Your regional voice and resource for building business success
Monthly News November 5, 2007
· This Week
Tukwila Government and
Community Affairs
Tuesday, November 6
12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Chamber Office
14220 Interurban Ave S, #134, Tukwila
Register Now...
SeaTac Business Committee
Thursday, November 8
8:30 am - 10:00 am
SeaTac City Hall - Riverton Room
4800 South 188th St., SeaTac
Register Now...
2007 A·C·E Awards
Thursday, November 8
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Embassy Suites
15920 West Valley Highway, Tukwila
Register Now...
· Next Week
Ambassador Committee
Tuesday, November 13
8:00 am - 9:00 am
Chamber Office
14220 Interurban Ave S, #134, Tukwila
Register Now...
Highway 99 Action Committee
Tuesday, November 13
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Tukwila Community Center
12424 42nd Avenue, Tukwila
SeaTac Business
Committee
Thursday, September 13
8:30 am – 10:00 am
Dave’s Diner - 2825 S. 188th St., SeaTac
Register Now...
· From the Chairman
Well we've made it through Halloween, which means the holidays are
quickly approaching. Like me, I'm sure you are feeling your blood pressure rise
with all of the shopping, parties, and planning you will have to juggle along
with your busy career and the other routines of life!
My holiday tip for you this year is this: Let other Chamber members help you
with your holiday lists! Visit our website and scan through the members to see
which ones might help you with gift certificates, party planning, flowers and
gifts. Also, be sure to peruse the auction items at this year's A·C·E Awards
and the sales tables at the December Luncheon and Bazaar - there are sure to be
a few great gift ideas there, too!
Thanks for all your support with A·C·E - I'm looking forward to seeing you all
there on Thursday, November 8!
Thank you for your loyalty and support of the Chamber.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Chuck Cox
Chairman
· A·C·E Awards: Achievement · Community · Excellence
Grab your masks and beads; the Chamber's
Annual A·C·E Awards are treating you to a Mardi Gras party this Thursday,
November 8!
This year, 17 Chamber Businesses were nominated for their merit in the areas of
Large Employer Business Excellence, Small Employer Business Excellence,
Non-Profit/Humanitarian Service, and Beautification. Chamber Chairman Chuck Cox
will also be presenting the Chairman's Choice Award. The results were
determined by member votes and the winners will be announced at the November
8th awards ceremony, which will take place at the Embassy Suites in Tukwila at
4:00 pm.
This year's event will also include a silent auction and casino games! If you
are interested in donating an item to the auction, please contact the Chamber.
The cost to attend the awards ceremony is $30 pre-paid and $35 at the door.
Business, cocktail, or Mardi Gras attire is requested. Contact the Chamber
office to make your reservations at 206.575.1633 or click here.
Sponsors of the 2007 A·C·E Awards are:
Major Sponsors
Baker Commodities, Inc.
Cox Financial L.L.C.
Port of Seattle
Westfield Southcenter
Silver Sponsors
Alaska Airlines
BBC Dodge
Bowman Investment Group
Cat's Eye Group
Highline Medical Center/Main Campus
Landmark on the Sound
Puget Sound Energy
Sabey Corporation
Table Sponsors
Banana Pages
Bonney Watson Parker Chapel
Cascade E-Commerce Solutions, Inc.
Dollar Rent-A-Car
Highline Community College
Vickie Bergquist Insurance Agency
Bravo Sponsors
Bahama Breeze
Grief Inc.
Plato's Closet
· Eighth Annual Holiday Gift Bazaar and Holiday Luncheon
Enjoy the
beautiful sounds of the Cascade View Elementary School's choir at this year's
Holiday Luncheon and Gift Bazaar. There will be plenty of fun, games,
networking and seasonal items for all!
Mark your calendars and join the Chamber to celebrate the Holiday Season!
