Everett Area Chamber of Commerce

Your Chamber Means Business  |  Advocating for Business and Community Development
Creating Opportunities for Member Prosperity  |  Chamber Leadership 

Your Chamber Means Business

Letter from the Chairman and President

Crystal Donner Board Chair

Louise Stanton-Masten President and CEO

Welcome to the 2009 Everett Area Chamber of Commerce Guide to Chamber Resources, Members and Programs. This year’s book is designed to be a practical, useful guide to the broad range of business partners, programs and resources available to you through the Everett Area Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber’s mission is to advocate for business and community development and to create opportunities for member prosperity. We accomplish this by representing and promoting the interests of business, and by providing our members with the highest quality programs, products and services.

In this year of economic uncertainty, our focus remains on assisting our businesses to prosper even as the roller-coaster economy keeps us on the edge of our seats. Your Chamber will continue to track the economic challenges nationwide and be a watchdog for local impacts. And, as we fight through to the end of 2009, we’ll be even more invested in keeping up with how national actions might impact our member businesses and the community.

Our 2009 focus is on doing what we need to do to help strengthen, guide and continue to meet the needs of our member companies. Although we don’t expect a quick turnaround in the economy this year, we applaud and support the advice from former Chamber Board of Directors Chairman Andrew Ballard in our October 2008 newsletter – Keep Marketing! We believe that businesses are better off if they continue to market their services and products, especially in a tough economy. And your Everett Area Chamber of Commerce provides just the opportunities that you need to market your business!

Your Chamber staff has rolled up its sleeves and is getting down to the basic business of helping our member businesses address the 2009 market. We plan to continue advocating for business and economic development, and creating opportunities to enhance much needed business connections and networks. It’s important to stay connected to your Chamber.

The Everett Area Chamber of Commerce is your port of entry to the business community. In 2009, we will continue to offer ways to build customer relationships through a variety of special programs and events. And we will continue to provide opportunities and incentives for members to do business with and to support fellow Chamber members. Our M2M (Member to Member) programs start with you using this directory to connect with other Chamber members. Chamber members also have access to business expertise, marketing resources, and educational programs that can save you money and make your company more effective, efficient and profitable.

As your business advocate, the Chamber works to strengthen economic competitiveness, to advocate for business policies that make Everett, Snohomish County and Washington State an effective place in which to do business. Our efforts help ensure a vigorous and fair business environment in which companies and communities can prosper. Business is our backbone.

As your steward of our region’s vision, your Chamber remains focused on critical needs. We intend to continue our fight to position a four-year university in Everett – one that will meet our educational and workforce needs in a growing economy. We will foster stronger government affairs and education affiliations; push for increased workforce development; and continue our strong support for Naval Station Everett. In unity comes strength.

We are proud that this directory has been selected to introduce newcomers to our city. If you are new to Snohomish County or are considering a business or personal move to the Everett area, you will find information and links to resources here that will help you make a well-informed decision. The Everett business community and the Everett Area Chamber of Commerce welcome you and look forward to helping you settle into your new community.

As our motto stresses – Your Chamber Means Business. Our commitment is to partner with you to meet your professional and business objectives. We encourage you to be involved in the Chamber. Your support, expertise and leadership provide the Chamber with the resources required to continue to offer quality programs and services.

Everett is an exciting and energetic place to live and do business. We hope you will use this resource directory often throughout the year to seek out the businesses and resources listed within.

Sincerely,
Crystal Donner, Board Chair
Louise Stanton-Masten, President and CEO

Advocating for Business and Community Development

Businesses throughout the area join the Everett Area Chamber of Commerce to meet potential customers and clients, increase business, and stay on the cutting-edge of the latest trends in successful business practices.

The City of Everett is the hottest growing metropolitan area north of Seattle. It offers a combination business environment of aerospace, biotechnology and entrepreneurialism.

Incorporated even before the city was founded, the Everett Area Chamber of Commerce has been a strong resource for the Everett area for 116 years. The Chamber serves as a professional focal point for the region’s premier networking, business advocacy, and professional development events. The Chamber’s commitment to service means its expert staff is working on members’ behalf every day, whether helping you reach out to new customers, providing motivational skills training, or providing business support programs that save your business time and money.

The Everett Area Chamber is a dynamic organization. New programs and events are added all the time. Stay in touch with the Chamber for the latest information.

