JULY 2016
THURSTON COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
M
North America talk
A
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A
Z
I
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CopsForHire
Olympia's newest technology startup
a passion for place The team that brought us ThurstonTalk has launched five new Talk platforms and has more launch plans on the horizon.
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Celebrating Pixels and Print
PUBLISHER Thurston County Chamber of Commerce
EDITORIAL Editor: David Schaffert Phone: (360) 357-3362 Email: dschaffert@thurstonchamber.com
CONTRIBUTORS Natasha Ashenhurst Shauna Stewart Shawn Timothy Newman
By, David Schaffert, THURSTON COUNTY CHAMBER PRESIDENT/CEO & Jessica Coen, THURSTON COUNTY CHAMBER BOARD OF DIRECTORS CHAIR
T
he media world was uncertain
else. We see the well-thumbed copies of the
over the future of print five years
VOICE in your offices and it makes us smile
ago. Widespread adoption of
every time.
new technology—such as tablets and smartphones—encouraged readers to ditch the paper and dive into the digital, disrupting both the publishing and media industries.
David Schaffert
The technology revolution generated a digital
Jessica Coen
tide that was huge and industry analysts were announcing the demise of paper. Not so fast. Recent research indicates a
Phone: (360) 357-3362
leveling-out in reading habits. Toward the end
Email: mbright@thurstonchamber.com
of 2015, the New York Times released a report outlining a decline in e-book sales with the
SUBSCRIPTIONS
pronouncement that print isn’t going away
Phone: (360) 357-3362
anytime soon. In fact, consumers are revealing
Email: info@thurstonchamber.com
multi-format reading habits.
Heather Harris, Elements Photography
PRINTING
these trends. We are pleased to announce that the VOICE is going from a bi-monthly magazine to a monthly magazine, a decision we made for a number of reasons.
GENERAL ENQUIRIES PO Box 1427 809 Legion Way SE Olympia, WA 98507 Phone: (360) 357-3362
to embrace the digital form of the magazine
your favorite stories or copy event information into your calendar. In this issue, we are also celebrating a hugely successful, locally based digital media company — NorthAmericaTalk. They launched tanking and have grown every year since. They have built a robust business model that harnesses rapidly changing technology, social media trends and Web analytics and produce sought after content and results for their advertisers.
First, you told us that you want more stories
Print NW
As we increase our content, we’ll continue
ThurstonTalk right when the economy was
The VOICE Magazine beautifully represents
PHOTOGRAPHY
editions.
smartphone or desktop, making it easy to share
Sales and Marketing: Marny Bright
Mosaic Marketing Studio
and their support allows us to produce more
— you can read the VOICE on your iPad,
ADVERTISING
DESIGN
Advertisers too have asked for more content
about business, community and advocacy.
Will readers embrace both print and digital
You also told us that you look forward to the
not have to pick. We can choose from a hybrid
VOICE landing on your desk and the simple
model of pixels and print to tell the story of
pleasure of looking at the photos and reading
business and community, and create a climate
the stories and then sharing it with someone
for business success in Thurston County.
media? Absolutely, and the beauty is we do
Email: info@thurstonchamber.com Website: www.thurstonchamber.com
COPYRIGHT All material appearing in the VOICE Magazine is copyright unless otherwise stated or it may rest with the provider of the supplied material. The VOICE Magazine takes all care to ensure information is correct at time of printing, but the publisher accepts no
THANK YOU TO OUR COMMUNITY INVESTORS DIAMOND INVESTORS: Anchor Bank Capital Medical Center Heritage Bank Phillips Burgess Physicians of Southwest Washington Port of Olympia Xerox
responsibility or liability for the accuracy
PLATINUM INVESTORS
of any information contained in the text
America's Credit Union - Lacey Lucky Eagle Casino & Hotel
or advertisements.
4 • July 2016 Thurston County Chamber VOICE
Mills & Mills Funeral Home & Memorial Park Morningside Olympia Federal Savings Olympia Orthopaedic Associates Print NW Providence St. Peters TwinStar Credit Union Washington Business Bank
GOLD INVESTORS Express Employment Professionals First Citizens Bank Cabinets by Trivonna Columbia Bank The Creative Office
FirstLight Home Care GHB Insurance Great Wolf Lodge Hometown Property Management Mantis Graphix Jessica Jensen Law PS Nicholson & Associates Nisqually Red Wind Casino Olympia Furniture Company Pardiman Productions Puget Sound Energy RHD Enterprises Red Lion Hotel Olympia Saint Martin’s University SCJ Alliance TAGS
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Featuring...