Friday, December 14th at the Seattle Marriott Hotel - SeaTac, 3201 S. 176th
Street. The cost is $20 pre-paid or $25 at the door. To register, contact the
Chamber at 206.575.1633 or click here.
Also, the Chamber is looking for members who have holiday crafts or gift
products to display and sell at the Holiday Bazaar that will accompany the
luncheon. The Bazaar is a great opportunity for individuals or companies to
sell holiday gift items. Display tables are free as a courtesy to our members
and member employees or family members. Participants are asked to provide one
gift as a door prize. If you are interested in more information about this unique
opportunity, please contact Dianna Gearhiser at the Chamber 206.575.1633.
· Patha, Incorporated - Sponsor for the December Holiday Luncheon and Bazaar
Camille Patha
with Patha, Incorporated is the sponsor of the festive Holiday Luncheon and
Bazaar.
Camille is a responsible, long-term businesswoman who owns properties in SeaTac
and Des Moines. She has been involved in commercial real estate and the
multiple housing industries for many years.
In addition to her properties and business, Camille is busy with Chamber
business! She holds the Chamber position of Vice Chairwoman of SeaTac, is a
member of the Board of the Southwest King County Chamber and is a past
President of Southcenter Rotary. Camille is also a renowned artist whose work
has been commissioned all over the state of Washington as well as British
Columbia. Exhibition locations include sites throughout Western Washington,
California, Oregon, Milan, Italy and Osaka, Japan.
· "Airport of the Future" Unveiled at Sea-Tac
In October, Alaska Airlines opened the first
phase of its "Airport of the Future" Customer Check-In Facility at
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
The new design speeds the check-in process by eliminating the traditional
ticket counter and, instead, providing customer-friendly islands of
boarding-pass kiosks and bag-check stations. An identical reconfiguration was
introduced at Anchorage's airport in 2004, where it helped reduce congestion in
the check-in area and cut customer wait times significantly.
The Port of Seattle continues to work closely with Alaska Airlines to bring the
new facility into operation. This is a valuable modification from the Airport's
perspective. It better utilizes the tenant's leased space and appreciably helps
Sea-Tac meet rising passenger levels without expanding the terminal itself.
Customers who haven't already checked in online can print their boarding passes
at the new check-in kiosks. Passengers with only carry-on baggage then proceed
directly to the security checkpoint. Passengers with luggage to check proceed
to one of the bag-check stations, where customer service employees scan their
boarding passes and affix bag tags.
This first island has 11 check-in kiosks and 16 bag-check stations. The second
and third islands are slated to open by mid-2008 and the new facility will
serve Horizon Air customers, Alaska Airlines' sister carrier, beginning in
February 2008.
· Meet Your Ambassador!
Meet Kathi Jones, a member of the Chamber's Ambassador Committee!
The Northwest has been Kathi's home for 30 years and she has been a full time
Realtor for six years. During this time, she has completed numerous
transactions representing buyers and sellers throughout King and Pierce
Counties. Kathi has also won numerous sales awards both in her office and
throughout the John L. Scott organization. She assists her clients with
residential properties as well as investment opportunities, and her real estate
focus has been single family residential homes, view properties,
architecturally distinct homes, condominiums, and investment properties within
South King County.
Kathi originally joined the Chamber six years ago. She enjoys attending the
Membership Luncheons to learn more about our community and the Networking
Breakfasts as an opportunity to meet new people. Kathi also enjoys meeting
entrepreneurial individuals in business so she might refer them to others.
· New Member Referrals
Thanks to Andrew Ciarrocchi with Westfield Southcenter for
referring The Cheesecake Factory as a new Chamber member!
Also a big thank-you to Nancy Nelson with Normandy House Hair Productions for
referring new Chamber member Normandy Park Assisted Living.
If you would like to refer a business for Chamber membership, contact Nancy at
206.575.1633.
Referrals are always appreciated!
· Cheesecake Factory Ribbon Cutting
The Cheesecake Factory celebrated the opening of their
newest location in Tukwila with a ribbon cutting and celebration on October 23.
