Kelso Longview July 2016 Newsletter by Kelso-Longview Chamber of Commerce

July 2016

Business Connection

Volume 8, Issue 7

Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce

The Chamber's 2016 Golf Classic was a huge success. Check out the fun beginning on page 5 and on our facebook page CLICK HERE.

Commissioners say Cowlitz County in good shape

t was brief and concise, as County Commissioners Mike Karnofski, Dennis Weber and Joe Gardner gave the local business community its update at the State of Cowlitz County, the Chamber of Commerce's Quarterly Meeting, during the lunch hour June 29 at the Elks Lodge in Kelso. Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce Team Bill Marcum, CEO Lindsey Cope, Project Manager Amy Hallock, Bookkeeper Kelso Longview Business Connection is published monthly by the Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce 105 N. Minor Road • Kelso, WA 98626 • 360-423-8400 kelsolongviewchamber.org To advertise, call Bill Marcum, 360-423-8400 or e-mail bmarcum@ kelsolongviewchamber.org Ad Deadline: 20th of each month

More than 104 business members were in attendance. The event was sponsored by Three Rivers Mall, Millennium Bulk Terminals and Gibbs and Olson, has become an an- County Commissioner Dennis Weber addressed a number nual treat for those who like to keep of issues still facing the county, including homelessness. up on projects, finances and ponderings regarding the future. This year was no exception as Weber, who once served on the Longview Education Association, broached the subject of a four-year university that would draw more business. Weber, who serves District 2 and served on the Longview City Council for 10 years, is also the liaison for health and human services, which gives him a good perspective on the area’s homelessness, which he noted as an area for improvement. Karnofski, who represents District 1, was unable to attend the event at the last minute, but provided a video presentation about projects like the methanol plant at the Port of Kalam and the coal export dock near Longview. His is also a member of the Cowlitz Economic Development Council's Executive Board and his committee assignments include finance and the Community Economic Revitalization Board. In addition to the video, Karnofski presented a brief financial summary in this week's County Commissioners column which you can read on page 4 of this Kelso Longview Business Connection newsletter, where he also talks For more State of the County, see page 2

Chamber Hires New Project Manager

Cope brings sales and marketing experience to Chamber office Lindsey Cope is the new Project Manager for the Kelso/Longview Chamber of Commerce. Lindsey grew up in the Kelso/Longview area, attending school from Butler Acres Elementary through Lower Columbia College. Most recently, Lindsey has worked in sales and marketing for American Family Insurance. Throughout the years she has stayed involved in our community by being a volunteer cheerleading coach, a member of the Longview American Legion Auxiliary, a member of the Kelso/Longview Chamber of Commerce Lower Columbia Professionals raising funds for scholarships for local students, as well as attending functions for our many nonprofit organizations. In her off time, Lindsey enjoys spending time with her family and friends. You can often find her out camping on the weekends, on a boat in one of our many lakes or rivers, poorly attempting craft projects, or cheering on the Seahawks during football season. As project manager, Lindsey will oversee a number of events, including the Chamber's Golf Classic and the Business and Education awards ceremonies.

Welcome Lindsey!

State of the County, continued from page 1 about economic development in the county. Gardner, representing District 3, who previously worked at the Washington State Patrol, Department of Transportation and owned an excavating businees, took time to praise the emergency response to Decemberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s flooding. He also spoke briefly on parks. Under work that still needs to be done, Gardner specifically mentioning the morgue.

The State of the County address drew more than 104 business members to the Elks Lodge during lunch.

2 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | July 2016

County Commissioners By Michael A. Karnofski

Sound financial condition for County and economic growth k

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DISCLAIMER: GIS maps do not carry legal authority to determine a boundary or the location of fixed works and are intended as a locational reference for planning, infrastructure management and general information. Cowlitz County provides this information on an "as is" basis without warranty of any kind, expressed or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose, and assumes no responsibility for anyone's use of this information.

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4| Kelso Longview Business Connection | July 2016

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There are also significant infrastructure projects to improve freight mobility, which have been approved or in one case are pending funding—

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Port of Woodland (warehouse construction)

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Regarding economic development, there are significant planning and infrastructure activities that ultimately will result in construction jobs and permanent jobs. The list below shows the planning grants from the State Community Economic Revitalization Board totaling more than $230,000 that were provided in the last year to Cowlitz County jurisdictions:

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I want to give a very short summary of the financial portion of my “State of the County” presentation at the June 29 Chamber meeting, then discuss some present economic development activities and finally discuss one of the limitations to economic development. The short financial summary is that the County is presently in sound condition. Year to date we are close to plan for General Fund revenues and expenditures. The cash reserves have improved and this allowed reissuing bonds last fall for a savings of about $2 million. Our bond rating continues to be at the top of what can be expected which provides us additional opportunities when we need to issue or refinance bonds.

Miles

There is one situation that defines the past, present and future of Cowlitz County. If you look at the map on this page of Cowlitz County, the colored areas show the major forestland properties in the County. Approximately two-thirds of the County is dedicated to growing trees. The first commercial logging operations in the County started in 1876 at Stella and Oak Point. Timber, lumber, and shakes/shingles certainly defined the early economic development of the County ultimately leading to the creation of the city of Longview in the 1920s and then the construction of Weyerhaeuser and Longview Fibre operations producing pulp and paper in the 1930s. Even today the availability of timber mainly drives the economy with KapStone and Weyerhaeuser being two of the three largest employers in the County. (PeaceHealth is the other of the top three). Looking at the additional economic activity of other forest product export and manufacturing it is clear that timber still drives the economy of Cowlitz County. We do need to diversify and that is the goal of the Cowlitz Economic Development Council, ports and cities. However, even with diversification timber growing will remain a major factor due to geological and geographical constraints. This results in limited land available for additional residential, commercial and industrial development. (I certainly wish that the founders of Cowlitz County would have moved the southern boundary about 10 miles south to get some of the flat land of northern Clark County). To have a balance of Quality of Place, where people desire to live, work and visit, as well as land for commercial, and industrial development we must have balanced planning that takes all three uses into consideration for the limited approximately one-third of the County available. This one-third is generally limited to the Cowlitz River/I-5 corridor and the Columbia River shoreline from Woodland to the County Line Park. Working together to balance and resolve this issue is the key to future prosperity of Cowlitz County.

Calendar Monday July 4 – All Day Office Closed

Thursday July 7 – 7:30 am Ambassador Committee Meeting Canterbury Park

Tuesday July 12 – 5:30 pm Business After Hours Red Canoe (old Cowlitz Credit Union Building) 821 Washington Way, Longview

Friday August 5 – 4 to 7pm OPEN HOUSE Ribbon Cutting 5 pm Wheeler’s Auto – Truck and RV Repair Center 2406 Talley Way, Kelso

Saturday August 6, 9 am COLOR 5K Three Rivers Mall Parking lot Sign up at Kelsolongview.color5K.run

Every Wednesday Chamber Connections KEDO/1400 AM – 3-4 pm Stream live at www.threeriversradio.com

Chamber CEO’s Message By Bill Marcum

Driving home a big Chamber golf tournament thank you The Kelso/Longview Chamber of Commerce hosted its’ annual Chamber Golf Classic June 6 at Three Rivers Golf Course. We had 124 golfers from more than 90 businesses for this fun event. The weather was perfect, okay, maybe a little bit warm at 88 degrees, but the breeze made it perfect. A special thank you to our tournament sponsor Stirling Honda, who for the sixth year in a row has been our presenting sponsor at the tournament. The Shamrock Spirits and Grill provided this year’s lunch and Steve Jones’ staff did an incredible job preparing the burgers and brats. Thank you Steve. C’s Photography was there to take photos of every team that participated, rush them back to the studio and then to Reprographics for printing so we could have them back by the awards dinner. Whew! And it came off beautifully. Thank you. We had more than 50 items donated for the raffle and auction to give away at the awards banquet. All in all we had more than 35 sponsors and 20 volunteers to help make this a full day of fun. For a complete list of our hole sponsors, cart sponsors, photograph sponsors and much, much, more please see page 10 and thank you to all of you for your sponsorship. We did have some people who had played golf before and they played well enough to capture a trophy. In the Gross Division, first place went to a team from the Clatskanie PUD, second place went to the Cowlitz Black Bears, and third place went to Signature Transport. In the Net Division, first place went to Columbia Bank, second place to Cal Portland, and third place to Express Employment Professionals. I also want to say thank you to the Golf Classic Committee of Dave Taylor, Scott Fischer, Clay Bartness and staff member Karen Sisson. We start working on this tournament in March, meeting every other week until May

and then weekly to make sure everyone who attends is going to have a fun day. Special thank you to our Ambassadors who volunteer for much of the duties, and with the weather the red coats were optional, but most had on their red polo shirts and assisted with raffle ticket sales and registration. Jackie Evenson and Leslie Bartness volunteered the entire day as our hole-in-one witnesses...unfortunately we did not have a winner for the $10,000 prize. GREAT BIG HUGE thanks to you all. I also want to give a shout out to Lance Satcher and his team at the Three Rivers Golf Course; they did an amazing job of setting up the course and making sure all hole sponsors were in place with whatever they needed prior to golf. The Elks prepared the awards banquet dinner and WOW, was it good. The steaks were a huge hit with everyone. Thank you Rhonda for coordinating all the food and the cooks. And finally, but certainly not least, a heartfelt thank you to Chamber staff, Amy and Karen. They prepared all the tee prize bags (124), checked in all the golfers, set up the registration, worked the dinner and awards selling more raffle tickets, raffling off the prizes, coordinating payments and making sure all our golfers had a good time. It was a full 14-hour day for them. Thank you. This was Karen’s last day with the Chamber of Commerce. Karen was gracious enough to work an extra two weeks with the Chamber to complete two major events, the Business and Education Awards and the Chamber Golf Classic. Both HUGE events for us, demanding a lot of time and details to accomplish and I especially want to say thank you Karen for staying, and your commitment to the Chamber and to Amy and myself. Best of luck with your new job at NORPAC, I know we will be seeing you at most of our events, just in a different role. Thank you again. July 2016 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | 5

