Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal August 2014

August 2014 Vol. 27 No. 8

Est. 1988

An edition of the Kitsap Sun

Get out(doors), tourists

Kitsap Tourism Growing reputation as rec destination | 4 The region’s branding, marketing | 6 Running business promotes trails | 8

Return service requested The Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal Post Office Box 259 Bremerton, WA 98337

Presorted Standard U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 76 Bremerton, WA 98337 CAR-RT Presort

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Business Calendar Tuesday, Aug. 5 Your Business and the Law: Karen Klein will review her “Top 10 things to know” in the early years of your business. Part of a four-week seminar on setting up a business, protecting assets and fending off threats.

Where: Bainbridge Cinema When: noon Info: eventbrite.com/e/yourbusiness-and-the-law-tickets Wednesday, Aug. 6 Silverdale Greendrinks Benefitting The Coffee Oasis.

Attendees are encouraged to bring their own glass. Please RSVP to this event; must be 21 years and older.

Where: Hop Jack’s, Silverdale When: 5:24 to 8:03 p.m.

Cost: $10 (cash only) Info: rsvp@silverdalegreendrinks.com Wednesday to Friday, Aug. 6-8 Unleashing Leadership Join this three-day seminar to learn about yourself, your leadership style and what makes you effective as a leader. Designed for leaders facing new opportunities, challenges and leadership roles.

Where: IslandWood, 4450 Blakely Ave. NE, Bainbridge Island When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Info: islandwood.org Tuesday, Aug. 12 Your Business and the Law Martin Garthwaite will discuss patents, copyrights and trademarks. Part of a fourweek seminar on setting up a business, protecting assets and fending off threats.

Where: Bainbridge Cinema When: noon Info: eventbrite.com/e/yourbusiness-and-the-law-tickets Kitsap Business Forum: Government’s Role in Business Congressman Derek Kilmer, Kitsap County Commissioner Linda Streissguth and Bremerton Mayor Patty Lent will participate in the Kitsap Business Forum’s presentation of “We’re From the Government and We’re Here to Help!

(Really),” an interactive discussion. Please RSVP or register to attend.

Where: Morgan Stanley Conference Room, 2011 Myhre Road, Suite 301, Silverdale When: 7:30 to 9 a.m.

Info: kitsapbusinessforum. com or 360-692-6800

ing. RSVP is required.

Where: Bainbridge Island When: 4:30 p.m.

Cost: $10 donation suggested Info: westsoundtechnology. org

Thursday, Aug. 14 Understanding Credit and Credit Reports Hosted by American Financial Solutions. Childcare is available with registration.

Where: Kitsap Community Resources, 845 Eighth St., Bremerton When: 8:30 to 7 p.m.

Info: kcr.org, 360-478-2301

Tuesday, Aug. 26 Morning Stir Shannon Falkner with Delphis Creative Marketing Solutions will be presenting on effec-

Tuesday, Aug. 19 Your Business and the Law George Edensword-Break will discuss risks to your business related to aging. Part of a four-week seminar on setting up a business, protecting assets and fending off threats.

Where: Bainbridge Cinema When: noon Info: eventbrite.com/e/yourbusiness-and-the-law-tickets Wednesday, Aug. 20 Government Contracting 101 A general overview of how the federal, state and local government buys goods and services. Topics include marketing and selling your products and services, how government agencies advertise their procurements, how to locate subcontracting opportunities and more. Please register.

Where: Kitsap Economic Development Alliance, 4312 Kitsap Way, Suite 103, Bremerton When: 9 to 11 a.m.

Cost: Free Info: washingtonptac.org/ events-workshops Thursday, Aug. 21 WSTA Annual Summer Picnic A WSTA tradition for many years, the August picnic is a great opportunity to meet and mingle with members of West Sound Technology Association, SMB Nation and Puget Sound Small Business Server Users Group, as well as the region’s technology and business community. They will provide food, giveaways, conversation and casual network-

tive social media marketing.

Learn about various platforms, target groups and more. Please RSVP and bring a laptop.

Where: Kitsap Regional Library, 87 Sidney Ave., Port Orchard When: 8 to 9:30 a.m.

Cost: $0 to $5 Info: 360-876-3505

Your Business and the Law: Back to School A discussion of Contracts 101 for small businesses and independent contractors. Part of a four-week seminar on setting up a business, protecting assets and fending off threats.

Where: Bainbridge Cinema When: noon Info: eventbrite.com/e/your-

business-and-the-law-tickets Wednesday, Aug. 27 Edward Jones Coffee Club Donald Logan, a local Edward Jones financial advisor, hosts a coffee club the fourth Wednesday of every month to discuss up-to-date topics in the financial industry.

Where: Edward Jones, 2416 NW Myhre Road, Silverdale When: 8:15 a.m.

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ALSO IN THIS ISSUE • Wings eatery refocuses, 16 • Business openings, 23, 26

AUGUST 2014 | 3

WELCOME | DAVID NELSON

Coveting the region’s most renewable resource

E • Columnist Dan Weedin on business strategy, 27 • Columnist Julie Tappero on human resources, 28 • Band of brothers partner in pot-growing business, 30 • People in Business, 37

• Columnist Charles Keating on technology, 38

veryone knows the economic monoliths that have driven the Puget Sound economy — Boeing and Micro-

soft.

That dominance in Seattle is being enhanced by high-tech giant Amazon and other digital companies turning out job openings and service industry needs that support the sector, all of it proving there’s a good reason Seattle is worth a mention after Silicon Valley when national stories are published on booming tech markets.

So a Tweet in late July from the Seattle Times caught my eye — outdoor recreation provides as many jobs as the two giants I mentioned in the first sentence. Huh? That nugget was tucked into a story about our congressional delegation’s work to secure $30 million from the Land and Water

Conservation Fund, which could help pay for everything from municipal parks to improvements at Mount Rainier visitor areas.

But those 115,000 jobs are a significant detail. In the land of Microsoft millionaires and a hotbed of tech, the most valuable economic resource may be the simple stuff nature offers — and fortunately, offers throughout the region in abundance.

That’s why we focused this issue of the Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal on tourism, specifically tourism that’s tied to that booming outdoor industry. REI, after all, didn’t open a Silverdale store a year ago because we love pavement. There’s a strong thread running through this community — a trail network on the northern tip of the peninsula through the forestland of Mason County — that is being mentioned more and more often as a key driver to our local economy.

Visit Kitsap Peninsula, the region’s tourism agency, has made recreation the top pri-

The Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal is published by the Kitsap Sun the first week of every month, and distributed to business addresses through Kitsap County, North Mason and Gig Harbor.

Brent Morris, Publisher brent.morris@kitsapsun.com David Nelson, Editorial Director david.nelson@kitsapsun.com Tim Kelly, Managing Editor tim.kelly@kitsapsun.com editor@kpbj.com

Mike Stevens, Marketing Director mstevens@kitsapsun.com Jeremy Judd, Digital Director jeremy.judd@kitsapsun.com For inquires to receive the Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal at your business, contact Circulation Sales Director Hugh Hirata at 360-7925247 or hugh.hirata@kitsapsun.com.

To advertise in the Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal, contact Michael Stevens at 360-7923350.

TO SUBMIT NEWS: Tim Kelly, Managing Editor tim.kelly@kitsapsun.com 360.377-3711, ext. 5359 Standard mail postage to be paid at Bremerton, WA POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Kitsap Sun, PO Box 259, Bremerton, WA 98337-1413 © 2014 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal / Kitsap Sun ISSN 1050-3692 VOLUME 27, NO. 8

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ority in drawing visitors. Economic development efforts universally mention quality of life as an attraction, pointing most specifically at Kitsap’s access to water, a national park, and other open space that provides our beautiful backdrop. And a hike or a paddle is usually how I persuade friends and family from across the water to visit the West Sound.

The Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal is covering the business end of that issue, and this edition hopefully highlights a few of the ways business owners and groups supported by private-public investment are working to market the area’s outdoor opportunities. But I’m also pointing out the congressional delegation’s call for funding from the Land and Water Conversation Fund as a way to encourage you to learn more about the opportunities that exist there.

If we continue building on what I’d consider the region’s most renewable natural resource — fall leaves show up again and again, and Pacific Northwest summer nights are the highlight each August — we’re on the right track toward a healthy, successful community.

• David Nelson is Editorial Director of the Kitsap Sun.

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TOURISM

Kitsap Peninsula expands reputation as outdoor recreation destination

By Rodika Tollefson KPBJ contributor

Bainbridge Island is a popular destination any time of the year, but the last Sunday of each February the island sees a particular swarm of activity. Thousands of bicyclists ride around the island for Chilly Hilly, a Cascade Bicycle Club event that kicks off the bicycling season.

A tradition for 42 years, Chilly Hilly was named one of four classic rides in the country by Bicycling Magazine in 2010. It attracts an average of 3,000 riders — and about 6,000 in its peak year — from as far as Alaska, New York, British Columbia and even France.

Cascade Bicycling Club’s year-end event also happens to be on the Kitsap Peninsula, with an average of 200-some riders and more than 1,000 in its peak year. Called the Kitsap Color Classic, the September ride offers three loops that wind around North Kitsap. Riders hail from all over Puget Sound and as far as Portland.

“It’s a beautiful ride. The leaves are turning and the colors are absolutely striking,” said Anne-Marije Rook, communications director for the nonprofit Cascade Bicycle Club. “It’s definitely a scenic ride and the fall scenery makes it unique. And the communities along the way are very welcoming and friendly.”

It’s those types of attributes — scenery, friendly local support — among other aspects that have been building Kitsap Peninsula’s reputation as a destination for anyone who loves outdoor recreation and adventure sports. From runners and bicyclists to paddlers and golfers, athletes and leisure recreation travelers alike are creating a notable economic engine for the region.

Port Gamble and North Kitsap in general are especially popular with outside organizers — thanks largely to the extensive trail system and the local support.

The Stottlemeyer 30/60 Mile Mountain Bike Race is one example. Organized by 4th Dimension Racing LLC, the race brought 450 cyclists to the area from about 20 states in May. As many as 200 of them spent the night, the majority in local hotels (some camp).

“There are not that many trail systems this large in Western Washington,” said Roger Michel, 4th Dimension owner and race director who organizes 25 events a year around the state.

Besides the trail system, Michel said there’s other important infrastructure that makes the location ideal — including a large field for a staging area, proximity to a town, support from Port Gamble (Pope Resources) and local volunteers.

The volunteers are provided by the North Kitsap Trail Association, which in exchange receives a percentage of the pro-

Biketoberfest, organized by the West Sound Chapter of Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance, is one of numerous popular bicycling events held in the Port Gamble area.

“I think once people get over here on the peninsula and see the trails and the water and the cute little towns, they realize it’s a great destination.”

Lisa Cragg, co-director of the Poulsbo Marathon ceeds. NKTA member Carolina Veenstra said the Stottlemeyer 30/60 is the secondlargest fundraiser for the organization, after the Poulsbo Marathon, and brought in $2,500 this year.

Michel said a study 4th Dimension has done estimates that the event generates $100,000 to $125,000 for North Kitsap establishments.

“Most bikers are very methodical about their training so they come ahead of the event to pre-ride, and many stay the weekend with their family,” he said.

Other ride organizers are taking notice.

In August, Kitsap Peninsula will host a new bicycling event: Obliteride. A grassroots, Seattle-based fundraiser for the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Obliteride raised nearly $2 million in 2013, its inaugural year.

When organizers wanted to add a longer, two-day route for participants this year, they worked with a scouting group — and landed on the Kitsap Peninsula (perhaps it didn’t hurt either that the organization’s executive director was familiar with the area.)

“We wanted to give our two-day riders a real treat, with gorgeous scenery and challenging terrain,” said Kerri Kazaba Sch-

NEW FALL EVENT: CIDER SWIG IN GIG HARBOR The Greater Gig Harbor Foundation is organizing the inaugural Cider Swig, a festival for all ages that will be held Sept 27.

The event is a fundraiser for the nonprofit foundation. (Story, page 24)

neider, an Obliteride spokesperson.

About 100 of this year’s participants are expected to opt for the two-day route. With an after-ride party in Seattle featuring chef Tom Douglas, three former contestants on “The Voice” television show and headliner Michael Franti — plus a good cause — it’s not surprising that the event attracts riders from as far as Texas and Florida.

And there is a residual effect. These kinds of events serve as an introduction to the area.

“Those are all new people who are potential visitors to come back with families or host an event,” said Patty Graf-Hoke, executive director of Visit Kitsap Peninsula.

Capitalizing on this interest, Visit Kitsap is trying to make the peninsula even more visible to bicyclists. The county’s designat-

ON THE COVER Clockwise from top: Stand-up paddleboarders and kayakers cruise on Liberty Bay in Poulsbo on a recent sunny day.

Julie Snyder of the Evergreen Mountain Bike Association leads a group of cyclists up a closed road in the Port Gamble trail system.

More than 500 runners participated in the Poulsbo Marathon last fall.

Kitsap Sun file photos.

ed DMO (Destination Marketing Organization) has introduced a new marketing campaign that includes special rest-stop signs alerting cyclists to locations that offer amenities for them. The signs will be available for farms and other businesses.

The idea was inspired by Nikki Johanson, owner of Pheasant Field Farms, who noted she frequently receives visitors on bikes. After Graf-Hoke developed the concept, she said Washington Bikes executive director Barb Chamberlin liked it so much that it will partner with Visit Kitsap to adopt it as a statewide promotion.

“We are a stop on the leisure bike route.

It makes us a more friendly place and helps more people recognize we have a destination that’s welcoming people who are into outdoors and adventure sports,” Graf-Hoke said.

It also helps that Kitsap has an active bicycling community. So active, in fact, that the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance, a statewide group with more than 5,000 members, created a West Sound chapter last year. And since then, the chapter grew to be the largest in the state — with about 250 members including some from areas such as Seattle and Olympia.

The chapter’s weekly Tuesday rides attract as many as 50 people, some of whom come on the ferry from Edmonds and Seattle. About 300 people are expected to come to Biketoberfest in September in Port Gamble. The local brews, it turns out, are one of the attractions, said chapter president Brian Kilpatrick.

“The beer is amazing and bringing many people — they come to ride and sample beers,” he said, adding that part of the strength of the area is also the people, who have been “itching to organize” and build newer, more sustainable trails.

Another part of the appeal is the variety of outdoor activities for the more die-hard enthusiasts.

“A lot of people are also active in water sports and trail running and you can do that right here,” Kilpatrick said. “They can come here and do so many things.”

RUNNING, PADDLING AND BEYOND NKTA’s Veenstra is a typical outdoor enthusiast. She bikes, walks, swims and runs.

She says her ideal vacation is a place where she doesn’t have to drive her car around.

“I look at where I can ride my bike, walk and have good food,” she said. “I think there’s a growing piece of the population interested in those kinds of experiences.”

Local races like marathons and triathlons

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TOURISM to be personable,” she said.

“I think the appeal is in the beauty of this area. … And the community is very supportive, including the local agencies.”

When WestSound Triathlon Club looked for a venue to start an event three years ago, the appeal of the area was one of the considerations, along with low traffic. “We looked for KITSAP BANK 4X8.500 KPBJ-AUG KITSAP BANK JR 30002749

are the perfect introduction to a potential vacation spot for outdoor recreation seekers. Ironically, many of the local events were organized to give Kitsap athletes a local outlet but grew to attract visitors.

Poulsbo Marathon in October is one such race. Now in its fifth year, the Bostonqualifying marathon draw more than 500 runners.

About a third come from outside of Kitsap.

“The founders started it because runners always had to go to Seattle.

We thought it would be local but we have a lot of people from places like Canada, Japan and Europe,” said Lisa Cragg, marathon co-director.

Out-of-towners usually stay at the Guest House Inn, one of the event sponsors, and this year, organizers are hoping to partner with more restaurants

Part of Visit Kitsap Peninsula’s regionwide tourism marketing included developing a map (above) of the Kitsap Peninsula Water Trails that is widely distributed around the Puget Sound area.

