october 2012
Luncheon Speakers
Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce luncheon meetings are held at the Port Townsend Elks Lodge, 555 Otto St., at noon each Monday, federal holidays excluded. Everyone is welcome!
Oct. 1 - Fort Worden Plan
From the Fort Worden Pubic Development Authority, Dave Robison, Exec Director, and Cindy Finnie, FWPDA Chair, review plans for Fort Worden. Sponsor Ajax Cafe
Oct. 15 - Carl Smith
The new Jefferson County Director of Community Development and Michelle McConnell, Project Manager for the Watershed Stewardship Resource Center, talk about improvements to the permitting process. Sponsor is the Food Co-op.
Oct. 22 - Chauncey TudhopeLocklear The Executive Director of The ReCyclery will share his findings regarding the economic and environmental effect of communities who pedal more. Sponsor is Kristin Manwaring Insurance.
Oct. 29 - Dr. Luke Robins The new Peninsula College President discusses the importance of community colleges in today’s economy. Sponsor is The Leader.
Coffee Talk
October 2 - 8 to 9 a.m. Coffee Talk at the Resort at Port Ludlow Olympic Room, 1 Heron Road. Speaker Tina McCleese of Clarity Enterprises Financial Management Services .
Leader connects, helps businesses grow Marketing staff expands, offers new options for local merchants Everyone in Jefferson County knows The Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader, the weekly newspaper that has been serving the area since 1889. What might not be so obvious to casual observers are the many ways the newspaper is evolving and continuing to make strong connections between merchants and markets, readers and their community. It’s no secret the media world has been going through phenomenal changes in recent years, but The Leader is keeping pace. Leader advertising customers have access to a suite of services that represent the best mix of print and digital platforms available locally, and The Leader has brought on new staff to stay current with changing technologies and advertiser needs. The staff changes include Catherine Brewer, The Leader’s new Marketing Director. Born in Seattle and raised in Port Angeles, most recently Catherine was an advertising representative for Sound Publishing in the San Juan Islands. She comes to The Leader with a wealth of marketing savvy and a strong desire to help local businesses grow.
“I’m so excited to be here,” Catherine said. “I enjoy helping local businesses gain more exposure in the marketplace and I love watching positive results happen with advertising.” Catherine has two grown children and three beautiful granddaughters and is a trained and certified yoga instructor. Also new on the Marketing Department staff is Carla Patton. People who frequently place classified ads in The Leader will recognize Carla, who was in classified ad sales for more than a year before accepting a position in the Marketing Department. Carla has a Bachelor’s degree in English, but has many interests. Before coming to Port Townsend, she moved to Chicago to study improvisational comedy. Her other claims to fame include being a reality TV expert and winner of a ‘Saved By the Bell’ trivia contest. The veterans on the Marketing Department staff are Tami Hewitt, a familiar face to many Leader customers, and Sara Radka. Sara, in addition to her advertising coordinator role, is now expanding Leader Grafix, a full-service graphic arts business producing business logos, brochures, web sites, social media pages and other marketing materials. Of course, the newspaper continues to provide high demand traditional services – inexpensive classified ads that turn your possessions into cash,
The Leader’s marketing staff is ready to help you find the perfect media mix to fit your budget and help your business grow. From left is Carla Patton, Sara Radka, Catherine Brewer and Tami Hewitt. ads for your garage sale (with free signs), and print advertising with graphic arts services included. And of course, there’s nothing like a listing or a story in The Leader to tell people about your event. Unlike big city dailies who barely reach 30 percent of the homes in their communities, The Leader reaches close to 70 percent of
Port Townsend area homes and about 60 percent of south county homes. Nothing gets the community’s attention each week quite like The Leader. In addition, The Leader’s free access web site, ptleader. com, is reaching out even farther. More than 20,000 unique visitors log on every week to Continued on Page 2
