Wednesday, August 12, 2026 | |
Save-the-Date: GKC Business Awards Gala
Friday, December 11, 2026, 5:30pm
| | Join us for an evening celebrating Kitsap's Northern Lights and honoring the businesses, nonprofits, events, and leaders whose dedication to our community truly shines. | |
August Membership Luncheon
Wednesday, August 26, 2026, 11:00am
| | Join us for our annual New Member Showcase on August 26th at the Kitsap Conference Center. This month's Luncheon is focused on connecting with new businesses who have joined the Chamber in the last year and learning how to maximize your Chamber membership. Hear from a panel of networking pros and gain insights into fostering meaningful business relationships and collaboration across Kitsap County. | |
Chamber: Off the Clock
Tuesday, August 18, 2026, 5:05pm
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Accessible Healthcare with NICE
Business Health Trust Has You Covered
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Less downtime is a benefits strategy.
When care is slow, employees wait. They miss work. They delay treatment. They head to urgent care because it feels like the only available option.
Business Health Trust helps chamber members offer benefits that are built for real life. Members can access broad plan choice and the buying power of a statewide association health plan, helping small and mid-sized employers compete with stronger benefits.
Many BHT medical plans also include Nice Healthcare at $0, with no copays or deductibles for Nice visits. Employees can use Nice for common illnesses, minor injuries, stress, physical therapy needs, and ongoing concerns. Faster access means people can get help sooner, ask questions earlier, and spend less time navigating the system.
🔗 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! | |
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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Business & Professional Development Committee | | Member Education & Training Resources | | |
SBDC: Smart Cash Management
Fueling Your Business Forward
Thursday, August 13, 2026, 1:00pm
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Cash flow is the lifeblood of every successful business, and managing it effectively can mean the difference between growth and stagnation. In this webinar, we will break down the fundamentals of cash flow and equip you with practical strategies to strengthen your financial position.
Participants will gain a clear understanding of how cash moves through a business, learn to identify common cash flow challenges, and explore both operational and strategic techniques to improve liquidity and stability. We’ll also introduce a forecasting tool that can help you plan ahead with confidence and make informed decisions.
Whether you're looking to stabilize your current operations or position your business for growth, this session will provide actionable insights and tools to help you take control of your cash flow and drive your business forward.
The instructor, Ann Zimmerman, is a Washington SBDC Certified Business Advisor. She earned her BA in Accounting from Western Washington University and received her Master’s degree in Accounting and Tax from Washington State University. Ann has over thirty years of experience in business and has worked in various industries, including retail, construction services, manufacturing, healthcare, and not-for-profit.
Registration Fee: FREE
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SCORE: Legal Basics for Small Business
Tuesday, August 18, 2026, 8:00am
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This **Comprehensive Webinar** will give you the basics to help you comply with Federal, state and local laws, and minimize your legal risks in your daily transactions.
This webinar focuses on the following topics that are key in the life of a small business owner: SCORE Kansas City has recruited a team of legal experts who will educate you as to how to minimize your legal risks!
Key Topics covered:
* Selecting and forming a legal entity for your business
* How to bring in co-owners
* Creating governing documents, LLC Operating Agreement or Corporation Shareholder’s Agreement
* Employer/Employee Law – Keeping on the right side of Employment Law?
* Employee vs. independent contractor issues
* Leasing property – pitfalls to avoid
* Insurance – Do you need it and what types of insurance should you consider?
