2023-2024 Buyer's Guide

150,000

EDITORIAL STAFF

Publisher Anthony Anton

Executive Editor Lex Nepomuceno

Copy Editor Marianne Scholl

Art Director Lisa Ellefson

Contributing Editors: Lisa Leinberger, Andy McVicar, Kyle Galvin

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Chairman of the Board

Brian Moreno, McDonalds

Immediate Past Chair

Ron Oh

LEADERSHIP TEAM

President and CEO Anthony Anton

VP and Chief Financial Officer Teran Petrina

Chief of Staff Phil Costello

Senior Director of Communications & Technology

Lex Nepomuceno

Senior Director of Government Affairs Julia Gorton

Director of Local Government Affairs John Lane

Director of Membership Steven Sweeney

510 Plum St. SE Olympia, WA 98501-1587

T 360-956-7279 | F 360-357-9232 wahospitality.org

Reproduction of articles appearing in Washington Hospitality Buyer’s Guide are authorized for personal use only, with credit given to Washington Hospitality Magazine or the Washington Hospitality Association.

Articles written by outside authors do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the Washington Hospitality Association, its boards of directors, staff or members.

Products and services advertised in Washington Hospitality Buyer’s Guide are not necessarily endorsed by the Washington Hospitality Association and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Washington Hospitality Association, its boards of directors, staff or members.

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES MAY BE DIRECTED TO: advertising@wahospitality.org

We welcome your comments and suggestions. email: news@wahospitality.org, phone: 800225-7166. Readership: 9,422

Anthony Anton President and CEO anthonya@wahospitality.org

Tackle challenges head on

Anyone who has been in a horrific crash knows that initially surviving the crash is just that: the initial survival. You then have to mentally commit to the long road to recovery. That road has several challenges to overcome to get back to living the life that will become your new normal. Physical therapy, economic hardships, finding a new car. The list is long and takes time. No one expects to get back to normal the next day.

Our recovery from the industry crash we experienced from COVID is no different. There are challenges we must now face head on to get back to living whatever the new normal industry life will be. I urge you over the next year to dedicate time to develop your strategy to overcome the obstacles that are standing in the way of your success. It’s time to tackle challenges like:

1. The debt race. This is absolutely the year to tackle the remaining COVIDrelated debt you have. You really need to get in front of it. The economics aren’t going to get any better for the next year or two, so you need to lighten your debt load to move forward. It won’t be easy, but not dealing with debt will make recovery longer, if not impossible.

2. Work force shortages. We’re still down a big chunk of our workforce. Lodging in Seattle has 29% fewer workers then in 2019, and statewide entertainment is down 11%. Identify the gap you have right now between how many available workers there are and how many jobs you need to fill. The employment situation is going to worsen over the next five years as there is a serious generational shift that doesn’t favor employers.

You need to tackle this workforce challenge. Different businesses will find different solutions, but what you can’t do is keep burning out your staff. If you are 15% short on staff hours now, can you figure out how to be 15% more efficient or do 15% less without losing net? Should you close at 9 p.m. or on Mondays and Tuesdays? Should on-demand room cleaning become permanent? How much could a robot save you in labor costs? Whatever your strategy, start on it now.

3. Escalating minimum salaries. In Washington this year, many businesses were caught off guard when the minimum salary for overtime-exempt employees went to $65,000 for larger companies and $58,000 for smaller companies. Guess what? That’s going to be $95,000 by 2028. Commit to making the changes you need to be sustainable. We’ll have a toolkit out this summer with ideas to help you accomplish this.

4. Lack of conventions. Our industry won’t recover until we get our convention centers full again. In Seattle, rooms booked a year ahead in 2022 were down 45% from 2019. Spokane was down 65% and Kitsap County 35%. That’s this year’s business for hotels and restaurants that rely on conventions. If you’ve benefited from convention travel in the past, you need to face this huge challenge. Get engaged with your local destination marketing organization. Are they fully funded? Are they in need of your help?

Don’t forget about our resources as you strategize. The Washington Hospitality Association is here to help. Tell your territory manager you want a benefit review to explore how much money you can save each month through association programs. Keep opening your emails and use our website to link to vital toolkits, webinars and industry information. Consider using the complimentary Advisory Network to help you resolve a legal issue or bounce an idea off an industry expert. And know that our government affairs team continues to protect and deliver wins for you and our industry.

Finally, use this Buyer’s Guide to find services and suppliers to tackle cost and supply challenges. Let it help you find new tech solutions. Customers actually like tech that helps them avoid lines or waiting for checks. Use this to your advantage and make technology a cornerstone of your operations.

You’ll find what works for your business. Just make sure you put in the effort over the next year to tackle these survival challenges head on. And let us help you along the way. ■

Protect & enhance our industry

BIG WINS FOR HOSPITALITY during the 2023 legislative session

By Andy McVicar

The 2023 legislative session adjourned “sine die” in late April. It was another successful session for the hospitality industry. The Washington Hospitality Association had several priorities that were developed by the Government Affairs Committee (GAC) last fall.

These priorities were:

■ Boosting investments in statewide tourism promotion

■ Extending alcohol to go allowances that were in place during the pandemic

■ Addressing growing public safety concerns

■ Increasing supply and access to affordable housing

■ Expanding workforce development opportunities

■ Protecting our industry from harmful policies

We had major wins with each of these priorities.

Thank you to all Washington Hospitality Association members who responded to our action alerts this session. We issued action alerts on six major issues this session, resulting in more than 1,000 total engagements from our members. Your efforts to contact lawmakers had a significant impact on the outcome of these issues.

State tourism funding – House Bill 1258

This year, one of the association’s top priorities was increasing funding for statewide tourism promotion. Prior to the pandemic, the industry worked to reestablish a tourism promotion program after it was eliminated in 2011.

While the program was being developed by industry and marketing experts, it operated off a $3 million biennial budget with a two-toone private-to-public funding match requirement. HB 1258 was originally introduced to change the private match requirement to a 1:1 ratio and increase the funding to $26 million per biennium.

Ultimately, the Legislature appropriated a total of $9 million per biennium, a solid step forward to creating a successful tourism marketing program.

Photo credit: Jason Hummel Photography Cape Disappointment, Long Beach, Beaches

Alcohol home delivery – Senate Bill 5448

Several states extended pandemic options for takeout and delivery of alcoholic beverages permanently, and adding Washington to that list of states was one of our top priorities this year. SSB 5448 will permanently allow licensees to continue to-go orders of alcohol for on-premise sales when the purchase of alcohol accompanies a meal.

The bill also allows any employee of a licensee with a class 12 permit to deliver alcohol to a customer’s home with the purchase of food, but third-party delivery of alcohol will expire July 1, 2023. Delivery provisions are scheduled to sunset in 2025, and the Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) is required to submit a report to the Legislature with recommendations to include a consistent, equitable structure for alcohol delivery licenses, endorsements, permits and fees by November 2023.

The team will be engaged with the LCB through this process to make sure we have a seat at the table when recommendations are presented to the Legislature.

Other issues and bills our team worked on this year include:

Addressing growing public safety concerns (supported)

■ SHB 1638 creates an expedited recruitment and hiring program to try and alleviate the large state trooper shortages Washington has been experiencing for the last several years.

■ ESB 5352 changes the threshold that allows law enforcement to engage in vehicle pursuits. While not perfect, the bill is a step in the right direction.

■ E2SHB 1134 enhances the training program for 988, the mental health hotline the state set up a few years ago. It also dispatches and develops a needs assessment for specific behavioral health crisis system trainings.

■ SB 5536 raises the penalty for drug possession to a misdemeanor and criminalizes the use of drugs in public. The Legislature reached this agreement to fix the state’s drug possession laws, also known as the “Blake fix” after a one-day special session in May.

Increasing supply and access to affordable housing (supported)

■ E2SHB 1110 requires certain cities to authorize minimum development densities in residential zones, allowing for more duplexes, triplexes, and other housing options.

■ HB 1046 increases the household income cap to 80% of the area median income, allowing more individuals to access affordable rental housing.

Expanding workforce development opportunities (supported)

■ HB 1730 allows people 18 years of age or older to work in 21-and-older establishments.

■ HB 1658 authorizes high school students to receive elective credit for paid work experience in any industry.

Protecting our industry (successfully defeated)

■ HB 1589 would have banned new natural gas hookups starting June 30 of this year.

■ SB 5002 would have lowered the per se blood alcohol concentration threshold for a DUI to 0.05%.

■ HB 1131 would have added a $0.10 charge to all cans, water bottles, alcohol bottles, and other beverage containers sold to customers, creating additional burdens for operators to get the $0.10 charges back.

■ HB 1320 would have required employers to furnish an unredacted electronic or paper employee file within 15 business days of its request and allowed for an employee to sue an employer if the deadline was not met or something was missed.

Overall, this was a great session for Washington Hospitality Association members. You can read the full 2023 Legislative Session Wrap Up report at hospitalityhillclimb.org/2023legislative-session-wins. ■

Photo credit:Washington State Legislative Support Services SSB 5448 Bill Signing

Photocredit:

Exclusive benefits trust created with hospitality owners and employees in mind.

Your challenges are our focus.

Affordability: Every dollar counts and our rates reflect that.

Employee retention: Employee benefits are a crucial element in retaining hospitality staff.

Group size: Many hospitality businesses are quite small, which is why groups can have as few as two employees.

Choice: More than one carrier to choose from including an expansion of our medical providers to both Aetna and United Healthcare.

Build the perfect benefits package for your business.

Primary source of information Wage reports

By Kyle Galvin

other industries to the hospitality industry businesses understand where people are coming from and going to in the industry.

In late 2022, data from the reports showed low demand for service industry workers in Washington with 4,000 job posts per month, slightly below the national average of 4,900. The reports also analyze gender diversity. Washington has above-average employee levels for female employees in the industry at 130,000.

As you can see, these wage reports are an incredibly comprehensive source of information for the service industry. They provide insights on industry-specific wage trends and statistics. They are an essential tool for employers and operators, and provide key data to help inform decisionmaking about wages and other areas of business. From average hourly rates to regional pay scales, the reports cover all the key areas that matter. They’re a perfect resource for business owners and hospitality professionals looking to stay on top of changing market conditions to achieve their goals.

Quick service industry facts

Number of jobs across the state increased by 12% from 2021 to 2022, a gain of more than 24,000 jobs

Jobs increased by 19% from 2020 to 2022

Turnover rate skyrocketed to 119% in 2022

Workforce breakdown by age

Average service industry earnings in Washington is $34,000

The national average is $30,000

Starbucks posts the most service job openings in the state, followed by Marriott International

State minimum wage has increased by 13% over the last 2 years

The two most in-demand service jobs in the state are baristas and shift supervisors

Of the 262,000 service jobs in the state, 95,000 of those are in King County alone

Illuminate career pathways

Coming back: Education Foundation will relaunch in spring 2024

The last few years have been a struggle to find new, qualified employees. The Washington Hospitality Association has big plans to change that by illustrating how hospitality can be a rewarding career. We also want to show those in hospitality how to be successful.

It’s been three years since the pandemic forced a pause on the Education Foundation. As we slowly return to normal, the foundation is coming back to illuminate the pathways of success to the next generation of hospitality workers.

Washington Hospitality Association Chief Revenue Officer Phil Costello, who is also a member, said he expects a soft launch of the foundation in October 2023 and a hard launch in spring 2024.

“The focus of the Education Foundation is on workforce development,” Costello said.

Costello’s first job in hospitality was as a pizza delivery driver and dishwasher. He said he is often inspired by a video produced by the National Restaurant Association years ago called America’s Restaurants – Industry of Opportunity. (Search YouTube with the title to watch this inspiring video).

The video includes stories of hospitality professionals who started at the bottom and worked their way up to the very top of their fields. One person in the video talks about living in a car with the rest of his family when he was growing up. He now owns his own restaurant franchise.

Yes, the stories in the video are of those who have achieved the American Dream. But what interests Costello is not where the

subjects of the videos landed in their careers, but how they got there.

One of the features of the Education Foundation’s new website will be an “Indus-Tree,” a career path navigator. Much like a family tree, you’ll be able to see the steps someone can take to get to where they want to be in hospitality.

“Using the career path navigator, you can look at where you are and where you need to go,” he said when giving an example of someone who would like to be a general manager of a hotel.

Not only will the site show you where to go, but it will offer training resources to help you get there.

“You can do anything in hospitality,” Costello said. He noted that there are accountants, engineers, software specialists, communicators, IT professionals and so many other careers in hospitality.

He said there are restaurants that have been institutions in their communities and family-run for generations. Sometimes, the next generation doesn’t want to go into the family business, so maybe an employee will buy it and keep up the tradition. That employee probably started out as a dishwasher or swept the floors every day.

“That doesn’t happen in a lot of industries,” he said.

The Washington Hospitality Association’s board voted to relaunch and fund the Education Foundation for at least the next five years. David Porter, director of hospitality at Ilani Casino Resort in Ridgefield, just north of Vancouver, was appointed the new chair of the EF board.

He is very excited to get the program back up and running. He would like to be able to connect employees with training, whether that is higher education, apprenticeships, certifications or ProStart. He noted there are about 70 hospitality certifications in the state of Washington, but there are no real educational standards.