CONTENT & CALENDAR
Every month, the Thurston County Chamber offers several networking events, forums & workshops to the community. Here are some highlights you won't want to miss.
In this issue...
6 Caught in the Lens Photos from Chamber events.
July 7
Young Professionals Network Y
9
JJoin the Young Professionals at the Olympia Country and Golf Club at
Cops for Hire
5:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 7. This is a great way to get to know young professionals working in Olympia, Lacey and Tumwater. Location: 3636 Country Club Road, Olympia.
July 13
Chief Economist @ July Forum Steve Lerch, Chief Economist & Executive Director of Washington State Economic and Revenue Forecast Council will keynote the Thurston Chamber's July Forum on July 13.
Thurston County's newest startup tells the VOICE why they are automating the off-duty marketplace and why they chose to do it in Olympia.
12 NorthAmericaTalk The team that brought us ThurstonTalk has launched five new Talk platforms and more on the horizon.
July 21 Ju 1 BAH @ The Village at Mill Pond
On July 21 at 5:30 p.m., join us for Business After Hours at the The Village at Mill Pond, 2400 Lilly Rd NE., Olympia. BAH is a great way to meet new friends, network and enjoy great food.
August A ugust 6
Summertime in TC
5th Annual Olympia Brew Fest Enjoy beers from 30+ hand-picked, Northwest breweries. Come and celebrate Olympia’s fine brewing heritage and support the Chamber Foundation. Port Plaza, August 6, 1 p.m.- 8:30 p.m. www.olybrewfest.com
Sept. 9
15 What's on your bucket list this summer? We've got some suggestions!
17 Meet the Board
Foofaraw Military Appreciation On Sept. 9, the Thurston County Chamber and the Olympia Yacht Club will host over 225 active duty military men and women at Island Home.
Introducing the Thurston County Chamber's 2016/2017 Board of Trustees.
21 New Overtime Rules
Due to the July 4 holiday, we will not have a Morning Mixxer in July. For more event information, please visit www.thurstonchamber.com www.thurstonchamber.com
Local legal scholar chimes in the new law.
Thurston County Chamber VOICE July 2016 5
Caught in the Lens...
6 • July 2016 Thurston County Chamber VOICE
A collection of photos taken at Chamber events during May and June 2016.
www.thurstonchamber.com
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8 • July 2016 Thurston County Chamber VOICE
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TECHNOLOGY
CopsForHire
By Natasha Ashenhurst
When you walk into a business called CopsforHire you expect to find, well, cops for hire. That is not the case at Olympia’s newest tech startup operating out of the beautiful Steam Plant Building in downtown Olympia.
I
nstead, what you find is a well-designed, open-concept
more than 900 off-duty hours
office space filled with hand-crafted work tables,
in a single year.
computers, fairy lights and white boards—as well as
programmers, program managers, designers, marketing experts and an office dog named Ava.
off duty as long as they
You will find one cop, who happens to be retired, CopsForHire
jurisdictional approval,”
founder Andrew “Drew” Finley.
Finley said.
You might have heard of Finley’s other business, 911 Driving
Nationally, there are 780,000
School, which is now a franchise with hundreds of schools
commissioned officers, and
across the country. CopsForHire is his latest project, which
approximately 43 percent
attracted the support of Seattle’s mobile gaming entrepreneur
of them are working 6.9 off-
David Bluhm.
duty hours per week with an
have supervisorial and
Finley was selling 911 Driving School in 2013 when he had the big idea behind CopsForHire.
average pay of $53 per hour. This amounts to a $6.4 billion market for CopsForHire
Some police officers are allowed to work off duty, and organizations—like Zappos, Microsoft, Costco and the NFL— hire them across the country for games, marathons or business events. When Finley was a deputy in Pierce County, he logged
www.thurstonchamber.com
“Cops are allowed to work
today. Finley knew that if he could find a system to organize the complexity of finding and
Thurston County Chamber VOICE July 2016 9
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8 Local Branches to Serve You
hiring off-duty cops — just as he did for students and parents with the driving
Once fully launched, CopsForHire will
school — he’d have another business.