Chamber Quick Links
www.everettchamber.com
info@everettchamber.com
(425) 257-3222 / Fax (425) 257-2074
2000 Hewitt Avenue, Suite 205, Everett, WA 98201

Focusing Our Efforts to Help You Succeed

The Everett Area Chamber of Commerce focuses its work in several distinct areas. Each set of targeted programs and initiatives is designed specifically to help your business succeed.

Government Affairs

Magnifying Your Voice

The Chamber advocates on behalf of its members for economic policies and legislation that enhances Washington State’s competitiveness, and supports the flexibility and entrepreneurial spirit businesses require to succeed.

The Chamber works closely with state legislators and decision-makers to develop and support business-friendly economic policies. Each year the Chamber researches and establishes a legislative agenda, tracks its progress throughout the legislative session, and evaluates individual legislators’ support for the recommended measures.

Through the active and dedicated Joint Government Affairs Committee (JGAC), the Chamber and partnering organizations take positions on local issues that affect business owners and residents, and host debates and discussions to provide committee members a balanced perspective on significant topics. In 2008, the Chamber supported Proposition 1, a regional measure to improve and expand our mass transit infrastructure; supported Community Transit’s annexation of the Cathcart, Clearview and Maltby areas; and opposed Initiative 985, a poorly crafted measure to address statewide congestion issues.

Independent of the JGAC, the Chamber jointly partnered with community leaders in 2008 to lead efforts to bring commercial air service to Paine Field, which we hope will begin in 2009. Through our partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce we organized a half-day conference on international trade and transportation and its effects on our local economy.

The commitment of the Government Affairs Division is to act locally, while being a respected voice regionally. It is that mission that guides the Chamber’s legislative leadership, magnifying the voices of individual Chamber members for maximum impact.

Education and Workforce Development

Connecting to Opportunities

The Chamber knows that an educated workforce and adequate educational resources are essential to our economic and community development initiatives. Our Education and Workforce Development Division has two primary objectives – to increase access to higher education for the citizens of Everett and Snohomish County, and to address the workforce development needs of employers to ensure they have the skilled persons necessary to succeed.

In 2008, the Chamber, along with the City of Everett and other partners, continued the campaign to bring a four-year University of Washington branch campus to Everett. Chamber staff and volunteers made numerous trips to Olympia during the 2008 legislative session to testify in support of key higher education legislation. As part of its continuing efforts on this issue, the Chamber organized study trips to university branch campuses throughout the state, including University of Washington-Tacoma; Washington State University-Tri-Cities; and Washington State University-Spokane. In 2009, the Chamber and its partners will continue to address this critical educational issue.

Navy Affairs

Supporting the Sailors, Supporting the Community

Geographically, Everett is strategically located as the home of Naval Station Everett, one of the nation’s top naval stations. Through the Navy Affairs Committee, the Chamber is dedicated to supporting the sailors of Naval Station Everett and their families.

This committee sponsors strategic activities that range from local support for Everett’s base personnel and their families, to relationship-building at the highest levels of federal congressional offices and the Pentagon. It participates in ship homecoming ceremonies, and coordinates programs to offer discounts from Chamber member businesses to Navy personnel.

Ship Homecomings

This year the Navy Affairs committee welcomed home sailors from the USS Abraham Lincoln, USS Shoup, USS Momsen, USS Ford and USS Ingraham. This active committee is always on the pier to welcome home our sailors and assist with family coordination. This year a new Lil Shipmates’ Station provided entertainment and activities for children waiting for their loved ones to come home.

Military Discount Program

This year the Everett Area Chamber launched its Military Discount Program, a program that provides window decals (clings) to merchants who offer military discounts. This free program helps merchants make it known that their business offers a military discount. Merchants can obtain the window clings for free, regardless of whether they hold a Chamber membership. Upon registering with the Chamber, the company gets a window cling to proudly place in their business window. Discounts are listed on the Chamber website, and a brochure is available for sailors and their families. For more information, visit www.everettchamber.com.

Many local merchants offer discounts and specials for members of our military. Some discounts are small and some are hefty, but they all make the same point – tangible thanks to those who serve. Members of the military should be aware that many local businesses offer discounts without advertising them formally. For example, Comcast Arena at Everett Events Center often offers military specials for specific events. Partial lists of other community offers are available online, such as the military’s deals and discounts center at www.benefits.military.com/DC/DealIndex.jsp, and the Everett Mall’s list at www.shopeverettmall.com/info/militaryd.cfm.