He hopes to bring together industry experts and eventually establish a Center of Excellence. And he wants these plans to help not only hospitality businesses just in Washington.

“We’re hoping that it’s something we can eventually sell to other associations across the country,” he said.

ProStart®, the high school certification program that is taught in high schools across the country, is a key component of educating the workforce.

“We’re just scratching the surface of the potential of that program,” Porter said. He would like to see it in every high school that has a culinary program.

Like Costello, Porter wants to change the perception of a career in hospitality. Also, like Costello, his first job was washing dishes.

“There is a stigma that this is a pass-through job versus people seeing it as a true career path,” he said.

As an employer, Porter said education is critical for the

workforce and opening up a whole new avenue for anyone interested in hospitality.

“It’s just a really exciting time for the Education Foundation,” Porter said.

Before the association launches the new EF website, it is lining up new staff members to help run the program. As of this writing, a new director is being hired and there will also be a new ProStart coordinator/administrator.

Kelsi Mayther, who has been coordinating our ProStart competitions during EF’s pause, will have a new title: workforce development manager. Shelby Pemberton will serve as our new training programs manager. ■

Washington students head to the National ProStart® Invitational

Congratulations to our state ProStart champions!

This year the competition was held at Bell Harbor Conference Center in Seattle on March 4. The management team of Bonney Lake High School took home the trophy in their category. The team’s concept was a restaurant called “Wish” and featured dishes popularized by Disney movies.

The Bonney Lake High School management team’s members are:

• Emily McCullough

• Mira Tynes

• KellyJo Hammond

• Educator: Kahale Ahina

• Mentor: Dan Corekin, Valley Harvest Products

The culinary team of Newport High School in Bellevue, Wash., also took home a trophy.

The team, cooking without electricity or running water, created a menu featuring fresh Northwest ingredients, such as Waygu beef and oysters.

The Newport High School culinary team’s members are:

• Armaan Virk

• Porter Neauman

• Wesley Zhang

• Brady Talich

• Cameron Poad

• Educator: Tracy Green

• Educator: Ashley Choi

• Mentor: Justin Lee, Snoqualmie Casino

Both teams went to Washington D.C. in May to compete in the National ProStart Tournament. Bonney Lake’s management team came in 17th place, while the culinary team at Newport High School took home the third-place trophy. Congratulations to both teams!

Washington Hospitality Association

President & CEO Anthony Anton interviewed both teams for the CEO Podcast. You can listen to it wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for “Washington Hospitality Association Industry Podcast.”

And a special thank you to the Cowlitz Tribe! The tribe gave ProStart a grant that allowed the association to help cover some of the travel costs for these two winning teams. ■

BUYER’S GUIDE

A and R Hoods

Steven Russell

2705 S Tacoma Way Ste B

Tacoma, WA 98409-7521

(206) 623-3777

steve@aandrhoods.com

www.aandrhoods.com

Commercial kitchen cleaning

Service area: Statewide Member special offer

Ace Parking Management

Nick Hutsen

855 106th Ave NE Ste 110

Bellevue, WA 98004-4749

425-454-0790

nhutsen@aceparking.com

www.aceparking.com

Parking, transportation, hospitality solutions

Service area: Statewide

ACRAnet, Inc.

Jacquie Brownell

521 W Maxwell Ave

Spokane Valley, WA 99201

509-324-1241

Jacquie.Brownell@acranet.com

www.acranet.com

Employment screening

background checks

Service area: Statewide

Member special offer

Adam’s DJ Service

Adam Tiegs

1105 9th Ave Ste A Milton, WA 98354-8805

(253) 952-2156

adam@adamsdjservice.com

www.adamsdjservice.com

Music, & A/V solutions

Service area: Statewide

Member special offer

Adesso

Damon Maletta

31755 Coast Highway Unit 302

Laguna Beach, CA 92651

206-931-3547

damon@adessocapital.com

www.adessocapital.com

ERTC filing & lending solutions

Service area: Statewide

Member special offer

AeonCharge

Lin Sun Fa

1255 Harrison St #242 Seattle, WA 98109 720-453-9774

Lsunfa@aeoncharge.com

www.aeoncharge.com

Electric vehicle chargers

Service area: Statewide Member special offer

Alaska Structures

Sales Inquiries

205 Lake Street S Ste 300 Kirkland, WA 98033-6492 907-344-1565

inquiry@alaskastructures.com

www.alaskastructures.com

Engineered fabric structures

Service area: Statewide

Alaskan Leader Seafoods

Keith Singleton 315 5th Ave S Ste 200 Edmonds, WA 98020-3600 206-965-1881

keith@alaskanleader.com www.alaskanleader.com

Wild caught Alaska Cod Service area: Statewide

Alice Financial Avi Karnani

195 Montague St Floor 14 Brooklyn, NY 10015 718-313-3486

avi@thisisalice.com

www.thisisalice.com

Commuter benefits Service area: Statewide

All Things HR, LLC

Holly Ruhland

4210 198th St SW Ste 105 Lynnwood, WA 98036-6756 425-248-4978

contactus@allthings-hr.com

www.allthings-hr.com

HR consulting firm

Service area: Statewide

Alliance Business Solutions

Leslie Teague 2485 Cardinal Lane

Santa Cruz, CA 95062-4264

763-361-6963

Leslie_Teague@uhg.com

www.wahospitality.org/membersavings/healthcare-solutions/ Health insurance & wellness program provider

Service area: Statewide

Alliant Insurance Services

Mac McIntosh

401 Union St Fl 31 Seattle, WA 98101-2668

425-740-5200

mac.mcintosh@alliant.com

www.alliant.com

Insurance & risk management Service area: Statewide

Alpine Bakery Company

Jazmine McMillan

810 N Monroe St

Spokane, WA 99201

509-327-7040

alpinebakerycompany@gmail.com

www.facebook.com/

Alpinebakeryco/

Fresh, local, preservative-free

bakery

Service area: Lincoln, Spokane, Stevens

ALSCO

Steve Bivens

6828 S 204th St

Kent, WA 98032-5112

253-478-5197

sbivens@alsco.com

www.alsco.com

Linen supply & uniforms

Service area: King, Kitsap, Lewis, Pierce, Skagit, Snohomish, Thurston

ALSCO- American Linen

Spokane

Joey Kink

1923 N Waterworks St

Spokane, WA 99212-1360

509-534-2693

jkink@alsco.com

www.alsco.com

Linen supplies & cleaning

Service area: Spokane

= Program partner

Alteza Restaurant Supply

Hayden Muir

16726 SE Renton-Issaquah Rd

Renton, WA 98059

206-457-8252

contact.alteza@gmail.com

www.altezarestaurantsupply.com

New & used restaurant equipment

Service area: Statewide

American On-Site Services

Jermaine Yeldon

3808 N Sullivan Rd Bldg 107A

Spokane Valley, WA 99216-1618

509-244-8404

jermaine@americanonsite.net

www.americanonsite.net

Responsive sanitation, event solutions

Service area: Adams, Benton, Chelan, Douglas, Ferry, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Kittitas, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Walla Walla, Whitman, Yakima

AMP Services, LLC

Rick Braa

200 W Mercer St, Ste 511

Seattle, WA 98119-5908

206-596-7400

rbraa@ampservices.com

www.ampservices.com

Outsourced accounting/consulting services

Service area: Statewide

Angus Meats, Inc.

Tom Stachecki

2810 N Hogan St

Spokane, WA 99207-4823

509-482-7033

toms@angusmeats.com

www.angusmeats.com

Beef, pork, poultry Service area: Spokane

Apex Hood Cleaning Inc

Sandy Gaver

2008 Caton Way SW Bldg 203 # B2

Olympia, WA 98502-1119

877-866-3473

sandy@apexhoodcleaning.com

www.apexhoodcleaning.com

Commercial hood cleaning service Service area: Statewide

Atelier Homes

Melissa Tetz

27 1/2 W Main St Walla Walla, WA 99362-2815 509-676-2121

melissa@ahwallawalla.com

www.ahwallawalla.com

Residential & commercial real estate Service area: Walla Walla Member special offer

Baker Commodities Inc.

Michael Bulleri PO Box 58368 Seattle, WA 98138-1368 206-243-7387

mbulleri@bakercommodities.com www.bakercommodities.com

Used cooking oil recycling Service area: Statewide

Bargreen Ellingson Seattle

Justin Sherriff 3627 1st Ave S Seattle, WA 98134-2201 425-232-3459

jsherriff@bargreen.com

www.bargreen.com

Restaurant supply, design & fabrication Service area: King

Bargreen Ellingson Spokane

Tami Kennedy 223 W Boone Ave Spokane, WA 99201-2311 509-324-2939

tkennedy@bargreen.com

www.bargreen.com

Restaurant supply, design & fabrication Service area: Spokane

Bargreen Ellingson Tacoma

Josh Pugh 6626 Tacoma Mall Blvd, Ste B Tacoma, WA 98409-9086 253-475-9201

jopugh@bargreen.com

www.bargreen.com

Restaurant supply, design & fabrication

Service area: King, Lewis, Pierce, Thurston

Batali Associates Hospitality Consulting

Ken Batali 9792 Edmonds Way Ste 226 Edmonds, WA 98020-5940 (206) 390-8285

ken@bataliassociates.com

www.BataliAssociates.com

Restaurant & hospitality consulting Service area: Statewide

Bear Robotics

Derrick Harmon

785 Broadway St

Redwood City, CA 94063

844-729-2327

derrick@bearrobotics.ai

www.bearrobotics.ai

Food running & bussing robot

Service area: Statewide

BMI

Jessica Frost

10 Music Sq E

Nashville, TN 37203-4321

615-401-2873

jfrost@bmi.com

www.bmi.com

Performing rights organization

Service Area: Statewide

Member special offer

Bounce-n-Battle

Ian Manheimer

4107 NW Fruit Valley Rd Ste O

Vancouver, WA 98660-1275

360-571-5754

ian@bouncenbattle.com

www.bouncenbattle.com

Party rentals, interactive games

Service area: Clark, Cowlitz, Skamania

Brantley, Janson, Yost & Ellison, CPA’s

Michael Gintz

909 S 336th St Ste 201

Federal Way, WA 98003-7394

253-838-3484

mgintz@brantleyjanson.com

www.brantleyjanson.com

Accounting, CPA & taxes

Service area: Statewide

= Program partner

Brigado

Jennifer Stiffler

2450 6th Ave Ste 302

Seattle, WA 98134-2029

208-761-8752

jennifer@brigado.io

www.brigado.io

Hospitality IT services provider Service area: Statewide Member special offer

Caffe Appassionato Coffee Co.

Phil Sancken

4001 21st Ave W Seattle, WA 98199-1201

888-502-2333

phil@caffeappassionato.com

www.caffeappassionato.com

Wholesale coffee & teas

Service area: Statewide

Caffe D’Arte, LLC

Kimberly Suchan

33926 9th Ave S Federal Way, WA 98003-6708

253-252-7050

kzier@caffedarte.com

www.caffedarte.com

Wholesale espresso & coffee roasters

Service area: Statewide

Cascade Natural Gas Conservation Incentive Program

Bradey Day

1600 Iowa St

Bellingham, WA 98229-4707

866-450-0005

bday@trccompanies.com

www.cngc.com/energy-efficiency/ commercial-rebate-offerings/ Commercial conservation & energy Service area: Adams, Benton, Chelan, Clark, Cowlitz, Douglas, Franklin, Grant, Grays Harbor, Island, Kitsap, Mason, Pierce, Skagit, Snohomish, Walla Walla, Whatcom, Yakima

Central Washington Fair Association

Erin Randall 1301 S Fair Ave

Yakima, WA 98901-5500 509-248-7160

erinr@fairfun.com

www.statefairpark.org

Event management Service area: Yakima

Charlie’s Produce

Shawn Garner 4103 2nd Ave S Seattle, WA 98134-2305 206-625-1412

shawng@charliesproduce.com

www.charliesproduce.com

Fresh produce & daily delivery Service area: Statewide

Chukar Cherry Company

LuAnn Stine PO Box 510 Prosser, WA 99350-0510

509-786-2055

luann@chukar.com

www.chukar.com

Wholesale berries & nuts Service area: Statewide

CLA (Clifton Larson Allen)

Kevin Tomalty 601 W Riverside Ave # 700 Spokane, WA 99201-0622 509-363-6300

Kevin.Tomalty@claconnect.com

www.claconnect.com

Seamless CPA experience Service area: Statewide

Clark Nuber P.S.

Julie Eisenhauer

10900 NE 4th St Ste 1400 Bellevue, WA 98004-5873 425-454-4919

jeisenhauer@clarknuber.com

www.clarknuber.com

Accounting, CPA & taxes

Service area: Statewide

CLG Employer Resources

Holly Hahn

209 Main Ave S, Ste 100

North Bend, WA 98045-8139

425-391-4141

hollyh@clger.com

www.clgemployerresources.com

Employee benefits & health

insurance

Service area: Statewide

Coca-Cola North America

Operating Unit - PNW & Mountain States

George Allen

807 NE 85th St

Seattle, WA 98115-3031

206-859-9062

gallen@coca-cola.com

www.us.coca-cola.com

World’s refreshing beverage company

Service area: Statewide

Color Graphics Screenprinting, Promotional Products & Awards

Voshte Gustafson

2540 Crites St SW

Tumwater, WA 98512-6104

360-352-3970

voshte@colorgraphicswa.com

www.colorgraphicswa.com

Embroidery, screenprinting & promotional

Service area: Statewide Member special offer

Columbia Distributing Co., Inc.

