Wednesday, October 21, 2026 | |
2026 Business Awards Gala
Tickets Available Now!
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October Membership Luncheon
Wednesday, October 28, 2026, 11:00am
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Powering Kitsap’s Future: What the November Ballot Measure Means for Business
Kitsap voters will soon consider a ballot measure that could give Kitsap Public Utility District (KPUD) the authority to explore providing electric service in our community—a decision with potential long-term implications for residents and businesses throughout the county.
Join the Greater Kitsap Chamber for an important and timely conversation featuring representatives from Puget Sound Energy (PSE) and Kitsap Public Utility District (KPUD). Attendees will hear directly from both organizations about the ballot measure, what voter approval would—and would not—mean, and the considerations surrounding the future of electric service in Kitsap County.
For businesses, reliable and affordable energy is more than a utility issue. Energy costs, infrastructure investment, system reliability and resiliency, and the ability to meet future growth all affect the cost of doing business and the strength of our local economy.
The Chamber is bringing both organizations to the table to help our business community better understand the issue, ask informed questions, and consider what it could mean for Kitsap’s economic future.
The community is invited to attend this Chamber event. For the member discount pricing, please use discount code: ELECTRIC at check out.
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GKC Business Awards Gala
Sponsorship Opportunities Available!
| | Help us celebrate the northern lights of our local business community and be a sponsor at the Chamber's 2026 Business Awards Gala! For sponsorship information contact us at (360) 692-6800 or hello@greaterkitsapchamber.com. | |
Secure You Spot in the Greater Kitsap
Chamber's Destination Guide
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There's still time to reserve your spot in the 2027 Greater Kitsap Destination Guide!
With 7,500 printed copies distributed throughout Kitsap County and mailed to visitors beyond the region, the Destination Guide is the Greater Kitsap Chamber's premier publication for showcasing local businesses and attractions.
Don't miss this opportunity to put your business in front of residents and visitors alike. Review the rate card and connect with our partners at Lunar Cow Publishing to secure your placement today.
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2027 Jumpstart Business Success Workshop
Thursday, October 29, 2026, 9:00am
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To succeed in the coming year, you must differentiate. Your product, pricing, and process can all be copied. The one thing that can't? Your culture.
This workshop delivers the simple four-part formula to create a highly engaging culture that attracts your best customers like a magnet. Don't miss out, seating is very limited.
*Registration is free for Greater Kitsap Chamber members.
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Accessible Healthcare with NICE
Business Health Trust Has You Covered
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Need a Health Benefits Quote but Don’t Have a Broker?
Maybe you handle payroll, hiring, and benefits for your business. When the renewal arrives, you need to compare plans while answering every other question on your desk. You don’t need to sort through all the options alone.
Through our chamber’s partnership with Business Health Trust (BHT), members can request quotes for medical plans from major carriers, consider dental and vision, and get help with enrollment and billing. If you have a broker, bring them in. If you don’t, BHT can help connect you with one.
🔗 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.
| | New Members - Welcome to the Chamber! | |
Denise Steele Scentsy Fragrance Consultant
Spooky Savings Halloween Sale
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Tessera: Introduction to
Facilities Maintenance Trades Training
January 4 - March 16, 2026, 2:00pm
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Changing Faces, Changing Places
Share your business news today
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2026 Eggs & Issues Candidate Forum
Tuesday, October 27, 2026, 8:00am
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Join us for the Chamber’s Eggs & Issues Candidate Forums at the Cloverleaf Bar and Grill, a long-standing tradition started by the Bremerton Chamber over 25 years ago. Open to the public; breakfast available for purchase.
Questions? Contact the Chamber at (360) 692-6800.
Forums are every Tuesday morning beginning September 22nd and running through October 27th.
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Income Tax Debates Center on
Concerns Over Broader Taxes
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Published by the Association of Washington Business
Photo Courtesy of AWB
Income tax debate: In less than a month, Washington voters will decide the fate of a ballot initiative that would repeal the state's new income tax on high earners. Is the so-called “millionaires’ tax” a step toward a broader income tax on Washingtonians? KNKX spoke with Jared Walczak, a senior fellow at the Tax Foundation, about the question.
- He said that, historically, states that have created high-income taxes have always expanded that tax to all income levels because that’s a less volatile source of revenue.
- “Eventually, they all went to taxing a much broader group of individuals,” Walczak said.
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Rep. Cindy Ryu, a Democrat running for the state Senate, said during a debate last week that the income tax should apply to those making $250,000 a year.
Bellevue debate: The Bellevue Chamber hosted a debate at its Eastside Leadership Conference last week. Speaking in favor of the income tax repeal, House Minority Leader Drew Stokesbary, R-Auburn, said: “It’s easy to demonize the millionaires, but they provide an important role in our community. We want capital to come here and to invest in things.”
