Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal October 2014

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Their impact on the region’s economy and quality of life

The Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal Post Office Box 259 Bremerton, WA 98337

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Nonprofits as employers October 2014 Vol. 27 No. 10

Est. 1988

An edition of the Kitsap Sun

2 |OCTOBER 2014

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Business Calendar Oct. 2 Understanding Credit and Credit Reports Class offered through Kitsap Community Resources and hosted by Peninsula Credit Union.

Where: Peninsula Credit Union, 25992 Barber Cut-off Road, Poulsbo When: 5:30-7 p.m.

Info: kcr.org Oct. 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31 Bainbridge Business Connections A free business networking event and a support community to help make business connections.

Where: Event room, Office Xpats, Bainbridge Island When: 7:30-9 a.m.

Info: bainbridgebusiness connection.com Oct. 7, 14, 21, 28 Wordpress for Your Business Site Workshops for WordPress are back for Tuesdays@noon in October. Oct. 7 is “Getting Started,” with Annette Walker; Oct. 14 is “Menus, widgets and plugins,” with Jeff Logan; Oct. 21 is “Getting Found and Being Useful (SEO and content strategy),” with Annette Walker; Oct. 28 is “Security and Maintenance (or TBD).”

Where: Bainbridge Cinemas, Bainbridge Island When: noon-1 p.m.

Info: eventbrite.com/e/wordpress-for-your-business-sitetickets Oct. 7, 21, 28 Good Morning, Kitsap County Silverdale Chamber members are invited to this morning coffee Q&A session featuring a different business professional each time.

Where: Hop Jack’s, Silverdale When: 7:30-9 a.m.

Info: silverdalechamber.com Oct. 9 Port Orchard Chamber Luncheon The guest speaker this month will be Karolyn Grimes, better known as Zuzu from “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

Where: McCormick Woods Clubhouse, Port Orchard When: 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

Info: portorchard.com

Oct. 10 Salmon Docent Training Learn about culturally, traditionally and economically important salmon species in Kitsap County. Ecologically, traditionally, and commercially important, salmon are iconic in our region and influence how we manage our waters and landscape. Salmon experts Paul Dorn (Suquamish Tribe) and Kathy Peters (Kitsap County) share their experience and knowledge of species and issues affecting salmon in the Salish Sea. Where: Norm Dicks Government Center, Bremerton When: 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Info: brownpapertickets. com/event/817367, lrillie@ co.kitsap.wa.us or 360-3377157 x 3244 Oct. 11 Direct Marketing 101 Event information and speakers cover “Truth and Myths,” “Tax Advantages and Record Keeping with Home-Based Business,” “Building Your Business and How & Where to Network,” and more.

Where: Best Western Silverdale Beach Hotel, 3073 NW Bucklin Hill Road, Silverdale When: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Cost: Free, please register Info: mary@marywestnetwork.com Oct. 14 Three Spheres of Sustainability: People, Profit and Planet Kitsap Business Forum presents this discussion panel with local business leaders.

The discussion will be interactive and cover all three spheres and how they relate to entrepreneurs, small businesses and large companies.

Please RSVP or register.

Where: Doctors Clinic Conference Room, 2011 Myhre Road Suite 301, Silverdale When: 7:30 to 9 a.m.

Info: 360-692-6800, kitsapbusinessforum.com Oct. 16 Western Washington Summit Join West Sound Technology Association for a candid discussion about the opportunities and challenges as Washington schools strive to enhance learning for all stu-

dents. The keynote speaker will be Renee Radcliff Sinclair of Apple Inc.’s Strategic Initiatives.

Where: Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort When: 10:30 a.m.

Cost: $40-$50 Info: westsoundtechnology.

org/events/upcoming-events/ oct-16-summit Oct. 21 Bremerton Chamber Luncheon with Special Guest Gov. Jay Inslee The October lunch features the governor as the speaker.

The event is open to all area chamber members.

Where: Kitsap Conference Center, Bremerton When: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

Info: bremertonchamber.org Oct. 22 Edward Jones Financial

Coffee Club Every fourth Wednesday of the month join Donald Logan for a discussion on current financial topics, trends and ideas.

Where: Edward Jones, Silverdale When: 8:15 a.m.

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OCTOBER 2014 | 3

ON THE COVER

FROM THE EDITOR | DAIVD NELSON

Staff at the front reception area help members check in at the Haselwood YMCA in Silverdale. Photo by Meegan M. Reid.

The community profits we get from nonprofits

T

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE • HR columnist Julie Tappero on volunteering at nonprofits, 4

•

REI walks the walk on supporting community, 6 • Disability Employment Awareness Month, 8

here it was, on the drive into work last week — the first pledge drive of the season.

I listen to KEXP, an independent Seattle station, and I actually don’t mind their annual fall ask. They keep the drive short, and to the point, and the deejays come across with a message that makes me feel like I’m contributing to a community rather than being shamed into giving.

But the radio spots always remind me that our local nonprofit community also tends to gear up this time of year. The United Way’s annual drive has kicked off, and holiday campaigns — including the Sun’s Bellringer — are right around the corner.

I think this is the connection many people have with nonprofit organizations, associating their name with the annual letter in the mail or social media request

or a friend hitting you up to help. In this edition of the Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal, we’re trying to point out another aspect, one that may not always come to mind — the impact our nonprofit community has on the county’s economy.

Nonprofits may depend on donors to do much of their work, but that doesn’t mean they are all run by volunteer labor. From the YMCA to the United Way, there is paid staff that make these organizations run well, and jobs that stem from all corners of the peninsula.

We focus so much energy discussing private business development or public sector employment levels here that, it seems to me, nonprofits aren’t necessarily seen for the impact beyond their stated mission. It’s a vibrant workforce that’s producing human capital, doing job training, putting money back into our retail and property tax rolls, and getting jobs done across the peninsula, as Rodika Tollefson explains in this issue.

So while it may soon be time to give monetarily, it’s perhaps also time to learn more about how significant this sector is to keeping Kitsap humming.

The fall also brings with it a Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal tradition that we’re putting a slightly new spin on. This year the “40 Under 40” will become “20 Under 40,” our way to continue the practice of highlighting the area’s young business leaders, but with a spotlight that can shine a little brighter because the stage is less full.

We’ve just concluded the selection process of our honorees, and we sincerely appreciate that nearly 100 businessmen and women were nominated this year. We’ll toast them and their accomplishments in the November edition of KPBJ, as well as at an event on Nov. 5 in Poulsbo. There’s more information at www.kpbj.com, and we look forward to recognizing another class of emerging leaders.

The Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal is published by the Kitsap Sun the first week of every month, and distributed to business addresses through Kitsap County, North Mason and Gig Harbor.

Brent Morris, Publisher brent.morris@kitsapsun.com David Nelson, Editorial Director david.nelson@kitsapsun.com Tim Kelly, Managing Editor tim.kelly@kitsapsun.com editor@kpbj.com

Mike Stevens, Marketing Director mstevens@kitsapsun.com Jeremy Judd, Digital Director jeremy.judd@kitsapsun.com For inquires to receive the Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal at your business, contact Circulation Sales Director Hugh Hirata at 360-7925247 or hugh.hirata@kitsapsun.com.

To advertise in the Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal, contact Michael Stevens at 360-7923350.

TO SUBMIT NEWS: Tim Kelly, Managing Editor tim.kelly@kitsapsun.com 360.377-3711, ext. 5359 Standard mail postage to be paid at Bremerton, WA POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Kitsap Sun, PO Box 259, Bremerton, WA 98337-1413 © 2014 Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal / Kitsap Sun ISSN 1050-3692 VOLUME 27, NO. 10

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NONPROFITS

‘Mission-driven’ organizations endure, provide jobs

By Rodika Tollefson KPBJ contributor Since Haselwood Family YMCA opened in Silverdale in 2011, growth has been steady at the facility — even through the recession. When the 85,000-square-foot branch opened, it added more than 200 jobs, and now that number is closer to 300.

“We’ve navigated the recession very, very well,” executive director Geoff Ball said.

“We feel like we’re in the right place at the right time. Our members tell us Kitsap County is healthier because we’re here.”

The branch is run more like a typical business — operations are self-supported through membership fees (while fundraising is done for outreach programs and financial assistance to members in need).

But there is a core difference from forprofit enterprises.

“We’re mission-driven and that’s why we’re sustainable,” Ball said.

Typical jobs at the branch range from lifeguards and swim instructors to youth programs and custodial staff. The majority of staff are part-time and many positions are filled by teens who come to the Y for their first jobs. Part-timers have complimentary gym membership and fulltime employees receive additional benefits that include medical coverage, life insurance and retirement plans.

Because there are seven other branches within the YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap Counties — and because of turnover in Kitsap due to the transient nature of a military area — employees have many opportunities for advancement.

While nonprofits typically pay less than the for-profit sector, an entry-level job as

A Sampling of Kitsap County’s Largest Private Nonprofits (Numbers based on jobs and gross wages/benefits, compiled from the organizations’ 2012 IRS 990 forms, except as indicated) Organization Jobs (P-T, F-T) Harrison Medical Center (2013 filing) 2,682 Skookum Educational Services 1,143 Martha & Mary* 809 Kitsap Community Resources 607 Kitsap Mental Health (2013 filing) 438 YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap Counties (Kitsap only, not including benefits) 433 Kitsap Credit Union 418 Paratransit Services 321 Islandwood 184 Peninsula Community Health Services 173 Peninsula Services 171 Holly Ridge Center 150 Communitas Group 141 Hospice of Kitsap County 106 Community and Family Services Foundation 86 Admiral Theatre 83 Kitsap Humane Society 72 Total

a program director at the Y pays $34,000 a year — a level that Ball says is competitive, considering that the average new teacher salary paid by many school districts is in the $20,000-plus range.

In August alone, total paid hours at the Haselwood Y added up to 17,000, for a gross payroll of $210,000 — more than $2 million per year. In total, the Y employs

Volunteering at a nonprofit can provide valuable experience

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$4,346,362 $17,649,686 $9,009,409 $3,826,776 $10,283,345 $5,141,060 $3,072,336 $2,533,542 $4,348,896 $1,520,300 $675,594 $1,609,911 $325,899,890

* (includes Health, Childrens, Home & Community Services, Lutheran Services)

HUMAN RESOURCES | JULIE TAPPERO

ne of the biggest challenges for people early on in their careers is getting experience in their profession.

Most job postings include the number of years experience required for that job.

Someone just out of school, be it high school or college, often lacks the required years of experience to get that first position. With the tight economy we’ve been experiencing, companies have had the luxury of choosing from a highly experienced talent pool, and educated but inexperienced job seekers found it particularly difficult to land those first opportunities.

I’ve also seen people who need to make a

8,017

Wages and benefits $178,757,303 $41,743,887 $15,448,335 $7,549,052 $19,059,690

career change, but lack the practical work experience required to do it.

My daughter found herself in this position when she graduated from college in the midst of the recession. Like so many others in her generation, she was faced with some very difficult times. Her solution was to join AmeriCorps. For the next three years she was a stipended volunteer, first for the King County Housing Authority, then for the American Red Cross.

She gained valuable work experience for her resumé while she made real contributions to these nonprofits. By building her resumé and waiting out the economy, she was able to springboard off the experiences she’d gained to get a paid career position. Along the way, she also developed

433 people in Kitsap County, for a combined payroll of nearly $4.35 million.

“We are not an inconsequential player,” Ball said. “We’re an influence in the local economy.”

The Y is like a typical large nonprofit in the county. While some depend on grants and charitable donations to provide services, many are run like for-profit entermany professional relationships that she will be able to utilize as time goes on.

As budgets tightened over the last years, nonprofits have had to do more with less.

This has meant they’ve had to rely even more on volunteer labor rather than paid staff. And the flipside is that people like me have been encouraging the unemployed and the underemployed to fill gaps in their resumés and augment their work experience by volunteering for nonprofits.

Research by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) confirms that I was completely right to encourage people to build their work experience through volunteering. Its study showed that volunteers were 27 percent more likely to find a job after being unemployed than non-volunteers. Even more important, those without high school diplomas were 51 percent more likely to find a job if they volunteered.

Careers also can be enhanced by utilizing nonprofit volunteering as a stretch assignment for staff members. If you have employees you would like to have get some experience of a certain type in order

prises — funded through their own feebased programs and services. Unlike forprofit businesses, however, these organizations must invest any excess funds right back into the community.

Although many of the 1,600-plus nonprofits in the county have little or no paid staff, the county’s top 17 private nonprofits provide more than 8,000 full-time and part-time jobs, for a total of more than $325 million in annual gross wages and benefits. Harrison Medical Center, by far the largest nonprofit entity in the region, accounts for more than half that amount.

BRINGING MONEY INTO KITSAP The grant-funded organizations provide a major boost to the economy because they bring in outside money.

“We attract grants and contracts from outside of Kitsap and spend it all here employing people, which is our largest cost,” said Larry Eyer, executive director of Kitsap Community Resources.

KCR employs about 600 people, with the most typical jobs in early learning, including teachers, teacher assistants and family development specialists. KCR offers the typical benefits such as vacation, disability insurance and medical.

The organization’s funding mix includes grants, fee-based services and private donations through fundraising. In addition to jobs, KCR’s contribution to the economy includes payments to landlords, fuel vendors and contractors on behalf of clients, along with more than $2 million to grocery stores annually through the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program.