Rob Hartman

255 Appleyard Drive

Wenatchee, WA 98801-8962

509-662-1673

rob@columbiadistributing.com

www.columbiadistributing.com

Beverage distributor

Service area: Chelan, Douglas, Okanogan

Minimum 35% off on payroll services

Some solutions include:

■ Payroll

■ Onboarding

■ Timekeeping & scheduling

■ HR management system

■ Work opportunity tax credit

Comcast Business Class

Lynnwood

Mark Ensign

15815 25th Ave W

Lynnwood, WA 98087-2507

877-533-5676

mark_ensign@cable.comcast.com

www.business.comcast.com

Telecommunication services for businesses

Service area: Snohomish

Comcast Business Everett

Shemal Medawattage

900 132nd St SW

Everett, WA 98073-9707

253-358-6208

shemal_medawattage@comcast. com

www.business.comcast.com

Telecommunication services for businesses

Service area: King

Comcast Business Olympia

John Koch

440 Yauger Way SW

Olympia, WA 98502-8153

360-280-3429

john_koch@cable.comcast.net

www.business.comcast.com

Telecommunication services for businesses

Service area: Thurston

Comcast Business Puyallup

Hector Cruz

410 Valley Ave NW

Puyallup, WA 98371-3317

253-262-9415

hector_cruz@comcast.com

www.business.comcast.com

Telecommunication services for businesses

Service area: Pierce

Member special offer

Comcast Business Seattle

Mykayla Smith

12645 Stone Ave N Seattle, WA 98133-8315

253-278-9584

mykayla_smith@cable.comcast. com

www.business.comcast.com

Telecommunication services for businesses

Service area: King

Comcast Business Spokane

Brandon Lennick 1717 E Buckeye Ave Spokane, WA 99207-4908 509-755-4689

brandon_lennick@cable.comcast. com

www.business.comcast.com

Telecommunication services for businesses

Service area: Spokane

Community at Heart Hospitality LLC

Russell Brent 14015 NE 92nd Circle Vancouver, WA 98682-6451 503-312-1704

russellebrent@gmail.com

www.communityatheartnw.com

Comprehensive restaurant solutions & consultation Service area: Clark, Cowlitz, Skamania, Wahkiakum Member special offer

Craig Stein Beverage

Chris Strong 5408 NE 88Th St Bld. B - 101 Vancouver, WA 98665-0990 360-823-2534

christopher.strong@csbeverage. com

csbeverage.com

Beer, wine & spirits Service area: Clark, Cowlitz, Klickitat, Skamania

Crystal Investment Property LLC

Michelle Kennedy 600 NE 99th St

Vancouver, WA 98665-5901 503-530-1316

michelle@crystalip.com

www.crystalip.com

Hotel brokerage, selling/buying Service area: Statewide

Cuboh Software Inc.

Fraser Rinald #200 - 1312 Blanshard St

Victoria, BC V8W 2J1

206-278-8451

fraser@cuboh.com

www.cuboh.com

Third party delivery consolidation Service area: Statewide Member special offer

Cyrus O’Leary’s Pies

Curt Coolidge 1528 S Hayford Rd

Airway Heights, WA 99001-9404

509-624-5000

ccoolidge@saraleefb.com

www.cyruspies.com

Frozen pie manufacturing Service area: Statewide

Dancing Goats Coffee

Dave Wasson

200 Market St NE

Olympia, WA 98501-6965

360-753-3391

dwasson@dancinggoats.com

www.dancinggoats.com

Wholesale coffee, equipment, training

Service area: Statewide

Davis Grimm Payne & Marra

Selena Smith

701 Fifth Ave, Ste. 3500

Seattle, WA 98104-70505

206-447-0182

ssmith@davisgrimmpayne.com

www.dgpmlaw.com

Management labor & employment

law Service area: Statewide

Deacon Construction, LLC

Bob Murphy

8343 154th Ave NE Ste 210

Redmond, WA 98052-6182

206-799-5823

bob.murphy@deacon.com

www.deacon.com

Real estate development & construction Service area: Statewide

Degen & Degen Architecture and Interior Design

Anita Degen

1402 3rd Ave Ste 1100

Seattle, WA 98101-2124

206-623-6368

anita@ddseattle.com

www.ddseattle.com

Architecture & interior design Service area: Statewide

Dickerson Distributors, Inc.

Kevin Dickerson

1313 Meador Ave

Bellingham, WA 98229-5803

360-676-1260

Kevin@dickersondistributors.com

www.dickersondistributors.com

Beer, spirits & wine

Service area: Island, San Juan, Skagit, Whatcom

Dick’s Restaurant Supply Bellevue

Dirk Happee

2102 140th Ave NE

Bellevue, WA 98005-2008

425-289-0680

dhappee@dicksrestaurantsupply. com

www.dicksrestaurantsupply.com

New & used commercial equipment

Service area: King

Dick’s Restaurant Supply

Mount Vernon

Tom Olsen

324 Chenoweth St

Mount Vernon, WA 98273-9045

360-848-0259

toslen1@dicksrestaurantsupply. com

www.dicksrestaurantsupply.com

New & used commercial equipment

Service area: Island, Kitsap, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish, Whatcom

Dick’s Restaurant Supply Seattle

Mike Hoye

2963 1st Ave S Seattle, WA 98134-1821

206-382-0160

mhoye@dicksrestaurantsupply. com

www.dicksrestaurantsupply.com

New & used commercial equipment

Service area: King

Dining Alliance

Sean Donahue

307 Waverley Oaks Rd

Waltham, MA 02452-8449 617-275-8430

sean.donahue@ buyersedgeplatform.com

www.diningalliance.com

Group purchasing organization Service area: Statewide

Distant Lands Coffee

Diane Graber

801 Houser Way N Renton, WA 98057-5506 425-917-2920

dianeg@dlcoffee.com

www.dlcoffee.com

Wholesale coffee & espresso Service area: Statewide

Dormakaba

Jules Dana 431 Stephenson Hwy Ste 100 Troy, MI 48083 817-676-1441

jules.dana@dormakaba.com

www.dormakaba.com

Electronic door lock systems Service area: Statewide

Dynamic Sales & Service

Fran Peterson

12910 NE 125th Way, Bldg. B-3 Kirkland, WA 98034-7716

425-823-4300

fran@dynamicss.com

www.dynamicss.com

OPL, guest laundry & services Service area: Statewide

Ecolab

Philip Anderson

4301 S Pine St, Ste 540 Tacoma, WA 98409-7216 253-244-3884

philip.anderson@ecolab.com

www.ecolab.com

Dishmachine & cleaning chemicals Service area: Statewide

Edenholm & Associates

Eric Edenholm

PO Box 11496

Bainbridge Island, WA 98110-5496

206-245-6401

eedenholm@bainbridge.net

Accounting, business taxes, CPA Service area: Kitsap

Edizeven Corporation

Isabel Perez

10002 Aurora Ave N Ste 36 Seattle, WA 98133-9348

541-209-3780

isabel@edizeven.com

www.edizeven.com

Get staffed. Guaranteed. Service area: Statewide Member special offer

Encore Group (USA), LLC

Emily Cunningham

790 Andover Park East

Tukwila, WA 98188-7612

206-219-6643

emily.cunningham@encoreglobal. com

www.encoreglobal.com

Events that transform Service area: Statewide

Equitable Advisors

Jared Johnson

10500 NE 8th St Ste 1600 Bellevue, WA 98004-4360

425-512-4790

jared.johnson@equitable.com

www.equitable.com

Providing holistic financial planning

Service area: Statewide

ERNwest Olympia

John Meier

1550 Irving St SW, Ste 300 Tumwater, WA 98512-6362 800-433-7601

jmeier@ernwest.com

www.ernwest.com

Workers’ compensation claims management Service area: Statewide

= Program partner

ERNwest Spokane

John Meier

511 N Argonne Rd, Ste 201 Spokane Valley, WA 99212-2878

800-433-7601

jmeier@ernwest.com

www.ernwest.com

Workers’ compensation claims management Service area: Statewide

Extreme Steam Carpet Cleaning

Wendy Iseman

PO Box 795

Mukilteo, WA 98275-0795

(425) 870-2295

extremesteamcc@comcast.net

www.extremesteamcc.com

Carpet & floor cleaning Service area: King, Snohomish

Farmers Insurance - Villano Insurance & Financial Services

Vince Villano

6020 Main St SW Ste H Lakewood, WA 98499-6506

(253) 503-3573

vvillano@farmersagent.com

www.agents.farmers.com/wa/ lakewood/vincent-villano-jr

Insurance, financial, medical & supplemental Service area: Statewide Member special offer

Fidalgo Coffee Roasters

Darryl Miller

856 N Hill Blvd Burlington, WA 98233-4640 360-757-8818

darryl@fidalgobaycoffee.com

www.fidalgocoffee.com

Wholesale coffee & teas Service area: Statewide

Fikes

Lara Holmes

34110 9th Ave S Federal Way, WA 98003-6710

253-854-2439

lara@fikes.com

www.fikes.com

Cleaning, janitorial, pest & products Service area: Clallam, Clark, Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, Pierce, Skagit, Snohomish, Thurston, Whatcom

Member special offer

Fiore Financial LLC at NYLIFE

Jeanette Fiore

726 W Sylvester St Pasco, WA 99301-5226

509-528-7097

jfiore@ft.newyorklife.com

www.fiorefinancial.net

Retirement, income & wealth strategies

Service area: Statewide

Fisher & Phillips LLP

Catharine Morisset

1201 Third Ave, Ste 2750 Seattle, WA 98101-3274

206-682-2308

cmorisset@fisherphillips.com

www.laborlawyers.com

Employment law Service area: Statewide

Food Service Direct

Amanda Alexan

2 Eaton St Ste 805 Hampton, VA 23669-4054 424-373-3663

amanda.alexan@ FoodServiceDirect.com

www.foodservicedirect.com

Online food service distributor

Service area: Statewide Member special offer

Food Service Equipment

Repair

Todd Lachmund

20126 Ballinger Way NE #101 Shoreline, WA 98155-1117

206-730-2662

toddtog.fserinc@gmail.com

www.fserinc.com

Equipment repair, maintenance, installations

Service area: Chelan, Clallam, Clark, Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Kittitas, Lewis, Mason, Okanogan, Pacific, Pierce, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish, Thurston, Wahkiakum, Whatcom

Food Services, Inc.

Sandy Cobbin PO Box 218

Mount Vernon, WA 98273-0218

360-424-7147

sandy_cobbin@foodservicesinc. com

www.foodservicesinc.com

Locally owned & operated Service area: Island, King, Kitsap, Pierce, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish, Spokane, Thurston, Whatcom

FoodMaven

Weldon Sikes

PO Box 6844

Denver, CO 80206

512-786-5698

weldons@foodmaven.com

www.foodmaven.com

Procurement AI for foodservice Service area: Statewide

Foster Garvey

Greg Duff

1111 3rd Ave Ste 3000

Seattle, WA 98101-3296

206-816-1470

greg.duff@foster.com

www.foster.com

Hospitality, travel & tourism attorneys

Service area: Statewide

= Program partner

Franz Family Bakeries Seattle

Division

Todd Fultz

2006 S Weller St

Seattle, WA 98144-2237

206-383-7026

todd.fultz@usbakery.com

www.franzbakery.com

Pacific Northwest bakery Service area: King

Gecko Hospitality

Kevin Kalstad

PO Box 83556

Portland, OR 97283-0556

503-935-5990

kevin@geckohospitality.com

www.geckohospitality.com

Recruiting for restaurants hotels clubs

Service area: Statewide

Gemelli Coffee Roastery

Paul Jacob

2502 E Sprague Ave Spokane, WA 99202-3937

509-838-3073

paulbjacob@hotmail.com

www.facebook.com/GemelliCoffee-Roastery-116311971760493/

Fresh roasted wholesale coffee

Service area: Spokane

Gizdog

Don Everest 3601 W Mukilteo Blvd

Everett, WA 98203-1249

(360) 220-5666

don@gizdog.com

www.gizdog.com

Guest feedback & text campaigns

Service area: Statewide Member special offer

GNSA

Robert Nicholl

6915 S Macadam Ave

Portland, OR 97219-2398

503-972-0999

rnicholl@gnsadmin.com

www.gnsadmin.com

Payroll, time keeping, benefits

Service area: Statewide Member special offer

Grand Event Rentals

Jill Mulsolf 22029 23rd Dr SE #105 Bothell, WA 98021-4429 (425) 462-7368

jillm@grandrents.com

www.grandeventrentalswa.com

Event & party rentals

Service area: Statewide Member special offer

Green Suites Hotel Solutions

RJ Thelin 1500 1st St NW Albuquerque, NM 87102-1536 800-224-4228

RJ@greensuites.com

www.greensuites.com

Economical green amenity dispensers

Service area: Statewide Member special offer

Griffith Rush Drake Insurance

Kaylin Cottingham-Wilson 6312 NE Bothell Way E Kenmore, WA 98028 (206) 363-0550

kaylin@grdins.com

www.grdins.com

Commercial insurance broker Service area: Statewide

Harbor Foodservice

Andy Cook 18430 E Valley Hwy Kent, WA 98032-1246 425-251-1376

andy.cook@harborfoods.com

www.harborfoodservice.com

Broadline distributor Service area: Statewide

Harbor Pacific Bottling Elma

Tim Martin

50 Schouweiler Tract Rd W Elma, WA 98541-9385 360-482-4820

timmartin@harborpacificbottling. com

www.harborpacificbottling.com

Pepsi beverage distributor Service area: Grays Harbor, Pacific

Harbor Pacific Bottling Long Beach

Tim Martin

PO Box 30

Long Beach, WA 98631-0030

360-642-3331

timmartin@harborpacificbottling. com

www.harborpacific.us

Pepsi beverage distributor Service area: Grays Harbor, Pacific

Harbor Wholesale

Bryce Schneider

3901 Hogum Bay Rd NE

Lacey, WA 98516-3136

360-754-4484

Bryce.schneider@harborfoods.com

www.harborwholesale.com

Largest Independent food distributor in the Northwest Service area: Statewide

Hawley Troxell

Kimberly Kamel

422 W Riverside Ave Ste 1100

Spokane, WA 99201-0302

509-624-5265

kkamel@hawleytroxell.com

www.witherspoonkelley.com

Legal services & employment law Service area: Adams, Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Douglas, Ferry, Garfield, Grant, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Walla Walla, Whitman, Yakima