Leader: Expanding to meet diverse needs and wants Continued from Page 1 catch up on local blogs, comment on news stories and opinions, to check on the latest job openings or houses for sale or rent. When you add ptleader.com and print readers, there’s never been a time in history when The Leader reached more people. The Leader is expanding in other ways, too. Need a simple, low-cost web site for your business? The Leader can create one for you. Do you need help setting up and managing a Facebook page or a Twitter account? The Leader does that, too. Do you need access to marketing professionals to help make sense of the many options available these days? The Leader staff offers free marketing consultations that others charge hundreds of dollars for. If you need to target your message to a particular group, The Leader does that through special publications and magazines aimed at specific audiences. Among these publications are The Leader’s popular Getaway visitor’s guide and The Local coupon book that encourages people to think local first. Our partnerships in the community produce programs for Centrum, the Port Townsend Film Festival and the Wooden Boat Festival, all of which have unique audiences. We also publish this Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce monthly newsletter, the only business to business publication in the county. In addition to our marketing, The Leader takes seriously its role as the community’s communication hub. The Leader is the place people come to meet, learn, to debate, to become informed and make connections. We believe strongly in preserving open access to government meetings and records so, as our state Constitution says, “the people can retain control over the instruments they have created.” Keeping track of government actions, supporting community endeavors, connecting businesses to the marketplace and helping people connect so their lives are enriched – that’s The Leader’s business. The Leader – it’s partly a community institution, partly a community trust, and a local business working to help local merchants grow. To learn more about what The Leader offers, visit ptleader.com or just stop by our offices at 226 Adams St., Port Townsend. The door is always open.
Get Back to Living
Free initial consultation Treating depression, anxiety & trauma
Stuck: An opportunity for renewal By Heather Flanagan Every time I feel stuck, I resist the way a cat does a bath. But every single time I have come out the other side with a fresh and inspiring course change, and renewed passion. So I’m learning to embrace my “stuckness” and trust it is actually a necessary pause in a natural process of renewal. Here Flanagan are four practices to help you shift your perspective and nurture your own renewal when you find yourself in a so-called “stuck” place. 1. Make a list of what is bothering you. When we are stuck we may exaggerate the number of “bad” things in our life. If it feels like 5,000 things are bogging you down, it may be that there are actually 5 things but they have circled through your mind 1,000 times each. Some instant relief there. And having the thoughts captured on paper can free up your creative mind for problem solving. Your mental hands have been holding on to so much, now they are free to mold something new. 2. Ask yourself, “What am I feeling?” Sometimes we can stay stuck in “stuck” simply because we put a lot of energy into avoid-
ing feelings at the core of it. Write a list of whatever comes to mind. Circle the one or two with the biggest charge. Give them your attention. What do these feelings want you to know? Though it can be very uncomfortable for a moment or two, I find that the feelings I have been suppressing relax when I give them my attention and listen to what they want. By becoming more conscious of my feelings and what they want, I create greater choices around my experience. Feelings become my guideposts to greater alignment within myself. 3. Reflect on how feeling stuck has shown up in the past. The stuck places from our past hold clues to what is needed right now. Try capturing a previous experience of feeling stuck as a process. How did it start? How long did it last? How did you eventually come out of it? What purpose did it seem to have? Were you aware of that purpose while in it or did the importance of that uncomfortable experience only reveal itself in retrospect? Hmmm. What purpose might your current experience of stuck be revealing? 4. Let go! Stop resisting. My standard answer to almost any problem is to take action. When I feel stuck I drive myself crazy trying to figure out what action
Heather Flanagan is a business and life coach in Port Townsend specializing in helping people to show up and create sustainable abundance from their inner callings. Heather offers a free 20-minute consultation and may be reached at 360-379-0322 or heather@heatherflanagan.com.
Briefly Oct. 9, 5:30 to 7 p.m. - After Hours Mixer at Maestrale, 821 Water Street, Port Townsend. Oct. 17, 8 to 9 a.m. - Board of Director’s Meeting at Jefferson County Library.
• Pre-Need Arrangements • • Personalized Funeral & Memorial Services • • Cemetery Markers & Monuments • • On-Site Crematory •
Now accepting most insurance
Oct. 18, 5:30 to 7 p.m. - Ambassador meeting at Doc’s Marina Grill, 141 Hudson St., PT. Nov. 1, 6:30 to 8 p.m. YPN meeting. Location to be determined. Check website for updates.
