bight | june 2012

June 2012 Shelton Mason County Chamber 1 1 Shelton Mason County Chamber June 2012June 2012

In ThE loopCommunity Conversation

Friends, neighbors and citizenscome together to identify issues – 4

a bight of business expoWonderfully successful Bite of Shelton

Business Expo – 6

SHELTONMASONCOUNTY

June 2012 Shelton Mason County Chamber 2June 2012 Shelton Mason County Chamber 3

SHELTONMASONCOUNTY What a fantastic turnout at our 12th Annual Business Expo & Bite of Shelton! Every booth space was sold and in fact we had a waiting list for businesses want-ing to get in.

Message from Chamber president

Board of Trustees

presidentDrew Macewenfalcon financial, inc.

past presidentpatti Case

green Diamond resource Company

vice president of marketingKathryn Kamin

hood Canal Communications

vice president of member servicesMelanie Bakala

state farm insurance

treasurerRick Verbarendse

alderbrook golf & yacht Club

steve andrewski herb baze

black star, the strip steakhouseKevin Cronquist

prudential nW real estatemike gango bob houle

houle & goodell attorneys, LLCKelly Crabtree

maple glen senior Living

Mission StatementTo encourage and maintain a vibrant business community, promote tourism and facilitate economic development.

produced by image in action Design and the Shelton Mason County Chamber of Commerce as a benefit to members and the community. all rights reserved. for contribution guidelines and advertising call (360) 427-5599.

Shelton Mason County Chamber of Commercebox 2389 |215 W railroad avenueshelton, Wa 98584426-2021 • (800) 576-2021• fax 426-8678

www.sheltonchamber.org

Combine that with over 2,000 participants coming through the Expo through-out the day and it all adds up to a very successful event! I would also like to extend congratulation to Herb Baze and his crew at The Strip for winning this year’s Golden Fork Award. In addition to The Strip, our community has some very good eating establishments. That is a fantastic trend in our com-munity.

Lately at various Cham-ber functions I have been pleasantly surprised by the number of business participants who are either new to the Chamber or have not been active participants for awhile. This is very encouraging as well. And so to some of our Chamber members who have not been as active…get back into the groove! These are great networking opportunities to grow your business.

Looking ahead, our next major Chamber function is the 2nd Annual Golf Tournament. It will be held at Alderbrook Golf Club on Friday, September 14. Those of us that played last year had a fabulous time and nearly everyone walked away with some sort of prize. Contact the Cham-ber office today to sign up your team. Whether you golf or not, this is a great venue for your business to get exposure. From as little as $150 for a hole sponsor-ship (at which you can set up a display, do giveaways etc.) to being the Title Sponsor, there are many op-portunities to showcase your business.

These economic times are challenging. However, challenges create opportuni-ties. Let your competitors be scared and pull back,

and while they do that you go out and capture more market share. Whatever your business is, consumers want to do business with companies and individuals that project steadiness and confidence. So let us all seize the opportunities that are before us and grow our businesses!

As always, if you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me personally or the Cham-ber office. And I will see you at our next event!

Drew MacEwenPresident

Shop local Cash Mob

In May the Chamber was pleased to host “cash mobs.” The general idea of a Cash Mob is to encourage people to go into r small, local businesses and spend their money, to give the business owner a little bit of economic stimulus. “Our hope was tp help businesses grow, we make people happy, we get stuff for ourselves, have a great time, and maybe we celebrate af-terward with an appetizer or cocktail.” explains Heidi McCutcheon, Chamber Executive Director.

Cash Mobs have been sprouting up all across the U.S., Canada, and around the world. While organized by many different groups of people, all appear to have the same goal in mind: to support local businesses that they love!

With the Chamber’s Spring Shop Local cam-paign, the Chamber hosted four Cash Mobs, each Friday throughout the month of May and will have the last on the first Friday in June, in addition to the regular coupons with specials and discounts at various member businesses.

Attendees are informed where they are meet-ing but the exact location is not revealed until moments before “mobbing” the store. If you would like more information, please contact the Chamber office.

June 2012 Shelton Mason County Chamber 2June 2012 Shelton Mason County Chamber 3 3 Shelton Mason County Chamber June 2012

Message from Chamber executive Director

SHELTONMASONCOUNTY

Newest Members!HomeStreet Bank720 Lilly rd se, ste 101

olympia, Wa 98512www.homestreet.comMortgage Banking

Wild & Woodsy Cateringshelton

(360) [email protected]

www.wildandwoodsy.comCatering

Buben School of Beauty321 W Railroad Ave, Shelton


Hair Salon

Gateway Rental Center2505 olympic hwy n, #200, shelton


www.gatewayrentalcenter.comEquipment Rental

Know someone else who should join the Chamber?

please call (360) 426-2021

or email [email protected].

