Local Family Businesses & Their Legacies
The Stormans Celebrate 75 Years; Pallet Services Locates in Lacey; Custom Comfort NW: One Year In
Ralph's Food Center, off Legion & Columbia in 1944.
GROWING A PROSPEROUS ECONOMY & VIBRANT COMMUNITY
magazine PUBLISHER Thurston County Chamber of Commerce
EDITORIAL David Schaffert 360-357-3362 dschaffert@thurstonchamber.com
CONTRIBUTORS David Schaffert Doug Mah Heidi Smith Heather Harris Michele M. Horaney Kathryn Milhorn Dinea Norrell
ADVERTISING Sales & Marketing: Krystal Barkus Elizabeth Bretschneider Blake Knoblauch
SUBSCRIPTIONS 360-357-3362 info@thurstonchamber.com
DESIGN Ben Hawkes, Mosaic Marketing Studio
COVER ART
Ralph's Food Center in 1944, Photo courtesy of Stormans
PRINTING Print NW
CONTACT THE CHAMBER
809 Legion Way SE Olympia, WA 98507 360-357-3362 info@thurstonchamber.com 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 responsibility or liability for the accuracy of any information contained in the text or advertisements. ©2019 VOICE Magazine, Thurston County Chamber.
Chamber Offers Affordable Health Insurance for Members by David Schaffert, President/CEO, Thurston Chamber
One of our goals is to support members with opportunities to make or save money, so we are pleased to announce that we are adding a new medical and ancillary benefit, Business Health Trust (BHT), to our existing suite of Thurston Chamber Benefit Trust products. BHT is a statewide employee benefits platform offering large company benefits at competitive prices for small businesses. Whether you have two employees or more than 100, BHT can help you create a benefits program that attracts talent and keeps your employees healthy and productive – at a budget you can afford. In line with the advocacy efforts of the Thurston County Chamber, BHT also advocates for small business insurance needs in Washington. BHT’s comprehensive offerings give employers a choice of over 20 affordable medical plans from some of the largest and most respected carriers in the state, as well as a wide range of additional employee benefits including free HR resources from Archbright and access to robust, low-cost retirement plans. Your choices include: • Medical (5-199 enrolled employees): Premera Blue Cross • Medical (up to 50 employees): Kaiser Permanente • Dental: Delta Dental of Washington • Vision: VSP Vision Care Inc. • ...and more! BHT makes it easy for companies of any size to offer robust benefits packages to employees with comprehensive plan administration, including consolidated billing, online payment, and access to benefits from your phone, PC or tablet for easy enrollment throughout the year. To request a Business Health Trust quote, please contact your insurance producer or broker, or contact BHT at (425)201-1972 or quote@businesshealthtrust.com.
THANK YOU TO OUR COMMUNITY INVESTORS
DIAMOND INVESTORS
SCJ Alliance
GHB Insurance, Inc.
Capital Medical Center
Grays Harbor Fair & Tourism
PLATINUM INVESTORS
The Evergreen State College
South Puget Sound Community College
Greene Realty Group
The Rants Group
Heritage Bank - Olympia
GOLD INVESTORS
Hometown Property Management, Inc.
L & E Bottling Company, Inc.
American Workforce Group
Morningside
Caliber Home Loans
Olympia Federal Savings
Charter College
Nisqually Red Wind Casino
Olympia Nissan Commercial Vehicle
Commerce Home Mortgage LoanStar Division
Olympia Furniture Company Pardiman Productions
TwinStar Credit Union Corporate Office
Phillips Burgess, PLLC
Community Youth Services
Radia Inc., PS
Providence St. Peter Hospital
Timberland Bank
Washington Business Bank
Puget Sound Energy
The Creative Office
Wells Fargo Community Bank
Saint Martin's University
America's Credit Union - Lacey FORMA Construction Company Little Creek Casino & Resort Lucky Eagle Casino and Hotel Olympia Orthopaedic Associates, PLLC Port of Olympia
The Firs Senior Living Community
Great Wolf Lodge
Hooper Financial Services Mills & Mills Funeral Home
Venables Pest Management
THURSTON COUNTY CHAMBER BUILDING COMMUNITY PROSPERITY SINCE 1874
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November 2019 THURSTON COUNTY CHAMBER VOICE MAGAZINE
Every month, the Thurston County Chamber offers several networking events, forums and workshops to the community. Here are some highlights you won't want to miss.
Morning Mixxer at Family Education & Support Services
In This Issue...
