “This facility is phenomenal, it is a worldclass facility. It is a technical track that challenges riders with its turns, camber, and elevation changes.”

The track developers were pleased with the success of their first event weekend and look forward to 2012 as they fill the calendar with events throughout the year.

For more information about the facility go to www.ridgemotorsportspark.com.

Reduce Reuse Recycle

Local business. Local needs.

For 32 years, we’ve been here for both.

As we celebrate our 32nd year, Wet Apple Media continues to be committed to supporting local causes. Since 1979, we have been doing our part to help improve the quality of life for local residents, businesses and nonprofits.

Contributions to our community: Humane Society Jungle Bell Run Junior League Juvenile Diabetes Research Partners Foundation Kitsap Community Foundation Kitsap Community Resources Kitsap County Association of Realtors Kitsap County Historical Society Kitsap County Medical Society Kitsap Economic Development Alliance Kitsap Peninsula Farmers Markets Kitsap Peninsula Visitors and Convention Bureau Kitsap Regional Library Kitsap Wine Festival Kiwanis Clubs Master Gardener’s Foundation Mathis Guild National Kitchen & Bath Association Olympic College Foundation Peterson Farm Fall Fair Port of Bremerton Port Orchard Log Cabin Museum Port Orchard Waterfront Art Walk Rotary Clubs School Districts SK Helpline Social Media Marketing Conference Soroptimists The Bainbridge Island Studio Tour United Way Uptown Gig Harbor Concert Series Vino Kitsap Washington CASH West Sound Art Council West Sound Technology Association WSU Kitsap Extension Services 40 Under Forty

January 2012 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal • KPBJ.com 29

Admiral Theatre All-Chamber Business Expo American Cancer Society Amy Burnett Gallery Audubon Washington Bainbridge in Bloom Bainbridge Island Arts & Crafts Bainbridge Island Garden Club Bloedel Gardens Boys & Girls Clubs Bras for a Cause Bremerton Symphony partner Bremerton YMCA Women’s Shelter Built Green Program Chambers of Commerce – Port Orchard – Bremerton – Silverdale – Bainbridge Island – North Mason – Poulsbo City of Bremerton City of Port Orchard Collective Visions Gallery Crosspoint Academy Dr Penrose Guild Envirostars Festival of Trees Fire Districts Gig Harbor Film Festival Gig Harbor Garden Tour Gig Harbor Museum Greenworks Habitat for Humanity Harbor Hounds Harrison Hospital Foundation Holly Ridge Home Builders Association (HBA) of Kitsap County

New mobile apps offer vital information, resources for small business owners SBA-backed competition yields cash prizes for winners, seven new tools

30 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal • KPBJ.com January 2012

A new electronic application that quickly and efficiently finds loans, grants, and other useful small business resources, and its developer Somesh Kumar of Freemont, Calif., won first prize and $5,000 in a nationwide competition sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

The competition and resulting seven “apps” are meant to put new and useful web tools at the fingertips of growing entrepreneurs.

As a result of SBA’s “Apps for Entrepreneurs Challenge,” a competition for tech-savvy developers to build new and useful web tools for small businesses, entrepreneurs can reach for their smartphone or tablet and search federal, state and local databases for vital information by using one of seven awardwinning apps.

“It was a great learning experience to participate in SBA’s Apps for Entrepreneurs Challenge and to create SBA Gems,” said Kumar, whose winning app can be downloaded at “SBA Gems” at entrepreneurs.challenge.gov/submissions/ 5458.

“Smart phones and tablets are increasingly the vehicles through which Americans access information,” said SBA Administrator Karen Mills. “This is certainly true of many entrepreneurs and small business owners. Greater mobility fits with SBA’s new focus and is among the

steps we are taking to do a better job of connecting entrepreneurs and small business owners with the tools to help them start or grow their businesses and create jobs.”

The SBA competition produced seven winners - one First Place winner ($5,000), three Second Place winners ($3,000 each), and three Third Place winners ($2,000 each) for a total of $20,000 in prize money - as follows (all seven apps can be downloaded from SBA’s web site, with URLs listed below): First Place (1 Prize at $5,000) SBA Gems – Find loans, grants permits etc.

Developer - Somesh Kumar, Freemont, Calif. http://entrepreneurs.challenge.gov/su bmissions/5458 Second Place (3 Prizes at $3,000 each) CapitaList – Find federal databases for licenses, awards, proposals and websites.

Developer – Muneeb Akhter, Springfield, Va. http://entrepreneurs.challenge.gov/su bmissions/5464 Small Business Toolbox – Find small business programs SBA offices etc.

Developer – Joseph Blough, Dexter, Mich. http://entrepreneurs.challenge.gov/su bmissions/5450

• Print • Scan • Document Management

Realize your potential.

Quality service and a commitment to the community.

Call 253-272-7099 800-495-3175 kelleyimaging.com

SBA Loan Search App – Find loans, venture capital, tax incentives etc.

Developer – Richard Murphy, Silver Spring, Md. http://entrepreneurs.challenge.gov/su bmissions/5462 Third Place (3 Prizes at $2,000 each) Energy SBA – Find property rights, oil and gas leases, solar etc.

Developer – Robert Grogan, Eden Prairie, Minn. http://entrepreneurs.challenge.gov/su bmissions/5470 SB Alert – Find contracting opportunities and get push notification.

Developers – Ben McGinnis and Team, Fairfax, Va. http://entrepreneurs.challenge.gov/su bmissions/5445 Every Thing For The Entrepreneur – Find SBIR solicitations and more.

Developer – Edwardo Martinez, San Francisco, Calif. http://entrepreneurs.challenge.gov/su bmissions/5469

These new mobile apps complement SBA’s mobile application created for iPhone in partnership with Palo Alto Software. Users can employ the SBA app to find local Small Business Administrationaffiliated advisers and get free, personal, one-on-one help with starting and growing their businesses.

The SBA mobile app also features a built-in startup cost calculator to help estimate the costs associated with getting a business off the ground, plus an SBA partner locator to help users find SBA offices, Small Business Development Centers, Women’s Business Centers and SCORE. Users will also have mobile access to SBA video content and social media alerts to provide them with tips on the go. This will include live updates from the SBA’s YouTube channel and from SBA’s Twitter feeds. The free mobile app can be downloaded from the SBA’s website at www.sba.gov/content/sba-mobile-app.

Silverdale Sylvan Learning Center launches “Fit 4 Algebra” A recently released survey finds that most eighth and ninth graders consider algebra to be their toughest subject and the same goes for parents who say advanced math, like algebra, tops the subjects they struggle with when helping their children with homework.