Whew! April showers, May flowers… what incred-ible weather, activities and events we’ve had! This year’s Business Expo and Bite of Shelton was a huge hit, with record crowds. We’ve also continued the community conversation that began with Pome-granate Center’s April visit to Mason County.

June also holds many events, opportunities, and hopefully some great weather as well! Friday, June 1 is our upcom-ing Business Builder Work-shop, at 12:00-1:00 PM at Grove Street Brewhouse, as always. This month’s speaker, Stephanie Row-land of Top Dog Etiquette, broaches an emerging, but important topic as she discusses Social Media Eti-quette with our members. This event is a benefit of your membership – the only cost is your lunch, should you choose to order one (come a little early to order). I hope you’ll join us for this low-key conversation. Your business will benefit!This month features a plethora of community events and festivals, as this first weekend in June boasts the annual Forest Festival, which has been a tradition for nearly 70 years! From the logging show and parade downtown, to the carnival at Gateway Center, this is a great event to get out and celebrate our community. For more info, you can go to www.masoncountyforest-festival.com.

June also kicks off Saw-dust Days at the Mason Fairgrounds Event Center. With live music and market space as well as a full on ORV Rodeo, this is sure to be one of Mason County’s favorite events. Go to www.masoncountyfair.org for more information.

And, the last Sunday of the month is the Yesteryear’s Historical Car Show down-town Shelton – if you’ve never been, you’re missing out. Come down and check it out!

As Memorial Day has come and gone, we are moving our monthly membership meetings to LUNCHEONS for the upcoming months. This months’ meeting is our second annual Speed Networking event sponsored by Grove Street Brewhouse, and held at their downtown location. If you’ve never learned the art of the eleva-tor pitch or tried your hand at speed networking, this is the meeting for you! The first half hour will be learn-ing how you can quickly, accurately and memorably introduce yourself. By the end of this lunch, you’ll have effectively networked with no less than ten people. I hope you’ll be able to join us for this event.

Though our membership meetings are moving to lunches, we still have our Business After Hours on the second Wednesday of each month from 5:30 – 7:00 PM.

This month’s event is on June 13 at Peninsula Credit Union, in the heart of downtown Shelton on Railroad Avenue. Come see their newly renovated space and introduce yourself to Peninsula’s staff, their Branch Manager Jennifer Owens, and new CEO Jim Morrell who brings over 20 years of financial experi-ence with him, including 17 years working in the credit union industry.

Lastly, you may have no-ticed the beautiful flower baskets now brightening our community’s corridors. The Beautification Committee is hard at work fundraising. Each basket can be spon-sored for $200 each, which covers the cost of supplies, watering, set up and take down. However, gifts of any amount are appreci-ated! Contributions may be mailed to PO Box 2389, Shelton or just drop it by our office. Much thanks to all of our sponsors: We couldn’t do it without your support!

Heidi McCutcheonExecutive Director

CoVeR IMAGe the Colonial house on W. pine street is located in the simpson-reed historical District of shelton, Wa.

this stately home was built by logging baron, mark reed for his family. it is now owned and operated by green Diamond forest products.


Following the Pomegranate Center’s visit to Mason County in April, the Chamber hosted an event open to the community on Tuesday, May, 15. This meeting was facilitated by Chamber executive director Heidi McCutcheon at the Mason Fairgrounds Event Center. Nearly 70 citizens, business owners and community leaders attended the brainstorming session.

Community Conversation

Based on methodologies adopted by the Pome-granate Center, the meeting was a successful in initiating discussion about the future of Mason County. McCutcheon lead off asking members of the audience to identify the ‘user groups’ of Mason County. Answers ranged from the youth and the elderly, to shellfish growers and the logging industry, to the homeless and business owners.

The audience then broke down into small groups of 6-10 people. Each participant shared who they most closely related to and conversed about the needs of that user group. Conversation flowed freely amongst the groups for the greater part of the hour.

At that point, each group was asked to share what they had classified as the top three needs. As the spokespeople for each group shared their

findings with the larger group, trends began to emerge showing the need for a gathering space for the community. As ideas came forward looking at gardening, the arts, and community pride, many groups talked of opportunities for the community to partner and become more connected with one another.

As the conversation continues with Pomegran-ate Center, the Chamber will further inform attendees of that meeting and the community at large of the next steps. You may go to www.sheltonchamber.org/pc for a list of the notes compiled from the community meeting and for further notices.

