Tacoma Offers Training for Stormwater & ROW Design

The City of Tacoma is offering training on the 2016 City of Tacoma Stormwater Management Manual (SWMM) and the 2016 City of Tacoma Right-of-Way Design Manual (Design Manual).  Both manuals will become effective January 7, 2016.

This will be technical training geared toward the development and engineering community and those involved with design of projects both on private property and within the City right-of-way though the training are open and available to all members of public.

SWMM Training Dates:

• Thursday, December 17, 2015: 8:00am – 12:00pm
• Wednesday, January 6, 2016: 8:00am – 12:00pm

Design Manual Training Dates:

• Thursday, December 17, 2015: 1:00pm – 4:00pm
• Wednesday, January 6, 2016: 1:00pm – 4:00pm

All training will take place at the Central Treatment Plant – Building A on embedded map.

Parking is limited – carpool if possible.

Lunch will be provided for those RSVPing to attend both a morning and afternoon session on the same date. The City cannot accommodate all dietary restrictions and allergies but please respond in your RSVP if there are dietary restrictions and they will let you know if they can accommodate.

Training sessions are limited to 50 people.  RSVP with your requested date and training type.

Tacoma's First Public Charter School Announces Enrollment Period

In 2012 the Chamber supported Initiative 1240, which would allow the creation of public charter school systems.

Today founder Kristina Bellamy-McClain of SOAR Academy, one of the first charter schools in Washington and the first homegrown charter school in Tacoma, announced the academy's launch of their official website and open enrollment period for current Pre-K and Kindergarten students that will be their first Kindergarten and First Graders for next school year.

SOAR Academy is accepting applications from current Pre-K and Kindergarten students.  Students wishing to apply MUST be in Kindergarten or First grades only next year.  Click here for the application.  SOAR Academy's open application period runs from October 1, 2014 - March 15, 2015 @5pm.

For more information contact SOAR Academy at apply@soaracademies.org.

The SOAR Academy's website is up and running at soaracademies.org.  They will continue to update the site with content and dates in the coming months as they progress.

Urgent Need For Mentors at Tacoma High Schools

The Hometown Mentor Program through the College Success Foundation recruits college-educated mentors from local communities to support and offer guidance to low-income high school seniors in Tacoma as they prepare for college. 

The program has an urgent need for mentors at 3 Tacoma high schools (Foss, Mt. Tahoma and Stadium). Mentors must be at least 21 years old.

Click here for a link with more info about the program and volunteer opportunity including the application.  Please consider this rewarding volunteer experience and contact Keith Stier-Van Essen at kstier.vanessen@collegesuccessfoundation.org if you have more questions.

Chamber Encourages Gov. Inslee to Sign for Law School

The greater Tacoma and South Sound community is working hard to raise the funds necessary to launch the planned law school at the University of Washington Tacoma.

The legislature stepped up in a bi-partisan way to provide seed funding in the state’s budget. Many are encouraging Gov. Jay Inslee to sign the budget inclusive of the $400,000 line item.

The Chamber on CityLine

Chamber President & CEO Tom Pierson and YEA! (Young Entrepreneur Academy) participant (and Stadium High School student), Sam Wheelock, were featured in the February 20 TV Tacoma show, "CityLine."

Their 12-minute segment included information on current Chamber initiatives and a glimpse into Wheelock's YEA! business idea.

Click here to watch the segment (then click on the "Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber" to only watch the Pierson/Wheelock section).

Chamber Supports Three Local School District Levies

The Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber’s Board of Directors has endorsed the upcoming school levy ballot issues of three local districts.

Bethel, Franklin Pierce and Tacoma School Districts each have two propositions, (one for operations and one for technology improvements) referred to voters for approval on the February 11, 2014 election.  All but one of these levies is a replacement for expiring or cancelled levies already adopted by voters. 

The one new levy is Bethel School District’s Prop. 2, for technology.  Jennifer Bethman, Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Schools, told the Chamber’s Board that Bethel School District has a great deal of catching up to do to provide modern technology equipment and instruction for its students.

"When we vote for the coming school levies, we agree that our children need the educational resources necessary to form their abilities to responsibly think, solve and create within the constant flux of our living and working world,” said Jeff Brown, Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber Chair.

Brian Haynes, the Chamber’s Immediate-Past Chair and Co-Chair for YES on Props. 1 and 2, Tacoma Citizens for Schools, said, “Props. 1 and 2 are about providing all kids with the quality and up-to-date education they deserve. They need the ever-more challenging technology skills increasingly demanded in jobs.”

The Chamber’s Board noted that the State Legislature has begun to assume its paramount duty to amply fund the education of all K-12 students.  The State Supreme Court has set a compliance date of 2018.  All these proposed levies will expire in 2018.

Use Your Network to Refer a Student to YEA!