Cowlitz Economic Development Council By Ted Sprague

Executive Director

Plenty of reason for optimism Thanks to a portfolio of more than $4 billion worth of capital investment projects permitting, pre-permitting or investigating sites in Cowlitz County there are signs of great days ahead for Cowlitz County and the State of Washington. One indicator of our upswing is home values. According to the Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies, home values in Cowlitz County increased by 8 percent over the last year with the median price of $180,400. Clark County home values have soared by 15.1 percent, making our region one of the fastest growing median home prices in the State of Washington. For perspective, King County has increased by 49.9 percent, but they are in an entirely different arena. For the first time in 26 years, home prices are now rising faster in Washington than in any other state in the nation. In addition to rising home values, according to Cowlitz County, the value of new home permits is up over 25 percent when May 2015 is compared to May 2016. The unemployment rate has shown some stagnation, but the overall rate for Cowlitz County now sits at 7.1 percent. This is down from 7.3 percent in April and 7.9 percent from a year ago. It was only a few years ago, during the recession, that we were double that unemploy-

Your Locally Owned and Operated ment rate. These positive Community trends and indicators reveal Cowlitz County as an Bank area on the rise. With the help and leadership of CEDC’s partners and community leaders, we see a bright future ahead!

• Checking, Savings and CDs Your Locally Your Locally Your Locally • Business Loans Owned and Operated Owned and Operated • Construction Loans Owned and Operated Community Bank Community Bank • SBA Loans Community Bank • Checking, Savings and CDs and CDs • Checking, Savings 729 Vandercook • Business• Loans Business Loans • Construction Loans • Construction Loans • SBA Loans

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ere’s a Difference.

There’s a Difference. There’s a Difference. 6 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | July 2016

Way, Longview

Kelso longview

2016

VISITOR GUIDE

& Business Directory

Availab le Now! Pick u p your copy t oday!

2016 Golf Classic

CalPortland's Michael Wagy, Tony Zilles, Drue MacNeil and Greg Delbridge captured 2nd Net (50) honors.

Chamber Chip Shot

Diane Craft, Koelsch Senior Communities, shows the Foster Farms golf team a game at her tee box. Great sponsors both Koelsch and Foster Farms.

The winning team from Columbia Bank. Pam Whittle, Joy Sneed, Amy Davis and Binh Do took 1st Net (49).

8 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | July 2016

2016 Golf Classic

Jim Appleby, Bob Rose, Eric Cheatley and Al Moberg led the Cowlitz Black Bears team to 2nd Gross (62.

See more photos on the Chamberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Facebook page or click here.

1st Gross (58) Clatskanie PUD Paul Wade, Nick Lewis, Lonnie Marcum, Chris Marlowe 2nd Gross (62) Cowlitz Black Bears Jim Appleby, Bob Rose, Eric Cheatley, Al Moberg 3rd Gross (62) Signature Transport Dale Lemmons, Steve Jones, Craig Bergeson, Bryce Lemmons 1st Net (49) Columbia Bank Pam Whittle, Joy Sneed, Amy Davis, Binh Do

WINNERS 2016

2nd Net (50) Cal Portland Michael Wagy, Tony Zilles, Drue MacNeil, Greg Delbridge 3rd Net (50) Express Employment Professionals Lisa Straughan, Wade Goforth, David Sams, Robert Nye

July 2016 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | 9

T hank You to our 2016 Sponsors Title Sponsor Hole 1 Red Canoe Credit Union

Hole 13 Brown and Brown Insurance

Hole 2 Longview Eye Clinic

Hole 14 Millennium Bulk Terminals

Par 3, Hole 3 Kelso Theatre Pub and Backstage Café

Hole 15 H & S Enterprises, Steve Dahl

Hole 4 Riverwoods Chiropractic

Par 3, Hole 16 Ocean Beach Self Storage

Driving Range Sponsor State Farm Insurance Fischer & Beal Photo Sponsor Reprograghics Propel Insurance C’s Photography CalPortland

Hole 17 ServPro Longview

Cart Sponsors Three Rivers Mall Sportsman’s Warehouse

Hole 18 Koelsch Senior Communities

Raffle Sponsor Cascade Title

Par 3, Hole 7 Columbia Ford

Beverage Cart Express Employment Professionals

Hole in One NORPAC

Hole 8 Futcher Group CPAs

Putting Contest Fibre Federal Credit Union

Hole 5 Cowlitz River Rigging Hole 6 Three Rivers Eye Clinic

Hole 9 Kentucky Fried Chicken Hole 10 Edward Jones - Nick Lemiere

Dinner Sponsor Twin City Bank

Tee Prize

Dessert Sponsor Coldwell Banker-Bain

ee Prize Sponsor

Registration Table Cowlitz County Title

Hole 11 D and C Lemmons

Lunch Sponsor Cascade Networks Shamrock Grill & Spirits

Hole 12 Les Schwab

19th Hole Sponsor Signature Transport

Special Thank You to: Diamond Members KUHN, KLOG and The Wave C’s Photography PeaceHealth BiCoastal Media

2016 Golf Classic

Dan Frazier with his pink flamingos, Tracy Robbins, Julie Nelson and Julie Frazier. Not much on golf, but great on style.

Dale Lemmons, Steve Jones, Craig Bergeson and Bryce Lemmons picked up 3rd Gross (62) for Signature Transport.

Express Employment Professionals sewed up 3rd Net (50) honors with team members Lisa Straughan, Wade Goforth, David Sams and Robert Nye.

Clatskanie PUD won big with 1st Gross (58). Teeing up for the PUD were Paul Wade, Nick Lewis, Lonnie Marcum and Chris Marlowe.

July 2016 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | 11

Cowlitz Wahkiakum Council of Governments By Bill Fashing

Executive Director

Getting better all the time I have written previously about the Council of Governments (COG) annual meeting speaker Patrick Ibarra. The Mejorando Group founder provided an enlightening overview of leadership in the public sector. As you may remember, Mejorando is Spanish for “getting better all the time.” I thought of this mantra recently as I watched a commencement speech by Dean James Ryan of Harvard University. He provides five essential questions that that we should ask ourselves and others as we go through life. He was speaking to the graduating class, but his message also applies to the rest of us. In order to get better, we must be asking questions and be willing to act upon what we learn from the answers. Dean Ryan starts out with the question, “Wait, What?” This question of clarification is essential. Take a moment and make sure you understand what was said, requested, or implied in your conversations. It is a question you should ask before making your final conclusion in an effort to reach complete understanding. It is important to understand, before you advocate either for or against the position. The “wait” portion of the question is important in that it reminds us to slow down and take a step back from the issue while we build understanding. “I wonder if…?” is the second question. This helps to spur and refresh our curiosity. “I wonder if ” allows us to consider how we might improve the situation. It is a way of asking for input and opening up discussion on a possible action, a gentler way of seeking input and reaching potential agreement than more direct approaches. Helping others to think about options and opportunities is essential to getting better as a region. “Couldn’t we at least…?” is the third question. It can be used to help

12 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | July 2016

move us beyond disagreement and toward consensus. This question is so important when we come together to build something bigger than the whole. This ongoing exploration of options and discussion of possible compromise is an important part of finding solutions and moving forward. Building and maintaining coalitions, requires an effort to find compromise. The fourth question is “How can I help?” If you are reading this, you are the type of person that wants to help your community. No one person can swoop in and solve all of the problems and issues, nor should anyone try. There are limitations to what we can do, but we should still ask “How can I help others?” According to Ryan, “By asking ‘How can I help’, you are asking with humility for direction. And you are recognizing that others are experts in their own lives and that they will likely help you as much as you help them.” Finally, ask “What truly matters?” This short but critical question can help each of us to get to our own beliefs and convictions. From there, making decisions based what matters to us can help get to the heart of the issue and bypass the emotional clutter that often impacts the quality of decisions. The stronger our focus gets, the easier it can be to let go of some of those superfluous issues that can stall cooperation and success. Each of us faces challenges on a daily basis. Whether we use the questions outlined above or a different process to help work through those challenges, I hope we will continue to commit to the betterment of our community and the people around us. I hope we will continue to build partnerships in our efforts to enhance the community. And finally, I hope that we will all search for compromise and find a way to bring varied interests to the table in order to provide a new sense of hope and opportunity throughout the region.