Asked what attracts people to work at SEE NONPROFITS | 5

to promote them or move them into another position, or to help them grow, but are unable to give them the experience in your own business, giving them the opportunity to volunteer can be a great way to do it. Nonprofits need all types of help, from administrative, event planning, marketing, public relations, human resources, strategic planning, financial advising, etc.

It’s also an opportunity to be mentored by professionals outside of one’s own circle and to network with a diverse group of people. For example, volunteering to be the assistant treasurer of an organization can be an opportunity to work with a trained CPA and learn more in-depth information about accounting and GAAP. This also can be an opportunity to learn whether accounting is a suitable career path, without taking an expensive turn off the current road.

The other benefit is that volunteering widens the volunteer’s network in general.

For the job seeker or the working professional, having a wider network increases either the chances of finding work, or the circle of influence when they’re looking for SEE VOLUNTEERING | 6

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OCTOBER 2014 | 5 subsectors.

The Johns Hopkins study found that between 2000 and 2010, the nonprofit sector saw job growth all across the country while for-profit employment has declined in all but the Mountain and Pacific regions. Even during the recession, nonprofit employment grew by about 1.9 percent while for-profit employment declined by 3.7 percent.

MEEGAN M. REID

A senior cardio class works out with Katy Marquis, health and well-being director at the YMCA in Silverdale. non prof its | f rom 4

nonprofits such as KCR, considering the typically lower wages compared with jobs at for-profit companies, Eyer said they tend to attract compassionate people who are passionate about KCR’s mission to help low-income people become self-sufficient.

“These are good, solid jobs. In a community where a quarter of residents need to go outside of the community to get jobs, these are good jobs, with good benefits, close to home,” he said.

In addition to outside grants, many of the local nonprofits in the health and human services sector also bring in federal funds such as Medicaid.

“We’re essentially a return on one’s tax dollars.

That money would not be here without agencies like ours in existence,” said Joe Roszak, CEO of Kitsap Mental Health Services.

“We also infuse the community with money from outside of the community in the way of grants and contracts, and it’s a winwin because that money is used to improve the community.”

Due to the expansion of the Medicaid program following the implementation of the Affordable Health Care Act, KMHS added staff this year. It currently employs 439 people (at the average non-exempt rate of $19.91 per hour), compared with 364 in 2013. It paid more than $19 million in gross wages and benefits in 2013.

In addition to more common benefits such as paid personal and disability leave, retirement and life/disability insurance, KMHS offers an extensive sabbatical program and an attractive medical coverage — both full- and parttime employees only pay 5 percent (under $30) of the monthly medical premium for their own coverage, and only 10 and 20 percent, respectively, for dependents.

“Our benefits package is very impressive. Folks fail to appreciate and understand the true value of benefits until they look elsewhere,” Roszak said.

Roszak points out that Kitsap Mental Health undergoes high financial scrutiny, going through more than 20 audits each year.

“We have to operate like a business because failure to do so means failure to deliver on our mission and we, as an enterprise, would collapse,” he said.

A Resilient Sector

Nationwide, in 2010 the nonprofit sector was the third-largest private employer, after retail and manufacturing, employing an estimated 10.7 million people, according to a study by Johns Hopkins University.

In Washington state, nonprofit employment is estimated between 200,000 and 300,000, based on research by Washington Nonprofits and the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Affairs. Health and education are by far the largest

David Foote, executive director of United Way of Kitsap, said that job growth may not have been true to Kitsap County because lack of government funding during the recession has caused many organizations to pull back and reduce staff.

Still, many nonprofits tightened their belts and worked through. United Way typically partners with more than 35 agen-

cies to provide fundraising campaigns but had to scale down to 20 during the downturn, focusing only on basic services, due to the decline in campaign contributions.

“The ones we weren’t able to help still functioned, so you can somewhat say the nonprofit sector was resilient,” he said.

It’s the mission-driven model that helps that resiliency during an eco-

nomic recession, Roszak believes.

“We found that nonprofits, because they’re mission-driven and community-based, will weather the storm. We don’t have a choice (to close the doors) — we are here through thick and thin.”

Another factor is their conservative management, said Steve Politakis, CEO of Kitsap Bank and see nonprofits | 10

6 |OCTOBER 2014

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NONPROFITS

Land steward groups benefit from REI’s commitment vancy used its grant funds to train volunteers, improve Clear Creek Trail and remove invasive weeds, reroute a trail and build a boardwalk at the Indianola Waterfront Preserve.

It will also plant 1,000 cedar saplings and remove invasive weeds at the Port Gamble Shoreline

By Terri Gleich For KPBJ Before REI opened its Silverdale store last year, it already had sought out two local environmental stewardship organizations, given them $20,000 in grant money and sponsored a work party at the Indianola Waterfront Preserve.

It’s all part of the company’s mission of helping protect and expand access to the natural places its customers love.

The outdoor outfitter gave North Kitsap Trails Association and Great Peninsula Conservancy $10,000 each last year and repeated the awards to both organizations in 2014.

“They were astonishingly generous,” said Linda Berry-Maraist, a Poulsbo City Council member and president of the trails association.

That organization’s grant

VOLU N TEER I NG | F ROM 4

opportunities in general.

When you have the opportunity to review someone’s background that includes their volunteer work experience, consider a couple points on how to factor that in. Consider how much time was involved with the activity, what the level of responsibility was, what the key accomplishments were, as well as the level of commitment. It is one thing if someone volunteered for one hour at a registration booth at a fun run, and an entirely different thing for someone who chaired a board for a year, or planned a fundraising event for 500 people that raised $50,000.

Volunteer experience should be listed the same as paid work experience.

Also consider what was required for success. Did it require organization, salesmanship, leadership, marketing, being a team player, financial acumen?

Are those skills you’re seeking in the position

LARRY STEAGALL

Dave Haley carries planks for building a boardwalk at the Indianola Waterfront and Woodland Preserve. Volunteers with Great Peninsula Conservancy, the REI store in Silverdale and Boy Scouts from Troop 1506 in Tracyton helped with the work. money went for signs, maps and trail improvements at North Kitsap Heritage Park, signs for you’re filling?

One last thought about hiring someone who has volunteered. What type of person are you looking for to add to your team? Do you want someone who’s willing to take on extra work? Someone who isn’t prone to saying “that’s not my job!”? Do you value a team player? Do you value a lifelong learner who is always happy to try something new? Do you want someone who is excited by new opportunities? Someone who is compassionate and cares for their coworkers?

That may very well be the person who has been doing some volunteer work, so don’t pass them by without giving them some due consideration!

• Julie Tappero is president and owner of West Sound Workforce, a professional staffing and recruiting company based in Poulsbo and Gig Harbor.

She can be reached at julie@westsoundworkforce. com.

the Kitsap Peninsula Water Trail, trail construction tools and a weeding contest designed to get Kings-

ton High School students involved in park stewardship.

Great Peninsula Conser-

Park from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Nov. 1 during an REIsponsored stewardship day. The company will encourage employees to volunteer at the event, promote it in the store and online, and provide snacks and a “Get Dirty” T-shirt for each community volunteer. For information,

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OCTOBER 2014 | 7 last fall. “They treated all the volunteers in Kitsap County like they were royalty,” she said. “I thought it was really unique and really special.”

“We’re thrilled they’re here and we’re thrilled they have a corporate philanthropy program that looks at groups that steward public lands,” said Kate Kuhlman, the conservancy’s operations director. “They’ve certainly given our stewLARRY STEAGALL

James Lopez, a Boy Scout from Tracyton, and volunteer Margaret Lavender weed out invasive plants at the Indianola Waterfront and Woodland Preserve. go to www.great- “We’re thrilled they’re peninsula.org.

The company’s here and we’re thrilled generosity — it has donated $44 mil- they have a corporate lion since 1976, inphilanthropy program cluding $3 million in 2013 to 230 non- that looks at groups profits — is part of that steward public its business plan.

“It’s part of the lands.” very essence of who REI is and our brand,” said Kate Kuhlman, Great Peninsula Kristen Ragain, Conservancy community affairs program manager. “We are a membershipposals and were funded owned co-op and we act for a second year in a row. in the best interest of our The company, which does members when we protect about $2 billion in sales the places they play and annually, does not accept when we increase access to unsolicited grant applicathe places they play.” tions.

Whenever REI, which “In this case, the work has 135 stores and 5 million they were doing and the reactive members across the lationship they developed country, opens a new store, definitely exceeded our exit seeks out local organizapectations,” Ragain said. tions that are preserving “They are really valuable, and expanding access to really influential partners natural treasures and gives in the community.” them seed money.

Joshua Kawinski, REI’s “There is no application. outdoor programs and We identify organizations outreach marketing cothat are doing top-tier ordinator, said the projwork and we send them a ects both groups are workcheck. It’s more of a celeing on — the Port Gamble bration,” Ragain said.

Shoreline Park, the Kitsap It’s also the start of a rePeninsula Water Trail, the lationship that goes beIndianola Waterfront Preyond writing a check. An serve — are great destinaREI outreach team keeps tions for REI members. track of each recipient’s “We want to be part of goals, tracking their progthe creation story for these ress and offering resources opportunities,” he said. beyond money, such as doBerry-Maraist of the nated goods and access to trails association said the company’s members.

REI’s support for local volThat doesn’t always unteers was apparent from guarantee continued fundthe start, when the coming, according to Ragain. pany invited hundreds of However, both North Kitthem from a wide varisap Trails Association ety of environmental and and Great Peninsula Conoutdoor recreational orservancy were invited to ganizations to the Silversubmit 2014 grant prodale store’s grand opening

ardship program a wonderful boost and a wonderful opportunity to do some wonderful programs in the last couple of years.”

Both groups have ambitious dreams, including acquiring and protecting thousands of acres of Port Gamble woodland and trails as part of the Kitsap Forest and Bay Project.

And Berry-Maraist and Kuhlman hope their partnership with REI will be a

long one.

Although that partnership has strengthened both nonprofits, that’s not the company’s priority. Ragain said REI’s giving philosophy has evolved beyond just supporting volunteer groups that work on public lands. It’s now more closely aligned to the company’s mission and more focused on preserving and providing access to inspirational outdoor places.

In order for the co-op to continue to thrive 100 years from now, she said, REI needs to help ensure members have continued access to those places.

Which means that giving money away is ultimately as good for the company as it is for the community.

“It drives our business. It helps build our brand. And we are really proud of it,” Ragain said.

8 |OCTOBER 2014

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DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT AWARENESS MOONTH

Silver City Brewery hired Larry, a worker with a disability, in a supported employment position working on the bottling line at the Bremerton business.

Thinking outside the job description leads to more successful matches

By Jaymie Heberlein For KPBJ The best job matches don’t happen by chance. Typically, finding an employee that fits your needs isn’t as easy as placing a well-written ad on the Internet. In the era of “do more with less,” tight labor hours and cross-training expectations, businesses can’t hire for specific staffing needs they have. But what if there was a new way to find an employee?

What if you could write a job description based on your real needs? You could group together important tasks that get pushed to the side when things are busy, or routine duties that distract your experienced employees from handling complex tasks or providing efficient service. If this was possible, would you do it? Silver City Brewery Taproom and Costco have both found success in hiring for niche labor positions; here are their stories.

Silver City brews and bottles their craft beer onsite and hired Larry to stack pal-

When Mike Looby and Larry Timby, owners/operators of the Horse & Cow Pub & Grill in Bremerton, began to consider the benefits of diversifying their workplace by hiring individuals with disabilities, the decision was an easy one, especially after interviewing Matt and Jeff.

Looby and Timby are dedicated to the success of their newly reopened establishment on Fourth Street and to the continued growth of their community. “We want to help revitalize the downtown. Make it more of a young to mid-age adult contemporary setting,” Looby said. “Holly Ridge Center adult employment consultants provided position referrals to help us fill the gaps in our business employment structures and also delivered creative staffing solutions that matched our needs. And, we have yet to meet harder workers than Matt and Jeff, or people who more appreciate the opportunities a job presents.”

Melinda Earl, adult employment servic-

Held each October, National Disability Employment Awareness Month is a campaign that raises awareness about disability employment issues and celebrates the many and varied contributions of America’s workers with disabilities.

The theme for 2014 is “Expect. Employ.

Empower.”

PHOTO COURTESY TRILLIUM EMPLOYMENT SERVICES

lets with cases of freshly bottled beer. Larry’s position created a more efficient bottling line, because previously, other staff had to jump off the line to get boxes or stack the pallet, slowing the process each time.

“Larry has brought a huge amount to Silver City,” director of perations Gary Winn said. “He doesn’t only bring what his job entails; he also assists with bringing team unity and accountability. He has brought so much with him.

If you have been to Costco’s food court in the last few months, chances are you have met Olivia. She works on Costco’s busiest days, ensuring that the tables are cleaned, the floors picked up and the condiments stocked, so guests have a positive experience.

“Bringing Olivia on has helped my business tremendously,” food court manager Tara Elliott said. “When I’m slammed up front and Olivia is on schedule, I know my patio is being taken care of.”

“Olivia working in my department takes one more thing off my plate. When she is working I can take care of more pressing matters,” added assistant store manager

Applauding local businesses for diversifying community’s workforce

By Elizabeth Hoey For KPBJ

RAISING AWARENESS

es director at Holly Ridge, noted how opportunities have increased.