The ribbon cutting included speeches from various staff members and Cheesecake
Factory Founder and CEO, David Overton. Tukwila Mayor Steve Mullet also spoke
and officially declared the day "Cheesecake Factory Day" in the city
of Tukwila.
In addition to the Mayor, City Council members Joan Hernandez and Pam Carter
were present for the celebration. After the speeches and ribbon cutting,
attendees were treated to a wonderful lunch, courtesy of The Cheesecake
Factory.
The Tukwila location located at 230 Strander Blvd. It is a free-standing
building located in Westfield Southcenter Mall near the new parking
structure.
· Human Services Advisory Board Seeking New Members
The Tukwila Office of Human Services seeks two new members to
serve on its Human Services Advisory Board.
Want to learn about human service needs and resources in the Tukwila community?
Would you like to better understand how the City decides what to fund to assist
people in need? The Board meets every two months for 1 ½ hours during the day
at the Office of Human Services. You'll be joined by five other members who bring
a wide range of experience on human service issues. Experience with human
services is helpful, but not required. A representative of the Tukwila business
community who is interested in human service issues in Tukwila is being sought.
We are also looking for a Tukwila resident.
For more information/or an application please contact Evelyn Boykan at
206-433-7180.
· October Student of the Month
17 year-old
Jennifer Xam, from Foster High School, is our October Student of the Month.
Jennifer is attending Foster High School as a senior and also South Seattle
Community College through the Running Start Program.
Jennifer had dreams of becoming a fashion designer, but soon realized that it
was more of a hobby and isn't the career route for her. As she became less
focused on fashion design, Jennifer explored many other areas of interest. In
middle school she earned a spot on the National Junior Honor Society and has
continued her hard work through high school to also be chosen as a National
Honor Society Member. She was also yearbook staff in eighth grade and was part
of a great team that produced a really stylish yearbook. Jennifer started to
play volleyball in seventh grade and continued playing through her Junior year
of high school. She never made it to varsity, but was happy to be honored as an
inspirational player for the Bulldogs. Jennifer has decided to not play
volleyball this year because she's decided to focus more on her academics.
However, this hasn't stopped her from being involved in other clubs and
activities.
Jennifer's plans for this school year are to do well in her classes and apply
for scholarships. She is also settling down to work really hard on her college
applications and completing her tasks as a senior hoping to be ready for
graduation in June 2008.
Congratulations, Jennifer!
· SeaTac - Citybeats
City receives Governor's Smart Communities Award: We are proud to
announce that the City of SeaTac has received the Governor's Smart Communities
Award! SeaTac won in the "Smart Vision Award" category for excellence
in comprehensive planning. The award recognizes the City's Station Area Action
plans for the SeaTac/Airport Station Area and the South 154th Street Station
Area, which provide a vision and action steps for redevelopment of light rail
transit areas that will serve citizens of and visitors to SeaTac.
Awards were available in three categories with two winners per category. The
City of SeaTac is one of only six local governments statewide in 2007 to
receive this distinguished award. Nominees for the Smart Vision Award category were
evaluated according to several criteria including excellence in comprehensive
planning, thorough, and meaningful public participation, ability to carry out
the goals of the Growth Management Act, and ability to provide an innovative
solution or a model for other communities.
Mayor Gene Fisher, Councilmember Terry Anderson, City Manager Craig Ward,
Planning and Community Development Director Steve Butler, and Senior Planner
Mike Scarey traveled to Olympia to accept the award.
2008 Budget Preparation: The City has begun the process of developing
the 2008 Budget. The City Council held budget workshops in September and
October. The Council began their work with the first budget workshop discussing
priorities and major assumptions for 2008. The 2008 Preliminary Budget was
filed with the City Clerk by November 2.