The Chamber thanks Rachel and John Han-sen for providing the venue for this incredibly important conversation.

Photo courtesy of James John Bell, SmartMeme Studios

The Pomegranate Center develops an effective models to help communities prepare for the future using collective creativity, meaningful engage-ment and powerful collaboration. It has grown into a vibrant organization working on dozens of projects each year to bring people together to build better communities globally.

Higher Wholesale energy Costs & Renewable energy purchases prompt Consideration of puD 3 electricity Rate Increase Mason County PUD No. 3 commissioners conducted a public hearing on proposed electricity rate increases. The financial impacts of looming renewable energy purchases and an increase in price for wholesale electricity supplies purchased from the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) are among the main reasons PUD 3 is considering increases this year.


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Biting into Business over Meals By Stephanie Rowland, Top Dog Etiquette

First, think about the big picture – decide upon your “dining objective.” Just like any other gathering, there should be a clear objective - why you are attending or hosting this meal? This should help when considering everything from the room and the mood to the food. For example, if you are hosting a meal to meet with an important client, or have invited your staff to celebrate a particular milestone or honor someone for a promotion, choose a very nice restaurant that would ap-peal to everyone, preferably a spot where you have dined before. Most important, it should be the place your guests will feel special and pampered.

For a casual gathering or team building event, choose a loca-tion that supports conversation or even games and activities in a festive and less formal atmosphere. A few tips to remember:

Arrive early to introduce your-self to the actual staff that will be serving you (they’ll appreci-ate knowing who the host is). If possible, arrange for the bill to be handled after your guests leave, or away from the table. Ask the staff how best

to handle this. This is a great way for women to pick up the check without any kind of con-flict, which unbelievably still can happen. Remember, the person who does the inviting pays the tab.

Meet your guests in the lobby, or near the entrance to the dining room. If you must be seated (sometimes there is not a waiting area), do not touch anything on the table.

Follow the greeter to the table, and assure that your guest gets the best seat – usually the one with a view of the room, city or water.

Order the same courses as your guests, and dine at the same pace. Always remain with your guests; table-hopping is not appreciated!

When leaving the table for a few minutes, leave your napkin on your seat; leave it to the left

of your place setting at the end of the evening when everyone is leaving the table.

Cell phones – not!

Stephanie Rowland is the owner of Top Dog Etiquette, LLC, and is also editor of Shelton Life and North Mason Life, publications of the Kitsap Sun. www.topdogetiquette.com.


Thank you to everyone who attended the Business Expo & Bite of Shelton on Thursday, May 17! Thousands of community members attended the event and more than 65 businesses showcased their services, wares, and offered bites of delectable food.

Business expo & Bite of Shelton

June eventsFriday, June 111:30 am - 1:00 pm

Business Builder Workshop social media etiquette

grove street brewhouse233 s first st, shelton

Wesnesday, June 95:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Business After Hours peninsula Credit union

521 railroad ave, shelton

Thursday , June 2111:30 am - 1:00 pm

Monthly Membership MeetingSpeed networking


Keep up to date on

Chamber news and events!text CHAMBeRneWS to 42828

to join our email list message and data rates may apply.

SHELTONMASONCOUNTY

The Expo’s success is largely due to the efforts of its committee members, including Chair Michelle Corral, Patti Tupper, and Kay Pearson. “They moved mountains to make just a little more room for additional participants, and even then we had a wait list,” said executive director Heidi McCutcheon. “So much thought, organization and expertise came from these ladies – words cannot express my appreciation for them.” The event was packed with many great moments, giveaways and vendors’ games, but one particular event stands to the forefront of McCutcheon’s mind. “When I announced that the Strip Steak House won the Golden Fork award, the crowd literally burst into applause. I think it took Herb Baze, the Strip’s owner, by complete surprise. He looked so appreciative for that show of support – it was a great moment.”

The winner of the Best Booth award, Georgian Brown of Acupuncture Solu-tions had been a Chamber member for just a few months, so it was exciting to

see the public welcome her in such a way. She and her staff were thrilled to receive the award.

Thank you!This year's sponsors were West Coast Bank, Bakala State Farm Insurance, Port of Shelton, Tupper's Floor Coverings & Interiors, Inc., Hood Canal Communica-tions, The Strip Steak House, Heritage Bank and Tophand, LLC. In kind spon-sors include KMAS News Radio, the Shelton Mason County Journal, Shelton Life, the Shopper's Weekly and 94.5 ROXY.