“Less than just 15 years ago, if you were a person applying for a job and had a disability, you most likely would have been completely eliminated from the hiring process regardless of your qualifications,” Earl said. “We strive to offer competitive employment opportunities for our clients.”

Over the years, substantial progress has been made regarding hiring practices for people with disabilities. One important development was when supported employment was signed into law in 1998 through an amendment of the Rehabilitation Act. Simply put, “real jobs for real pay” for all employees regardless of their differing abilities.

Additional highlights include the amount of research around the compelling benefits to businesses who hire individuals with disabilities. According to The Sierra Group Foundation, there are several predictable benefits to expect when hiring a qualified candidate with a disability, including positively impacting the retention of existing employees and enhanced staff morale, to increased diversity and an increased hiring pool.

SEE WORKFORCE | 9

Mark Gill. He explains that the benefits of her specialty job are recognized by not only managers, but customers too.

Silverdale’s Costco is a busy store with several million dollars in sales each

month. With a store this busy, it’s no wonder that the food court was an often overlooked area. Bringing Olivia on as an employee gave Costco the opportunity to SEE MATCHES | 9

WWW.KPBJ.COM WOR K FORCE | F ROM 8

Historically, the shift of integrated community employment has been a difficult and slow process. Holly Ridge Center began supported employment services 50 years ago and continues to focus its efforts toward integrated and competitive community employment for all program participants. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the workforce participation rate for individuals with disabilities is about one-third that of people without disabilities.

The low employment rate for these people has been increasingly recognized as a serious societal issue, with more than 13 million adults of working age in the U.S. receiving disability benefits from Social Security. Yet it has been continuously shown that with assistance, accommodations and encouragement, many more people with disabilities can work successfully

M ATCH E S | F ROM 8

free up other employees to make and serve their food without sacrificing a clean lobby or stocked items. Olivia’s contagious smile and wonderful people skills meant that Costco customers were able to get the kind of customer service that the company is well known for.

So how did these unique job matches come together? Trillium Employment Services specializes in helping Kitsap businesses fill these niche labor positions with talented people who have developmental disabilities. The business and the new employee receive training and ongoing support from Trillium, ensuring a successful job placement.

Curious how it could work for your company?

According to Winn at Silver City, “Working with Larry has helped to break out of our comfort zone. It has helped us to solidify ourselves as a team. When we first brought in Larry it was done as a feel-good segment, and a way to give back to the community.

“Ultimately Larry has become a member of our

OCTOBER 2014 | 9 in the community while also strengthening it.

“Holly Ridge employment consultants work with local businesses to develop opportunities that benefit both the employer and the employee, and, in turn, enhance the quality of life throughout Kitsap,” said Roxanne Bryson, the center’s executive director.

“Many of our community’s local business owners, such as Mike Looby and Larry Timby, recognize the extensive need for individuals with disabilities to find and succeed in employment. These businesses are creating a stronger community and a road out of poverty, dependence and isolation for individuals with disabilities.”

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and the Association for Persons in Supported Employment (APSE) says “the ultimate goal is to show that when people with disabilities have integrated jobs in team. He has brought my employees closer together as a team and has caused my employees to look out for each other more. Larry looks out for us and we look out for him.”

Costco’s Gill advises businesses to consider hiring a person with a disability. As he notes, “You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. You have to trust in the program and the reputation of the company.

“Trillium will work hard to try and find you the right employee, both for your business and for your team. Thanks to Trillium we now have an extremely effective team member in Olivia. At the end of the day you have a business to run, and your decision to hire has to make business sense. With Trillium’s help you can do this.”

• Jaymie Heberlein is a senior employment consultant with Trillium Employment Services, which specializes in providing job opportunities, training and retention for adults with disabilities. If your business is interested in learning more about these services, call her at 360-698-6659.

Larry Timby, co-owner of the Horse & Cow, and employee Matt, who was placed in his job there by Holly Ridge Center.

PHOTO COURTESY HOLLY RIDGE CENTER

local businesses at a competitive wage, everybody wins.”

Holly Ridge Center is proud to work with many local business owners who help raise awareness about the benefits of hiring indi-

viduals with disabilities, and the belief that employment and careers should be the expected and preferred outcomes of all publicly funded services for individuals with disabilities.

Our agency applauds our community employers who are making a difference.

• Elizabeth Hoey is a fund developer with Holly Ridge Center. She can be reached at 360-373-2536.

10 |OCTOBER 2014

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RETIREMENT PLANNING | JASON PARKER

Measure twice, cut once

I

n the world of retirement planning you would be amazed how many people make a cut before measuring. When preparing for retirement the very first step should be to create a retirement plan not an investment strategy.

We are in the process of remodeling our kitchen. My wife has been working hard, and she is doing an amazing job lining up the right contractors, getting multiple bids, picking out all of the colors and designing an amazing space.

One of her best decisions so far was to hire Kristy Ludwig (Kristy Ludwig Kitchen & Bath Co.) to help with kitchen and cabinet design. Kristy has years of experience and her family owns a cabinetmaking company (Markay Cabinets, Inc.), so she is very knowledgeable in materials, design and function. Before the cabinets were constructed, Kristi met with my wife several times to go over specifics and details. They spent several hours together designing a beautiful kitchen that would utilize and maximize our space.

When I was a boy working on a home project with my dad, he once told me to “measure twice and cut once.” I agree with him that it is better to take your time upfront and do the job right the first time around than to hurry and possibly make mistakes wasting materials. He said, “Jason, once you make the cut you can’t take it back.” One of the things I noticed about working with Ludwig is that she measured multiple times before sending the final plans to the cabinetmakers for production. Her diligence gave us a tremendous amount of confidence in her work.

Can you imagine if our kitchen/cabinet designer did not take the time to make proper plans? What would have happened if we walked into her office and she designed our new kitchen without ever measuring our home or asking us what we wanted? Wouldn’t that seem crazy? How much confidence would we have in the final outcome?

I’ve learned from working with hundreds of retirees that retirement is all about cash flow. Your income is what will determine your lifestyle in retirement, not your net worth. You need to begin your retirement journey by understanding how much money you spend every month and then looking at how much income you have coming from guaranteed sources such as Social Security and pensions.

You’ll also need to consider the impact inflation will have on your plan over time.

In addition, married couples need to consider what cash flow will look like if one person dies and how a significant health care event might impact their financial well being.

If you are like most people we meet with, then chances are pretty good the reason you have saved money over the years is to help supplement your income needs in retirement. You likely want to travel, spend time with those you love, doing what you love, and you want to avoid ever becoming a burden to your family either physically or financially.

Too many people today are creating an investment strategy and diversification strategy before they create a retirement plan. How could you create a plan for investing your life savings without understanding the impact of the overall plan?

A good retirement plan should be your

NON PROF ITS | F ROM 5

IslandWood’s director of marketing and communications.

Another impact comes from the quality of life that the nonprofits create, Roszak said. “They not only provide wages and bring outside money in, but their emphasis is on improving quality of life for the community at the same time,” he said.

Quality of life is a major factor in economic development and is emphasized when marketing the area, according to Politakis. “It helps perpetuate economic growth and tell the story of the community,” he said.

He noted that in a small community like Kitsap, there’s more synergy between the nonprofit and for-profit sectors because they communicate and interact well with each other.

“We’re a small enough community where we can pick up the phone and talk to each other. We, in business, are well-informed about what the nonprofits are doing,” he said, adding, “I think in Kitsap County we have stellar nonprofits and some of them we take for granted because they’re so ingrained in the community.”

current chair of the Kitsap Economic Development Alliance board of directors. He points to examples such as the Bremerton Symphony, an organization more than 70 years old in a subsector that typically suffers more during downturns.

“Bremerton Symphony is proof of resilience. It has survived because it’s conservatively managed,” he said.

INDIRECT IMPACT The Bremerton Symphony, along with destinations like the Admiral Theatre and Islandwood, are also attracting outside visitors — and spending.

IslandWood, which employs 70 permanent staff and as many as 30 more on-call and seasonal employees, brings in more than 7,000 adults to Bainbridge Island every year (as well as offering many children’s programs).

“We have all sorts of people coming to the community to experience IslandWood, and they end up experiencing many other businesses,” said Thatcher Heldring,

foundation for making financial decisions.

A comprehensive plan will provide you with strategies for maximizing your Social Security income. It should compare your guaranteed cash flow versus your budget and identify any income gaps. A well-developed retirement plan can help you understand the minimum rate of return you need to earn to make the numbers work and help you craft a strategy for dealing with the health care risks you might experience. Finally, it should take into consideration the volatility of the stock market.

Once all of those fundamental components have been explored, then you have the data you need to create a retirement income plan, diversification strategy and investment strategy.

In a recent interview on CNBC, Robert Schiller, who won the Nobel Prize in economics in 2013 and is considered one of the 100 most influential economists in the world, said that in some markets housing, stocks and bonds all seem expensive.

He said, “The whole thing might correct down both bonds and stocks.” In a recent interview on the financial website This Is Money, Schiller said the current CAPE (Cyclically Adjusted Price to Earnings) is 26.3 (compared with the average of 15.21 for the 20th century, according to Wikepedia). He went on to say there have only been three major occasions since 1881 where the CAPE was higher. The years were 1929, which was followed by the Great Depression; 2000, which we now call the tech bubble; and 2007, commonly called the financial crisis or Great Reces-

sion. Schiller is well known for the CAPE ratio, which helps investors understand if equity markets (S&P 500) are a bargain or expensive by dividing price by the average 10 years of earnings adjusted for inflation.

A high CAPE value would indicate stocks are expensive and a low number indicates stocks are a bargain.

This information is not to scare you.

Instead I hope to empower and encourage you to stress test your portfolio. If we were to experience a market crash, how would that impact your retirement plan?

Do you have a retirement plan? This is especially important if you or someone you know is getting ready to retire. Please join with me and share this information with the people you care about. Ten thousand people a day are retiring in our country and from my experience, most people have an investment strategy but few have a retirement plan. Hoping for the best is not a plan. This may seem like common sense advice, but from what I’ve experienced this is not common practice. It does not need to be complicated. Just remember “Measure twice, cut once”.

• Jason Parker is president of Parker Financial LLC, a fee-based registered investment advisory firm working primarily in wealth management for retirees. His office is in Silverdale. Parker is insurancelicensed and holds his series 65 securities license. He offers annuities, life and longterm care insurances as well as investment services. Follow Jason’s blog at www.soundretirementplanning.com.

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OCTOBER 2014 | 11

PEOPLE IN BUSINESS Gig Harbor businesswoman on Women of Influence list

Chamber selects new executive director The executive director of the Bremerton Symphony Association has been tapped to run the Bremerton Chamber of Commerce.

Gena Wales, 54, was the top choice of the chamber’s board of directors, said Annetta Knight, incoming board chairwoman.

“I think she’s going to be a real asset to the chamber and bring a fresh perspective,” Knight said.

Wales, a Bremerton native, has been with the symphony for nine years, including six Gena Wales as its director.

“It’s exciting,” Wales said of getting the chamber job. “It’s a new opportunity for me in the community.”

She replaces Michael Strube, who resigned in September to take a job with Dex Media in Silverdale. Knight will run the office until Wales comes on board in November.

First Federal hires bank operations exec First Federal has announced the hiring of Jeffrey Davis for the position of senior vice president, bank operations officer.

Davis will be responsible for managing and directing the bank’s operational implementation and support activities, including new systems or enhancements to existing systems that provide additional choices in banking to customers.

Davis has more than 28 years of experiJeffrey Davis ence in banking, and most recently was an executive with First Merchants Corp. of Muncie, Indiana. He has an MBA from Anderson University in Indiana.

Port Angeles-based First Federal has nine full-service branches in Clallam, Jefferson and Kitsap counties and one lending center in Whatcom County.

Kitsap Bank hires SBA loan officer Kitsap Bank announced that Janie Sacco has joined the bank as vice president and SBA loan officer. Sacco comes to the bank with 26 years of SBA lending experience, including extensive experience with the 7(a) and 504 lending programs.

She has spent most of her career in the Puget Sound business community, most recently as the SBA market manager of Heritage Bank/Whidbey Island Bank.

Sacco has an MBA from City University and a bachelor’s degree in business adJanie Sacco ministration from the University of Washington.

“Janie brings a wealth of experience in commercial and SBA lending knowledge,” said Steve Maxwell, Kitsap Bank executive vice president and chief lending officer.

Belfair real estate office adds broker RE/MAX Town and Country has announced the addition of Greg Oldham as a broker in the firm’s Belfair office.

In addition to his real estate experience, Oldham has been a member of the board of directors of the North Mason Chamber of Commerce for almost 10 years.

He can be reached at RE/MAX Town Greg Oldham and Country, 151 NE State Hwy 300 in Belfair, 360-275-2099; by cell phone at 360-271-2186; or email at mrgreggers@msn.com.

Julie Tappero

Julie Tappero, founder and CEO of West Sound Workforce in Gig Harbor, is one of the South Sound business leaders recognized as 2014 Women of Influence.

A panel of past honorees selected five women from almost 30 nominated this year for the recognition program spon-

sored by the Business Examiner.

Tappero, who writes a monthly column on human resources issues for the Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal, is past board chair of the Kitsap Economic Development Alliance.

They Women of Influence honorees will be celebrated at a dinner in Tacoma on Wednesday, Oct. 15.