Please join our host Family Education & Support Services (FESS) on Tuesday, November 5 at 7:30 a.m. for the Thurston Chamber's Morning Mixxer. FESS
Custom Comfort NW p. 7
will provide breakfast treats, and our sponsor, L&E Bottling, will host the coffee bar and you can enjoy a morning of networking. Morning Mixxer is free to
Owner, Shane Blume, recounts challenges and successes after celebrating one year in business.
attend. Where: 6840 Capitol Blvd SE Building 3, Tumwater.
Forum: Premera Blue Cross President/CEO, Jeff Roe Join the Thurston County Chamber on Wednesday, November 13 at 11:30 a.m. at Hotel RL Olympia for our monthly Forum. This event will feature a discussion
Addressing Homelessness p. 11
with Jeff Roe, President and Chief Executive Officer of Premera Blue Cross, about innovations in health care. Cost is $25 for members, $30 for non-members in
Update on Thurston Thrives' efforts and initiatives.
advance. $30 for members, $35 for non-members at the door. Make your reservation today. Where: Hotel RL Olympia, 2300 Evergreen Park Dr SW, Olympia.
Thurston Young Professionals at Pizzeria La Gitana
Stormans Celebrates 75 Years p. 12
Join Thurston Young Professionals on Thursday, November 7 at 5:30 p.m. at Pizzeria La Gitana. Enjoy a selection of beverages and snacks, meet
Long-time family grocers look back on their rich history in Olympia.
with other Young Professionals (21-39 year olds) and expand your network. Where: 518 Capitol Way S, Olympia.
Business After Hours at 1st Security Bank – Home Lending
Pallet Services p. 17
Join the Thurston Chamber on Thursday, November 21, at 5:30 p.m. for
Lacey welcomes Pallet Services... but don't be fooled – they do much more than just pallets!
Business After Hours at 1st Security Bank. Business After Hours is a free networking event. Hosts provide light appetizers and beverages, games and raffles. This is a great chance to learn about a local organization and expand your network. Where: 601 Woodland Square Loop SE, Lacey.
Thurston County Senior Housing Summit
Caught in the Lens p. 22
Join Thurston Thrives on Wednesday, November 20, at 11:30 a.m. for a regional
A glimpse at Thurston Chamber events over the past month!
Senior Housing Summit, featuring several panelists. The goal of the summit is to develop strategies to meet our community's affordable senior housing needs. Lunch is included and there is no charge to attend, thanks to our partners, Senior Services for South Sound & the Thurston Economic Development Council. Where: Center for Business & Innovation, South Puget Sound Community College - Lacey Campus, 4220 6th Ave SE, Lacey.
Thank you Sponsors!
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Custom Comfort NW Celebrates One Year Milestone by Kathryn Milhorn
Custom Comfort NW owner, Shane Blume.
Owner Shane Blume has more than a decade’s worth of HVAC experience, but struck out on his own in early 2018. “What excites me most about being my own boss is I get to be the man who comes into your home to discuss your potential heating and/ or cooling need AND be the man who performs the service/installation. The main goal for us is to build relationships with every customer by providing the utmost care through quality workmanship alongside top-notch products, extraordinary customer service, and giving back to the community that has supported me, my family, and our dreams.” thurstonchamber.com
We often greet anniversaries with established, traditional gifts. According to Hallmark, year one is paper, five is wood, and twenty is fine china. But why not celebrate—in a much more practical way – with the gift that everyone benefits from – comfort. At Lacey’s Custom Comfort Northwest, they’re settling into year two, ready to sell, install, service, or repair all your residential and commercial heating and cooling equipment. Custom Comfort Northwest held its festive first-anniversary ribbon cutting in May 2019. “We feel like this past year went well,” says Blume. “We constantly stay busy with various types of installs from residential to commercial. We started out strong, and so far looks like we will end strong!” Of course, there are always bumps, hiccups, and growing pains along the way. “Unfortunately, our original anticipation for employment expansion has not panned out the way we imagined,” he admits. “However, being such a new business,
we certainly feel that taking our time to make sure that our employees are treated like family and can depend on Custom Comfort to be able to take care of their own family. It simply is not our time just yet, but we are OK with that.” A member of the Thurston County Chamber, Better Business Bureau, and certified Thurston Green Business, Blume and his team are dedicated to this thriving region they call home. “Our experience with working in Thurston County and the local surrounding areas has been amazing. There is nothing like being able to
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EVENTS
Regional Housing Summit: Senior Housing in Thurston County Thurston Thrives’ Senior Housing Action Team invites the community to attend the Regional Housing Summit 3: Senior Housing in Thurston County on Wednesday, November 20, 2019 from 11:30 a.m. through 2:00 p.m. Lunch is included and there is no charge to attend, thanks to our partners; Senior Services for South Sound and the Thurston Economic Development Council.