Affordable Secretarial Services Legal and Business • Notary Public • Paralegal & legal documents assistance • 30+ years experience in many areas of law and medical fields
360-301-6318 1136 Water Street, Suite 113, Port Townsend AnnEmineth@yahoo.com www.AnnEmineth.com
will get me out of this feeling. Focusing on feeling (step 2) lets me know there is wisdom within the stuck. Reflection (step 3) tells me that I don’t always get to see the purpose of my times of “stuck” until I have come out the other side with my shiny new wisdom and inspiration. Relax. It’s OK to be exactly where you are. Something deeper is in charge. These four practices can help you reframe the experience of stuck. Think of stuck, instead, as a powerful regenerative phase wherein your higher self has taken your day-to-day conscious mind offline because it has some big work to do. The body heals itself without needing our consciousness engaged. Perhaps there is a similar process for traversing our life path. What would the world be like if we knew to celebrate feeling stuck because we trust something really big is percolating in our soul? What’s brewing in your soul?
Owned & Operated by the Robles Family
Ann Emineth Licensed Mental Health Counselor
2 October 2012 Jefferson County Chamber Newsletter
(360)385-2642
1615 Parkside Dr., Port Townsend WA 98386
Cammy Brown
Peninsula Legal Secretarial Services, LLC 360-344-3200 • 20 Colwell Street, Port Hadlock, WA 98339 www.peninsulalegalsecretarialservices.com “If we can’t help you, we will find someone who can!”
Need Networking Help? Call the business technology experts! COMPTIA A+ Certified Service Center Flash Drives • Speakers • Webcams • Anti-Virus/Spyware Printers • Ink • Photo & Print Paper • Blank CD/DVDs PCs • Macs & Cell Phones
Port Townsend Computers Visit our store at 1200 West Sims Way, Suite B Port Townsend • M-F: 10-6; Sat: 10-4
360-379-0605
Olympic Peninsula’s only authorized service center for Apple warranty repairs.
Accessorize It Cammy Brown cutting the ribbon for the grand opening of Accessorize It, a business selling Miche purses, and, of course, chamber members were on hand to help her celebrate.
Tourism Summit set for Oct. 22 This year’s Tourism Summit is a one-day conference for business and industry leaders that takes a look at traditional marketing ideas through new eyes, while looking at new ideas to add to your marketing closet! This fall tradition gives tourism partners an opportunity to network and hear speakers on topics ranging from Washington Tourism Alliance update to digital customer service to public relations and social media. It’s the season to check your marketing closet to see if you need to make some changes! Plus, you’ll hear an update on Washington Tourism Alliance, the organization creating a new Washington State Tourism office, have a little fun with geocaching and learn how it can help your business, find out what all the buzz is about Pinterest, learn about creating Facebook
contests, campaigns and sweepstakes, hear what’s new from the travel writer panel, determine if your digital customer service is equal to your in-person customer service, take time for digital storytelling to get YouTube ready, examine public relations in light of new media channels, and, finally, take a look at social media for tourism, from inspiration to transaction! The Tourism Summit takes place Oct. 22 in Port Angeles at the Red Lion Hotel. For more information, call 360452-8552. Featured speakers at the summit include: • Suzanne Fletcher, who will give a WTA and tourism in the state of Washington update. Fletcher was appointed the first executive director and the board of directors of the Washington Tourism Alliance, which on July 1 became the state’s official tour-
ism marketing organization after the closure of the Washington State Tourism Office. • Nancy Harrison, who will describe what’s new in travel and how to use public relations to your advantage. Harrison founded Adventure Media in 1999 to serve as an agency connecting adventure travel providers with the media. Adventure Media has grown to represent 50 clients worldwide with a staff of six with the corporate office in Fort Collins. • Florian Herrmann will lead a break-out session: Living in Facebook’s world - ads, contests and sweepstakes. With over 10 years of experience in tourism marketing, Herrmann’s background includes innovative travel booking, international market research, destination branding to engaging social media campaigns
in travel and tourism. • Lauren Domino will address digital storytelling and YouTube marketing. Domino currently serves as the Development Director for Seattle Shakespeare Company. With a background in theater and a Master of Public Administration in Nonprofit Management, Lauren is passionate about using storytelling to advance an organization’s fundraising and marketing goals. Jenn Seva will discuss geocaching to promote your business and lead a geocaching activity lab. Seva began geocaching in 2001, fell in love with the concept and became a very active member of the community. Geocaching.com asked her to become a Volunteer Reviewer for new cache submissions, a position that later evolved into becoming the Manager of all the Volunteer Reviewers worldwide.