The Preliminary Budget, detailing the City Manager's funding recommendations to
the City Council for the coming year, will be the subject of a public hearing
on November 27 at the Regular Council Meeting. Following the public hearing,
the Council will consider any proposed changes to the preliminary budget before
adopting the City's 2008 Annual Budget.
RapidRide Open House: Metro Transit is planning a more frequent,
streamlined bus service, increased security, and an eye-catching new style for
International Boulevard (State Route 99). This new service, called RapidRide,
is scheduled to begin in February 2010. It will replace Metro's Route 174 along
International Boulevard between S. 316th Street in Federal Way and S. 154th
Street in Tukwila.
Everything about RapidRide-the buses, the stops, the way it operates-is being
designed to keep people moving throughout the day in this heavily used transit
corridor. The buses will be easily recognized with the RapidRide design and
color scheme. They will all be high-capacity, low-emission hybrid vehicles
designed especially for RapidRide. Bus stops will be equipped with electronic
real-time signs that will display the actual number of minutes before the next
bus will arrive. Buses are planned to arrive every ten minutes during the
morning and afternoon commute periods.
Metro has scheduled an Open House to inform the public of this new service and
receive input.
Wednesday, November 7, 6:30-8:30 PM
SeaTac City Hall
Council Chambers
4800 S. 188th Street, SeaTac
(Served by routes 180, 194 and 574)
· Tukwila - Citybeats
The Small Business Development Center for Southwest King County
(The SBDC) recently helped Mr. Thong Ngy Ung, a Tukwila resident, soon after he
had acquired a teriyaki cafe on Andover Park East in Tukwila. The SBDC helped
Mr. Ung plan his marketing tactics and provided him with contact information
for qualified local bookkeeping services. The cafe re-opened on September 21,
2007.
According to Thong Ngy Ung, "The SBDC played a big role in helping us
review and plan how to reach as many customers as possible. We want to be sure
that we do everything possible to connect with customers. They also helped me
find a bookkeeping service. We chose one that's right here in Tukwila."
Mr. Ung has been an active member for several years for Tukwila's Sister City
Committee. He was referred to The SBDC for business advice by Council Member
Joan Hernandez.
SBDC Lead Advisor Zev Siegl says, "It makes dollars and sense to help
existing local companies grow. It's economic development that's in sync with
our country's values." During 2006, clients of the local SBDC Center
attracted $4 million in new capital from investors and lenders.
The SBDC can be reached at 206 878-3710 Extension 5151 or at sbdc@highline.edu
· Education Corner
Mt. Rainier High School Recognized for Improvement
State School Superintendent Terry Bergeson applauds Mount Rainier as one of 86
"amazing" schools in Washington State.
Mount Rainier High School has been named one of 86 "Schools of
Distinction" by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI)
for dramatic improvements in student reading and mathematics over the past
several years.
OSPI's Schools of Distinction represent the top 5 percent of elementary, middle
and high schools whose students have shown outstanding growth in both reading
and mathematics skills during a six-year period. This year's winning schools
include 51 elementary schools, 20 middle schools and 15 high schools - out of
nearly 2,500 schools in the state.
"There is no one magic wand, or cookie cutter approach that led to our
success," said Mount Rainier Principal Toni Pace. "First and
foremost, it's great teaching by exceptionally well-trained, dedicated, and
highly motivated teachers. It is the teachers who are doing the heavy
lifting."
To be considered for the award, each school had to meet the current year's
state learning targets on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning for
students in both reading and mathematics. Schools that met the reading and
mathematics targets were then evaluated for six-year gains on the state's
"Learning Improvement Index." Because the award is based on
improvement across a six-year period, only results from grades four, seven and
10 were used, as those are the only grade levels with six years of trend data.
Independent research and analysis to establish criteria for the awards and to
identify the schools with the greatest improvement was conducted by Greg
Lobdell of the Center for Educational Effectiveness in Redmond.