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resenters will draw on their expertise to provide an overview of the existing resources and the growing need for affordable senior housing. Panelists will convene a public planning process to examine senior housing resources, senior housing needs and how to identify the gaps. The goal of the summit is to develop strategies to meet our community’s affordable senior housing needs.
WHO: Thurston Thrives WHAT: Regional Housing Summit 3: Senior Housing WHEN: Wednesday, November 20, 11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. WHERE: The Center for Business & Innovation, SPSCC - Lacey, 4220 6th Ave SE, Lacey, WA 98503 REGISTRATION: There is no charge to attend and lunch is provided, but event organizers request all attendees register at bit.ly/seniorhousingsummit.
save the DATE! A
NIGHTON THE TOWN
Friday
March 27
BENEFITTING THE THURSTON COUNTY CHAMBER FOUNDATION
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Thurston County Chamber VOICE
thurstonchamber.com
serve your local community— where both my wife and I grew up! The support, love, and lessons are invaluable. Being a member of the Thurston County Chamber has helped us become more familiar with how we can serve our local community. The endless opportunities to be able to network with large and small business owners and our peers has shown us what we could have done better, do better now, and continue to do in the future.”
"The main goal for us is to build relationships with every customer by providing the utmost care through quality workmanship alongside top-notch products, extraordinary customer service, and giving back to the community that has supported me, my family, and our dreams.”
We seldom think about furnaces, water heaters, and heat pumps until something goes wrong. But preventive maintenance and skilled TLC can prevent many sudden household crises. Call the team today to keep your home, office, and shower-time toasty warm throughout the winter or comfortably cool all summer long. As Blume and the Custom Comfort Northwest crew says, their primary goal is simple: “To be able to bring a true sense of comfort to our local community for years to come!” Find them at 360-515-0751 or www.customcomfortnw.com.
One Year in
Q&A
Custom Comfort NW
What was the biggest challenge your business faced during the first year? The biggest challenge for Custom Comfort Northwest has been being able to fulfill and meet all needs for potential customers due to the overwhelming amount of business. With only myself and my wife, it has proven challenging to have sufficient availability for our customers. What was your biggest success? Our biggest success has certainly been the blessing and opportunity to be able to have the support and love to branch out and work for ourselves. Our success or failure is certainly in our hands and our hands alone. If you have one piece of advice for anyone wanting to start their own business what is it? Don’t be afraid to do it! Put yourself out there, stay determined and dedicated. It can and will happen!
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Serving All of Thurston County ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT THROUGHOUT THURSTON COUNTY
1. Provided $70,000 for the renovation of the Historic Oddfellows
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2. Provided $75,000 to complete the Master plan for the SW
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6. In partnership with the City of Tumwater and U.S. Fish and
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7. In partnership with the Frank Family, Squaxin Island Tribe and
Salmon Defense, developed and maintains the Billy Frank Jr. Park and Trail to provide a historical and educational self-guided walking tour.
PORTOLYMPIA.COM 360.528.8000
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Addressing Homelessness Head On by Doug Mah, Doug Mah & Associates and Thurston Chamber's Public Policy Director
Homelessness was a pervasive and constant theme during the 2019 political campaigns for city council positions across the Thurston region. Candidates were peppered with questions about how they would address the problem when elected and what they would do differently.
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uring the election, voters were exposed to terms like “unsanctioned encampment” and “mitigation site.” At the same time the community was exposed to public activities around “homeless response plans” and “trauma informed care.” Candidates and voters are correct when we say that homelessness is a complex problem. Thurston Thrives, a community initiative to improve the health and safety for all in Thurston County, is taking on our community’s most complex problems. Thurston Thrives believes that health is more than health care and that our community’s complex problems, such as homelessness, cannot be solved by one organization alone – let alone a single elected official.
Thurston Thrives was founded by the Thurston County Board of Health in 2013 and is overseen by a 24-member public-private Coordinating Council. The Thurston County Chamber of Commerce serves as the backbone agency and is responsible for staffing and fiscal accountability.
goals of partnership and collaboration, but their policies tend to impede, rather than enhance, collaboration. The article finds that rigid funding models, a narrow emphasis on annual reporting, and silos within public agencies and programs create obstacles to achieving collective results.