More information on the program and tickets to the event are available by visiting www.BusinessExaminer. com/WOI.

12 |OCTOBER 2014

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BUSINESS OPENINGS

Frëckle owner has clear goal at her clinic

By Tim Kelly KPBJ editor The line of clinical and home-care products used at frëckle Professional Skincare is aptly named — Face Reality.

Misty Fuentes, who opened frëckle earlier this year in Poulsbo, is part of a network of estheticians certified through Face Reality to offer a regimen for treating clients with acne.

“I offer a 90-day acne boot camp,” she said, adding that it’s a popular and

effective course of treatment for people of any age with the chronic skin condition.

“I have clients that range from teenagers to mothers in their 40s,” Fuentes said.

“The program itself is very different from anything out there.”

It involves an initial consultation and analysis, followed by a treatment session at frëckle every two weeks.

“In that process we’re doing chemical peels, and pushing the skin to clear

RACHEL ANNE SEYMOUR

Bob Midlik, right, helps Larry Wolf search for twine at the new Ace Hardware store that recently opened on Kitsap Way in Bremerton.

Ace gives Bremerton two new hardware stores Residents of Bremerton are used to traveling beyond the city’s borders to find a hardware store.

But within the span of a month, they now have two to choose from within city limits.

Ace Hardware recently opened for business at 3506 Kitsap Way in a new 10,000-square-foot building next to Arnold’s Home Furnishings.

Ace joins Henery Do it Best Hardware, which in early August opened a 26,000-square-foot space formerly occupied by Value Village on Wheaton Way in East Bremerton.

Both businesses believe there’s a demand in the city for a closer-to-home

hardware store and a higher quality customer service experience.

Ace Hardware, while affiliated with the corporate namesake, is owned and operated by a farming cooperative that began in 1933. The Bremerton store is the sixth opened

by Wenatchee-based Ag Supply Co., and its second west of the Cascades.

The store has 14 employees, some of whom are retired workers from the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.

Store manager Sandy Mitchell, who has worked for Ace opening stores around the country, is managing one for the first time.

every two weeks,” she said.

“And we have about a 90 percent success rate.”

Frëckle also is a sugaring studio, and is one of only a few in the area offering the

Misty Fuentes specializes in acne treatments and hair removal services at her business, frëckle Professional Skincare, which she opened in Poulsbo.

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TIM KELLY

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OCTOBER 2014 | 13

FINANCIAL FOCUS | EDWARD JONES

What’s smarter — paying off debts or investing?

Article provided by Edward Jones for use by financial advisor Calvin Christensen of Silverdale.

It probably doesn’t happen as much as you’d like, but from time to time, you have some extra disposable income. When this happens, how should you use the funds? Assuming you have adequate emergency savings — typ-

ically, three to six months’ worth of living expenses — should you pay off debts, or fund your IRA or another investment account?

There’s no one “correct” answer — and the priority of these options may change, depending on your financial goals. However, your first step may be to consider what type of debt you’re thinking of paying down with

your extra money. For example, if you have a consumer loan that charges a high rate of interest — and you can’t deduct the interest payments from your taxes — you might conclude that it’s a good idea to get rid of this loan as quickly as possible.

Still, if the loan is relatively small, and the payments aren’t really impinging on your monthly cash flow that much, you might want to consider putting any extra money you have into an investment that has the potential to offer longer-term benefits. For instance, you might decide to fully

Prepare yourself for the unexpected Article by Edward Jones for use by financial adviser Ryan Gilhuly of Port Orchard.

Are you ready for this? September was National Preparedness Month. Sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), National Preparedness Month seeks to educate Americans on preparing for natural disasters and other types of emergencies. But you’ll also need to prepare for unexpected events in

many other areas of your life — particularly those events related to the financial security of you and your family.

Here are some of the most important of these events, along with possible preparations for them: • Unanticipated early retirement — If you encounter a “downsizing” or other occurrence that results in the loss of a job, or even the end of a career, before you expected it, would

you be able to avoid major disruptions to your lifestyle? To help prepare for such a loss of income, make sure to fully fund your IRA each year. The maximum contribution is $5,500 per year plus an additional $1,000 for those age 50 and older.

• Disability — Even a shortterm disability can seriously harm your finances, and a longterm disability could prove devastating. Your employer might offer some form of disability in-

fund your IRA for the year before tackling minor debts. (In 2014, you can contribute up to $5,500 to a traditional or Roth IRA, or $6,500 if you’re 50 or older.)

When it comes to making extra mortgage payments, however, the picture is more complicated. In the first place, mortgage interest is typically tax deductible, which makes your loan less “expensive.” Even beyond the issue of deductibility, you may instinctively feel that it’s best to whittle away your mortgage and build as much equity as possible in your home. But is that always a smart move?

Increasing your home equi-

ty is a goal of many homeowners — after all, the more equity you have in your home, the more cash you’ll get when you sell it. Yet, if your home’s value rises — which, admittedly, doesn’t always happen — you will still, in effect, be building equity without having to divert funds that could be placed elsewhere, such as in an investment. In this situation, it’s important to weigh your options.

Do you want to lower your mortgage debts and possibly save on cumulative interest expenses?

Or would you be better served to invest that money for potential growth or interest payments?

surance, but it may not be sufficient. So you may need to explore private coverage.

• Personal liability — If someone were ever injured on your property or due to some action of yours, you could face legal actions demanding hundreds of thousands of dollars. To help protect yourself, consider adding umbrella liability insurance.

• Changing family situation — Changes in your life — marriage, divorce, remarriage, children, stepchildren — can drastically affect your estate plans and the type of legacy you want to leave.

To prevent unpleasant surprises for your family, make sure you periodically review beneficiary designations on your investment accounts, such as your IRA and 401(k), and work with your tax and legal advisors to update your estate-planning documents — will, living trust and so on — as needed.

• Outliving your money — Once you reach retirement, your greatest concern may be that you’ll outlive your money. To help prevent this from happening, create a sustainable with-

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SEE UNEXPECTED | 16

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BUSINESS STRATEGY | DAN WEEDIN

Smart to avoid ‘spooking’ customers

H

alloween is one of my favorite days of the year. I like dressing up and enjoying the opportunity to be someone else for the night. Our front porch is ideal for dispensing treats to all the ghosts and goblins parading down our street. Last year, I dressed up as Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean fame.

The ghouls and monsters loved it and I had fun. My wife thinks I’m nuts.

While dressing up in costumes and scaring people has its place every Oct. 31, it’s never good for your business or career to be “spooky.” Spooky is defined as “eerie or frightening.”

You’d never intentionally spook your most valued partners, yet I see examples of it every day.

Here are Dan’s Fearful 4 Ways to Be Spooky. Do these if you want create a chilling experience from your business! #1 — The Repellant Reception. I recently called a business and got the receptionist. Upon asking to speak to the business

owner, the response was, “Yeah.

Okay. Hold on…” After a brief pause, “He’s not in. Want to leave a message?” I responded that I wanted to leave a personal voicemail. “He doesn’t have one. You have to leave it with me.” Reluctantly, I did.

This is an “old school” and a “new school” problem. Old school is about assuring that your first point of contact represents your company well. A better response (insert pleasant tone) is, “Would you mind holding briefly while I check if Mr. Smith is available?

Mr. Smith is away this morning.

May I take a message for him or send you to his voicemail?” If you don’t see the difference between the two interactions, that may be a problem for you. The quality of “reception” has deteriorated. I blame it on the increase in technology. I believe proper hiring and training has been devalued due to rampant use of email and texting. Your first impression is still important. Don’t put someone there that will scare away your customers.

The new school problem is simple. If you don’t have a personal voicemail that accepts private messages, you’re being neg-

ligent. Access is more important today than ever before. By not accepting personal voicemails at your business, you’re unconsciously implying that you’re unavailable and offer no assurance that the message will really be delivered. #2 — The Beastly Brush-off.

I recently stood in line at a hotel to check in. Just before my turn, a non-guest asks the check-in person for directions. She stops what she’s doing and proceeds to take 10 minutes helping this person with directions. She basically “brushed off” everyone in line that was a paying customer. Have you ever been in line at an auto repair shop, finally get to the attendant, and then they answer the phone when it rings?

YOU waited patiently for 15 minutes, yet all someone else has to do is dial a number and they jump to the front of the line!

These are just two examples of the “brush off.” If you are serving a client/customer base, then dealing with clients first and in person needs to take precedence. #3 — The Sinister Scorn.

Have you ever left a message and never gotten a return call? Hard

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Here’s an additional consideration: If you tied up most of your money in home equity, you may well lose some flexibility and liquidity. If you were to fall ill or lose your job, could you get money out of your home if your emergency savings fund fell short?

Possibly, in the form of a home equity line of credit or a second mortgage, but if you were not bringing in any income, a bank might not even approve such a loan — no matter how much equity you have in your house. You may more easily be able to sell stocks, bonds or other investment vehicles to gain access to needed cash.

Getting some extra money once in a while is a nice problem to have. Still, you won’t want to waste the opportunity — so, when choosing to pay down debts or put the money into investments, think carefully.

“They are very common and all over Seattle; it just doesn’t seem to have gotten popular yet on this side of the water,” Fuentes said.

She explained that the chemical-free technique of applying sugar paste using the same motion as a waxing technique is gentler on the skin, and clients have fewer problems with in-grown hair and experience more efficient epilation — removal of hair from the roots — than with waxing.

“Hair is less likely to grow back if you have a successful sugaring session,” she said.

Clients can get traditional facials as well, and Fuentes also offers anti-aging treatments at frëckle.

The entrepreneur said she saw a niche in the area for the type of services she offers, and so far the bigger portion of her busi-

to believe in a world of boundless communications options that this could happen, right?

The main reason people and businesses move from current business partners is that they feel unwanted. They think they are just a number. I work with countless business owners who have complained that their insurance agents don’t call back in a timely manner, if at all. It’s not just insurance professionals; this happens in all industries, especially professional services.

Here’s the deal, folks. If you can’t return a business call to anyone (clients or others) within one day, it means one of two things. You’re either radically disorganized or rude. Neither is good. Returning calls is rarely a time management issue. Most often, it’s a priority issue. It’s always better to call and face the music or tell someone you’re not interested. Avoidance never helps build relationships and not promptly returning calls or emails is lethal to your career. #4 — The Wicked Waiting. I had a planned business meeting with a client to discuss a new project. I arrived at exactly the same time as someone else carrying a file with the business’s name on it. I deduced we were double-booked. The other gentleman went first; as it seemed that this was going to be a quick meeting. It wasn’t. I sat in the

ness has been acne treatments.

“I’m definitely treating people more commonly with skin conditions than I am for cosmetic (treatments),” she said.

The 90-day boot camp that includes seven sessions for acne costs $650 and isn’t covered by health insurance. However, Fuentes said she sees clients who have been through conventional dermatology treatments and are looking for an alternative to the harsh anti-acne drugs regularly prescribed.

Often what they need, she said, “is a good skin care regimen that’s going to get them clear,” and she’d like to be able to work with dermatologists.

“I would like to somewhat bridge the gap between the esthetician and what the client would receive from an actual dermatology practice,” said Fuentes, who has a teenage son.

SEE FRECKLE | 18

waiting area by myself for 30 minutes. At that point, I left. My client never came out to apologize for the wait, or to simply say something suddenly came up and we needed to reschedule. He profusely apologized later.

This is not an isolated case in business. As Tom Petty sang, “The waiting is the hardest part.”

Never disrespect someone’s time.

They may be client, customer, vendor, or salesperson. Everyone’s time is valuable. When you treat it as such, you build respect and trust.

Bottom line — Leave “spooking” others to Halloween. When it comes to smart business practices, you want to avoid scaring people away. I believe many small businesses have allowed complacency to sink into communications and commonsense tactics and strategies.

Putting a mask over the problem only makes it worse. Make sure this year, you are dumping the “tricks” and only giving out “treats!”

• Dan Weedin is a strategist, speaker, author and executive coach. He helps business leaders and executives to become stronger leaders, grow their businesses, and enrich their lives. You can reach him at 360-697-1058; e-mail at dan@danweedin.com or visit his website at www.DanWeedin.com.

“I think that people associate skin care with luxury. I don’t believe that’s true; I think taking care of your skin is a necessity. And teaching kids early on to care for their skin is a very wise investment, long-term.”

Misty Fuentes, owner of freckle Professional Skincare in Poulsbo

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BUSINESS OPENINGS

Designer brings sparkle to her first boutique

By Tim Kelly KPBJ editor There’s a lot of sparkle on the apparel and accessories displayed at a new boutique in downtown Gig Harbor, but owner Michelle Phillips draws a subtle distinction between “bling” and the tasteful fashions created

by Dolly Mama Designs.

“There’s so many people out there that consider themselves like a bling company, but we are very classy,” Phillips said.

The signature line of Dolly Mama, which she and her mother started in 2005 when Phillips was living in California, is Crystal Couture. Stylish designs using Austrian-made Swarovski Crytals are created for women’s caps and visors, clothing and accessories.

The impetus for Dolly Mama was the need Phillips saw at that time for women’s golf clothing with more pizazz. An avid golfer

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drawal strategy — that is, determine how much you can take out each year from your investment and retirement accounts, and stick to this amount.