The findings of the national survey are significant to the Silverdale-area community because algebra is regarded by many educators, including the U.S. Department of Education, to be a “well documented gateway course.” The designation comes from its importance as the foundation for high school level math and a critical stepping stone to college and future careers; from careers in electrical work to careers in architecture.

The challenge facing our students is underscored by the most recent results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which show that only 34 percent of eighth graders scored at or above the proficient level in math.

The nationwide survey of eighth and ninth graders and their parents was conducted between Aug 1 – 8, by Kelton Research and commissioned by Sylvan Learning, the leading provider of tutoring and supplemental education services to students of all ages and skill levels.

Among the key findings: • One in three students would be quick to sacrifice video game (36 percent) or Facebook (33 percent) privileges for a month to avoid taking algebra again.

• As students drown in anxiety over algebra, parents feel just as lost. Parents feel far more prepared to discuss delicate topics like drugs and alcohol (97 percent) and even sex (88 percent) with their child than to help with algebra homework (54 percent).

• Doing algebra is harder than completing tax returns. More than four out of five (82 percent) parents admit that they are likely to make more mistakes on their children’s algebra homework than on their tax returns.

• Six in ten (60 percent) parents are so unsure of their own algebra skills that they gave themselves a hypothetical grade of C or lower in their child’s algebra class.

These statistics add up to a “fear formula” in which the gap is widening between students’ needs and their parents’ ability to assist or provide the help required for success in algebra. Dr. Francis “Skip” Fennell, professor of Mathematics Education at McDaniel College and past president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, believes these numbers could be altered through simple preparation. “One of the most important considerations to student success in algebra is their readiness,” he says. “If we can identify student misconceptions, challenges, and struggles earlier, parents and teachers can provide students with the support they need to succeed.”

Sylvan Learning located in Silverdale seeks to accomplish this with the launch of “Fit 4 Algebra: Take the Algebra Fitness Challenge,” a free interactive online “screener” that parents can use to assess their children’s algebra readiness. It consists of a 21-question algebra readiness check-up, which tests the key skills identified by the National Mathematics Advisory Panel as providing the basic foundation for algebra.

After the child completes the screener, parents will receive diagnostic results that highlight areas of strength as well as areas that are in need of further skill development.

Additionally, parents will have immediate access to valuable free resources, including videobased math tutorials aligned to the skill areas where students need additional development.

Sylvan’s free screener is available on www.Fit4Algebra.org as of Sept. 19. Parents of children entering middle school are encouraged to have their child take the screener to assess algebra readiness at the start of a new school year. For more information about Sylvan Learning located in Silverdale, contact Gail Smith at (360) 447-9035 or gsmith.sylvan@comcast.net.

Boat battles brewing in Oly

Clear Creek Nursery shuts down after 13 years

Silverdale based non-profit earns Humanitarian Award

By Deborah Bach Allowing visiting boats to stay in Washington longer, making it easier for boatyards to install water treatment systems and protecting boaters from additional taxes are among the Northwest Marine Trade Association’s legislative priorities for next year.

The Seattle-based NMTA, whose mission is to promote recreational boating, is advocating for passage of a bill that would expand from 30 days to six months the amount of time visiting boats owned by business entities from out of state can remain in Washington waters.

Under current law, boats owned out of state by individuals — not businesses — can cruise in Washington for up to 180 days year after year or, alternatively, up to a year at a time, af ter which they must leave Washington waters for two years.

But boats owned by business entities from outside of the state can remain for only 60 days, then must either leave or pay 10 percent of the boat’s value in tax.

The proposed legislation, House Bill 1904, would allow boats owned by business entities, which tend to be larger boats with correspondingly bigger budgets, to remain in Washington for up to six months. It would also mean a business entity could purchase and cruise a boat in Washington for up to six months and pay just the cost of a cruising permit ($500 to $800, depending on the boat’s size) without paying sales tax.

A study funded by the NMTA and Northwest Yacht Brokers Association and conducted

by Bellevue, Wash.-based Hebert Research estimated that the legislation would result in entity-owned boats cruising in Washington waters an additional 14,460 days annually and spending more than $17 million.

After 13 years, and a number of financial setbacks — including the down economy and the unwillingness of his bank to work with him — Clear Creek Nursery owner Sean Olmsted has closed the business.

Olmsted, who bought the nursery in 1998, filed for Chapter 12 bankruptcy nine months ago, but changed the filing after the bank refused to work with him, he was quoted as saying.

After Kitsap County ordered a number of stormwater improvements to his property, Olmsted reportedly took out a $1.6 million loan about five years ago to pay for a new driveway approach and other improvements. His bank wouldn't loan the money for the project unless a building existed on the property, so Olmsted built the current structure at that time.

The project was finished about the same time the housing market nosedived, taking away a substantial portion of the company's business, which depended on contractors and landscaping businesses for its income.

When those industries slowed so did the demand of the nursery’s large-scale landscaping products.

The bank took ownership of the property and all remaining inventory on Jan. 1.

Olmsted said he will revive his previous business, Olmsted Landscape Development, and offer the same landscape services as the nursery. He hopes to be able to open a new nursery by spring, but the details are still being worked out.

The Silverdale-based Maasai Women’s Education and Empowerment Program, also known by its acronym MWEEP, was awarded “The Kitsap Peninsula Global Humanitarian Award” at the 2011 RESULTS Benefit Luncheon, which was held on Dec. 4 at the Kitsap Convention Center in Bremerton.

Receiving the award in a ceremony attended by nearly 200 people was Barb Stark, board president of MWEEP-USA. The Kitsap Peninsula Global Humanitarian Award was instituted by the Kitsap chapters of RESULTS in 2009 to honor outstanding contributions to the alleviation of hunger and poverty that are being made by individuals and organizations in our community. The award recognizes exemplary, innovative and strategic work in international settings in health, economic opportunity, and education, with special attention to projects that promise to become self sustaining. This is the third year that the award has been presented.

The Maasai Woman’s Education and Empowerment Program, MWEEP-Kenya, was founded in Nov. 2005 by a group of Maasai women in Kenya, East Africa. These women hoped to empower girls and women within their Maasai community through education. Funding for their project began in Dec. 2005, when Loanna and Jon Day of Silverdale, Washington, brought a financial “gift of hope” from donors in the United States by founding MWEEP-USA in 2008.

Yachtfish Marine in Port Orchard, which also has a yard on Lake Union in Seattle, is an example of one local business that would benefit from the change in state law. It does a lot of repair and retro-fit work on larger boats in both places, and is currently in the process of expanding its yard here to be able to work on 100-plus foot vessels.