A new campaign includes special rest-stop signs (left) alerting cyclists to locations that offer amenities for them. The signs will be available for farms and other businesses to display.

and breweries.

“I think once people get over here on the peninsula and see the trails and the water and the cute little towns, they realize it’s a great destination,” Cragg said.

The Tri Turtle Tri, a triathlon introduced in 2006, likewise brings in athletes from several states. Staged in the Wildcat Lake area, this year’s September triathlon has about 400 entrants registered from as far as Alaska, Colorado and Rhode Island. Roughly a third of participants are from outside of Kitsap, and race organizer Lisa Ballou said she doesn’t do any marketing and simply emails past participants every year.

“The race is large enough to have significant competition but it’s small enough

a place where people can spend a weekend in a nice area,” said Scott Sachi, club president.

Several of the 62 participants for WildHare Triathlon came from out of the area last year, and organizers are stepping up efforts to promote the triathlon as far as Spokane. One reason, Sachi said, is because they want to make it an Olym-

pic distance (currently it’s sprint), which would require 100 athletes. Volunteers also promoted WildHare at an Ocean Shores event.

“Kitsap I think is underrated and an outstanding area for these events,” Sacchi said. “The weather is temperate and we have venues where we can offer different events. Kitsap has a lot of potential for

growth.”

Some new businesses are looking to cater to that growth, too — the opening of REI in Silverdale and Kingston Adventures (which offers rentals and guided activities) are cases in point. Sporting goods sales in Kitsap County’s unincorporated areas went up by $2.8 million in SEE OUTDOOR | 13

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TOURISM

Spreading the word about all Kitsap has to offer

By Tim Kelly KPBJ editor

China is the world’s most populous country, and millions of its citizens who travel abroad are affluent tourists who love coming to America. A recent CNN Money article noted that Chinese visitors to the United States jumped from under 400,000 in 2007 to almost 1.5 million in 2012, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. And in 2012 those travelers spent almost $9 billion in the U.S. Well-known destinations such as Disneyland, Las Vegas, San Francisco and Yellowstone are top attractions, of course.

But this spring, passengers on China Airlines perusing the in-flight trav- bin-Ahrens el magazine Dynasty saw Say “I Do” or "Bable e My Vaexan article about a lesser-known l ti posure in the travel magbut enticing coastal area on the azine of China’s national airline? this side of the Pacific — a place “We get these calls from travcalled the Kitsap Peninsula. el writers,” explained Patty GrafHow did Kitsap get such desir-

Recent examples of publicity for the Kitsap Peninsula as a travel destination include (clockwise from top left): an article in the in-flight magazine of China Airlines, an article in Western Living magazine, and an ad placed by Visit Kitsap Peninsula in Seattle magazine highlighting Kitsap as a place for weddings.

Hoke, executive director of Visit Kitsap Peninsula (VKP). “We are the go-to contact for people wanting Aubin-Ahrens to know about the Kitsap Peninsula in general.

“We maintain relationships, and try to cultivate relationships with freelance travel writers, and

those people often write for multiple publications.”

A tourist is defined simply as “a person who travels to a place for pleasure” — whether they come from across the ocean, across the Canadian border, or just across Puget Sound on a ferry from the Seattle metro area.

And the Kitsap Peninsula is a place that offers an abundance of pleasures for those travelers, especially folks who like to be physically active in their leisure pursuits.

(See story, page 4) Boaters, paddlers, bikers, hikers, antique browsers, art aficionados, stoked skateboarders, microbrew lovers, golfers, gamblers, garden admirers, gourmet diners, military and tribal history buffs — Kitsap has something to appeal to all of them.

That’s all encompassed in tourism, which is the business of providing lodging, food and drink, recreation and entertainment for leisure travelers. Getting those visitors here, however — to spend their money at hotels, restaurants and myriad local spots — requires tourism promotion.

That takes money to fund an effective marketing strategy, because lots of other places

WWW.KPBJ.COM around Puget Sound, the Pacific Northwest and far beyond are vying to make their destinations desirable in the eyes of tourists.

The strategy part has been VKP’s focus since Graf-Hoke was hired five years ago.

The funding part, well, … there’s the rub.

Graf-Hoke, a career professional in marketing and communications, points to a key strategic goal achieved over the last few years — even with VKP’s limited budget and staff — that some local tourism stakeholders may not fully appreciate or may take for granted.

“We are often asked to provide statistics that demonstrate that the branding strategy and marketing programs the VKP uses actually generate results,” she said. “We have a wide range of statistics we can reference, but the most important one as far as we are concerned is the fact in the past five years the VKP has successfully branded the ‘Kitsap Peninsula’ as its own unique destination.”

Now, she notes, the peninsula is a recognized location used in news and weather reports and on travel sites such as Expedia and Travelocity.

Kitsap used to be considered — if travelers considered it at all — as a gateway to the huge Olympic Peninsula and its mountainous national park. Graf-Hoke worked with VKP board member John Kuntz, who owns Olympic Outdoor Center locations in Port Gamble, Poulsbo and Silverdale, and other supporters to establish a separate identity for Kitsap.

“We achieved that result by initiating a branding campaign in 2009 to position the Kitsap Peninsula as the ‘Natural Side of Puget Sound,’” Graf-Hoke said.

That approach promotes the whole region and everything it has to offer collectively. Visit Kitsap often places co-op ads in media such as Seattle magazine or travel publications, that highlight one theme in Kitsap’s attractions — all the farmers markets, or wedding venues, or summer community festivals. The Brews & Bites feature on the organization’s visitkit-

AUGUST 2014 | 7 sap.com website provides a listing and map of the area’s popular craft breweries and brewpubs.

One of the most significant, and inclusive, marketing successes for VKP is the creation of the Kitsap Peninsula Water Trails, which earlier this year was designated part of the National Water Trails System by the National Park Service.

Maps of the water trails — showing every community along Kitsap’s 371 miles of shoreline from Point No Point to Yukon Harbor — are widely distributed at tourism information centers, ferries and outdoor retailers all around Puget Sound.

“I would suggest every business should have a copy of the Kitsap Water Trails map; it’s an awesome map,” Jon Rose said during a panel discussion of tourism at the July session of the Kitsap Business Forum. Rose is president of Olympic Property Group, which is seeking approval for an ambitious commercial development plan in Port Gamble, and he is a key figure in the North Kitsap Tourism Consortium.

The VKP’s regionwide marketing approach — funded primarily by local lodging taxes — has yielded far-reaching publicity for the Kitsap Peninsula, such as the article in the Chinese in-flight magazine and another this summer in Western Living, an upscale lifestyle/travel magazine published in Vancouver, B.C. However, in the last year or two, some tourism advocates in Kitsap have undertaken more narrowly focused marketing campaigns, seeking to promote their own communities, events or attractions.

Notable examples are the website findpoulsbo.com, which was paid for with lodging tax funds, and the privately funded North Kitsap Tourism Consortium.

Both are following, to some extent, the model VKP has used successfully.

“The idea is if you’re going to visit here, … this is one place to find everything you need,” Poulsbo Chamber of Commerce executive director Jan Harrison said of the website created by local public relations firm Rockfish Group.

The North Kitsap Tourism

The home page of findpoulsbo.com

Consortium — funded primarily by Port Madison Enterprises, which owns Suquamish Clearwater

Casino Resort, and Olympic Property Group — paid $15,000 for consultant Roger Brooks to develop a

HILL MOVING SERVICE 4X8.500 KPBJ-AUG HILL MOVING PG 7 30002744

branding campaign that came up with “Washington’s Sanctuary Shore” as the theme for marketing the area.

“Our mission is to joint market the North Kitsap Peninsula,” coalition chair Nancy Langwith said. “This provides us with an umbrella brand to put over our communities. Each community will have its own brand under the umbrella brand.”

That’s the approach VKP has maintained in market-

ing the entire peninsula as The Natural Side of Puget Sound.

An article on the Kitsap Economic Development Alliance website plugging the Find Poulsbo effort said before that website popped up to offer “one-stop shopping,” visitors planning a Poulsbo trip had to check several different online sites to find information about activities, hotels, local attractions, etc. There’s no mention or SEE KITSAP | 13

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TOURISM

Runners’ store a natural fit with trails network Poulsbo couple stages Roots Rock Trail Running series to promote North Kitsap as outdoor venue

Poulsbo Running owner Brooke Hammett, left, helps regular customer Larry Asher of Poulsbo with a new pair of running shoes.

Hammett and her husband, Chris, organize the Roots Rock Trail Running series.

By Terri Gleich For KPBJ

When Chris and Brooke Hammett created a series of Port Gamble trail running races in 2006, they wanted to do more than just promote their new running store. They also wanted to promote the trails.

“We really wanted people to realize what they have in their own backyard in terms of the trails there,” said Brooke Hammett, whose Poulsbo Running sells shoes and apparel for runners and triathletes.

Eight years later, the Roots Rock Trail Running series attracts hundreds of people each year, with participants from as far away as Japan, and Hammett, as a board member of the North Kitsap Trails Association, is part of a coalition working to purchase the undeveloped trail lands and permanently preserve public access to them.

Jon Rose, president of Olympic Property Group, which owns the land, said the Hammetts’ races have drawn attention to

LARRY STEAGALL

the trails as a community resource and inspired other events, including the state’s biggest mountain bike race.

“They have definitely helped build awareness that there is something worth preserving in Port Gamble,” he said.

Rose believes that events such as the Roots Rock races, the Stottlemeyer 30/60 Mile Mountain Bike Race and a multi-sport race sponsored by Olympic Outdoor Center can be the nucleus of a new tourism economy in north Kitsap that revolves around

developing the trails and surrounding land for recreational use, and eventually creating a trail system that links Puget Sound with the Olympics.

When the Hammetts began their racing series, the Port Gamble trails were not well known. In fact, the couple had only learned about them by accident a few years earlier when Brooke Hammett stumbled upon the Stottlemeyer trailhead during a training run.

“Once we discovered they were there, we

didn’t want to run anywhere else,” she said.

At the time, Chris Hammett said, there were no trail running races on this side of Puget Sound, nor were there any ultras, which are races longer than a marathon.

The couple saw an opportunity to fill that void and the Port Gamble trials were the perfect venue.

This year there are five races in the Roots Rock series, which started in February with a 50K/25K run benefitting Fishline. Still to come this year are the Port Gamble Half Marathon on Aug. 3 and the popular Spooky 12K Oct. 26, which includes a costume contest and free one-mile race for kids.

The other two 2014 races were the Forest 5K in June and the Lumberjack Endurance Runs in April. About 60 people participated in the endurance event, choosing from distances of 100 miles, 100K and 50 miles.

Participants ran around the clock for up to 30 hours, stopping only to grab a quick bite and change their socks.

Linda Berry-Maraist, a Poulsbo City Council member and president of the trails association, said tourism statistics show that events like the Lumberjack Endurance Runs draw people to North Kitsap and benefit local businesses. They also present the area to its best advantage.

“What’s really unique about Port Gamble SEE TR AILS | 16

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Port of Kingston, paddle business owner locked in legal battle

By Tim Kelly KPBJ editor

Is the Port of Kingston evicting an obstinate tenant who refuses to comply with reasonable regulations? Or is management retaliating against a successful woman business owner who publicly questioned the port’s policies and decisions?

Those disparate views are the basis for lawsuits filed by the port and Kingston Adventures owner Beth Brewster against each other.

While waiting for courts to consider the issues, the more urgent matter for Brewster is letting people know Kingston Adventures still has stand-up paddleboards and kayaks to rent this summer on Appletree Cove.

“Right now we’re just trying to get word out that we’re still open,” Brewster said in late July.

The port filed an eviction lawsuit in Kitsap County Superior Court after Kingston Adventures did not comply with a notice served May 19 to remove its kayaks from racks at the port’s small-watercraft facility by June 30.

That followed a lawsuit Brewster filed June 26 in U.S. District Court in Tacoma, claiming the port’s actions trying to force her business out are retaliatory, and that she is facing discrimination as a woman business owner.

The months-long dispute between Brewster and the port that led to the lawsuits stems from moving a float that Kingston Adventures had used the past two summers to launch its kayaks and paddleboards.

The 220-square-foot float had been next to the dock and storage racks at the small-watercraft facility.

It was moved in April to a different spot on the waterfront that is not easily accessible for people who rent watercraft from Kingston Adventures, Brewster said.

The port said the float is owned by the city of Poulsbo and was moved to better accommodate a sailing program run by the city’s parks department. A state-

KITSAP SUN FILE

Beth Brewster, owner of Kingston Adventures.

ment on the port’s website also said the previous location of the float in the marina fairway violated safety standards.

Both sides accuse the other of refusing to work out a compromise solution to the contentious situation.

Brewster’s attorney, Dennis McGlothin, said the decision to move the float in April came two months after Brewster began publicly criticizing some port decisions, including its refusal to allow use of a large tent for a planned winter community festival.

McGlothin also said the claim of discrimination in Brewster’s lawsuit is based on the port’s documented “history of treating women differently than men,” particularly in businesses on port property.

The port’s online statement said Kingston Adventures was ordered to vacate because of “ongoing violations of their kayak storage agreement and ... refusal to enter into a commercial use agreement” for port facilities.

Brewster’s lawsuit claims her business has operated on a month-to-month use agreement with the port since her initial one-year contract expired in 2012, and that agreement should remain in effect.

McGlothin had asked in Kitsap County Superior Court for a stay of the port’s eviction lawsuit until Brewster’s discrimination lawsuit is heard in federal court. That request was denied and the case was scheduled for trial.

McGlothin said Brewster was willing to sign a new commercial use agreement, but objects to a non-dispar-

agement clause inserted by port Commissioner Bruce McIntyre that would void the agreement if Brewster publicly makes any negative comments about the port.

“Basically, our position is they just don’t want her around,” McGlothin said.

The lawsuit seeks unspecifed damages for lost business caused by the port’s actions.

“We have lost sales,” Brewster said. “The Fourth of July is typically a time we have no equipment available, and there were times we had no one on the water” during this summer’s holiday weekend.

She said losing access to the float also limits the ability to stage large group events, such as the popular Bioluminescence Pad-

dle held at night.

Brewster, an accomplished triathlete who competed in the Ultraman Championships last year in Hawaii, opened her business in 2011.

After the float was moved this spring, a large group of people supporting Brewster and her business attended an April 23 port commission meeting. They asked

commissioners to restore Kingston Adventures’ use of the float or find another solution.

Despite the challenges facing her business this summer, Brewster hosted her fourth annual women’s retreat the first weekend in August. The event includes many outdoor activity choices, plus a women’s health and fitness expo.

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RETIREMENT PLANNING | JASON PARKER

Avoid self-created financial hardship Two of the most challenging questions I’ve ever been asked were: 1) How will you be remembered?

2) What have you contributed?

After being asked those questions and contemplating the answer, I overheard someone talking about me.

They said, “Jason is very driven.” While I appreciated that what they said was meant as a compliment, I realized it was not what I had hoped someone might say.

A friend of mine is contemplating divorce. I am always sad and a little scared when I hear a longtime marriage is coming to an end. I’m reminded that it really takes two people to make a marriage work.

I’ve learned that usually one person is committed to the relationship while one PARKER FINANCIAL 3X5.250 KPBJ-AUG PARKER FI 1/4S 30002754

person wants out. As we talked, I asked him to reflect on his past 20 years of marriage and share with me any insights on what he would have done differently to try to avoid this painful place in his life.

He said: 1) I should have made it a priority to set aside more time to go out on dates with my wife. He said looking back he realized that she needed a little time away from the kids; time to connect with him.

2) I should have created a vision for our lives with my wife and revisited that vision for our lives together on a regular basis to make sure we were on the right track and making progress toward our life goals together.

