Forecasters Say a Hot Summer
is Coming to Washington
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Published in the Kitsap Sun, May 26, 2026
Photo courtesy of NOAA Climate Predicition Center
Start getting the fans and ice packs ready to go: summer in Washington is coming in hot.
Temperatures across the state this summer could be well above normal, according to a new NOAA temperature outlook. The Pacific Northwest is expected to see some of the highest above-average temperatures throughout the country. The heat is expected to peak during June, July and August.
Washington has already seen a few 80-degree days across the state amid worsening conditions for extreme heat, drought and wildfires.
Read the article here
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May Membership Luncheon
Wednesday, May 27, 2026, 11:00am
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Bring your business cards and get ready to network - you won't want to miss!
Paid parking is available on the Green Level underneath
the Kitsap Conference Center.
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John L. Scott - Silverdale
Ribbon Cutting & Celebration
Thursday, May 28, 2026, 1:00pm
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Port-to-Port Pop Up Ferry
Saturday, June 13, 2026
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Deep Dive Business Series
Service That Sells: Winning More B2B Clients
Tuesday, June 16, 2026, 2:00pm
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This month, we were excited to bring Off the Clock to BC Fitness Studio in Silverdale. We were joined by over 50 attendees representing a wide range of businesses from across the county. Thank you to BC Fitness for providing the perfect space for some meaningful networking and helping foster valuable business connections within our community.
A special thank you as well to Honeybee Horticulture for the beautiful and delicious charcuterie, and to Bethany for the top-notch bartending.
| Vote Now: Board of Directors 2027 Slate | Per the bylaws of the Greater Kitsap Chamber, the following individuals are presented to the greater membership for a vote open for 14 days. If approved, the individuals included in this slate will sit for a three-year term. Please respond to each of the 7 positions with a yes or no vote. Thank you for your participation! | |
SLATE FOR CONSIDERATION
Brett Clark – BC Fitness
Ashley Oaksmith – Kitsap Regional Library
Alexandra McLaughlin – St. Michael Medical Center
April Onofre – Kitsap Bank
Charlie Thompson – North Kitsap Fishline
Duncan Sinclair – The UPS Store
Heidi Hartman – Details Property Management
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Accessible Healthcare with NICE
Business Health Trust Has You Covered
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Costs up? Benchmark before summer.
If your renewal raised costs without improving the experience, now is a good time to compare your options. Business Health Trust helps small and mid-sized employers buy with stronger group purchasing power while still offering broad plan choice.
That can mean better value for the business and more useful care for employees. Many BHT medical plans also include Nice Healthcare, adding $0 everyday care that can help people get support sooner.
🔗 Webpage Link: https://businesshealthtrust.com/products/nice-healthcare/
Questions? Contact BHT!
(425) 201-1972
nice@businesshealthtrust.com
Not a BHT member? Are you ready to build a better benefits package?
Visit bhtquote.com to learn more and get a free quote.
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Renew your membership today to ensure your benefits as a member of the Greater Kitsap Chamber! Questions about when to renew or how to upgrade your membership? Need a new membership window cling or digital badge? Contact us now!
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Missed a previous edition of the Chamber's Community Connections?
View all the past issues on our website HERE.
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Encore Communities: Annual Car Show
Saturday, June 27, 2026, 11:00am
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Changing Faces, Changing Places
Share your business news today
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Has your team recently welcomed a new hire, celebrated a promotion, or marked a retirement? Kitsap Business magazine's Changing Faces, Changing Places section highlights the people powering our local business community. Chamber members are invited to share their staff updates for inclusion in an upcoming issue.
Send your announcements to news@kitsapbusiness.com and let us help you recognize the faces behind your success.
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We are proud to recognize The Trails at Silverdale as our May Member of the Month! A cornerstone shopping and gathering destination in Central Kitsap, The Trails offers a vibrant mix of retail, dining, and lifestyle services that make it a true hub for our community.
This recognition comes with sincere gratitude for The Trails at Silverdale’s ongoing support of our military community. This year, they generously sponsored Military Appreciation Day and Armed Forces Day, helping create meaningful, community‑wide celebrations that honored local service members and their families. Their support played a key role in making these events welcoming, impactful, and reflective of the strong and enduring connection between our military and civilian communities.
The Trails at Silverdale is also home to several Chamber member businesses, including Jersey Mike’s, T-Mobile, and The Purpose Boutique, providing both local and national brands a welcoming place to thrive. By creating a space where businesses can grow and customers can connect, The Trails plays an important role in strengthening our local economy.
We are thankful for The Trails at Silverdale’s partnership, generosity, and ongoing investment in our region. Please join us in congratulating them and supporting the businesses that call The Trails home the next time you’re shopping or dining in Silverdale!
| Business & Professional Development Committee | | Member Education & Training Resources | | |
SBDC: Winning Customers for Life
Thursday, May 28, 2026, 11:00am
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What does it really take to win customers and keep them coming back?