No one knows Kitsap like Windermere.™

Property For Sale Or Lease

Bremerton CBA498642 $1,427,250 This 2.18 acre Commercial parcel is across the street from new WINCO foods and located at uptown Bremerton plat of Bay Vista. Excellent access and some exposure from St. Hwy 3. Victor Targett, CCIM for details 360-731-5550.

Bremerton CBA486951 $110,000 Downtown Redevelopment in Bremerton offer one level Commercial retail/office space with 1,240 SF, 2 restrooms, 5 parking spaces plus on street parking in an area of redevelopment. Victor Targett, CCIM for details 360-731-5550. $200,000 Bremerton CBA481338 Location - Location! This 5021 SF investment building with office/retail areas, loading ramp and lay down areas is situated on 3/4 acre lot. Close to Bremerton Shipyard, located on St. Hwy 3 in Gorst area. Victor Targett, CCIM for details 360-731-5550.

Bremerton CBA468464 $285,000 9000 Sq Ft building in the Bremerton Charleston area. Available for lease at .30 per foot, loading ramp, good parking and centrally located.

Victor Targett, CCIM for details 360-731-5550.

Kingston #CBA218220 Built out office space in a retail center. Great visibility to Hwy 104. Former Real Estate office.

Joe Michelsen 360-692-6102/360-509-4009.

Poulsbo #CBA494815 1,800 sq.ft. warehouse space between Poulsbo & Bainbridge Island. Includes office and roll-up door.

Joe Michelsen 360-692-6102/360-509-4009.

Silverdale #CBA485544 Four professional office spaces across from the Kitsap Mall. Sizes range from 1,166 sq.ft.-1,637 sq.ft. total 5,337 sq.ft. All ground floor suites in totally remodeled building. $16/sq.ft. full service includes all utilities.

Mark Danielsen 360-692-6102/360-509-1299.

Kingston #MLS293573 $249,500 This warehouse is minutes from Kingston Ferry, on Hwy 104. It is plumbed for air-compressor and has 3-phase power. Bob Guardino 360-692-6102/360-710-7844.

Bremerton #MLS265362 $588,000 4,000 sq.ft. Aircraft hanger with 2,000 sq.ft. Office and large lay-down or expansion area. This is the first property as you enter the Bremerton Airport. Large hangar doors in front and roll-up door in back. Last used as an industrial site.

Bob Guardino & Joe Michelsen 360-692-6102/360-710-7844.

Central Kitsap #MLS302807 $399,000 Live & work in a great high visibility commercial location! Charming 3 bdrm, 2 bth home; 1998 fully heated 2,100 sq.ft. shop w/two 10'X10' bay doors+ one 10'X14' RV bay door with 16' ceiling on 1.15 acres.

Mark Danielsen 360-692-6102/360-509-1299.

January 2012 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal • KPBJ.com 31

Recognizing the potential for revenues from the 2013 America’s Cup in San Francisco, the NMTA wants to make it as easy as possible for boats to head up the coast to Washington.

The bill was introduced during last year’s legislative session but failed to make it out of the House Ways and Means Committee. Peter Schrappen, the NMTA’s director of government affairs, has driven close to 2,800 miles around the state since July and met with 30-plus legislators to talk with them about the bill, among other NTMA priorities.

“We’re getting out of the office, telling our story and engaging legislators on the importance of boating and how local economies are supported by it,” he said.

Also on the NMTA’s legislative agenda is working with the state and environmental groups to streamline regulations and make it easier for boatyards to install water treatment systems. One Seattle-area boatyard, Schrappen said, purchased a water treatment system and waited about a year and a half to get the permits needed to install it.

The NTMA is also working to protect the Recreation Resource Account, which amounts to about $9 million per biennium in gas taxes paid by boaters. The account was approved by voters through an initiative in 1964 and had been used to improve docks, ramps and other boating infrastructure around Washington state.

But the account was swept into the state’s general fund in 2010, the only time that has happened since it was introduced. As state legislators look to close a $2-billion state budget gap, Schrappen said the NMTA is watching closely to ensure that doesn’t happen again.

Additionally, he said, the NMTA is remaining watchful about a proposed 10 percent “luxury tax” on boats purchased for $50,000 or more. Schrappen said while the tax is not currently part of any package Gov. Chris Gregoire is proposing, it was on a short list of revenue streams she was considering when she announced her proposed budget in November.

Also on the NMTA’s radar is a proposal made in 2010 to eliminate the trade-in deduction for boat purchases. The deduction allows boaters who trade in their vessels for more expensive ones to pay sales tax only on the difference between the two prices, rather than the entire price of the more expensive boat. The previous proposal to remove the deduction was defeated, Schrappen said, “but it’s another issue that seems to pop up every so often.”

The 30-day special legislative session started Nov. 28 and wrapped up right before Christmas.

The 2012 legislative session starts Jan. 9, and Schrappen said the NMTA will be ready.

“Everything’s on the table, so we need to be vigilant about all the taxes and fees the legislature is considering,” he said.

(Editor’s Note: Deborah Bach is the editor and co-founder of Three Sheets Northwest, where this originally appeared. It is reprinted with permission. She is an avid sailor and long-time professional journalist. You can find Deborah aboard Three Sheets, an Island Packet 38, with her husband Marty and their cat Lily.)

32 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal • KPBJ.com January 2012

Resolve to save money, reduce stress and even stay fit in 2012… by making better commuting choices weight, saving money and helping the environment throughout the year.

Air pollution from motor vehicles causes a variety of human and environmental problems that could be easily reduced. Driving less will help reduce urban air pollution. Think about the vast number of alternatives you can choose: walking, biking and taking the train or bus.

Go paperless: Pay as many of your bills as you can online. Reducing paper and fuel costs linked to all of these mailings are an easy green resolution. You can also go a step further and cut down on that mass of junk mail. Each year, 19 billion catalogs and unsolicited mail are sent to U.S. consumers, requiring more than 53 million trees and 56 billion gallons of wastewater to be produced.

The Direct Marketing Association and CatalogChoice.org offer an online free service to help stop unwanted mail and catalogs. Wouldn’t it be nice to have your mailbox empty of junk mail after all?

There are currently many obstacles that conspire to make bicycling or walking to work easier said than done around Kitsap County as we aren’t the most ‘walkable’ area. But, new roads projects, enhancement grants, and state mandates that require bike lanes to be included will make it both safer and easier to use non-motorized options for commuting to work and/or recreation opportunities.

Representatives from many groups including Kitsap Trees and Shoreline Association (KiTSA), the Suquamish Tribe, U.S. Navy, Washington State Departments of Transportation, Ecology, and Fish & Wildlife, West Sound Bicycling Club, and several experts came together in early 2010 to develop conceptual trail plans for pedestrians and bicycle riders along Sinclair Inlet, between Gorst and the Missouri Gate in Bremerton.