KING 5 - Seattle Times debate: In a debate with Washington Labor Council President April Sims, former Republican U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler said some small businesses are planning to leave or restructure in response to the tax. “So even if a small percentage of them actually do that, that means lost jobs for working-class Washingtonians. It means an economy that’s going to shrink.”
More on the initiative: A “yes” vote on I-645 would repeal the tax, while a “no” vote would keep it in place. AWB has endorsed I-645 because the tax erases one of Washington’s key competitive advantages and makes the state more expensive for small- and medium-sized businesses, many of which are structured as pass-through entities.
🗳 Election resources: See AWB’s Elections HQ page for candidate endorsements and other election information.
Read the article here
| Business & Professional Development Committee | | Member Education & Training Resources | | |
SBDC: Dealing with Difficult People
Thursday, October 22, 2026, 11:00am
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If certain people drain your energy or derail your day, this workshop helps you take back control. You’ll learn why difficult behavior shows up, how to respond in a way that lowers tension, and what actually works in real-world situations.
Presented by:
Steve McCaslin is a Washington SBDC Certified Business Advisor and is located in Coupeville, WA. Steve is a retired Naval Flight Officer and has spent 20+ years in the corporate world in sales, strategy and business development, business consulting, corporate training, and leadership development training, mentoring, and coaching. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a BS in Agriculture, where he majored in Poultry Science.
Registration Fee: FREE
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SCORE: How to Scale Talent to
Scale Your Business
Friday, October 23, 2026, 10:00am
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People build businesses. And the better the people on your team, the better and faster your business can grow.
Yet many small business owners don’t have a reliable process for hiring, evaluating, and retaining great people. The result? Costly mis-hires, missed opportunities, and losing the very talent you worked hard to attract.
This workshop will give you a reliable hiring process designed to help you build and scale a high-performing team with confidence.
We’ll break down the systems and strategies used to scale multiple businesses to $5M, $10M, $100M+, and beyond—and show you how to apply those lessons to your own business.
You’ll leave with a clearer framework for finding the right people, making better hiring decisions, and building a team that can grow with your business.
Registration Fee: FREE
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SCORE: Building a Formal Business Plan
Monday, October 26, 2026, 4:00pm
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Planning is the key to business success, and it all comes together in a detailed business plan. This 3-hour workshop is designed to give you, the business owner, the skills and know-how needed to write a successful and detailed business plan, which will cover these main topics:
- Describing your product or service.
- Describing your product pricing, packaging and distribution.
- Describing your marketing plan.
- Describing your business operations.
- Describing organization structure and management structure.
Lastly, you’ll take all this information together into developing a financial plan that will provide you and others the information they need. You’ll know the amount of startup funding needed. You be able to project sales and create forecasted profit and loss statements and plan your cash flow. Creating effective financial information can make or break a loan application, so this workshop is particularly valuable to anyone seeking outside funding for their business.
Registration Fee: FREE
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2026 Puget Sound CPACER Symposium
Tuesday, October 27, 2026, 9:00am
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The 2026 Puget Sound C‑PACER Symposium will bring together professionals from across Washington’s commercial real estate, lending, clean energy, and public sectors to strengthen and expand the market for Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy and Resilience (C‑PACER) financing. Hosted by the King County Climate Team, this event offers practical insights, lessons learned from national and regional markets, and opportunities to build cross‑sector connections that support successful C‑PACER projects.
Who Should Attend
This symposium is designed for professionals currently working with C‑PACER as well as those interested in learning how it can support commercial building projects, including:
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Building owners, developers, and property managers interested in financing energy efficiency, renewable energy, water conservation, and resiliency improvements.
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Banks, credit unions, C‑PACER capital providers, and other lenders looking to understand how C‑PACER interacts with traditional commercial lending.
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Commercial real estate and finance professionals, including mortgage lenders, brokers, and advisors.
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Contractors, engineers, project certifiers, and energy service providers who help identify, design, and deliver eligible projects.
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C‑PACER program administrators and local government partners focused on program implementation, market development, and regional coordination.
- Clean energy finance, economic development, and policy professionals working to expand investment in Washington’s building stock.
Kitsap County has its own C‑PACER program available to commercial, industrial, agricultural, and multifamily property owners. Local lenders, contractors, and development professionals are encouraged to learn more about the program and how they can support projects in our county.
Learn more about the Kitsap County C‑PACER Program
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Business News & Resources | | |
Collect Batteries or Help Spread the Word:
How Retailers Can Support SB 5144
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Published by the Washington Retail Association, October 15, 2026
Photo courtesy of the Washington Retail Association
As Washington prepares for the implementation of SB 5144, retailers have an opportunity to play an important role in helping customers recycle batteries safely and conveniently. Participating as a battery collection site can demonstrate your commitment to environmental stewardship while providing a valuable service to your community.