Business Toolbox By Jerry D. Petrick

Certified Business Adviser

Seven strategies to retain your best customers Do you direct all of your marketing and advertising energies and resources toward attracting new customers? If so, you are not alone. Most businesses are focused almost exclusively on chasing and capturing as many new customers as they can – often at the expense of ignoring their existing customers. Just for curiosity, you may want to take a closer look at the source of your sales and profits – which customers generate the most profits for your business. It is very common that 80 percent or more of your sales and profits come from repeat business from existing customers. If you find that 80 percent of your business is coming from 20 percent of your customers you may want to consider some strategies for staying in touch with those customers. Retaining customers and serving them over their lifetime can mean $1,000s for your business. Here is an excerpt from Forbes.com to consider: “Never Underestimate the Value of Retention For those who feel that customer retention plays a relatively minor role in helping a company grow a healthy bottom line, here are a few statistics you might be interested in. According to Bain and Co., a 5% increase in customer retention can increase a company’s profitability by 75%. And if those numbers don’t impress you, Gartner Group statistics tell us that 80% of your company’s future revenue will come from just 20% of your existing customers. Still not sold on customer retention? One final statistic provided by Lee Resource Inc. should give you plenty to think about: Attracting new customers will cost your company 5 times more than keeping an existing customer.” Here are some practical ways to develop action around your customer retention strategies: 1. Communicate with your existing customers on a regular basis – this could be a great way to use your social media tools 2. Show your appreciation for their business and nurture customer loyalty – using a customer loyalty/referral program appropriate for your business 3. Look for ways to build trust between your business and your customers – establish ways to reward loyalty with nonadvertised sales/services/bundles/discounts

4. Make it difficult for your customers to switch to the competition – price matching, subscription sales discounts, provide impeccable customer service 5. Expand product lines based on customer input/feedback 6. Anticipate the changing needs of your customers – pay attention to industry trends and supplier insights 7. Actively engage in cross selling and up selling to increase the sales and profits per transaction/per customer If you have lost customers you may want to work to learn why they abandoned you (competitor/substitute offering/stopped buying etc.) and react accordingly to win them back or otherwise cultivate the relationship. In order to implement a strategy you will need to develop a database to know who your customers are and what they mean to your business – in other words, what they contribute to your sales and profits. Who is REALLY your best customer? How do you define what a ‘good’ customer is? Do you know which customers are your most profitable? Hint…the customer who comes in everyday to buy and item or two and catch up on gossip may actually be costing your business money based on the low level of profit their purchases contribute and high level of service they require. You have already invested a lot of money in the customers you have and those you’ve lost. So, making a special effort to retain or win back your current/past customers makes cost effective sense for your business. Find out who your BEST customers truly are: • take great care of them • make it easy for them to promote your business • learn from them how to attract more customers like them • provide them with enhanced value and show them the love! This article is based, in part, on the book E Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber and was prepared by Jerry Petrick, MBA, CGBP, SPHR, PMP and Certified Business Adviser with the Washington State University Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in Longview. Jerry provides no-cost, confidential business advisory services by appointment. He can be reached via email jerry.petrick@wsbdc.org July 2016 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | 13

Business After Hours

Residents of the indpendent senior living home and Chamber members mingled through the wonderful new facility.

Welcome Home

Koelsch Senior Communities showed off the beautiful addition to the Park at Canterbury as part of the June 16 Chamber After Hours event. Aaron Koelsch made the rounds with residents and Chamber members. Thank you to Lloyd Smith for the photographs

Chamber Ambassador Nick Lemiere showing two attendees around the beautiful new addition.

14 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | July 2016

Business After Hours

The event was filled with beautiful touches and great food.

Aaron Koelsch, president and CEO, presenting Sasha Wheatley with a 10-year service award for Koelsch Senior Communities.

See more photos on the Chamberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Facebook page or click here.

July 2016 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | 15

Join Us.

Business After Hours.

Enjoy delicious food catered by Grounds for Opportunity and complimentary beer & wine. Tuesday, July 12 5:30pm-7:30pm Washington Way Branch 821 Washington Way, Longview $15 - Advance / $20 - Door Register online at: www.kelsolongviewchamber.org

Mind Your Own Business (at the Library) By Chris Skaugset

Director – Longview Public Library

Special business read on tap for summer beach season Summer is here and it actually looks like summer as I stare out my office window and see the blue sky and the bright morning sunshine. In terms of books, reading, and libraries, summer can mean many things but there are a couple of these that are worth mentioning. The first is the term beach reads. I’m not exactly sure where the phrase came from but it has become synonymous with light reading that doesn’t make you think too hard, i.e. something you might read as your sitting on the beach. While I wouldn’t necessarily call them beach reads I do have a couple of new business-related titles that I’ll discuss a little bit later in this column. For libraries specifically, summer means summer reading programs for children and teens. Every year libraries put on programs that encourage and incentivize children (and their parents) to read during the summer. It is clear from numerous studies done that children who participate in a summer reading program are less likely to have what educators call “the summer slide.” This is the effect of the long layoff from school over the summer. At the beginning of the school year, teachers often have to start by getting students back to the place they were when school let out before they can begin teaching anything new. Summer reading programs help eliminate, or at least lessen, this slide. We usually have around 1,200 children participate in the program where they set goals for reading and win prizes when they reach those goals. This year’s theme for children is “On Your Mark… Get Set… Read!” and for teens is “Get in the Game… Read!” So, it’s all sports and games related. The big prize for participants this year is four tickets to a Cowlitz Black Bears game as part of Literacy Night for reaching the 100-minute level and becoming a reading all-star! You can contact the library for more information about the program or if you are interested in helping support Literacy Night. The first title I wanted to mention this month is Quench Your Own Thirst: Business Lessons Learned over a Beer or Two by James Koch. Koch is the founder of the Boston Beer Company (brewers of Samuel Adams) and a leading force in the craft beer movement. With an engaging blend of stories about the company’s founding and sound, practical advice on surmounting common obstacles faced both in creating and running a business as well as in life itself. Fol-

lowing along five generations of family brewers, Koch left a successful career as a management consultant in 1984 to resurrect his family brewing business. Using a recipe dating back to the 1860s, he took on the big brewers and has carved himself out a respectable 1 percent of the U.S. beer market. He writes about the company’s success and its struggles ranging from choosing the right business to create, how to get financing, and finding the right name. He also talks about taking his company public and the attacks from industry giants, such as Anheuser-Busch, as the company grew more successful. All in all, this is a well-written and fascinating account of one man’s dream that you might want to read while having a beer, or two, this summer. Makers and Takers: The Rise of Finance and the Fall of American Business by Rana Foroohar is the other book that I thought to mention this month. An award-winning journalist, Foroohar has written an equally fascinating, though certainly not as fun as Koch’s, book that in some ways just might keep you up at night. While we have only recently crawled out from under the Great Recession of 2008, Foroohar argues that the underlying problems, and misguided financial practices and philosophies that led to this economic disaster are still present and in fact are now inherent in all American businesses which could lead to an economic cataclysm. She shows how the “financialization” of America, the trend by which finance and its way of thinking have come to reign supreme leading to Wall Street ruling Main Street, widening the gap between rich and poor, and ultimately threatening the future of the American Dream. Using interesting stories about both “takers” and “makers,” Foroohar shows the reader how this has happened and what changes must be made to the system to create a better and more sustainable-shared economic future. Definitely not a beach read but certainly worth taking a look at. Finally, I wanted to put out a call to all Chamber members and other business owners (and potential business owners) to let me know what types of things that would be useful for you from the library. Whether it’s a specific resources or business-related programs, a designated space for business owners, or anything else you might think up. If you have any thoughts, ideas or suggestions please email me at chris.skaugset@ci.longview.wa.us.

July 2016 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | 17

Workforce Southwest Washington By Jeanne Bennett

CEO

Workforce Council changing its name to Workforce Southwest Washington I’m pleased to announce the Southwest Washington Workforce Development Council will begin doing business as Workforce Southwest Washington (Workforce SW) as of July 1. We continue to serve as the Workforce Development Board for Clark, Cowlitz and Wahkiakum counties. In addition to the new name, we have a new logo and will rebrand and launch a new website, www.WorkforceSW.org, in mid-July. Email addresses for staff will continue to be first initial followed by last name @workforcesw.org. Phone numbers and our address remain the same. Changes to the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) legislation that governs our nonprofit workforce development board prompted an update to our organization’s strategic plan and led to adoption of the new name and brand. Management and staff remain the same and continue to provide the same valuable services to fulfill our organization’s mission to prepare and promote a skilled and adaptive workforce for a thriving economy in Southwest Washington. Workforce development is about integrating the services of numerous organizations, including education, government agencies and labor, to comprehensively address the needs of business and job

seekers. We believe our new name more fully reflects the work of our partners in providing cohesive services for our customers. Workforce Southwest Washington was founded in 2002 and contributes to regional economic growth by providing investments and resources to improve the skills and education of the workforce in Clark, Cowlitz and Wahkiakum counties. Workforce SW programs help businesses find and hire the employees they need and provide people the skills, education and training to find work or advance in their careers. We partner with employers, community colleges and universities, labor groups, government and economic development agencies, high schools and community organizations. Jeanne Bennett, CEO, Workforce Southwest Washington, jbennett@ workforcesw.org, 360-567-1073.

Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors Julie Rinard, President Community Home Health & Hospice

Joel Hanson, Past Past President KLOG/KUKN/The Wave

Michael Julian Kelso Theater Pub

Lance Welch, President Elect PeaceHealth

Chris Bailey Lower Columbia College

Bianca Lemmons Cowlitz County Title Company

Linda DiLembo Vice President Three Rivers Mall

Clayton J. Bartness, DC Longview Chiropractic Clinic

Neil Zick, Treasurer Twin City Bank

Ken Botero Longview City Council

Michael Claxton, Legal Counsel Walstead Mertsching

Bob Crisman Gallery of Diamonds

Diane Craft, Past President Koelsch Senior Communities

Wendy Hutchinson Millennium Bulk Terminals

18 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | July 2016

Frank Panarra Foster Farms Tom Rozwod NORPAC/Weyerhaeuser Ted Sprague Cowlitz Economic Development Council Steve Taylor Kelso City Manager Dennis Weber Cowlitz County Commissioner

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Does Your Business Have Curb Appeal? Your company’s curb appeal goes a long way toward winning customers over and growing revenue. Even if you are not a retail business your curb appeal sends a message to passer-buyers about the quality of your work. Your business appearance projects an image to potential customers and local residents making them more or less inclined to visit or otherwise support your business.

Win the Mayor’s Award for “Best Curb Appeal” All Longview businesses are eligible to win a Mayors award for Best Curb Appeal Improvement. During the months of June-July 2014, you can nominate a business that has made the be best improvement by posting a “before” and “after” photo. Go to our Facebook page: Make Longview Beautiful. Those visiting this page can “Like” the one they feel has made the best improvement. The one with the most “Likes” wins! Visit this page often and make sure you vote.

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All ads include full color and any design work. Deadline is the 21st of the month prior to publication. Digital files: high resolution PDF, Tiff and JPEG. Non-Members of the Kelso-Longview Chamber of Commerce please add 30% to above rates. To advertise or request additional information please contact Lindsey Cope at 360-423-8400 or lcope@kelsolongviewchamber.org or CEO Bill Marcum at 360-423-8400 or bmarcum@kelsolongviewchamber.org

Lower Columbia College By Chris Bailey

President

Students in Need campaign launches with local newspaper Momentum for Lower Columbia College’s Student Success Initiative continues to build! We are very pleased to announce that LCC Foundation’s partnership with The Daily News in support of the Student Success Fund has been publicly launched with a “Students in Need” campaign. The Daily News has pledged $1,000 and Lee Enterprises Foundation is committing to an additional $5,000! The Daily News will be promoting a community campaign to rally support (and funding) for LCC students. The Students in Need campaign being run by TDN is a series of articles featuring LCC students who have benefited from the Student Success Fund. The donation program will work similarly to the Neighbors in Need campaign that they run during the holiday season. Folks simply clip the coupon in the paper and mail in their donation. People can also donate on-line. Every dollar raised will, in turn, be donated directly to the Student Success Fund. You may have already seen the story in TDN’s Father’s Day edition. If not, please use the links below to access the full details of their fundraising strategy as we as the first story of this series. Background: Affordable education is becoming out of reach for many. Since 1934, Lower Columbia College has provided affordable access to higher education for thousands of students. Students and families choose LCC for its academic excellence, quality faculty and staff, and its connection to the local community. For the first time in decades, the open door to affordable and accessible education is at risk. Tuition has increased over 40 percent in the past five years and costs for textbooks can exceed over $1,000 per year. Double-digit tu-

ition increases, coupled with reductions in state and federal financial aid, are forcing too many students to drop out or attend part-time, which prolongs their time to degree as they must work longer hours to pay the bills. This is where the Student Success Fund comes into play. The funds are applied directly to tuition, book vouchers, testing fees, or other class expenses. Counselors are authorized to make immediate determinations to award emergency funds, keeping the money flexible and responsive. The funds are not intended to provide ongoing support, nor intended to supplant scholarships, grants or financial aid. Accountability and self-sufficiency are stressed through counseling sessions to develop plans for academic and financial progress, as well as examine family, social, academic and other influences. Full details of the TDN Students in Need Campaign: http://tdn. com/news/local/announcing-students-in-need/article_b22909d9871a-5693-bc82-554fa69dc3b9.html Feature Students in Need story: http://tdn.com/news/sometimeslcc-students-just-need-a-little-boost-to-stay/article_40ca25fe-d4f157e3-9c23-0e55cd2e3817.html Many thanks to Rick Parrish and his team at TDN and to Lee Enterprises Foundation for their investment in the future success of LCC students and our community! We also thank you for all of your efforts in supporting LCC as we get closer to reaching our Student Success goal. Please consider a donation and help Lower Columbia College transform lives and entire families!

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20 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | July 2016

360-749-3107 MOUNTVC853D6

Kelso School District

Longview School District

Superintendent Glenn Gelbrich

Superintendent Dan Zorn

Summer a time of transition Now that our school-based staff, our students and their families are on well-deserved vacations, the support teams at the district level focus fully on the transition to our next school year. As we say good-bye to our retirees and their combined 274 years of experience, we are solidifying plans to bring aboard newly-hired teachers, administrators and support staff.

Graduation ticket to dream The Class of 2016 from Mark Morris and R.A. Long High Schools graduated in recent ceremonies at Longview’s Memorial Stadium. I had the pleasure of shaking the hands of nearly 400 young people who are embarking on their unique and incredible life journey. Graduation day is always a great day of celebration, reflection, and promise. Many of you played an integral role in the success of one or

Summer is a time for long range planning with a focus on next year; all with the goal of 100 percent graduation in mind. The 2016-2017 school year will see the completion of a curriculum renewal cycle in science, including new instructional materials in grades six through 12. These revisions will embed the Next Generation Science Standards. We will continue to strengthen our new teacher professional development with the support of a BEST grant from the State of Washington and a second grant through City University. At Kelso High School we will be implementing AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) strategies and expanding opportunities for students to earn college credit while still in high school. All schools in Kelso will continue to strengthen the school culture and learning environments. As we celebrate the student successes of this past year, we are looking forward to even greater success in the year ahead. Best wishes to everyone for a safe and enjoyable summer!

more of the students we honored. Thank you for that. This day was not only a celebration of our students’ accomplishment but was also a celebration of our student’s step toward incredible opportunities that wait. The high school diploma is their very first ticket to the American dream, providing a gateway to the many possibilities this world has to offer. Each year we have the pleasure of honoring an incredibly diverse group of young people as they gain access to great possibilities of future success by graduating from high school. Graduation is also a celebration of the public school system whose mission is to serve all students, no matter their background, their circumstance, their talents or their challenge. The work of the public educator is a blessed and rewarding profession. As each of our students walked across that stage, it served as a reminder to us all that the partnership between the family, the school, and the community helps to assure the success of all of our kids and that together we can deliver on our mission to effectively serve every student that comes through our schools’ doors, preparing each to become a responsible

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citizen in a rapidly changing society. As I complete my first year as the superintendent of schools in Longview I’d like to thank the Kelso/Longview Chamber of Commerce for your commitment to our children, our families, our community, and our schools. The support I feel from the business community is much appreciated. This partnership gives me great hope as we continue to work together to improve upon the education we provide our students. Together we can better prepare our students for the many opportunities that await each of our graduates. July 2016 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | 21

Longview Downtown Partnership By Marcell Goulet

President

Partnership blossoms into flower baskets for downtown This past week we have once again ushered in the beginning of summer. School is out. The weekend of the Fourth of July, and all the events and activities that come with it, is just around the corner.

Parks and Rec has offered to provide the installation and also perform the maintenance of the flower baskets. Each post has already been designed with the plumbing and electrical needed for water and lighting.

There are a number of things that will be coming to the Downtown area as well.

It is hoped that this work can be done in time for the festivities on July 4.

The Longview Downtown Partnership, with the support of many local shop owners and Friends of Downtown Longview, have all chipped in to purchase 21 hanging flower baskets for the Commerce Avenue portion that has undergone renovation during the Streetscape Improvement Project.

In the meantime, plans are well under way for additional events that will be coming to Downtown in the next couple of months. This started with the election of a new slate of officers and committee chairs that took place June 28.

In close collaboration with the City of Longview Economic Development Office, the Parks and Recreation Department, the City Department of Engineering, and with advice from the folks in Downtown Castle Rock, the Longview Downtown Partnership ordered the flower baskets in June. Following a meeting with the city departments mentioned, organized by John Brickey, we all came to a very amenable plan addressing the installation and care of the flower baskets. The flowers, which have been paid for by the contributions to the Downtown Partnership, have been delivered to Parks and Recreation, which will store the flower pots until the City Engineering Department has completed retro-fitting the street posts with additional support to accommodate the 60-pound, fully-watered weight of the baskets when they are hung.

Later, in early August, there will the annual Longview Downtown Partnership Sidewalk Sale, a car show, and a new event called Rustic Rumble that is being spearheaded by the owners of the Vintage Square on Broadway Street, which will feature vendors and shop owners from Longview and several surrounding communities. In a recent monthly board meeting, the LDP also accepted a proposal from Alice Deitz with the PUD to once again organize and coordinate the annual Christmas Parade this coming December. Even though we are just entering the summer months, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s never to soon to start thinking about Christmas. We thank Alice and her Community Outreach team at the PUD for offering to take on this very daunting task once again this year. Stay tune for more details to come on these and other events in the next edition of this newsletter.