match off-duty officers with customers looking to hire them, while building
“When police officers work off-duty
jurisdictional rules and regulations
they are subject to complex rules, which
into the software and developing
vary from department to department,”
the infrastructure to allow police
said Finley. “What we needed was an
departments to recover lost assets such
electronic software solution — an online
as fuel costs.
marketplace — where each department and each police officer builds a profile,
“Let’s imagine that Panowicz Jewelers
as well as each customer interested in
is going to have a trunk show, and they
hiring an off-duty officer
want to hire two off-duty police officers
“We’d automate an incredibly complex system.”
a marketplace promoting transparency
to secure the event,” said McDermott. CopsForHire CEO Rob McDermott working in the conference room inside the Steam Plant Building, downtown Olympia.
“Panowicz would simply go online and build a job, indicating the day, location and the number of officers needed. If
growing rapidly and world-class talent is
they need a K9 unit or a car, they could
excited to re-locate here.”
select those as options. If they need
In addition to the great quality of life they sought in Olympia, Finley had
officers trained in crowd control or to hire officers with medical certifications those options are built into the selection
built relationships in his 17 years as a commissioned officer, and many of
process.
“I pitched it to [Bluhm] for funding,
those relationships were with local
but instead of simply funding it he was
“Our system knows the jurisdiction,
officers—like Thurston County Sheriff
excited to join the business because of
knows the rules, requests the officers
John Snaza.
and, when the job is completed, we route
its potential to help ease the tension
money back to the department for their
between law enforcement and the
“When we started evangelizing our
communities — to help communities
idea, Sheriff Snaza said he wanted to be
heal,” said Finley.
the first to provide his agency with an opportunity to recover all costs to his
recovered assets, pay the officers and take a small transaction fee. Just like eBay or Uber, the entire transaction takes place within our marketplace. Our whole
Bluhm, a veteran entrepreneur, knew
agency while partnering with a private
the business needed three elements:
entity to ensure all public assists are
a subject matter expert, someone to
accounted for,” said McDermott. “Our
manage the technical space and IT
plan was to roll-out first locally with the
infrastructure, and an operator. Finley
Thurston County Sheriff's office before
is the subject matter expert, world-class
In addition, the team is building in what
opening the marketplace up nationally.
programmers were staffed, and Rob
they call “fairness features,” which allow
However, word is spreading and now
McDermott was hired as CEO. McDermott
for diversity and inclusive transparency
we’re having departments across the
had worked for three of Bluhm’s startups
for the officers interested in working off
country contact us -- including the
and was eager to join this new venture.
duty. The system also provides real time
Seattle Police Department, one of the
access to data for all participants in the
largest on the West Coast.
marketplace, which improves fiduciary
When McDermott joined the team,
model is about automating complexity and driving it through email, phone and the Web.”
responsibility.
Bluhm gave him the choice of location
“In addition, we’ve received a lot of calls,
for the company’s headquarters.
from a recording artist going on tour,
CopsForHire is transforming a complex
big box stores tired of using security
system that is difficult, frustrating
companies and many others. We’ve also
and paper-driven into a simplified
made contact with the Fraternal Order
system that might ultimately improve
of Police, which represents labor for a
departmental fiduciary oversight,
third of the cops in the country. It’s been
inclusiveness and transparency.
“Bluhm called and said, ‘Pioneer Square or Bellevue, take your pick.’ I said, ‘Olympia’. I am from Olympia, Drew lives in Puyallup and our developers were all over the country meeting virtually at the time,” said McDermott. “So, we met with the team and asked them to move to Olympia, we found this space and in December we signed the lease. We’re
www.thurstonchamber.com
hard to put the brakes on all of this at times as we work to ready the technical
“In addition, we’re building a compelling
capabilities of our marketplace with all
technology company right here in
the demand.”