Best Booth: Acupuncture SolutionsAcupuncture Solutions is located at 1635 Olympic Hwy North in Suite 102A. They specialize in holistic and eastern medicine meth-odologies: from addiction, to weight loss, to nutrition, they can help you become a better you!

Golden Fork: The Strip Steak HouseThis is the second time the Strip Steak House has won the Golden Fork Award. Located at 405 West Railroad Avenue in the heart of downtown Shelton, the Strip spe-cializes in great steaks, delicious salads and many other tasty treats. For lunch or dinner, you can’t go wrong by visiting the Strip Steak House.

Bite Business Winners


Forest Festival Week 1959Jan Parker, museum staff

n past Forest Festivals, downtown merchants would join the festivities by decorating their storefront windows. This is a picture of Lumbermen’s Mercantile display for Forest Festival Week in 1959. The basket maker is Louise Pulsifer who was a well-known weaver and story teller from the Skokomish tribe. In 1964, the Forest Festival honored Mrs. Pulsifer and other pioneer women. These were women who had lived in the county for over 75 years, or back in the days when “man’s work is from sun to sun, but woman’s work is never done.” Louise Pulsifer passed away as the Skokomish’s oldest member in 1993, age 96.

To see this picture and thousands more in the Mason County Historical Museum’s collection please visit us on the corner of Fifth and Railroad Tuesday - Friday 11:00 am to 5:00 pm, or Saturday 11:00 am - 4:00 pm.

pReSIDenT’S CIRCle

platinum Members

Gold MembersCommunity financial Center

generation D Computers & technologyheritage bank

Kmas 1030 amrichard C. Downing, DDs

West Coast bank

Silver Membersharmony hill retreat Center

american family insurance, berti s. brodskya Lighthouse on hammersley bed & breakfast


MGH & FC SenDS MeSSAGe To “GeT ouT AnD Go” WITH neW WAlKInG TRAIl ARounD HoSpTIAl CAMpuS

Daily exercise is an important component of good health, so Mason General Hospital & Family of Clinics is “paving the way to wellness” with a new walking trail around the hospital campus. The trail is completely paved and accessible for wheelchairs, strollers, and walkers alike. Open to all residents, hospital visitors, employees, families and friends, it’s an excellent way to increase daily exercise, and a fun way for the whole community to ‘walk ‘n roll’ its way to better health.

Part of the hospital remodel, the walking trail is approximately half a mile in length, promenading around the hospital grounds from the Wellness Garden on the west side of the facility south along Sherwood Lane, meandering eastward at G Street, then up N 13th Street to Mountain View Drive, where it circles back to the Well-ness Garden along Mountain View Drive. Completely paved, the trail connects the existing sidewalk to the new, black-topped portion of the trail, before reconnecting to existing sidewalk.

Employees of MGH & FC recently took part in a contest to name the new trail, and the winner was announced at an official ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, May 11, at 9 a.m.

L-R: MGH Director of Clinics Terry Megive-ron; Chamber Ambas-sador Allison Wagner, Falcon Financial, Inc.; Chamber Executive Director Heidi Mc-Cutcheon; Annabell; Hospital Commission President Nancy Truck-ness; Hospital Com-missioner Don Wilson; Hospital Commissioner Scott Hillburn; MGH Chief Administra-tive Officer Eric Moll; Chamber Board Member Steve Andrewski, Career Quest.


Chrome Betty Band Concert raises awareness at the Fairgrounds, June 16

With the possible demolition looming in 2014, faigrounds volunteers and organizers are pushing to raise awarenesst with a series of events welcoming the public to their fairgrounds.

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The Chrome Betty Concert marks the beginning of a serise of events hosted this Summer at the Mason County Fair-grounds. Currently the fate of the grounds is perilously close to demolition unless the community can come together to form a fiscally sound future plan for the replacement. A essential step to this plan is establishing the want and community interest in protection this facility.

Chrome Betty Band has its roots in the Olympia garage band scene of the 1960’s. With a strong local following, the Chrome Betty Band. CBB primarily performs covers of rock and blues tunes: Clapton,

Stones, Petty, Bramhall, Dylan, Hendrix, Muddy Waters, Cray, Butterfield, Sonics, Jimmy Hanna and the Dynamics, Wail-ers, Van Morrison, SRV, Allman Brothers, many others, and a few original tunes. Chrome Betty is excited to be returning to the Mason County fFairgrounds in sup-port of this community effort.