I share this with you for a couple of reasons: First, as a financial adviser, let me just say that divorce is probably the most expensive, most costly financial choice you will ever make;

second, I’ve read that financial strain is one of the top reasons for divorce. If you are experiencing financial hardship, then you need to be more vigilant than ever regarding your marriage. I’ve heard it said that often people will leave 80 percent of something great to chase the 20 percent of something they hope they will find in someone else. Once they find the 20 percent they were looking for, they realize that the new person isn’t perfect either and so they begin the search all over again.

They are always searching for the missing 20 percent.

Falling in love is easy.

Being in love for a lifetime is a choice and it takes work. At a summer barbecue a few years ago, I was talking with a woman whose husband had recently passed away. When it was just me and her sitting at the table she told me how she had a shoebox full of love letters her hus-

band had written her over the years. Even though he was gone she was still in love with him, and when she needed a little pick-meup to be reminded of his love for her, she would pull out one of those letters and remember. She said to me, “Jason, don’t ever underestimate the importance of those little notes you write to your wife.”

What I realized at that moment was that I had not written very many love letters to my wife. So after hearing her words of wisdom, I decided to take action. For one year I kept a love journal. I made it a priority to spend the first few minutes of my day to write one thing I loved about my wife. It was usually just a sentence or two about what I remembered from the day before. Over the course of the year I found something new to love about my wife every day. At the end of the year I gave the journal to

KITSAP ECONOMIC DEVELOPME 3X8.000 KPBJ-AUG KEDA 1/3S 30003433

my wife for our 17th wedding anniversary.

In the Bible in Matthew there is a verse that reads, “seek and you will find.” It’s amazing how we tend to find what we look for. When we focus on the good and when we choose to be grateful, it impacts our hearts in a significant and meaningful way. Learning to be content comes in part from learning to be grateful for all that we have. While keeping this journal I had thought I was writing it simply as a gift for my wife SEE PARKER | 11

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FINANCIAL FOCUS | EDWARD JONES

Should you be a ‘hands-on investor?

(Article for use by Edward Jones financial advisor Michael Allen of Silverdale.)

If you want to send your children or grandchildren to college, retire comfortably and achieve other important life goals, you will have to invest — it’s that simple. But the process of investing can sometimes seem anything but simple.

What can you do to gain confidence that you are making the right investment moves?

The answer may depend on how involved you want to be with your investment decisions. Initially, you might think that you would like to be totally “hands on.” After all, how you save and invest your money is unquestionably a highly personal matter.

And once you start exploring the investment world, you may find it fascinating, as it entails virtually every human endeavor imaginable: business, politics, science, the environment, and so on. But if you

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so that she would always know how important she is to me. But what I found was that in keeping this journal, I fell even more in love with her. The real gift was for me to be reminded of just how lucky I am.

If you are investing in your retirement plan, but you say you can’t afford a babysitter, or a night out, or a bouquet of flowers, then I’m afraid you might end up with a lot less than you were planning for and your retirement vision could be completely lost.

If you are considering divorce, please let me encourage you to look for ways to repair your marriage. Perhaps you could begin by keeping a love journal. Love is worth it. It will be your greatest achievement, your most prized possession and your greatest legacy.

At the end of my time, if

want to completely run your own show, you will need to put in a lot of work — such as studying the financial markets, staying up-to-date on changing investment environments and monitoring your portfolio to make sure it is still appropriate for your financial needs and goals.

Most people find that they do not have the time or expertise to manage this investment process on their own, which is why they turn to professional financial advisors. The key advantage in working with an advisor is that he or she knows your risk tolerance, goals and family situation, and can help you create a personalized, long-term investment strategy. A good financial advisor will communicate with you regularly and make recommendations. A financial advisor can offer you a variety of strategies and types of investments — such as stocks, bonds and mutual funds — to help you work toward your goals. Ultimately, though, you will be

I am only remembered as a man who was driven, then I’m afraid it would not be a life very well lived. For what is it to gain all earthly possessions, but in the pursuit of acquiring more stuff lose the relationships that matter the most? Let me encourage you to create a vision for your life. Begin with the end in mind. Invest in your relationships and plan to leave a legacy much greater than money.

• Jason Parker is president of Parker Financial LLC, a fee-based registered investment advisory firm working primarily in wealth management for retirees.

His office is in Silverdale.

Parker is insurance-licensed and holds his series 65 securities license. He offers annuities, life and long-term care insurances as well as investment services. Follow Jason’s blog at www.soundretirementplanning.com.

the one to make the “buy” or “sell” decisions.

Some investors prefer to leave even the buy-and-sell decisions to professionals.

Most financial advisors offer advisory programs that take care of this for you. With these programs, you choose a professionally managed portfolio of investments. The programs typically offer a wide range of portfolios, so you can choose one that’s appropriate based on your needs, goals and risk tolerance. Each portfolio contains a broad range of investments that are selected by professional analysts and represent a variety of asset classes. Advisory programs also offer a sophisticated rebalancing process designed to keep your assets allocated appropriately, which can help keep you on track toward your specific financial goals.

Whether you choose to make your own decisions in consultation with a financial advisor or to invest in an advisory program — SEE HANDS - ON | 12

Are you a Baby Boomer? Don’t let retirement plans go bust (Article for use by Edward Jones financial advisor Anji Sell of Silverdale.)

If you’re a baby boomer, you’re at the point in life where, if you haven’t actually entered retirement, you’re at least approaching the outskirts. But if you’re like many of your fellow boomers, you may be experiencing more than a little trepidation over your financial prospects as a retiree. That’s why it’s so important for you to determine what steps to take to help improve your chances of enjoying a comfortable retirement.

Just how worried are baby boomers about their future? Consider these numbers: Seventy-two percent of non-retired boomers think they will probably be forced to delay retirement, and 50% have little confidence that they will ever

be able to retire, according to a recent AARP survey.

Other surveys show a similarly bleak outlook among the baby boom generation.

Fortunately, when it comes to building resources for retirement, you have options. Of course, if you’re in one of the younger age cohorts of the baby boom generation, your possibilities are greater — you may still have time to take measures such as boosting your 401(k) and IRA contributions, reducing your debts and positioning your portfolio to provide you with a reasonable amount of growth potential.

But even if you are pretty close to retirement, or at least close to the point where you initially expected to retire, you can act to better your outcome.

For one thing, you could re-evaluate your planned date of retirement. If you

really don’t mind your job and could extend your working life for even a couple of years, you could help yourself enormously in at least three ways: • You’ll add on to your retirement accounts. The longer you work, the more you can contribute to your IRA and your 401(k) or other employers-sponsored account.

• You may be able to delay taking Social Security. You can start taking Social Security as early as age 62, but your benefits will be permanently reduced unless you wait until your Full Retirement Age (FRA), which will likely be 66 or 67. Your payments can increase if you delay taking your benefits beyond your Full Retirement Age, up to age 70.

• You may be able to SEE BOOMER | 12

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delay tapping into your retirement vehicles. The longer you wait until you begin withdrawals from your IRA and 401(k), the more time you are giving these accounts to potentially grow.

(Once you turn 70 ½, you will need to generally start taking withdrawals from a traditional IRA and a 401(k) or similar plan, but you don’t face this requirement with a Roth 401(k) account.)

As an alternative to delaying your retirement — or possibly as an additional step you can take along with a delay — you may be able to adjust your investment mix to provide you with the

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or both — you really should learn as much as possible about your investments.

Whichever method you decide is best for you, remember that investing involves risk, and investment performance is never guaranteed.

So make sure you’re asking the right questions, such as: What are the risk char-

WWW.KPBJ.COM combination of growth and income that can help carry you through your retirement years. You can also be strategic about which investments you start taking withdrawals from, possibly allowing your portfolio to grow more than you had envisioned.

Start thinking now about ways you can help yourself achieve the retirement lifestyle you’ve pictured. You may want to consult with a professional financial advisor who can suggest the strategies and techniques most appropriate for your situation. In any case, with some careful planning, you can be a boomer whose retirement plans don’t go bust.

acteristics? How has a particular investment vehicle performed relative to others in its category? What are the tax implications of owning and selling a specific investment vehicle? What are the costs and fees associated with each choice?

As you may have heard many times, knowledge is power — and that’s certainly true in the investment arena.

Semi-finalists announced in edg3 Fund competition for small businesses Sixteen small businesses have been selected as semi-finalists in Kitsap Bank’s edg3 Fund (rhymes with hedge fund) competition. The mission of edg3 Fund is to recognize entrepreneurs dedicated to growing their community economically, socially or environmentally.

The inaugural competition drew nearly 70 applications from entrepreneurs throughout Western Washington in industries ranging from food/ beverage and tourism to arts, education and agriculture.

“We are excited to have received applications from a number of very promising companies,” said bank president and chief operations officer Tony George. “All of these innovative and hardworking business people are doing great things to promote a sustainable community, and we were honored that they invested their time and effort to join our contest.”

Competition was so keen that the semi-final judges could not break a tie in scoring the top 15 contestants, and ultimately decided to move 16 companies forward to the semi-final round.

The companies chosen are: • Cape Clere Fishery, Port Townsend • Eleven Winery, Bainbridge Island • F.R.O.G. Soap, Bremerton

• Finnriver Cidery, Chimacum • Force 10 Sailmaking and Rigging, Nordland • GoXpedition, Sequim • Monica’s Waterfront Bakery and Café, Silverdale • Moonlight Farm, Quilcene • North Kitsap Metal Recycling LLC, Kingston • OlyKraut LLC, Olympia • Olympic Organics LLC, Kingston • Pawzii Inc., Bremerton • Projected Talent Inc., Issaquah • Propolis Brewing LLC, Port Townsend • The Food Shed, Kingston • With Respect, Port Orchard From Aug. 1-15, the public is invited to vote for their favorite company at www.kitsapbank.com/edg3-fund. The website will have background information and videos about the 16 semifinal companies, and results of this voting will determine five finalists.

The final round of edg3 Fund will be Wednesday, Sept. 10 at the Kitsap Conference Center in Bremerton, where the finalists will make presentations before a live audience and an independent panel of judges. The winner of the $20,000 prize will be announced that night.

Port Orchard-based Kitsap Bank has 21 locations throughout Western Washington, and the edg3 Fund competition was open to small businesses in any of the communities the bank serves.

With new Bremerton facility open, Kitsap Bank closes Central Kitsap branch Kitsap Bank opened its new East Bremerton branch on July 21, and the bank also closed its Central Kitsap branch on Aug. 1 The old bank branch on Wheaton Way, Kitsap Bank’s first location outside its Port Orchard headquarters, was torn down earlier this year to make way for construction of the new building on the site, which also has a Starbucks.

A ribbon-cutting and grand opening celebration are scheduled at the new facility on Kitsap Bank’s 106th anniversary, Aug. 8.

The new branch features clean, contemporary design, leading-edge technology and versatile community space.

Kitsap Bank said it will consolidate bank operations from the Central Kitsap branch, less than 3 miles away at 6733 State Route 303, into East Bremerton. A news release said employees of the Central Kitsap branch have been assigned to other positions within the bank.

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acknowledgment of Visit Kitsap Peninsula as an allinclusive source for such information.

The consortium formed three years ago but ramped up its plans over the past year with the Brooks study.

It’s preparing to launch a new website — wasanctuaryshore.com — that will supplant its current site, experiencenorthkitsap.com.

Langwith said the consortium, which is in the process of registering with the state as a nonprofit, is run by community partner volunteers like herself, with additional help from Olympic Property Group employees. The consortium has contracted out for website services with local videographer Mike Barnet, who’s working on creating video and audio content for the site.

Whether the new tourism websites can come close to matching the online reach of VKP remains to be seen. Google Analytics data shows findpoulsbo. com had a total of 836 visits during the first six months of this year. VKP’s extensive website visitkitsap.com averaged about 75,000 visits a month during the same time period, peaking at 87,843 in June. VKP also sends an e-newsletter to 15,000 online subscribers.

Graf-Hoke makes the case that VKP delivers a

AUGUST 2014 | 13 Island contributed any of their local lodging tax funds to support VKP in 2014, although some hotels and other businesses in both cities are dues-paying members in VKP. Bainbridge has done its own tourism marketing for some time, although the downtown association maintains a good STEVE ZUGSCHWERDT working relationship with VKP. A large crowd waits to enter the Bremerton Summer Brewfest in July, one Bremerton’s City of the many summer festivals on the Kitsap Peninsula, home to numerous Council withheld craft breweries. a recommended $20,000 lodging tax allocaFunding for Visit Kitsap Peninsula in 2014 tion for 2014 because a few City of Bremerton $0 council members expressed City of Bainbridge Island $0 concerns last year about City of Port Orchard $12,000 misspellings in VKP’s proCity of Poulsbo $18,000 motional materials and inKitsap County $188,000 (plus $15,000 sufficient focus on Bremeradditional for new website) ton in its marketing.

Kitsap Public Facilities Dist. $15,000 The difficult funding Memberships $25,000 (approx.) situation isn’t changing VKP’s approach. For examTotal budget: $258,000 ple, travel writers inquiring about Kitsap get comNote: Cities that do not fund VKP with lodging taxes still benefit prehensive information, because the VKP continues to list city parks and other attractions Graf-Hoke said. that are important to ensuring a positive visitor experience.

“If they’re really into garSource: Visit Kitsap Peninsula dens, we have to send them to Bloedel (Reserve); we can’t not send them just because we don’t get any money from the city of Baincounties. lot of high-quality marbridge Island,” she said. “If Moreover, some benefiketing that promotes the we don’t get funded from ciaries of the regional marwhole region, even though golf courses, or from a city, keting are getting a free its $258,000 annual budget we’re still going to provide ride. Neither the city of is significantly less than information to a travel writBremerton nor Bainbridge for agencies in comparable

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the fourth quarter of 2013 after REI’s opening. Although not all that growth can be attributed to REI, the store does attract customers from beyond the area.

“Since the Olympic Peninsula is a great place to recreate during the summer, we see an increased number of tourists from other parts of the state and the country,” said Silverdale store manager Greta Eaton Caulfield. “Kitsap has become a gateway to the Olympic Peninsula.”

People like Graf-Hoke and John Kuntz, owner of Olympic Outdoor Center in Port Gamble, are trying to make sure Kitsap is more than a gateway — and the efforts seem to be working.

“We’re still in the infancy phase of the tourism boom that I think is coming to Kitsap,” Kuntz said.

“Within the past five years we’ve seen a push to make Kitsap a destination. We’re no longer the doorstep to the Olympic Peninsula.”

Kuntz — whose business expanded to add bicycle rentals this year — has also been organizing

three events: Paddle Bainbridge, Paddle Kitsap and the BEAST adventure race (paddling, running and mountain biking). He estimates that about half of the people come from outside of Kitsap for these events. Some are already in the Puget Sound region and are discovering Kitsap while looking for something different to do.

And soon, the number of active vacationers checking out Kitsap is likely to grow. The National Park Service recently designated the Kitsap Peninsula Water Trails a part of the National Water

er, because it’s critical that a writer sees this is a great place for visitors to come.

“Marketing the Kitsap Peninsula and its assets is not contingent on who pays us and who doesn’t.”

However the various marketing efforts proceed, it appears Kitsap tourism is increasing, at least judging by the lodging taxes that local hotels, motels and inns collect, and the total revenue for lodging establishments. The total amount of lodging taxes collected in Kitsap County in the first six months of 2014 was $407,000, compared with $388,000 in the first half of 2013.

According to a Smith Travel Research report, year-to-date hotel revenue in the county through May topped $10 million, up from $9.5 million in the same period last year. Clearwater and some of the area’s smaller hotels are not part of the Smith survey, which covers national chain hotels.

As far as collaboration among tourism groups, the North Kitsap consortium did ask VKP to be a “fiscal sponsor,” an arrangement that would have brought the consortium under VKP’s nonprofit status, rather than registering on its own.

“We requested that, and at this time they declined our offer,” Langwith said.

“But they did offer to cooperate on a project-by-project basis.”

Trails System.