3D MAMMOGRAPHY
No Referral Necessary—Immediate Results Same Cost as Digital Mammogram Offering a FREE $15 GAS CARD after appointment to help defer travel expenses for Jefferson County patients.
20700 NE Bond Road, Poulsbo with satellite X-Ray offices in Silverdale & Bainbridge Island
(360) 598-3141 www.inhealthimaging.com American College of Radiology Accredited & Certified Pink Ribbon Facility
800-800-1577 ourfirstfed.com
800-800-1577 800-800-1577ourfirstfed.com ourfirstfed.com
August 2012 Jefferson County Chamber Newsletter 3
New members fas, tables and free wifi, and featuring artwork by local artists, and a dog friendly courtyard garden seating area. Soon the Blending Bar will be open so customers can create their own tea blends. “We encourage people to have fun with tea,” says Pippa who calls herself a Tea Tart. “No tea snobs in here, definitely no pinkie lifting. Tea is finally “hot” again in this country. Did you know that people in to owner Pippa Mills, who Pippa’s Real Tea America actually drank Pippa’s Real Tea is now makes them herself, along tea before the British? open on Water Street. It’s a with the authentic clotted So many people want to cream she insists you pile modern take on a tea room explore the world of tea but on top. with a selection of over 90 don’t know where to start. There’s a sleek tea bar teas from around the world That’s why we’re here – to up front where customers and delicious baked goods help them on their way.” all made in house, including can have a free tea tasting The teas at Pippa’s are or sip their tea and chat with all in large sniffing jars on “proper” English scones Pippa and the Tea Mavens, what she calls the Great the only thing traditional a fireplace lounge with so- Wall of Tea. They are not about the store, according categorized in the usual way by color (black, green, white, oolong) but under Pippa’s own quirky and fun groupings. There’s Good, Strong, Hair-on-your-Chest Tea, Caffeine-A-No-No, Afternoon Delight, and several other categories that Pippa thinks will make it easier for people to find a tea they like. “Chances are if you find a tea you like the smell of it will taste good to you as well,” says Pippa. “We want people to be influenced by their senses, not by words on a menu, which is why we don’t have one for our teas. The only thing that really matters is what you think of the tea, not what someone else thinks.” Pippa’s CelebriTea Bakers are all talented home cooks whose passion is baking. They produce delicious cookies, cakes, bars and pies, many of them gluten free and vegan friendly. They will also be offering a range of chicken and veg631 Tyler Uptown PT 385.1256 M-F 9:00-5:30 Printery.com etarian pot pies, authentic 4 October 2012 Jefferson County Chamber Newsletter
EXPERIENCE
hElPINg youR bIz gENERatE moRE salEs. wEb & gRaPhIC dEsIgN. fast PRINt-oN-dEmaNd. INdooR/outdooR sIgNs. VERy ComPEtItIVE. maIlINg. Communications
Cornish Pasties, Australian Sausage Rolls and “loaded” focaccias along with other savory items for lunch. Pippa joined the Chamber in order to become part of the business community, share in its networking opportunities and support other local businesses. She knows the importance of “keeping it local” and sees the Chamber membership as a great way to invest in her community. Pippa’s Real Tea is at 636 Water Street. It is open 10 am to 6 pm, closed Tuesdays. The website is pippasrealtea.com and the phone number is (360) 385-6060.
SEATTLE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL BARGAIN BOUTIQUE Seattle Children’s Hospital Bargain Boutique exists to provide support for uncompensated care at Seattle Children’s, and to ensure that no child will be turned away because of inability to pay medical costs. To foster this support, our goal is to provide quality new and used merchandise at fair prices in a pleasant environment. Seattle Children’s was founded in 1907 to establish care for the community’s poor and disabled children. Retail had its origins after WWI, when guilds sold war surplus to raise funds. Seattle Children’s Retail is now made up of six Bargain Boutique stores. We are located at 2120 W. Sims Way. Call 360-385-6639 for more information.
