Kitsap Enjoys a Boom of New Businesses |
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Late Spring and Summer has marked somewhat of a boom in new businesses in Kitsap County, with a variety of shops and eateries opening their doors around the county. From Farelli's Pizza, The Hub Byron Street and Harbor Freight in Silverdale, to Juicy J's Smoked Burgers in Poulsbo, to Black Goat Test Kitchen in Kingston, and Vulca's Mediterranean Market in Bremerton, there are new places for even the most local of Kitsap residents. With rising costs due to inflation, it's even more important for folks to shop and support local. Check out these new businesses and more and Shop.Eat.Spend.Kitsap!
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Heroes Golf Tournament @ Gold Mountain
Friday, August 12, 2022
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Sponsorships now available! Contact David for more information.
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Bremerton GreenDrinks: USS Turner Joy
Thursday, August 11, 2022, 5:00 pm
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Don't Miss the Boat. Get your Tickets Today!
We continue our proud tradition of August GreenDrinks aboard the USS TURNER JOY. GreenDrinks is a monthly, social networking event for community leaders, concerned citizens, elected officials, business professionals and anyone who wants to make Bremerton a thriving, sustainable community. This event is for adults only (age 21 and older).
Your hosts are the Downtown Bremerton Association, Greater Kitsap Chamber, and the Bremerton Historic Ships Association. As these are all nonprofits, a special $20 donation is requested to offset the costs this month (only for this event and not into perpetuity, we will be back to $10 next month).
This is the biggest GreenDrinks event each year. So be sure and snag your ticket early, as they are sure to run out!
The Bremerton Historic Ships Association is excited to celebrate and has planned LIVE MUSIC by Hippy and the Squids.
Catering by Lora's Le Garmarche.
So get ready to MIX, ENGAGE, REPEAT. But don't forget to bring those business cards, maybe a little sunscreen, and don't forget that smile! It's going to be the event of the summer aboard the USS Turner Joy.
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August Membership Luncheon
Wednesday, August 24, 2022
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Renew your membership today to ensure your place as a Charter Member of the Greater Kitsap Chamber! Questions about when to renew or how to upgrade your membership? Contact Irene now!
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New Members - Welcome to the Chamber! |
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New Members & Renewals for July
Thank you for your support of the Chamber!
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Growth Members
Main Street Members
Business Members
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Vibe Coworks Hosts Opening Artist's Reception
The Subversive Commercial Art of Pat Moriarty
August 4, 2022, 5:30-7:30 pm
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West Sound Film Festival
August 5-7, 2022
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The West Sound Film Festival returns to the Historic Roxy Theatre in downtown Bremerton, August 5th through the 7th. The festival features talent both local and abroad. The West Sound Film Festival shows a large array of films including experimental, documentaries, comedies, horror, music videos, dramas, animated, feature length films and more. We aim to encourage networking, growth and share stories from all walks of life. |
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Coffee Oasis Hygiene Drive |
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Chamber Members Highlighted in "Made There"
Spiva Cooking & FROG Soap Debut
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Do you have news you'd like to share about your business or organization?
We'd love to share! Please send information to Irene at the Chamber!
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Land Title Company of Kitsap County |
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Charter Members of the Greater Kitsap Chamber (and members of the Silverdale Chamber of Commerce for 32 years), Land Title Company of Kitsap County is one of Kitsap's most valued title and escrow companies.
Land Title Company first opened its doors near downtown Bremerton in 1968. Their mission has been to provide Kitsap and Mason Counties with consistent, courteous, and dependable service.
Today, the three-story Land Title Professional Building in Silverdale houses Kitsap County title services, escrow services and corporate headquarters. Title services in Mason County are located in the heart of Shelton. Additional escrow offices are located in Port Orchard, Shelton and Belfair.