By joining The Battery Network as a collection site, your store will be featured in online locators that help consumers find nearby battery recycling options. This added visibility can help attract new visitors to your business, increase customer engagement, and generate additional foot traffic from environmentally conscious consumers.
Not ready to collect batteries? You can still support the program by educating customers about battery recycling and directing them to nearby collection locations.
Become a Collection Site Today
Join the growing network of Washington retailers and help make battery recycling more accessible. Participating sites receive program support, increased public visibility, and the opportunity to strengthen customer relationships while contributing to a cleaner environment.
Interested in participating? Visit our Washington State page to pre-register as a collection site so that you are ready to support battery collections as we kick off the program in January.
| | 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. | | Are You Up to Date on Updated Labor Posters? | | Nonprofit News & Resources | | Year-End Punchlist: Start Checking It Twice | |
Published by The Kitsap Community Foundation, October 12, 2026
Photo courtesy of the KCF
You're making a list! Maybe even more than one! The last few months of the year are make-or-break for fundraising, but year-end success takes more than sending an appeal in December and crossing your fingers. Now is the time to engage the full spectrum of your supporters: longtime donors, occasional donors, first-time givers, and loyal supporters who may be ready to think beyond annual giving toward an endowment or legacy gift.
Before year-end gets any closer, use this seven-point checklist to make sure you're covering the bases.
1. Give donors a reason to give right now.
Your donors will get a LOT of year-end appeals. Make yours meaningful by connecting the gift directly to your mission and explaining what donor support makes possible. Specificity helps. Rather than simply asking donors to "support our work," remind them of a need you're addressing, a goal you hope to reach, or a story that shows why your work matters. Above all, make your communications about impact, not simply your organization's need for money.
Read the article here
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Bainbridge Community Foundation:
Real Time Strategic Planning
Thursday, November 12, 2026, 10:00am
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Non-profit consultant David Marzahl will address challenges faced by organizations when they plan for the future. In today's volatile world, an organization's recently completed strategic plan might already be out of date. That's not a planning failure. It's a sign that strategies need to live in ongoing conversation and deliberation, not in a document reviewed two years ago.
This session will build on real-time strategic planning principles. It will give attending board members and executive leaders practical tools for making strategic planning a regular part of how they work together, not a once-a-year event. Organizations will leave with a concrete action plan for making strategic planning an ongoing part of their work together.
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Winter Weather Forecast:
How Will WA Fair This Season?
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Published in the Kitsap Sun, October 16, 2026
Photo courtesy of NOAA
Washington's warm weather may be sticking around through the winter months this year.
On Oct. 15, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center released their annual winter weather outlook for the upcoming season. The forecast predicts warmer temperatures along the northern part of the U.S., including in Washington state, and increased precipitation in the south due to a strong El Niño weather pattern.
“While higher chances of rain and snow may bring relief to drought-afflicted areas, too much precipitation on dry soil can fuel destructive flash floods and mudslides. Now is the time for communities and individuals to plan ahead for the upcoming winter," said Ken Graham, director of NOAA’s National Weather Service, according to a statement.
NOAA's winter forecast includes the months of December 2026, January 2027 and Feburary 2027. Here's what the forecast means for Washington state.
Above-average temperatures likely for WA
Washington is among the states most likely to see above-normal temperatures during the upcoming winter months. The Pacific Northwest is likely to see warmer temperatures overall, with parts of Oregon, Idaho and Montana also likely to see warmer winter temperatures.
Read the article here
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New 170-Unit Senior Living Complex
Proposed Along Fairgrounds Road
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Published in the Kitsap Sun, October 15, 2026
Photo: David Nelson/Kitsap Sun
After expanding across Western Washington from Bellingham to Olympia, Affinity Living Communities is bringing its brand of active senior housing to Kitsap County, and adding more future residential growth along an East Bremerton corridor.
"Affinity at Bremerton," a newly proposed senior independent living complex designed for residents aged 55 and older, is being planned for a currently vacant parcel of land at 1574 NE Fairgrounds Road, just southwest of the intersection at Highway 303 in East Bremerton. The 170-unit building will offer a mix of studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments capable of housing approximately 225 residents who are middle and high-income.
Set on 7.98-acres of land, the proposed four-story complex will be built alongside eight parking structures, a pool house and a dog park, plus plenty of room for outdoor recreation. Preliminary drawings show the project on land that surrounds a Conoco gas station at the intersection, across Fairgrounds from a small retail plaza. Advertising resort-like amenities and an ever-growing schedule of activities, Affinity communities are meant to give residents the freedom to pursue their passions free from the stress and expense of home ownership, according to Affinity’s website.