Don’t let fears stand in the way of taking control By Tina Flores-McCleese Financial Fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of the known. Fear of what knowing will mean. These are typical sentiments that we all have. Now, mix in money and it can get down right paralyzing. But know that when you do take the plunge to get your financial house in order or to have a deeper understanding of what your financial statements are telling you, that it isn’t as hard as you think. What you will find is that the investment you make – time, money or both, will always pay big. The great news is that this a perfect time to assess the current year and use that to help plan for the future. It is the perfect time to gather that information and get it entered if it isn’t. It’s the perfect time to set up a new system that will work for you so you can have a solid base for the year ahead.
selves with our noses to the grindstone but not taking the time to stop and take a look, talk it over. It sometimes feels easier to just keep working. But, if we take the time to assess we have the opportunity to act. We have the opportunity to take a sharp right turn if we need to and get back on track.
Planning for next year Now, here is the juicy part! It’s time to lay out the plans for the future. Lay out what we plan to do in the upcoming year. Lay out the details of the strategic plans that have been put in motion that are now to be translated to numbers. We get to look at our current year, history and plans for the future and create a template for the upcoming year. Each line item is backed up and when we put them all together, it becomes instantly clear. So, I encourage you to take some dedicated time to really analyze what is working and what needs change. I encourage you to take some time to get more educated on this part of Assessing current year your business and make the How is the year aligning investment of your time and energy and resources. After against budget? Are you ahead or behind estimates? all, if this part isn’t working – you don’t get to do the What accounts for the difother part. ference? Do you have enough deTina Flores-McCleese tail to analyze? Too much is the owner of Clarity detail that it is distracting? How is the year aligning Enterprises, Inc., a firm providing financial consultagainst prior year? If it’s ing, workshops, one on one different, do you know training, and grant manwhy? agement for non-profits and Which areas of your small businesses. You can business are the strongest? reach Clarity at 360-385The weakest? 9963, or clarityei.com. So often, we find our-
Six basic social media tactics for startups By Frank DePalma Your website isn’t the only place on the web that your company message or “brand” needs to maintain a strong presence. A good online marketing strategy includes a well-crafted website, search engine optimization, pay-perclick advertising, and social media marketing. The interactive exchanges that people have with each other and with their favorite companies are happening online in the social media channel realm. This means that businesses can no longer rely solely on a welloptimized website to earn customers’ attention. A brand must be a conversationalist, going where the people are and engaging them in discussion, and by doing that earn a wonderful reputation. Here are six ways you can fully leverage each social channels’ particular properties: 1. Facilitate conversations with people who Like your Facebook page.
Simply announcing what your company is up to isn’t going to get fans engaging with your brand. Post information that is relevant to your brand and of interest to your stakeholders. Invite questions, suggest other reading, provide links, curate other content. The point is to have dynamic conversations between your brand and your “likers.” A great example is The Body Shop. 2. Share tweets about topics of interest (again--not self-serving announcements but follower-serving news) via Twitter. The search engines are all looking at Twitter activity, at the keyword and brand-name level, as signals for which brands deserve top rankings. No one is going to be interested in miles and miles of one-way tweets about how great your brand is. Know your stakeholders: provide information that will be of use to them and they will not only follow you, they’ll retweet what you share. Check out Game
of Thrones. 3. Uploading shareable videos to your YouTube channel optimizes your brand as well as your website. How? When the content is engaging, people want to share it. When they share it, they often add a link to your website. Encourage more sharing and engagement with people who leave comments by responding to their comments. Remember, Google owns YouTube. Enough said. ThinkGeek as a very engaging YouTube Channel. 4. Pin and Repin interesting visuals on Pinterest. Pinterest may not be right for every brand, but if you market to consumers and have a brand with visual at-
your brand is referenced with links to your website can help with SEO and brand optimization too. And don’t forget, Company Pages are public and now feature status updates. ZipCar is using LinkedIn well. 6. Share information on Google+. There is widespread belief that as Google+ gains in popularity, the conversations there will help with brand and search engine optimization. People have been somewhat slow to add yet another social media profile to their online presence, and brands have been slow to adopt Google+ too, but some brands are making smart use of Google+ now. One of my favorite G+ Pages has to
be NASA. All of this social media activity works to create engagement around the brand by the people in your brand’s community. So the question you need to ask is, “How can I optimize my brand so that it’s a sought-after participant in relevant conversations?” Answering that will bring you brand recognition and much, much more. Frank DePalma is an EDC Team Jefferson team member and President of Totera Web Systems, a JeffersonCounty-based web development and marketing firm with clients throughout the U.S.
