August 14, 2006

This Week

From the President

Welcome to the first President’s Message during my tenure as your President/CEO! I want to tell you all how much I enjoy my job and the many, many friendships I have made during my 7+ year tenure with the Chamber. Thank you!

With that being said, I hope everyone is enjoying the wonderful summer and taking advantage of the hot weather to have wonderful day trips and spend time with your family and friends.

We have been very busy at the Chamber and, yes, have been able to enjoy the great weather, too!  Friday, August 4, was the Chamber’s annual Get-Away Golf Tournament. It was a wonderful day filled with golf, friendship, lots of food and drink, and an opportunity to buy dinners, jewelry, fun things to do, and overnights at our Silent/Live Auction. It was a great event and raised money to be used for various Chamber programs.

The month of August is a fun month to celebrate with Chamber activities. On Wednesday, August 16, we’ll get together with the Renton, Auburn, and Kent Chamber members at the Boeing hosted after hours. On Saturday, August 20, we’ll be cooking burgers and hot dogs at the Highway 99 Barbecue hosted by the Highway 99 Committee and Tukwila Police Department.

On the business-side, Dac Randall of Lawton Publishing will be arriving at the Chamber office on August 28 to begin the annual advertising sales program for the 2007 Business Directory and Community Profile. You will be getting a letter soon with a member verification form. This form contains information that will be listed in the directory and on our website. Please review the form and return it to the Chamber office with any changes to make sure we have the correct information in our database. (We would also like to receive the verification form even if all the information is correct.)

I hope you are enjoying our eNewsletter. I’ve noticed that we haven’t had a Spotlight on a Chamber Member recently. If you are interested in having a feature story and photo in an upcoming issue of the Business Advocate, please email me an article and photo. My email address is ndamon@swkcc.org.

If ever there are any questions you have about the Chamber, please call me. I enjoy talking with Chamber members! My direct telephone number is 206.575.3016.

Nancy Damon
President/CEO

Airport Managing Director Mark Reis to Speak at September Membership Luncheon

Mark Reis, SeaTac Airport Managing Director, will be the Chamber’s guest speaker at the September 8 Membership Luncheon, held at the Port of Seattle at the SeaTac International Airport.

Mark will update Chamber members on aviation issues that are important to South King County and the region as well as provide the latest news on Sea-Tac Airport. Mark will also be addressing building economic strength and lasting airport-community partnerships.

The luncheon will be held on September 8, from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm at the Port of Seattle on the
mezzanine level of the SeaTac International Airport.  The cost is $20 pre-paid or $25 at the door. To register, contact the Chamber at 206.575.1633 or click here.

2006 Get-Away Golf Tournament a Success

A beautiful August day greeted 68 golfers at Glen Acres Golf and Country Club for the Chamber’s Annual Get-Away Golf Tournament on August 4th. The top place teams, Boysen & Boysen and Huitt-Zollars, received prizes generously donated by Spencer’s for Steaks and Chops, Bahama Breeze and Bart Turchin’s Pro Shop. The Chamber thanks all of the sponsors who made the tournament a success.

Major Sponsors:
Baker Commodities
BBC Dodge

Beverage Sponsor:
Watermark Credit Union

Tee and Green Sponsors:
Burien Chevrolet
Homestreet Bank – Kent
John L. Scott<
Thrifty Airport Parking
Westfield Southcenter

Tee Sponsors:
The Quincy Group
SeaTac Self Storage
Shen Consulting

Corporate Foursome Sponsors:
Courtyard by Marriott
Farmers Financial Services
First Sound Bank
Highline Medical Center
Hilton Seattle Airport & Conference Center
Kennedy/Jenks
Thrifty Airport Parking
Bonney-Watson ~ Washington Memorial Park
Westfield Southcenter

The Boeing Company: Up Close and Personal

On Wednesday, August 16, the Boeing Company will host a multi-Chamber event at the Spirit of Washington Event Center, 233 Burnett Avenue South, Renton. Other Chambers in attendance will be Auburn, Kent, and Renton. This special business after hours event can be an excellent opportunity to network with neighboring business communities as well as a chance to learn what is new at Boeing. Cost is $5 prepaid and $10 at the door.  Click here to register.  Click here for event flyer.

A•C•E Awards Calls for Nominations

The A•C•E Awards, coming up on November 2nd at the Hilton Seattle Airport and Conference Center, is a wonderful way to honor an organization that proves itself a valuable asset to the Southwest King County business community. This program invites Chamber businesses to nominate themselves or a fellow Chamber member in the following categories: Large Employer Business Excellence, Small Employer Business Excellence, Non-Profit/Humanitarian Service, Beautification, and People’s Choice Award.

Click here for the nomination form.

We still have sponsorship opportunities for this annual celebration. Click here to select the sponsorship option just right for your company.

Ground Breaking Ceremony

Area elected officials and business representatives gathered on July 25 for a ceremonial ground breaking for the 1st Avenue South roadway improvement. Pictured (left to right) are Interim City Manager David Cline, Burien Mayor Joan McGilton , Mary Soderlind (representing State Rep. Shay Schual-Berke, 33rd District), Burien Councilmembers Rose Clark and Gordon Shaw, John Roberts (Discover Burien), Nancy Damon (SW King County Chamber), Burien Public Works Director Stephen Clark, Washington State Senator Karen Keiser, Gary Long, Debra George (Discover Burien), and Burien Councilmember Lucy
Krakowiak.

Leadership Institute Scholarship Available Through Chamber

Non-Profit Chamber members have a special opportunity to send a representative to the
2006-2007 Leadership Institute program. Through a sponsorship by Chamber member Puget Sound Energy, a scholarship with an $1100 value will be awarded this year to a Chamber member. An application fee of $50 and a $150 tuition fee are to be paid by the participant. Contact Nancy Damon at the Chamber office for additional information on this
scholarship. Nancy can be reached at 206.575.1633 or ndamon@swkcc.org.
 