Olympia because this is a great place to do it!” said McDermott. Thurston County Chamber VOICE July 2016 11
NorthAmerica Talk: Spreading Passion for Place
The NorthAmericaTalk team from left to right: Martin McElliott, Amy Rowley By Natasha Ashenhurst Photographs by Heather Harris
NORTH AMERICA TALK WAS BORN THE WAY MANY BUSINESSES BEGIN: TWO FRIENDS SHARING A MEAL ASKING,
D
This was significant. Traditional media
the West Coast, boasting more than
was in decline, and ad revenue right
80,000 subscribers across five platforms,
along with it. Jones knew they would
reaching 350,000 unique readers each
have to tell stories no one else was
week.
telling to compete in the media market. They had to create content that was
"WHAT IF?"
meaningful to the community.
The duo launched the first Talk platform, ThurstonTalk, in 2010 with just the two of them — Jones taking photos and
an Jones and Martin
It is likely that 99 percent of ideas
McElliott were sitting
sketched on restaurant napkins fizzle
at their favorite
out, but not this one.
advertisers.
in 2007 when Jones
During the next few months, the friends
“The early adopters were progressive
introduced McElliott
compiled hundreds of notes in a manila
restaurant in Olympia
writing content while McElliott landed
advertisers and marketers,” said McElliott.
to his big idea—a digital media platform
folder and outlined what would become
called a community social network,
NorthAmericaTalk. In addition to the
which would represent what it is like to
big idea, Jones and McElliott had the
live, work and play in Thurston County
passion, drive and determination to
through photos and positive stories
launch what is—today—one of the
In the next few years, three pivotal events
leveraging social media.
fastest-growing media companies on
occurred sending the Talk idea on an
12 • July 2016 Thurston County Chamber VOICE
“[McElliott] did an awesome job of presenting the product,” added Jones.
www.thurstonchamber.com
as vice president of technology.
could be replicated — that we had a
upward trajectory. First, Amy Rowley joined the team about
business that was scalable,” said Rowley. “Systematically and strategically we
With each new platform launch the team
started launching other platforms.”
sees steeper and faster growth, which
she became the editor. Rowley hired a
Since its inception, the NorthAmericaTalk
they’ve refined.
team of freelance writers and created
leadership team has refined the business
a dynamic editorial calendar full of
model, and admit that the positive
community-based content and featured
community-focused stories readers see
business articles, distributed through the
when they visit a community social
ThurstonTalk website and pushed out on
network is just the tip of the iceberg.
we’re better at recruiting,” said Rowley.
“We reach an audience in a specific
roll-out 250 Talk platforms across the
Rowley has an MBA from Northeastern
geographic region, overlay tools that
United States.”
University and had worked with other
allow us to generate revenue and
tech startups and small businesses. She
measure the results,” said Associate
believed in the ThurstonTalk platform
Editor Kate Scriven. “And, at the end of
and business model.
the day our platform gives people pride
six months into the venture, as a writer. Her position grew with the business and
social media.
they attribute to a business model that
“We have the same launch model, but we’re more efficient. We employ local individuals within each community, but “We’ve acquired all of the key assets to
“Ultimately, our growth in readership
in their community.”
is because of the good stories we are sharing about our community—stories that are written and distributed in a
IMAGE © ELEMENTS PHOTOGRAPHY
Dan Jones, Margo Greenman, Kate Scriven and Tim Shaw. “The early days were built with customers who had a belief in us as individuals who would deliver what we
very deliberate way — and because our
Reach. Measure. Grow.
promised — growth in readership,” said Rowley. “These marketers knew we had
“We’ve created a way to drive readers
a special formula that could deliver their
and grow revenue while compiling
brand to the community.”
unique data that we share with our
The next step toward success was winning the Thurston Economic Development Council’s New Business of the Year award in 2011. “That award created instant growth. It gave us legitimacy, put us on the community’s radar and got our brand out there,” said Jones.
those stories.”
Over the coming years, the NorthAmericaTalk team plans on replicating their business model from their home base in Thurston County.
marketers,” said Rowley. “We call it, ‘Reach. Grow. Measure’, and it works across each Talk platform.”