Your business printing partner.
Follow the Chamber on Twitter, Facebook
Fast. Friendly. Quality.
If you are a member of the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce and use Twitter or Facebook -- please follow us @JeffCoChamber on Twitter and Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce on Facebook. We use Twitter and Facebook to showcase our members and bring you the latest business news that is important to our members – so if you’ve got some news tweet about it and we’ll help spread the word.
tributes or messaging that can be supported by photos, images, and infographics, Pinterest is another option to leverage for brand optimization. Tracy Adams’ Forts, Tents and Trees pin board is excellent. 5. Participate in groups, answer questions, and post company updates on LinkedIn. LinkedIn builds brand legitimacy while putting your brand where the buyers are. Whether you are a B2B or B2C business, having a strong LinkedIn profile for your company, complete with referrals from customers and strategic partners, is a strong component in the brand optimization mix. The conversations in those groups where
Call, email, click, stop by!
360-385-4195
www.sosprinting.biz • sos@olympus.net August 2012 Jefferson County Chamber Newsletter 5
Visitor Center staff steps up to help connect old friends By Karen Anderson Visitor Centers across the globe are constantly being asked to justify their existence. Sure, we all have similar missions: to dispense knowledge of our respective areas to visitors, thereby maintaining and increasing tourism. But at the Port Townsend Visitor Information Center (VIC), we want to take it a step further. We want to make your experience in Port Townsend the best it possibly can be, going beyond the dispensing of knowledge, and delving into, not what you want, but what you need. On a sunny Thursday morning, a family of five walked through our door; a lovely family from Guadalajara, Mexico. The parents spoke English well, but often needed their teenage children to translate their need, which was to find an old friend. Their history was this: Years ago, the young Mexican couple was on a cruise for their honeymoon, when they met an older couple from Port Townsend. They hit it off and stayed in touch for many years. As time will have it, though, the husband passed away and the young couple fell out of contact with the older widow. Twenty years later, with three beautiful teenage children in tow, the family was vacationing in Seattle and, being so close to where they thought their old friend to be, took the short jaunt to Port Townsend to see if they could locate her. They had done some preliminary Internet and phone book searches, but were unable to locate their friend. So they turned to their next
available resource, the Visitor Information Center. It’s true that it’s generally easier for us to find information because the size of our town is on the smaller side, but in a haystack of over 9,100, finding that one needle can be difficult. One of the main things I try to impart to all of our volunteers is to use your resources. So our volunteers went for it. They looked, and they Googled, and they called, but had an equally hard time trying to find the woman who meant so much to this family. Finally, one of the volunteers looked at me and said, “She’s 92, why don’t we try Seaport Landing?” The last thing I wanted to do was to start calling all of the assisted living facilities in the area, but I had to remind myself to utilize my resources. So we checked our Chamber Directory, and called up Justin Jackson, Executive Director of Seaport Landing. We were greeted warmly (it’s one of the things I love about Port Townsend - when you call someone, tell them who you are and they talk to you like an old friend.), and were patiently listened to while we explained the story to him. At the end of our explanation, I said, “Justin, you’re probably not allowed to give out a list of your residents, are you?” “No, I’m not, but I’ll be happy to connect you to her room.” We saw the eyes of our visitors light up. The room phone wasn’t picked up, so the family left our VIC for Seaport Landing telling
6 October 2012 Jefferson County Chamber Newsletter
Thanks to our top chamber contributors!