Member special offer

Heartland Payment SystemsPayroll

Chris Ledgerwood

6911 Elderberry Ave SE

Snoqualmie, WA 98065-9458

425- 292-9916

chris.ledgerwood@e-hps.com

www.heartland.us/products/ payroll-plus

Human capital management solutions

Service area: Statewide

= Program partner

Heritage Distilling Company

TJ Fase

9668 Bujacich Rd

Gig Harbor, WA 98332-8477

(253) 509-0008

tj@heritagedistilling.com

www.heritagedistilling.com

Trusted. Local. Spirits.

Service area: Statewide

HMA CPA, PS

Kevin Sell

601 W 1st Ave Ste 1000 Spokane, WA 99201-3822

509-321-0265

kevins@hmacpa.com

www.hmacpa.com

Accounting consulting & services

Service area: Spokane

Hopper

Kelly Hart

265 Franklin St Ste 1702

Boston, MA 02110-3144

425-407-2976

khart@hopper.com

www.hopper.com

Mobile app-based travel marketplace

Service area: King

Hospitality Financial & Technology Professionals, Greater Puget Sound Chapter

Michael Lancey

7626 223rd St SW

Edmonds, WA 98026 206-930-8004

mlancey@mckenziechase.com

www.hftp.org/hospitality_ association/ Hospitality industry career education

Service area: Statewide

Hospitality Health Insurance

Felicity Barrett

155 108th Ave NE, Suite 800 Bellevue, WA 98004

866 -897-0488

hihit@tbsmga.com

www.hihittrust.com

Medical & employee benefits

Service area: Statewide

Hospitality Innovation Labs

Zaylan Jacobsen 3900 7th Ave NE Box 354625 Seattle, WA 98195 253-548-4495

zaylan@hospitalityinnovationlabs. com

www.hospitalityinnovationlabs. com

Custom solutions for hospitality brands

Service area: Statewide HUB International Northwest LLC

Jerry Rice 835 N Post St Ste 203 Spokane, WA 99201-2126 509-863-0322

jerry.rice@hubinternational.com

www.hubinternational.com

Tailored insurance solutions

Service area: Statewide

IBA

Oliver Kotelnikov 40 Lake Bellevue Drive, Ste 100 Bellevue, WA 98005-2480 425-454-3052

oliver@ibainc.com

www.ibainc.com

Full service business brokers Service area: Statewide

Inderbitzin Distributors, Inc.

Brent Overman 901 Valley Ave NW Puyallup, WA 98371-2517 (253) 922-2592x312

brento@inderbitzin.com

www.inderbitzin.com

Distributor, snacks, jerky & pastries Service area: Clallam, Clark, Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Lewis, Mason, Pierce, Skagit, Skamania, Snohomish, Thurston, Whatcom

ISS

Tom Potter

816 NE 87th Ave Vancouver, WA 98664-1991 360-693-2325

tom@iss4pos.com

www.iss4pos.com

Restaurant POS sales & service Service area: Benton, Clark, Cowlitz, Franklin, Grays Harbor, Klickitat, Lewis, Pacific, Pierce, Skamania, Thurston, Wahkiakum, Yakima

Jolly Roger Oyster Company

Ken Wiegardt

3215 273rd St

Ocean Park, WA 98640 360-665-4111

oysterman73@hotmail.com

Family owned shellfish farm Service area: Statewide

K & J Accounting

Jason Soper

255 SW 153rd St

Burien, WA 98166-2313

206-244-0491

jason@kjaccounting.net

www.kjaccounting.net

Accounting, CPA & taxes

Service area: Statewide

KEXY

Scott Graham

4079 Governor Dr Ste 3000 San Diego, CA 92122 858-369-5955

sg@getkexy.com

www.getkexy.com

Deals & inventory management Service area: Statewide Member special offer

Kezner Consulting Group

Daniel Kezner

7248 SE 27th St

Mercer Island, WA 98040-2602 206-715-0881

dan@keznerconsulting.com

www.keznerconsulting.com

General restaurant operations consulting

Service area: Statewide Member special offer

Kraken Creative

Bryan Toston

225 W Riverside Ave #4 Spokane, WA 99201-0104

208-851-1127

bryan@krakennw.com

www.krakennw.com/contact-us/ Restaurant marketing branding/ design

Service area: Statewide

= Program partner

L & E Bottling Co., Inc.

Paul Lawrence

3200 Mottman Rd SW

Tumwater, WA 98512-5658

360-357-3812

paul.lawrence@olympiapepsi.com

www.olympiapepsi.com

Complete beverage solution

company Service area: Lewis, Mason, Thurston

LAZ Parking

Royce Williams

255 Stewart St

Seattle, WA 98101

206-487-0538

rwilliams@lazparking.com

www.lazparking.com

Parking, valet, shuttle management Service area: Statewide

Les Boulangers Associes, Inc.

Michel Robert 18842 13th Pl S

Seatac, WA 98148-2342

206-241-9343

michel22@hotmail.com

www.lba-inc.com

Dough, pastries & pies

Service area: Statewide

Lockton Companies

Patrick McHugh

600 University St #1900

Seattle, WA 98101-4115

206-219-3580

patrick.mchugh@lockton.com

www.global.lockton.com

Independent insurance brokerage Service area: Statewide

MacDonald-Miller Facility Solutions, LLC.

Andy Kaplowitz

17930 International Blvd Ste 120

SeaTac, WA 98188-4220

206-639-3724

andy.kaplowitz@macmiller.com

www.macmiller.com

Clean building mechanical contractor

Service area: Statewide Member special offer

Madrona Specialty Foods

Joan Redor

18475 Olympic Ave S Tukwila, WA 98188

206-903-0500

jredor@madronafoods.com

www.lapanzanella.com

Italian crackers & crisps Service area: Statewide

Mahoney Environmental Solutions

Elijah Worley 6333 1st Ave S Seattle, WA 98108-3228

206-299-4610

eworley@mahoneyes.com

www.mahoneyes.com

Used cooking oil recycling Service area: Statewide

Maletis Beverage

Kyle Broome 610 SE Assembly Ave Ste 150 Vancouver, WA 98661-5583 503-735-2300

kyle.broome@maletis.com

www.maletis.com

Family, quality, customer satisfaction Service area: Clark, Cowlitz, Skamania

Manitowoc Ice Machines

Jim Friar 717 S Lander St Seattle, WA 98134-2008 206-819-9063

jfriar@thermalsupply.com

www.manitowocice.com

Manitowoc wholesaler & distributor Service area: Statewide

MarkeTeam Foodservice

Spencer Miles 1115 W 36th St Vancouver, WA 98660-1409

360-696-3984

spencer@marketeamnw.com

www.marketeamnw.com

High quality foodservice equipment Service area: Statewide

Mautone Enterprises

Nick Mautone

17 Brook Bay Rd

Mercer Island, WA 98040-4621

646-734-6265

nick@mautone-enterprises.com

www.mautone-enterprises.com

Concept development & branding strategy

Service area: Statewide Member special offer

Mckenzie Chase Management (MCM)

Mike Lancey

2303 W Commodore Way Ste 210 Seattle, WA 98199-1261

206-547-8277

mlancey@mckenziechase.com

www.mckenziechase.com

Business tax credit services

Service area: Statewide

Metis LLC - Mergers and Acquisitions

Chris Garratt 333 E Birch St Walla Walla, WA 99362-3032

509-529-3925

chris@metisnw.com

www.metisnw.com

Mergers & acquisitions advisors

Service area: Statewide

Miller Malone & Tellefson

Dave Malone

3110 Ruston Way Ste F Tacoma, WA 98402-5308 (253) 759-9595

davidm@mmtlawfirm.com

www.mmtlawfirm.com

Gambling & liquor licensing attorney

Service area: Statewide

Member special offer

Miller Nash Graham & DunnSeattle

Tristan Swanson

2801 Alaskan Way Ste 300

Seattle, WA 98121-1128

206-624-8300

tristan.swanson@millernash.com

www.millernash.com

Professional legal services in WA, OR & CA

Service area: Statewide = Program partner

Miller Nash Graham & DunnVancouver

Tristan Swanson

500 Broadway St Ste 400

Vancouver, WA 98660-3324

360-699-4771

tristan.swanson@millernash.com

www.millernash.com

Professional legal services in WA, OR, CA

Service area: Statewide

Minder Meats, Inc.

Jim Carlson

4921 Auto Center Blvd

Bremerton, WA 98312-3347

360-479-0880

jcarlson@mindermeats.com

www.mindermeats.com

Locally-sourced beef, pork & poultry

Service area: Clallam, Jefferson, King, Kitsap

Natural Wave-RC, Inc.

Bob Bisordi

PO Box 447

Kent, WA 98035-0447

253-395-9266

gonaturalbeverage@gmail.com

www.naturalwavebeverage.com

Non-alcoholic beverage distributor

Service area: Statewide

Navigator Consulting

Chris Patterson

14328 N Denver Ct Spokane, WA 99208-9546

509-499-8101

Chris@navigator-consultants.com

www.navigator-consultants.com

Restaurant consulting profit management

Service area: Statewide

Member special offer

NEXT Retirement Solutions

Paul Neuner

2603 Evergreen Wynde

Louisville, KY 40223

573-213-4530

paul.neuner@

nextretirementsolutions.com

www.nextretirementsolutions.com

Retirement plan services

Service area: Statewide

Member special offer

Nishijin Accounting & Consulting Services

Kanako Matsumoto

7265 S 135th St

Seattle, WA 98178-5157 206-321-1824

kmatsumoto@nishijinaccounting. com

Accounting coach & CPA Service area: Statewide

Northwest Loss Prevention Consultants

Douglas Rector PO Box 3142

Renton, WA 98056-0007 425-271-0312

doug@nwlpc.com

www.nwlpc.com

Mystery shopping integrity investigation

Service area: Statewide

Odom Corporation Spokane

Jack Cosgrove 4122 S Grove Rd Spokane, WA 99224-5326 509-458-4100

jack.cosgrove@odomcorp.com

www.odomcorp.com

Premier wholesale beverages

Service area: Adams, Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Columbia, Douglas, Ferry, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Walla Walla, Whitman, Yakima

Office Depot

La Shonda Parker

6600 N Military Trail Rd Boca Raton, FL 33496-2434 253-872-1700

lashonda.parker@odpbusiness.com

wahospitality.org/member-savings/ business-supplies/ Office supplies & print services

Service area: Statewide Member special offer

Olympic Culinary Loop

Steve Shively

2023 E Sims Way #308

Port Townsend, WA 98368-6905

360-877-4332

info@olympicculinaryloop.com

www.olympicculinaryloop.com

Olympic Coastal Cuisine marketing Service area: Clallam, Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson, Kitsap, Mason Member special offer

Orca Bay Foods, LLC

Celeka Mouton

206 SW Michigan St

Seattle, WA 98106-1908

206-762-7256

celekam@orcabayfoods.com

www.orcabayfoods.com

Custom seafood processor

Service area: Statewide

P.A.T. Ferguson Consulting

Patricia Ferguson

3800A Bridgeport Way W Ste 300 University Place, WA 98466-4416 253-307-3374

patfergusonconsulting@comcast. net

www.dramshopexpertwitness.com

LCB violation resolution

Service area: Statewide

Pacific Coast Fruit Company

Mark Brooks

7250 S 228th St

Kent, WA 98032-3909 800-423-4945

mbrooks@pcfruit.com

www.pcfruit.com

Fresh produce & specialty-items delivered Service area: Statewide

Pacific Commercial Brokers

Tom O’Brien

221 S 28th St Ste 103

Tacoma, WA 98402-2726

(253) 507-5442

tom@paccombrokers.com

www.pacificcommercialbrokers. com

Mergers, acquisitions & real estate Service area: Statewide Member special offer

Parker, Smith & Feek, Inc.