Various detailed concepts came out of that planning session, including stormwater strategies along the two-mile corridor that includes the Navy’s railroad tracks, state highway, and critical shoreline. The draft

Kitsap Humane Society is going green Partnership with Green Pet Compost Company will help keep the county clean The Kitsap Humane Society (KHS) enters a new realm of social responsibility by using Green Pet Compost Company’s services. Green Pet Compost Company has biodegradable waste bags, picks up dog waste and composts it.

The average dog’s output per day is 0.75 pounds of waste. KHS at any giving time may have 50 to 60 dogs in the shelter, equaling approximately 45 pounds of dog waste per day.

Typically, volunteers and staff pick up the waste using donated grocery bags and put it in the trash. Now, thanks to the new partnership, dog waste will be picked up using compostable bags that won’t harm the environment.

“This is a really exciting way for KHS to do our part for Puget Sound and Kitsap County,” said Sean Compton, executive director. “We obviously have the volume of dogs and waste, so it just makes sense to partner with Green Pet Compost Company to make some good of it,” he continued.

For more information, visit www.greenpetcompostcompany.com.

“Like” Us Facebook www.facebook.com/kitsappeninsulabusinessjournal

report went out for public comment through December 2011 and the final product may be published and distributed early this year.

The link to that report is located at www.grantsolutions.biz/kitsa/Sinclair%20I nlet%20Plan%20Nov%202011v1.pdf will be the basis for county adoption, future fundraising, and engineering to bring preferred concepts to reality. For more information and updates check the KiTSA

website at: www.kitsa.net.

It may take a whole year — or more — to achieve all those New Year’s resolutions, but at the end, your new habits will make you feel better, save money, and integrate benefits connected to a healthier lifestyle.

So, reaping both financial and health benefits may just make clean commuting the perfect choice for your 2012 New Year’s resolution!

January 2012 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal • KPBJ.com 33

By Kathleen Byrne-Barrantes Many of our top New Year’s resolutions are to lose weight, save money, spend more time with family or friends, go greener, and reduce stress. What if just a few simple changes could accomplish all FIVE of these objectives?

Take your bicycle, walk or use the public transportation system. Consider making a simple switch from driving alone to commuting alternatives — mass transit, carpool, buses — to meet your goals this year.

Here’s some of the best ways you can accomplish that: Choosing to walk or bicycle to work (or while making those short trips running errands) can help you reap health benefits associated with a healthier lifestyle. Because over 25 percent of most auto trips are less than a mile, it’s possible to walk or cycle to many of these. Not only will it slim down traffic, but will reduce air pollution — and eventually commuters’ waistlines.

Taking transit (such as Kitsap or Sound Transit) reduces stress while helping commuters make better use of time and money. “Leaving the driving to others” by opting for transit rather than driving will cut costs in gas, vehicle maintenance and those expensive parking fees.

Teleworking can save commuters over an hour a day by eliminating travel to work, which one can then use to spend more time with family and friends.

Joining that carpool or vanpool is an even easier way to meet and exchange conversation with new people while commuting. On the off days when it’s not their turn to drive, they arrive to work less stressed.

Choosing better commuting options can put money back in your pocket, while reducing traffic congestion and air pollution. And, by tracking your outcomes; you can see your progress toward losing

2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon: Trail toughness, city civility

By Bruce Caldwell The 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon is a truly unique vehicle. As such it’s not for everyone, but people that understand and love Jeeps are crazy about the Wrangler. The 2012 Wrangler Unlimited does an excellent job of blending traditional super tough, go-anywhere Jeep attributes with modern technologies and conveniences. The Wrangler doesn’t have the level of luxury found in the Jeep Grand Cherokee, but it’s a million miles ahead of its 1941 progenitor — the flat fender military Jeep. It’s a true multi-purpose vehicle.

Walkaround: There’s no mistaking the Jeep Wrangler for anything but a Jeep.

That’s an important attribute to Jeep loyalists. Other Jeep models carry recognizable styling cues, but none are as overt as the Wrangler. Jeep CJ models and earlier Wranglers have traditionally been two-door vehicles (the non-Unlimited Wrangler is still a two-door), but the fourdoor Unlimited has greatly improved versatility and still manages to look both handsome and rugged. Our test Rubicon model was a great bright red with a black removable hardtop. The black plastic fender flares are both functional and classic Jeep styling items. The grille/headlight styling is iconic.

Interior: The tan leather interior was the most luxurious Wrangler cockpit we’ve ever encountered. The Wrangler interior was redesigned for 2011. Again, it’s no Grand Cherokee, but it’s downright plush for a rugged Jeep. Most of the switchgear had to be fitted within the dashboard center stack area. That means items like the power window and mirror controls are on the dash instead of the removable doors.

The substantial rollbar is nicely padded, but the large overhead speakers can get in the way of rear seat passengers. We hauled three six-foot-plus adults in the rear seat, but it was a tight fit. Fortunately, it was a short shuttle to the Kingston ferry dock.

The rear seating position is very upright, but it’s a veritable limo compared to vintage Jeeps. It’s a fine space for smaller adults and children.

The split folding rear seats make for an expansive rear cargo area. They fold flat, so we were able to haul a couple oversized chairs with lots of room to spare. The sidehinged tailgate and top-hinged rear glass open wide for easy loading. There’s a rear power outlet and a small under floor storage bin.

Under The Hood: A new engine and transmission are big news for the 2012 Jeep Wrangler. The engine is a new 3.6-liter V-6 that produces 285 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of

2012 JEEP WRANGLER 34 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal • KPBJ.com January 2012

NEW HEART, SAME SOUL

torque. It replaces the previous 202 horsepower 3.8-liter V-6.

The improvement was so noticeable that we thought there was a V-8 under the hood. We had to read the spec sheet to dispel that notion. The optional 5-speed automatic transmission is very smooth (a 6-speed manual transmission is standard). The very useful Hill Descent Control feature is included with the automatic transmission.

The Wrangler Unlimited is only available as a four-wheeldrive model. The slick system includes a low-range (4:1 ratio) gear for serious off-road use.

Our Rubicon model also had locking differentials and an electronic front stabilizer bar disconnect feature.

We did some trail driving around Chimacum in Jefferson County with friends that have conquered the actual Rubicon Trail in the Sierra Nevada mountains. We experimented with the stabilizer disconnect feature, but didn’t try terrain rocky or rugged enough to notice a distinct difference. Our friends agreed that the feature would be beneficial on the extremely rocky Rubicon Trail. The Wrangler easily handled the loose dirt hills and rutted roads we tried.