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First in Proactive Dental Care 22 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | July 2016

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June Ambassador of the Month Tina Hart

Life Mortgage Marketing Director

Expanding relationships with community drives June honoree Briefly describe your current position. Marketing director – work on customer relations, acquiring more business, working within the community. How long have you been an ambassador? Less than a year. What prompted you to be an ambassador? Getting involved with the community and businesses in the area. Opportunity to meet other professionals. Assist with all new and current Chamber members in getting them involved. What do you like most about volunteering with the ambassadors? So far, meeting new members and businesses. Your favorite ambassador story? None yet, I am brand new. Other volunteer/organizations? Early Edition Rotary, LCP, LeTip, Ridgefield Business, Castle Rock Chamber, Kalama Chamber. Tell us about your family? Married to Jeff for 24 years. Two teenage sons.

What is something most people do not know about you? I love cars, hate shopping, love cooking. What do you like to do for fun? Hang with friends, camping at Timber Trails. Favorite snack? Beef jerky Your guilty pleasure? Hallmark Channel at Christmas time. Chamber Ambassadors, known as The Red Coats, are an integral part of the Chamber of Commerce. The Ambassador team is made up of active Chamber volunteers whose responsibilities include meeting and greeting at Chamber events, welcoming new members and assisting at ribbon cuttings and community events. Ambassadors juggle busy professional careers while making time to assist the Chamber at a variety of events year long. If you would be interested in wearing a red coat and representing the Chamber, contact CEO Bill Marcum at the Chamber office.

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PeaceHealth

By Chris Searing By Mark Purcell

Foundation Board of Directors, 2016 Golf Tournament Co-Chair Past Foundation Board of Directors, 2016 Golf Tournament Co-Chair

Golf FORE the community Join us on Friday, July 22, at the Longview Country Club for the 15th annual PeaceHealth St. John Foundation Golf Tournament, sponsored by Hawes Group. Since the golf tournament first began in the summer of 2002, this community has help fund our Dialysis Center, Birth Center, Critical Care Unit, Kearney Breast Center, heart and spine programs. All combined, totaling more than $1.7 million. Thank you! This year the proceeds will benefit our Unrestricted Fund. This fund is used for our top-priorities when there are no funds available from any other source. That core support makes a meaningful impact on the care that our patients receive. From the unrestricted donations given just this year, the St. John Foundation Board was able to transfer funds to support the following programs:

neighbors. Registration is available online; your $200 entry fee covers brunch (sponsored by Shamrock Spirits and Grill), barbecue dinner, Nike Golf pullover, hat and balls (sponsored by KapStone Paper and Packaging) and more! We have great Nike Golf prizes as well! Try your luck on Hole No. 7 and drive away in a brand new leased car from Columbia Ford Lincoln Hyundai.

Birth Center – Imaging – Mammography

Call the Foundation staff at 360-414-7900 today and mention that you read about the tournament in the Chamber newsletter for a special discount or visit our website at www.peacehealth.org/stjohnfoundation.

Our Foundation Board ensures that every dollar given is used wisely and respects the intent of the donor. This community’s generosity has made a big difference in the lives of our friends, families and

Thanks to all of our community sponsors! This tournament is a fun event with great prizes and a chance to connect with old friends and make new ones!

Dialysis – Trauma – Emergency Department – Acute Care Services

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24 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | July 2016

Ribbon Cutting

New Home

Aaron and Judy Koelsch cut the ribbon on Koelsch Senior Communities' new $7 million, 33 apartment, addition to Canterbury Park during the Chamber's Business After Hours event June 16.

July 2016 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | 25

By Chuck Nau

Retail Consultant and Sales and Managment Trainier – Murray & Nau, Inc.

Once is Not Enough Did you buy an ad, a commercial, or a single (direct mail) mailing for your retail business or service today? If you did, you may be wasting some of your own time, your business’ time and profit, and your media salesperson’s time. More importantly, you may be impacting positive results for your advertising expenditure. In essence, your ‘one at a time’, single ad strategy may be impacting the success of your advertising in your community and the GROWTH of your business. A strategy of buying only a single ad just does not work in building your business, developing a strong (and loyal) clientele, or helping you reach and achieve your marketing goals. It does not work for your business or YOU! Let’s explore a much better advertising strategy for you and your business…namely, an advertising campaign strategy. An advertising campaign selling strategy affords you and your business a number of benefits. Two major benefits are saving time and creating, if not enhancing, results. But first, let’s step back and clarify what we mean by an advertising campaign strategy. An advertising campaign strategy consists of five components and affords your business and YOU five key benefits. The elements of an advertising campaign include a series of advertisements, within a timeframe, with an allocated or set aside budget, to meet an IDENTIFIED need, problem or opportunity with an anticipated goal or OUTCOME. If one of these elements is NOT present at the onset of your advertising schedule, in all likelihood, you will find yourself wasting valuable time, business resources and dollars on a start-stop-start again advertising program. As you may know, one of the major elements in any successful advertising campaign is CONSISTENCY, not necessarily repetition of the same message, but rather a consistent planned advertising program. It is consistent inasmuch as your business’ name and overall message are before your potential target customers on a regular basis. Developing that consistency takes both time and patience. First and foremost, step back and do some REFLECTIVE thinking. Ask yourself (and your employees) to clarify your business goals, strategies and, quite frankly, your hopes and dreams for your business endeavor. Ask questions (‘Who are our best customers?’, ‘What is our competitive advantage?’, ‘Who are our competitors?’, ‘How do we plan to grow our business?’) and once you have developed some answers and identified some problems, needs, and opportunities, plan to meet with a representative of your local media (cable, digital, newspaper, radio) sales staff. Share, on a confidential basis, your business strategies with your 26 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | July 2016

media contacts. Solicit their input and ideas. Look for ways to match their media benefits and strengths to your goals, needs, or problems. CHALLENGE them to offer a business solution, an idea, a campaign that will be here not only today, but tomorrow, too! Be sure to share with them how you will SUPPORT the campaign (e.g. prominently displaying the merchandise, signage, sufficient inventory on hand) and what your expectations are (e.g. increased online or store traffic, selling the advertised merchandise, reaching new customers). Double check that your media contacts understand and benefit from the need to plan, plan, plan your advertising strategy to produce the desired results. Demonstrate to them that sporadic and infrequent advertising does not work, rather that consistent advertising, in good times and slow times, delivers the ongoing results and business growth your business and YOU desire! Selling an idea, a campaign, rather than a single ad or two has NUMEROUS BENEFITS for your business and you. Let’s explore some selected benefits. The potential benefits to YOU include time savings (less time conceiving, developing and handling various ad elements), dollar savings through better ad costs control, planned sales events and elimination of last minute poorly executed promotions, and improved utilization (both in planning and payment) of available co-op funds. Most importantly, better response will be achieved in terms of sales, and improved name recognition (... top of mind awareness!) for individual ads and related marketing efforts. The potential benefits to your media partners, much like your own, include time savings through less ad handling, reduced ad ERRORS (and impacts to your business), dollar savings through improved time management which translates into enhanced planning and selling time and stronger media relationships This will lead to better campaigns, more ad SUCCESS, and the resulting available ad dollars being reinvested since campaigns are conceived, refined (e.g. flexibility does exist in campaign selling), planned and executed in a more timely, efficient manner that generates results. The potential benefits to everyone include control of planning and making choices, having time to identify those opportunities and activities in your market that will be responsible for generating results and leading you to your goals. You will be spending more creative and FUN time and less production and crisis reactionary time – acting, NOT reacting. There will be the opportunity to spend more time getting to know and understand your advertising and marketing (media) resources to help you succeed, and enhance BOTH your personal and professional growth. To GROW your business and be successful in your community, For more Business Talk, see page 27

Nau, continued from page 26 partner with your local media, planning and executing an advertising campaign (three months plus) that will benefit you both. © Murray & Nau, Inc.

“Membership For Life!”

Chuck Nau of Murray & Nau, Inc. is a Seattle area based consultant and sales and management trainer. He is a 25-year veteran of advertising, sales, media and management, who knows and understands the everyday challenges of starting up, growing, and surviving in today’s ever changing retail climate. He has spoken to and conducted workshops for a number of local retail and chamber organizations, national publishing groups, national retailers and manufacturers, state press associations, and newspaper groups. Comments and questions are welcome and may be directed to Chuck via email: murnau@nwlink.com. or at 425-603-0984.