• Need for long-term care — You can’t predict whether you will ever need to enter a nursing home or require the assistance of a home health care worker, but one thing is for sure — these services are extremely expensive. Consider this: The national average for a private room in a nursing home is nearly $84,000 per year, according to a recent survey by Genworth, a financial security company. To help prepare for these costs,

herself who lives in the Canterwood golf and residential community near Gig Harbor, she described women’s attire back then as “just plain and boring and very nondescript, not feminine at all.”

Since then her company has evolved into designing “fashion accessories catering to club, resort and boutique clientele,” according to its website. Dolly Mama Designs sells wholesale to upscale retail outlets from Pebble Beach to Maui.

Phillips, who’s originally from Seattle, moved back to Gig Harbor in 2008.

This summer she moved her design studio into a larger space downtown (former location of The Weathered Cottage, which moved to a waterfront spot), and decided to open a boutique at the site as well.

“This has always been a dream of mine,” she said of opening her shop, named la vie parfaite —

you may want to consult with a professional financial advisor, who can suggest appropriate solutions.

• Untimely death — Your absence could jeopardize your family’s financial security, particularly if you passed away while your children were still at home. To help ensure that your family could remain in the home and that your children could go to college, if they choose, make sure you have adequate life insurance.

Your passage through life will be filled with twists and turns, and you can’t always see what lies ahead. But you can ease your journey by preparing yourself for the unexpected.

Michelle Phillips, founder of Dolly Mama Designs, holds up a specially designed pink top for Breast Cancer Awareness month at her recently opened boutique, la vie parfaite in Gig Harbor.

TIM KELLY

French for “the perfect life.”

“We love the downtown area, and when we saw this space, it was like everything just made sense,” Phillips said of moving her operation into the Pioneer Village retail building at 7700 Pioneer Way. La vie parfaite takes up the front of her space, with the design studio and showroom in the back.

The boutique sells jewelry, art and other items from local de-

signers as well as Dolly Mama merchandise, which also is sold through the website and on Amazon.com.

Though her business caters to women — Phillips is a sponsor for free limo service during the Girls Night Out event Nov. 13 that kicks off the holiday shopping season downtown — she plans to host some events at la vie parfaite with a special appeal for guys. For a men’s night during the holiday season, there’ll be

chicken wings and a beer tasting with 7 Seas Brewery. Wives, girlfriends, mothers and daughters can create a wish list at the boutique, and the men in their lives can select a present and have it gift-wrapped.

“We’ll do that before Christmas, before Valentine’s Day, and before Mother’s Day,” Phillips said. “The nice thing is we have all different price points, and we’re getting new stuff in all the time.”

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BUSINESS OPENINGS

Waxing parlor proprietress reanimates Old Town barbershop

By Tim Kelly KPBJ editor Elizabeth Barnes is expanding her hair empire.

Well, she’s actually leasing a second house owned by the Port of Silverdale to open Studs and Nails Barbershop in Old Town, across the street from Elizabeth’s House of Wax, the business she’s run for four years in a port-owned house at the corner of Lowell Street and Washington Avenue.

There’s no shortage of places to get your hair done in Old Town; Barnes noted there are a couple dozen licensed salons in the low-key neighborhood set apart from Silverdale’s crowded commercial core.

“It’s all hair and lawyers down here,” she said.

But Barnes — who became an entrepreneur specializing in hair removal from places other than scalps — availed herself of the opportunity to maintain Old Town’s only barbershop at the site that had been Two Bits Barbershop for a decade.

Two Bits closed at the end of May, and Barnes spent a couple months working

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“I think that people associate skin care with luxury,” she said. “I don’t believe that’s true; I think taking care of your skin is a necessity.

“And teaching kids early on to care for their skin is a very wise investment, longterm.”

After graduating several years ago from the University of Washington, where she studied nonprofit management, Fuentes was a partner in launching a North Kitsap business called the Food Shed.

She left that venture two years ago after deciding she wanted to become an esthetician.

“I was at the farmers market every Saturday for two years baking. So a lot of my clients have come in and they look at me and they know they’ve seen me before,” she said, “but putting skin care and baked goods together isn’t a close connection.”

She opened her business in the space on Jensen Way in Poulsbo that had been

with the port to remodel and upgrade the house. Studs and Nails opened in time for the Whaling Days festival in Old Town the last weekend in July, and had its official grand opening Sept. 17.

“They are the most wonderful landlords ever,” she said of the port, which installed additional plumbing needed for wet stations at the new barbershop.

For her part, Barnes wanted to create an ambiance that would make guys feel comfortable, so of course there’s a TV for watching sports, but she also added video games for customers to play while waiting their turn in the chair. Not an Xbox or PS3, though; she went retro with a table console for playing Pac-Man, Frogger and other vintage diversions.

“I’m a geek,” the Central Kitsap native said. “It’s got all the classic games, and it’s free, and you can play two players.

“I know my demographic.”

The barber doing most of the haircuts is Gina Mirabella, a longtime blackjack dealer in Las Vegas who grew up there after her family moved from Seville, Spain to the U.S. when she was 6. She quit her casino job in 2009 and went to cosmetology

occupied by the Well Being Health Center, which expanded to a larger location. She works with the center and they do some cross-promotion, referring clients to each other.

Fuentes is a solo operator and gets most of her clients through referrals, but she said business at frëckle is increasing to the point she may need to bring on other estheticians soon.

If her business continues to grow, she also would like to open a second location — probably in a Central Kitsap location — exclusively for providing acne treatment.

“I am very pleased, and I am excited to see where this is going,” Fuentes said. “And with me having the nonprofit background, which is still totally dear and near to my soul, at some point down the road I really want to be able to offer a reduced-rate boot camp for people who are challenged.

“Because everyone deserves to have clear skin.”

MEEGAN M. REID

Studs & Nails Barbershop recently opened in the Old Town area in a house owned by the Port of Silverdale. The new business is owned by Elizabeth Barnes, who owns and operates Elizabeth’s House of Wax across the street from the barbershop. school, and moved to Kingston two years ago. Barnes’ new venture gave her a fulltime opportunity in her profession.

Studs and Nails (studsandnailsbarbershop.com) also has a nail technician, and Barnes recently added a second hair stylist.

The barbershop’s not an investment that will fund a comfy retirement for her, but owning a second business is no small accomplishment for a single mom who’s dealt with some stressful financial issues SEE BA R BER SHOP | 23

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BUSINESS OPENINGS

Salon owners like downtown style of their new location

By Tim Kelly KPBJ editor Michael Lowenstein recently moved his hair salon to downtown Bremerton, near where he began his career as a stylist.

“I went to Cinderella Beauty School on Callow in 1981,” recalled Lowenstein, sitting by the large streetfront windows of the new Ross Michaels Salon location on the first floor of the building at 423 Pacific Ave. The relocation isn’t the most significant change of late for Lowenstein and his wife, Melody, who’s also a hair stylist. The couple had their first child three months ago.

Lowenstein opened Ross Michaels in Silverdale in 1989, and operated it at locations in Old Town for many years. Most recently he and his wife leased space from another married couple that ran a salon in Silverdale, but Lowenstein said they decided it was time to set up shop on their own again.

“We looked in Silverdale but we couldn’t find a size that made sense for a smaller salon,” he said.

They live in East Bremerton and were interested in the downtown building at Sixth and Pacific when it was built several years ago, but wound up passing on that option.

“I think we’ve been looking at Bremerton for about seven years,” Lowenstein said. “Once we found this space and spoke with (building owner) Sound West Group, they seemed to have a real interest in having us in here.”

The 525-square-foot space — with a high

BA R BER SHOP | F ROM 18

in the past.

Barnes, a former Olympic College volleyball player with a robust physique and penchant for sarcasm, started her own waxing business after an 11-year stint at another Old Town salon ended in discord.

She first set up shop in a tiny secondfloor space in the 3100 building on Bucklin Hill Road, not the most inviting or intimate setting for her services.

“I was in literally 200 square feet, … and I had clients waiting in the hallway.

This curtain separated my lobby from my (waxing) room,” Barnes said, touching the curtain on a window at her present location, where she’s been for a year and a half.

ceiling and prominent windows that create a more spacious feel — suits their needs.

They recently hired a third stylist and have room for four stations, but don’t need additional room to offer other services.

“We do hair,” Lowenstein said. “We’re not interested in being a spa; we don’t do nails or have an esthetician.”

Their salon is part of a revival that’s seen several new or relocated businesses open in the past year or so in the downtown block along Fourth Street between

“The sense of community is awesome. We are loving it down here.”

Michael Lowenstein, Co-owner of Ross Michaels salon Park and Pacific avenues.

Melody Lowenstein said they’ve already experienced a difference in their new surroundings since they opened their doors in early August. They’re seeing considerably more walk-in traffic, and neighboring small business owners have welcomed them.

“In Silverdale everything is owned by corporate, so you don’t really know your neighbors there,” she said.

“The sense of community is awesome,” Michael added. “We are loving it down here.”

Sound West Group helped with tenant improvements, opening up the space for She subleases space in the House of Wax to a woman who does airbrush tanning, an arrangement that began when Barnes expanded into a two-room suite at her original business location. Also, her body waxing sidekick of three years, Heather Honey, learned the craft from Barnes when they were co-workers at a salon.

“I got lucky,” Barnes said of finding her niche in waxing. “I got into the industry right before it boomed.”

She’s pleased to be able to open a second business in Old Town, where she started working in 1999.

“What keeps happening is opportunities present themselves to you,” she said. “I’ve had to take some calculated risks, and a leap of faith. In the end, if you can stick it out, it pays off.”

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LARRY STEAGALL

Stylists Michael Lowenstein and his wife, Melody, recently moved Ross Michaels salon from Silverdale to their redesigned streetfront space in the building 423 Pacific Ave. in downtown Bremerton. the salon.

“They basically removed all the things that made this an office,” Lowenstein said.

The couple then did their own interior design, including Melody painting walls until shortly before their baby was born this summer.

The décor includes a couple guitars from Michael’s collection, and a historic blackand-white photo from their landlord of the Pacific Avenue block circa 1940, when their salon spot was a drugstore.

Michael Lowenstein, like many lifelong Kitsap residents, remembers Bremerton’s bustling downtown from his youth.

“I grew up in Port Orchard, and I used to take the passenger ferry over here and

walk to the Roxy Theatre to see a movie or something,” he said.

Melody Lowenstein, who’s been a stylist since 2002 and specializes in color treatments, said one element of moving their business is to shift her husband’s role somewhat.

“We want to get him away from being behind the chair so much, and move toward doing more education,” she said.

The couple plans to hold an official grand opening this fall at their salon, which is open Tuesday-Saturday.

“Our general hours are 9 to 5,” Melody said, “but if someone can’t get down here until 5:30, we’re flexible.”

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Food co-op’s Harvest Dinner marks progress on store goal

By Elise Watness For KPBJ What if you could buy Kitsap-grown groceries any day throughout the year? Kitsap Community Food Co-op (KCFC) is working hard to make that happen. The group’s annual Harvest Dinner was Sept. 13, a sunlit evening on the waterfront lawn of former Bremerton Mayor Cary Bozeman and his wife, Karri. The celebration of local fare brought together diners as a fundraiser for opening a community-owned grocery store.

The meal was made possible by volunteers and donations from several Kitsap entrepreneurs, many of them member-owners of the co-op. Kitsap-grown dishes included zucchini corn fritters, salmon with grilled peaches, and succotash-stuffed tomatoes, plus delicious confections for dessert. Beverages included local wine and beer.

Renae Hammel, a culinary student at Olympic College who was a chef for the event, said she loves cooking with fresh local ingredients at home and professionally.

Co-ops are owned by members who collectively determine how to use profits to benefit local needs.

“Community is in the name for a specific rea-

son,” KCFC president Jeff Allen said. “This is first and foremost about the community. Every dollar spent in a food co-op generates $1.50 of local activity, allowing better staff benefits, community education, and support for local programs.”

The goal of opening a coop grocery store is “truly an organic and grassroots process,” Allen added.

KCFC will focus the next three to six months on site identification and development, membership growth, and financial planning.

Building an 8,000-10,000 square-foot, full-service grocery store is a costly venture, Allen said. Market research was conducted on three sites in downtown and East Bremerton.

The co-op’s vice president, Jean Clark, gave a speech at the dinner, saying the organization is about halfway through the process of building a co-op that usually takes communities two to 12 years.

Anyone may join. A full share costs $200, which can be paid over four years.

In the meantime, Clark said, other co-ops are honoring KCFC memberships, which are valid at co-ops in Port Townsend, Tacoma, Olympia, Seattle or Bellingham.

The Kitsap co-op began in 2008 with the intent of

Ag alliance hosting Kitsap Grown dinner The Kitsap Community & Agricultural Alliance (KCAA) is hosting its sixth annual Kitsap Grown Harvest Dinner on Oct. 25 in Bremerton. The dinner features a bounty of locally grown food in a showcased community dining experience prepared by top local chefs.

Led by the team of Chris Plemmons (Olympic College Culinary Program, Two Snooty Chefs) and Monica Downen (Monica’s Waterfront Bakery & Cafe), the presentation of locally farmed produce and livestock is certain to be a culinary delight.

The event will be held at the Olympic College Bremer Student Center. Doors open at 4 p.m., and dinner is from 5-7. The event also will include a silent auction featuring an array of local products and services.