us that they would come Business investors back if this was indeed the same woman whom they met 20 years prior. Port Ludlow Port Hadlock East Sims We sat down with a self74 Breaker Lane 69 Oak Bay Road 2313 East Sims Way gratified sigh and were WA 98365 Port Hadlock, WA 98339 Port Townsend, WA 98368 Port Ludlow, 360-437-7863 360-344-3424 360-385-0123 quiet for a while when one of the volunteers said to *New loan requests only. Single family owner-occupied homes only. 80% loan to value; subject to current appraisal from a Kitsap Bank me, “Did you notice that approved appraiser. 5 year balloon with loan payment amortization not to exceed 20 years. Must have auto charge to Kitsap Bank deposit Other limitations may apply. Limited time only. **On all loans over $50,000. the entire time account. we were helping them, no one else came in?” Several hours and a couple of volunteer shifts later, the family came back into the VIC all smiles showing us the updated picture they took with their recovered friend. Overjoyed, they said, “We would like to take a picture of you and your volunteers because you were part of this journey for us!” It’s moments like this when I think about how we justify the existence of our VIC. The digital age is upon us and transitions need to be made. But the digital age wasn’t able to take that last personal step to help reunite old friends in this case. The digital age can’t give you the gleam in an eye when someone tells you what it’s like to watch the tribal canoes come into Fort Worden each year. And the digital age won’t ever Business builders be able to sing that chorus of excitement when a visi• Port Townsend Computers • Homer Smith Insurance tor talks about something exciting they’re thinking • Port Townsend Paper Co. • Jefferson Healthcare of doing, whether it’s • Hadlock Building Supply • Port Townsend Laundromat whale watching, hiking Hurricane Ridge, or head& Self Service Car Wash ing to Fort Worden to hear amazing music. Let’s face it, the digital age is pretty cool, but nothing compares to the real deal. This is what we do. We help make your experience in Port Townsend the best it can possibly be.
Volunteers get out to Wilderbee Farm, Alpenfire Orchard Every time I take Visitor Information Center (VIC) volunteers on a new Familiarization (FAM) Tour, I always think that Jefferson County can’t impress me any more than it has; and every time I’m surprised to find yet another gem of the area. VIC volunteers travelled out to new farm, Wilderbee, which was begun in 2010 by Casey and Eric Reeter. Stepping onto this certified organic farm and walking up the driveway to the farm store, we were immediately blown away by the beauty and obvious dedication to this piece of land. The first things visitors will see are the rows of lavender. Casey and Eric planted 600 lavender plants consisting of nine different varieties, which they use for sachets, oil, and wonderful U-pick options. Lavender and the copper still used to distill lavender oil both have antibacterial properties which make the oil perfect for astringents, soaps, and bath salts, all of which are manufactured and sold at Wilderbee Farm. Lavender was secondary in the Reeter’s plan though. Eric and Casey began with a dream of a blueberry farm. They
ars, potential for alcohol, are common tests which need to be performed on a regular basis as well as paying attention to weather patterns, knowing how to eliminate diseases, and pests. Steve, who is a wildfire fighter by trade, takes care of invasive bugs and weeds by fire, which he learned as a Native American way. His burn technique safely and effectively keeps their orchard happy and healthy. Casey and Eric Reeter recently opened their certified Alpenfire Orchards near Beckett Point is owned by NanAlpenfire is a small organic farm to the public. cy and Steve (Bear) Bishop. operation, and though they are planning on exfell in love with and Bob, a Suffolk/Hampand picnicking area, as a European cider tour in panding into the vinegar purchased the 12 acre shire cross, is a large well as a farm shop and 2003, they took a cider property in 2007 and sheep with the white garden. class at WSU and ordered world with their several flavored vinegars, they broke ground on the wooly coat most people Go out and take a look their apples at the end of are intent on not getting blueberry patch in 2010. picture when thinking of at this gorgeous addition the class. Their certified larger than they can hanThe dream grew and sheep. When the Soay to our booming agriculorganic