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· This Week
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Ambassador
Committee
Tuesday, December 12
8:00 am - 9:00 am
Chamber Office
14220 Interurban Ave S, #134, Tukwila
Register
Now...
Highway 99
Action Committee
Tuesday, December 12
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Tukwila Community Center
12424 42nd Ave, Tukwila
Register
Now...
December
Networking Breakfast
Wednesday, December 13
7:00 am - 9:00 am
ITT Technical Institute
12720 Gateway Dr. Suite 100, Tukwila
Register
Now...
SeaTac Business
Committee
Thursday, December 14
8:30 am - 10:00 am
Thrifty Car Rental
19815 International Blvd, SeaTac
Register
Now...
Qdoba Mexican Grill Grand Opening
Thursday, December 14
12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
150 Andover Park West, Tukwila
The Southwest King County Chamber of Commerce will be closed Monday
December 25th, Tuesday December 26th and Monday January 1st.
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· President’s Message
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 What will you
say to 2007 when it arrives at your door in a few weeks? Have you thought
about what you will do after the holidays to get you off and running in
the New Year?
Every year I think about all of the things I would like to accomplish in
that year. It’s like a fresh new beginning. After a few months, some of
my plans begin to diminish and I’m disappointed that I haven’t achieved
everything! That’s the danger of being the A-type personality that I am.
This year I’ve decided to have less goals and to spend more time
perfecting them. At the Chamber, my first two goals are to strengthen our
membership and get to know more Chamber members on a personal basis. I
also will continue to work with our partner cities and strive to make our
relationship even better. Along the way through 2007, I will meet new
business owners and representatives and share with them how much I
believe in the Chamber’s ability to help businesses to expand their
business base and knowledge on city and regional issues.
In January, the President’s Message will be replaced with the Chairman’s
Message. Chuck Cox, our 2007 Chairman, will send his greetings each
month. Thank you for the opportunity to reach out to you each month in my
President’s Message. It has been encouraging to receive such nice
feedback from readers.
My holiday wish to you is ~
May peace and
plenty be the first
To lift the latch to your door,
And happiness be guided to your home
By the candle of Christmas.
Merry Christmas!
Nancy Damon
President/CEO
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· Happy Holidays from the Southwest King County
Chamber of Commerce Staff!
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From
left to right: Andrea Desimone, Nancy Damon, Cindy Joaquin and Jennifer
Tanzy.
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· "Washington CEO" Chief Executive Officer
to Speak at January Membership Luncheon
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 Bob Ritter,
Publisher and Chief Executive Officer of "Washington CEO", will
be the Chamber’s guest speaker at the January 12 Membership Luncheon, to
be held at Embassy Suites Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, 15920 W
Valley Hwy in Tukwila.
Bob is a 35-year veteran of newspapers and magazines where he has served
in both editorial and publishing capacities. He has edited and published
newspapers in California, Nevada, Washington, Colorado and New York, and
is the former executive editor of the Denver Post and the Journal News in
Westchester County, New York. For seven years, he served as editor and
bureau chief of Gannett News Service in Washington, D.C., which served
USA TODAY and Gannett’s other 94 daily newspapers. Under his leadership,
the news service was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting in
1992. He joined "Washington CEO" in April of 2006 as Publisher
and Chief Executive Officer. Bob will discuss the magazine’s editorial
philosophy and commitment to reporting in-depth on issues of business and
economics across Washington State.
The luncheon will be held on January 12 from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm at
Embassy Suites Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The cost is $20.00
pre-paid or $25.00 at the door. To register, contact the Chamber at
206.575.1633 or click
here.
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· SUCCESS Foundation Student Scholarship Fundraising
Raffle
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The
SUCCESS Foundation kicked off its annual student scholarship fundraising
efforts at the Membership Luncheon and Holiday Bazaar last Friday,
December 8th. Every year, the SUCCESS Foundation honors one or more high
school students with a scholarship to be used toward continued education.
The number of $1,000 scholarships varies from year to year. Eligible
students are those that have been selected as Business Students of the
Month throughout the current school year. The winner(s) will be
recognized at the Chamber’s Education Luncheon on June 8, 2007.
The SUCCESS Foundation plans three separate raffles for this school year.
We are raffling off a trip to Mexico, two unrestricted airline tickets,
and a trip to Roche Harbor. The first raffle is for two unrestricted airline
tickets from Alaska Airlines to any destination within the Alaska/Horizon
Air service area. One ticket requires a $10.00 donation. There are only
250 raffle tickets, so the odds of winning are 1 in 250! The winner need
not be present at the drawing on March 9, 2007 to win.
Help support the SUCCESS Foundation’s student scholarship fundraising by
purchasing raffle tickets at the Chamber office or at Chamber membership
luncheons and networking breakfasts. The Chamber thanks Alaska Airlines
for the tickets.