“This is where we choose to raise our families and where we choose to live, work and play. We all very intentionally
There are five community social networks, all modeled after the proven ThurstonTalk platform, —including SouthSoundTalk, GraysHarborTalk,
choose Thurston County as our home,” said Rowley. Ultimately, this passion for where we
WhatcomTalk and LewisTalk. Each
live and for promoting the best of local
platform has local ownership, but is
“The other pivotal moment was realizing
guided by Rowley as CEO, McElliott as
that the brand and business model
vice president of sales, Jones as chief research officer and Stephen Backholm
www.thurstonchamber.com
content is so meaningful people share
culture, as well as local commerce, is the underlying philosophy that has rocketed NorthAmericaTalk to success.
Thurston County Chamber VOICE July 2016 13
14 • July 2016 Thurston County Chamber VOICE
www.thurstonchamber.com
SUMMERTIME IN Thurston County, 2016!
COMMUNITY
Add these events to your bucket list... Suggestions contributed by Shauna Stewart, Executive Director of the Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater Visitor & Convention Bureau
Music in the Park This summer concert series is held every Wednesday from July 6 - August 24 at 7 p.m. at Sylvester Park, with the exception of the performance on Friday, Aug. 5, at 7 p.m. at the Port of Olympia. www.musicintheparkolympia.com
Capital Lakefair This annual five-day community festival, July 13-17, includes a carnival, summer sidewalk sale, kid’s day, Lakefair Run, volleyball tournament, battle of the bands, food concession booths, live entertainment & fireworks display. www.lakefair.org
Hands-On Summer Splash After 15 successful years of Sand in the City® Hands On is transitioning to Summer Splash!, their first annual summer-long family festival of fun! www.hocm.org/summersplash
Thurston County Fair Mark your calendar for this family-oriented, old fashioned, five-day fair. The fair runs Wednesday through Sunday, always on the first full weekend in August. Visit www.co.thurston.wa.us/fair for more information.
Explore the Thurston Bountiful Byway Pack a picnic basket, load up the car and take a day to explore this sixty-mile route through Thurston County. Visit local farmers producing our region's fruits and vegetables, visit a lavender field or a distillery. www.visitolympia.com/BountifulByway
Go Hiking, Kayaking & Drink Beer! Take a walk at one of Olympia's waterfront parks like Priest Point or Tolmie or head over to Tugboat Annie’s and rent a kayak or paddle board. Waterfront dining is spectacular this time of year, and so is beer—check out the Olympia Brew Fest and South Sound Craft Crawl. www.thurstonchamber.com
Thurston County Chamber VOICE July 2016 15
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16 • July 2016 Thurston County Chamber VOICE
www.thurstonchamber.com
IN BRIEF
John Bash
Shauna Stewart
Thurston County Chamber Welcomes New Board Members and Chair
Rachel Young
Jessica Coen
T
he Thurston County Chamber of Commerce has elected three new members to its board of directors. New members include John Bash, Shauna Stewart and Rachel Young. Each will serve a three year term. John Bash is Superintendent of the Tumwater School District. Shauna Stewart is executive director of the Olympia Lacey Tumwater Visitor &
Convention Bureau. Rachel Young is owner of Miss Moffett’s Mystical Cupcakes. The Chair of the 2016/2017 Board is Jessica Coen of Xerox Services. The outgoing Chair is Mariella Cummings, former CEO of Physicians of SW Washington.
WE’RE BUILDING SO YOU CAN, TOO Meet Armand Resto-Spotts, the newest member of our rapidly expanding team. An honors graduate of the University of Oregon School of Law, Armand is past editor-in-chief of the Journal of Environmental Law and Litigation. He will focus his practice on land use, natural resources, and environmental law.
aresto-spotts@phillipsburgesslaw.com
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Thurston County Chamber VOICE July 2016 17
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20 • July 2016 Thurston County Chamber VOICE
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new overtime rule
how updated "white collar" fair labor standards act (flsa) regulations impact you and your business
THE LEGAL DESK
By Shawn Timothy Newman
E
ffective December 1, 2016, the US
professional, outside sales workers
Recommendations
Department of Labor will update
and certain types of occupations in the
All employers should: (1) review the
the â&#x20AC;&#x153;white collarâ&#x20AC;? overtime rules
computer field are exempt provided they
duties, salaries and benefits for all exempt
meet both the duty and salary tests.
employees to determine whether they
to raise the salary test for executive,
should remain exempt; (2) for those
administrative and professional employees from $455 ($23,660 annually)
Impact
employees that do not meet the salary or
to $913 per week ($47,476 annually). An
DOL projects that 4.2 million workers will
duties tests, determine new hourly rates
individual earning below that threshold
be directly affected by the change, and
for those impacted employees but beware
will not be exempt from overtime pay.
that another 8.9 million will be indirectly
of changes on employee benefits (e.g.