Click here for the Leadership Institute information packet.  Click here for the Leadership Institute Application for Scholarship. Click here for the Application for Appointment form.

Leadership Institute a Valuable Business Investment for Any Organization

Do you or someone in your organization need to polish your leadership skills, broaden your regional issue awareness, and/or diversify your leadership network? If you could find a program that strengthened leadership skills while providing experts on a wide range of issues facing our communities and businesses, what would it be worth to you? There is
just such a program and it is within your reach. The Auburn Chamber provides the administrative support in a coalition which includes the Kent, Renton and Southwest King County Chambers of Commerce. Now recruiting its ninth class, the Leadership Institute has graduated over 200 leaders who have an understanding of what it means to effect change and energize others to a new level of achievement. Participants are enabled to become more active participants in the work and community environment, and are committed to making a difference.

Leadership Institute focuses on everyday leaders because we believe leaders can be developed and encouraged. “Leadership is not about position or title; it is about relationships, credibility, and what you do. It is not the absence of leadership potential
that inhibits the development of more leaders; it’s the persistence of the myth that leadership can’t be learned.”* Leadership Institute proves every year with every class that leadership can be learned and that effective leaders are always improving their
skills.

Great leaders are lifelong learners; they encourage and enable others to lead. Leaders share the vision, and provide a safe environment in which to challenge the process.

“I never considered myself a leader, but realized through the Leadership Institute that I had been thrust by circumstance into a leadership position and others in my organization looked to me for direction. The Institute experience helped me identify how to
strengthen my leadership and be an effective and courageous leader.”

We hear statements like this one from every Institute class. Enabling others to realize their persoal best, and witnessing the process of reaching their potential is inspiring, and is what Leadership Institute is all about.

Participants also invest in social capital and leave Institute with a new network of leadership companions that they can rely on for resources and support. “Social Capital---the collective value of people who know each other and what they’ll do for each other. It’s human networks that make things happen, not computer networks.”*

The Leadership Institute of South Puget Sound offers several opportunities for your involvement; you or someone from your organization can participate in this successful program, you can provide a Day Sponsorship, or become an Institute program sponsor. One measure of the Institute’s success is the continued support of our sponsors and the
businesses and organizations that send their people through the program each year. The other measure of success is the accomplishments of our alumni as they practice their leadership skills in their communities and organizations.

Now is the time to become the leader you have always wanted to be. “Learn to recognize the open door and have the courage to walk through it!” **

*The Leadership Challenge
** Julia Patterson

Sound Transit Expansion

On July 13, 2006, the Sound Transit Board of Directors released three options for expanding the regional transit system. These options look at possible projects across a range of investment levels and present a sense of what is possible. These options were derived from a list of candidate projects adopted by the Sound Transit Board in January
2006.

The options are available for review and comment by the public and Sound Transit’s partner agencies and jurisdictions. The result will be a final package - Sound Transit 2 - that will be submitted to voters in November 2007 alongside a companion package of
regional road investments. Both transit and road packages must be approved by voters for either to take effect. The options are Bus/Rail Extension, Medium Rail Extension, Maximized Rail Extension. For more information, go to www.soundtransit.org.

Vision 2020

Nearly two decades ago citizens, interest groups, business leaders, and elected officials gathered under the guidance of the Puget Sound Regional Council to create planning and investment priorities, called Vision 2020. The PSRC is updating this vision and extending it to 2040 to accommodate another 1.6 million people and 1.1 million jobs. PSRC has already
issued a Draft Environmental Impact Statement and is welcoming public involvement and comment. For more information, visit www.psrc.org.
 

Ambassador of the Month

Randy Coplen - The Quincy Group

City Beats

Burien

1st Avenue South Corridor Groundbreaking: The groundbreaking for the 1st Avenue S. improvement project was held Tuesday, July 25, at the Herr Backyard Garden Center at 1st Avenue S. and S. 160th Street. Work on the street improvement project will take approximately 18 months. The $19.3 million project will improve the safety and look of the roadway and improve traffic flow on Burien’s main arterial between S. 162 Street and 146th Street S. The City has set up a hotline, 206.439.3162, to keep residents and businesses informed on traffic disruptions and other information about the project.

Farmers Market/Concerts in the Park: Summer is a great time to be in Burien, with the many fun events and activities that take place. Crowds have flocked to Lake Burien School Park for the annual concerts in the park series that has run on Thursday evenings in July and August. The weekly Farmers Market has also been a popular place, where produce vendors and craftspeople sell their wares. The market is held Thursdays in the parking lot just off SW 152nd Street, between 4th and 6th in downtown Burien.

Submitted by: David Cline

Interim City Manager

SeaTac

Submitted by: Craig R. Ward

City Manager

Tukwila

Tukwila Station Development: Currently the City Council is considering whether to enter into a development agreement and property exchange agreement with Fountain Park LLC for property near the Tukwila Sounder Station at South 158th Street (Longacres Way). The agreements would exchange approximately 100,000 square feet of property and would facilitate moving the Union Pacific railroad tracks adjacent to the Burlington Northern tracks. Realigning the Union Pacific tracks will reduce the costs for the proposed extension of Strander Boulevard between Tukwila and Renton and improve the design of the permanent Sounder station. Fountain Park plans to build approximately 300 condominiums on the portion of the property that it would own.

Submitted by: Rhonda Berry

City Administrator

New Members

July Renewed Members

The Southwest King County Chamber extends its gratitude to renewing members for their continued support.

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