Show your support by attending events at the fairgrounds this Summer and becom-ing informed about the options available for protecting this facility and becoming involved in the future direction of this important community property. For more information, call 427-5599.

public Demo of emergency Communications June 23-24 Shelton, WAThis annual event, called “Field Day” is the climax of the week long “Amateur Radio Week” sponsored by the ARRL, the national association for Amateur Radio. Using only emergency power supplies, ham opera-tors will construct emergency stations in parks, shopping malls, schools and backyards around the country.

Their slogan, “When All Else Fails, Ham Radio Works” is more than just words to the hams as they prove they can send messages in many forms without the use of phone systems, internet or any other infrastructure that can be compromised in a crisis. More than 35,000 amateur radio operators across the country participated in last year’s event.

In the Shelton area, the Mason County Amateur Radio Club will be demonstrat-ing Amateur Radio at Mason County Fairgrounds on June 23 and 24. They invite the public to come and see ham radio’s new capabilities and learn how to get their own FCC radio license before the next disaster strikes. Amateur Radio is growing in the US.


MAY CHAMBeR AnD CounTY eVenTSMay 31-June 3

forest festivalshelton, Wa

June 1business builder Workshop

11:30 am - 1:00 pmgrove street brewhouse

233 s first st, shelton

June 2shelton farmer’s market

9:00 am - 3:00 pm3rd street

between Cedar & franklin, shelton

June 3tour de mason Lake bicycle

ride9:00 am

Check-in at anytime fitness2121 olympic hwy n, ste 106,

shelton

relay for Life Car Wash10:00 am - 3:00 pm

shelton athletic Club707 s first st, shelton

June 4-10brady’s 30th anniversary and

Customer appreciation events

June 4sustainable shellfish production

farm tour11:00 am - 4:00 pm

hama hama oyster farm35846 n us hwy 101,

Lilliwaup

union tourism association meeting | 12:00 - 1:30 pm

alderbrook golf & yacht Club330 Country Club Dr, union

June 5Chamber ambassador’s

Committee meeting12:00 - 1:00 pm


June 6ribbon Cutting for buben school of beauty | 4:00 pm

new location!321 W railroad ave, shelton

June 7hershey track meet

5:00 pm | shs stadium3737 n shelton springs rd,

shelton




special movie for special needs – madagascar 3! | 10:00 am

shelton Cinemas517 W franklin st, shelton

June 11Chamber member services

Committee meeting12:00 - 1:00 pm

roosters restaurant3001 olympic hwy n, shelton

June 13Chamber marketing Committee

meeting | 8:00 amChamber office

215 W railroad ave, shelton

Chamber Leads group11:30 am - 1:00 pmsteven’s on railroad


business after hours5:30 - 7:00 pm

peninsula Credit union521 W railroad ave, shelton

June 14Chamber finance Committee

meeting | 7:30 amChamber office

215 W railroad avenue, shelton


9:00 am - 3:00 pm3rd street between Cedar &

franklin, shelton

sawdust DaysChrome betty band Concert

8:00 pmmason County fairgrounds

751 W fairgrounds rd, shelton

June 17father’s Day

June 18Chamber governmental

affairs Committee 7:30 am


June 21saver Committee meeting

7:30 amnita’s restaurant & gallery325 W railroad ave, shelton

united Way Day of Caring9:00 am

Convene at Kneeland park100 turner ave, shelton

yogafit Kids Day Camp (1 of 2)

11:00 am - 12:30 pmJoonbug yoga

221 W railroad ave, ste 12, shelton

Chamber monthly membership meeting speed networking

11:30 am - 1:00 pmgrove street brewhouse

233 s first st, shelton


9:00 am - 3:00 pm | 3rd streetbetween Cedar & franklin

June 24mason County historical Car

show | 8:00 am - 3:00 pmDowntown railroad ave

June 27Chamber Leads group

11:30 am - 1:00 pmsteven’s on railroad


June 28yogafit Kids Day Camp

(2 of 2)11:00 am - 12:30 pm

Joonbug yoga221 W railroad ave, ste 12,

shelton

June 29mason general hospital

foundation Quality Care open golf tournament

8:00 am - 7:00 pmalderbrook golf & yacht Club330 Country Club Dr, union




summer reading Kick-off1:00 - 4:00 pm

shelton timberland regional Library

710 W alder st, shelton

sawdust Daysswap meet and market spaces

mason County fairgrounds 751 W fairgrounds rd

shelton


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SHELTONMASONCOUNTYNEWS

Or Current Resident

bight | june 2012

Documents

chamber members

vibrant business community

major chamber function

alderbrook golf club

annual golf tournament

active participants

chamber office

fantastic turnout