There are only 14 other national water trails in the U.S. According to an announcement in June by the National Park Service, “the Kitsap Peninsula Water Trails showcases the beauty of 371 miles of coastline on the Puget Sound and some of the most spectacular marine environments on the planet. The trail is a destination for paddlers around the globe because of its unique marine environments, the natural scenic beauty of mountains and sound, migrating marine mam-

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is that you can do a distance run or bike ride and not be on a road,” she said. “To be be so close to an urban area and run 100 miles and not have to cross a road, that’s absolutely unique.”

In addition to the Fishline food bank in Poulsbo, Roots Rock races benefit area high school cross country teams and the trails association.

Chris Hammett is a former Bainbridge High School cross-country runner.

The Hammetts have made a conscious decision to support the community through their business.

In addition to donating the proceeds from their race series, they also sponsor other local running races and support area schools.

“Poulsbo is a fairly small town and it’s really important for businesses to be strong community members,” Brooke Hammett said.

That’s not just good for the community, she said.

It’s also good for the bottom line and helps to bolster customer loyalty.

“That’s really important in our field because people can easily buy their shoes over the Internet.”

• For more information on the Roots Rock Trail Running series or to register for a race, go to www.rootsrockrun.com.

mal populations and friendly and inviting ports and towns steeped in tradition.”

Local outdoor recreation supporters say this designation is not only a high honor for Kitsap, but a way to bring even more recreational travelers.

“Most visitors to our area are local to Seattle or Washington,” Veenstra said. “It puts us on the map for people coming from farther away — it broadens our reach to people around the nation.”

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BUSINESS BRIEFS Boxlight’s interactive DeskBoard wins Best of Show award at tech conference Belfair-based Boxlight brought home a Best of Show award at the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) conference for the company’s new P8 DeskBoard. The DeskBoard is a portable, height- and tilt-adjustable desk surface made interactive via an attached ultrashortthrow projector.

It is designed for schools that need mobile, customized interactivity as the DeskBoard can be used as an interactive screen or desk, with the ability to raise, lower, tilt and move from classroom to classroom.

Tech & Learning, the leading publication for K-12 education technology leaders, named winners The Boxlight P8 DeskBoard in its inaugural ISTE Best of Show Awards. The products were chosen by an anonymous panel of educator judges who visited the exhibit hall floor during the recent ISTE conference in Atlanta. The judges rated their impressions on a sliding scale, evaluating areas such as quality and effectiveness, ease of use and creative use of technology, then met to decide which technologies could have the most impact in the classroom and deserved to be named Best of Show.

Boxlight’s product manager, Jeremy Peterson, said the company was thrilled to be chosed by key technology leaders for the award.

“We are constantly working on what our customers and partners need, and this product is a great example of one that has gone from drawing board, to launch, to Best of Show,” Peterson said.

Boxlight has been developing and manufacturing awardwinning projectors since its inception in 1985. The company headquarters are in Belfair, and its operations encompass sales in the U.S. and worldwide. Boxlight products and services are available online at www.boxlight.com or by calling 360.464.2119.

Kitsap Wine Festival returns in August to Bremerton waterfront The sixth annual Kitsap Wine Festival will be held Aug. 9 from 2-5:30 p.m. at Harborside Fountain Park, next to the ferry terminal on Bremerton’s waterfront.

The festival — sponsored by Kitsap Conference Center at Bremerton Harborside, Harrison Medical Center Foundation and the city of Bremerton — features bites from local restaurants and sips from more than 30 wineries and craft breweries. Highlights include selections from Terra Blanca Winery & Estate Vineyard, Davenport Cellars, Silver City Brewery, Stottle Winery and Hale’s Brewery along with featured items from local restaurants and purveyors including Kitsap Conference Center, Anthony’s at Sinclair Inlet, Amy’s Decadent Chocolates, Bremerton Bar & Grill, Gold Mountain Golf Club and more. For a full list of participating vendors visit www.kitsapwinefestival.com.

There also will be live music at the 21-and-over event, and advance tickets are $50 through July 31. After that tickets will be $60 in advance and $65 if purchased at the entry to the festival.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.kitsapwinefestival.com or at Kitsap Conference Center or Harrison Medical Center Foundation. Proceeds support the Harrison Medical Center Foundation and its mission.

Parking will be available in the lot adjacent to the ferry terminal. No car is needed for those arriving by ferry from downtown Seattle, as the event takes place immediately next to the ferry terminal along the marina. For more information, visit www.kitsapwinefestival.com or www.kitsapconferencecenter.com.

Elected officials at forum will discuss government impact on business The next Kitsap Business Forum will feature a panel of elected officials who represent Kitsap on the local, state and federal levels. They will discuss how recent law and policy changes have affected businesses.

The panelists for the Aug. 12 session will be Bremerton Mayor Patty Lent, Kitsap County Commissioner Linda Streissguth and Congressman Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.)

With John Powers of Kitsap Economic Development Alliance as moderator, the elected officials will address these topics: • How government decisions impact your business • How you can help influence government decisions • Why public involvement is necessary for a strong business climate • Where to turn when you need assistance • What public/private partnerships look like today The Kitsap Business Forum meets from 7:30-9 a.m. in the Morgan Stanley office at 2011 NW Myhre Road in Silverdale. Attendees are asked to RSVP at KitsapBusinessForum.com.

Using improvisational skills in business is topic at AWOB event Norma Dompier will present Improv Yourself! at the next Power Series event presented by the Alliance of Women Owned Businesses (AWOB).

At the Aug. 13 event in Gig Harbor, Dompier will talk about how it sometimes takes a cache of “Secret Weapons” to conquer the challenges of building a business.

She is certified through the Co-Active Coaching program of the Coaches Training Institute. For over 25 years Dompier has specialized in facilitating change with people and organizations – giving them the tools (secret weapons) they need to create and integrate new ideas into innovative business practices. That innovation can lead them to create a positive, productive, collaborative culture in their business.

One of Dompier’s methods is utilizing Applied Improvisation techniques that help develop communication skills, create constructive habits and build trust. Her clients have included local, national and international businesses, nonprofits and executives.

AWOB Power Series meetings are free to members and first-time guests. The fee is $25 for all others, payable at the door. The Aug. 13 event will be from 5-6:30 p.m. at The Inn at Gig Harbor.

For more information, check online at www.awobwomen.org or www.facebook.com/allianceofwomenownedbusinesses, or contact Jill Neumeister, 253-509-0208 or jill@orcadesigngroup.com.

West Sound Technology Association hosts annual picnic on Bainbridge West Sound Technology Association (WSTA) will hold its annual picnic Aug. 21 at the Breslford Estate on Bainbridge Island. A tradition for many years, the August picnic is a great opportunity to meet and mingle with members of WSTA, SMBNation and Puget Sound Small Business Server Users Group, as well as the region’s technology and business community. There will be food and giveaways, as well as conversation and casual networking.

The event runs from 4:30-8:30 p.m. and is free, but registration is required; a $10 suggested donation at the door will help defray costs. Directions will be emailed upon registration. WSTA: www.westsoundtechnology.org.

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Wings, perseverance served up at Hit The Spot

By Tim Kelly KPBJ editor

They’re not just wingin’ it at Larue Hubbard’s chicken joint.

A couple self-styled restaurant consultants calling themselves FooDivaS are helping Hubbard rebrand the Bremerton storefront eatery whose specialty is chicken wings prepared with distinctive spices.

The name change to Hit The Spot Restaurant (it opened last August as Wangz ’n Thangz at 308 Callow Ave.) is part of the strategy for Hubbard to recover from the downturn at his business after his former partner was arrested in March on child molestation charges.

“Really, they were a blessing,” Hubbard said of Tammy Smith and Theresa Ellman, aka FooDivaS, who organized a grand opening for Hit the Spot last month. They brought in a celebrity friend of theirs — Chef Amadeus, winner of the Season One Extreme Chef competition on The Food Network — to spice up the celebration, which drew the kind of crowd Hubbard hadn’t seen come through his door for a few months.

Business had been building steadily in the restaurant’s first few months, Hubbard said, but the bad publicity from former coowner Timothy Ray Richardson’s arrest derailed that momentum.

“We were bringing in anywhere from $800 to $1,200 a day,” he said, “then after that ...”

It got so bad that sometimes he’d have only one customer all day.

“I was just to the point where I really had to weigh my options, and say OK, either I’m gonna let this place go, or I’m going to put my best foot forward and try to save my business,” Hubbard said. “And they came just right on time.”

Ellman, who had visited Hubbard’s business as a customer when it opened last year, and Smith started operating as TR A ILS | F ROM 8

is that you can do a distance run or bike ride and not be on a road,” she said. “To be so close to an urban area and run 100 miles and not have to cross a road, that’s absolutely unique.”

In addition to the Fishline food bank in Poulsbo, Roots Rock races benefit area high school cross country teams and the trails association. Chris Hammett is a former Bainbridge High School cross-country runner.

The Hammetts have made a conscious decision to support the community through their business. In addition to donating the proceeds from their race series, they also sponsor other local running races and support area schools.

“Poulsbo is a fairly small town and it’s really important for businesses to be strong community members,” Brooke Hammett said.

That’s not just good for the community, she said. It’s also good for the bottom line and helps to bolster customer loyalty.

“That’s really important in our field because people can easily buy their shoes over the Internet.”

TIM KELLY

Larue Hubbard with Tammy Smith, right, and Theresa Ellman, restaurant consultants known as FooDivaS who are helping promote his rebranded Bremerton eatery, which held a grand opening in July with the new name Hit The Spot.

Tacoma-based FooDivaS this spring, looking for opportunities to help small restaurants that are new or have been open only a year or two.

“I just needed to come back and see what this place was doing,” Ellman said.

That was in early June, and she and Smith set up a meeting with Hubbard the next day, which led to a partnership to help revive his struggling business.

Smith got her start in the restaurant business as a teenager growing up in New Orleans, where her mother cooked for various establishments. She said her family also used to own a restaurant in downtown Bremerton called Southern Belle’s Café in the ’90s.

Ellman has a background in marketing

Rock The Dock concerts return to Bremerton Marina The Bremerton Marina in conjunction with the Kitsap Entrepreneurial Center will host its second annual Rock The Dock free summer concert series in August, featuring a lineup of local and national touring rock, blues and country performers.

The marina, owned and operated by the Port of Bremerton, and Kitsap Entrepreneurial Center have partnered on the concert series to entertain and help promote business in Bremerton’s Harbor District.

The Friday evening concerts will be on on the boardwalk adjacent to the Bremerton Marina. The music begins at 6 p.m. and local food vendors and a beer garden featuring local microbrews will open at 5.

The performers and dates are: Aug. 8 – Fly Paper; Aug. 15 – Afton Prater with special guest Landin Gear; Aug. 22 – The Northwest Navy Band Passages.

Information: www.portofbremerton.org/ marinas/bremerton or call 360-373-1035.

and operates a commercial cleaning business that can provide needed services for restaurants that contract with FooDivaS. One of the first things they did was recommend a name change for Hubbard’s eatery, because online searches for the previous name brought up news articles about the charges against the former co-owner.

Smith said they also needed to get the word out in the community that Hubbard was still in business as sole owner, with a new name but the same tasty wings at his restaurant. They distributed fliers to residences and other businesses around Bremerton’s Charleston district, and started passing out chicken wing samples and discount coupons to motorists when traffic was backed up at the corner of Callow and Burwell.

“I said Larue, you need to go out and talk to these people,” Smith said. “They need to see your face and they need to see that you’re making an effort to save your business, and it’s not you (who was arrested), it has no attachment to you.”

Hubbard, a 33-year-old father of three, said he was shocked when he learned of the allegations against his former business partner, who he met through their mutual involvement in starting a youth mentoring program called Man Up at a local church.

He understands people’s negative reactions after the bad publicity for Wangz ’n Thangz.

“Me personally, if I read that about a restaurant, I wouldn’t want to go back there,”

Hubbard said. “So here I am with mixed emotions due to the fact that, you know, I’m a father. So I couldn’t blame people for not coming, yet I want my business to succeed.”

Smith said after their first meeting with Hubbard, she and Ellman were on board with helping him persevere.

“We knew immediately we were supposed to be here,” she said. “We left here and we were like, ‘this is what FooDivaS is about.’”

“It wasn’t about money,” Ellman added, “it was about doing whatever we had to do to make this work.”

With the name change and a new logo that will soon replace the hand-lettered “Hit The Spot” sign taped on the front window, plus the boost from the grand opening with Chef Amadeus (Hubbard’s picture with him is the profile photo on Hit the Spot’s Facebook page) and a couple new wing flavors created with his signature spices on the menu, things are starting to turn around.

FooDivaS are planning more ways to promote Hit the Spot. They’re going to start handing out raffle tickets with each order of 10 wings or more, and the winner will get wings for a party of 10 on the night of the Seahawks’ first preseason game.

“I just want people to be familiar with this place,” said Hubbard, who grew up in Seattle but has been in Bremerton for 18 years. “When you want some chicken, you want some good wings, you know to come down here.”

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BUSINESS BRIEFS SAFE Boats lands Navy contract for additional Mk VI Patrol Boats SAFE Boats International (SBI)has been awarded a contract to build four additional Mk VI Patrol Boats for the Navy, with options for an additional two boats.

The Mk VI PB is the Navy’s next generation Patrol Boat and will become a part of the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command’s (NECC) fleet of combatant craft.

The Mk VI PBs mission is to provide operational commanders a capability to patrol shallow littoral areas beyond sheltered harbors and bays, and into less sheltered open water out to the Departure Sea Area (DSA) for the purpose of force protection of friendly and coalition forces and critical infrastructure.

SAFE Boats designed the 85-foot Mk VI PB for optimal performance, fuel economy and firepower. Powered by twin diesel engines and water jets, the boat is capable of speeds in excess 30 knots at full load, and has a range of more than 600 nautical miles. Additionally, the boat is fitted with ballistic protection and can be armed with a variety of crew-served and remotely operated weapons systems.

SBI (www.safeboats.com) was awarded the initial contract for six Mk VI Patrol Boats in May 2012 and will be delivering the first one to the Navy later this fiscal year. Bremerton-based SAFE Boats is producing the Mk VI Patrol Boats in its Large Craft Production Facility located in the Port of Tacoma. The size and configuration of the waterfront facility allows several Mk VI PB-size craft to be under construction simultaneously.

Rush Residential begins home sales for Bellesara community in Gig Harbor Rush Residential, a division of The Rush Companies, is beginning sales this month in the 10-acre community of Bellesara, located just west of the Wollochet exit off Highway 16 in Gig Harbor. Construction of model homes will begin in July, with completion of new homes expected in the fall.

The 31 homes in Bellasara range in size from 2,800 to 3,200 square feet and are priced in the mid-$500’s. Lots and outdoor living spaces will be generously sized and each home will have custom-designed landscaping with irrigation and lighting.

In addition to Bellesara, Rush is currently offering homes in three other Gig Harbor communities: The Reserve, a community of luxury ramblers in Gig Harbor’s private country club neighborhood of Canterwood; Division 12 of Canterwood; and Harbor Crossing in Gig Harbor North.

The Rush Companies offer design, development, construction and property management services for both commercial and residential projects. For more information on Bellesara, contact Ed Aro Real Estate at 253-858-1365 or edaro@windermere.com.

Home sales begin for next neighborhood in Grow Community on BI The Grow Community, a sustainable, solarpowered community on Bainbridge Island, is taking advance reservations for two neighborhoods to be built in its second phase.

The Grove and the Park neighborhoods will feature a mix of townhomes, single-level homes and single-family residences. Homes in the Grove will be arrayed around a native woodland, while the Park’s residences will flank a broad open green. A community center for use by residents will connect the neighborhoods and the Village, Grow’s first phase that is nearing completion.

Sixty percent of the new neighborhoods will be dedicated to green space and community gardens, and most parking will be underground.

The sales office opened July 12 at 180 Olympic Drive SE. For more details see www.growbainbridge.com.

