|
GKC Primary Mixer
Tuesday, July 28, 2026, 5:30pm
| | As Washington's Primary Election approaches, the Greater Kitsap Chamber warmly invites our members to our inaugural GKC Primary Mixer. This is a casual networking event designed to connect local candidates with the Kitsap business community just ahead of the Primary. | |
July Membership Luncheon
Wednesday, July 29, 2026, 11:00am
| | Join us at our July luncheon at Olympic College for "Bingo & BBQ" as we celebrate summer with our annual luncheon benefiting the Greater Kitsap Chamber Foundation and scholarship programs. Enjoy fun games and networking while we fundraise to support foundation programs. | |
|
Chamber: Off the Clock
Tuesday, July 21, 2026, 5:05pm
| RECAP: June Membership Luncheon | |
Our June Luncheon and 2026 Annual meeting provided an opportunity to reflect on the past year and look ahead to the future. Past Board Chair Susan Larsen shared how the Chamber has grown and evolved over the past four years, highlighting key partnerships and GKC advocacy efforts. As we enter our fifth year, we are focused on making it a milestone year and continuing our work to build a stronger Kitsap.
We also recognized our newly appointed board members and two board members renewing their terms of service: Brett Clark (BC Fitness Studio), 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), and Heidi Hartman (Details Property Management).
| |
Accessible Healthcare with NICE
Business Health Trust Has You Covered
| | |
Care Should Keep Up With Full Calendars
Summer and early fall don’t leave much room for healthcare delays. When work is busy, kids are home or heading back to school, and schedules are stretched, a hard-to-use plan can cost more than money. It can cost half a day.
Through our chamber’s partnership with Business Health Trust, members can compare benefits from major carriers and build plans that work better for small teams. Many BHT medical plans also include Nice Healthcare, giving employees a simple first stop for care when something comes up.
With Nice, employees can get same-day help for many common needs, start with virtual care, and get guidance if more support is needed. For everyday concerns, starting with Nice can help avoid an unnecessary urgent care trip and keep the week moving.
🔗 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.
| | |
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!
| |
Missed a previous edition of the Chamber's Community Connections?
View all the past issues on our website HERE.
| | |
New & Renewing Members for June
Thank you for your continued investment & support!
| |
KitsapFest
Saturday, July 11, 2026, 10:00am
| |
Innpowerment: Mastering Prompting for
Small Businesses in the Era of AI
Tuesday, July 21, 2026, 8:00am
| |
Step confidently into the era of AI with this immersive, in‑person workshop designed specifically for small businesses, entrepreneurs, and independent creators. This hands-on experience will help you overcome hesitation, build real skills, and learn how to use AI as a practical, empowering tool for your company or personal projects.
Throughout the session, you’ll work through real small-business scenarios, exploring how AI can support marketing, customer engagement, operations, content creation, and decision-making. You’ll also build your own case study, applying prompting techniques directly to your business needs and learning how to adapt them across multiple AI platforms and models.
This workshop is fully interactive — bring your laptop or smartphone and get ready to practice, experiment, and discover how AI can transform your workflow.
English Edition: Tuesday, July 21 — 8 AM to 12 PM The INN at Gig Harbor Mastering Prompting for Small Businesses in the Era of AI Tickets, Tuesday, July 21 • 8 AM - 12 PM | Eventbrite
Spanish Edition: Tuesday, July 21 — 2 PM to 6 PM The INN at Gig Harbor Taller: Dominando el Prompting para Pequeñas Empresas en la Era de la IA Tickets, Tuesday, July 21 • 2 PM - 6 PM | Eventbrite
| |
Community Reinvestment Program
Small Business Grant Opportunity
Deadline: Friday, July 31, 2026
| |
Changing Faces, Changing Places
Share your business news today
| | |
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.
| | |
Business & Professional Development Committee | | Member Education & Training Resources | | |
SCORE: Polishing Your Business Idea
Wednesday, July 8, 2026, 4:00pm
| |
In this **FREE Webinar**, this session Polishing Your Business Idea provides step-by-step guidance in researching your idea, your market, and your competition.
At the end of the Polishing Your Business Idea webinar, you are able to:
* Identify your target markets
* Describe your products/services
* Collect key competitive information to support your feasibility plan
This is part of the second Workshop Group (Polishing Your Business Idea, Marketing Strategy & Social Media Marketing) in SCORE’s three-part series: Workshop 1 – Small Business Success: Mastering the Essentials, and Workshop Group 3 – Demystifying Financial Foundations, Funding Your Dream & Creating Realistic Financial Projections.
Registration Fee: FREE
| | |
SBDC: Accounting Basics and the Importance of Accounting to Your Business
Thursday, July 9, 2026, 1:00pm
| |
Do you know the difference between bookkeeping and accounting? Are you having trouble understanding what financial statements are? Then you have come to the right place. Sign up for our Accounting Basics class and learn the important information that you need to know about your small business accounting.