* Doing business in other states
* Operating your business over the Internet
* Intellectual property: Patents, Trademarks, and Trade Names
Registration Fee: $10
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CMMC-PNW 2026 Conference
August 17 - August 18, 2026
| | With a $7 to $10 billion Navy dry dock headed to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and RFPs releasing this fall, a majority of regional subcontractors will soon need to show CMMC readiness to compete for that work. CMMC-PNW 2026 is a two-day conference built to help Pacific Northwest contractors understand exactly what is required and how to turn compliance into a competitive advantage. Sessions cut through the myths, decode the flow-down rule, lay out realistic paths to getting compliant, and put primes on stage to tell subcontractors directly what they check for. Attendees leave with a concrete action plan or find a solution provider that can get them across the finish line. It runs August 17-18, 2026 at the Clearwater Casino Resort in Suquamish, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM both days. Tickets are $159 and include breakfast and lunch both days, plus a happy hour and dinner Monday evening. | | |
SBDC: Don't Burn Your Brand
Intellectual Property for Food Businesses
Thursday, August 20, 2026, 11:00am
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Are you a restaurateur? A chef? A food truck operator? Do you want to learn how IP rights can help you protect your business? If so, this free, virtual event is a must-attend! Join a trademark attorney from the United States Patent and Trademark Office for an overview of trademarks, patents, copyrights, and trade secrets in the food-service industry. You’ll learn about each of these intellectual property rights and how to use them to protect what makes your restaurant special.
Jason Lott is the Managing Attorney for Trademarks Customer Outreach at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), where he specializes in helping small business owners understand trademarks and the federal trademark registration process. He conceptualizes and delivers educational content using live presentations, creative videos, and other multimedia platforms. He also presents to experienced practitioners on advanced trademark topics, providing them the tools and expertise to better serve their clients. Jason began his career at the USPTO in 2000 as a trademark examining attorney.
Registration Fee: FREE
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Business News & Resources | | What CEMA Means for Businesses | |
Published in by the WA Retail Association, August 6, 2026
Photo courtesy of WA Retail Association
Recent litigation involving Washington’s Commercial Electronic Mail Act (CEMA) is a reminder that the state’s commercial email law has broad implications for businesses that rely on digital marketing. While the lawsuit focused on promotional email subject lines, the larger issue extends well beyond any single company.
Enacted to protect consumers from deceptive commercial email practices, CEMA allows recipients to seek statutory damages when qualifying emails contain false or misleading subject lines. Following a 2025 Washington Supreme Court decision, businesses across a wide range of industries experienced a sharp increase in litigation over routine marketing language, even in cases where the content of the email accurately reflected the promotion.
Read the article here
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Employers Reminded of Workplace Heat
and Wildfire Smoke Protections
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Published in by the WA Retail Association, August 6, 2026
Photo courtesy of WA Retail
Association
As summer temperatures rise and wildfire season continues, employers across Washington should review workplace safety requirements related to extreme heat and wildfire smoke exposure.
The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) has rules in place to help protect employees who may be exposed to outdoor heat and unhealthy air quality conditions. While some industries may have limited outdoor exposure, businesses with employees who work outside, in vehicles, or in areas affected by poor air quality should ensure they understand their responsibilities.
Washington’s outdoor heat exposure rules require employers to take steps to protect workers during periods of elevated temperatures, including providing adequate water, access to shade or other cooling measures, and training employees and supervisors on heat-related illness prevention.
Employers must also follow wildfire smoke requirements when air quality reaches unhealthy levels. These rules include monitoring air quality conditions, communicating hazards to employees, and taking appropriate steps to reduce exposure when wildfire smoke affects the workplace.
L&I provides resources to help employers prepare and comply with these requirements, including guidance on heat illness prevention and wildfire smoke safety.
Employers can review heat safety requirements and training resources at L&I’s Be Heat Smart webpage.
Additional information on wildfire smoke protections is available through L&I’s wildfire smoke safety resources.
Taking proactive steps can help businesses avoid potential penalties while supporting a safe work environment for employees during challenging summer conditions.
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. | | |
What an Accident Prevention Program Is
and Why Every Employer Needs One
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Every employer in Washington state is required to create and maintain a written Accident Prevention Program (APP) to address safety and health hazards in the workplace. Many employers consider their APP to be the cornerstone of their overall safety program, but what exactly is an APP, and why is it so essential?
What Is an Accident Prevention Program?
An Accident Prevention Program is a plan of action that involves both workers and management in maintaining a safe workplace. An effective APP identifies and controls workplace hazards and clearly outlines procedures for responding to injuries, unsafe conditions, and workplace emergencies. By proactively addressing risks, employers can prevent accidents before they occur and ensure that, when incidents do happen, they are handled consistently and appropriately. You must establish, supervise, and enforce your accident prevention program in a manner that is effective in practice.