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· Cox Financial – Sponsor for the January Membership
Luncheon
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 The Chamber
thanks incoming Chairman Chuck Cox and Cox Financial for sponsoring the
January 12th Membership Luncheon. Cox Financial, LLC was created to
assist clients in establishing and then maintaining their financial
independence. All of their services are based on the belief that planning
will have the greatest impact on the financial success of their clients.
To accomplish this, Cox Financial develops a financial plan tailored to
the client’s unique set of circumstances. They then ensure the plan is
implemented, monitored and adjusted when change is warranted.
Furthermore, Cox Financial, LLC is dedicated to "earning your
business" for life. To fulfill this commitment, they will insure all
advice is founded on the success of your overall goals and provided with
the highest level of integrity. This will be accompanied by an ongoing
level of service and dedication that is the best you can expect from anyone
in the Financial Services industry.
Finally, Cox Financial, LLC is committed to improving the world around
us. They will remain active in civic organizations that strive to improve
local and global communities.
For more information regarding your financial planning needs you may
contact Chuck at (206) 433-1700 or chuck.cox@raymondjames.com.
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· I-5 Lane Closures
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Beginning
approximately December 18th, Sound Transit will begin building a bridge
over the I-5 freeway for its Link light rail trains. The bridge will run
parallel to and about 120 feet south of Boeing Access Road. To allow this
bridge to be built, it is necessary to close lanes on the I-5 freeway
during the construction of the bridge. Lane closures will be during the
evenings and at night, Sunday through Thursday nights and possibly
Saturday nights. For approximately nine or more nights, it will be
necessary to close the entire freeway in one direction (either northbound
or southbound) and reroute traffic on a detour between 12:00 am and 5:00
am. In order to accomplish a complete closure by midnight, partial
closure of lanes will start as early as 6:00 pm. Some of the nights also
include closing the entrance and/or exit to and from northbound I-5 at
Boeing Access Road. The first southbound lane closure is tentatively
scheduled for December 17th. The first total southbound closure is
currently tentatively scheduled for January 2nd. The northbound ramp
closures and total northbound closures are scheduled for January and
February. Travelers should plan a minimum extra 5 minutes travel time.
For further information, call Roger Pence at (206) 398-5465.
Southbound I-5 detour route:
Exit at Boeing Access Road turn left, across I-5, turn right at Martin
Luther King Way / SR 900 and follow the detour signs to southbound I-5.
Northbound I-5 detour route:
Exit at SR 900/Martin Luther King Way, turn left onto Boeing Access Road.
Turn right at East Marginal Way, turn right on Michigan St, follow the
detour signs to I-5.
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· April Bajgar, December's Student of the Month
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 April Bajgar is
a successful student at SeaTac Occupational Skills Center and Highline
High School. She is in her senior year and maintains a 3.6 grade point
average. Throughout her high school years she has taken the following
business courses: Introduction to Business, Introduction to Marketing,
Leadership and Management in Business, and Business Law. She was Student
of the Month in her Introduction to Marketing course and Student of the
Quarter for her performance in her Leadership and Management in Business
class. She also received recognition for Perfect Attendance and Punctuality
in 2002 and 2006.
Her extra curricular activities include membership in the FBLA and DECA
clubs. In 2003 she was a finalist at the Washington State Debate
Conference. She has volunteered at the Ruth Dykeman’s Children Center,
been a School Pride volunteer and has mentored freshmen students as a
LINK Leader.
Her post high school goals are to attend Seattle University, earn both a
Bachelors degree and a Masters degree to become an Industrial
Organizational Psychologist, and finally to attend an out-of-state
university to earn her Ph.D. We wish you every success in obtaining your
goals and ambitions!
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· Kylie Chambers, December's Student of the Month
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 Kylie Chambers
is a successful senior at Seattle Christian School. While attending
Seattle Christian, she has taken Business Math and been involved with the
yearbook for three years. This year, she is the yearbook editor. In ninth
grade, she was the AWANA Meritorious Award winner.
Throughout her high school career, she has also been involved in music:
playing the piano, clarinet, bass clarinet and alto saxophone. She has
been a part of the Pep Band, the Jazz Band, and the Concert Band.
Kylie is also a competitive figure skater, ranking as a medallist winner
in over twenty figure skating competitions along the West Coast. She is
the Co-Test Chair of the Kent Valley Figure Skating Club and has been a
“Judge under training/supervised” U.S. Figure Skating Trial Judge. She
teaches figure skating 3-5 days a week.
She has logged volunteer hours at Children’s Hospital, working with deaf
children at Bow Lake Elementary School, tutoring kids at McMicken
Heights, and mentoring younger figure skaters six days a week.