Jim Chesemore 2233 112th Ave NE

Bellevue, WA 98004-2936 425-709-3600

jrchesemore@psfinc.com

www.psfinc.com

Business & commercial insurance Service area: Statewide Member special offer = Program partner

Passport Unlimited

Shawna Lough

PO Box 727

Kirkland, WA 98083

425-250-6751

shawnal@passportunlimited.com

www.passportunlimited.com

Engagement tools for businesses

Service area: Statewide Member special offer

Paylocity

Ken Haynes

1400 American Ln Schaumburg, IL 60173-5452 971-219-8542

khaynes@paylocity.com

www.paylocity.com

Payroll & HR management software

Service area: Statewide Member special offer

PayneWest Insurance

Matt Henderson

390 Bradley Blvd Richland, WA 99352-4483

509-946-6161

mhenderson@paynewest.com

www.paynewest.com

Healthcare insurance broker Service area: Statewide

PayneWest InsuranceSpokane

Eddie Eugenio

501 N. Riverpoint Blvd, Ste 403 Spokane, WA 99202-1649

509-363-4001

eeugenio@paynewest.com

www.paynewest.com

Healthcare insurance broker Service area: Statewide

Peak Thermo King

Jeremiah Cox 931 Valentine Ave SE Pacific, WA 98047-2126

(253) 850-8133

jeremiahcox@peakthermoking. com

www.peakthermoking.com

Refrigerated storage rental options

Service area: Statewide

Member special offer

Peizer Commercial Real Estate

Mark Peizer

121 Windsor Dr SE Sammamish, WA 98074-3420 206-909-3314

mpeizer@comcast.net

Commercial brokerage restaurants & lodging Service area: Statewide Picnic

Michael Vorsanger 3455 Thorndyke Ave W Ste 204 Seattle, WA 98119-1647 904-251-4926

michael@picnicworks.com

www.hellopicnic.com

Automated pizza assembly station Service area: Statewide Member special offer

Plumb Level Square

Edward Pierce 624 S Lander St Ste 36 Seattle, WA 98134-2011 206-327-9127

edward@plsbuild.com

www.plsbuild.com

Specializing in restaurant construction & TI Service area: King, Pierce

Pointe Pest Control

Steve Rudolph

1324 N Liberty Lake Rd #226 Liberty Lake, WA 99019-8523 509-590-4200

s.rudolph@pointepest.com

www.pointepest.com

Pest control

Service area: Adams, Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Clallam, Clark, Columbia, Douglas, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Skamania, Spokane, Stevens, Walla Walla, Whitman, Yakima

Positive Technologies Inc.

Jim Gerow

6910 SE Lake Rd

Milwaukie, OR 97267

503-284-6565

jim@positivetech.com

www.positivetech.com

Point of sales systems Service area: Statewide Member special offer

Pour My Beer

Ed Lazaruk

310 N Wolf Rd

Wheeling, IL 60090

203-583-9668

ed@pourmybeer.com

pourmybeer.com

Automated beverage service Service area: Statewide

Powers Inc.

Sean Stradling

6061 N Freya St

Spokane, WA 99217-6542

509-489-1955

sstradling@powers-inc.com

www.powers-inc.com

Wholesale nut & trailmix manufacturer Service area: Statewide

Precise Financial Solutions

Nathan Henry 684 Lee Street #4331 Des Plaines, IL 60016 847-257-3970

precisefinancialsolutionsinc@ gmail.com

www.mypartner.io/ partner/?ref=UDABZ1EwAWA= Capital formation debt restructuring Service area: Statewide Member special offer

Premier Capital Associates

Jeff McKee

13555 SE 36th St Ste 100 Bellevue, WA 98006-1456

425-957-0600

jmckee@premiercapitalassoc.com

www.premiercapitalassoc.com

Commercial loans & advisory Service area: Statewide

PrimePay

Charles Bryson

1487 Dunwoody Dr

West Chester, PA 19380

877-446-9729

cbryson@primepay.com

www.primepay.com

Payroll & HR services Service area: Statewide = Program partner

Queen Anne Upholstery & Refinishing

Corey Shea

8311 S 200th St

Kent, WA 98032-1113

206-639-6700

corey@qagroup.us

www.queenanneupholstery.com

Furniture reupholstery & refinishing Service area: Statewide Member special offer

R&T Hood and Duct Services

Sean Kelley

6100 12th Ave S Seattle, WA 98108-2702

206-726-0940

sean@rthood.com

www.rthood.com

Reliable hood cleaning service

Service area: Island, King, Kitsap, Pierce, Snohomish

React Mobile

Linaeya Horn-Muller

720 Seneca Street #308 Seattle, WA 98101-2758

888-415-0977

linaeya.horn-muller@reactmobile. com

www.reactmobile.com

Panic button solutions for hotels Service area: Statewide

Real Property Law Group, PLLC

Sandip Soli

1326 5th Ave Ste 654 Seattle, WA 98101-2655

206-625-0049

ssoli@rp-lawgroup.com

www.rp-lawgroup.com

Hospitality real estate attorneys Service area: Statewide

Relay

Barbara Sharnak

940 Main Campus Dr Ste 300 Raleigh, NC 27606-5212

732-718-4214

bsharnak@relaypro.com

www.relaypro.com

The end of radios Service area: Statewide

Member special offer

Restaurant Group, Inc.

Arnold Shain

10104 NE 38Th Ct Kirkland, WA 98033-7881

206-679-1037

arnoldshain@restaurantgroup.com

www.restaurantgroup.com

Branding, marketing, menu & design

Service area: Clallam, Clark, Cowlitz, Island, King, Kitsap, Lewis, Mason, Pierce, San Juan, Skagit, Skamania, Snohomish, Thurston, Whatcom

Returning Point

Andre Cunningham 4131 239th Pl SE Sammamish, WA 98029-7591 425-766-4286

andre@returningpoint.net

www.returningpoint.net

Mobile text marketing Service area: Statewide

Rub With Love Spice Rub

Carol Baush 5118 14th Ave NW Seattle, WA 98107-5115 206-448-1193

rubwithlove@tomdouglas.com

www.tomdouglas.com

Wholesale rubs, sauces & mustards Service area: Statewide

Saela Pest Control - Kent

Guillermo Padilla 8320 S 259th St Kent, WA 98030-7428

206-792-5354

guillermo.padilla@saelapest.com

www.saelapest.com

Pest control & mosquito services Service area: Pierce

Saela Pest Control - Tacoma

Guillermo Padilla 8016 Durango St SW

Tacoma, WA 98499-4591

253-321-1786

guillermo.padilla@saelapest.com

www.saelapest.com

Pest control & mosquito services Service area: Pierce

Sandin Insurance Group

Andrew Pettygrove PO Box 230785

Portland, OR 97281

503-899-9632

andrew@teamsandin.com

www.liquorinsurance.com

Custom insurance package policies Service area: Statewide Member special offer

Sandman Savrann PLLC

Irvin Sandman

1111 3rd Ave Ste 2700

Seattle, WA 98101-3224

206-686-0802

isandman@sandsav.com

www.sandmansavrann.com

Hospitality industry legal counsel Service area: Statewide

Scott Kingsbury CPA

Scott Kingsbury

33305 1st Way S Ste B-214

Federal Way, WA 98003-6235

(253) 235-5781

scott@kingsburycpa.com

www.kingsburycpa.com

Local experienced CPA Service area: King, Pierce

Seattle Laundry Service

Chris Tudor

4522 Brooklyn Ave

Seattle, WA 98105-4526

206-548-1321

chris@tudorholdingsllc.com

www.seattlelaundryservice.com

Commercial hotel laundry service Service area: King

Seattle Patio Covers Inc.

Wesley Antholz

33530 1st Way S Ste 102 Federal Way, WA 98003-7332

206-850-3600

wes@seattlepatiocovers.com

www.seattlepatiocovers.com

Sunrooms, atriums, & patio covers

Service area: Statewide

Seattle Public Utilities

Pat Kaufman

700 5th Ave

Seattle, WA 98117 -5058

206-684-4512

pat.kaufman@seattle.gov

www.seattle.gov/util

SPU green business program Service area: King

Sebris Busto James

Matthew Lynch

15375 SE 30th Pl Ste 310

Bellevue, WA 98007-6500

425-454-4233

mlynch@sbj.law

www.sbj.law

Employment law & labor relations

Service area: Statewide

SeQuential

Cindy Birmingham

3333 NW 35th Ave Bldg C

Portland, OR 97210

800-447-3794

cindy.birmingham@choosesq.com

www.chooseSQ.com

Used cooking oil recycler Service area: Statewide

Sky Systems

Scott Barricklow

1806 4th Ave E

Olympia, WA 98506-4630

360-943-9700

scott@iwanttv.com

www.iwanttv.com

Dish satellite TV services Service area: Statewide

Smithfield Culinary

Valeri Lea

111 Commerce St

Smithfield, VA 23430

503-957-9919

vlea@smithfield.com

www.smithfieldculinary.com

Leading premium pork provider Service area: Statewide

Southern Glazers Wine & Spirits

John Klein

411 108th Ave NE Ste 1700

Bellevue, WA 98004-8470

425-629-2100

jklein@sgws.com

www.southernglazers.com/ location/washington/

Premier wholesale beverages

Service area: King, Snohomish

Spokane Produce

Craig Higashi

1996 S Geiger Blvd

Spokane, WA 99224-5411

509-455-8970

chigashi@spokaneproduce.com

www.spokaneproduce.com

Wholesale fruit & vegetables

Service area: Adams, Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Columbia, Douglas, Ferry, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Walla Walla, Whitman, Yakima

Spokane Restaurant Equipment, LLC

Andrew Carrol 1750 E Trent Ave

Spokane, WA 99202-2943 509-534-5500

andrew@sporest.com

www.sporest.com

Food service equipment/design

Service area: Adams, Asotin, Benton, Columbia, Douglas, Ferry, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Kittitas, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Walla Walla, Whitman

Spokane Sports

Ashley Blake

201 W North River Dr #130 Spokane, WA 99201-2213

509-742-9371

ashleyb@spokanesports.org

www.spokanesports.org

Sports marketing & development Service area: Spokane

SpotOn

Scott Youkilis

100 California St Ste 900 San Francisco, CA 94111-4505 206-681-7082

syoukilis@spoton.com

www.spoton.com

Integrated restaurant management platform Service area: Statewide Member special offer

Standard Textile Co.

Scott Cameron

1 Knollcrest Dr

Cincinnati, OH 45237-1608

403-850-1783

scameron@standardtextile.com

www.standardtextile.com

Linens & textiles

Service area: Statewide

Stayntouch

Rose Cerato

4720 Montgomery Ln Ste 1100

Bethesda, MD 20814-3454

301-358-1356

rose@stayntouch.com

www.stayntouch.com

Hotel PMS

Service area: Statewide Member special offer

Stewart Market Yelm

Jeanne Carlson

17821 SR 507 SE

Yelm, WA 98597-9654

360-458-2091

stewartsmeats@yahoo.com

www.stewartsmeatmarket.com

Fresh, smoked & exotic meats Service area: King, Thurston

Stewart’s Meats - Farmers’ Market

Stewart Carlson

700 Capitol Way N Olympia, WA 98501-1208

360-458-2091

stewartsmeats@yahoo.com

www.stewartsmeatmarket.com/ olympiaandseattle.html

Fresh, smoked & exotic meats Service area: Thurston

Stewart’s Meats - Pike Place

Market

Stewart Carlson

85 Pike St

Seattle, WA 98101-2085

206-682-7453

stewartsmeats@yahoo.com

www.stewartsmeatmarket.com

Jerky & pepperoni, beef & buffalo Service area: King

Stoel Rives LLP

Claire Mitchell

600 University St Ste 3600

Seattle, WA 98101-4109

206-624-0900

claire.mitchell@stoel.com

www.stoel.com

Alcohol compliance & licensing lawyers

Service area: Statewide

Stonebraker McQuary

Insurance

Cody McCrillis

1401 E 57th Ave

Spokane, WA 99223-6621

509-755-4500

cmccrills@stonebrakermcquary. com

www.stonebrakermcquary.com

Restaurant/hotel insurance specialists

Service area: Statewide

Superior Linen Service

Greg Hersey

1012 Center St

Tacoma, WA 98409-8033

253-383-2636

greg@suplinen.com

www.suplinen.com

Linen & uniform rental

Service area: Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Lewis, Mason, Pierce, Snohomish, Thurston