Register a Reader Board

Through this program of the Chamber’s Navy Affairs committee, businesses with electronic reader boards or other signboards can register for a free program that provides email notification of Naval Station Everett ship arrivals. Emails inform businesses of any special groups aboard ship so that all may be welcomed.

Creating Opportunities for Member Prosperity

A commitment to help foster economic prosperity for each Chamber member means creating business opportunities to conduct business in a faster, easier and more lucrative manner.

The Chamber does this through its Business Resources and Membership Relations divisions. The mission of the Business Resources Division is to provide the programs, products and services that Chamber members desire to help grow their businesses and prosper. The Member Relations Division actively promotes the value of Chamber membership, assures member acquisition and retention, and enhances member value.

Member prosperity is also enhanced in a variety of ways through the Chamber, including:

Member to Member (M2M) Commerce

Encourages Chamber members to interact with one another for shared business benefit. Membership in the Everett Area Chamber provides access to 60,000 prospective customers and clients, members and their employees. In addition, Chamber members receive member-only discounts from fellow member businesses on a wide range of goods and services.

Chamber Events

• Good Morning, Everett!, a monthly networking breakfast
• Good Morning Snohomish County, a semi-annual county-wide networking breakfast
• Business After Hours, a monthly networking event for Chamber members hosted at a local business
• Meet Your Chamber and New Member Coffees, held quarterly
• Empower YOUniversity seminars, designed to brief Chamber members on a spectrum of topics of immediate use.
• Impactful, high-visibility annual events include the Chambers’ Night of Stars Annual Gala Dinner, Everett Area Community Expo, annual Chamber Golf Tournament, annual Economic Forecast Luncheon, State of the City Breakfast, State of the County Luncheon, State of the Station at Naval Station Everett luncheon, Legislative Agenda Reception, Legislative Recognition Breakfast, and Chamber Day in Olympia.

Monthly e-newsletters

Biz2Biz – keeps members up-to-date with the latest information

Member Value Pak (MVP)

Allows Chamber members to advertise in a packet mailed out to Chamber members and distributed to the community.

Chamber Advantage Discount Program

Business advocacy and representation

Business growth strategies

Expert business counseling

Access to business services and information

Snohomish County Young Professionals Network (SCYPN)

In 2008, the Chamber formed a network of young professional business people between the ages of 20 and 40 – the Snohomish County Young Professionals Network (SCYPN). This group meets monthly, and is provided with specific education and networking opportunities to foster their growth and business acumen. In addition to capturing the young generation’s often innovative approach to business, SCYPN provides social and relationship building with their peers. Young business professionals from members of any chamber of commerce in Snohomish County are invited to participate in SCYPN. The group meets in various locations county-wide.

Chamber Ambassadors

Making an investment in Everett’s local business community part of their own business model, Ambassadors reach out to other Chamber members, promote the value of Chamber membership in the community, and work with the Chamber’s professional staff to let Everett business owners know the power of the Chamber’s programs and services.

New events and opportunities are added frequently. Visit http://www.everettchamber.com/ for the latest information.

Support for Large and Small Businesses

The Everett Area Chamber has developed specialized programs to support both large and small business needs.

Small businesses remain the backbone of the U.S. economy and create the majority of jobs. Their entrepreneurial spirit launched the ideas and technologies that will power the future. In Everett, 95 percent of the city’s 3,500 registered businesses have 50 or fewer employees.

For small businesses, time truly is money. Through the Chamber, members gain access to a number of critical business services, including group health care plans, small business and entrepreneurial training, and counseling.

Large businesses look to the Chamber to provide peer business collaboration, information exchange, and opportunities to give back to the community. Chamber involvement provides opportunities for leadership skills development and coaching.

Everett Area Chamber members include some of the nation’s most vibrant large companies, many with global presence. Everett and its adjacent technology communities are home to a wide range of companies that are leaders in their fields – aerospace, electronics, telecommunications, life sciences, services delivery and more.

"We consider paying our Chamber membership each year some of the best money we spend. It is so important to join your business voice with all the other voices to ensure that our message is heard. Whether it is the Government Affairs Committee working for business-friendly legislation; the Navy Affairs Committee working to ensure the title “The Sailor’s Choice” continues to be held by Naval Station Everett; the networking opportunities with fellow businesses; the affinity programs that save real bottom-line dollars; the training and educational seminars – the list goes on and on. The Everett Area Chamber of Commerce gives back to its members tenfold. There truly is something to benefit every member business. When we stand together and join our voices, we are a very powerful force.”

                                                                                                                    – Linda Johannes, Everett Mall