As a collaborative network of community partners and leaders, Thurston Thrives creates the platform and leverage to align our cross-sector efforts for measurable results. Thurston Thrives ensures our region is a healthy and thriving place to live, work and play for current and future generations. But in order to accomplish the mission, Thurston Thrives needs cross-sector partnership and an environment that enables collaboration. Our newly and current elected officials will be well served to focus on enabling partnership and collaboration.
Issues like homelessness are best addressed through simultaneous actions, or collective impact, than by a single jurisdiction or department. The Chamber’s Public Policy Division encourages Chamber members to ask our elected officials to find ways to support a collective impact framework and specifically the work of Thurston Thrives.
Thurston Thrives uses a collective impact framework to bring together local jurisdictions, businesses, and nonprofits to find new ways of working According to a 2014 article in the together to address our region’s most Stanford Social Innovation Review, pressing needs. public policymakers often share the thurstonchamber.com
We need policymakers to support cross-sector partnership and adopt innovative practices that make it easier to collaborate and address pressing needs such as homelessness. Your support for cross-sector collaboration will provide more effective outcomes for our community’s most pressing needs.
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The Stormans Family. Top row, L to R: Greg Stormans, Ken Stormans, Kevin Stormans. Bottom row, L to R, Lynn Stormans, Charelle Foege.
Stormans' Thriftway Marks 75 Years as Olympia's Hometown Grocery by Michele M. Horaney
When you walk into a Thriftway in Olympia, you're not just entering a grocery store. Or any grocery store. You are walking into a very special experience. Along with fine food products and top-tier customer service, you are experiencing important local history. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the two Thriftways in Olympia - Ralph’s Thriftway at 1908 4th Ave East and Bayview Thriftway at 516 4th Ave West – and there will be two celebrations. Ralph Stormans, who opened his first grocery, Ralph’s Food Center at 6th and Columbia Streets in Olympia, inside the Grand Central Public Market, would be proud. Ralph’s Food Center was the first large supermarket in the Olympia area. Not only are the stores busy with
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business, filled with new and long-time a number of stores in the Olympia and customers, but a fourth generation of the Lacey communities, but we found that family is involved in the company. our success was really grounded in Ralph’s and Bayview,” said president Ralph’s son, Ken, operated the business Kevin Stormans. with his father and provided the opportunity for his three children to “My grandfather’s philosophy was learn the business as they grew up. that we are here to do right by our And Ralph’s three grandchildren, Kevin customers, vendors and employees. Stormans, Greg Stormans and Charelle It is still our philosophy today and Stormans Foege, continue the Stormans makes a difference,” said vice president tradition and operate the company. Greg Stormans. The company is “Over the years, our family has operated known for carrying and featuring
Thurston County Chamber VOICE
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Ralph's Food Center, where it all started, in 1944, off Legion & Columbia.
local products, providing outstanding service and supporting the community. Stormans feels privileged to support a large number of local and non-profit community organizations. In addition to the large variety of local and organic products, multiple services and friendly community environment; one of the things that vice president, Charelle Foege says makes their stores unique is the Cooking School located at Bayview Thriftway, Bayview School of Cooking (BSC). “Going on its 16th year of classes and serving over 5,000 people a year, BSC offers numerous cooking and food experiences, including classroom style and handson classes featuring local and regional chefs and food experts, all day food & beverage tours, beer and wine dinners, monthly classes and summer camps for kids. We also offer a once a month ‘free class’, typically on the first Thursday of each month at 9 am and 1 pm. People that attend watch food demonstrations, sample the
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prepared foods, enjoy some coffee/tea and receive recipes as well as a 10% coupon to use in the store. It’s a fun way to give back to the community, share our passion for food and introduce them to the Cooking School.” Kevin, Greg and Charelle all worked as children and teens in the stores and found their way to their current responsibilities. Kevin, who handles the financial side to a large degree, recalled sweeping the store floor and filling grease pencils used to mark prices on products. He graduated from the University of Puget Sound and went on to USC where he earned a master’s degree in food industry management. Greg continued his education at Pacific Lutheran University. After college, he moved to Hawaii where he worked for a Japanese grocery company where he started as a checker and moved to assistant manager prior to returning to his family’s grocery business in the role of
“people person” on the team. Charelle spent her younger years working in the bakery, where she used a milk crate to see over the counter to help customers and “frosted a million maple bars.” After graduating with a degree in education from Pacific Lutheran University and continuing on to complete her master’s degree in computers, Charelle returned to join her brothers and dad. She provides direction and oversight for the cooking school and assists in several other areas of the business. “We always knew we could come back to work with our family – or not,” Charelle said. “We were given that freedom. It was very important to our parents that the choice was ours.” And while working in the stores, all three Stormans worked for the department and store managers, not their relatives. “That was also important, that we experienced work as an employee, not as a son, daughter or grandchild of the owner.”