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
| |
SCORE: Unleash the Power of LinkedIn
Friday, July 10, 2026, 8:00am
| |
Are you an entrepreneur or small business owner who knows you should be using LinkedIn to market your business but aren't sure where to start? Or maybe you set up a profile ages ago but haven't really done much with it since?
If you think that LinkedIn is just for jobseekers, you're dead wrong! In this hands-on workshop, LinkedIn expert and 5x author Gillian Whitney will break down exactly how to use LinkedIn to attract clients and grow your business without the overwhelm or confusion!
Registration Fee: $10
| | |
CMMC-PNW 2026 Conference
August 17 - August 18, 2026
| | |
The Pacific Northwest’s 3rd Annual Premier Event for CMMC Compliance
CMMC-PNW 2026 is the Pacific Northwest’s most targeted event for defense contractors preparing for CMMC certification. Whether you’re just starting or preparing for Level 2 compliance, this event gives you the clarity and tools to succeed.
What You’ll Learn
-
A realistic first 90 days for companies who just found out they need CMMC
-
How to choose between a cloud enclave, on-prem enclave, or locking down your enterprise
-
How shrinking your CUI footprint can meaningfully reduce your compliance cost and timeline
-
How to recover CMMC costs through indirect cost rates, with evidence that holds up to DCAA
-
How to turn CMMC compliance into a competitive advantage that wins you new contracts
-
How to decide where to invest your CMMC dollars: buy, build, or outsource
| |
Tessera: Intro to Facilities Maintenance
August 31 - November 10, 2026
| |
Business News & Resources | | |
Ballot Fight on WA Income Tax
Looks Certain For November
| |
Published in the Kitsap Sun, July 5, 2026
Photo: Jerry Cornfield/WA State Standard
TUMWATER – Opponents of Washington’s new income tax on high earners turned in more than 500,000 signatures Thursday for an initiative to repeal the levy, nearly double the amount needed to secure a spot on the November ballot.
Let’s Go Washington, the political committee that’s become the state’s leading purveyor of conservative ballot measures, delivered the boxes of petitions for IP26-645 at the secretary of state’s office shortly before 4 p.m.
The initiative seeks to repeal the 9.9% tax on individual and household wage income above $1 million a year, while preserving tax breaks and the expansion of a tax credit program for lower-income families built into the law. It also prohibits local governments from imposing any income tax.
Brian Heywood, the hedge fund manager who leads Let’s Go Washington, told supporters that more than 511,408 signatures would be submitted. If at least 309,000 are valid registered voters, the measure will qualify for the November ballot.
“When you go out and you talk to over half a million people, you hear their voices, you hear what they’re saying,” he said. “Number one is not one single person we talk to believes Olympia when they say this income tax is not coming to them. They know it’s coming for them.”
Read the article here
| |
Merging Carbon Markets
An Important Step in Managing Costs From
WA's Climate Commitment Act
| |
Published by the Association of WA Business, June 25, 2026
OLYMPIA — The Association of Washington Business welcomed today’s signing of an agreement linking carbon markets in Washington, California and Quebec, noting it will bring much-needed stability to the state’s credit market five years after passage of the Climate Commitment Act.
Linking the three credit markets is one of several reforms AWB has supported to improve operations of the state’s carbon market while continuing to make progress toward the state’s climate goals. At the same time, linkage alone will not fully address the long-term challenges facing the program.
“Linking these markets is an important step toward improving the affordability and stability of the Climate Commitment Act,” said Peter Godlewski, AWB government affairs director for energy, environment and water policy. “But today’s news should not reduce the urgency for lawmakers to continue looking for ways to refine the program."
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. | | |
Workplace Rights Refresher:
Independent Contractors
| | |
Now, if someone is truly an independent contractor, they won’t be an employee. However, there are a lot of misconceptions about what makes someone an independent contractor in Washington state. In part, that’s because the IRS and the state have different criteria. Someone who’s received a 1099 form may be a contractor to the IRS, but not to the state.
To be an independent contractor in Washington state, a person would have to pass one of the independent contractor tests. One of the tests is the “personal labor test.” If a worker isn’t able to pass that, then we have what’s called the “6-part and 7-part test.” It’s a series of six conditions that all must be true, plus a seventh condition that applies to construction. They are:
- Be free from your control or direction.
- Must pass one of the following three options:
- The service is outside the usual course of business.
- The service is performed outside all of the places of business.
- The individual is responsible for the costs of the principal place of business from which the service is performed.
- Must pass 1 of the following 2 options: The individual:
- Is customarily engaged in an independently established trade, occupation, profession, or business, of the same nature as that involved in the contract of service.
- Has a principal place of business that is eligible for a business deduction for IRS purposes.
- The individual is responsible for filing a schedule of expenses with the IRS.
-
The individual has established an account with the Department of Revenue and other state agencies as required.