SVN NW Hotel Advisors

Brian Resendez

4915 SW Griffith Dr Ste 300 Beaverton, OR 97005-2933

503-222-3800

brian.resendez@svn.com

www.svn-nwhoteladvisors.com

Your Full Service Hotel Brokerage

Service area: Statewide

Swanson’s Refrigeration & Restaurant Repair

Chris Tupling

1710 E Trent Ave Ste 4

Spokane, WA 99202-2901

509-624-8346

chris@swansonrefrigeration.com

Refrigeration service & repair

Service area: Ferry, Garfield, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Walla Walla, Whitman

Member special offer

Tacoma Public Utilities

Jennifer Collins Ramos

3628 South 35th St

Tacoma, WA 98409-3115 (253) 433-4378

jcollinsr@cityoftacoma.org

www.mytpu.org

Municipal power & water Service area: Pierce

Tax Advisors PLLC

Gregory Damico

203 SE Park Plaza Dr Ste 230 Vancouver, WA 98684-5873 360-750-6884

gdamico@taxadvisorscpa.com

www.taxadvisorscpa.com

Property tax/valuation appeals Service area: Statewide

TDS Fiber

Luke Hoene

1121 N Argonne Rd Ste 200 Spokane Valley, WA 99212 509-795-1345

luke.hoene@tdstelecom.com www.tdsfiber.com

High speed fiberoptic internet Service area: Spokane

The District

Janet Pope 3815 196th St SW Ste 136 Lynnwood, WA 98036-5749 (425) 440-0970

jpope@thedistrict425.com

www.lynnwoodcc.com

Event & entertainment center Service area: King, Skagit, Snohomish, Whatcom

Member special offer

The Wright Group

Ed Baran

8170 SW Maxine Ln #63 Wilsonville, OR 97070-7785

503-349-5056

ed@thewrightgroupnw.com

www.sertahospitality.com

Serta Simmons hospitality mattresses

Service area: Statewide

TipHaus

Jon Evans 720 Seneca St Ste 107 #6 Seattle, WA 98101-2764

401-375-2536

Jon@tiphaus.com

www.tiphaus.com

Tip automation, calculation, distribution Service area: Statewide Member special offer

Titan HST

Ed Merjanian

500 Newport Center Dr Ste 950 Newport Beach, CA 92660

(844) 368-4826

ed@titanhst.com

www.titanhst.com

Alert buttons, emergency communication

Service area: Statewide Member special offer

Torn Ranch

Casey Bradley

2198 S McDowell Blvd

Petaluma, CA 94954

707-796-7800

cbradley@tornranch.com

www.tornranch.com

Sustainable, minibar, amenities & gifts

Service area: Statewide

Total Benefits Solutions

Felicity Barrett

155 108th Ave NE Ste 800

Bellevue, WA 98004-5901

425-777-4650

felicityb@tbsmga.com

www.tbsmga.com

Health insurance benefits

Service area: Statewide

Trigg Insurance Agency

Tom Trigg

PO Box 509

Vashon, WA 98070-0509

206-463-7411

tomtrigg@trigginsurance.com

www.trigginsurance.com

Business & commercial insurance

Service area: King, Pierce

Tri-Tec Communications, Inc.

Scott Grieben

25500 74th Ave S

Kent, WA 98032-5875

253-852-7777

scottg@tri-tec.com

www.tri-tec.com

Telecommunications provider & cloud services

Service area: Statewide Member special offer

United Salad Co. of Washington

Damien McClain

1509 45th St E

Sumner, WA 98390-2201

253-891-8918

damien.mcclain@unitedsalad.com

www.unitedsalad.com

Produce, quality & service

Service area: Statewide

URM Foodservice

Paul Steele

7511 N Freya St Spokane, WA 99217-8043

509-467-2784

psteele@urmfoodservice.com

www.urmfoodservice.com

Wholesale food supplier

Service area: Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Douglas, Ferry, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Walla Walla, Whitman, Yakima

US Bank Auburn

Brian Smith

401 15th St NE

Auburn, WA 98002-1604

253-939-7000

brian.smith@usbank.com

www.usbank.com

Association payment processing partner

Service Area: King Member special offer

US Bank Ballard

Faraz Hussain

6100 15th Ave NW

Seattle, WA 98107-2303

206-297-2220

faraz.hussain@usbank.com www.usbank.com

Association payment processing partner

Service Area: King Member special offer

US Bank Bellevue

Cherrie Claudio 10800 NE 8th St Bellevue, WA 98004-4461 425-637-2500

cherrie.claudio@usbank.com www.usbank.com

Association payment processing partner

Service Area: King Member special offer

US Bank Belltown

Cherrie Claudio 504 Bell St Seattle, WA 98121-1777 206-441-0518

cherrie.claudio@usbank.com www.usbank.com

Association payment processing partner

Service Area: King Member special offer

US Bank Everett

Cherrie Claudio 1702 Hewitt Ave Everett, WA 98201-3521 425-252-5151

cherrie.claudio@usbank.com www.usbank.com

Association payment processing partner

Service Area: Snohomish Member special offer

US Bank Northgate

Cherrie Claudio

815 NE Northgate Way Seattle, WA 98125-7311 206-363-5724

cherrie.claudio@usbank.com www.usbank.com

Association payment processing partner

Service Area: King Member special offer

US Bank Olympia

Brian Smith 402 S Capital Way Olympia, WA 98501-1096

360-753-9800

brian.smith@usbank.com

www.usbank.com

Association payment processing partner

Service Area: Thurston Member special offer

US Bank Seattle

Cherrie Claudio

1420 Fifth Ave

Seattle, WA 98101-4087

206-344-3690

cherrie.claudio@usbank.com

www.usbank.com

Association payment processing partner

Service Area: King Member special offer

US Bank Smokey Point

Cherrie Claudio

17110 Smokey Point Blvd

Arlington, WA 98223-8427

360-653-5313

cherrie.claudio@usbank.com

www.usbank.com

Association payment processing partner

Service Area: Snohomish Member special offer

US Bank Tacoma

Brian Smith

1145 Broadway Ste 100

Tacoma, WA 98402-3523

253-594-7300

brian.smith@usbank.com

www.usbank.com

Association payment processing partner

Service Area: Pierce Member special offer

US Foods Seattle

Bryce Godfrey

2204 70th Ave E Ste 100

Fife, WA 98424-3612

253-620-9000

bryce.godfrey@usfoods.com

www.usfoods.com

Broadline distributor

Service area: Chelan, Clallam, Clark, Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, Pierce, San Juan, Skagit, Skamania, Snohomish, Thurston, Wahkiakum, Whatcom

Vaask

Alexandra Harris

5811 Trade Center Dr Ste 900 Austin, TX 78703

512-666-9738

alexandra@vaask.com

vaask.com

Touchless hand sanitizing fixtures Service area: Statewide

Vemos

Parag Shah

323 N Washington Ave STE 200 Minneapolis, MN 55401 877-388-7872

parag.shah@vemos.io www.vemos.io

ID verification pay at the table Service area: Statewide Member special offer

WarnerMedia/HBO

Michelle Mahoney 30 Hudson Yards New York, NY 10001 212-512-1391

michelle.mahoney@warnermedia. com

www.hbobulk.com

Premium programming Service area: Statewide Member special offer

Washington Sports Support Network

Kevin Kennedy

5820 W Park Pl Pasco, WA 99301-2105 509-851-3187

kevsterxc4083@yahoo.com

Sporting events marketing advertising

Service area: Benton, Franklin, Walla Walla

Member special offer

WeBee

Özgür Zan

Yildiz Teknik Universitesi Davutpasa

Kampusu Teknoloji Gelistirm Istanbul, Turkey 34220 90-212-464-66-76

ozgur.zan@getwebee.com

www.getwebee.com

Mobile guest experience solution

Service area: Statewide

West Coast Franchise Law

Nate Riordan

600 Stewart St Ste 1300 Seattle, WA 98101-1255 206-903-0401

nate@westcoastfranchiselaw.com

www.westcoastfranchiselaw.com

Franchise, M&A, development, leasing

Service area: Statewide

Western Restaurant Supply & Design

Norma Rodriguez

1957 Fowler St Richland, WA 99352-4846

509-585-6978

norma@westernfoodequipment.com

www.westernfoodequipment.com

Restaurant equipment & supplies

Service area: Benton, Chelan, Columbia, Douglas, Franklin, Grant, Kittitas, Okanogan, Spokane, Walla Walla, Whitman, Yakima Member special offer

Western State Design

Matt Ingham

2331 Tripaldi Way Hayward, CA 94545

800-633-7153

mingham@westernstatedesign.com

www.westernstatedesign.com

Commercial laundry equipment & services

Service area: Statewide

Westley Price Insurance

Keoni Coleman

3120 S Grand Blvd #8715

Spokane, WA 99203-2697

509-474-9655

keoni@wpiteam.com

westleyprice.com

Health & life insurance brokerage Service area: Statewide

Whidbey Island Ice Cream Co.

Steve Rosen

PO Box 1178

Freeland, WA 98249

360-331-1111

steve@whidbeyislandicecream.com

www.whidbeyislandicecream.com

Local all natural non GMO

Service area: Clark, Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Island, King, Kitsap, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, Pierce, Skagit, Skamania, Snohomish, Thurston, Wahkiakum, Whatcom

WorkSafe, part of the Washington Hospitality Association

Victoria Montrose

510 Plum St SE

Olympia, WA 98501-1587

360-956-7279

worksafe@wahospitality.org

www.worksafewa.org

Work safe, save money

Service area: Statewide

Workstream

Cade Twitty

26000 W Executive Pkwy Ste 200 Lehi, UT 84043 801-376-7620

cade@workstream.is

www.workstream.us

Hire hourly workers faster Service area: Statewide

Member special offer

Your Party Center

Pauline Muclahy

3006 NE 112th Ave Ste E Vancouver, WA 98682-7260

360-844-6673

pauline@yourpartycenter.com

www.yourpartycenter.com

Tents & party supplies

Service area: Clark, Cowlitz, Skamania

Member special offer

ZenDelivery

Norm Johnson

16915 SE 272nd St, Ste 100-80

Covington, WA 98042-7347

360-340-2258

zenwithnorm@gmail.com

www.zendelivery.biz/norm

Delivery fee reduction services

Service area: Statewide

Preparing a hospitality business for sale in the rapidly changing marketplace

By Oliver Kotelnikov

Embracing the new normal

If change is a constant, then the hospitality industry has enjoyed unprecedented levels of blissful consistency lately. Those who survived the pandemic are assessing the damage and facing more questions than answers about the future. Business is booming, but how long will rising costs and crippling labor shortages persist? Is the current partnership model with third-party delivery platforms sustainable or even beneficial for independent restaurants? Are technology and advancing automation an ally or a threat? When will things finally go back to “normal?”

Opinions vary on whether the pandemic created or merely highlighted some of the systemic issues facing the industry today, but most will agree that change is not only imminent, but a matter of survival. Paradoxically, having made it through the global health crisis is not enough. The scope of the task at hand for industry leaders and the business community is much larger: design and build the new hospitality business model and position the industry to thrive for decades to come. Successful business owners contemplating retirement are at a crossroads and may justifiably feel disinclined to reinvent the playbook for the next generation.

But everyone is inherently a partner in the project. The general state and health of the industry impacts every single business in it and the prospects of a successful sale for those evaluating exit strategy options. Whether you’re selling or staying at the helm, focusing on the following areas will help lay the foundation for the new chapter while building value towards a future sale.

Quality of earnings

At its core, the buyer’s decision to purchase a business is financially motivated. The business opportunity must be priced fairly and yield a competitive return on investment to generate demand in the marketplace. Documented profitability will be a key factor in determining the fair market value of the business. Monitoring operating expenses and keeping up with rising costs of doing business will ensure a healthy profit margin and premium market value at the time of sale.

Net profit margin

The expected profit margin for a retail hospitality business is 10%20%. This means that a business producing $3 million in topline revenue should generate $300,000-$600,000 in cash flow to ownership annually. A higher percentage of every dollar produced falling to the bottom line indicates a more efficient business model. Improving the profitability ratio may include reducing the menu offerings, optimizing hours of operation, and taking a critical look at staple operating costs.

Cost of goods

Rising costs are part and parcel of doing business in an inflationary economy. Protecting the bottom line will require a pragmatic and disciplined approach to raising prices and eliminating lower margin items from the menu. In the example of the $3 million gross revenue threshold, a traditional 30% cost of goods margin represents an annual expense of $900,000. With the consumer price index up over 8% in the last 12 months, the business will sustain an increased operating cost of $72,000. This can mean an increase or a reduction of $200,000-$250,000 to an owner at the time of a sale. Meanwhile, the same 8% represents a very manageable $4 to the customer on a $50 ticket.

Convenience fees

Reassessing credit card fees and third-party delivery platform expenses can substantially improve profitability. Many operators have successfully adopted the policy of shifting the burden of credit card processing fees back to the customer without much pushback. The justification is that the party benefiting from the convenience should pay the associated costs.

On $3million of revenue, adding the standard 2-3% transactional fee to the bill of customers paying with a credit card can produce an annual savings of $60,000-$90,000 to the operator with significant impact on profitability and by extension, the value of the business. Third-party delivery fees have come down recently because of industry regulations but continue to take a large chunk of the operators’ profits. These low-margin sales tax the bandwidth of the business at standard rates while yielding inferior returns.