"(The) project will create multiple recreational opportunities for the community residents including sports courts, garden spaces and a club house," wrote Josh Goudge, Inland Group’s development manager overseeing the project.
Read the article here
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Jack-O'-Lantern Jubilee Haunted Trails
Thursday, October 22, 2026, 6:00pm
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Glow-In-the-Dark Candy Egg Hunt
Olmsted Tree Farms
October 9 - October 24, 2026
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Trick or Tree - Glow-In-The-Dark Egg Hunt is an epic night of family fun! Your kids will scour our Christmas tree field where THOUSANDS of glowing and non-glowing hidden candy-filled eggs are just waiting to be found. The best part? They'll do it in the dark! And 3 lucky golden egg winners will win a special prize each night! After filling their buckets, the Spooky Woods await them - only if they dare! Choose from 6 nights in October!
But hurry - one night is already sold out!!
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Kitsap Halloween Bash
Saturday, October 24, 2026, 1:00pm
| | Bring the whole family to our FREE, all-ages, commissioner sponsored Halloween event! Enjoy Trunk or Treat and live music outside, then head indoors for a DJ and dance party you won’t want to miss. | | |
Calloween in Charleston
Saturday, October 24, 2026, 5:00pm
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We beckon you to the spooky streets of Charleston for a night of frights and delights.
For the third year, Callow Ave transforms into a haunted junk yard on the Saturday before Halloween. Businesses up and down the block join in the fun, with photobooths, activities, and, of course, a bunch of treats!
Look forward to:
- Live DJ
- FREE costume closet (the week before Halloween is the perfect time to finalize your costume for the big night)
- Cake walk
- Blacklight maze
- Trick-or-treating at over 20 businesses
- FREE activities
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DBA's Trick-or-Treat Street
Saturday, October 31, 2026, 5:00pm
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Free & Open to Everyone!
*Presented & Organized by Downtown Bremerton Association
Dress up in your spookiest costume and head downtown for Trick-or-Treat Street! Bring the whole family for an evening of trick-or-treating, live music, dancing, and festive community fun spanning Pacific Avenue, 4th Street, and Quincy Square.
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Clearwater Casino Presents:
Victims of Love - Eagles Tribute
Friday, October 23, 2026, 8:30pm
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The Troubagdour Experience
Tribute to George Strait
Saturday, October 24, 2026, 7:00pm
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Radio 80s - 80s Tribute
Saturday, October 24, 2026, 8:30pm
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The Admiral Theatre Presents:
Ingrid Michaelson's Cozy Fall Trio Tour
Friday, October 23, 2026, 7:30pm
| Grammy and Emmy Nominated singer-songwriter/composer Ingrid Michaelson is a force in the music industry, known for her distinctively soulful folk-pop style. Her music is released on the label she founded, Cabin 24 Records, including her latest studio album For the Dreamers, as well as her gold and platinum hits, "The Way I Am," "Girls Chase Boys," and "You and I." She's scored songs for television, including “Little Fires Everywhere” (Emmy nomination, Hulu) and “Tiny Beautiful Things” (Hulu), and was executive music producer for Apple TV+’s “Slumberkins,” creating original songs for the series. She made her Broadway on stage debut in Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812 and made her Broadway debut as a composer in 2024 writing the music and lyrics for the musical, The Notebook. She co-produced The Grammy nominated Notebook Original Broadway Cast Album. | |
Candlelight Concerts @ The Roxy Theatre
Saturday, October 24, 2026, 5:30pm & 8:15pm
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5:30pm - A Haunted Evening of Halloween Classics
8:15pm - The Best of Hans Zimmer
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Within/Earshot Jazz Festival
Family Day at BIMA
Sunday, October 25, 2026, 11:00am
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BIMA’s Fall Family Day swings into a jazzy celebration for the whole family!
Inspired by this month’s Within/Earshot Jazz Festival, this Family Day is unlike any we’ve had before. All day long, the Museum will be abuzz with live music, art making, storytelling, and a movie screening in celebration of jazz and the lasting joy is brings to every generation.
Whether your kids are dancing along to live tunes, getting crafty, settling in for Storytime in the Store, or watching a film together as a family, there’s something for everyone to discover.
Family Day is free and made for kids ages 1-15 and their loved ones. Drop in any time and embrace the music!
FAMILY DAY SCHEDULE:
- 11 am – 3 pm: Jazz Inspired Art Activities & More! (Classroom)
- 11 am: Storytime in the Store
- 11:30 am: The Flamings – BHS Jazz Band (Galleries)
- 12:30 pm: Storytime in the Store
- 1 pm: Mission Drift Jazz (Galleries)
- 2 pm: Soul Movie (Auditorium)
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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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