The Wrangler Unlimited is EPA rated at 16-city/20-highway mpg. We got 20.5 mpg on a non-stop highway trip from Port Ludlow to Seattle and averaged 17.85 mpg in mixed city/highway driving.

Behind The Wheel: As mentioned previously, the Wrangler Unlimited is an off-road champ. We’ve had occasions to drive other Wranglers on muddy forest trails and never been challenged in any way.

The bigger surprise was how civilized the Wrangler was on the highway and around town. We were very pleased with its freeway demeanor. Even with relatively aggressive LT255/75R17 on/off road tires the interior was pleasantly quiet. The longer wheelbase of the Unlimited helps smooth out the highway ride. We’ve done highway time in big-tired CJ-5 Jeeps and thought we were going to get seasick.

The doors fit/finish was very good, Serving Kitsap County for 30 years

which contributed to the low wind noise levels. The outstanding sound system also helped. The supportive front seats and excellent legroom boosted the excellent driving experience. The Wrangler sits up high, which provides a good road view, although getting in and out can be challenging for shorter people.

Whines: Rearward vision is compromised by the rollbars, full-size spare tire and the large rear window mounted wiper motor. The large power side mirrors help alleviate this issue. The rear side windows are only controllable from the dashboard. This is fine for small children, but annoying for adults. We’d rather have the extra space than the oversized Infinity speaker that hogs the right rear corner of the cargo area.

Bottom Line: We thoroughly enjoyed the 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon. It’s always a blast off-road, but we were most impressed by how pleasant it was for highway and around town driving.

Its mountain goat features didn’t compromise daily usefulness. Jeep has managed to infuse the right amount of modern technology, safety, luxury, and convenience without diluting the rugged character and endless fun that define this iconic brand.

ER WINTALS! I SPEC nts gnme • Ali kes • Bra nsion pe s u •S

900 West Hills Blvd, Bremerton, WA 98312

360-377-4418

A complete green collision and automotive shop Proud to be a

www.westhillscjd.com four star business

We Will Beat Dealership Prices 360-876-2448 Hours: M-F 8:00 - 5:30 • Sat 9:00 - 12:00 2005 Sidney Ave., Port Orchard www.kensautobody.com

2012 DODGE CHARGER:

America’s first 8-speed automatic delivers best-in-class MPG

leather-looking grain. All the pillars are now covered in headliner fabric instead of plastic, and the aluminum trim on the dashboard is real. A 4.3-inch touch screen is standard and controls the radio, climate, and vehicle settings. Opt for navigation, and the display becomes 8.4 inches, and features Dodge’s Uconnect Touch system with integrated Garmin navigation, voice recognition and SIRIUS Traffic. With natural voice commands, the Uconnect Touch enables users to input street addresses and navigate to points of interest.

SIRIUS real-time traffic monitoring notifies the driver or enables the Garmin navigation to re-route past congestion.

A new, standard, smaller-diameter tilt/telescopic steering wheel, wrapped in soft leather, contains buttons for the audio controls, cruise control, and trip computer.

Also standard is an 8-way adjustable power driver’s seat with 4-way adjustable lumbar support; heated front seats; 276 watt, 6speaker audio system with remote USB port; audio input jack; and an autodimming rear view mirror with a built-in microphone for Bluetooth cell-phone use.

Noise-absorbing laminated windshield glass and double-paned front side windows help quiet the cabin. The last clue that Diamler once owned Chrysler — the Mercedes–style turn-signal, wiper, and what I always considered dangerous cruisecontrol stalks — are gone, replaced by Dodge parts.

Under The Hood: The standard powerplant is a new 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 that puts 292 horses to the highway. The big news is that it’s married to the first electronically-controlled, American 8speed ZF automatic transmission, which delivers a best-in-class 31 mpg/Highway and 19/City. Paddle shifters are also standard on the SXT. For those who just can’t resist the legendary Hemi, the 5.7-liter, 370-horse, V8 is available as an option.

Behind The Wheel: While the six lacks the deep, throaty rumble and torque of the

V-8, it does move the Charger with plenty of authority. The new windshield angle also helped resolve the second-most-common complaint: outward visibility.

The Charger rides on the same basic platform as before, and Dodge left the brakes, chassis layout, and the 120-inch wheelbase alone, along with the multilink front and rear suspensions. But the Charger has been retuned to feel smaller, more agile,

and sportier despite its full size.

The Charger’s sportier feel comes thanks to a new, quicker steering rack that features electrohydraulic assistance to save fuel. Steering is a little light for my personal taste, but not unpleasant, and does make the Charger feel somewhat smaller than it is.

All-wheel drive (AWD) remains available, but is now a stand-alone option.

Previously, AWD meant a raised ride height, but in 2011, Dodge lowered the AWD model’s suspension, bringing its stance nearly in line with that of other Chargers.

Whines: The front doors open so wide, that it’s hard to reach the grab handle from the seated position with them all the way open — which can be a pain in the rain.

Bottom Line: Buyers don’t have to compromise, as they can get the fuel efficiency of a mid-size car in a powerful full-size sedan with distinctive styling. The Charger remains a major badass with an attitude, but now it’s a much better daily driver. Dodge tweaked, but kept, what so many people liked about the classic Charger — the angry, fighting-bull stance, and aggressive attitude. In other words, the slightly retro 2012 Dodge Charger has been refined just enough, to manage its anger quite well.

2012 DODGE CHARGER HERITAGE-INSPIRED DESIGN

900 West Hills Blvd, Bremerton, WA 98312

360-377-4418 www.westhillscjd.com

January 2012 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal • KPBJ.com 35

By Lary Coppola No other car’s boldly aggressive styling says, “Don’t mess with me” with such eloquent menace as the Dodge Charger.

From the belligerent, forward-leaning crosshair grille, and scowling headlights, to the shoebox-sized side windows, the Charger is the perfect police cruiser. Cops love it because its simple presence has drivers pulling over — even without the lights flashing. Civilians love it for exactly the same reasons — it’s truly an intimidator.

The Charger was redesigned in 2011, and while the changes for 2012 are subtle, three letters sum up the most important change to the 2012 Charger lineup: SRT. Dodge shoehorned its 6.4-liter 470-horse V8 under the hood and married it to a fivespeed automatic with paddle shifters — plus two-mode adaptive dampers, huge Brembos, well-bolstered seats and big sticky tires mounted on 20s. Yeah, baby…

For 2012, the Dodge Charger lineup has been simplified to include SE, SXT and R/T models, as well as the aforementioned high-performance SRT8. All models offer technology, performance option packages to help buyers equip their Charger to satisfy their personal needs and tastes. The right options will make your V-6 Charger look just like the Hemi V-8 version — right down to the spoiler.