Anyone who becomes a KCAA member or renews a yearly membership will receive $10 off dinner for a couple or $5 for an individual, when dinner tickets and membership are combined. Just type in the discount code “SignMeUp” to access Membership and Dinner Ticket combo pricing when purchasing tickets online through Brown Paper Tickets at www.brownpapertickets.com/ event/871151.

For more information, email kcaa4u@yahoo.com or call 360-355-9413.

connecting the community to quality local food and education. Member-owner household numbers are currently in the mid-600s, according to kitsapfood. coop.

Bremerton Mayor Patty Lent, who was at the Harvest Dinner, said she wants to help that number climb to 1,000 by the end

Kitsap Community Food Co-op hosted its annual Harvest Dinner on Sept. 13.

The event was fundraiser for the co-op’s goal of opening a grocery store.

ELISE WATNESS PHOTO

of this year. Lent frequents farmers markets, and said she believes local food access is what Kitsap needs.

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Marketing historic vessels as special venues, dockside or cruising

By Tim Kelly KPBJ editor The refurbished former ferry MV Kirkland has been at the Bremerton Marina for just over a year, and a renewed effort is launching to utilize the historic vessel as a special events venue for dockside gatherings or charter cruises.

The Kirkland’s captain, Christian Lint, also owns the restored El Primero, a 123-foot luxury yacht that was built in 1893 in San Francisco and has a storied history of hosting presidents and celebrities in early 20th-century Tacoma. It’s currently moored at Foss Waterway in Tacoma and a group there wants to maintain it as a floating museum.

The El Primero will visit the Bremerton Marina for Historic Ships Week Oct. 6-10.

The MV Kirkland will host an open house Oct. 7 from 2-6 p.m., and tours of the El Primero will be available.

Plans are being developed to offer the El Primero’s six staterooms for overnight accommodations wherever it’s moored.

Julie Forville, former proprietor of Siloam Retreat in Seabeck, is coordinator for event services on board the Kirkland and El Primero. The theme for marketing them is “A boat for all occasions,” she said.

The Kirkland recently hosted a 60th birthday party, and Forville said she hopes to book holiday season parties on board the boat, with its distinctive glasswalled sides.

“Now we’re just trying to step up our outreach and do a few more events,” Forville said, although with the right marketing, she thinks the venue could eventually increase its bookings to several a week.

The Kirkland can be booked at a “bare boat” rate of $100 an hour, with the guests bringing in their own food and beverage,

BOOKING THE BOATS For information on booking events or cruises on the MV Kirkland or El Primero, contact Julie Forville at 360-616-2179 or visit www.siloamretreat.com.

or Forville can arrange for catering and other hospitality services requested for an event.

She said revenue from events and cruises will help cover costs for maintenance and preservation of the historic vessels.

The boat also can cruise to other Puget Sound spots to provide “out-station” hospitality hosted on board by a yacht club or other group. Lint took the boat to Longbranch on the southern end of Key Peninsula for a marina celebration there.

“Even if it was here in Bremerton, yacht clubs use that term when they’re coming here, and the Port of Bremerton doesn’t have a yacht club or hospitality suite, so (visiting clubs) could use this boat as their out-station,” she said.

Forville, who sold her Siloam Retreat property last year, is currently using her business website (siloamretreat.com) as the source for information about bookings on the MV Kirkland and El Primero. Overnight accommodations in a stateroom on the El Primero are listed at $145 a night midweek, and $195 on weekends.

The yacht, which has a dining room and provides a more intimate setting for small groups, will book only one party of up to 12 guests on a given night.

“It’s a comfortable cruise for 12,” Forville said of the El Primero, adding that Lint is “really ready to cruise that boat.”

Charter outings on the MV Kirkland, she said, would probably be a three-hour cruise around Dyes Inlet and Sinclair In-

LARRY STEAGALL

Julie Forville is coordinator for event services on the MV Kirkland at the Bremerton Marina, and for the refurbished luxury yacht El Primero, which is currently moored in Tacoma but will be at the Bremerton Marina for Historic Ships Week Oct. 6-10. Both vessels are owned by Christian Lint. let, with no docking at other marinas.

Forville, who still hosts wine tastings and yoga sessions through her Siloam event-planning business, said the appeal of the Kirkland is more than offering a

scenic venue on the water.

“It’s alternative; it’s different than anything else,” she said. “When I hosted an event on here, the folks that came on board SEE VESSELS | 27

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BUSINESS BRIEFS Governor to be guest speaker at all-chamber lunch hosted by Bremerton Gov. Jay Inslee will be the guest speaker at the Bremerton Chamber of Commerce monthly luncheon, which will be an allchamber event Oct. 21.

The event, which is open to members of all chambers of commerce, will take place at the Kitsap Conference Center on the Bremerton waterfront from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Gov. Jay For reservations, call Inslee 360-479-3579 or visit the Bremerton chamber’s website.

General Dynamics subsidiary signs lease for downtown Bremerton building Sound West Group has announced that government contractor NASSCO/Earl Industries has signed a five-year lease for a 6,000-square-foot space at 423 Pacific Ave. in downtown Bremerton.

NASSCO is a subsidiary of General Dynamics, Inc., which has been awarded a contract for planning, maintenance and repairs of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in Bremerton and Everett.

The company will take occupancy Oct. 1 in what’s known as the D4 building (the former Medical Dental Building) owned and leased by Sound West Group.

“I am very pleased and proud to have General Dynamics locating in downtown Bremerton,” said Lisa Phipps, managing broker for Sound West Realty Advisors.

“It was a major decision and commitment for them to locate downtown.”

FPH Construction, owned by Sound

West Group partner Mike Brown, has been contracted to do tenant improvements for the NASSCO space.

Business Forum topic will be impact of sustainability as a business strategy The next monthly Kitsap Business Forum will present “The Three Spheres of Sustainability: People, Profit and Planet” on Oct. 14. There will be a panel discussion with local business leaders Tony George, president and chief operating officer of Kitsap Bank, Melissa Reeves, Fresh Start manager at Harrison Medical Center, Steve Rice, senior principal of Rice Fergus Miller architecture firm in Brmerton, and Monica Downen, owner of Monica’s Waterfront Bakery and Café.

The discussion will be led by Shannon Bruce, professional coach and group facilitator of the executive peer group Excell Puget Sound Kitsap.

The panelists will share information on why the three spheres of sustainability are important to entrepreneurs, as well as small businesses and large companies.

Other topics include the story of sustainability and how it has improved collaboration in the Kitsap region; the how-to’s in creating a culture of sustainability; and the ROI and impact of sustainability as a long-term business strategy.

The Kitsap Business Forum is organized by the Silverdale Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Excell Puget Sound, the Kitsap Economic Development Alliance and PMR Consulting.

The Oct. 14 forum will be held at The Doctors Clinic conference room in Silverdale at 2011 Myhre Road, Suite 301. Program starts at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 9 a.m.

Anyone interested in attending should RSVP to 360-692-6800, or go online to register at KitsapBusinessForum.com.

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Boxlight partners with global IT firm on creating interactive classrooms BELFAIR — Boxlight, a global leader in developing and manufacturing projectors and interactive learning technology, has announced a partnership with Critical Links to offer state-of-the-art e-learning solutions to classrooms with limited or no Internet broadband.

The partnership will include exclusive distribution of the Critical Links C3 (Classroom ContentCloud) when bundled with Boxlight’s interactive classroom projectors and flat panels.

The Critical Links C3 is a solution that simplifies distribution of digitized content with or without Internet connectivity by addressing three common issues: the absence of broadband (80 percent worldwide as reported by the UN ITU), the cost to adequately accommodate real-time ac-

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that night said they felt like they were “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.” Because they were on this big boat, you know, and it’s the biggest boat in the marina, and they were having a private party so they just felt this kind of lifestyle.”

She compares the Kirkland with anoth-

cess for classrooms, and bandwidth availability. The Critical Links C3 is scalable to thousands of schools, and enables continuous access to new and updated content.

The partnership will provide a leading-edge solution for classrooms around the world by offering the Critical Links C3 to enhance the delivery and availability of content, combined with interactive projectors and interactive flat panels in a classroom learning environment.

“Critical Links is excited to partner with a leader like Boxlight,” CEO Joao Carreira said. “We believe that together we can deliver a compelling, value-added solution to schools around the world.”

Critical Links, headquartered in Princeton, N.J., was started in 2006 as a division of the Critical Group, an international software group with activities in aerospace, energy, health care and telecom.

Critical Links (c3.critical-links.com) has its engineering development and support center in Coimbra, Portugal. er retired state ferry, the MV Skansonia (built in 1929 at Skansie Brothers Shipyard in Gig Harbor), which is now permanently moored on Lake Union in Seattle as a private venue for weddings and special events.

“That’s what we see this being,” Forville said, although the Kirkland offers guests the option of going on a cruise.

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Speaker to discuss technology as a tool to enhance learning

By Tim Kelly KPBJ editor Having worked five years on strategic initiatives at Apple Inc. makes Renee Radcliff Sinclair an obviously qualified keynote speaker for West Sound Technology Association’s upcoming Western Washington Summit.

Just don’t expect to hear much about Apple per se. A bio on the WSTA website for Sinclair — who actually left Renee Apple in late September — Sinclair says she “manages relationships with elected officials and community thought leaders around issues related to student achievement and technology,” and that broad theme will be the framework for her speech.

The former state legislator’s address to the tech crowd at the Oct. 16 summit will focus on the role technology is playing in transforming 21st-century education for learners of all ages — and how crucial that is to workforce development.

“Name for me an occupation that doesn’t use some sort of electronic equipment,” Sinclair said during an interview with the Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal.

Because technology is so embedded in our work and social lives — and since young people growing up with amazing advances in technology learn to use it intuitively — it makes no sense, she said, to expect students in a classroom to turn off the devices they use virtually every waking moment for communication, information and entertainment.

“If we tell our kids when they walk in that classroom to sit down, face forward” and put away their smartphones and tablet computers, Sinclair said, “Is that preparing them for a real-world experience?

“Let’s use those tools they’re already us-

Free seminar offered on how to build a website If you are wondering about how to build your brand by getting your business or your art up on the web, there’s an upcoming opportunity to learn from a local expert at a free workshop in Gig Harbor.

Veteran graphic and web designer Alan

ing to better prepare them for a job.”

She recalled a childhood experience to illustrate the difference technology can make as a tool for individualized learning.

“When I was a kid, probably in third or fourth grade, I had bronchitis and missed lot of school,” she said. While she was out, she missed all of the math lessons on fractions.

“And I never did catch up. But if I had had a learning tool at home where I could drill on fractions … and practice how to mainipulate fractions, I would have been in a better place when I got back to the classroom.”

The same principle applies, she explained, in adapting classroom instruction to more effectively meet students’ individual needs and different learning styles.

“We traditionally have lectured in a classroom setting to the kids who tend to fall in the middle of the spectrum, and we’ve been losing kids at the high end and the low end,” Sinclair said. “The opportunity for individualized learning that technology brings is changing that.”

Her speech also will include an assessment of Common Core, and the potential results if the controversial standards are ultimately implemented or rejected. She makes clear, though, she is neither an advocate nor an opponent of Common Core.

“I do like to at least set the record straight about what it is and what it isn’t,” she said. “It’s not a federal policy handed down from Washington, D.C.” As a legislator and as a policy leader in the private sector, Sinclair said she’s worked with educators and government officials to help them “better understand technology as a tool for learning.”

She doesn’t think computers and their universe of apps will solve all the challenges schools, students and teachers face, although she did note that Washington has added computer literacy to its def-

inition of basic education.

“I do think technology is part of the transformation taking place in education right now,” she said.

To assess the impact of that transformation, Sinclair said educators and researchers are studying whether technology is linked to higher student achievement in areas such as understanding and solving math problems and building vocabulary, particularly at the elementary level. They’re also looking at whether secondary schools utilizing technology are seeing lower absenteeism, a higher level of engagement for more students, increased graduation rates and a shift in choices students are making after graduation.

And while Sinclair is an advocate for technology-based education to fill in the skills gap in meeting future workforce needs, she doesn’t think a traditional four-year college degree is always the best route for students after high school.

“Every student is different,” she stressed.

“To say a college education or a skills training opportunity, that one is better than the other, I would say we need both desperately.”

Sinclair, who’s lived in Snohomish County since 1989 and was a Republican state representative from 1995-2001, worked on policy issues for the American Electronics Association and was director of the Northwest regional office for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce before going to work at Apple. Before serving in the Legislature, she was editor of a business journal in Snohomish County. She’s also past president of the Everett Area Chamber of Commerce.

Sinclair also is a former Snohomish County planning commissioner and is currently a member of a commission appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee and county officials to produce a report on lessons from the devastating Oso landslide last spring.

Jones of AccessIPD will give a presentation on Tuesday, Oct. 14 at 5:30 p.m. on “How to Build a Website.” This presentation is the third in a series of “how to” workshops for local artists and businesses sponsored by the Gig Harbor Arts Commission.

The workshop will take place in the Community Room at City of Gig Harbor Civic Center, 3510 Grandview St.

Topics to be covered will include: • The importance of online branding, or, why you need to be on the web • Domains and hosting — where do websites live, and who makes sure the names (URL) work • Site structure and content, including examples • Web design and development basics

WEST SOUND TECHNOLOGY ASSOCIATION 2014 WESTERN WASHINGTON SUMMIT Technology is transforming student learning and achievement, but is state education policy keeping up? West Sound Technology Association will explore that question Oct. 16 at the annual Western Washington Summit.

