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South Sound business professionals: you are invited to join the 47th Annual Business Leadership Academy! This is a special opportunity for you to develop key leadership skills while engaging with exemplary members of our local business community. Upon graduation you’ll become part of an elite alumni network comprised of hundreds of leaders. Session dates are:
September 11, 2025 – November 13
View Agenda
The Business Leadership Academy is co-managed by the Chamber and Pacific Lutheran University. The priority deadline for all applicants is Friday, August 15, 2025.
| | Tune in to our latest episode to hear part two of how Premier Blue Cross and Green River College are transforming nursing education with a LPN-to-BSN program that opens doors for working adults and first-generation students with its first cohort comprised of 87% BIPOC and 70% first in their families to attend college. Discover how holistic admissions, flexible hybrid learning, and strong student support are driving success, while creative solutions address clinical placement and faculty shortages. Don’t miss this powerful story of innovation and impact in healthcare education. | | | | |
Local Chambers See Pros and Cons with New Legislation
The final version of the “Big Beautiful Bill,” officially H.R. 1, that Congress passed and the president signed into law last month, “has plenty of good, bad, and ugly,” according to a blog on the Tax Foundation’s website. The Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber expressed general optimism but also noted elements of concern regarding impacts on the health care sector — a large piece of South Sound’s economy. “The Chamber is leaning more optimistic due to predictability offered by the bill,” said President and CEO, Andrea Reay.
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Questions about WA Cares Fund? Pierce County Can Help
Pierce County’s Aging and Disability Resources (ADR) is announcing a new initiative to educate residents, community organizations, and employers about the WA Cares Fund, Washington’s first-of-its-kind public long-term care insurance program. ADR is offering expert-led informational presentations, available in-person or online, to clarify benefits, eligibility, and the future of long-term care for Pierce County residents. Presentations are offered at no charge and are designed to provide key information to individuals, employers, or other community groups.
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Washington Trust Bank Buys Tacoma Office Building with Financial Center Opening in Fall
Spokane-based Washington Trust Bank is establishing a physical presence in the South Sound with the acquisition of a six-story building on Commerce Street in downtown Tacoma. It also has plans to introduce a full-service financial center early this fall at a separate downtown location. Current and new clients in the area will have in-person access to local relationship bankers offering commercial, small-business, mortgage, private, and retail banking, as well as wealth-management services.
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Alma Gifts Tacoma Community Center Building to Puyallup Tribe
Alma LLC has recently gifted its 22,000-square-foot former community center near downtown Tacoma to the Puyallup Tribe of Indians. The landmark building, once a venue for arts, food, and community events, is now officially under the stewardship of the tribe. “This is truly a blessing,” the Puyallup Tribal Council said in a statement. “We are thrilled with this generous gift.”
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Sound Transit Updates Rail Expansion Timelines
Sound Transit’s board of directors approved an updated timeline for the Federal Way Link Extension, setting an opening date “as soon as winter 2025.” The southern 8-mile extension of the 1 Line, which will eventually reach Tacoma, is now in final testing. It will add three new stations serving Kent, Des Moines, Star Lake, and downtown Federal Way, with stops near Highline College, Star Lake, and South 320th Street.
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Zero-Emissions Drayage Trucks Coming to Seattle and Tacoma
After years of work, the Northwest Seaport Alliance announced its program to deploy zero-emissions trucks. The goal of the inaugural incentive program is to clean up drayage — the short-haul routes that bring freight containers from ports to nearby warehouses and distribution terminals. Port officials selected California-based Zeem Solutions to run the program and build a new charging facility for the trucks located roughly midway between the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma.
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