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Founder, Ralph Storman
Kevin, Charelle and Greg have some solid insight and good advice to share with anyone starting and running small businesses: • Differentiate and find your niche. Then excel at it. Stormans found its niche in high-level customer service, community connections and finding and keeping great employees. • Support your local community with your time and resources. Hire local tradesmen and vendors when possible. • Don’t be afraid to try new things. If you try 10 and 8 fail, you still have two that work. • Make a succession and transition plan early. Many entrepreneurs don’t and may encounter avoidable difficulties down the road. The Celebrations for the 75th are being spearheaded by an employee-led, anniversary committee, which is dedicated to honoring the Stormans legacy, local community and employee team members. The events are: • Ralph’s Thriftway Fall Festival Holiday Open House is 11 am-3 pm, November 9. Join Ken & Lynn Stormans for cake from 1-2 pm. This is Ralph’s annual local & regional holiday-inspired food & gift ideas day, with sampling and more. • Bayview Thriftway Taste the Holiday Spirit is from 11 am to 3 pm, Saturday, Dec. 14. Join Ken & Lynn Stormans for cake from 1 to 2 pm. The Bayview annual local & regional holiday-inspired food & gift celebration features Bayview School of Cooking seminars and sampling. Michele M. Horaney is a writer and public relations consultant based in Olympia.
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Community Youth Services is embarking on 50 years of excellent service to youth-at-risk and youth experiencing homelessness in the South Sound region. With over 20 interrelated programs and service to 6,500 youth and families each year, we are in need of some building restoration and improvements to ensure continued excellence for the next 50 years! We hope you will join us in this endeavor to change young people’s lives. To learn more, please visit:
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Above: Paul Humphreys, owner of Pallet Services. Photo by Dinea DePhoto.
Lacey Lands Pallet Services – A Gain for the Entire Region by Heidi Smith
Don’t let the name fool you. Pallet Services does indeed provide pallets, primarily recycled ones for use in transportation and shipping. One half of its business is a wood pallet repair and recycling operation while the other half is a trucking business that collects and redistributes pallets to clients throughout the northwest. In August 2019, Pallet Services consolidated its Tacoma and Burlington operations and moved to a new home on Hogum Bay Rd. The move has been beneficial, particularly in terms of support from county and city authorities. “We believe it was a really smart choice to base in Thurston County and particularly Lacey,” says owner, Paul Humphreys. “It’s been a very positive business partnership with the local government that has exceeded our expectations.” Any company that transports products, whether via trucking or shipping, requires pallets, typically of the 48" x 40" Grocery Manufactured Association variety. What differentiates Pallet
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Services is the sustainable nature of their product. “Pallets used to be regarded as packaging, like a cardboard box that could be chucked away after one use,” says Humphreys. “Now there’s a lot more consciousness about sustainability among the customers we work with. They not only want to save money; they actually want to save resources.” Environmental awareness was less common in 1990 when the husband and wife team of Darren and Jeannine Bronco founded Pallet Services. From the start, sustainability was a focus, and the company remained family-owned until Paul Humphreys and his wife, Kerri Sloan, took over as owner in 2017. Bronco passed away in 2015.