The focus of the summit is a discussion on the opportunities and challenges Washington schools face as educators strive to enhance learning for all students. Keynote speaker Renee Radcliff Sinclair, who was a leader of strategic initiatives for Apple Inc. and previously served four terms in the state House of Representatives, will share her perspectives on the intersection of innovation, entrepreneurship, education and technology. Other speakers include Congressman Derek Kilmer, Olympic College president David Mitchell, and WSTA director Charles Keating.

WSTA’s goal is to educate and promote innovation, technology and entrepreneurship throughout western Puget Sound. WSTA typically meets the third Thursday of each month from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Poulsbo City Hall.

Summit info: When: Oct. 16, 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Where: Chief Kitsap Hall of the Clearwater Casino in Suquamish.

Registration: www. westsoundtechnology.org or call 206984-3509.

Check-in and a lunch buffet begins at 10:30 a.m. Preregistration is preferred.

• Different kinds of websites • What you can do yourself and when you should hire a professional • How to find and work with a web designer and developer • OK, you’re online, now what?

• What about tablets and smartphones?

More information about this event is available at www.gigharborguide.com.

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BUSINESS COMMENTARY | DON BRUNELL

Cost of new medications could bankrupt health care The good news is we are developing new life-saving medications every day.

The bad news is they are very expensive and paying for them could bankrupt our health care system.

For example, Avastin, which is prescribed to treat a number of cancers, costs $100,000 a year per patient.

Soliris, used to treat a rare blood and kidney disorder, costs almost $410,000 per year.

The latest medication drawing attention is Sovaldi. While highly effective in curing patients with chronic hepatitis C, it costs about $1,000 a pill or about $84,000 for a standard 12-week treatment.

Chronic hepatitis C affects 3.2 million people in the United States and about 150 million worldwide. It is a devastating virus that can be deadly if not treated effectively. It is a blood-borne virus that causes inflammation of the liver that, if left untreated, can lead to permanent liver damage.

While it can be contracted through accidental needle sticks or long-term kidney dialysis, people most at risk are IV drug users or people who use unlicensed, unclean tattoo, body piercing or acupuncture practitioners. Most troubling, pregnant women with the disease can pass it on to their unborn babies.

Accurate statistics are difficult to come by because the virus can lie dormant for decades and experts estimate barely half of those infected have been tested.

Adding to the problem is the fact that many of those infected are unable to pay for their medical care. The Annals of

Internal Medicine reports, “Our study and others have found that persons with chronic hepatitis C virus infection are frequently poor and less educated ...”

And therein lies the dilemma.

There is no question that Sovaldi is a breakthrough drug. It can cure patients within 12 to 24 weeks where other treatments can take up to a year. The cure rate for Sovaldi is up to 90 percent while other treatments are only about 50 percent.

But its high price is driving up health care costs.

Recently, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield officials cited costly new hepatitis C drugs as one reason for a 12.5 percent premium increase. And Congress, fearful of the impact on Medicaid and Medicare costs, has asked Gilead, which owns Sovaldi, to explain its pricing.

We should care because we’re paying the bill.

Since Obamacare took effect in October, an estimated 7.2 million people have enrolled in its expanded Medicaid program and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, swelling the ranks to 66 million people, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Taxpayers are responsible for subsidizing the medical care for those 66 million people.

Elected officials need to be careful here.

The government can severely restrict access to high-cost drugs for Medicaid patients, increase taxes to cover the cost or try to impose price controls on drug companies.

The most politically expedient option might seem to be price controls. But drug companies spend billions to develop these

Poulsbo radiology clinic installs advanced MRI and low-radiation CT scanners

lent image quality, superb diagnostic capabilities, and exceptional patient comfort with a large, patient-friendly 70-cm (27.5 inch) opening,” Dr. Manfred Henne, certified radiologist and owner of InHealth Imaging, said in a news release. “We are very excited to bring this new technology to our patients.”

The primary benefits of the new 64-slice CT scanner are lower radiation, advanced imaging capabilities and more patient comfort with a much larger opening.

“Because of its technology and speed, patients will only need to hold their breath for a very short time,” Henne said. “This 64-slice scanner also allows us to reduce the amount of radiation exposure our patients receive and it features a large-volume coverage area, which is not available on older machines.”

InHealth Imaging is a private, outpatient medical practice, specializing in the diagnosis of a wide spectrum of medical conditions and diseases using the latest in medical imaging equipment.

InHealth Imaging in Poulsbo has installed the only 3T MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scanner on the Kitsap and Olympic peninsulas, and a new low-radiation 64-slice CT scanner. These two new pieces of equipment mean that the radiologists and staff at InHealth Imaging are offering the most advanced MRI and CT imaging services available.

The 3T MRI offers maximum comfort and optimized exam time. Also, there is no concern about radiation with MRI. The 3T MRI has a more open design that accommodates patients up to 550 pounds and helps reduce anxiety and claustrophobia. The 3T MRI utilizes the strongest magnet field strength used clinically to provide high-resolution images to help physicians make diagnoses.

“What our 3T MRI provides are excel-

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Winner of inaugural edg3 Fund contest is online pet licensing business A Seattle start-up that provides online pet licensing emerged as winner of the $20,000 prize in Kitsap Bank’s inaugural Edg3 Fund contest for small businesses.

Pawzii, Inc., was announced as the winner at the conclusion of a Sept. 10 event that saw the five Edg3 Fund finalists make presentations and answer questions from three judges in front of an audience in the Kitsap Conference Center ballroom.

Pawzii, founded in 2013 by Alexander Matias, partners with animal shelters, humane societies and municipalities to help them manage their pet licensing programs with online registration, mobile tracking tools, data analytics, and easy payment processing. The company touts its service as a way for those partners to increase licensing compliance and revenue.

The other four finalists were all womenowned businesses — Monica’s Waterfront Bakery and Café in Silverdale, represented by owner Monica Downen; Sash Sunday and Summer Bock’s Olympia-based Oly Kraut, which uses organic ingredients to make fermented vegetables and other foods; Moonlight Farm of Quilcene, represented by Alexa Helbling and Nina Sajeske, who raise heritage breed pigs and chickens in rotating pastures; and With Respect, run by Leah Kyaio of Port Orchard, who works with teachers, students and parents to target anti-bullying, cultural compe-

tence and conflict negotiation.

Kitsap Bank announced its Edg3 Fund contest on Earth Day in April, as an extension of the company’s own sustainability program. The contest sought applications from entrepreneurs whose business practices were improving their communities economically, socially or environmentally — hence the use of the numeral 3 in the contest name.

The bank’s mission statement for Edg3 Fund said: “We opened the contest to businesses in Western Washington, looking for companies that have fresh ideas, are committed to creating sustainable communities, and have a clear vision of where they are going and what they want to achieve.”

From about 70 applicants, a group of 16 semifinalists was selected by three independent judges. Those businesses were featured in videos on the bank’s website and social media during a two-week period of online voting in August that selected the five finalists.

The three judges who chose the winner at the Sept. 10 finale were David Giuliani, co-founder of Washington Business Alliance; John Eisenhauer, founder and CEO of Kombi Corp. on Bainbridge Island; and Steve Rice, senior principal architect at Rice Fergus Miller Architects in Bremerton.

Coalition of providers debuts health network for employers SEATTLE — A coalition of the Puget Sound region’s leading hospitals, clinics and physician groups announced that they have formed a new health care network that provides high-quality, cost-effective and comprehensive care at a reduced cost to employers.

Puget Sound High-Value Network (PSHVN) unites health care organizations throughout the region, including CHI Franciscan Health (which includes Harrison Medical Center and Harrison Health Partners in Kitsap County); Edmonds Family Medicine; The Everett Clinic; EvergreenHealth Partners; Lakeshore Clinic; Overlake Medical Center and Virginia Mason in a network managed by First Choice Health.

PSHVN currently reaches from Tacoma to Everett with eight hospitals, 163 clinics, 24 ancillary provider locations and 2,875

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miracle drugs. The Congressional Budget Office reported in 2006 that drug companies spent on average more than $800 million to develop an innovative new drug, including the cost of failed projects and the value of forgone alternative investments.

The question is will they continue to take those risks if the government imposes price controls?

Finally, with the current focus on wellness and disease prevention, it is essential that we remind people that bad choices

specialty and primary care providers, creating an extensive network with locations throughout the Puget Sound region.

“We’ve forged a network of industryleading organizations and providers who – in addition to being among the most respected in our region – have committed to an approach that will allow us to reduce costs to employers, making it very competitive,” said Dr. John Robinson, chief medical officer at First Choice Health.

Unlike other health care network offerings in the region, PSHVN providers are selected to participate based on a commitment to providing high-quality care at a reduced unit cost.

The network is available to self-insured employers with 50 or more employees.

Through First Choice Health, employers can access a comprehensive standard offering through PSHVN, or larger self-insured organizations can customize network offerings.

have bad consequences. If people understand that their bad choices lead to higher taxes and higher insurance premiums, perhaps we can put a dent in the rising cost of health care.

Until that happens, we are facing some very difficult choices and there are no easy answers.

• Don C. Brunell is a business analyst, writer and columnist. He recently retired as president of the Association of Washington Business, and now lives in Vancouver. He can be contacted at theBrunells@ msn.com.

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CAR REVIEW | KIA K900

Kia takes a seat at the big kids table with new K900 sedan

By Lary Coppola For KPBJ

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eaning to prove to American consumers Kia can build a luxury car every bit as good as the BMW 7-Series or Lexus LS460, the K900 is Kia’s first rear-wheel-drive luxury sedan brought to market in North America.

After driving it for a week, and again on the Northwest Automotive Press Association’s road trip event, Run To The Sun, I came away impressed. However, my first question to the Kia rep was, “At $66,400 (as tested) exactly who is going to buy this car?” In my view that’s a lot of money for a car that built its brand on small, economical, lower-market vehicles. She answered, “People who understand value, and aren’t concerned with their car, or anything else in their life, being a status symbol. This is a car for independent thinkers.”

How much of a value is it? The K900 V8 is priced $13,000 less than the Lexus LS460, $14,000 less than a V6 Jaguar XJ, $15,000 less than the V6 Audi A8, $18,000 less than a six-cylinder BMW 740, and a whopping $33,000 less than a MercedesBenz S550. Plus, it comes with a 10-year,

100,000-mile, limited powertrain warranty — better than any of those competitors.

Model Lineup: The 2015 Kia K900 comes with a choice of V6 or V8 engines, married to an 8-speed automatic transmission.

The 3.8-liter V6 offers 311 horses and rides on 18-inch alloy wheels. Standard features include leather upholstery and trim, three-zone climate control, 12-way driver with memory/8-way passenger heated and ventilated power seats, heated rear seats with pass-through, aluminum cabin trim, adaptive HID headlights, LED fog, tail and running lamps, power trunk lid, smart key remote/pushbutton start, rain-sensing wipers, power-folding auto-dimming outside mirrors, illuminated scuff plates, 900-watt 17-speaker Lexicon AM/FM/HD/CD/XM sound system with USB/aux in and UVO eServices, Bluetooth, navigation, front and rear cameras, power tilt/telescope steering wheel, electro-luminescent instruments, front/ rear parking sensors with park guidance, and manual side and power rear window shades. Options on the V6 include a panoramic moonroof, soft-close doors, Nappa perforated and piped leather, heated leather/wood steering wheel, blind spot/

CAR REVIEW | LEXUS GS

GS 450h — Hybrid luxury

By Lary Coppola For KPBJ

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exus, Toyota’s luxury brand, has built its stellar reputation on refined luxury and reliability. But when paired with the first-rate driving dynamics of rear-wheel drive and handsome styling, it’s a winning combination.

However, for the environmentally minded, Lexus has taken it to the next levThe Lexus GS 450h hybrid el with the GS 450h hybrid.

The Lexus GS competes in a very tough market segment that inLexus brand. Enhancing that sporting imcludes the Audi A6, BMW 5 Series, Infiniage is the edgy styling and highly defined ti Q50, and Mercedes-Benz E-Class — not shapes of the GS that include rather disto mention offerings from Cadillac, Lintinctive treatments of the Xenon headcoln and Chrysler. But the GS is a true lights and the LED taillights. Riding on contender for discerning, green-conscious 17-inch alloy wheels, the hybrid badging is sports sedan buyers that delivers outthe main exterior difference between the standing performance, superb handling, GS 350 and 450h. and traditional Lexus fit, finish and reliInterior: While edgy on the outside, ability outfitted in hybrid trim. true luxury is always conveyed by a vehiWalkaround: The 2014 GS features the cle’s interior. Proving that philosophy, the Lexus L-Finesse design theme that leads hybrid GS is distinguished from the gaswith an edgy but striking front-end treatpowered GS 350 by its environmentally SEE LEXUS | 37 ment that has become the new face of the

The Kia K900 luxury sedan rear cross traffic alerts, smart cruise control with full-stop, advanced vehicle safety management system, 16-way power front seats and wood trim.