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July 2016 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | 27

City of Kelso

City of Longview

By Mayor David Futcher

By Councilmember Ken Botero

The airport is flying high It’s been a while since I’ve written about the airport, and never with as much reason for optimism as I have today. For the first time since I’ve been involved with the airport, we’re at 100 percent hangar occupancy. That’s right, no vacancies at the airport. Okay, there are open tie-down areas available, but no enclosed hangars. This growth in interest isn’t limited just to the current hangars. We’ve also seen a spate of proposals for adding additional buildings at the airport. One contractor is interested in leasing land to build an additional row of hangars that has long been planned, but didn’t previously make economic sense. Another proposal would build a 22,500-square-foot hangar designed to house two large Albatross seaplanes that you might have seen at the airport recently. These planes have a wingspan of nearly 100 feet, so you can see why the hangar would need to be so large. The airport is also in discussions with an organization that would like to build a hangar that would be used as a museum to display historic military vehicles and planes. The hope would be that the museum could also act to attract tourism to our area. Some other construction projects are also happening this summer. These airport projects are funded by 95 percent grants from the FAA and the state, meaning the local match is only 5 percent. This allows significant improvements to be added, and potentially benefitting area contractors at a very low cost to our community. All of this is happening without a formal airport manager. We’re hoping to hire a strong candidate for that position sooner than later, with the expectation that they can further spur airport development. We’re also expecting that the Port of Longview will consider at a July meeting an extension of the agreement to participate in the airport operations for two years. Their participation is crucial to helping the airport achieve the growth that can help strengthen our local economy.

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28 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | July 2016

Let's aspire toward greatness How do we form a successful community? Do we, as a community, choose aspirations that are higher than can be attained? Every community under-aspires, probably because we have felt defeated so many times in the past. We walk around with the heavy weight of, “We’re never going to fix this problem.” Plus, we feel we need to keep the aspiration “manageable” in order to please everyone. High expectations are not unrealistic. We can actually create a great community where all residents thrive to their best ability. Setting high aspiration inspires the process. It may feel beyond our reach at the beginning, but no one wants to make the effort to work differently for a modest goal. When our community engages in a process to develop our aspirations, we need to keep focused on the highest common denominator, not the lowest. Don’t we all want smart, capable kids? Strong, healthy families? Fulfilling jobs for all our residents? A joyous, beautiful community in which to grow old? If the answer is yes, then let’s say so, and mean it, and reach for it. So often we hesitate to make decisions when certain key players aren’t participating. We actually let them control the conversation by their very absence. Instead of waiting for or worrying about their opinions, keep the aspirations front and center, make decisions based on that, and keep the wheels moving forward. The key is to place a higher value on achieving the outcome rather than deferring to those who are supposedly in charge of that outcome. If they alone were truly in charge, would it be the issue that it presently has become. By holding the center, we maintain our neutrality about the activities or programs and remain committed to the outcome. By starting the community conversations with aspirations, we also inoculate ourselves from the harm of disrupters. Community members have feared the disruptive tactics of certain individuals who have derailed past efforts. But when the community started with such a clear picture of the goal ahead, they gave disrupters no opportunity to wreak havoc. A community effort must be just that, the work of the whole community. While you can’t force anyone to participate, you absolutely cannot keep out anyone who wants in. This is an inclusive process that takes everyone’s perspectives into consideration but is not held hostage by any one idea or agenda. Sometimes we hesitate to choose outcomes because we worry they aren’t the right ones to measure, or that some good things cannot be measured. But if we are going to do the right thing for our future, we have to abandon the shifting ground and focus on what we can prove. If we are setting goals worth aspiring to, those goals are worth invoking a sense of urgency. Each day, month, or year that passes without progress on the outcomes means more children, families, or opportunities are allowed to go by the wayside.

Welcome New Members Fairways Apartments Kathryn Golston Property Manager 3858 Pennsylvania St. Longview, Wash.

The Freedom Market 820A Westside Hwy. Kelso, WA 98626

Union Square 1132 Washington Way Longview, WA 98632

Mary's Bar & Grill 4503 Ocean Beach Highway Longview, WA 98632

CIC Credit Employment Screening Caryl McMains Director of Background Screening Vancouver, Wash.

Join the Chamber today! Call 360-423-8400 Business Association with opportunities to promote trade through Chamber socials, special events and committee participation.

• Use of Chamber Logo Representation through action committees, candidate forums and up-to-date action alerts.

• Annual Meeting and Banquet • Networking Events • Committee Participation • Business Contacts

• Legislative Representation • Issues Tracking and Information

• Quarterly Membership

• Task Forces

Meetings

• Candidate Forums

• Civic Representation

• Legislative Update Breakfast

• Monthly Business After Hours Business Services include marketing for your business, referrals and access to Chamber publications and research data. • Mailing Labels • Membership Window Decals • Member Referrals • Ribbon Cutting • Website Links • Member to Member Discounts • Membership Directory • Tax Deduction • Newsletter • Business Card Display

• Demographics Publication

Packages Basic Membership Package – $275 or $26 per month. Bronze Membership Package – $500 or $46.66 per month. Silver Membership Package – $1,000 or $86.33 per month. Gold Membership Package – $2,500 or $211.33 per month. Platinum Membership Package – $5,000 or $416.66 per month. Diamond Club Membership Package – $10,000 or $834 per month. Nonprofit Package – $180 or $18 per month.

July 2016 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | 29

In The News

SERVPRO pledges ongoing support to Red Cross Disaster Responder Program The American Red Cross recently recognized SERVPRO®, a cleanup and restoration company, for participation in its Disaster Responder Program1. As a Disaster Responder Program member, SERVPRO pledges a donation to the Red Cross in advance of disasters, allowing the organization to respond quickly and effectively to nearly 66,000 disasters annually, most of which are home fires. SERVPRO is entering their third year of partnership with the Red Cross; their donations to the organization to date exceed $1 million. According to statistics cited by the Red Cross, seven people die in a home fire each day in the U.S. Aiming to reduce deaths and injuries caused by home fires by 25 percent by the end of 2019, the Red Cross launched a Home Fire Campaign in October of 2014. The support of SERVPRO and other Disaster Responder Program members allows the Red Cross to pursue their home fire prevention goals while they continue to provide critical services to disaster victims. “One of the reasons home fires account for the majority of the disasters the Red Cross responds to annually is that the risk for home fires exists all year long,” said Ryan Grady, owner of SERVPRO of Longview/Kelso. “Statistics compiled by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)2 show the majority of home fires are related to unattended

cooking accidents – and cooking is something most people do every day.” Although SERVPRO’s business is helping business and home owners recover from fire, flood and other disasters, the company and its franchisees actively support disaster preparedness education, including fire prevention efforts. When disaster does strike, their relationships with major insurance companies combined with industry-leading job-management technology help smooth the path to rebuilding and restoration for home and business owners affected by the unexpected. “SERVPRO’s commitment to the Red Cross Disaster Responder Program means that, when disaster strikes, homeowners can count on the Red Cross to address their immediate needs and supply essential services,” said Grady. “Once the immediate emergency is under control, homeowners can count on the expertise of restoration specialists at SERVPRO of Longview/Kelso to help them restore their property and move forward with their lives.” For fire prevention tips and information about fire and water damage restoration services, please visit www.servpro.com. For more information on SERVPRO® of Longview/Kelso, please contact Ryan Grady at 360-703-3884 or servpro9911@gmail.com. 1

http://www.redcross.org/news/article/local/tennessee/SERVPRO-Recognized-...

http://www.nfpa.org/research/reports-and-statistics/fires-by-property-ty...

… LeeRoy Parcel Manager/LPO leeroy@cascade-title.com

arcel LPO e-title.com

…

1425 Maple St.

ple St. Alison Peters Bonnie Woodruff Diane Kenneway Longview, WA 98632 Bonnie Woodruff Alison Peters Lindsey McTimmonds Diane Kenneway Dennis Bird WA 98632 Officer/LPO Escrow Assistant Escrow Officer/LPO Escrow Assistant Marketing/Recording Escrow Officer/LPO Escrow Escrow Officer/LPO Senior Title Officer 360.425.2950 .2950 alison@cascade-title.com bonnie@cascade-title.com diane@cascade-title.com recording@cascade-title.com alison@cascade-title.com bonnie@cascade-title.com diane@cascade-title.com dennis@cascade-title.com e-title.com www.cascade-title.com

ff d PO ficer e.com itle.com

…

Diane Kenneway Lindsey McTimmonds Escrow Assistant Marketing/Recording diane@cascade-title.com recording@cascade-title.com

Dennis Bird Connie Bjornstrom Senior Title Officer Receptionist/Typist dennis@cascade-title.com connie@cascade-title.com

Lindsey McTimmonds Marketing/Recording recording@cascade-title.com

30 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | July 2016

Connie Bjornstrom Receptionist/Typist connie@cascade-title.com

Dennis Bird Connie Bjornstrom Senior Title Officer Receptionist/Typist dennis@cascade-title.com connie@cascade-title.com

Lindsey McTimmonds Marketing/Recording recording@cascade-title.com

Connie Bjornstrom Receptionist/Typist connie@cascade-title.com

In The News

Fibre Federal Credit Union raises funds for Community charity care program

Monday, July 4

Fibre Federal Credit Union organized an evening of bingo at Kelso Eagles raising nearly $5,200 for Community Home Health & Hospice (Community)’s charity care program. Charity care helps uninsured and underinsured patients needing home health and hospice services, inpatient respite care, telemonitoring, grief support and translation services. Last year, Community provided $663,812 in charity care. On behalf of families these generous donations will help, Community thanks Fibre Federal Credit Union and Kelso Eagles as well as the participants who came out to support those in need.

Parade Line Up, 8 a.m.