In the future, Kylie plans to continue competitive figure skating and
attend a university. She also has an interest in American Sign
Language/Deaf Education. We wish you every success in obtaining your
goals and ambitions!
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· Evergreen Eye Center Celebrates Grand Re-Opening
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On
Wednesday November 15th, Evergreen Eye Center celebrated the ribbon
cutting of their beautifully remodeled Burien office, complete with
cutting edge technology and equipment. Evergreen Eye Center is located at
14031 Ambaum Blvd SW in Burien.
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· The UPS Store Celebrates Grand Opening
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On
Thursday November 16th, The UPS Store in Tukwila celebrated its grand
opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Helping to cut the ribbon, above
from left to right are: Ron McCain, Marissa Woods, Vic Owings, Nancy
Damon, Kenneth Petticord, Charles Berry, Lynette Larson, Joan Hernandez
and Cynthia Guzman-Berry. The UPS Store is located at 100 Andover Park
West, Suite 150 in Tukwila.
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· Lovers Celebrates Grand Re-Opening
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On
Friday November 17th and Saturday November 18th, Lovers, formerly Amour
on the Boulevard, celebrated its grand re-opening and name-change. The
ceremony included a walk through the Lovers Museum, which was implemented
in commemoration of Lover’s long standing success. Lovers is located at
5301 Southcenter Blvd in Tukwila.
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· Ambassador of the Month
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Steve Emery
Primerica Financial Services
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· Fun and Games at the Airport During the Holiday
Season
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 The merchants of
Sea-Tac Airport are planning to add to the joy of the season by providing
some fun and entertainment for holiday travelers. Beginning Friday
December 15 through Sunday December 24, once you clear the security
checkpoints, you may see any number of activities. A Traveling Game Show
Duo will ride their motorized cart from gate to gate with trivia contests
for coupons and prizes. The Dickens Carolers, The Zambini Bros. Big
Puppets, the juggling team Brothers from Different Mothers and a Toy
Soldier mime are other attractions. Santa Claus will hold court for
children in the Central Terminal from 6 am to 4 pm, December 20-23.
Additional entertainment will be performed pre-security in various
locations throughout the airport.
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· City Beats - SeaTac
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 City Project
Selected by the University of Washington: The City’s
application to the University of Washington's Evans School of Public
Affairs has been selected for the Public Service Clinics Program. This
program matches the professional skills and services of graduate students
with projects submitted by agencies. Between January and June 2007 a
second year graduate student will spend approximately 250 hours
identifying strategies and opportunities to successfully engage the
multi-cultural community located in the SeaTac portion of the Tukwila
International Boulevard Station area. The goal of the project is to
develop a strategy for building a trusting and proactive partnership with
this multi-cultural community to ensure that 1) existing businesses not only
survive coming transit-related changes but thrive through them and 2)
residential options continue to meet their needs.
New Building Code Update in 2007: Building to newer codes may
result in slight monetary increases in construction, but studies show that
every dollar spent on building safer and stronger prevents four to seven
dollars in future losses. When disasters such as earthquakes and flooding
occur, the impact to our residents is far less damaging than to those
people living in states or countries that do not subscribe to an
effective building code program.
The City of SeaTac will be updating its codes in 2007, for implementation
on July 1, to the new International Codes. This is a requirement in the
State of Washington and, although it may seem to be onerous to have to do
this every three years, it always makes good sense to stay current with
the newest building technologies. It saves lives and property, and
enhances our peace of mind.
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· City Beats - Tukwila
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 Tukwila Village: In November,
the City hired Metrovation for advice on making Tukwila Village a great
community gathering place. Metrovation is a development firm led by Ron
Sher who is a long-time expert in developing retail-based community
gathering places. Ron is the driving force behind Third Place Commons in
Lake Forest Park and Ravenna Third Place in Seattle. He also owns Third
Place Books, Honeybear Bakery, and the Pub at Third Place. We anticipate
receiving Ron’s suggestions in February 2007. For more information,
contact Derek Speck at dspeck@ci.tukwila.wa.us or 206-433-1832.
Tukwila International Boulevard Neighborhood Update: In November
the City held two public City Council meetings on the status of the
neighborhood around Tukwila International Boulevard between S. 154th
Street and S. 130th Street. The meetings covered a lot of information on
“what’s happening” on TIB including topics such as redevelopment, crime,
infrastructure, population demographics, etc. If you would like copies of
the presentations, please contact the Mayor’s Office at 206-433-1850.
Walk & Roll Survey: The City is currently gathering public
input as part of our Walk & Roll bicycle and pedestrian plan. Would
you like your employees to walk or cycle more? If so, please fill out our
survey at www.ci.tukwila.wa.us
and suggest where we need more paths and sidewalks or other improvements.