Why Do You Need an APP?
Under the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) every employer is required to have an APP. During a DOSH inspection, employers may face citations and monetary penalties if serious hazards are identified and no APP exists or if the APP has major deficiencies.
Beyond regulatory compliance, an APP plays a critical role in improving workplace safety. A well-designed program helps prevent costly injuries and keeps employees healthy and working. APPs can also help control industrial insurance (workers’ compensation) costs. Since an employer’s premium rates are influenced by injury claims, preventing accidents can directly benefit a business’s bottom line.
What Should Be Included in an APP?
For many employers, a General Industry or Small Business APP template will meet basic requirements. However, because every workplace is different, APPs must be tailored to the specific hazards and operations of each business, and additional elements may be required depending on the industry.
At a minimum, all Accident Prevention Programs must be:
• Written and available to employees
• Customized to the specific worksite and tasks performed
• Inclusive of employee safety orientation and ongoing training
• Supported by safety meetings or a safety committee, as required
• Actively implemented, supervised, and enforced
How Do You Know If Your APP Is Effective?
An APP is considered effective when regular and predictable hazards are
identified and addressed, and when serious or recurring injuries are not
occurring. L&I offers a wide range of tools and support to help employers build
and maintain effective APPs.
To learn more and access L&I’s resources, visit: Lni.wa.gov/safety-health/preventing-injuries-illnesses/create-a-safetyprogram/accident-prevention-program
| | Nonprofit News & Resources | |
Community Conversations: Estate Planning 101
Wednesday, August 12, 2026, 2:30pm
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Presented by Tina O'Brien, MNPL, CAP, CEO of Kitsap Community Foundation, and Jon Allen, VP of Business Development & Distribution at Vanbridge and Heritage + Kitsap Bank. Jon's career spans more than twenty-five years with significant experience in advanced planning using creative solutions in an ever-changing tax environment.
Jon and Tina will use a broad scope of knowledge grounded in a consultative, planning-based philosophy to walk attendees through:
- Why estate planning matters — and why so many of us put it off
- The four estate planning documents everyone should have
- Wills, and how they help you maintain control of your assets during your lifetime
- Trusts, and how they can save on taxes while passing down assets
- Donor-advised funds, which offer an immediate tax benefit while letting you support causes on your own timeline
- How to create your will for free in just 20 minutes
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Building Nonprofit Policies and
Procedures That Safeguard Your Mission
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Published by NonprofitPro, August 4, 2026
Photo: Getty Images/JGI/Jamie Grill
Nonprofit leadership tends to lead with the heart and often overlooks the fact that nonprofits are businesses. They can be so focused on serving a community need in the short term that they miss important steps successful businesses must take to ensure they are protected in the long term.
It’s not an intentional oversight. Many organizations begin as volunteer-only with everyone consumed by getting the mission up and running and establishing day-to-day operations. Then, it’s all about growth and filling an important need. Down the road, when the organization has more staff, upscaled operations and is well-known in the community, a lack of rules, guidelines and structure can leave it open to a whole host of complications.
Preparing your nonprofit for sustainability is not just a financial exercise. Well-drafted nonprofit policies and procedures provide a blueprint for how your organization is run. In an industry with a lot of turnover, the right documentation also ensures everyone understands what is expected of them prior to coming on board. When problems arise, leadership doesn’t have to scramble for solutions, because those solutions will be written down.
Before I was in the nonprofit sector, I worked at a major financial corporation in a role that, at one point, focused almost entirely on paperwork, compliance and documentation. It was total overkill, but, 10 years later, I have found myself on a crusade to promote — of all things — the importance of paperwork, compliance and documentation.
I have seen many nonprofits face potential legal, reputational, structural and other serious risks that could have been avoided by having proper policies and procedures in place before a crisis hits.