Go Fourth Celebration kicks off with golf tournament and cardboard boat regatta Longview's Go Fourth Celebration runs from July 2-4. Go Fourth is the largest annual family-oriented festival in the greater Cowlitz County area of southwest Washington. The Festival began in the 1960s and draws more than 30,000 people to events, culminating on the Fourth of July with a spectacular fireworks extravaganza. Centered around Lake Sacajawea, the Festival has become a time honored tradition in Longview’s history. The Festival attracts many visitors each year to the local area and boasts an average annual growth rate of 12 percent over the last five years. In addition to a Fourth of July fireworks show, the Festival consists of many events and includes an American Lumberman’s Association sanctioned Timbersport competition, Cardboard Boat Regatta, continuous daily entertainment, arts and crafts booths, parade and more than 20 food booths. Here are a list of events: Saturday, July 2 Longview Fire Fighters Hole-In-One Golf, 10 a.m. Cardboard Boat Regatta, 11 a.m. Mark Dykstra, 1:10 p.m. Greg Parke, 3 p.m. Firecracker Fun Run, 5 p.m. Longview Pioneer Lions Spirits of Longview, 5 p.m. Old Side Kicks, 5:30 p.m. Ramble On (Led Zeppelin Tribute Band), 8 p.m. Sunday, July 3 Longview Fire Fighters Hole-In-One Golf, 10 a.m. Church Service, 11 a.m. Kid’s Fest, 11 a.m. Log Truck Wrapper Race, 1 p.m. Bingo Tent, 2 p.m. Raeann Phillips, 4:10 p.m. Ted Boursaw, 5:30 p.m. Gold Dust, 8 p.m.

Lion’s Club Pancake Breakfast, 8 a.m. Timber Carnival Prelims, 9 a.m. Parade, 10 a.m. Longview Fire Fighters Hole-In-One Golf, 10 a.m. Kid’s Fest, 11 a.m. Timber Carnival Competition, 1 p.m. Northwest Wind Ensemble, 1 p.m. Bingo Tent, 2 p.m. Cooler Heads Prevail, 3 p.m. Queen B & The Stingerz, 5:30 p.m. Carolina Steele, 8 p.m. Fireworks, 10 p.m.

Fire department reminds community how to have a safe Fourth of July The Longview Fire Department would like to remind residents during this Fourth of July, that state law allows fireworks to be used from June 28 through July 5, until 11 p.m. each night, and until midnight on the Fourth of July. Here are times that fireworks can be discharged: June 29-July 3 between 9 a.m. and 11 p.m. July 4 between 9 a.m. and midnight July 5 between 9 a.m. and 11 p.m. Only use legal fireworks purchased from a licensed retailer, and remember to: • Be prepared before lighting fireworks • Be safe during by having an adult present • Be responsible by cleaning up debris when finished.

Free tickets to Stageworks Northwest's latest production Use your Longview Public Library card to check out tickets to the melodrama “The Merchant of Menace” by Gary McCarver at the Longview Theater by Stageworks Northwest for free. The Culture Card program has six pairs of tickets available for checkout. Just come to the Library or call with your library card number and check them out. “The Merchant of Menace” is at the Longview Theater – Stageworks Northwest: July 8 through July 24. Two pairs of tickets are available for each weekend. You choose the performance you want to attend. Tickets are limited and first come, first served. Patrons over 18 can checkout one pair of tickets for free per calendar year. Come to the information desk or call 360-442-5300 with your library card number ready to check out your tickets today. See the complete rules and restrictions at http://longviewlibrary.org/tickets.php July 2016 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | 31

Chamber Connection

Celebrate Good Times

Chef Dan Laney from Teri's Restaurant sent over a Key lime cake so Carey and Russ could celebrate getting through four radio segments.

Spa-ahh!

Barb Sudar with Estetica Day Spa dropped in to celebrate their one-year anniversary at the Riverwood Plaza and to talk about Father's Day specials.

United Way Tee Off

Brooke Fisher promoted the United Way's upcoming golf tournament fundraiser.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Your Chamber Connectionâ&#x20AC;? EVERY Wednesday Hosts of the Show: Carey Mackey, Red Canoe Credit Union ; Lonnie Knowles, Stewart Title, and Russ Chittock, Prestige Senior Living, Monticello Park Would you like an opportunity to be on Your Chamber Connection or to have more information about the qualifications of an open house or ribbon cutting? Contact Bill or Karen at the Chamber 360-423-8400

32 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | July 2016

Stream live at www.threeriversradio.com Local guest and current events

Chamber Connection

Free Classes

Brian Sharp with Lower Columbia College is offering two important free classes in the coming weeks.

Go Fourth!

Arlene Hubble promoting the Go Fourth Festival. She a list of all the events planned for the celebration on page 31.

See more photos on the Chamberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Facebook page or click here.

July 2016 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | 33

Welcome Back!

The Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce would like to give a SHOUT OUT and a big THANK YOU to the following loyal members for renewing their partnership with us. *American Medical Response *Beacon Hill Sewer District *Cascade Title Company *CCS *City of Kelso *City of Longview *Comcast Spotlight *Costco Wholesale *Cowlitz County *Cowlitz County CASA *Cowlitz County P.U.D. *Cowlitz County Title Company *Cowlitz Wahkiakum Council of Governments *David E. Houten, DDS *Diamond Showcase *Document Management Archives *Dorothy Bain Hanson *Emerald Kalama Chemical *Express Employment Professionals *Freddy’s Just for The Halibut *Gordon Sondker *Interwest Benefit Consultants *KapStone *Koelsch Senior Communities *L.G. Isaacson Company *Longview Memorial Park, Funeral Home & Crematory *Lower Columbia College *Miller Paint *Pacific Tech Construction, Inc. *Port of Longview *Rodman Realty, Inc. *Steel Painters/Railco *Swanson Bark & Wood Products, Inc. *The Golden Palace *The Red Hat *Three Rivers Eye Care *Walstead Mertsching, PS *Watkins Tractor & Supply Co. *Columbia River Carpet One *Compendium Consulting *Cowlitz County Guidance Association *Estetica Day Spa *State Farm Insurance – Scott Fischer *Diamond Residential *Applied Application *Broderick Gallery *American Legion *Coleman Cellular

*Port of Woodland *Cowlitz Credit Union *Industrial Packing *Pacific Fibre Products *Errand Girl *American Family Kari-Ann Botero *Guild Mortgage *Hometown National Bank *Island Sun Tanning, Inc. *Kemira Water *Sterling Insurance *U.S. Cellular *United States Army *Lexi’s Pizza *B & B Air Conditioning & Heating *Community Health Partners/Cowlitz Free Medical Clinic *Pro-Caliber Longview Motorsports *Red Canoe Credit Union Washington Way *Red Leaf Coffee *BA Design *American Red Cross *Esteem Salon *Hydraulic Service, Inc. *ProBuild *B & R Mini Storage *Banda’s Bouquets *Be Cause Business Resources, Inc. *Best Western Aladdin Inn *Busack Electric *Calportland *Columbia Security *Copies Today Speedy Litho, Inc. *Cowlitz Container & Diecutting *Edward Jones-Nick Lemiere *H & S Enterprises *Habitat For Humanity Cowlitz County *Hart Radiator *Heartsong Massage *J. L. Storedahl & Sons, Inc. *Kaiser Permanente *Les Schwab Tire Center *Longview Timber Corp *Longview Urology *Ocean Beach Self Storage *P. T. Northwest *Pacific Office Automation *Papa Pete’s Pizza – Longview *PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center

34 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | July 2016

*Pets, Pawns & Imports *SW Washington Symphony *The UPS Store *TSYS Merchant Solutions *Washington State University Vancouver *Zip Local *Brown & Brown Northwest Insurance *Corwin Beverage *Cowlitz River Rigging, Inc. *Educational Service District No. 112 *Emergency Support Shelter *Employers Overload *Fairway collections *Futcher Group *Kelso School District *Kelso Theater Pub *Kelso-Longview Television, Inc. *KeyBank *Longview Early Edition Rotary *Longview Eye & Vision *Longview Physical & Sports Therapy *Longview Self Storage *Northwest Hardwoods, Inc. *Opsahl, Dawson & Company, P.S. *Renaud Electric Company, Inc. *Reprographics, Inc. *Solvay *Southwest Washington Blood Program *United Way of Cowlitz & Wahkiakum Counties *Willamette Dental *Anderson & Anderson Advisory, LLC *Berkshire Hathaway *Better Business Bureau *C's Photography *Cowlitz County Museum *Cowlitz Economic Development Council *Cowlitz Indian Tribe *Cowlitz River Dental *Epson Portland *Erickson Glass Co. *Estetica Day Spa *Fibre Federal Credit Union - Castle Rock *Branch *Guesthouse Inn & Suites *Kellogg Supply, Inc. *Longview Country Club *Lower Columbia Economic Development Council