Customized Training Tax Credit: If you plan to hire more employees
and train existing or new employees, you can contract with a community or
technical college for the training and pay after the training is
complete. Plus, you may be able to take a State B&O tax credit for
50% of the cost of the training! For information on this program, contact
Derek Speck at dspeck@ci.tukwila.wa.us or 206-433-1832.
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· New Members
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Normandy House Hair Productions
Nancy Nelson
19655 1st Avenue S., Suite 103
Seattle, WA 98148
(206) 824-6830
Beauty Salons
Qdoba Mexican Grill
Ryan Hostetler
150 Andover Park West
Tukwila, WA 98188
(253) 229-1177
Fax: (206) 352-9638
www.qdoba.com
Restaurants/Lounges
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· Renewing Members
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1-5
Years
AAA Victory Vending, Inc.
Action Business Furniture
Bright Spectrum Inc.
Church By the Side of the Road
Countrywide Home Loans, Inc.
Goodwill
Highline Water District
Horizon Ford, Inc.
International Boulevard Self Storage
Midway Sewer District
Rainier Golf & Country Club
Systematix Controls Inc.
Tukwila Pantry
Tukwila Self Storage
Wizards Casino
6-10 Years
Airport Valley Vinyl Tops & Upholstery
Emerald Downs
Outback Steakhouse
Transgroup Worldwide Logistics
11-15 Years
Fidelity Associates
Nakamura USA, Inc.
16-20 Years
Highline Hand Therapy
20-25 Years
Highline Public Schools
SRO
25-30 Years
Highline Community College
40-45 Years
Highline Medical Center/Main Campus
45-50 Years
Jorstad Jewelers, Inc.
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· Improve Your Work-Life Balance With
These New Year’s Resolutions
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The end
of the year is a good time to reflect on your business’s progress over
the past year and plan how you want your business to develop. Do you want
increased success in 2006 or the chance to enjoy the success you’ve
achieved more? These top 10 New Year’s resolutions are designed to help
you strike a better work-life balance, so you can achieve a truly
satisfying success in the New Year.
1. Learn how to delegate and do more of it. There are so many
things to do when you’re running a small business, It is easy to delude
ourselves that we need to do all of them. Then we wonder why we’re so
tired and frazzled and have no time to do anything else! Delegation is
the key to a healthy work-life balance.
2. Promote your business regularly and consistently. Too often the
task of promoting a small business slips to the bottom of the to-do list
in the press of urgent tasks. If you want to attract new customers, you
have to make promotion a priority.
3. Make business planning a weekly event. Planning is vital if you
want a healthy, growing business. Business planning lets you take stock
of what worked and what didn’t work, and helps you set new directions or
adjust old goals. Set aside time each week to review, adjust, and look
forward. Not only will this help you avoid costly mistakes and stay on
track, but you’ll feel more focused and relaxed.
4. Learn something new. What you choose to learn may be directly
related to your business or completely unrelated. Learning something new
will add to your skills and add a new dimension of interest to your life.
Depending on how you choose to learn, you may meet new and interesting
people who may become customers, colleagues, or friends.
5. Join a new business organization or networking group. There’s
nothing like talking to other business people for sparking new ideas,
refining old ones, and making contacts. Whether it is a group
specifically designed for networking or an organization dedicated to a
particular type of business, in person or over the internet, making the
effort to be a part of a group will revitalize you and your business.
6. Give something back to your community. There are all kinds of
worthy organizations that make a difference in your community. Make a New
Year’s resolution to find a cause that matters to you, and give what you
can.
7. Put time for you on your calendar. It is important to take the
time to recharge and refresh yourself; a healthy work-life balance
demands time out. All work and no play is a recipe for mental and
physical disaster. If you won’t invest in yourself, who will?
8. Set realistic goals. Goal setting is a valuable habit – if the
goals lead to success rather than distress. Make a New Year’s resolution
that the goals you set will be goals that are achievable, rather than
unrealistic pipe dreams that are so far out of reach they only lead to
frustration.
9. Don’t make do; get a new one. Is there a piece of equipment in
your office that is making your working life harder? Whether it is an old
fax machine that is a pain to use, or the need for a new employee to
lighten your work load, make a New Year’s resolution to stop putting off
getting what you need. The irritation of making do just isn’t worth it.
10. Drop what is not working for you and move on. All products
aren’t going to be super sellers, all sales methods aren’t going to work
for everyone, and all suppliers or contractors aren’t going to be ideally
suited to your business. If a technique, product or business relationship
isn’t working for you, stop using it. Don’t invest energy into trying to
make the unworkable workable. Move on. Something better will turn up.
Achieving a healthy work-life balance is like maintaining a good
relationship; you have to keep working on it. But if you apply these New
Year’s resolutions through the year, your success is guaranteed!
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