Company culture & leadership

The retail and hospitality employee shortage did not begin with the pandemic and will not end now that it’s over. The shallow labor pool cycle is expected to persist for the next five years, or indefinitely if root causes of the problem are not addressed.

Recruitment

The systemic labor shortage must be addressed at the source with robust education and workforce development efforts. The Hospitality Business Management program at Washington State University is one of the best in the nation. IBA recently held a seminar on the topic of business ownership for the students at the Wine Country Culinary Institute at the Walla Walla Community College. Connecting with vocational schools and establishing a collaborative relationship with hospitality-oriented college and university programs can be a great sustainable resource for quality talent for the business community.

The employee experience

A happy team is the key to a quality customer experience. When choosing a company to work for, employees are increasingly looking beyond the paycheck and focusing on company values and workplace culture. Successfully retaining employees in a competitive marketplace is further enhanced by offering flexible scheduling to allow for outside activities and time with friends and family.

Identity shift

The industry’s image as the “first job” or the playground for late night shenanigans has produced many entertaining acceptance speeches and best-selling novels but done little to create a sustainable quality labor pool for the employers. While a portion of retail and hospitality jobs will always be seasonal and temporary, attracting top talent for leadership and management positions requires raising the bar and becoming the industry that can consistently deliver on the promise of a rewarding career path and a competitive standard of living for dedicated professionals.

Oliver Kotelnikov is the director of the hospitality transaction division at IBA, Pacific Northwest’s premier full-service business brokerage serving the hospitality industry since 1975 with over 4200 businesses sold. Please email your questions to oliver@ibainc.com.■

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Provide a return on investment

3 big ways to reduce payment costs and win more business

In today’s economic climate, small and medium-sized businesses are facing a myriad of challenges, including supply chain issues, staffing shortages and rising costs due to inflation. The pressure to offer an exceptional customer experience while reining in costs is real. However, there are small adjustments you can make to existing business processes that drive value for your business. Every expense analyzed for efficiency and brought under management drives money straight to the bottom line.

Stop spending so much to get paid

The cost of payment acceptance has risen a whopping 70% since 2010.1 The increase is due to several factors including:

■ Proliferation of rewards cards

■ Rise of commercial cards

■ Shift to digital card-not-present (CNP) payments

■ Interchange rate increases

■ Card brand network fees and assessments

For many businesses, credit card acceptance costs are often the second highest cost behind payroll.2

Calculating the total cost of accepting payments is so complex that many business owners have no idea how much they are spending. In fact, there are more than 300 interchange categories and multiple ways that providers levy rates and fees.

How to win and retain more business with payment optimization solutions

Payment optimization encompasses a variety of solutions and programs that reduce or offset credit, debit, and commercial card acceptance fees for payments made in person, online, via mobile device or over the phone.

Optimizing payments calls for a holistic approach that analyzes factors such as merchant segment, customer profile, payment types accepted, purchasing channels and payment capture entry mode. By identifying the solutions that work for your business you can lower the cost of card acceptance and receive a significant impact on your business operations with minimal to no investment.

Three opportunities to optimize payments and drive value for your business

1. Comprehensive statement analysis

Merchant processing statements are often confusing by design. It takes an expert’s eyes to spot miscellaneous charges, buried mark-ups and misleading contract terms. On top of that, transaction downgrades—which are largely preventable—raise rates and limit opportunities for optimization. Identifying hidden fees and following best practices to prevent downgrades are two easy and effective ways to save your business money.

How to win: Partner with a payment provider that offers consultative services and value estimation tools to calculate total savings. Their expertise can help you analyze merchant statements and find buried interchange markups, hidden fees and punitive terms.

2. Authorization optimization

Payment optimization is complex. Business owners may understand the potential for cost savings but lack the internal expertise and resources to implement programs. Approval rates, cash flow and productivity are all impacted when cards on file for recurring payments expire. Additionally, maximizing savings on commercial cards requires sending 25 data points from invoices with each transaction. Finally, while PIN validation lowers transaction costs, expecting customers to properly select PIN debit limits potential savings for merchants.

How to win: Find a payment provider that offers a mix of solutions to help increase authorizations and lower acceptance costs. The right partner has technology in place that enhances data and transaction routing, so merchants automatically qualify for the lowest possible rates. Account updater solutions increase authorizations and improve cash flow by keeping card details up to date. Automatically including Level 2 & 3 payment data on 100 percent of qualified B2B transactions saves customers time and money. With cost-effective PIN debit routing, you can eliminate manual prompts, mitigate the risk of certain types of fraud and provide a better cardholder experience.

3. Cost acceptance relief

Fee programs that are compliant with card brand rules can help offset acceptance costs—typically from 1% to 3%— by transferring some or all of the acceptance costs to the cardholder. There are strict enrollment requirements and customers must be able to avoid the fees by opting out or switching to an alternative payment method which does not incur the acceptance costs. Further, some states have laws that forbid or limit participation practices such as surcharging. Implementing fee programs in adherence to state laws and card brand guidelines can be confusing for your customers and doing it incorrectly can hurt your business’s reputation and provide a sub-optimal cardholder experience.

How to win: Work with a payment provider that offers a range of programs – from credit card surcharge and service fees to Dynamic Currency Conversion. The right partner should provide guidance and best practices that maximize savings while keeping your business compliant based on industry segment, acceptance channel and peer benchmarking. They work with merchants to ensure the right balance between cost savings and the customer experience.

Tap into experience and put cost savings to work

Working with a trusted payments provider can help you uncover opportunities to save money by offering payment optimization solutions that lower or offset transaction acceptance costs. A processing partner that has a suite of solutions backed by a dedicated team of payment optimization specialists will differentiate your offering in the market, build trust with your customers, demonstrate value and ultimately win and retain more business.

A payment provider can also deepen relationships and build trust by providing you with access to an experienced team of payment optimization consultants. You can help drive value to your business with detailed transaction analysis and selecting the solutions that optimize payments. A provider like U.S. Bank cuts through industry jargon to calculate savings and provide recommendations so you can decide what makes sense for your business.

Ready to learn more? Visit: wha.fyi/payments

Hospitality employers who offer employee benefits have an edge in attracting and retaining top talent

In the competitive world of hospitality, employers are increasingly turning to employee benefits to attract and retain talented employees. From health insurance to paid time off, benefits can be a major factor in the decision-making process for prospective employees.

Recognizing the importance of employee benefits, the Washington Hospitality Health Insurance Trust has emerged as a unique and affordable way for hospitality employers to access a wide range of benefits for their employees. By leveraging the collective buying power of its members, the Trust can offer affordable plans and deliver great value to even small employers with just two employees.

One of the key advantages of the Trust is its ability to offer a wide range of benefit options that can be customized to the needs of each employer. From traditional health insurance to mental health and wellness benefits, the Trust can work with employers to identify the benefits that are most important to their employees and deliver a plan that meets those needs.

Moreover, the Trust’s affordability is a major selling point for employers. By leveraging the buying power of its members, the Trust is often able to negotiate lower rates and offer affordable plans to even small employers. This allows employers to offer competitive benefits packages to their employees, which can be a major differentiator in attracting and retaining top talent.

The numbers bear out the importance of employee benefits in the hospitality industry. According to a study by the National Restaurant Association, 67% of restaurant employees said that benefits were an important factor in their decision to take a job. In addition, 62% said that access to health insurance was important, while 56% cited paid time off as a key benefit.

Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of benefits such as health insurance and sick leave. As the industry continues to recover, employers who offer these benefits will likely have an edge in attracting and retaining top talent.

Employee benefits are a critical tool for attracting and retaining a skilled workforce in the hospitality industry. The Washington Hospitality Health Insurance Trust is a unique and affordable way for employers to access a wide range of benefits for their employees. By leveraging the collective buying power of its members, the Trust offers affordable plans and deliver great value to even small employers. As the industry continues to evolve, employers who offer competitive benefits packages will be best positioned to attract and retain top talent. ■

Primary source of information

How Communications can help you during recovery

By Lisa Leinberger

Operations

You may call it the HERO, but it’s really the Handbook for Excellent Restaurant Operations. Every year, we update this manual with the latest changes to the food code, regulations, laws and more.

It’s all online, which means we can make updates throughout the year, rather than just once. As of this writing, we’ve done this twice since we released the 2023 version in late January.

If you have a question about anything related to running a restaurant, chances are excellent it’s in this book.

Download your copy on our members-only website, access. wahospitality.org. If it’s your first time logging in to access. wahospitality.org, click on “Need Access” to get your password.

Be sure to check out page 60 to read about a lodging version being published this summer.

The Northwest Hospitality Leadership Podcast

During the pandemic, Washington Hospitality Association President & CEO Anthony Anton realized that the newest generation of employees were different from Gen X and boomers.

Millennials and Gen Z employees aren’t likely to put their heads down, plow through and do something just because the boss told them to do it. They want a job where they feel valued, where their opinions matter and that makes them a part of something bigger.

In order to lead these new generations, we need to learn new lessons.

This was the motivation for launching the Northwest Hospitality

During its first season, Anthony was joined by Chris Jenson, a consultant with The Table Group. If you are familiar with the book “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team,” you are familiar with The Table Group. It’s a company founded by the book’s author, Patrick Lencioni. The entire first season is available wherever you get your podcasts. Just search “The Northwest Hospitality Leadership

Stay tuned for season two. We’re going to explore an entirely new leadership author’s work.

Webinars

Every month, we have guests from our Advisory Network sit down and discuss issues that affect our members every day.

Rick Braa, our “Hospitality Profit” and a financial advisor who specializes in hospitality, discusses the latest in streamlining operations, what to do during this labor shortage and more.

We also have experts in HR, business insurance, buying and selling restaurants and other areas. We always record these webinars so if you can’t make it, you can watch it on our YouTube channel or listen as a podcast.

Occasionally, we get legal experts on our webinars who discuss the policies you should have in place to address issues like meal and rest periods or new or revised laws that you need to know. Catharine Morisset of Fisher Phillips has been providing us with outstanding information for years.

Go to our members-only website at access. wahospitality.org to watch these webinars.

Podcasts

Not only does the communications department record informative webinars to watch later, we also upload the audio to our podcast feed so you can listen to the webinars on the go.

Anthony also records the CEO Podcast for members on the go. This year, he interviewed Chris Reykdal from the state’s Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction about getting students high school credit for employment, as well as a Snohomish County

We post exclusive content on our members-only website at access.wahospitality.org. If it’s your first time logging in to the members only site, click on “Need Access” to get your password.

• Visit our Wildfire & Extreme Heat Toolkit

• All of this information is exclusive to our members and you’ll find it nowhere else.

Sheriff’s Department sergeant about public safety and Chip Rogers from the American Hotel & Lodging Association.

If it’s topical, Anthony wants to talk about it, and you can listen wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for “Washington Hospitality Industry Podcast” and you can find the webinar replays and the CEO Podcast.

Toolkits

If you are looking for information on a topic, there is one place you can go online to find what you need. Our toolkits are a one-stop shop for information.

If you are wondering what to do when the skies are smoky from nearby wildfires and your employees are working outside, visit our Wildfire Toolkit to find out when you need to bring workers inside and where you can monitor changes in air quality.

If you want to know what new laws and regulations are in place this year, click on our New Laws and Regulations Businesses Need to Know for 2023 Toolkit. You will find out about changes to the minimum wage, the overtime threshold, how you need to post salary information on job postings and much more.

While some of these toolkits are publicly available at wahospitality. org, there are some that are exclusive to our members. You’ll find those at access.wahospitality.org.

Newsletters and emails

Every Tuesday, we deliver all of the news you need to know for the week directly to your inbox. You’ll find the latest in regulations and webinars you’ll want to attend in this email. You’ll also find the ServSafe Manager schedule and how to register your employees for classes.

We also have localized emails that go to the Seattle Restaurant Alliance, the Seattle Hotel Association and the Spokane Chapter of the Washington Hospitality Association.

We send stand-alone emails for every webinar we offer and Action Alerts if our government affairs team needs to you weigh in with your lawmakers.

The More for Your Margin email comes out once a month, and it includes information about the programs our business development department offers.

For our lodging members, Lodging News comes to you on the fourth Friday of every month with news specifically for lodging operators.

If you would like to subscribe to any of these emails, please reach out to your territory manager.

Websites

New this year in communications: We are posting more information to our members-only website. All of this information is exclusive to our members and you’ll find it nowhere else.

Did you miss a recent webinar with the team from Fisher Phillips? Would you like to access our exclusive wage reports? You can find all of that information at access.wahospitality.org.

Of course, we still keep our main site wahospitality.org up to date with what you need to know in the hospitality industry.

We also have local websites with information about local meetings and news. Visit seattlerestaurantalliance.com, seattlehotelassociation. org and spokanehospitality.com.