orchard is now grew until it included, herd runs away, Bob runs tural market! seven years old with over dle and sacrificing quality for quantity. They also not only lavender, but out, and will happily be Wilderbee Farm • 223 900 dwarf apple trees want to keep their operaalso dahlias, edible flow- fed by strangers. Cook Ave. Ext., PT • and about 20 varieties tion a beautiful place to ers, bees for honey and Casey and Eric have 206-724-2391 • wilderof apples, all bittersweet visit or hold an event. The pollination, a pumpkin created their business beefarm.com and bittersharp, making patch (which will be on half of their property them the first bittersweet/ grounds are perfect for a quiet, outdoor wedding. open for U-pick later in and have a lot of ideas We continued our bittersharp orchard in Visit Nancy and Steve October!), and a herd of about expansion already! ag-FAM out to Alpenfire Washington State. Soay sheep. They are in process of Orchards near Beckett For the common cider on weekends from noon to 5pm. They are in the Soay sheep are a building a woodworking Point. Nancy and Steve drinker (as opposed to middle of harvest season! rare conservation breed and pottery shop. They (Bear) Bishop have loved cider maker), we were Alpenfire Orchard • from Scotland. They would one day like Wilhard cider since they met surprised to learn about 220 Pocket Lane, PT • are about the size of a derbee Farm to be open in college in the Orall of the science that 379-8915 • alpenfirecider. Pygmy goat and have a as a gallery, community ganic Farming Program goes into making cider. long, dark coat. They space, classroom, hiking at Evergreen State. After Testing pH balances, sug- com. produce a very fine wool second only to Merino. They are not domesticated which means that Chamber Staff Executive Board Vice President, Outreach Vi Koenig Diana Talley when visitors walk up, Debbie Wardrop PT Laundromat Taku Marine Executive Director the sheep all run away. President Resort at Port Ludlow Piper Diehl Jake Beattie Teresa Verraes Their ‘keeper’ sheep, Fred Obee Vice President, Membership Ludlow Bay Northwest Maritime Center
Chamber
Follow The Leader on TWITTER ptleader
The Leader, Port Townsend
director@jeffcountychamber.org The Leader President elect Event Coordinator Dominic Svornich Laura Brackenridge Kitsap Bank admin@jeffcountychamber. org Vice President, Records 385-7869 Molly Force N.D. Prosper Natural Health VIC Manager Past President Karen Anderson info@jeffcountychamber.org Kim Aldrich Cobalt Mortgage (360) 385-2722 Vice President, Finances Kathryn Brady Brady Chiropractic
contacts
Dana Petrick Dana Pointe Interiors Directors Jordan Eades Hope Roofing Chuck Russell Valley Tavern Judy Cavett FairWinds Winery Carol Woodley Hadlock Realty & Hadlock Hotel
Wellness Spa Nancy McConaghy Coldwell Banker Cammy Brown Peninsula Legal Services Suzy Carroll Uptown Nutrition Craig Downs Chimacum Schools Jennefer Wood Maestrale
Newsletter Advertising Sara Radka The Leader 360-385-2900 We welcome your submissions. If you have news to share, send articles and photos to director@ jeffcountychamber.org or mail to 440 12th St. Port Townsend, WA 98368.
August 2012 Jefferson County Chamber Newsletter 7
Mixing it up
PRSRT STD U.S. Postage Paid Port Townsend, WA Permit No. 34
Port Ludlow Golf Club mixer A good time was had by all at the Chamber mixer at the Port Ludlow Golf Club. Above, the crowd enjoys games and a raffle, and at left, Chamber Executive Director Teresa Verraes stops for a picture with (from left) Vito DeSantis, Director of Golf, and putting contest winners Matt Choi, Harborside, and Byran Gilbreath.
PT Paper tour Tim Caldwell of Puget Sound Energy, Eveleen Muehlethaler of Port Townsend Paper, and Chamber Executive Director Teresa Verraes met for a tour of the paper mill.
We understand the business of graphics, and the graphics of business. LeaderGrafix is a full-service marketing business specializing in graphic design and the production of print products and marketing for the web. We are associated with the Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader and can offer a full range of distribution options from targeted local campaigns to statewide coverage.
PRINT & DIGITAL DESIGN • COMPREHENSIVE MARKETING • TRANSIT ADVERTISING Visit leadergrafix.com to view our portfolio and our full list of products and services.
we are your local BUSINESS SPECIALISTS 8 October 2012 Jefferson County Chamber Newsletter
Contact Sara Radka for a free consultation:
360-385-2900 • info@leadergrafix.com