Welcome Back! *Motion Industries, Inc. *Mt St Helens Creation Information Center *N. W. Deli Distribution, Inc. *Pathways 2020 *Prestige Senior Living Monticello Park *Progress Center *Red Lion Hotel & Conference Center *Riverview Community Bank *Sessions Plumbing & Heating, Inc. *Three Rivers Christian School *Timothy E. Nelson, DDS *Weyerhaeuser *Advanced Message & Dispatch *Beacon Hill Rehabilitation *Bob Beal Insurance Agency Inc. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; State Farm *Building Industry Association of Clark County *Cascade Networks, Inc. *Cascade Select Market *Columbia River Reader *Davis & Associates, CPAs, PS *Eldon Robbins Auto Sales, Inc. *Goodwill of the Olympics and Rainier Region *Longview Downtowners *Longview Pawnbrokers & Bail Bonds *North Pacific Paper Corporation/NORPAC *Performance Sheet Metal, Inc. *Prographyx *Snap Fitness *Stageworks Northwest *Stewart Title *Super 8 of Kelso/Longview *Three Rivers Mall *Youth & Family Link *Altrusa International Inc. of Longview-Kelso *Be Cause Business Resources, Inc. *Canterbury Inn *Columbia Ford Hyundai Nissan *Ecological Land Services, Inc. *Eoff Electric Company *Fibre Federal Credit Union - Main Branch *Jansen Flowers & Gift Gallery *KLOG/KUKN/the WAVE Radio Stations *Longview Radiologists, P.S., Inc. *Omelets & More *PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center Foundation *Suburban Propane *Take Shape for Life with Brenda Courser

*Teri's Restaurant *Dream Dentistry *Reality Homes *Longview Eagles *Service Master *Ricoh *Planet Fitness *WA Division of Vocational Rehabilitation *Acupuncture Northwest *Budget Blinds of Longview *Columbia Bank - Longview Branch *Columbia Funeral Service *Columbia River Mill Outlet *Columbia Wellness *Continental Investors Services, Inc. *DeFrancisco Lampitt and Brado PS *DSU Peterbilt *Fire Mountain Grill & Summerland Catering Services *G L Booth ~ J G Davis & Associates *Green Hills Crematory - Cascade NW Funeral Chapel *Kay Green *Lower Columbia Contractors Association *Signature Transport, Inc. *State Farm Insurance - Scott Fischer *Teague's Interiors *ASAP Business Solutions *My Agency *Area Agency on Aging Disabilities of Southwest Washington *Dino Doozer *Windemere Kelso-Longview *Advanced Dental Services, LLC *All Out Sewer & Drain Service, Inc. *Baker Lumber Company, Inc. *Brusco Tug and Barge, Inc. *Carl's Towing Service & Repair, Inc. *Carlson's Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. *Cascade Natural Gas Corporation *Coldwell Banker Bain *Cole's Appliance Repair *Comfort Inn *Community Home Health & Hospice *Cutright Wholesale Plumbing Supply *Family Health Center *Interiors Plus *Life Works *Longview Housing Authority *Longview Orthopedic Associates, PLLC *Longview Public Schools *Masthead Restaurant

*McDonald's of Longview *McDonald's of Longview II *Nipp & Tuck Inc. *Ocean Beach Animal Hospital *Pacific Fibre Products, Inc. *Paperbacks Galore, Inc. *Rush Insurance/Financial Services, Inc. *Schlecht Construction, Inc. *Somerset Retirement Home and Assisted Living *T.C.'s R.V. & Mini Storage, Inc. *United Finance *Viking Automatic Sprinkler Company *Wasser & Winters Company *William (B. J. ) R. Boatsman *Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce *Interstate Wood Products, Inc. *Kalama Chamber of Commerce *Lower Columbia CAP *M & R Painting, Inc. *Mint Valley Federal Credit Union *Newrock Homes, Inc. *Northwest Auto Specialist, Inc. *Retirement Strategies *Simpson Timber Company - Longview Lumber Operations *Superior Tire Service, Inc. *Woodland Chamber of Commerce *Longview Outdoor Gallery *The OM Home *Triangle Bowl *Cowlitz County Chaplaincy *Biggs Insurance Services *Clay Bartness *Comcast *Dick Hannah Toyota *Fred Meyer, Inc. *Heritage Bank - Kelso *Heritage Bank - Longview *Longview Engineering And Design *McCord Bros. Nissan Dodge *Millennium Bulk Terminals *Minuteman Press *Professional Communication Services *Servpro of Longview/Kelso *Sierra Pacific Mortgage *Twin City Bank *Waste Control Recycling, Inc. *Woodford Commercial Real Estate *Bicoastal Media LV DBA KLYK/KRQT/ KEDO/KBAM/KPPK *Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts

July 2016 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | 35

Welcome Back! *Craig Stein Beverage *Dahl McVicker Funeral Homes *Entek Corporation *Frontier Rehabilitation & Extended Care Center *Gibbs & Olson, Inc. *Humane Society of Cowlitz County *Lemondrops Photography *Life Mortgage *Music & More D.J.s *Noelle McLean PS *Office Depot Max *Pacific Lumber & Shipping Co. *Papé Machinery *PNE Construction *Red Canoe Credit Union *Red Canoe Credit Union - 30th *Safway Services, Inc. *Searing Electric & Plumbing *Steele Chapel Longview Memorial Park *The Dog Zone *Umpqua Bank *Utilize I.T., Inc. *Wal*Mart

OUR LATEST RENEWING MEMBERS *Animal Health Services, Inc., P.S. *Arnitz, Suzanne *Baxter Auto Parts Inc. *Behrends Body Shop *Bob's Sporting Goods *Burger King - Longview (Main) *Collins Architectural Group, P.S. *Country Village Nutrition Shoppe and Cafe *Day Wireless Systems *Ethnic Support Council *Fiesta Bonita Mexican Grill & Cantina *Foster Farms *Gallery of Diamonds *Global Images Graphic Design & Marketing *Hilander Dental *Kelso Rotary *Les Schwab Tire Center *Longview Tire Sales, Inc. *Northwest Motor Service *Overhead Door Company of Southwest Washington *Peter C. Wagner, D.M.D.,P.S.

We look forward to handling your next real estate transaction. Our Escrow Team… Why Our Service is the Difference! Since 1982, Cowlitz County Title has been the trusted company the community turns to when buying, selling or refinancing a property. Whether you need title, escrow or property search information, come in for our exceptionalservice. Leave with the secure confidence that your real estate investment is properly insured and protected. Title Insurance Escrow Service ■ Residential & Commercial ■ 1031 Exchange ■ Locally Owned

Bianca Lemmons

VP/Manager/LPO Bianca Lemmons VP/Manager/LPO

Deanna Cornelison

Shelby Caufman

Deanna Cornelison Escrow Officer Escrow Closer

Linda Comley Escrow Officer Escrow Closer/LPO

Linda Comley Kristy Norman Escrow Office/LPO

Leah Stanley Leah Stanley Escrow Assistant

Escrow Assistant

Rita Lawrence

Kristy Norman

■ ■

Melinda Gottfryd Theresa Escrow Assistant EscrowCampbell Assistant Escrow Assistant/Typist Order Desk/Receptionist

1159 14th Avenue, Longview, WA 98632 ■ Phone: 360.423.5330 ■ www.cowlitztitle.com 36 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | July 2016

*Propel Insurance *Shamrock Spirits & Grill *Shirley L. Smith *Stirling Honda *Sweet Spot Frozen Yogurt *Taco Time *The Daily News *The Roof Doctor, Inc. *Twin City Glass Co. *Twin City Service Co. *Weatherguard, Inc. *Wilcox & Flegel Oil Company *WorkPlace Wellness *WorkSource - Cowlitz/Wahkiakum

Government Affairs Committee By Ken Grams

Chair/CEO KinetiQ Group

What's the why? In Politics...Why are our local, state, and national candidates getting into or staying in politics? Some, with apparent success in private life, are throwing their hat in the ring, and others have been lifelong politicians. Locally, we have a radio personality who’s promised to donate their salary, and another a frustrated party leader with business experience, vying for county commissioner positions, among others. What’s the “why” with these and other local candidates? Now, don’t get me started on our state governor position. So, elsewhere on the state level, we have a current state house representative with no noted “why” on their “about” or “home” website page. Here’s one “why” from candidate Val Tinney for State Representative District 19, Position 1: “I am frustrated with our government getting further and further away from the voice of the people. Politics can no longer be a spectator sport. We need to stop unfunded federal mandates, and return state agency rule-making to legislative oversight. Too many unelected bureaucrats, in too many agencies, are making decisions unaccountable to voters.” It seems that a number of these new or career politicians have

lost, forgotten, or simply don’t know their “why”, while others don’t want to broadcast their “why” as their core mission may have strayed away from their constituents. In Business and Beer...In the bountiful Pacific Northwest we have a number of brewpubs, microbrewers, and craft brewers. As a growing industry, craft beer has afforded a bit of economic success to certain players who have that secret recipe of people, product, process, passion for excellence, and knowing their…“why”. The latter can simply be about certain milestones or goals within their business plan, but it could also be – quit the 9-to-5 job in Olympia, college education for kids, family legacy, or retirement in the Greek Islands or a villa in Las Vegas. This past year I met a sharp craft brewer in Washington with a fantastic product and other ingredients for success, though they don’t know their “why” just yet. In the meantime, they are holding onto that hop vine for hope. What’s your “why”?...It’s OK to let people know about your “why” for business, in politics, or for your family. So, “get involved” and “be heard” to make a difference on business related topics or issues that are important to you, your family, and generations to come!

July 2016 | Kelso Longview Business Connection | 37