- The individual is maintaining a separate set of books or records that reflect all items of income and expenses.
- (For construction only) The individual is properly registered as a contractor or has a valid electrical contractor license.
Want to learn more? Check out these resources:
| | Nonprofit News & Resources | | Bridging Four Critical AI Gaps Can Unlock Stronger Results for Nonprofits | | |
Published by NonprofitPro, June 29, 2026
Photo: ipopba/Getty Images
The Blackbaud Institute, a research lab at Blackbaud, a provider of AI‑powered solutions for social impact, released new research that delivers a clear framework for intentional AI adoption to support the social impact sector’s ability to maintain financial resilience, grow donor confidence, and continue responding to pressing societal needs despite constrained resources.
The report, Bridging the AI Effectiveness Gap: New Research on What Drives AI Impact and Trust in the Social Sector, draws on surveys from thousands of social impact professionals and donors to identify what separates organizations that are seeing real results from AI from those that are not.
While 85% of social impact professionals report using AI at work, only about 33% believe their organization is using it very effectively. The research reveals a clear divide between a small group of “AI‑Adaptive” organizations—the 10% of organizations at the top of the AI maturity scale that have moved beyond experimentation to systemic, governed AI use—and the majority of organizations that are still applying AI in fragmented, individual ways. The AI‑Adaptive organizations are realizing significant dividends on their AI investment, consistently reporting stronger outcomes tied to long‑term sector health, including revenue growth, donor retention and staff productivity.
Read the article here
| |
Navy, Suquamish Tribe Deal Addresses
Fishing Rights Impact From Dry Dock Project
| |
Published in the Kitsap Sun, July 4, 2026
Photo courtesy of the Suquamish Tribe
The Suquamish Tribe and the Navy have signed an agreement to address impacts to the Tribe’s treaty-reserved fishing rights that the Navy's 12-year plan to build a multi-mission dry dock at Sinclair Inlet could cause.
Under the agreement, the Navy will provide the Tribe with funding to compensate Tribal fishers and members for the loss of access to Sinclair Inlet for fishing and cultural purposes, according to a statement from the Suquamish Tribe.
Also, the Navy will contribute funding for infrastructure, operations, and educational program improvements at the Gorst Creek Salmon Facility, support the construction of a shellfish hatchery, and assist the Tribe in reacquiring fractionated trust allotments at Doe-Keg-Wats, an ancestral village and site of profound cultural and ecological significance to the Suquamish people, according to the statement.
Read the article here
| | |
The Coffee Oasis: Tacoma Rainiers Game
Saturday, July 18, 2026, 6:05pm
| Bring your family, friends, church group, or coworkers and enjoy a great night at the ballpark while supporting local youth through The Coffee Oasis. | |
|
Kitsap Pride Festival 2026
Saturday, July 18, 2026, 3:00pm
| | |
Clearwater Casino Presents:
Celebrating Celine - Celine Dion Tribute
Thursday, July 9, 2026, 7:00pm
| | |
Atomic Punks - Early Van Halen Tribute
Friday, July 10, 2026, 8:30pm
| |
New Sensation - Inxs Tribute
Saturday, July 11, 2026, 8:30pm
| |
|
Port Gamble Theater Presents: Rumors
July 10 - July 26, 2026
| "Prepare for an uproarious evening of laughter and chaos with Neil Simon's timeless farce, 'Rumors.' Set against the backdrop of a glamorous dinner party hosted by a deputy mayor and his wife, the play takes a wild and unexpected turn, leading to a cascade of comedic misunderstandings and absurd situations. Neil Simon's genius for crafting witty dialogue and his unparalleled sense of comedic timing come to life on the stage, promising audiences a night filled with belly laughs and sheer entertainment. As the mystery unravels, so does the hilarity, making 'Rumors' a must-see theatrical experience that will leave you in stitches. Join us for a riotous journey into the world of upscale chaos, where rumors fly, and the laughter never stops!" | |
Bremerton Air Show 2026
July 11 - July 12, 2026
| | |
Kitsap Water Trails "Ride the Tide"
Saturday, July 18, 2026, 8:00am
| RTT is the annual Kitsap Peninsula National Water Trail (KPNWT) Paddle that is held each year to bring attention to our 371 mile National water trail. The Ride the Tide paddle is about eight tide assisted miles and will take 2-3 hours to complete. Starting at the Tracyton, WA Boat Ramp, we will paddle south through the Port Washington Narrows and past Bremerton with the current and finish at the Farmers Market in downtown Port Orchard, WA. | |
Whaling Days 2026
July 24 - July 26, 2026
| | |
Kitsap Rock & Blues Music Festival
July 31 - August 1, 2026
| |
Stay in the know with what's happening for events
in Central Kitsap by checking out and liking the
| | |
Have something to share? CLICK HERE to submit stories and
events for our weekly Community Connections!
| | |
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.
| | | | |