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Title & Escrow Dept Silverdale
9657 Levin Road NW #100
Silverdale, WA 98383
(360) 692-2233
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Member Education & Training Resources |
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GSBA: Grow with Google
Wednesday, August 10, 2022, 8:30 am
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Showing up when customers are searching online is more important than ever. Ensure customers can find accurate, updated information about your local business on Google Search and Google Maps, no matter which device they use. In this workshop, you will learn how to create and manage a Google business profile from start to finish.
This training is 60 minutes including Q&A.
In this session we’ll show you how to:
- Create or claim your Business Profile on Google
- Manage your business info across Google Search and Maps
- Use Google My Business to connect with potential customers
Class will be presented by Toraya Miller, GSBA Director of Training & Consulting
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Kitsap Digital Hour:
Business Credibility & Credit
Wednesday, August 10, 2022, 11:00 am
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Tax Essentials for New & Existing Businesses
Thursday, August 4, 2022, 9:00 am
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Paying taxes is inevitable. But reporting and paying the right amount of taxes timely is the goal you want to achieve to give you peace of mind and allow you to focus on more important areas, like driving your business forward.
This 2.5-hour workshop will help you learn about:
- Federal taxes imposed on your business.
- Federal taxes you need to report and pay on amounts paid to your employees.
- Federal taxes you need to report and pay based on your business’s profits.
- Washington taxes imposed on your business and employees.
- City and local taxes imposed on your business.
- Record keeping requirements to ensure you are ready for that taxing agency audit.
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Financial Basics for New Small Businesses
Friday, August 5, 2022, 1:00 pm
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This workshop is designed to give you, the business owner, the financial skills and know-how needed to perform key tasks like to determine how to accurately compute the amount of funding you’ll need to start your business. You will also learn how to project your future financial results realistically including:
- Projecting sales for a new business
- Understanding your cost of goods sold and gross margin
- Being able to project your operating expenses
- Calculating your net income.
- Planning your cash flow successfully.
This workshop includes a special section on creating financial statements for service businesses.
Proper management of finances is crucial to any business’s success and a special set of skills is needed to understand and create these critical financial statements. This workshop is suitable for everyone whether you are starting a new business or need to update your skills.
This is an interactive workshop. We encourage participation by all attendees -- so bring along your questions!
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Primary Election Day is Here
Ballot Drop Boxes Open Until 8:00 pm Tonight
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There are 25 ballot drop boxes located throughout Kitsap. Ballot drops provide a safe, secure way for voters to deposit their ballots. No postage is required. Our ballot drop boxes also meet accessibility requirements for voters with disabilities. |
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Business News & Resources |
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Washington Judge Overturns Insurance
Rate Credit Scoring Ban
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Published in the Kitsap Sun, July 29, 2022
A judge on Friday overturned a Washington state rule prohibiting insurers from using credit scoring to set rates for auto, homeowner and renter insurance.
Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler adopted the rule in February, immediately drawing a legal challenge from insurer groups. The rule, which was set to take effect March 4, was paused while the legal proceedings continued.
In her oral ruling invalidating the rule, Thurston County Superior Court Judge Indu Thomas said that Kreidler exceeded his statutory authority, according to Kreidler's office. Kreidler spokeswoman Stephanie Marquis said in an email that a written ruling from the court wasn't expected until next week.
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Selling Online - Tips to Avoid Scammers |
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Selling products online can be a great way to add to sales. Ecommerce sites attract a lot of buyers — and scammers. This FTC blog post shares some ways scammers try to cheat you and what to do about it:
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SBA: Broadband & Small Businesses Webinar
Wednesday, August 3, 2022, 11:00 am
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Join SBA and Public Private Strategies Institute for a webinar on Wednesday, August 3 at 2:00 p.m. ET to learn about broadband, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and SBA resources. Additional speakers to be announced. |
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Working WA Grants: Round 5
Application Portal Opens August 17, 2022
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The Washington State Legislature has allocated a new round of grant funding for small businesses affected by the pandemic. $70 million was appropriated by the legislature for the next round of Working Washington Grants: Round 5. In this round of Working Washington grants, available funds are set aside for specific targeted groups or sectors:
- 60% is identified for the arts, heritage, and science sectors, including those that operate live entertainment venues
- 40% is identified for most other sectors, including hospitality, fitness and personal services
General Timeline:
- August 17 – 31: Application portal will remain open for 15 days
- Early – Mid September: Review of applications
- Late September: Commerce will notify grantees and disburse funding
Make sure to register for a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number by August 1st, which is required to receive grants from this federally-funded program.