In today’s market, customers have more options and higher expectations than ever before. This session focuses on the practical side of building strong customer relationships that drive repeat business and referrals.
You’ll learn how to ask better questions, communicate more effectively, and follow up in a way that builds trust and keeps you top of mind. Whether you’re working with individuals or other businesses, these simple, proven approaches can be applied immediately.
Registration Fee: FREE
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SCORE: How Small Businesses Win Grants
Friday, May 29, 2026, 9:00am
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Grants are not just for nonprofits. This workshop introduces small business owners to the world of grant funding: what it is, who qualifies, where to find it, and what it takes to compete for it. Participants leave with a clear picture of the grant landscape and a practical roadmap for positioning their business to win.
What You'll Learn:
- The five eligibility factors for small business grant funding.
- What grants typically fund and do not fund.
- Where to find small business grant opportunities.
- Standard documents every applicant needs ready before applying.
- How to read and align with a grantor's stated objectives to strengthen your application.
- The 11-point Grant-Readiness Checklist and how to use it to assess your current standing.
Intended Audience: Designed for small business owners at any stage who want to pursue grant funding and need a structured, step-by-step approach to get started.
Registration Fee: $10
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SCORE: Market Your Business with Video
Wednesday, June 3, 2026, 11:00am
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Market Your Business with Video…because we are in the decade of Video.
Increasingly, internet traffic will come from video. Many businesses will be preparing to add videos to their marketing messages.
But making videos is tricky. There are lots of moving parts – a strategy, scriptwriting, audio, video creation editing, equipment, posting, etc. Where does one start?
It starts with this webinar. You will learn:
- The importance of video
- What programs to use
- Requirements for social media platforms
- Being ADA compliant
- Storing your videos
- Tips on YouTube, the internet’s second largest search engine
- And more
Learn how to create your own or what you need to know prior to hiring someone to do it for you. You will be ready for the year of the video.
Registration Fee: $10
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SHRM West Sound: Rise & Learn
Wednesday, June 10, 2026, 9:00am
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Business News & Resources | | |
WA Among Most Regulated States,
With Measurable Economic Costs
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Published by the Association of WA Business, May 20, 2026
Photo courtesy of AWB
OLYMPIA — Washington has one of the most expansive and complex regulatory environments in the country — and that burden is affecting jobs, business growth and investment decisions, according to a new study released by the Association of Washington Business (AWB).
AWB commissioned the Maryland-based StratACUMEN Group to analyze the state’s regulatory landscape, compare it to other states, and identify opportunities for improvement. The report finds:
Washington is the eighth-most regulated state in the country with more than 200,000 state regulations on the books.
Labor and workforce regulations account for nearly a quarter of the total at more than 45,000 — far exceeding the national average of approximately 7,000.
As businesses navigate an expanding web of regulations, they face rising costs, higher barriers to starting new ventures, and stronger incentives to invest outside Washington. Over time, these pressures slow growth and erode competitiveness.
Read the article here
| | The Greater Kitsap Chamber is proud to serve as a resource partner with the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries. Stay tuned to this section quarterly for education, resources and more from L&I. | | How L&I Helps Keep Workers Safe on the Job | | |
While many businesses are familiar with the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) as the administrator of the state’s workers’ compensation system, the agency is also committed to protecting the safety, health, and security of Washington’s 3.3 million workers. With 19 offices located throughout Washington and approximately 2,800 employees statewide, L&I supports employers in meeting safety and health standards, enforces rules designed to protect workers from hazardous job conditions, and provides medical and limited wage-replacement coverage to workers who experience job-related injuries or illnesses.
L&I carries out this work through several divisions and programs focused on prevention, enforcement, and recovery. One key division is the Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH), which develops and enforces workplace safety rules. DOSH conducts inspections to ensure businesses comply with safety and health regulations and offers free, on-site safety consultations to help employers identify hazards, improve safety practice, and prevent injuries before they occur.
In addition, L&I claims managers oversee benefits for injured workers and coordinate closely with medical providers, employers, and counselors to support recovery and a safe return to work. L&I also enforces laws that protect workers’ wages, working conditions, and required breaks, helping ensure fair and lawful workplaces across the state. Beyond employee protections, L&I’s technical experts safeguard the public by inspecting electrical systems, elevators, boilers, and manufactured homes.
To help businesses understand and comply with workplace safety rules, L&I provides a wide range of free resources, including online tools, workshops, and formal training opportunities. These offerings make it easier for employers to build effective safety programs, reduce the risk of injuries, and stay in compliance with state regulations. Employers can explore upcoming workshops and training opportunities by visiting Lni.wa.gov/workshops-training.
| | Nonprofit News & Resources | | Why Data Hygiene Is the Most Underrated Fundraising Strategy in 2026 | | |
Published by Nonprofit Pro, May 20, 2026
Photo: Getty Images/courtneyk
Everyone agrees it matters. Almost nobody is excited to do it. Clean data has quietly become one of the most important competitive advantages a nonprofit can have in 2026. The reason isn’t that databases suddenly became glamorous or that your CRM vendor released a better dashboard with gradient charts and AI-generated insights — it’s that nearly every modern fundraising strategy now depends on trustworthy data to function properly.