The V8 version boasts a 420 horsepower, 5-liter powerplant, and 19-inch chrome alloy wheels with low-profile tires. The V8 adds Nappa leather, wood trim, LED headlights, panoramic moonroof, heated leather/wood steering wheel, blind spot/ rear cross traffic alerts and credit-card size smart key. The $6,000 VIP package adds soft-close doors, 12.3-inch TFT instrument cluster, around view monitor, advanced vehicle safety management, 16way power front seats, ventilated powerreclining rear seats, power 60/40 reclining rear seats and head-up display.

Standard safety features on both models include front, front side-impact, rear side-

impact and side curtain airbags, front belt pretensioners, front and rear cameras, electronic stability and traction control, brake assist and tire pressure monitors.

Walkaround: The K900 looks like a larger version of Kia’s fullsize Cadenza with enlarged rear doors. It does have a longer, sleeker front overhang than the Cadenza. The V8 gets a distinctive 2x4 LED headlight array, and curiously, the back-up lights use bulbs, not LEDs. There’s a purely cosmetic front fender vent, while badging and headlights are the main exterior differences between V8 and V6.

The V8 models use chromed alloy 19-inch wheels that are wider in back than the front, while 18-inch wheels on the V6 alloys are same-sized all around.

Kia’s signature grille features chrome latticework, and there’s a smaller lower grille.

The short power deck lid can be opened and closed from the driver’s seat revealing 16 cubic feet of trunk space — more than an Audi A8, less than a Lexus LS 460. Trapezoidal exhaust outlets, tube and rectangular lighting elements along SEE KIA | 37

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KITSAP PTAC | MARY JO JUAREZ

Government contracting tips from an insider

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s a small business owner, have you pondered your customers’ thoughts about how effective your business is, what they think about your customer service, and any suggestions for improvement they may have but are reluctant to give you? Carol S. Decker, Associate Director, Office of Small Business Programs, NAVSUP, presented a workshop at the 2014 Alliance NW Con-

ference and shared research she had collected from a variety of government agencies on things every small business should know: • Stay current on market trends.

• Consider developing sample proposals to increase response time to opportunities.

• Have at least one viable working relationship with a large business that does federal contracting before attempting to be a prime contractor to the federal government.

• Become familiar with the federal contracting rules before contemplating entering the federal market.

• Use databases like FPDS-NG to see which offices buy what you want to sell.

• Seek out the opportunities where the offices post them.

• Discover where your expertise fits into an agency’s mission before contacting them.

• Map your capabilities to specific requirements; don’t market general qualifi-

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saving S-flow automatic climate control.

The standard Lexus Premium Audio System has 12 speakers, AM/FM/DVD with HD Radio and WMA/MP3 capability, Bluetooth streaming, 5.1 Surround Sound and numerous other features. Additional standard equipment includes keyless remote/push-button start, rearview camera, Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management, which combines the anti-lock brakes, traction control and stability control functions, Safety Connect with Automatic Collision Notification, and all government-mandated safety features.

Options for the 2014 Lexus GS include: a Premium Package with heated and ventilated front seats; a Luxury Package with Adaptive Variable Suspension (AVS), semi-aniline leather upholstery and 18-inch alloy wheels. The UltraLuxury Package includes a power trunk opener and 19-inch wheels. There’s also an F Sport Package with a 16-way driver’s sport seat, custom-tuned AVS, bigger wheels/tires/brakes and Variable Gear Ratio Steering. Both the Ultra-Luxury and F Sport Packages include the Cold-Weather Package. Stand-alone options include an HDD Navigation system, 835-watt Mark Levinson premium audio, Heads-Up Dis-

play, Intuitive Park Assist and Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning.

Under The Hood: The GS 450h is powered by an Atkinson-cycle 24-valve DOHC 3.5-liter aluminum V6 that puts out 286 ponies with 254 lb-ft of torque. It’s coupled with a water-cooled 180 horse, 650-volt permanent magnet electric motor. The electric motor is powered by a 240-cell (6 cells x 40 modules) sealed nickel hydride battery pack. Total combined horsepower output is 338. The package is paired with an electronically controlled Continuously Variable Transmission (ECVT) with twostage torque multiplication with power and snow modes.

Behind The Wheel: The GS 450h is a sports sedan in every sense of the term. It will make driving enthusiasts smile, with a level of handling, braking, and acceleration more commonly associated with European brands. How much torque an electric motor contributes is difficult to calculate, but that electric torque power hits the pavement almost instantly, which is why the GS 450h does the 0-60 drill in only 5.6 seconds. For a luxury sedan weighing in at a bit more than two tons, that’s quick.

There are five drive modes — Normal, Eco, EV, Sport S, and Sport S+. Normal

friendly bamboo wood-accented interior.

Bamboo is a fast-growing, light-colored wood that’s both quickly renewable, making it a sustainable material, yet tough enough to be used as flooring in homes.

The cabin layout is spacious and comfortable, featuring a suite of luxury equipment that includes heated seats front and rear, a heated wood trimmed steering wheel, front seat massager, butterfly headrest, and rear manual side shades.

Both front passengers enjoy 10-way power seats, and LED ambient lighting integrated into the door ornamentation and the center console area.

The Lexus GS is not only luxurious, but loaded with technology as well. Instrumentation includes analog Optitron gauges with a color Multi-Information Display and an 8-inch high-resolution color touchscreen that utilizes Lexus’ second-generation Remote Touch Interface (RTI) for navigation, audio and climate controls.

The list of notable standard equipment is impressive, and includes leather upholstery, wood/metallic accent trim, a full range of power assists, power moonroof, multifunction steering wheel and energy-

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with some chrome, finish out the rear detail.

Interior: The interior is plush — all leather, wood and chrome, showcased by black lacquer finishes. The seats are big, with cushy leather surfaces, and soft-touch panels. They adjust via Mercedes-like door-mounted switches laid out in the exact pattern of what they adjust. A suede headliner, leather-wrapped assist handles, thick floor mats and thoughtful features like lower door pillars that aren’t hard plastic, and illuminated scuff plates all convey that large luxury car ambiance.

Steering wheel controls are logically arranged and easy to use. Our test vehicle had the TFT instrument cluster, which features clear, digital representations of analog displays. In the dynamic drive mode they become big digital numbers with small bar graphs rotating clockwise around the speedometer and counterclockwise around the tachometer.

The center stack showcases a 9.2-inch display screen that handles navigation, all infotainment features, as well as Kia’s UVO eServices telematics. Climate controls frame the analog clock, and basic audio controls.

A center console controller mimics Audi’s MMI and

BMW’s iDrive as does the stubby shifter, which you curiously push forward for reverse and pull backwards to go forward.

The 17-speaker, 900-watt Lexicon sound system handles all media including DVD audio, and sounds excellent, although we’re personally partial to Infiniti’s Bose system.

Rear seats are exceptionally comfortable, especially with the VIP pack’s ventilated, power recline and winged headrests. Center armrest-mounted rear climate controls are standard.

Laminated side windows front and rear keep the K900 very quiet, and the rear cabin feels even quieter than the front.

Behind The Wheel: Our test model was equipped with the 420-horse V8. The 8-speed automatic is smooth, but requires gas pedal pressure to appreciate the engine’s power. The dynamic driving mode lessens that somewhat, but shifting isn’t as solid as its German counterparts.

The suspension is tuned for comfort rather than agility.

The hydraulic-assist steering offers more feel than most electric-assisted vehicles. Overall, the K900 is a comfortable ride that doesn’t mind a winding road. Cruising the freeway is an outright serene experience.

Whines: The far left switch bank has a blind spot. The

cations and small business certifications.

• Go to the Procurement Technical Assistance Center and get to know them.

• Know your niche and where the federal government needs your skills.

• Ask questions when you have them.

• Provide value for a fair and reasonable price.

• Remember our small business specialist is a great first contact.

• Don’t assume that you won’t qualify for a contract. Ask questions – submit a quote.

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is for normal driving. Eco offers revised throttle mapping for better fuel economy.

EV (electric vehicle) mode is exactly that, and can power the GS 450h short distances using only its electric motor. The Sport S mode changes throttle mapping and transmission shifting to maximize available power, while according to Lexus, the Sport S+ mode “…engages handling enhancements via a sport setting of the adaptive variable suspension, steering system, and Vehicle Dynamic Integrated Management (VDIM) together with the powertrain enhancements of SPORT S mode.”

In the normal drive mode we clocked 29 mpg for city driving and 35 mpg on the highway — all of it in quiet Lexus comfort.

Handling and braking are excellent on all terrains, and the transition from electric to gas power, while slightly noticeable as it is in all hybrids, was seamless and smoother than most.

Whines: Although the ECVT is smooth and quiet, it’s a bit soft for my personal driving style.

Bottom Line: If you’re in the market for a true luxury sports sedan, while concerned about doing your part for the environment, the Lexus GS 450h is just the ticket for you.

parking sensors, traction off and trunk open/close are all adjacent with some indicator lights on the switch, and some in the dash. Standardization would help.

Bottom Line: Kia’s first sortie into the rear wheeldrive, V8 luxury market is luxurious, spacious, comfortable, beautifully finished, powerful, and loaded with features for the price. If you’re a value-conscious independent thinker, the 2015 Kia K900 deserves a test drive.

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REGIONAL ECONOMY | JOHN POWERS

2035 will be here before you know it ... so will June 2016

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he state Growth Management Act (GMA) of 1990 requires all urban counties and municipalities to comprehensively plan for their respective jurisdictions’ future population growth and concomitant community needs.

Sounds pretty straightforward and simple; and yet, effective comprehensive land-use planning is a major undertaking that calls for substantial community input in order to set a course that will sustain healthy and prosperous communities for generations to come.

Kitsap County and its four cities adopted their original 20-year comprehensive plans in the early 1990s; and, pursuant to the GMA, have promulgated several updates over the past two decades. Now, pursuant to state law, all five jurisdictions are currently undertaking internal and external efforts to adopt additional updates

to their respective comprehensive plans by June 2016 in order to provide longrange growth guidance for the next 10 to 20 years.

The heart of comprehensive land-use planning lies at the nexus of public policy, infrastructure, institutional capacity and commerce.

Comprehensive planning must be integrated and address several key elements: • population projections and employment trends; • land use policy and regulation; • health and public safety; • housing stock; • capital facilities; • utilities; • transportation and telecommunications infrastructure; • public parks, recreation, environmental stewardship; • arts, culture and entertainment; • education and workforce training; • commerce and economic development.

Comprehensive planning is most effective when based upon meaningful input from a wide array

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• Follow the money.

• Don’t expect that the government has a contract waiting for you.

• Don’t overstate your capabilities or take on too much too soon. Diversify!

• Don’t underbid at your own detriment.

• Don’t be averse to subcontract work before pursuing prime contract opportunities.

• Don’t disappoint a federal customer once you have an award.

• Don’t try to explain away poor performance.

• Don’t send non-specific marketing emails with large attachments. They probably won’t get them due to email limitations and many won’t bother to read them.

The Washington State Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) Alliance Conference is scheduled for March 5 at the Puyallup fairgrounds. As the largest small business conference in the state,

of citizens, organizations and community interests.

Our Economic Development Alliance will take an active role in engaging the business community to insure we garner broad and substantive input on basic issues critical to retaining, growing and attracting businesses to Kitsap and its many communities.

Our Decision Makers II event Oct. 23 will focus on transformational growth in the Central Kitsap/Silverdale community. This program will include a briefing

by Elizabeth Court, Ph.D., regional labor economist with the state Employment Security Department; also, a panel of local change agents will elaborate on the dramatic changes that have occurred over the past 30 years and what to expect over the next 10, 20 and 30 years.

You can learn more about this program and keep updated on other opportunities to provide input on economic development, and other related elements, at www.kitsapeda.org.

Beginning this fall, and throughout the next year, you will have an op-

this conference provides excellent networking opportunities to meet prime contractors and government agencies.

The Kitsap PTAC located in Bremerton at 4312 Kitsap Way, Suite 103, will be sponsoring a class prior to the event to show you how to make the best use of a conference with a focused, targeted plan.

Our goal is to help you to be successful in obtaining government contracts and performing the work when your business receives an award. You can reach our office at 360-377-9499.

• Mary Jo Juarez is PTAC counselor with Kitsap Economic Development Alliance, providing education and technical assistance to businesses interested in doing business with the government. She has over 30 years’ experience in government contracting; most recently working as a Navy Deputy for Small Business, helping the Navy meet their small business goals.

To learn about PTAC, please contact Kathy Cocus at cocus@kitsapeda.org.

portunity to provide input to local government on the many critical planning elements to be updated. Citizens in every city and throughout the county will be invited to attend public meetings, participate in surveys, or go online to answer questions and share your ideas or concerns.

When the plans were adopted two decades ago, Kitsap was home to approximately 200,000 residents.

Today our county population tops 260,000; and by

2036, our population will likely be half again as large as it was when the comprehensive plans were first adopted. Time marches on — change happens — you can weigh in to shape your/our collective future.

For more information on Kitsap County and the cities’ comprehensive plan update activities, and opportunities to participate in the process, check out the following links: • Kitsap County: www. compplan.kitsapgov.com • Port Orchard: www.

planning@cityofportorchard.us • Bremerton: www.ci. bremer ton.wa.us/compplan/doc/schedule.pdf • Poulsbo: www.cityofpoulsbo.com/planning • Bainbridge Island: www. ci.bainbridgewa.gov/615/ navigate-bainbridge On(e) Kitsap — Growing together, planning together, prospering together!

• John Powers is executive director of the Kitsap Economic Development Alliance.

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