This review will be confined to our test vehicle, the 2012 SXT. Walkaround: While Dodge styled its retro-looking Challenger after the first generation, 70s original, it looked further back (1968-’70) to the second-generation Charger to define the new body’s characteristics.

Most obvious are the scooped-out hood and doors, although the scoops run deeper and are more exaggerated. The top of the indented crease runs along the top of the doors and becomes a shoulder line that broadens outward, defining the rear fender — just like the late-’60s Charger. The taillights consist of more than 160 glowing LEDs — a modern day concession to the ’70 Charger. Aside from those styling cues, the overall look is decidedly non-retro, while sporting just enough vintage design to satisfy classic Charger aficionados — even as a 4-door.

Dodge has employed aerodynamic tweaks in an attempt to address the top reason buyers rejected the previous Charger — fuel economy. A raked-back windshield, hidden wipers, restyled exterior mirrors, lower nose, deeper chin spoiler, and wheels pushed out toward the corners, all contribute to a reduced drag coefficient.

All Chargers boast dual exhaust tips and the option of up to 20-inch wheels (17-inch aluminums are standard).

Interior: Dodge also addressed one main complaint about the previous Charger — its cheezy interior materials.

Seating surfaces are no longer econobox quality, and dashboard plastics sport a new

Editor & Publisher Lary Coppola Advertising Sales Dee Coppola Creative Director Steve Horn Webmaster/IT Greg Piper Graphic Design Kris Lively Office Administration Jennifer Christine Web Host PCS Web Hosting LLC Contributing Writers Rodika Tollefson Adele Ferguson Don Brunell Kathleen Byrne-Barrantes Dan Weedin Bill Hoke Patricia Graf-Hoke Julie Tappero Paula Bartlett Arla Shephard Deborah Bach

36 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal • KPBJ.com January 2012

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, 2012, 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.

Wet Apple, Inc. 321 Tremont Street • Port Orchard, WA 98366-3764

(360) 876-7900 • (800) 733-7990 Fax: (360) 895-2495 Website: www.kpbj.com

Member Kitsap Economic Development Alliance Kitsap Visitors and Convention Bureau Homebuilders Association of Kitsap County Bainbridge Island Chamber of Commerce North Mason Chamber of Commerce Poulsbo Chamber of Commerce Silverdale Chamber of Commerce

Economic Development today and tomorrow — taking it to the max

By Patricia Graf-Hoke Executive Director Kitsap Peninsula Visitor and Convention Bureau Congratulations to the Port of Bremerton, Kitsap Economic Development Alliance, elected officials, and business leaders for investing $45,000 in the Boeing Max project study to bring attention to Kitsap County. We agree Kitsap County... and the Kitsap Peninsula... has a lot to offer businesses and their employees. Getting them to make the move takes persistence, investment and time.

The beauty and accessibility of our natural environment — 238 miles of shoreline, snowcapped mountains beyond, and close proximity to the 13th largest metropolitan market in the United States, makes it easy to command the attention of businesses prospects. Encouraging them to actually make the move to Kitsap County is much more complex and typically longterm, on-going investment process.

On the other hand, the economic development benefits created by tourism, tournaments, eco-recreation and conferences literally happens overnight and generates millions of dollars in tax revenues, creates and sustains jobs, and supports small businesses today and 365 days a year.

Kitsap County needs to embrace a wide-range of economic development strategies; those that can generate immediate sales revenues today and those that promise to take Kitsap County to the Max tomorrow.

The good news is we can easily do both to everyone’s benefit. The branding strategy and marketing program the Kitsap Peninsula Visitor & Convention Bureau (KPVCB) initiated in 2009 have resulted in international attention for the region.

According to Alexa Web Information Company and other website traffic ranking services, the KPVCB website is among the most popular in the region and averages from 50,000 to 80,000 visitors a month.

We have a lot of people knocking on our front door.

The KPVCB website is not only popular among tourists and planners, but is used by Harrison Medical Center, the Port of Bremerton, Naval Base Kitsap-Fleet & Family Services, KEDA, local Chambers of Commerce, and numerous other organizations and businesses as a centralized, online resource for information about local communities, events and things-to-do on the Kitsap Peninsula.

Everyone agrees that the Kitsap Peninsula is a remarkable region. In the past two years the KPVCB has made it its mission to brand the region as “the Natural Side of Puget Sound” and to educate both locals and those on the other side that the Kitsap Peninsula is a much different visitor destination from our friends on the Olympic Peninsula.

Thanks to our pro-active and aggressive public relations efforts, the KVPCB has succeeded in putting the Kitsap Peninsula region on the world map, helping us attract the attention of international writers, publications and travelers.

According to a report by Dean Runyan & Associates, the tourism industry in Kitsap County generates more than $260,000,000 annually. In 2009, tourism related services supported 3,200 jobs, generated more than $64 million in revenues including $24,000,000 just from Accommodation & Lodging sales and $4,300,000 in sales tax revenue. In spite of these impressive economic facts, Kitsap, the sixth largest county in the state, is

ranked 35th out of 39 counties based on population and per-capita lodging revenues.

There is no question we are leaving a lot of money on the table by not doing more to tap into the lucrative tourism market. If Yakima can turn old apple orchards into an internationally known Wine County, we should be able to turn 238 miles of shoreline in to a world-class mecca for ecorecreation/tourism, meetings and events.

Being located across from the 13th largest metropolitan market in the United States, and next door to the 17th busiest international airport in the nation gives the Kitsap Peninsula a huge advantage. This, combined with the fact that we are 30 minutes away from some of the world’s largest and most successful employers in the world...Microsoft, the Gates Foundation, Starbucks, Amazon, Google, the University of Washington, and other global health partners, begs the question; “What are we waiting for?”

Our natural wonders are our Bellagio Fountains and our Disneyland and we can easily lure these knowledge workers to our side of Puget Sound for a weekend of play, bird watching (we have 323 species here) kayaking, bicycling, shopping our quaint towns and enjoying our quality of life — the reasons we chose to live here.

Now is the time to act; for elected officials and businesses leaders to work together to diversify our economy and tap into our tourism potential now — to create jobs and revenues today while we work to attract manufacturers that will create even more jobs and revenues for tomorrow.

Washington should provide choices for low-income students

By Don C. Brunell, President Association of Washington Business Washington is one of only 10 states that effectively prohibit low-income parents from choosing where their children go to school.

The battle lines over alternatives such as charter public schools or school vouchers have been sharply drawn in our state.