Social media

You can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn by searching “wahospitality.” We also have our exclusive, membersonly Facebook group, “Washington Hospitality Members.” Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/wahospitality. ■

Find us on social media

Facebook: wahospitality

Twitter: @WAhospitality

LinkedIn: Washington Hospitality Association

Instagram: @wahospitality

YouTube: @WAHospitality

Membership can get you to recovery

By Lisa Leinberger

Membership in the Washington Hospitality Association has so many benefits. If you asked your fellow members why they keep renewing you will probably get many responses. As an association, we are constantly publishing the information you need on the hospitality website, finding cost-saving programs or connecting members with our small business advisors. There is an endless number of reasons for joining the Washington Hospitality Association.

Cost savings programs

Your territory manager can explain that being part of a large group means that you have access to collective buying power that you don’t have on your own. Your return on investment makes it all worthwhile. Your territory manager can introduce you to cost savings programs such as WorkSafe, formerly known as Retro. Our credit card processing solutions are significantly lower in cost than most programs, and we have business insurance solutions, healthcare solutions and more, including:

• Human resource administration services

• Workforce solutions

• Commuter benefits

• Employee discounts

• Music licensing discounts

Christopher Forczyk and his wife, Marianne, purchased the Seattle restaurant Smith in July 2019, not long before the pandemic began.

Someone told him, “If you need anything, call Cathy.” The person they were talking about was Cathy Fox, his territory manager at the Washington Hospitality Association.

“Everything’s gone out of the ordinary,” Forczyk said. But Cathy has been there for him through the pandemic, getting him advice about how to set up catering services, helping him navigate Liquor and Cannabis licensing and letting him know what is new with COVID restrictions.

“She has just been an angel,” he said.

Forczyk said that the benefits of being a member are certainly good, but the special touches of his territory manager to keep him informed of issues kept him afloat. Through her he learned about the Paycheck Protection Program, many grants and the Restaurant Revitalization Fund. He attends webinars and meetings through the association and has also been able to consult with an attorney through the Advisory Network.

He said he is still here because of Cathy’s advice.

Forczyk knows first-hand how territory managers help members through a lot during difficult times. They can also help you find cost-savings programs to keep costs down.

• Group purchasing

• Business supplies and printing

Dan Koommoo and his wife, Mollie are ready to celebrate the sixth anniversary of

their Yakima restaurant and bar Crafted. He also spent 27 years in the industry working for a large hotel chain. He knows there is so much critical information out there for hospitality businesses.

“You don’t know what you don’t know,” he said.

When he worked for a large company, the corporate offices would send him the information he needed. As a small business owner, he appreciates the information he gets from his territory manager, Robbin Stafford, and the association.

Koommoo said that he wants the Yakima community to move away from franchises and to emphasize what is great about the local flavors. He also wants to get other restaurant owners talking with each other and for them to join the association. Robbin Stafford is the key to getting local businesses to join and get organized.

“We don’t operate like King County. It’s really important for us in Eastern Washington to have a voice,” he said.

She has just been an angel

You don’t know what you don’t know

A saving grace

You can always pick up the phone and call your territory manager when you need advice running your business. Whether its telling you what you will need to apply for a grant or who to contact if you want to get involved either locally or at the state level, your territory manager is there for you.

“The Washington Hospitality Association has been an incredible resource in a very chaotic season for the restaurant/hospitality industry,” said Desiree Seghetti-Sulpizio, operations manager at Commellini Estate in Spokane. “The community and advocacy that comes with the association, especially throughout these past two years, has been a saving grace.”

But Seghetti-Sulpizio said that what she receives from the association was important to her even before the pandemic.

and provided information and numerous tools for our growing family-run business,” she said. “Truthfully, becoming a member was one of the best decisions we made for our business and employees.”

You can reach out to your territory manager with any questions you may have about running your business—they are truly there to help you so you can get back to what you do best: delivering hospitality.

Find your territory manager’s contact information at join. wahospitality.org. ■

Pacific Commercial Brokers

Mergers & Acquisitions

Washington Hospitality Association & Washington State University honor three for their contributions to the industry

By Lisa Leinberger, photos by Lisa Ellefson

At the Washington State Hospitality Conference held in Tacoma Nov. 17, three longtime industry leaders were honored for their contributions to hospitality. The three are Frank Welton, Budd Gould and Randy Irvine.

FRANK WELTON, BURTENSHAW AWARD

Frank Welton, former regional vice president of Hilton International, helped transition the Washington Lodging Association into the Washington Hospitality Association and was its first board chair from 2017-18.

“When it came to leadership, he has this steady hand and commitment to doing it right that really made the merger a success,” Anton said.

“But beyond that, we are also really recognizing that he might be lodging’s top if not one of its top mentors,” Anton said. “An incredible number of hoteliers came up to me and made it a point to say Frank was one of the best mentors they had ever had.”

“Frank is inspirational. Frank convinced me to take my first GM job sight unseen. He can really inspire people to be their best,” Eric Walters, vice president of Operations West Pyramid Hotel Group said in a video presentation at the award ceremony. “He would always encourage me to look beyond.”

“He is highly respected, always was, and he touched the lives of countless people that worked for him. He helped grow a lot of careers,” said George Schweitzer, regional director of operations of Coast Hospitality.

BUDD GOULD, BURTENSHAW AWARD

Budd Gould founded Anthony’s Restaurants. In 1973 he opened his first steak and lobster restaurant in Bellevue, Wash., and has grown the business to 35 restaurants across Washington and Idaho. He received the Burtenshaw Award.

“We are not recognizing Budd for the incredible growth and vision of his company,” Anton said. “It’s his leadership he’s

BURTENSHAW AWARD

showed to his team and the industry and to his communities. And his tireless commitment to industry education.”

Anton said that Gould always has a strong commitment to the communities his restaurants served and closing the restaurants for a fundraiser is part of the culture of Anthony’s. All of his stores pick a local charity that is important to them.

FRANK WELTON

BUDD GOULD BURTENSHAW AWARD

He is committed to serving local ingredients and local seafood is a staple of his restaurants. In fact, Anthony’s opened its own seafood company in 1984.

Anthony’s Restaurants are known for their low turnover rates and Gould stresses the importance of education and growth for his employees.

“Budd instilled this loyalty in their employees,” Anton said. “He was fully committed to their education, offered them ongoing education and scholarships and other things to keep them growing.”

He encouraged growth and knew if his employees had to leave to grow, he told them they could always come back.

“He’s a strong guy, but there are lots of strong guys that don’t have what I would call a lot of heart,” said Chris Canlis of Canlis Restaurant in a video presentation during the award ceremony.

RANDY IRVINE, ALLIED HALL OF FAME

Randy Irvine spent 31 years at Food Services of America (FSA), is the former president of Harbor Foodservice and is now the senior vice president of development at Harbor Foods. He received the Hall of Fame award for an allied member of the Washington Hospitality Association.

“The Allied Hall of Fame is really special. You really have to be great to get in there,” said Anton. “We only have an award winner

RANDY IRVINE ALLIED HALL OF FAME

about every 10 years, someone who has truly set themselves aside to make the industry and their customers the most important thing.”

As the regional CEO of FSA, Irvine led the charge to set up the culinary program at South Seattle Culinary School. He then came to the Washington Hospitality Association and wanted to truly support the Education Foundation. He volunteered his time and money to the program.

“I just can’t tell you how passionate and sincere Randy can be and how important that is in everything they do,” Greg Hall of Greg Hall Advisors said in a video presentation during the award ceremony.

Jacque Farrell-Smith, CEO and co-founder of Farrelli’s Pizza remembered his personal touch in that same video.

“He just has a ginormous heart,” she said. “When we lost my mom, Randy was one of the only non-family members who was at her service during COVID…That’s not anything that’s a contract. That’s just a contract of being a good human being.”

“He’d do whatever he could for his customers and the greater good of the industry,” Anton said. ■

Primary source of information

Introducing the Lodging Excellence Handbook

By Andy McVicar

Now lodging properties have a guide to Washington State laws & regulations

impact the restaurant industry. And while it is mostly focused on restaurants as it was conceived back in the Washington Restaurant Association days, there are many sections that apply to all hospitality businesses.

However, there are many federal, state and local laws and regulations that impact lodging properties that are not included in the HERO. We’ve taken steps to close that resource gap.

Last year, the association applied for a contract with the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) Small Business Division to produce a new handbook specifically tailored to lodging operators. Think of it as a HERO for lodging properties. We’re calling it the Lodging Excellence Handbook: A Guide to Washington State Laws & Regulations for Lodging Properties.

The main objective of this initial version of the Lodging Excellence Handbook is to inform current and prospective lodging operators about various laws and rules over which L&I has oversight authority. This oversight mainly falls into two categories: employee rights and employee safety.

Some lodging operators have a small business background and assume they have a thorough understanding of state laws and regulations. Or some operators from other states open a lodging property in Washington and assume (incorrectly) the laws and rules in their state are the same as the ones here. Not fully understanding Washington’s unique labor laws and regulations can lead to costly fines from L&I.

The Lodging Excellence Handbook is intended to get you started on the right path to understanding Washington state laws and regulations on employee rights and employee safety and to assist

• Minimum wage & overtime

• Isolated workers

• Accident Prevention Plans

• Bloodborne pathogens

• Paid Family & Medical Leave

• Tips, tip pooling & services charges

• Youth employment

• Ladder safety

• And much more!

The Lodging Excellence Handbook is available in print and online at wahospitality.org/toolkits/lodging-excellence-handbook. As you might imagine, the amount of information that’s available on these topics could be published in volumes. The Lodging Excellence Handbook is designed to get you started in the right direction. The print version has convenient QR codes that link to additional resources for each topic. The online version has direct links to each of those resources.

And as a bonus, our partnership with L&I provided an opportunity to create a Spanish-language version, which can also be downloaded at wahospitality.org/toolkits/lodging-excellence-handbook/Spanish.

We hope you find this new resource helpful. If you have any suggestions, feedback, questions or comments about the Lodging Excellence Handbook, please send them to infoteam@wahospitality. org.

One final note: As always when we publish guidance like the Lodging Excellence Handbook, please remember that it is not legal advice. The content within the Lodging Excellence Handbook is guidance to get you started and to use as a quick resource as specific questions come up within your property. Please consult with your attorney to obtain legal advice. ■

Ask the Expert: Managing labor in a new era

By Rick Braa, CHAE

Q:Our labor cost is growing rapidly with the tight labor market, wage adjustments and minimum wage increases. What are some of the best ways to deal with this?

A:The number one concern of operators today is labor management and cost. While this seems to be a different scenario from times past, the industry has struggled with labor issues for decades. By and large, the industry is viewed as offering low-paying, high-stress jobs. While changing perception in the public view will take time and effort, hiring, reducing turnover and improving performance is controllable at the location level.

Recruit constantly. Needs-based recruiting is not a strategy, it’s a reaction. If a person leaves a company, most organizations scramble to cover shifts while quickly interviewing to find a person to fill the vacancy. Best practice companies are always recruiting and interviewing. The message to top performers is to have hope for an infusion of talent. Those at the bottom know it’s time to perform or leave. By recruiting constantly, a problem employee can be replaced with a qualified candidate before the problem employee creates a reactionary set of events that usually result in the hope that a new person will work out. Be sure to advertise the position with the employee in mind. Employees want to make a difference and work for a company that does, too. Move fast, contact candidates, interview and offer jobs quickly. The good ones don’t last.

Train to understanding. Turnover is expensive. Estimates put turnover of crew members at $2,000 each and managers at six to nine months of salary. Effective training reduces turnover by fostering confidence. Train to “understand WHY” not just “do.” Employees can know a lot about something but not really understand the importance of it. “Why” offer appetizers, beverages, special entrees, dessert, a legitimate greeting and thank you? “Why” have excellent product quality prepared quickly in a sparkling clean facility? People can forget what they know, but they never forget what they understand. The most successful companies continually train

employees to a level of understanding and enjoy lower turnover.

Cross train productivity at every position. Every person in the location needs to know at least two positions and hold one that produces revenue. For example, employees who can serve should also know how to run the desk, run food and bus tables. Line cooks should know how to prep, and prep cooks should know the line. Only those who produce revenue should be working. Support staff should be minimal or eliminated and never be equal to or exceed producers. Dish, bus, front desk, runner and barback should all be filled with employees who are trained in other positions to produce revenue.

Start fast, stay fast. A body in motion stays in motion. A body at rest stays at rest. When an employee arrives at work, make sure the work is ready and manage those minutes at the start of the shift with diligence. The faster the start, the faster the performance. The goal is to increase productivity daily. Match sales every 15 minutes to needed employees every 15 minutes. Matching busy times with the most productive, fastest people produces the best set of results. Speed builds check average. When the team is fast, there is plenty of time to spend at the table refilling drinks, offering appetizers and desserts, and taking the time to describe special items. Speed builds repeat visits, which builds sales by putting the guest in charge. The more disposable time guests have during their experience, the freer they feel and the more likely they are to return.

With the high cost of labor and no end in sight for wage increases, businesses need to be strategic with a great recruiting plan, minimize turnover with training to understanding, cross train all staff to produce revenue and manage pace by keeping staff moving fast. By always keeping these tactics in motion, higher revenue and productivity will reduce the pain of a tight labor market.

For a more information on improving profitability and driving sales, contact AMP Services at rbraa@ampservices.com. Rick Braa is the founder of AMP Services, an accounting and consulting firm specializing in helping companies grow profitability. ■