Personalization, automation, AI-driven donor journeys, predictive analytics, digital advertising, major gift prospecting, cross-channel engagement — all of it breaks when your data isn’t accurate.
The Hidden Cost of ‘Mostly Fine’ Data
Most nonprofits don’t think their data is bad. Staff may describe it as pretty good given everything else the team is managing.That should terrify leadership teams.
Fundraising technology no longer operates in broad strokes. Modern systems react to donor behavior in real time. Small inaccuracies create large downstream consequences. One duplicate donor record can trigger multiple solicitations to the same household, incorrect lifetime giving totals, broken segmentation logic, inaccurate reporting, flawed AI recommendations — and genuinely embarrassing stewardship mistakes.
Read the article here
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NAWA: Strategic Planning in Nonprofits Series
Tuesday, June 2, 2026, 10:00am
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Strategic planning can be a powerful process to guide the future of your nonprofit. There are many ways to approach strategic planning and there is no one-size-fits-all template. As you think about beginning a strategic planning process, you may have many questions about how to get started or how to improve upon past processes.
Pulling from a variety of strategic planning approaches and resources, Strategic Planning in Nonprofits (SPiN) is here to provide actionable information, tools, and activities to help you shape a process right-sized for your nonprofit. The 3-part SPiN webinar series will cover the six stages of a strategic planning process: Prepare, Listen, Envision, Plan, Implement, and Evaluate. You will leave with the tools and confidence to develop a strategic plan for your organization.
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Two-Week Highway Closure
Near Gorst Beginning in June
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Published in the Kitsap Sun, May 26, 2026
Photo courtesy of WA State Department of Transportation
Drivers should expect detours around Gorst to start the summer, when Highway 3 near Sunnyslope Road will close for 16 days for a state project beginning June 13.
From 7 a.m. Saturday, June 13, to 7 a.m. Monday, June 29, both directions of Highway 3 will close near Sunnyslope Road for a Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) project that removes barriers to fish passage under the highway, the agency said.
Detours will be provided to get around the closure, so plan extra time when headed through Gorst to Highway 3. Drivers will use Sunnyslope Road Southwest and Southwest Lake Flora Road. People who walk, roll, or bike can use Northeast Old Belfair Highway or West Belfair Valley Road. Also, commercial vehicles will be routed to State Route 302 and State Route 16, according to WSDOT.
Read the article here
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Live Well Kitsap Free Community Hike
Saturday, May 30, 2026, 10:00am
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Bremerton Boardwalk Night Market
Friday, June 5, 2026, 5:00pm
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Kitsap Humane Society's Pets Walk
Saturday, June 6, 2026, 9:00am
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Masks Still Available
Free at the Greater Kitsap Chamber & Visitor Center
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The Greater Kitsap Chamber still has some supplies available if your local business is in need of KN95 masks. Pick up your supply at both GKC locations today. Available while supplies last.
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Clearwater Casino Presents:
Randy Hansen - Jimi Hendrix Tribute
Friday, May 29, 2026, 8:30pm
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Hella Good - Gwen Stefani/No Doubt Tribute
Saturday, May 30, 2026, 8:30pm
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Duende Libre @ The Roxy Theatre
Thursday, May 28, 2026, 7:00pm
| DUENDE LIBRE celebrates the connections between jazz and music from Cuba, Brazil, and the Mediterranean. Their stewardship is a natural continuation of decades of dedicated apprenticeship with master musicians from around the world. DUENDE LIBRE's empathic on-stage chemistry, formed through years of performing, touring, and recording together, sets the band apart along with their eclectic sonic palette. | |
Classic Albums Live @ The Admiral Theatre
Friday, May 29, 2026, 7:30pm
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Classic Albums Live performs Pink Floyd's immortal Dark Side of the Moon, in its entirety, followed by greatest hits.
Classic Albums Live takes classic albums and recreates them live, on stage, note for note – cut for cut. “All of our focus is on the music,” says Classic Albums Live Founder Craig Martin. “We are the go-to show for live album recitals.”
With 200+ shows a year, CAL has become the first call for professional musicians who are looking for perfection. The shows have received serious critical acclaim in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom.
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2026 Liberty Bay Festival
May 29 - May 31, 2026
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Bremerton Air Show 2026
July 11 - July 12, 2026
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Stay in the know with what's happening for events
in Central Kitsap by checking out and liking the
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Have something to share? CLICK HERE to submit stories and
events for our weekly Community Connections!
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Office (360) 479-3579 | 705 Pacific Avenue in Downtown Bremerton
Silverdale Office (360) 692-6800 | Kitsap Mall
PO Box 1218 Silverdale WA 98383
If you need assistance, please contact us directly.
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