New Chief for the Tukwila School District
At the September 11th Board meeting, the Tukwila School District Board of
Directors appointed Ethelda Burke to serve as Interim Superintendent. Ms. Burke
will replace Dr. James Hammond who has taken a position with the Davis Unified
School District in California.
Ms. Burke comes to us from the Tacoma School District and has over 30 years
experience as a teacher, Assistant Principal, Principal, Assistant
Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent. She began working with the Tukwila
School District on October 17, 2007 and will serve until June 30, 2008. The
Board of Directors will conduct a superintendent search in the spring of 2008.
· Opportunity: Thank You
The Southwest King County Chamber is in need of your help!
Currently needed are promotional items to be distributed among the Chamber's
new and renewing members via the "Opportunity: Thank You" gift bags.
Each month, Chamber Ambassadors visit the workplaces of our new and renewing
members and thank them in-person for their support of the SWKCC. During this
visit, the Ambassadors give a gift bag full of goodies from our Chamber
members.
Any donation you can provide would be greatly appreciated! Items previously
donated include sticky pads, pens, coffee mugs, mouse pads, and gift cards.
This is an excellent opportunity for your business to support the SWKCC and its
members - and it's a great source of free advertising!
If you have items you would like to donate, please bring them to the Chamber
office or to a Chamber event. If you have questions, please contact Dianna at
206.575.7767.
· New Members
Advantage Rent-A-Car (Tukwila)
16500 Southcenter Parkway
Tukwila, WA 98188
206.575.6860
Automobile Rental
Advantage Rent-A-Car
20636 Pacific Hwy South
SeaTac, WA 98198
206.824.0161
Automobile Rental
American Laser Centers
16400 Southcenter Parkway Suite 210
Tukwila, WA 98188
206.443.9603
Hair Removal
The Cheesecake Factory
230 Strander Blvd.
Tukwila, WA 98188
206.246.7300
Restaurants/Lounges
Collins Chiropractic
619 SW 152nd St.
Burien, WA 98166
206.242.0998
Chiropractors
Gourmet To Go Featuring Emerald Cove Catering
17825 S. 1st Ave.
Normandy Park, WA 98146
206.246.5495
Caterers
Hilton Garden Inn Seattle/Renton
1801 East Valley Rd.
Renton, WA 98057
425.430.1414
Hotels/Motels
Mick Kelly's Irish Pub & Restaurant
435 SW 152nd St.
Burien, WA 98166
206.246.2473
Restaurants/Lounges
Normandy Mortgage
15525 1st Ave S., Suite 1
Burien, WA 98146
206.679.5119
Mortgage Loans and Bankers
Normandy Park Assisted Living
16625 1st Ave. S.
Burien, WA 98146
206.241.0821
Retirement Centers/Assisted Living
Sammamish Commercial Co. Inc.
16567 Green Lane
Burlington, WA 98233
360.757.8022
Real Estate - Commercial
Technology Services Company, Inc.
5700 6th Ave. S. #210
Seattle, WA 98108
360.722.7535
Computer Services
· Renewed Members
The Southwest King County Chamber extends its gratitude to
renewing members for their continued support.
1-5 Years
A+ Mortgage, Inc.
Aston Impressions
BBC Dodge, Inc.
Burien Town Square, LLC
The Business Report
Farmers Insurance & Financial Solutions
FreightCo Logistics
Landmark on the Sound
LeTip - Southcenter/Tukwila
Mastermark
New Futures
Rotary Club of SeaTac
Seattle Times
Small Business Development Center
Tukwila Self Storage
The UPS Store
Vadis
6-10 Years
Bowman Investment Group
China Pavilion
Great American Casino
Sabey Corporation
Sonic Collision Center
Success Marketing Inc.
Westcoast Generator Service
Windermere Real Estate/South Inc.
11-15 Years
N&R Automotive
20+ Years
Alaska Airlines
Fed Ex Trade Networks
Kilroy Airport Center/SeaTac
Nippon Express
Ruth Dykeman Children's Center