Supporters say the issue is choice; that education is the key to a child’s future and parents — particularly low-income parents — should be able to send their children to the best possible schools. Opponents argue that alternatives to traditional public schools drain crucial revenue and leave behind only the poorest and most challenging students.

Now there is a solution that addresses both concerns: Tax Credit Scholarships.

Tax Credit Scholarships — funded by private donors — have been shown to save scarce tax dollars while enabling lowincome parents to choose the best school for their children.

The scholarships would go to lowincome students in K-12, allowing them to consider private schools or out-of-district public schools that better suit their individual needs — an option that is already available to higher-income families.

Florida already has such a program.

Administered by Florida’s Department of Revenue, the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship program, called “Step Up For Students,” was approved by legislators in 2001. The program provides K-12 education scholarships for low-income students that cover up to $4,011 for private school tuition and fees or up to $500 in

INCORRECT TAX INFO Your tax expert is not keeping up with his profession. The article in the December Business Journal “Tax Planning” on page 27 contains erroneous information.

The requirement to report 1099-k (credit card income) has been postponed until 2012.

There is no special requirement to report this on a 2011 tax return. The IRS specifically states that you should put zero on the line for reporting merchant card and third party payments. There are still a lot of issues that have to be worked out on the credit card payments.

Two big ones are that the credit card payments contain sales tax which Is not income to the business and also for restaurant businesses it contains tips for wait staff which is not income of the business. We are waiting to see if this reporting will indeed be effective for 2012. This issue is still up in the air.

Cecil R. Whitlock, CPA, Bremerton

transportation costs for students to attend an out-of-district public school.

Money for the scholarships is donated through approved nonprofit scholarshipfunding organizations (SFO) funded by Florida companies. In return, the companies receive a tax credit from the state. As with any tax credit, the state writes the rules that govern SFOs and administers the program.

Because the scholarships — and the related tax credits — are limited to half the usual cost to educate a student in the public schools, the state comes out a winner. The state retains half the cost of educating a student ($5,000), but that student has moved out of the public school system and into an educational setting that can better help them succeed.

Washington could — and should — do the same.

The scholarships would be limited to low-income and special needs children, and transferring students would be required to meet the same state educational standards as all other students.

Participation by private schools would be voluntary, and the only “strings” attached to children transferring to participating private schools would be a requirement that the schools accept the scholarships as full payment for tuition.

What would this mean for Washington public schools?

Today, approximately one million

Washington children attend the state’s public schools and 100,000 attend the state’s private schools.

If 10,000 low-income and special needs children transferred from public to private schools as the result of a Tax Credit Scholarship program and each transfer saved the state $5,000, the net benefit to the state budget would be $50 million.

Lawmakers could then reinvest that $50 million in K-12 education to improve public schools.

Even though Washington doesn’t have an income tax, private individuals and businesses who donate to qualified SFOs could receive a state tax credit from, for example, their state property taxes or Business and Occupation taxes. Most states provide a tax credit equal to 95 percent or more of the amount donated.

Florida’s tax credit scholarship program was created to help alleviate the enormous educational challenges faced by low-income children. Washington could do the same.

In the end, it really comes down to what’s best for students and the most effective way for them to learn. As famed 19th century education reformer Horace Mann said, “Education is the great equalizer.” Tax Credit Scholarships give low-income parents a choice and give low-income students an equal chance for success.

KPS INSURANCE ISSUE

PAYROLL TAX The so-called "payroll tax" is money taken out of your paycheck by the government and put into the Social Security Trust Fund (SSTF) to fund your Social Security retirement income. The employees' payroll tax rate was reduced in 2011 from 6.2 percent to 4.2 percent.

This meant more take-home pay, but it also meant over $100 billion didn't go into the SSTF. Congress previously passed a law requiring the 2 percent shortfall be taken from the General Fund and put into the SSTF — adding more than $100 billion to the national debt.

The same representatives — from both parties — who claim to support the financial health of Social Security are the same ones who saw it politically expedient to extend the reduced "payroll tax" rate. Obviously nothing is more important than re-election.

Joe Morrison, Bainbridge Island

January 2012 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal • KPBJ.com 37

Missing from the announcement of KPS’s abandonment of the individual market, is that before another carrier will write you, you will have to pass the litmus of screening by filling out a Standard Health Questionnaire. It doesn’t matter how many years you have been on the plan, if you amass too many points due to pre-existing conditions, you will be shunted into the expensive high-risk pool.

The legislature has made provision for enrollees on group plans to be able to move to coverage on an individual plan without being screened, provided they have had 24 months of continuous coverage and experience an event that qualifies them for COBRA coverage.

Be on the Washington State Basic Health plan for 24 continuous months and you qualify.

A solution would be a short amendment to the law establishing exemptions listed above, to include in the cohort of exemptees, those enrollees in Individual Health Insurer’s plans, when that insurer has abandoned the Individual market, who were enrolled for at least 24 continuous months and submit an application within 90 days of dis-enrollment. To help our neighbors, this law must be passed with an emergency clause this session. There are no lobbyists pushing for passage, only the consciences of our legislative delegation, so it’s up to us to make the calls. Asking the Insurance Commissioner to weigh in could help.

Matt Ryan, Bremerton

Random thoughts… and post-election comments Here at the world headquarters of the Business Journal, we have a somewhat obscure, extremely part-time, but always on the lookout for bizarre stuff, working group we refer to as the “Truth is Stranger Than Fiction, Because Fiction Has to Make Sense” (TSTFBFHMS) department. From the bowels of their dusty, dimly lit, barely functional cubicle, comes this...

In 2012, both Groundhog Day and the State of the Union address will occur on the same day. Think about what an ironic juxtaposition of events this is. One involves a meaningless ritual in which we look to an insignificant creature of little intelligence for prognostication.

The other involves a groundhog.

Another murky, and even more parttime corner of our HQ houses the “Out of the Mouths of Children” Department, which for the most part consists of executive oversight by my 8-year old grandson — aka The Bryceman. The other day, as he was perusing the toy section of one of our local department stores, and began closely examining several items he was considering investing his allowance in, he asked a very astute, and telling, question… papa, is everything made in China?”

I saw where because of the fact Americans as a group have become much more obese over the last decade, the Washington State Ferry System (WSF) has reduced the number of passengers it will allow on board its vessels. This of course reduces revenues and contributes to fare increases, but that’s another subject for another time.

A strong argument can be made that WSF has contributed to its own problem with the kinds of fare served in the onboard, less than semi-gourmet dining establishments — chicken strips, donuts, burgers, etc.

In a pro-active move to keep the problem from getting even worse, at least WSF serves light beer on board.