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Develop & Update Your Business'
Accident Prevention Program
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From the Washington Retail Association
The most frequently cited safety violation during L&I’s Division of Safety and Health inspections is the failure to have an Accident Prevention Program (APP) customized for each business location.
APPs are the very foundation of workplace safety programs, and if you don’t have an APP in place, you might owe it to L&I by writing them a check. According to L&I’s citation records report, the average fine for companies with 1-25 employees is $1,218, and for companies with 26-100 employees, the average is $2,073. If your company has at least one employee, you must have an APP.
Be sure to see the four APP-related topics below to help you develop and update your Accident Prevention Program:
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Second Kitsap Monkeypox Case Reported |
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A second case of monkeypox in a Kitsap resident was reported Thursday.
The resident, an adult male, was tested and confirmed as a case of monkeypox. Public health officials are working to notify people who were in close contact with the case and offer vaccination to any contacts who are at high risk for infection.
If you experience symptoms of monkeypox — especially a rash or sores — avoid close contact with other people and call a healthcare provider. If you have had close contact with a person who has monkeypox, call Kitsap Public Health at 360-728-2235.
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COVID-19 Updates & Resources |
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Masks & COVID Testing Kits Available
Free at the Greater Kitsap Chamber & Visitor Center
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The Kitsap County Department of Emergency Management is providing free KN95 masks and COVID testing kits to local businesses. Pick up your supply at the Greater Kitsap Chamber's Silverdale office today. |
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Dept of Health Launces New Telehealth Option
to Expand COVID-19 Treatment Access
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To increase access to potentially life-saving medication to treat COVID-19, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) and its partners have launched a new telehealth option for patients. The new option expands the Federal government’s Test to Treat initiative and gives people at risk of severe disease another way to quickly access free treatment for COVID-19.
Until now, telehealth for COVID-19 has only been available to insured patients who receive care through a health care provider that offers telehealth visits. This new program makes telehealth consultations for COVID-19 available to everyone, regardless of insurance status, with no out-of-pocket costs.
“At DOH, we value equity and innovation, and have embraced those values throughout our COVID-19 response,” said Umair A. Shah, MD, MPH, Secretary of Health. “Ensuring that we can equitably connect communities with therapeutics is pivotal so that we can continue our mission of reducing unnecessary death from this disease.”
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COVID-19 Vaccine & Testing Resources |
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Kitsap County Health District is now posting a regularly updated list of COVID-19 vaccine providers in Kitsap County. This list can be found here.
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Live Well Kitsap Live Event
Sponsorship & Vending Opportunities Available Now
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USPS Hiring Event
Wednesday, August 3, 2022, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
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GKVC Hosts Summer Events Around Kitsap
Concert Series & Whaling Days Kick Off
Late Summer Activities for the Whole Family
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The Greater Kitsap Visitor Center has been busy promoting events and activities for locals and visitors alike this last week. The first in a series of summer concerts - Silverdale @ Sunset - began last Wednesday at Waterfront Park. Sponsored by the Elect Katie Walters Campaign, families enjoyed a free performance from Hippy & the Squids. Silverdale @ Sunset continues every Wednesday evening at 6:30 pm through the end of August.
