Chamber Business Brief

CHAMBER BUSINESS BRIEF - CENTRAL KITSAP

The Bremerton and Silverdale Chambers of Commerce will

be closed on Monday, January 17, 2022, in observance of

the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.

Letter to our Members from Chamber President & CEO

Good morning and I hope you are all off to a very prosperous 2022! I want to update you today on some changes you may have noticed in the Silverdale and Bremerton Chambers.

As you may be aware, in November and December, both Chambers conducted a membership survey addressing, among other issues, the possibility of a merger of the two Chambers. This idea is not new; the two organizations have talked about a merger since the early 1990s.

The data gathered from these surveys was shared with the Board of Directors of both Chambers on Wednesday, December 15, 2021 and after much discussion by Board Members, current Chamber Members and individuals in the community, the Bremerton Chamber and Silverdale Chamber historically voted to pass a motion to develop a plan to merge the two Chambers into one regional organization.

The Chambers have retained the services of Kyle Sexton from Chamber Think Strategies, a consulting firm who specializes in strengthening chambers through its memberships and in working with a task force to help organize many of the details of a merger. Two Board members from each Chamber Board and a fifth member of both Chambers will sit on this task force and work for the next six months on developing a plan for the proposed merger.

Current Task Force Members:

Bremerton Chamber

John Morrissey, Kitsap Credit Union

Tiffany DeSaveur, Kitsap Bank

Silverdale Chamber

Dave Montoure, KettleFish

Kathleen Arndt, SERVPRO of Kitsap County

The Bremerton Board of Directors also moved to enter into a contract with the Silverdale Board of Directors to have the Silverdale Chamber staff run the Bremerton Chamber for the next six months. Both Boards agreed to this proposal.

David Emmons

President/CEO

Irene Moyer

Director of Member Relations

Marisa Acuna

Finance Manager

Irene, Marisa and I are looking forward to this unique opportunity to bring the Bremerton and Silverdale business communities together to form a stronger Chamber for the Central Kitsap region. During this interim period, it will be business as usual for all of our members as we work hard on behalf of each of you and your businesses which are so vital to our community.

If you have any questions about the merger, please feel free to reach out to me at any time.

Chamber Membership

Question of the Week

How is the omicron surge most

affecting your business?

Answer Below

Difficulty hiring

Reduced foot traffic

Staff out sick

Supply chain issues

Uncertain business climate

Select

Results from Last Week's Survey:

What is the biggest challenge your business

is facing as you start 2022?

The Silverdale and Bremerton Chambers are committed to learning how best

we can engage and work for our business membership. Your participation

in poll questions like these help us to work better for you!

Click here for the most recent

county data reported by

the Kitsap Public Health District

Business Leaders: Start the Year by Keeping an Ear Out

As leaders we often feel that we have to know it all, do it all, have all the answers, etc. The pressure to constantly be everywhere and know all things, have all the right answers at hand is invigorating for some, and daunting for others.

What if this year, however, you began with a different mindset? One that gives yourself permission to not have all the answers in your back pocket or know all things. In fact, what if you started this year out with your employees, leadership teams, managers, and executives by asking questions and listening. In other words, not being quick to offer solutions, directives or fixes of any kind. Just asking questions, listening and taking some time to process it all.

28th Annual Kitsap County Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration

On Monday, January 17, 2022, at 10:00 AM, please join UFCW 21 members and the NAACP Bremerton Branch (1134) to celebrate MLK Day at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds Presidents’ Hall. This will be an in-person event with the appropriate COVID-19 safety precautions.

As “a day of service,” event organizers are asking all attendees to kindly bring a non-perishable food item to donate, all of which will be used to replenish the stocks of food banks in the area. Face masks are required to attend and there will also be a COVID vaccination (Pfizer) clinic on site if anyone you know needs a vaccination / booster.

Mark Your Calendars for January Luncheons

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