From the “Government has Finally Come to its Senses” Department, comes the news that the Feds have relented and will allow us to continue using Thomas Edison’s most famous LARY COPPOLA invention, the The Last Word incandescent light bulb.

Apparently, most people were in the dark about how close America came to the incandescent bulb never again being allowed to see — or provide — the light of day in America.

It seems big government has lots of folks who seem to think they know what’s best for all of us, and have absolutely nothing better to do than engage in meddling mischief. For inexplicable reasons, they decided to use the power of government to force Americans to use only those weirdlooking florescent bulbs — the ones made only in China, laden with toxic mercury, and required to be disposed of as hazardous waste — and to make it a crime to use Edison’s good old fashion incandescents.

Believe it or not, the person responsible

for driving the movement to reverse that nonsensical mandate was none other than Phyllis Schlafly. Remember her? Back in the 70’s she was seemingly the lone, antifeminist crusader against the Equal Rights Amendment for women. Glad to see her doing something more productive with her time, that benefits the greater good.

Finally, I’ve had lots of questions about my five-vote loss in the Port Orchard Mayoral election. First and foremost, I’d like to express a heartfelt “Thank You” to the voters who supported me, as well as the outstanding staff at City Hall. I’m truly grateful for your belief in me, and my vision for our City.

The Port Orchard Independent documented in depth what was a sleazy, highly dishonest, but well-orchestrated smear campaign against me. Editor Tim Kelly publicly chastised the group responsible — People for a Better Port Orchard — but by then, most of the damage was already done.

However, I sincerely appreciate Tim setting the record straight about the actual facts.

The people who financed the smear campaign are Port Orchard City Councilman Fred Chang, Cedar Cove Inn owner Gil Michael, Port Orchard Chamber Executive Coreen Johnson’s boyfriend, Steve Sego, as well as her daughter Rebeka — the sleaze campaign’s treasurer — and her son Joshua. Also donating were Military Air Cargo owner John Yamamura, along with County Assessor Jim Avery’s wife Sue, South Kitsap School Board member Patty Henderson, Cappricio Catering owner Desiree Steffens, Pam Piper, and Morningside Bakery. CPA Dawn Jake paid for mailing one of those sleazy hit pieces,

and her husband, who owns Bethel Towing, also contributed to the group. All the materials were printed by Fine Arts Litho.

I’ve decided to keep my personal opinions on the outcome, the new Mayor, and the City’s future, to myself. Publicizing them serves no useful purpose.

This was perhaps the most venomous, divisive election in the City’s history. As we go to press in late December, I still receive phone calls and emails from angry supporters demanding revenge for the loss. While, five votes is certainly no mandate for change, it’s time to close the book on this election so Port Orchard can begin the healing process, and move forward once again.

Although the majority of the City’s business community supported me, there are continuing efforts to discredit particular downtown businesses that were highly visible champions of my re-election. It’s time for the new Mayor to rein in his supporters responsible for that, actively reach out to a business community that didn’t support him, and find common ground. It’s also up to the business community to act with integrity by honestly seeking common ground with the new administration as well. Whether they like it or not, they need each other.

Port Orchard is well positioned for the future in terms of economic stability, low crime, and a great staff with a can-do attitude. With effective, pro-active leadership, healing the wounds inflicted by this election will allow Port Orchard become the great City it has all the potential to be.

But it’s up to both sides to allow that healing to begin, and for the new Mayor to lead the effort. I strongly support and encourage that.

I hope everyone else — on both sides — will as well. Port Orchard deserves nothing less.

38 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal • KPBJ.com January 2012

Supreme Court Justice Gary Alexander will be missed It’s really too bad that we don’t have a mandatory retirement age for members of Congress the way they do for our state supreme court and superior court judges.

Efforts to term limit Congress get nowhere because the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that voters can limit the stay of members ADELE FERGUSON every time an Politics election rolls around. Writers of our state constitution, however, apparently feared having old coots on the bench and said flatly that a judge of the supreme or superior court shall retire from judicial office at the end of the calendar year in which he attains the age of 75 years.

Most of them don’t want to. State Supreme Court Chief Justice Gerry Alexander doesn’t want to but there isn’t anything he can do about it. Now 75, he’s going back to private practice Jan. 1, after

38 consecutive years on the bench, 17 of them on the high court. He has served longer than any other judge in the state.

I remember interviewing him when he first ran for the court in 1994.

He was an appeals court judge then and from Tacoma, the only one running for the vacancy on the high court who wasn’t from King County. I will not vote for any candidate for judge who is opposed to the death penalty. I don’t want any more bleeding hearts on the bench who look for an “i “that isn’t dotted or a “t” that isn’t crossed in capital cases in an effort to delay or prevent the death penalty from being carried out.

Tell me where you stand on the death penalty, I said to Alexander. Are you philosophically opposed to it?

“I KNEW you were going to ask me that,” he said. “And my answer is that the death penalty has been upheld in Washington against every conceivable challenge and nothing in my emotional make-up precludes me from carrying it out.”

I was sure Judge Alexander considered his answer very carefully because Canon 7 of the code of judicial conduct said that candidates for judgeships cannot announce their views on disputed legal or political issues. If they did, they could be challenged as to impartiality when a case involved a disputed issue comes before them on the bench.

Judge Alexander was the only one of the announced candidates for the Supreme Court who disagreed with Canon 7 but to no avail. A task force had just completed a revamping of the judicial code and made no change in Canon 7, despite urging by the American Bar Association to loosen it up.

Voters complain about choosing judges because the judges refuse to answer questions about practically everything, saying the law won’t let them.

“Judicial candidates ought to be able to tell a little about their philosophy to give people enough information to make an intelligent decision when they vote, “Judge Alexander told me. “It shouldn’t be like the old 5th Amendment days — ’I’m sorry, I

refuse to answer that question.’ They should take the handcuffs off.”

Every justice will tell you that the death penalty is state law and that he or she abides by state law, even the ones you know for a fact are anti death penalty.

The one question Alexander was getting most on the campaign trail, he said, was why it took 12 years to execute Charles Rodman Campbell, who went to prison for raping a woman but while out on work release went to her home and killed her, her daughter and a neighbor. The 12 years it was indefensible, said Alexander.

It should have been done in one-fourth the time. It was federal anti-death penalty judges who protected Campbell, not ours. Alexander was well known for upholding the independence of the state in challenging the Boldt decision giving treaty Indian tribes up to 50 percent of the state’s fish. The state lost in the end but it was not for want to trying. We’re going to miss him.

(Adele Ferguson can be reached at P.O. Box 69, Hansville, Wa., 98340.)

January 2012 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal • KPBJ.com 39