Sales begin with the Grove neighborhood, with completion and owner occupancy set for 2015. Sales for the Park neighborhood, also offering a variety of home designs, will be announced later this year.

The Grove and the Park are designed by the award-winning firm Cutler Anderson Architects.

Grow Community’s first neighborhood, the Village, broke ground in 2012 and all homes sold out, indicating strong demand for the innovative One Planet Living concepts on which the community is based.

Construction of multifamily units in the Village will be completed this summer. All units are preleased, and there is a waiting list for future vacancies.

Developed by Asani, a Bainbridge Island company committed to creating sustainable living, Grow Community is an intentional neighborhood designed for an intergenerational mix of residents with a range of floor plans. Grow Community is adjacent to Winslow town center and a short distance from the ferry terminal.

With the goal of making zero-carbon living both attainable and affordable, Asani partnered with local solar companies to develop an optional solar package for every home in the Village. This option continues in phase 2, with solar offered on all residential units.

Harborside Condo settlement for $2.8 million moves ahard

Ruling broadens property tax breaks on tribal land

Since filing suit about a year and a half ago, the Harborside Condominium Owners Association in Bremerton has an agreement to pursue $2.8 million in settlement costs for construction defects.

In March 2013, the association filed a list of defects in its lawsuit against Kitsap County Consolidated Housing Authority, now known as Housing Kitsap.

Construction defects included water pooling and drainage issues on the roof, cracks in drywall and foundation walls, uneven cabinets, leaking showers, leaking pipes and other problems.

During its July board meeting, Housing Kitsap approved an agreement that the Harborside Condominium Owners Association has the right to pursue a settlement of $2.8 million from the housing authority’s contractors and insurance companies.

The owners association has already received a $840,000 payment through one insurance company and will be negotiating or filing suit for the rest of the $2.8 million, said Marlyn Hawkins, the association’s attorney.

None of the settlement will come directly from Housing Kitsap, said Judy Henry, interim executive director. The settlement will be paid by insurance policies.

In 2009, the county saved the financially sinking authority with a $44.5 million bailout. Most of the authority’s debt came from backing the 78-unit Harborside Condominium complex in downtown Bremerton.

One Harborside condo sale is pending and there are two remaining units for sale.

Absher Construction Co., based in Puyallup, was the general contractor for the Harborside Condominiums.

Absher and the housing authority previously had litigation over the condos and eventually reached a settlement.

EVERETT, Wash. (AP) — Wal-Mart, Home Depot and others that own buildings on tribal land will receive property tax refunds from Snohomish County as a result of a federal appeals court decision.

The retailers and the outlet mall at the Tulalip Tribes’ Quil Ceda Village, plus about 1,200 homeowners in the Marysville area, will receive a total of about $5 million, The Daily Herald reported recently.

The refunds are a result of the decision last year involving Great Wolf Lodge water park resort in Thurston County. The resort is on federal land held in trust for the Chehalis Tribe, and the courts ruled it should be exempt from property taxes — just like land and property owned by Indians.

Assessors across Washington are deciding how to comply. In Snohomish County, the exemption removes $106 million from this year’s property tax rolls. Property owners who aren’t exempt from the ruling will be left with a larger share of the future tax burden for schools, fire departments and other taxing districts.

“That will be a shift,” said County Assessor Cindy Portmann.

Tulalip tribal leaders view the court’s decision as a long-overdue correction to an injustice. The Tulalip Tribes also said they want to work with affected taxing districts to help manage any negative impacts.

A 1955 federal law established that sovereign Indian nations are exempt from paying local or state taxes on federal lands held in trust for tribes. As a result, the land itself was exempt from county property taxes. Buildings and other improvements on that land also were considered exempt, if owned by Indians.

Last year’s federal court decision made property taxation uniform on the trust lands, regardless of who owns buildings.

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BUSINESS OPENINGS

Horse and Cow returns to Bremerton Mike Looby is glad to be helping liven up downtown Bremerton, by opening the latest incarnation in the long tradition of the Horse and Cow bar.

The establishment opened on Fourth Street just off Pacific Avenue with little fanfare in July, just in time to be on the scene for one of the city’s liveliest summer events, the Bremerton Brewfest.

“I think we’ve brought a lot to the city and the neighborhood here, as far as bringing people to the area,” Looby said.

There’s outside seating at tables with umbrellas in front of the Horse and Cow, and inside the walls are covered with submarine photos, plaques and other memorabilia. The submarine theme started with Looby’s late father, Jimmy, whose first Horse and Cow opened in 1953 in San Francisco and became well-known to sailors over the years.

Mike Looby opened one in San Diego in 1990 (now closed) and still operates one on the Pacific island of Guam, longtime home to a strategic U.S. naval base. The previous Horse and Cow in Bremerton on Northlake Way closed in 2010.

The new location is near the naval shipyard, but Looby and his business partner, Larry Timby, bought the former Nite Shift Tavern building a block over on Burwell Avenue and intended to make that the site for the Horse and Cow’s return. Start-up financing there proved a challenge, so the proprietors are leasing the former site of El Coral restaurant on Fourth Street.

Looby said his restaurant and bar doesn’t appeal exclusively to military customers, and he wants to make it the kind of gath-

Home and Remodel Expo taking exhibitor sign-ups The fall 2014 Peninsula Home and Remodel Expo is taking registrations from businesses that would like to participate in the event, which will be the weekend of Oct. 3-5 in the Kitsap Sun Pavilion at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds.

Returning vendors get first placement and all new vendors are then placed in the order received.

The annual event offers professional expo management and promotion, affordable admission prices, free on-trend and informative seminars, and ample free parking.

Registration information and forms are available online at www.kitsaphba. com/events-and-news/peninsula-homeremodel-expo/. This event is presented by the Home Builders Association of Kitsap County. For more information, call the HBA office at 360-479-5778, or email hbaevents@kitsaphba.com.

HomeStreet opens second home loan center in Kitsap County HomeStreet Bank announced the opening of a new home loan center in Silverdale, at 9226 Bayshore Drive NW. The center will be managed by Mechelle Bauser, who also manages the bank’s Bainbridge Island home loan business.

“We are excited about the opportunity to expand our services in Kitsap County,” Bauser said. “As the real estate market continues to grow, we see the opportunity to have another Kitsap office from which we can provide the finest service and reliability in the region.”

Melanie Rowe will be the loan officer for the Silverdale office. Rowe is a long-time resident of Kitsap County and was previously a branch manager at Republic Mortgage.

Seattle-based HomeStreet Bank (www. homestreet.com) is a diversified financial services company with 84 retail deposit branches and lending centers serving the Pacific Northwest, California and Hawaii.

LARRY STEAGALL

Above: The Horse and Cow Pub & Grill has walls covered with Navy submarine memorabilia.

Burger joint joins lineup at Pleasant Beach Village on Bainbridge Island

Right: Sidewalk dining is available in front of the pub on Fourth Street.

MEEGAN M. REID

ering place where anyone in the community will feel comfortable.

“We’ve got a huge open-air patio upstairs, and eventually we want to get that open,” he said.

Bringing in live entertainment is also in the works.

The menu is mostly the same as the Horse and Cow on Guam, and lunchtime and happy hour have been the busiest times so far,

said Looby, who makes his own sauce for chicken wings that are a house specialty.

Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily, with a 7 a.m. opening for breakfast on Saturdays and Sundays.

Copy shop offers graphics, design services in Belfair Copy That Reprographics has opened at the Log Cabin Plaza in Belfair.

The business is owned by Amber Smith, who hopes to provide North Mason residents with much-needed copy and mailing services, while stretching her creative side.

“This field is open to creativity,” said Smith, who did graphic design work during the 12 years she worked at Poulsbo copy business. “Everyone has a vision and needs someone to help them pull it together into a creative form. I love helping people solve problems.”

Copy That Reprographics opened June 1 and offers services in copy, fax and notary; CADD large-format printing; color copying; binding; lamination; mounting; design of Tshirts, banners, signs, brochures and business cards, UPS shipping and more.

“I saw that there was a need in Belfair to do complete reprographics,” Smith said. “If you do one thing, you might as well have everything. Nobody wants to leave Belfair

Pleasant Beach Village was already bursting with new businesses. It added another when Hammy’s Burgers opened in July.

Hammy’s, billed as an affordable, dinerstyle eatery, opened in the Lynwood Center Road development on Bainbridge Island.

The restaurant is owned by the Jacobi family, which owns Pleasant Beach Village.

Hammy’s has all the expected offerings, including burgers, cheeseburgers, veggie burgers, chicken sandwiches, fries, drinks and shakes. More details and a full menu are posted on the Pleasant Beach Village page on Facebook.

A representative for the development said leases are being finalized for the last two vacant commercial spaces in Pleasant Beach Village. A community pool is also in the works.

Hammy’s is located at 4688 Lynwood Center Road.

Starbucks will open its first stand-alone store on Bainbridge

ARLA SHEPHARD

Amber Smith has opened Copy That Reprographics, a full-service copy center in Belfair.

Her business also offers graphic design and printing, as well as shipping services and more.

if they don’t have to.”

The business is at 23730 Highway 3 in Suite F in Belfair.

Smith was born and raised in Port Orchard, but Belfair has been a second home — her mother has owned the TLC Pet Salon on Highway 3 for more than two decades.

Bainbridge Island will get its first standalone Starbucks Coffee this summer. The coffee shop will be in an existing building that is being remodeled.

The new Starbucks will be in the same complex as the community’s first Starbucks, which has operated since 2003 inside the Safeway in the Island Village Shopping Center on High School Road.

According to permits and the business license application approved by the city, the new Starbucks will be 1,900 square feet. It will not have a drive-thru window.

The Starbucks inside Safeway will remain in business once the new store opens.

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Festival hopes to draw on hard cider’s renaissance Gig Harbor will host inaugural Cider Swig as fall attraction

By Rodika Tollefson KPBJ contributor

When Crystie and Keith Keiser began making hard cider at their organic farm, Finnriver, they and their partner, Eric Jorgenson, were at the forefront of a new movement. Now the cidery in Chimacum (between Port Ludlow and Port Townsend) is open seven days a week for visitors who want to stop by for a tasting.

“The cidery is growing in response to demand for Northwest cider,” Crystie Keiser said. “A lot of small Northwest craft cideries have helped inspire the fullon cider renaissance that we are having right now.”

Organizers of a new event in Gig Harbor are counting on that growing momentum. The Greater Gig Harbor Foundation is bringing Cider Swig, a festival for all ages, to Sehmel Homestead Park on Sept 27. The event is a fundraiser for the nonprofit foundation, with proceeds benefitting environmental education, conservation and other outdoor recreation initiatives.

“We wanted to do something environmentally related but a little bit of fun.

When we started thinking about what we can do that is fun, centered around community and the environment and be interesting for people to come, this is where we landed,” said Julie Ann Gustanski, the foundation’s president and co-founder.

The festival will include an enclosed cider garden, plus food vendors, live music from five bands, a children’s activity zone and an apple-launch competition.

Only the cider garden will charge an admission fee, so families can come and enjoy the music and the food.

Parents can also pay to drop off kids ages 3 to 12 in the kids zone and head over to the cider garden.

The 11 cideries that have

WANT TO GO? The inaugural Cider Swig will be Saturday, Sept. 27 in Gig Harbor. Tickets are $25 advance, $28 lastminute and $32 at the gate (tickets are limited). There will be live music and food vendors offering barbecue, lumpia, burritos, fry bread and more.

WSU cider expert Gary Moulton will do a presentation and demonstration.

More details at www. gigharborfoundation.org/ cider-swig

committed so far will bring a total of more than 40 varieties of cider (nonalcoholic options will be available in the food area) and will have the option to sell their beverages for off-site consumption. The cider garden admission fee includes five tokens for sample-size drinks.

“We appreciate people creating opportunities to showcase cider. We’re excited to expose more people to what we make and to build enthusiasm for cider,” said Keiser, whose farm was invited to participate at the event.

The cider vendors are coming from as far as Eastern Washington and Portland, and event volunteers will be distributing flyers to all those areas in hopes to attract some of the cideries’ fans to Cider Swig.

If similar festivals in the region are any indication, Cider Swig has the potential to be a draw far beyond the Gig Harbor area. The annual Summer Cider Day, organized by the Northwest Cider Association in Port Townsend in August, attracted more than 500 people from as far as Seattle and beyond last year, according to the association’s president, Dave White.

He said when they introduced the first festival in 2010, there weren’t many opportunities for cider makers beyond beer and wine festivals. There are more of these events popping up around Washington and Oregon, but Seattle and Port Townsend so far have been the only Puget Sound areas to host a cider festival.

Finnriver Cidery in Chimacum will be one of the participants at the Cider Swig festival in Gig Harbor.

White and his partner, Heather Ringwood, produce cider at their Whitewood Farm in Olympia and the Gig Harbor event will be the closest to home for them to date. He notes that when he and a handful of others created the association four years ago, it had eight cideries as members.

Now, that number is at 45 and includes cideries from Washington, Oregon, Montana and British Columbia.

During the colonial times, long before beer became the drink of choice for Americans, apples were being pressed and fermented into cider on just about any farm. The popularity of the drink waned in the early 1900s as more European immigrants brought their taste for beer along.

The resurgence of the drink began five or six years ago all over the country, and the Northwest is one of the hotter zones.

Ironically, the interest in craft beer, especially among the younger crowd, is one of the reasons attributed to the cider resurgence. Others factors include the gluten-free food trends and cider’s appeal to women. Although cider accounts for a small percentage of alcoholic beverage sales, national production of the drink has tripled between 2011 and 2013, according to data cited by the Oregonian.

The Foundation The Greater Gig Harbor Foundation (started as the PenMet Foundation eight years ago) is divided into five core area boards (CABs): education, parks

and environment, arts and culture, recreation and social capital. The focus of the CABs was the result of a community needs assessment that included various nonprofits from the Gig Harbor and Key Peninsula area. Each CAB organizes its own fundraisers and supports various initiatives.

“The primary goal is to have funds for the community, whether for people in

need or helping the community do something wonderful like build a new center,” Gustanski said. “It’s a bit of an economic engine for the community.”

She said cider was a good fit for the parks and environment CAB because it ties in with agriculture. “It’s a way for us to help highlight a component of small business — small farmers.

Most of them are not just in the industry to make mon-

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ey; they’re caring for the environment,” she said.

The foundation helped develop Gig Harbor’s first beer festival, which attracted 1,400 people but had no music or family component. About 25 percent of those who attended came from beyond a 15-mile radius. Based on that success, Gustanski estimates that Cider Swig could bring in as many as 4,000 people.

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BUSINESS OPENINGS

Another new pub pouring pints of ale The Ale House on Winslow is sort of a stepping-stone for its young owners, whose long-term goal is to open a brewery.

But for now they’re enjoying being purveyors of beer at their new taproom on Bainbridge Island’s busiest corner.

“Our original coming together was to start a brewery, and while we looked for a location and all the logistics that go with that, the spot we’re in now in the Gateway building happened to open up as an opportunity,” Augusta Butlin explained.

She and Seattle-area friends Zach Eller and Michael Camden had approached Travis Samson, a college friend of Camden’s, with the idea of being partners in a beer venture because Samson was already part of the local brewing fraternity, working at Bremerton’s Silver City Brewery.

Instead of producing its own beer, the Ale House plays beer roulette with its 16 taps.

When a keg of one type of beer is emptied, it’s replaced with something different.

LARRY STEAGALL

Michael Camden, one of the co-owners of the Ale House on Winslow, fills a glass from one of the beer taps at the new establishment on Bainbridge Island.

Popular beers will rotate through again, but the idea is to offer lots of choices — including plenty from craft breweries in Kit-

Salon makes short move to bigger space As a business owner, Christina Jara operates on the level — literally, now that her Isella Salon Spa is in a new, larger location with a layout she designed.