The updated rule permits additional
affected by reducing the ambiguity
401K, health care and vacation); (3) revise
compensation (e.g. bonuses and
of their status. The new overtime
or update current timekeeping programs
commissions) to satisfy up to 10% of the
regulations will present challenges to
and policies to reflect the changes; and
minimum salary level. These levels will
all businesses. While some employers
(4) implement training for both managers
update automatically every three years,
may be tempted to simply skirt the new
and employees addressing the changes.
beginning on January 1, 2020. While
regulations through reclassifications
It is important for employers to monitor
the minimum salary levels to qualify as
and adjusted hiring and salary practices,
overtime or the employer will be held
exempt have increased, no changes were
beware! Wage and hour claims are
made in the duties tests applied to white
seen as a â&#x20AC;&#x153;fruitful vineyardâ&#x20AC;? by lawyers
collar employees. Further, no changes
because the law imposes reasonable
were made to the exemptions for outside
attorneysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; fees on non-compliant
salespeople, teachers, lawyers or doctors.
employers.
strictly liable. Shawn Timothy Newman is an attorney in Olympia as well as an adjunct professor at Saint Martin's University and South Puget Sound Community College. (360) 866-2322 | shawn@newmanlaw.us
Wage & Hour Laws The FLSA establishes minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping, and youth employment standards affecting employees in the private sector and in
PLAN AHEAD FOR
peace of mind.
Federal, State, and local governments. Currently, covered nonexempt workers are entitled to a minimum wage of not less than $7.25 per hour under federal law and $9.47 per hour under Washington state law. Overtime pay at a rate not less than one and one-half times the regular rate of pay is required after 40 hours of work in a work week. Some employees
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are exempt from the overtime pay
Our gift to you
provisions, some from both the minimum wage and overtime pay provisions and some from the child labor provisions of the FLSA. Exemptions are narrowly construed against the employer asserting them. Certain executive, administrative,
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CHAMBER FORUM
state economist forum speaker Join the Thurston Chamber for our July Forum on 7/13 at 11:30 a.m. at the Red Lion Hotel Olympia. Hear from Washington State Economist Steve Lerch, Ph.D.
S
teve Lerchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s presentation will include a brief summary of the U.S. economy, information on the Washington economy, and a brief look at state
revenues projections updated on June 15. In addition he'll address Washington State's figures on employment, personal income, consumer confidence, gas prices, home sales, housing permits and recent collections including cannabis. Visit www.thurstonchamber.com for tickets.
One decision... so many benefits.
Business owners face many difficult decisions, but there’s one that can simplify your banking needs. Look to TwinStar Credit Union for lower fees, dividend earning checking accounts, money saving office efficiency tools and a service approach that you’ll find to be a breath of fresh air. • Get more from your checking with a Voyager Business Checking account, where you can earn dividends as high as .35% apy* on your checking balance. • Save time with CheckMate, TwinStar’s electronic check deposit service. • Increase accuracy and speed with Genie Payroll services. • Lower your cost with TwinStar’s Merchant Card services program.
To get started contact one of our business services officers today.
Jon Brein
Alexis Miller
Jeff Robertson
Business Development Officer 360.923.4560 jbrein@twinstarcu.com
Business Development Officer 360.923.4450 alexis@twinstarcu.com
Sr. Business Relationship Officer 360.923.4505 jrobertson@twinstarcu.com
*APY = Annual Percentage Yield. Dividends are calculated by the daily balance method, which applies a daily periodic rate to the balance in the account each day. Dividends are compounded monthly and will be credited monthly. $15 minimum balance fee for balances less than $25,000 is waived for the first 90 days on new Voyager Checking accounts. All rates and programs are subject to change at the discretion of administration. www.thurstonchamber.com
TwinStarCU.com/business
Thurston County Chamber VOICE July 2016 23
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