Read the article here
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Ferry Construction Begins in Florida
on WA's New Hybrid-Electric Vessels
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Published in the WA State Standard, August 5, 2026
Photo: Tom Banse
Top brass from Washington State Ferries gathered Wednesday at a shipyard in Panama City, Florida, for a maritime ceremony that has been all too rare lately for the agency. They celebrated the cutting of the first steel for a new boat, the first of three new hybrid-electric ferries.
The state ferry system urgently needs new vessels to replace aging ferries that are past or very near retirement age. This is the first new ferryboat for the fleet to enter construction in more than a decade. Still, the cheaper out-of-state assembly work is generating ongoing static back home.
“Today’s steel cutting makes the future of Washington State Ferries tangible and marks a major milestone for our entire region,” ferries chief Steve Nevey said at Eastern Shipbuilding Group’s shipyard. “Washington is making a long-term investment in reliable ferry service and a modern, sustainable fleet.”
Nevey concluded his remarks by cheerfully giving the command, “Let’s cut steel!” That was the signal to a shipyard worker off to the side to slice into a heavy steel plate destined for the hull. The dignitaries watched from behind a yellow line as sparks flew. It was the maritime equivalent of a groundbreaking.
Read the article here
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State Money Going Away for Extra
Bremerton-Seattle Fast Ferry Runs
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Published in the Kitsap Sun, August 7, 2026
Photo: Meegan M. Reid/Kitsap Sun
Kitsap Transit's Bremerton-to-Seattle fast ferry will drop seven round trips each weekday beginning in September, due to an expiration in state funding that buoyed an expansion of service the past three and a half years.
The reductions will affect four morning round trips and three evening trips, including late-night runs on the passenger-only vessels that can cross Puget Sound in about 30 minutes. The agency has announced a new daily schedule that will begin on Sept. 1, with 13 weekday round-trip sailings to Colman Dock. The schedule retains the 10 runs on Saturdays, though the weekend service does not run through the winter, from October through April.
The round-trip departures from Bremerton that will be eliminated are at 8:35, 9:15, 9:50 and 10:25 in the morning, and evening runs at 6:20, 7:40 and 9 p.m. Starting Sept. 1, the last sailing from Bremerton will be at 7:10, and the final return trip of the day will sail at 7:40 p.m. from Seattle.
Read the article here
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Port Orchard Concerts by the Bay
Thursday, August 13, 2026, 6:30pm
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Music in the Square
Monday, August 17, 2026, 6:00pm
| | Join the Downtown Bremerton Association for a summer music series in Quincy Square with a line-up of local musicians and an open mic set up. | |
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Kitsap County Fair & Stampede
August 26 - August 30, 2026
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Kitsap History Museum
History Uncorked: Battleships & Brownies
Thursday, August 27, 2026, 7:00pm
| | Enoch City Arts theater will bring the WWII story of North Platte, Nebraska to the stage this September in celebration of communities that contributed to the wartime success, as Bremerton, Washington, did. North Platte and Bremerton—two communities whose contributions to World War II were vastly different but equally vital. Learn how one town boosted the morale of millions of servicemen while the other kept the Pacific Fleet fighting. | | |
Clearwater Casino Presents:
Abbagraphs - Abba Tribute
Friday, August 14, 2026, 8:30pm
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Anuhea
Saturday, August 15, 2026, 7:00pm
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Spike and the Impalers - Rock
Saturday, August 15, 2026, 8:30pm
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Bainbridge Performing Arts
William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night"
August 8 - August 23, 2026
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Set in the curious, sun-drenched world of Illyria, a place where logic loosens its grip and desire refuses to stay in neat boxes, Twelfth Night unfolds as one of Shakespeare’s most exquisitely constructed comedies. At its heart is a story that explores gender constructs, the gap between who we are and how we are seen, and the porous boundaries between friendship, attraction, and love.
By turns riotously funny and quietly aching, Twelfth Night balances farce with emotional depth, and presents its audience with a play in which perception is thrown delightfully off balance, love and desire are allowed to move in unexpected directions, and everyone becomes just a little bit undone.
Great for teens and adults; family-friendly, with Shakespeare’s language made welcoming for devoted Shakespeare lovers and first-time audiences alike.
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2026 Blackberry Festival
September 5 - September 7, 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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