“We’re on one level here, so it’s definitely a lot more customer-friendly not having to go up to the second floor for the spa,” Jara said.

Before the move a few doors down to the other side of Fourth Street in downtown Bremerton, the salon had leased two floors in the Soriano building near the corner of Pacific Avenue in downtown Bremerton.

Jara and her husband, Carlos, also own the Toro Lounge and the Harborside Market near the city’s waterfront. Part of the reason for moving her business was the opportunity to buy the building at 530 Fourth St. where Isella opened in late June.

“We want to continue to be part of the revitalization of downtown Bremerton,” she said.

The Jaras’ 2-year-old daughter is named Isella, though Christina explained that they chose their child’s name several years before her birth and used it for the salon that opened in 2006.

The building the couple bought for the new location had been vacant for several years. “It was just literally a shell,” Jara said. “I had it designed and we built it from scratch.”

With 3,000 square feet of tastefully designed space, the new location has four

sap County and around Puget Sound — to see what customers like. The Ale House also has a couple dozen beers available in “We’re definitely looking to grow into our new space,” Jara said.

There is a separate 2,000-square-foot space in the building that she and her hus-

LARRY STEAGALL

Stylist Ashley Arnold does a customer’s hair at Isella Salon Spa, which recently moved to a new location on Fourth Street in downtown Bremerton.

hairstyling stations and six rooms used for massage, skin care and body treatments.

Jara, an esthetician herself, designed two rooms to be divided by an acoustic accordion wall that can be folded back to make one large room used for couples massage.

She has a 10-person staff, and would like to add someone to do nails, a service that Isella has offered in the past.

bottles or cans.

“We wanted to take some time to get to learn about different beers people would enjoy,” Butlin said.

The taproom, which also serves hard cider and has a selection of wines, doesn’t serve food but there are options for hungry customers. Bainbridge Bakers, which occupies the other half of the building’s ground floor, is offering a special pub menu for the Ale House. Also, customers can bring in their own food or order from local restaurants that deliver.

With a prime location next to the art museum in the Island Gateway complex at the corner of Winslow Way and State Route 305, where passengers walk up from the ferries, Butlin said the Ale House has been busy since its soft opening in July.

With its grand opening on Aug. 1, the business adjusted its hours and is now open seven days a week, from noon to a flexible closing time that will depend on the ferry schedule and how busy the place is any given night.

Butlin said she and her partners are learning how to run a pub, “with the eventual plan of opening up brewery. But right now we’re having a whole lot of fun with the Ale House for the foreseeable future.”

band plan to lease to a tenant that will complement Isella’s business.

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BUSINESS STRATEGY | DAN WEEDIN

Are you part of the problem?

Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go. ~ Oscar Wilde There are problems, and then there are solutions.

Problems, crises and challenges are inevitable in business, in life, and most notably in team dynamics.

Many experts talk about team building, motivation, performance and communications. There is a good reason for that. People and organizations are still challenged. The “problem” is that it keeps many a business owner, manager, executive and parent up at night trying to figure out the solutions. The first thing that should be determined is to avoid being part of the problem!

I’ve been involved in business, nonprofits, politics and sports. My wife thinks I’m some sort of a demented crisis-seeker, and she might be right. I’ve seen problems coming a mile away and

I’ve also seen them sneak up on you. People deal with conflict and crisis differently, especially when part of a team. What we are all able to do is be a part of the solution to overcoming issues, rather than being the gasoline that’s poured on the fire.

Here are my 7 Signs That You’re Part of the Problem for you to do a self-assessment. If you don’t resemble any of the signs, keep up the good work and be on guard for those who do. If you see yourself in some of these, then make changes.

To be candid, we all can slip into these areas at times.

The key is to recognize, be in the moment, be humble, and be nimble enough to slide right back out.

1. You are a perfectionist. Perfectionists tend to micro-manage, overthink, and dwell on the nega-

tive. Life is about success, not perfection. The people who claim “practice makes perfect” are misinformed.

If you’re “practicing” the wrong thing, it just makes you worse faster. Stop trying to be perfect and focus on improvement.

2. You have an agenda. If you have a dog in the hunt, then you often are too biased and can tend to focus on your outcomes, rather than the good for all. You may have to recuse yourself, or find a way to become more objective. The problem is you, not everyone else.

3. You seek power. Maybe the ultimate problemcreator of all time. We see this run rampant in politics and business. Whether your goal is CEO or governor, you’d better be doing it to serve others or the power bug will grab you and not let go.

4. You talk to be heard, not to influence. This is the proverbial “squeaky wheel.”

You’ve run into many peo-

ple that feel being negative, being annoying and being loud equals influence. Actually, it’s really more of a power play. Being contrarian is fine; being obnoxious isn’t. If people are rolling their eyes when you get up to speak, then this is your sign.

5. The Chicken Little Syndrome. Negativity is a burden to everyone. There are people out there who thrive in creating a countenance of gloom, regardless of the situation. This is the classic victim mentality. It’s always someone else’s fault; someone else’s responsibility. People are influenced more by those who are positive, upbeat, happy, and seeking solutions.

6. It’s not me, it’s you. If you find yourself offering unsolicited advice on trying to “improve” someone, that’s a sign. If you resort to passive-aggressive behavior and language, imply incompetence, use bad language, call people names, or exhibit a “holier than thou” image with peers, then that’s a sign. When working with a team for a common goal, there is no room for bullies.

7. You publicly embar-

rass people. When I coached basketball, I could get pretty upset in practice and call players out when they weren’t working hard or hurting the team with their actions. I would never publicly embarrass them during a game, though. Calling out someone in public is never appropriate. If you find yourself doing that, take a good hard look at your motives. People who resort to labeling and name-calling in public usually have an ulterior motive. And, it generally says more about them, rather than the person they are calling out.

Make no mistake, I am all for being contrarian, holding people accountable and asking hard questions. These can all be done professionally and with the greater good in mind.

When it’s not done in that way, then you are the problem. When it’s done in a manner to improve the condition of someone else (organization, business, clients, employees, members, etc.), then you’re part of the solution.

Bottom line — You are either going to use your talent and skill for good (solu-

tion) or bad (problem). The common denominators for the problem side are negativity, power, control and selfishness. The common denominators for the solution side are positive attitude, collaboration, responsibility and accountability.

Which side do you fall on?

Important note — do your own self-assessment as you wish. You also need to assess the people you employ, work with (including clients), collaborate with, and hang around. If they are the problems that can’t be rehabilitated or trained, dump the baggage. That light at the end of the tunnel may just be a truck coming your way. You have a responsibility to surround yourself with people that will make you better, not become a burden. Life is too short.

• Dan Weedin is a strategist, speaker, author and executive coach. You can reach him at 360-697-1058; e-mail at dan@danweedin. com or visit his web site at www.DanWeedin.com.

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HUMAN RESOURCES | JULIE TAPPERO

Workplace drug policies in the era of legal marijuana On July 2, the workforce in Washington state became the second in the nation to have legal access to recreational marijuana. Although the access was limited by supply, it didn’t stop us from making employment headlines. And we’ve only just begun!

My friends have taken to calling me the Marijuana Madame. Not because I’m a partaker of pot myself, but because I’ve been writing about the impacts of medicinal and recreational marijuana in the workplace now for the last couple years.

It’s put me in this funny place where I now get calls from other HR professionals, and even reporters, asking me for updates and information. So this seems like a good time to update our pot conversation, because we have already learned some lessons from “Day One.” Mike Boyer of Spokane has become a bit famous for being Washington’s first purchaser of legal recreational marijuana. He then most likely became Washington’s first employee to receive a text from his employer telling him to take a drug test within 24 hours, or be fired. Boyer informed his employer that he would fail the test, and he was told he would then be terminated. Yet another first for Boyer. But he wasn’t done!

Boyer’s other part-time employer then called him, demanding he come in to take a drug test — probably making Boyer the

first employee in Washington to be ordered to take two drug tests and to be fired twice on the first day that recreational marijuana became legal.

Isn’t it great to be an employer in the middle of this grand experiment with marijuana? We here in Washington, and employers in Colorado, will be walking through this marijuana minefield while the other 48 states sit back and watch. We certainly can’t fault Boyer’s employers for making any mistakes. In fact, I feel a lot of empathy for them. Imagine seeing your employee on the news taking a big puff of pot, knowing your clients, competitors and the rest of your employees are seeing it too!

What can we, as employers, learn from what happened with Boyer?

Go back to your company’s Drug Free Workplace Policy and review what it says.

Yes, marijuana is legal in our state, but as we all know, it remains federally illegal.

Your policies must be very specific as to your company’s stance on marijuana. Make your employees aware of your policies and the consequences. The Washington Liquor Control Board is implementing our marijuana laws. They have affirmed that businesses retain the right to implement and maintain policies regarding marijuana in the workplace.

That being said, you may ask yourself, as True Blue, Boyer’s employer, did: What is your interest in your employee’s use of marijuana outside of work. Is your concern that

testing is not as precise as it is for alcohol, so you cannot be certain whether or not an employee is impaired on the job? Or is your concern that you do not want an employee using legal marijuana in their personal time, as Boyer was?

In the end, True Blue recognized that Boyer was legally purchasing, possessing and consuming pot outside of work, which had no affect on him in the workplace and was no concern to them. This is why they ultimately reinstated him.

We made a little marijuana employment headlines in the Puget Sound ourselves when Seattle’s elected city attorney attended the grand opening of Seattle’s new pot store and bought marijuana on Day One, bringing his pot purchase back to his office in City Hall. The issue with this is that the City of Seattle receives federal funds and thus must abide by the terms of the 1988 Drug-Free Workplace Act, something which the city attorney ought to be familiar with. The city has a strict policy, conforming with the Drug-Free Workplace Act, which specifically prohibits employees from possessing illegal substances on city premises, or while conducting city business on or off of city premises. This seemed to put Holmes squarely out of compliance with the city’s policies, which would subject an employee to disciplinary action.

After a lot of back and forth in which Holmes and others insisted he hadn’t violated policies (without really explaining how he didn’t violate them), Holmes voluntarily made a contribution to a charity and offered an apology. This probably has a lot to do with the fact that HR people can’t really discipline elected officials, who aren’t hired and fired as employees, but are hired and fired by the voters.

So what may the rest of us employers learn from the Holmes and Seattle situa-

KITSAP PTAC | MARY JO JUAREZ

Subcontract first in government work Are you a small business owner who wants to expand into working with the government? If so, you will want to start small by subcontracting with a Government Prime Contractor.

When the government awards a contract to a large business prime contractor, an opportunity for small businesses usually exists under the large prime’s Sub-

contracting Plan. A Subcontracting Plan is the prime’s roadmap for how they will utilize small businesses as they execute the project. The percentages and dollar amounts of the prime’s workload vary and can be substantial.

Large federal contractors subcontract millions of dollars annually to local small businesses here in Kitsap.

What are the benefits of subcontracting to a prime?

• Experience. If you are new to government contracting you can learn from the prime contractor. Many prime contractors offer classes, bonding, etc. to help their partners succeed.

• Exposure to the reporting demands and other requirements of federal contracts. This experience

tion? I think the lesson here is consistency.

Our company policies on marijuana need to be enforced thoughtfully and consistently in order to be taken seriously. If the department head, business owner, or anyone else in a position of authority gets to walk sideways around the policy, we can’t hold those further down the food chain to the letter of the law.

And how about our friends in Colorado, who are ahead of us on this quirky path we’ve chosen to travel? Anything we can learn from them? Just last year Dish Network’s firing of a medical marijuana patient who failed a drug test was upheld by the Colorado Court of Appeals. That case will now be heard by the Colorado Supreme Court. But so far, it appears that continuing to rely on federal law as a basis for policy remains a sound practice. But one thing that has changed in Colorado, according to a survey by the Mountain States Employers Council, is that 20 percent of employers surveyed have implemented more stringent drug-testing policies since the legalization of recreational marijuana, and only 2 percent have relaxed their testing.

I’m not sure that the voters anticipated the ramifications of this tectonic shift when they approved the legalization of recreational marijuana in Washington. But it does make life a bit more interesting and challenging for employers who are faced with hiring, managing and disciplining employees. We’ll just keep learning together, share best practices, and over time we’ll get it all figured out.

• Julie Tappero is 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.

will let you see if your company can handle the paperwork.

• Additional income stream – many small businesses work both as prime contractors and subcontractors.

The following key points can provide a good foundation for working as a subcontractor: • Research the companies that you are considering approaching and begin to work on establishing a relationship with them.

Large primes frequently host outreach events for small businesses that provide an opportunity to

talk one-on-one and learn about teaming opportunities. You can stay abreast of these opportunities by following the Kitsap Economic Development Alliance (KEDA) blog and signing up for the Washington PTAC (washingtonptac. org) and KEDA newsletters.

• Read RFPs (Request for Proposal) and contracts carefully.

Consult with an attorney on the structure of the relationship with the prime and ask questions.

• Subcontract with a prime on a private industry project prior to SEE SUCONTR ACT | 30

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Detours land ‘all-in’ marijuana investors in Belfair

By Tim Kelly KPBJ editor

Call it the path of lease resistance.

That’s what led two pairs of brothers — friends since junior high in Port Orchard and now business partners — to purchase a former nursery in Belfair as the site for their marijuana-growing operation.

“Probably the most difficult thing about this whole deal is finding a suitable location,” said Fadi Yashruti, point man for the investors who formed Seattle Inceptive Group to enter Washington’s recreational cannabis industry.

They might have been in business in time to supply the state’s first retail pot shops that opened in July, if their deal to lease a warehouse in the Port of Bremerton’s industrial area hadn’t been quashed by the port district commissioners.

“That really had a pretty large impact on us,” Yashruti said. “It really delayed us, and forced us to go find a new location.

But in the long run, I think this will actually work better for us because we purchased this property.”

Shifting from a leasing model to buying the former Belfair Valley Nursery — where Yashruti’s group is preparing to erect three large, technically advanced greenhouses on the rough-

TIM KELLY

Fadi Yashruti, who grew up in South Kitsap and recently left a corporate job in the Seattle area, is one of the principals in Seattle Inceptive Group, which is setting up a statelicensed marijuana production and processing facility on a 12-acre property they purchased in Belfair.

ly 12-acre site — raised the start-up investment from $200,000 to around $1 million, he said. They previously had found a suitable property in Tahuya and signed a lease on it, but Yashruti said they’re going to sublease that site to another producer/processor.

Their Belfair site has an existing 5,000-square-foot greenhouse and another smaller building. The new greenhouses will be built adjacent to each other, creating a three-bay structure that’s 90 by 132 feet.

They will be equipped with blackout shades for light deprivation, which speeds up the flowering cycle of the marijuana plants.

SU BCON TR ACT | F ROM 2 8

proposing on a large government project; it will give you the chance to see how well you work together. This experience will be beneficial to both you and the prime on future applications as it demonstrates an established working relationship.

• Have a discussion with the prime contractor about what will happen if something goes wrong on the project. In the federal contracting world only the prime contractor has direct access to the federal government. How will the prime help you, represent you, what are their policies and procedures when the unexpected happens?

Prime contractors are always looking for good subcontractors. They are required to meet specific small business goals including goals for all the socio-economic sectors, including HUB-zone, woman-owned, and service disabled veteran-owned businesses. Hiring locally also makes good business sense. Establish a good relationship from the beginning by being honest about your

Yashruti said a greenhouse grow can produce one or two crops a year, but with light deprivation the process can yield up to five crops a year.

“This is what warehouse guys are doing, but they don’t need blackout shades; they just turn off the lights,” he said. Utilizing natural light for their greenhouse plants as much as possible throughout the year will greatly reduce the amount of electricity used for lighting in their operation.

Yashruti said the greenhouses they’re installing will have walls of polyethelene film, rather than rigid sides, so they will be considered soft-sided, tempo-

capabilities. You will enhance your position by knowing that core capabilities are more important than your small business status, and your past performance demonstrates your expertise. Know your limitations and share them with the prime. Read the contract and your proposal. Ask questions, get clarifications and take advantage of opportunities to learn.