Today, clients are predominantly large-scale national distribution companies from a range of industries, including grocery chains, food processing, fisheries, and general manufacturing. A secondary operation in Pasco supports the region’s strong agricultural market. Among perishable goods companies, heat treatment is becoming increasingly popular as a means of killing off nematodes or any other pests that might infest pallets carrying food grade products. “We use kilns to heat pallets so that they meet ISPM-15 standards,” says Humphreys. “We have to go through a process and get inspected every month to make sure we’re
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providing the right treatment.” (ISPM-15 is an International Phytosanitary Measure developed by the International Plant Protection Convention to prevent the spread of disease or insects that could negatively affect plants or ecosystems via wood materials of a thickness greater than 6 mm used to ship products between countries). As an employer, Pallet Services provides training and support for its workers, some of whom might otherwise struggle to find jobs. The company is a ‘second chance’ employer meaning they hire those who have previously been involved in the criminal justice system. “We’re very proud to be second chance employers,” Humphrey notes. “If someone has a history of being impacted by circumstances that are less than optimal, it doesn’t matter to us as long as they’ve done what they needed to do, come to work, and are respectful, hard-working employees.” Many employees are English Language Learners, but language barriers are generally not an issue since a number of the senior staff speak Spanish and can act as mediators to deal with any specific
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communication challenges. Safety manuals and company handbooks are provided in both Spanish and English, and Pallet Services intentionally seeks out health care and 401K providers with Spanish-speaking staff members. If ESL classes become necessary, the company is looking into the possibility of providing them on-site through a local community college. Training is also available to help employees gain skills and qualifications such as forklift driving that will help them advance within the company. Offering such services is simply good business, says Humphreys. “We want to create an environment that’s very welcoming, friendly, and an effective way for people to become part of our community. If you have a motivated, happy workforce, it’s good for business, plus it’s the right thing to do. My wife and I are very keen on equity and fairness in the workplace.” Another benefit: providing a vanpool for employees who live in Pierce County. Intercity Transit Van Pool Coordinator Bree Anderson implemented the program, which brings five to seven employees down to Lacey from Tacoma each day. “Bree was awesome,” Humphreys says. “She worked with our team to pull together a program, and now these employees are saving monthly income that they don’t need to spend on cars.” As new members of the Thurston County Chamber, Pallet Services has only begun to scratch the surface of resources available to local businesses, but Humphreys has no doubt they’ve come to the right place. “The move to Lacey has been huge,” he says. “We’re very excited to be here.”
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Pallet Services’ move to Lacey represents a significant opportunity for Thurston County in terms of supporting the warehouse distribution, agriculture & manufacturing sectors of our entire region. Community partners, including the City of Lacey, Thurston County, the Thurston Economic Development Council (EDC), the Thurston Chamber, Pacific Mountain Workforce Development Council and Intercity Transit collaborated to help the company relocate successfully to Lacey. Michael Cade, Executive Director of the Thurston EDC said, “Pallet Services will be a very successful contributor to the resilience of our employer base. The product and services that they provide are a necessary piece of the supply chain for many of our goods and services, but also removes a significant amount of debris from the waste stream by recycling and re-using the pallets.” David Schaffert, President/CEO of the Thurston Chamber agrees, adding, “We are all excited to welcome this outstanding family business to the community, and we applaud the role of our community partners in making their transition from the north to Lacey a success. We are especially excited to welcome this company because it is a missiondriven business with a compassion for people at its core.”
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EVENTS Premera Blue Cross President and CEO to Keynote Thurston Chamber's November Forum Why is healthcare so expensive? What is behind the rising cost of health care? What is the role of private insurance? Would moving to a single-payer or
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eff Roe, President and Chief Executive Officer of Premera Blue Cross, believes that every segment of the health care system needs to be as obsessed with innovation and the customer experience as Amazon, Nordstrom, and Starbucks. Join the Thurston County Chamber Wednesday, November 13, to hear Roe’s answers to the questions above and his quest to drive innovation throughout his company and his industry.
public option system improve care and lower costs – or just the opposite? Roe joined Premera in 1996, served in roles leading the company's Employer and Individual market segments, and became President in January 2014. His leadership in insurance also includes positions as Co-President of Safeco Insurance and Chief Marketing Officer for Torrent Technologies. Roe started his career in the Washington, D.C. office of U.S. Senator Slade Gorton, after studying Economics and Political Science at the University of Washington.
When: Wednesday, November 13, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Where: Hotel RL Olympia What: Forum includes lunch. Cost is $35 for general admission, $25 for prepaid Chamber members, $30 for members at the door. Visit thurstonchamber.com to make your reservation today. Thank you to our Forum sponsors, The Rants Group, 1st Security Bank and Oly Tech Guy.
Caught In The Lens
Caught in the Lens is a place to catch up on all of the Chamber happenings over the past month - whether its Morning Mixxer, Business After Hours, Thurston Young Professionals, Chamber Forum, an awards ceremony, fundraising event, or a Ribbon Cutting. For more photos, follow the Thurston Chamber on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ThurstonCountyChamber.
PO BOX 1427 Olympia, WA 98507-1427