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Pictured: (center) GK Chamber President/CEO, David Emmons; Miss Poulsbo, Gillian Morrison; County Commissioner Candidate, Katie Walters. (Bottom right) Jason Ritterbush, GK Chamber Board Director, and family enjoying the picnic basket he recently won at the Chamber's Education Carnival. The basket was donated by Virginia Mason Franciscan Health's St. Michael Medical Center. Proceeds from the Education Carnival benefit students in Kitsap County. |
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Whaling Days returned this weekend in full force and the GKVC played host to the Information Booth all weekend, providing visitors with information about the event as well as activities for shopping, playing and staying local. The weekend-long event was capped off with the annual Silverdale Rotary Duck Race. |
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Pictured: (top left) Miss Kitsap, Kelsee Bryant; Miss Poulsbo, Gillian Morrison; and Miss Silverdale, Miranda Rodrigues, along with GK Chamber President/CEO, David Emmons; (top right) Miss Poulsbo and Miss Kitsap along with County Commissioner Candidate, Katie Walters. |
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Silverdale @ Sunset Concert Series
Wednesday, August 3, 2022, 6:30 pm
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Day Trip from Kitsap:
Seattle Seafair/Fleet Week
August 1-7, 2022
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After two years of virtual events, Fleet Week returns to the waterfront this year in person! Fleet Week is sponsored by Navy League Seattle, Seafair, and the Port of Seattle, in coordination with the Navy and Coast Guard. USN, USCG, and Royal Canadian Navy ships are scheduled to arrive Monday Aug 1 and depart Sunday Aug 7, and a range of events are planned for the week.
The Boeing Seafair Air Show takes place in conjunction with the hydro races on Lake Washington Fri-Sun Aug 5-7. Aerial performances begin about 1100 each day, with the Blue Angels over the lake at 1500. There is a cost for admission to the stands in Genessee Park (free on Fri), but it is free to watch from the hills above Lake Washington. Details at the Seafair Air Show page: https://www.seafair.org/p/events/boeing-seafair-air-show1
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Port Gamble Summer Faire
Sunday, August 7, 2022, 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm
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CKSD Summer Musical: Willy Wonka
August 11-14, 2022
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Join Charlie Bucket on his fantastical tour of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory! Complete with all of the enchanting songs you know and love
from the 1971 film starring Gene Wilder including "Pure Imagination,"
"The Candyman," and "I've Got a Golden Ticket!", this production
features a live orchestra, creative costumes, state of the art lighting,
staging, amazing visual effects, and a cast of over 120!
ROALD DAHL'S WILLY WONKA Is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI.
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Kitsap Wine Festival
Saturday, August 13, 2022, 2:00 pm
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13th Annual Kitsap Wine Festival benefiting the
Downtown Bremerton Association
Taste wines from over 14 wineries and sample NW Cuisine.
Since it began 13 years ago, the Kitsap Wine Festival has featured live music, delicious foods, craft beer and of course, great wines. You'll have the opportunity to explore and discover a wide variety of wines by sampling bottles featured by our ever-expanding slate of participating wineries. Find a new favorite and take it home. Our retail wine shop provides an expanded selection of wines and an assortment of fun wine-related treasures. You'll want to compliment all of your delightful sippings by noshing delectables offered by our amazing food vendors. Round out your day of summer fun with games like cornhole and ladder golf on the gorgeous waterfront at the Kitsap Wine Festival!
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Stay in the know with what's happening for events
in Central Kitsap by checking out and liking the
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Have something to share? CLICK HERE to submit stories and
events for Tuesday's Community Connections!
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David Emmons
President/CEO
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Irene Moyer
Director of Member Relations
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Joe Barboza
Operations Manager
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Brenda Kelley
Tourism Coordinator
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Bremerton Office (360) 479-3579 | 4th & Pacific Downtown Bremerton
Silverdale Office (360) 692-6800 | Kitsap Mall next to Macy's
PO Box 1218 Silverdale WA 98383
If you need assistance, please contact us directly.
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