The Kitsap Procurement Technical Assistance Center is offering the following upcoming training events: • Government Contracting 101 – Aug. 20, 9-11 a.m.

• Accounting for Subcontractors (2 parts) – Sept. 10 & Nov. 19, 9-11 a.m.

• Social Media for Government Contracting – Oct. 8, 9-11 a.m.

• Mary Jo Juarez has over 30 years’ experience in government contracting; most recently working as a Navy Deputy for Small Business, helping the Navy meet its small business goals and educating small firms in opportunities with the federal government.

rary structures with fewer permit requirements.

However, the greenhouse space isn’t large enough for the entire 21,000 square feet of plant canopy — the actual growing area filled by marijuana plants — that’s allowed under a state license as a Tier 3 producer, the largest category. So the rest of Seattle Inceptive’s allowed growing area will be outdoors.

The partners have developing relationships with licensed retail shops they hope to supply, and they’ll do more networking at the CannaCon expo Aug. 14-17 at the Tacoma Dome.

Seattle Inceptive also has plans for a side business marketing a crucial supply for operations like theirs.

“We have a patent we obtained for a packaging idea,” Yashruti said. It will have a distinctive look and protection for the plant inside.

“I think the packaging, branding and marketing are going to be what sets us apart,” he said.

Like many in the wave of entrepreneurs licensed as recreational marijuana pro-

ducers, Yashruti has previous ties with the medical cannabis community.

He grew up in Manchester, the son of a Palestinian doctor who emigrated from the Middle East (he met his wife, a native of Macedonia, in the U.S.) and eventually started a family and a surgical practice in Port Orchard.

Yashruti, 39, has been a medical marijuana patient since he found cannabis provided relief for the intestinal troubles that afflicted him a couple years ago.

“Two years ago I had some massive stomach problems; I lost 30 pounds in a span of two months,” he said. When doctors were unable to come up with an effective remedy, a friend suggested medical marijuana might help him.

“I tried smoking pot for a week,” he said, and the effect on his health was “a 180 turnaround.”

Yashruti had to manage his medicinal marijuana use to not interfere with his family life — he has a young daughter — or with his senior management job at

AT&T in the Seattle area.

“I’m not a daytime smoker,” he said. “I do it once at night before I go to bed.”

He left his six-figure salary and “high-stress” corporate job to work full time on Seattle Inceptive Group’s venture.

“I’m all in,” he said.

Getting final approval of their state licensing and all the needed county permits has been a long road, but Yashruti expects to get their building permit soon. It will likely be late this year before the business has any its first harvested marijuana ready to sell.

Despite delays in getting started, he and his partners — his brother, Nenad, and brothers Jim and Jeff Way, who own a construction business in Port Orchard — are convinced their investment eventually will yield a lucrative return.

“If it’s $25 a gram at retail stores, that’s better than what our projections are,” Yashruti said. “The bestcase scenario for us is $4 million a year (in net profits). That’s how confident we are in this industry.”

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New pub opens, but issues from old place remain Owners hope Swimdeck’s launch will help resolve financial mess left from Chehalis pub’s closure

By Tim Kelly KPBJ editor

Around the time the nautical-themed Swimdeck held its grand opening in Port Orchard, the proprietors’ other pub in Chehalis went under, leaving in its wake employees who didn’t get final paychecks, longrunning disputes with the landlord, and a loss of the substantial investment the entrepreneurs made in renovating the place.

Stacy Bronson and Dave Tagert, the couple who recently opened the Swimdeck in a Bay Street location they extensively remodeled over the past year, closed their struggling Devilfish pub in Chehalis in late June.

That operation had been beset by problems near the end, such as the compressor for their beer taps breaking down and needing an expensive repair; their water service being shut off by the city for nonpayment; and street work being done by the city that temporarily closed their block to traffic.

Bronson and Tagert acknowledged they have not paid some Devilfish employees, but said they are working to make things right. They said artifacts that had been displayed in the pub — including antique deep-sea divers’ helmets — are for sale on eBay and craigslist to raise money to pay their debts.

They’ve already liquidated all their personal assets, Tagert said.

“We sold everything we could to try to keep the Devilfish going,” Bronson said.

They hope their new business, which they originally planned to have ready to open much sooner than this summer, will be successful and allow them to work their way out of the financial mess from the Devilfish, which was open for three years.

“We had every intention of having the Devilfish open and this open,” Bronson said during an interview July 15 at the Swimdeck before the pub opened that afternoon.

But as work on the Swimdeck took months longer than they anticipated, things started going downhill at the Devilfish as they spent more and more time in Port Orchard trying to get the new place going as summer approached.

The couple blames much of their Chehalis pub’s demise this year on the city’s streetscape project that has restricted traffic on their street many times. Bronson has photos taken shortly before the pub closed showing a “road closed” sign during the construction.

Tagert was critical of the timing of the street project, saying it would have kept their block closed during a major summer event — the STP Bicycle Classic (held July 12) in which thousands of cyclists ride from Seattle to Portland, through Chehalis on a

She has filed a claim with the state Department of Labor & Industries over her unpaid wages.

The landlord, Don Portnoy, said his relationship with Tagert and Bronson was rocky throughout their years as tenants, but that he wanted them to succeed after they worked to transform the building into an attractive site.

“I wish this wouldn’t have ended this way, because it’s a beautiful LARRY STEAGALL place and it’s a shame,” Stacy Bronson and her partner, Dave Tagert, recently opened The he said. “I’m the last guy Swimdeck on Bay Street in Port Orchard. The couple owned an- that wanted to see them other pub in Chehalis that went out of business in June, and they go out of business.”

Portnoy said the coustill owe some former employees their final paychecks. ple owes four or five months’ back rent, but Bronson and Tagert route that passes near their pub. disputed that. They said they were never However, they closed the Devilfish a few more then three weeks late paying their weeks before the STP because, as Bronson rent before June. said, the pub was “hemorrhaging.”

Now that the Devilfish is gone, Bronson “We were more and more and more in debt and Tagert are persevering with the Swimdown there, and there was just no way we deck and hope to pay the unpaid wages and could get it to stop,” she said. “This (Swimstate business taxes they owe as soon as deck) didn’t get opened soon enough, and possible. (the Devilfish) went down faster and faster.

Some unpaid employees and others startSo it was just like this perfect storm.” ed posting negative comments on the DevTagert, who used to own dive shops in Port Orchard and Gig Harbor, and Bronson thought their “gastropub” concept GATEWAY CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS would succeed, but Chehalis — a town of 3X5.250 fewer than 8,000 residents on Interstate 5 KPBJ-AUG GATEWAY — proved too small a community for it to 30003351 work.

“Chehalis was a mistake,” Tagert said.

“It was one of those things, we never considered the population.

“That’s one of the reasons we decided to come back to Kitsap County.”

Former Devilfish employees, who received no notice before the place closed, tell a different story about the pub’s deterioration.

Paul Adamson was hired a few months ago as kitchen manager. He said he’s been unable to cash a paycheck for $589 he received June 14, and that the owners also owe him for the last couple weeks he worked there.

He was hopeful when he started that the place could be turned around, despite “deficiencies” in the kitchen, where most of the cooking was done in two microwaves and a panini press grill. But Adamason said the pub’s supply of food and beer dwindled significantly near the end.

“There was always an excuse,” he said.

“The last two weeks I could see what was going on.”

Christine Kardos, a bartender who worked there about two months and left a week before the Devilfish closed, said the pub was understaffed, resulting in poor service.

Kardos said Bronson once gave her $200 cash out of the night’s proceeds because she hadn’t received a paycheck in a few weeks.

ilfish and Swimdeck’s Facebook pages, prompting Bronson to take down both sites. She said she did it because she wants to pay her former staff as soon as she can, and that attempts to “sabotage” their new business are counter-productive for those employees.

Tagert sold his dive business in 2012, and they used the proceeds to enhance the Devilfish and to start work on the Swimdeck last year.

Bronson is adamant in saying they never took any profits out of the Devilfish to spend on their new business.

“The truth is Dave and I lost a house, all of our assets, every one of our assets, to these businesses to make them work,” she said.

They even lost the last vehicle they had when their 15-year-old Range Rover was stolen from in front of the Swimdeck the day before their grand opening. Tagert left the rig running as they unloaded supplies, and a woman passing by drove off in it.

Police recovered the vehicle the next weekend, but it had been trashed. The only consolation for the owners was that their two dogs who usually go everywhere with them weren’t in the rig the morning it was stolen.

The persevering pub owners remain convinced their approach can be successful on the second try.

“The concept’s outstanding,” Tagert maintained, “but it just has to be in the right place.”

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AUTO REVIEW | 2014 DODGE RAM

AUTO REVIEW | MAZDA MX5 MIATA

28 mpg in a pickup? Yep

Last drive with an old friend

By Lary Coppola KPBJ contributor

The 2014 Ram 1500 is the first half-ton pickup to offer a modern, clean diesel engine as an option (a light-duty diesel was offered by Dodge previously), and it has Ram marketeers relentlessly chanting the mantra, “28 miles per gallon” with religious fervor.

Both the 3.6-liter V6 and 5.7-liter V8 gasoline powerplants carry over to 2014 unchanged from the 2013 model year, and they are paired with either a 6- or 8-speed automatic. While both Ford and GM offer a bigger, more powerful V8 than Ram’s workhorse Hemi, only Ram puts the big engine in a regular cab pickup. Other than new colors and chrome, the current generation Ram 1500 is basically unchanged.

The Ram 1500 is considered a half-ton pickup capable of cargo capacity and trailer tow ratings similar to what its competition — Ford F-150, Chevy Silverado/GMC Sierra, Nissan Titan and Toyota Tundra all offer. Personally, I don’t consider the Honda Ridgeline to be a bona fide pickup on a par with the others because it doesn’t have a separate frame, cab or bed, nor a choice of two- or fourwheel drive.

Brand loyalty in pickups borders on being a blood sport, but the truth is, there are no bad full-size pickups.

However, the 2014 Ram 1500 offers three different cabs, engines and bed lengths (two with RamBox), as well as two transmissions, two suspension systems, and interiors ranging from hose-out to luxurious. When tabulated by cab, bed, driveline and trim level, there are more than 70 different ways to configure a Ram 1500 — with prices ranging from about $23,000 to over $57,000. While general in nature, this review will focus primarily on the Eco-diesel powertrain version of the Ram 1500.

Model Lineup: As stated, there are over 70 different configuration possibilities. The 2014 Ram comes

ple dark colors on base models, to the horizontal-themed Sport, to chrome mesh on top-of-theline trucks.

Bumpers were reThe 2014 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup shaped in 2013 to be substantial yet in Tradesman, Express, cheat the wind, along with HFE, Big Horn, Lone Star, rounding the windshield Sport, Outdoorsman, Larasomewhat. The sides are mie, Laramie Longhorn fairly flat, although some and Laramie Limited trim side mirrors stand off from levels. Some, such as Big the door glass.

Horn and Lone Star, are In the rear, the tailgate primarily cosmetic packspoiler was rounded for aging only available in speimproved aerodynamics, cific regions. Ram Tradeswhile the tires are almost man, Sport, Outdoorsman, flush with the body panels.

Big Horn and Lone Star The large rear bumper has are available in all body half-round openings for the styles, while all others are sport exhaust on trucks so restricted to certain cabs. equipped. Both seven- and In short, cab choices infour-pin trailer plugs are clude a Regular Cab with mounted adjacent to the lishort (6.3 feet) or long (8 cense plate. The tailgate feet) bed, four-door Quad has a lock that works with Cab with short bed (6.3 the central locking sysfeet), and the Crew Cab with tem, and a torsion bar sysa short bed (5.6 feet) or long tem cuts apparent tailgate bed (6.3 feet). Making this weight in half for ease of more confusing is the fact lowering and raising.

Ram terminology overlaps The RamBox Cargo Man— some “long” and “short” agement System is a pickbeds are the same length, up box with a rectangular depending on the cab. interior and no wheel-well Walkaround: Originaintrusions, it can accommotors of the big, aggressive date a 4x8 sheet of building semi-inspired grill that material flat on the floor. adorns most pickups now In the tops of both sides are except the Titan, the Ram’s two locking bins. The Ramsignature intimidating stylBox has some trade-offs. It ing has evolved more than reduces total cargo box cachanged over time. The pacity, adds weight that front grille is now tilted comes off payload, and beforward, and is surprisingcause the cargo box lids ly aerodynamic with a low open upward, it’s not comdrag co-efficient. Both the patible with camper shells, diesel and HFE model use cargo caps, some bed covers grille shutters to automatand many racks. ically adjust the amount of Side rails with cleats air going through the coolers. Grilles vary from simSEE R AM | 37

By Lary Coppola KPBJ contributor

It seems rare that in my normal rotation of vehicles to review, I get a convertible in warm sunny weather. Somehow, they always seem to come at some stage of the gray, rainy, Pacific Northwest winter.

However, I lucked out during this year’s 5-star summer, as I got to drive the current-generation Mazda MX-5 Miata. However, after a mild refresh in 2013, it was like saying goodbye to an old friend. The thirdgeneration Miata, which comes in three levels — the Club, Sport, and Grand Touring — will be the last of this fun little roadster, as the next Miata is being co-developed with Alfa Romeo. I hope the car doesn’t lose the magic that has made it the most-raced vehicle on any given weekend — worldwide. And with over 900,000 built according to the Guinness World

The 2014 Mazda MX-5 Miata

Records, the MX-5 is the “Best-Selling Two-Seat Roadster” on the planet.

If this was to be my last time behind the wheel of the MX-5 Miata, I couldn’t have asked for a better goodbye than the Zeal Red Grand Touring model with a power, retractable hardtop, six-speed automatic with paddle shifters, great weather, and some exhilarating driving on the winding back roads between Rainier, Oregon and the burbs west of Portland.

The Miata has been

around for more than 20 years, and has remained true to its roots — an affordable, front-engine, rear wheel-drive, two-seat roadster with an energetic, small-displacement powerplant offering lively performance, responsive handling, and a high fun-to-drive quotient. It’s everything and more 60s-era British sports cars like the MG and Austin Healey aspired to be, without the undependability factor they were famous for. While there are bigger, SEE MIATA | 37

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PEOPLE IN BUSINESS Bamboo firm Teragren hires new VP of sales Bainbridge Island-based Teragren — a manufacturer of bamboo flooring, panels, veneer and worktops — has hired Mark Jordan as the company’s new vice president of sales.

Jordan will be responsible for heading both the inside and outside sales teams across all major product categories.

“We are very excited Mark Jordan to bring Mark on board,” Teragren president Mike Boshart said. “His familiarity with the AEC and interior furnishings industries, coupled with his strong background in sales team leadership will be a great addi-

M I ATA| F ROM 3 6

faster, flashier, choices (can you say Jaguar?), the MX5 Miata’s universal appeal to both sexes of all ages is unmatched worldwide, and the 2014 MX-5 Miata perfectly upholds its tradition of affordable, reliable, pure driving fun.

Walkaround: Styling of the Mazda MX-5 Miata is evolutionary, not groundbreaking. Although continually refined over the years, it looks much the same as it did upon its debut, making it immediately recognizable as a Miata.

Except for three new colors, there are no other changes for 2014.

Interior: The MX-5 Miata is not a big car, and doesn’t offer a lot of spare interior room. It’s a snug but comfortable fit for a guy my size — 6 feet tall and 215. Both legroom and the seats may be tight for people bigger than myself; however, the seats are fittingly supportive for enthusiastic driving.

Fit and finish are excellent, with good quality materials. Available features include heated leather seats, a 7-speaker Bose audio system powering the AM / FM / 6-CD / SiriusXM Satellite radio, Bluetooth, and even automatic climate control — all of which our test model featured, along with a tilt leather wheel with controls for the audio and cruise. It also had A/C, remote power door locks and windows, and an autodimming rear view mirror.

A welcome improvement

tion to the Teragren team.”

Jordan’s background includes almost a decade with major office furniture and case goods manufacturers, including a background on the commercial side. His experience working with the architectural and design communities will come into play for Teragren as that sector continues to rebound. Additionally, Jordan brings an understanding of pipeline management from his experience with retail consumer goods in the games and entertainment industry.

Bank hires new commercial payments manager Port Orchard-based Kitsap Bank has hired Michael Gordon as senior vice pres-

from the original is a surprisingly spacious trunk considering the size of the MX-5 Miata. I was able to fit a medium-size suitcase, and some other items, as well as lay a dress suit on a hanger down over them with room to spare. The original Miata had barely enough room for a briefcase. Also, the retractable hardtop — which isn’t offered with the Sport version — doesn’t intrude upon that trunk space, giving up only a small storage spot behind the seats.

Under The Hood: Unlike some other cars, there’s no supercharged or turbo V6 shoehorned under the hood to throw off the 50/50 weight balance. Instead, the MX-5 Miata sports a high-revving, 158-horse, 2.0-liter in-line four-banger that responds enthusiastically while putting down 140 lb-ft of torque and sipping fuel at the rate of 28 mpg (21/city, 28/highway, combined 23). There’s 167 horses available with the manual transmission.

Transmission choices are a five-speed manual on the Sport version, a six-speed manual or 6-speed automatic with a manual shift feature and available paddle shifters.

Behind The Wheel: As I found out — once again — it’s almost impossible not to love driving the 2014 MX5 Miata. At around 2,500 pounds, it’s light, tight and nimble, with nearly equal front-to-rear weight distribution. It rides on a very sophisticated, fully independent suspension engineered

to deliver the ultimate funto-drive experience, totally connecting the driver to the pavement. The electronic power rack-and-pinion steering is sharp, and braking is excellent thanks to 4-wheel discs.

I had two opportunities to drive the curvy back road calling itself Oregon Highway 47, and it was an absolute blast. Using the perfectly positioned paddle shifters aggressively — rather than the brake pedal — was more driving fun than I’ve had in awhile.

This car hugs the road like a cat, while freeway driving isn’t at all unpleasant, and your body doesn’t get beaten up by bad pavement.

Whines: It’s somewhat disconcerting to look in the rear view mirror with the top down and see an SUV grille up close and personal at 70-plus mph. Also, if getting in and out of the car challenges your physical dexterity, the Miata might not be your ideal daily driver.

Bottom Line: If you’re in the market for a twoseat sports car, the Mazda MX-5 Miata should be high on your short list. Besides being a stellar performer, a bonus factor is its historically high resale value — a salute to its longterm desirability as well as reliability. I’ve driven other sports cars that are faster, bigger, more luxurious — and of course pricier. However, none are more fun to drive. Personally, I’d buy this car in a New York minute. Zoom Zoom.

ident and commercial payments manager.

Gordon will be based out of the Gig Harbor Point Fosdick office.

He joins Kitsap Bank with over 21 years of banking experience and an extensive background in treasury management and business banking services. Gordon was most recently vice president and treasury relationship manager at Union Bank.

“Michael brings a significant amount of experience and knowledge in relationship and treasury management,” said Anthony George, President and Chief Operating Officer of Kitsap Bank. “He is an expert helping businesses find the right solutions to their cash management needs, and we are very pleased to welcome him to the team.”

Gordon is a member of the Association of Financial Professionals and the Healthcare Financial Management.

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secure cargo, and a divider that locks into place segments the bed into smaller areas or can be flipped over and used as a bed extender with the tailgate down.

Interior: Our test model was a Big Horn Crew Cab offering seating for five. It featured premium cloth bucket seats, in front, with a power 10-way driver seat, a 60/40 split folding seat in back, plus second row infloor storage bins.

The leather-wrapped wheel was home to audio controls for the AM/FM/ CD, which was controlled via Chrysler’s Uconnect system from a programmable 7-inch touch screen, which did double duty for the backup camera, and climate controls. Bluetooth was standard, as were two 12-volt power ports and a 115-volt power outlet.

Kitsap Health District hires public information officer The Kitsap Public Health District has hired Karen McKay Bevers as public information officer (PIO) and communications coordinator.

She replaces Scott Daniels, the health district’s administrator, in the role of PIO. As the communications coordinator, a new position for the district, Bevers is responsible for Karen McKay developing, implementing and monitoring the agenBevers cy’s communications, public relations and marketing plans.

Instrumentation includes a tach, with myriad other data in the display between the primary gauges.

One major improvement is the increased size of the knobs used for manual controls — the baby-sized ones used for so long are history.

Under The Hood: Our test model featured the new 3.0-liter V6 diesel. It’s rated at 240 horses and married to Chrysler’s 8-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission. It delivers 420 pound-feet of torque, with an EPA-estimated 20/28 mpg city/highway.

Behind The Wheel: We’ve had two short opportunities to drive this truck, and were impressed both times. The ride is smooth and quieter than expected.

The new 3-liter V6 turbodiesel — shared with the Jeep Grand Cherokee — is rated at 240 horses at a relaxed 3600 rpm, and 420 pound-

SEE PEOPLE | 38

feet of torque at 2000 rpm.

Idle is slightly noisier than the gas engines but at maximum power seems quieter because peak output happens at half the revs of gas engines. Top tow rating is 9,200 pounds, and it should be a much more efficient tow vehicle than a Hemipowered Ram. Whines: The rearview camera image is not as good as some on other brands.

The image is grainy and jumps, sort of like using a satellite phone to talk to someone on the other side of the planet. Some of the specialty model badging is a little gaudy for my taste.

Bottom Line: The Ram 1500 combines the new Ecodiesel V6 with a refined cabin and driving experience. At the heralded 28 mpg, it should be a winner, and if successful, will open the door for competing diesels in the near future.

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TECHNOLOGY | CHARLES KEATING

BUSINESS COMMENTARY | DON BRUNELL

Cybersecurity and privacy must be balanced in new law

The rest of the story: Demand for electricity is growing

At the end of June, the Senate Intelligence Committee introduced the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2014, the latest variation of cybersecurity laws. Similar bills have failed to pass over the last four years, and in my opinion, rightfully so because of very reasonable concerns that they were overly broad in their power to potentially discard privacy and trample individual rights.

The failure of these bills doesn’t mean nothing is being done. Much is happening behind the scenes, and it is a good thing to balance the interests of many groups before any bill becomes law. We need both privacy and security, and neither can truly exist without the other.

These poorly drafted bills illustrate the pressure for broader efforts to thwart current and future foes that will use cyber warfare tools to attack our digital infrastructure. Security experts are understandably concerned about current-generation security efforts to protect our data as The Internet of Things evolves. Heartbleed is an example of why it’s important to shore up our security and pay more attention. Still, on-premise solutions based on old technologies are not inherently more secure, as Target now knows, thus the pace of innovation continues. More businesses and individuals are moving data to public, hybrid and private clouds, which can — in many cases — offer better security in more tightly managed environments. Users will accept some risks to make progress, and we all want to ensure our data is safe, not only from hackers, but from unreasonable searches.

Doña Keating of Professional Options (also a co-founding member, past president and current sponsor of West Sound Technology Association) recently attend-

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“Karen has a strong communications and marketing background, and a passion for Kitsap County,” Daniels said. “She’ll help us raise awareness about the health district’s many programs, and help us be more pro-active about telling our story — because we have many great stories to tell.”

Bevers has a degree in communications from Washington State University and more than 17 years of experience in communications, marketing and community relations. She was most recently the West Sound director for American Red Cross serving King, Kitsap and North Mason counties.

Bevers, who lives in Bremerton, is a 2014 graduate of Leadership Kitsap, and serves on the board for Kitsap Childcare & Preschool.

ed tech, talent gap, and cybersecurity policy meetings at the White House as a Voices for Innovation leader. As evidenced by existing articles and blogs on the subject by the senior White House officials who addressed the group, the need to define what level of cyberattack constitutes a national security threat is something industry experts will debate for some time to come. The decisions can be made easier if a common language is used to describe both the threat space and security methods, and if public and private sectors work together to protect our infrastructure — which is vital to our future economy.

Michael Daniel, special assistant to the President and cybersecurity coordinator at the White House, has written about the unique challenges to cybersecurity. It is not a physically defined space. There is no interior to cyberspace. Also, unlike other efforts where international cooperation leads to greater adoption, some governments see the Internet as a threat and something to be controlled. Because of these divergent interests, a global forum or effort will not likely take the lead in addressing cybersecurity issues.

The good news is that a vibrant discussion is taking place to both provide better security and privacy. Despite the likely failure of the most recent bill, and recent breaches of security and privacy, these events keep everyone engaged toward getting the balance right.

• Charles Keating is president of Keating Consulting Service Inc. (www.kcsco.com), an IT consulting firm serving global clients since 1983. He is also a partner in K2 Strategic Solutions (www.k2strategic.com) and Professional Options (www.professionaloptions.com), and current president and co-founding member of West Sound Technology Association (www.westsoundtechnology.org).

New members appointed to Harrison’s board of directors Harrison Medical Center recently added three members to the organization’s board of directors. The new members are Beau Bakken, chief of North Mason Regional Fire Authority, Dr. Gregory Hoisington and Dr. Ronald Wayne.

Hoisington is a pediatric physician at The Doctors Clinic in Silverdale. He is certified with the American Board of Pediatrics and is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Wayne is chief of staff for Harrison Medical Center, and since 2005 he has been president of Olympic Anesthesia Services, Inc. To view the full biographies of the Harrison Medical Center board members, visit www.harrisonmedical.org/board-directors.

For decades, radio newsman Paul Harvey gave us a side of the news that we either hadn’t heard or hadn’t considered.

His “Rest of the Story” commentaries provided an in-depth look at the news behind the headlines.

Today, all the headlines are about the negative impacts of fossil fuels. But when you dig deeper, as Paul Harvey did, you get the rest of the story.

For thousands of years, food, water, clothing and shelter were the basic necessities of life. Today, we need to include electricity.

In China and India, home to more than a third of the world’s 7.25 billion people, 85,000 people move into cities each day. They are moving from areas without modern conveniences into urban housing where refrigerators, freezers, washers and dryers, computers and Internet are part of everyday life.

Electricity is also essential for clean water, as governments around the world invest in water sanitation and wastewater treatment plants. The need is to build new treatment plants for the 2.5 billion people who still lack safe drinking water.

While some complain about fossil fuels, almost 3 billion people still use primitive stoves to burn wood or dried animal dung for cooking. The resulting indoor air pollution kills 3.5 million people a year — mainly women and children — from respiratory illnesses. In fact, each year people burning wood and charcoal in Africa contribute to the destruction of forests equal to the size of Switzerland.

Meanwhile, the next generation of fossil

fuel combustion technology is cleaning up our air and water, while producing useful by-products, such as green wallboard.

China, often reviled as the poster child for smog and pollution, has developed a project called GreenGen, the world’s largest near-zero emissions coal plant. It generates 265 megawatts of electricity — enough to power over 200,000 homes — from gasified coal, and the resulting CO2 is injected into a nearby oil field rather than released into the atmosphere.

The reality is the use of coal to produce electricity has nearly doubled in America since 1970 as our economy (GDP) has more than doubled. During that same period, key emissions per kilowatt hour have decreased by 90 percent.

Many people who enjoy ample electricity have developed strong biases against fossil fuels and want to stop any research into clean fossil fuel technology. But that technology is allowing us to grow and create jobs while actually cleaning up our global environment.

Americans don’t stop to ask what life would be like without an adequate power supply. We are so accustomed to flipping on a switch for light, powering up our computers and adjusting our thermostats for heat and air conditioning that it is a reality jolt when the electric grid goes down for just a couple of days.

Our abundant low cost hydropower has been the staple of our state’s economy. Electricity is essential for the production of the aluminum used in Boeing aircraft, growing silicon wafers for computer chips, and sustaining agriculture, our state’s largest industry. But most of the SEE BRUNELL | 39

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REGIONAL ECONOMY | JOHN POWERS

Kitsap aerospace ... more progress – more lift – more to come This past year marked a milestone in Kitsap’s efforts to participate in our region’s ever-expanding aerospace manufacturing sector, both commercial and military aircraft.

Last June a contingent of Kitsap Aerospace & Defense Alliance (KADA) leaders joined the Washington State Department of Commerce’s delegation to the 2013 Paris Airshow.

Last July Kitsap welcomed its first fullfledged tier one aerospace manufacturer – Omohundro Co. Today, Omohundro employs dozens of skilled workers at its Port Orchard plant, manufacturing sophisticated composite structures for a variety of aerospace companies around the globe.

By year end, Boeing solidified the future of aerospace in our region when it announced that it would build the new 777X in Washington — our region’s aerospace sector has been ramping up ever since.

Last month KADA again joined forces with our partners at the Washington Department of Commerce and participated in The Farnborough International Airshow, represented by an enthusiastic contingent comprised of Kitsap County Commissioner Charlotte Garrido and KADA co-chairs Tim Thomson, Captain USN (ret.), and yours truly.

Over five days, our contingent conducted client service and business development meetings with senior leaders from numerous aerospace and defense firms, many already engaged in Kitsap. We met with numerous firms who were previous-

ly unaware of Kitsap and informed them of the many competitive assets and attributes our community has to offer the industry as we laid the groundwork for future engagement. Our message was clear: Kitsap boasts a multi-generational legacy of sophisticated manufacturing and complex industrial operations; a highly skilled workforce; access to a robust supply chain; excellent infrastructure and proximity to the I-5 corridor; competitive cost of living and doing business; and, the most balanced and quite arguably best quality of life in the Greater Seattle Market.

Our steadfast commitment to promoting Kitsap as a great place to pursue advanced manufacturing opportunities, whether it be in the defense or aerospace sector, has, and will continue to, yield measurable results. Today there are four Kitsap-based manufacturing firms supplying products and parts to our region’s robust aerospace supply chain. While that might not seem like a lot in light of the hundreds and hundreds of aerospace suppliers found in the Central Puget Sound Region, that’s four more than just two years ago. Moreover, it means an awful lot to the hundreds of skilled engineers, machinists and production workers that make a good living in Kitsap providing goods and services to the aerospace industry.

Kitsap — a leader in the defense industry, an emerging player in aerospace — a great place to do business, to work, live and play.

On Kitsap!

• John Powers is executive director of the Kitsap Economic Development Alliance.

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world is not blessed with our Columbia River hydropower system and must rely on fossil fuels.

Even with energy-efficient appliances and advances in building construction, we will use more electricity in the future — including the electricity we use to recharge our electric cars. Those 150,000 electric cars people bought last year need power from the electric grid to recharge their batteries, and often that electricity

CIDER | F ROM 2 4

The number of cider garden tickets is limited, however, to ensure cideries don’t run out of samples.

Even without any advertising, the foundation had sold more than 100 tickets by mid-July.

The event is on the same day as National Public Lands Day and there will be parks projects between 9 a.m. and noon around both peninsulas. Volunteers who sign up will get $5 off Cider Swig admission along with a T-shirt and commemorative glass.

comes from fossil fuel generating plants.

The good news is we can meet that demand through innovation and technology, if we have the will do so. As Harvey would say: “Now you know the rest of the story.”

• Don C. Brunell is a business analyst, writer and columnist. He recently retired as president of the Association of Washington Business, and now lives in Vancouver. He can be contacted at theBrunells@ msn.com.

The festival is entirely volunteer-run and needs as many as 80 volunteers, and event volunteers will receive a $5 meal token, among other things.

White encouraged people to come and give craft cider a try, noting that it’s not necessarily the same as the more massproduced, grocery-store variety.

“I would tell folks a lot of ciders are more wine-like by the way they are produced and their complexity,” he said. “It’s a different kind of drink and it doesn’t have to taste like apple juice — but it doesn’t mean it can’t be fresh, crisp and balanced.”

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