The Chamber is proud to offer a unique program in entrepreneurial education for high school students. The Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!), now entering its 1st year in Tacoma and its tenth  year nationwide, is an intensive six-month program that teaches middle and high school students how to start and run their own REAL businesses and social movements.

Students are guided through each step of starting an enterprise, from brainstorming the idea to pitching their business plan to investors. Classroom learning is anchored by real-world applications, such as submitting DBAs to the County Clerk’s Office, opening bank accounts, filing tax returns, and earning real profits at a trade show.

 

Business leaders have insights on students who are passionate about business and would excel in the YEA! program. Please consider encouraging creative, motivated students to apply. Qualified students are those who have a strong work ethic and demonstrate high levels of effort on a consistent basis. Although prior experience in business is not required, students should have a strong interest in business and/or starting their own company or social movement. We encourage you to share information about the Academy with any student that you know that might be interested.

 

You may also have friends, colleagues and staff that might know students who would be interested in applying. Please feel free to share the information with those individuals as well.

 

The deadline for returning the completed YEA! application and scholarship application is Thursday, December 5, 2013. The Academy will notify the students who are accepted into the Class of 2014 by Tuesday, December 24.

 

Please note, scholarships are available and are selected based on the student’s application, letter of recommendation, student written statement, personal interview, and financial need.

 

For questions about student eligibility or the student selection procedures, contact the Chamber’s office at 253.682.1726 or yea@tacomachamber.org. Thank you for your support.

Young Entrepreneur Academy Info Session Thursday

The Young Entrepreneurs Academy, or YEA!, is an innovative program that guides students through the process of starting their own real business. The Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber is excited to announce the start of the YEA! program at University of Washington Tacoma.

YEA! is a groundbreaking program that takes high school students through the process of starting and launching a real business or social movement. By the end of the class, students own and operate fully-formed and functioning businesses, which may continue on after graduating from the program. YEA! aims at teaching students at an early age how to make a job, not just take a job.

“We are excited about the expansion and specifically chose the Tacoma, because of its reputation for academic excellence,” said Gayle Jagel, the CEO and founder of YEA!. YEA! currently operates sites in colleges, universities and high schools across the country.

“We are so excited to be able to advance the business education of high school students through the Young Entrepreneurs Academy. Our goal is to eventually provide a unique and challenging experience for all students interested in participating,” said Tom Pierson, Chamber President & CEO.

The program requires a six-month commitment from its young executives. In that time they brainstorm and form their enterprises, make pitches to potential investors, obtain funding, register their companies with governmental agencies, and actually launch their own company or social movement! Business mentors, graphic designers, and local entrepreneurs support the students throughout the program and all of the learning is real and experiential.

Students and their parents can join the Chamber for a YEA! Night to learn about the structure, curriculum, and application process. YEA! brochures and applications will be available at the event. The session will be held at 6:00 p.m. on Thurs., Nov., 21 at the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce (950 Pacific Ave, Suite 300) in the Simpson Community Room. RSVP to yea@tacomachamber.org by Wed., Nov. 20 to attend.

“One of the most interesting components of the program is the actual behind the scenes knowledge the students are given from local business leaders, who were at one time, standing in their shoes!” said Lynnette Buffington, Chamber Membership Outreach Manager and HR. “The experience is something they will be able to apply to whatever field they choose to enter, thereby giving them the necessary skills to become future leaders of industry.”

“We are urging all local business leaders to become involved with the program and act as mentors to the budding entrepreneurs,” adds Jagel. By partnering with YEA!, large and small businesses volunteer time and services acting as mentors, field trip hosts, guest lecturers, graphic designers, web developers, attorneys, etc. Community support strengthens the program, and the academy strengthens the community.

About the Young Entrepreneurs Academy:
The Young Entrepreneurs Academy, or YEA!?, is a groundbreaking educational program that takes students in grades six through twelve through the process of starting and running real businesses over the course of a full academic year. Students work in close cooperation with local leaders of industry, community members, and educators to develop ideas and objectives, write business plans, pitch potential investors, obtain funding, register with governmental agencies, develop their brand identity and much more!

By the end of the class, students own and operate fully functioning businesses that can be carried on after graduation. Students learn to make a job--not just take a job! YEA!’s direct mission is to help students embrace their passion, energy, creativity and talents, launch a venture, and view entrepreneurship as synonymous with success and freedom.

In 2008, YEA! “spun-off” from the University of Rochester, where it was formed in 2004 with support from the Kauffman Foundation, to create its own not-for-profit corporation, YEA! Inc., which is currently launching sites in colleges, universities and high schools across the country to provide comprehensive, exciting entrepreneurship education, leadership development and innovation training to youth between the ages of 11 and 18 years old in the United States thereby making the program available to students at a variety of geographical regions, and providing them with skills they need to succeed in the 21st Century. For more information about the Young Entrepreneurs Academy, please call 585.272.3535 or visit www.yeausa.org

Begin as a student and finish as a CEO!©

WA Business Week Seeks Judges

(Click on Images for a Larger and Complete View)

National Education & Workforce Tour Visits Tacoma

Education, the skills gap and workforce development are frequent and relevant topics in the business community.

The Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber, in partnership with the Institute for a Competitive Workforce and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, will host the "Breaking the Monopoly of Mediocrity" Tour on February 20th.

Visit the Chamber's online events calendar to learn more about this event. RSVP no later than Friday, February 15. 

Vote for TPS Prop 1 Now!

The Pierce County Auditor reported today that based on the number of ballots turned in so far, Tacoma Public Schools Proposition 1 may not get enough total votes submitted to validate the election. As of this morning, only about 25,000 voters have turned in their ballots.

At least 35,733 must turn in or mail in their ballots by the 8 p.m. deadline tomorrow, Tuesday, Feb. 12. Help spread the word to your friends and family and remind them to vote.

Find out what Tacoma Public Schools Proposition 1 means for your child's school.

Chamber Supports Tacoma Public Schools Prop 1

The Chamber’s Board of Directors voted to support the Tacoma Public Schools Prop 1 for Neighborhood School Improvements and Safety Upgrades.

The Chamber has long supported investments on the betterment of the community’s quality of life, including improvements to resident families’ learning environments. In the most recent issue survey of its membership, respondents ranked K-12 education as the number one issue that government should address.

The Chamber’s Government Affairs Committee’s (GAC) consensus through examination of details of the financing and the increased demand for quality space due to rising student enrollment necessitated the expenditures.  Board members concluded from GAC’s recommendation that there were compelling safety concerns and financial benefits to warrant the support of Prop 1.

SOTA/SAMI Internships

For the past nine years high school  juniors and seniors at Tacoma School of the Arts (SOTA), and now the Science and Math Institute (SAMI) as well, have served as full-time, non-paid interns, in a field they believe the may want to pursue in the future.  If you are interested in hosting an intern, there is still time to sign-up for this January's class.

As a result, hundreds of students have made more informed decisions about their future and have made personal, long term connections to many of the leaders in our business community. These are the up and coming leaders of our community that we want to stay informed and connected about local opportunities to grow and flourish.

Student interns learn both specific skills as well as those general, but critical, employability skills that can launch their career success. Many businesses who serve as intern sites report the benefits of youthful energy and new ideas.

If you are interested in meeting and working with tomorrow's leaders this January 14-31; SOTA & SAMI would love your help.  Students are interested in fields from music to medicine and can participate in opportunities throughout Puget Sound.  If this winter doesn't work, they are also looking to create new opportunities in all fields for 2014.

To learn more about the internship program, please contact Michaele Sein-Ryan at 253-571-7960.  She has been a great help to us at the Chamber in getting our interns set-up this year and in the past.

Innovating for Achievement

How do good schools contribute to a dynamic business environment? As a business owner or executive, what types of innovations should our local school district consider to help improve student achievement?

 

You can be part of this important conversation with Tacoma Public Schools:

 

Innovating for Achievement: A Discussion with Local Business Leaders

4 p.m., Monday, Oct. 22

JayRay

535 Dock Street, Suite 205

Tacoma

 

 

Improving public education continues to be a top priority for many Chamber members, so we encourage you to participate.

 

If you’re unable to attend, Tacoma Public Schools invites you to complete a brief, confidential survey, confidential survey.

 

For questions, information or to RSVP to the Innovating for Achievement discussion, please call 253-284-2531.

Support for Effective Public Education

Today, the Chamber Board voted for more choices for public K-12 education. The Board voted to support Initiative 1240, which would allow a creation of a public charter school system.

 

The Chamber supports efforts to improve and secure investments for K-12 and higher education in Washington State. Board members believe there is compelling evidence that I-1240 will provide parents and students with a proven alternative for education that has been implemented in 41 other states.

 

“Providing communities with K-12 education alternatives is a sound investment, paying dividends in a competitive workforce and stronger businesses,” said Tom Pierson, Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber President & CEO.

 

The Chamber’s Board of Directors also adopted the following resolutions:

 

• Support: Pierce County Charter Amendment 40 (Councilmanic Supermajority) – Requiring a two-thirds vote of the council to levy or increase a new councilmanic tax.
•  
• Support: SJR 8221 (Managing State Debt) – Gradually reducing the state debt limit
•  
• Support: SJR 8223 (UW/WSU Investment Authority) – Grants UW/WSU authority under oversight of State Investment Board to invest enterprise funds in private sector opportunities

Verify Employee Eligibility for Hire

Formerly referred to as the Basic Pilot Program, E-Verify is an Internet-based system operated by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA).

E-Verify is currently free to employers. E-Verify provides an automated link to Federal databases to help employers determine employment eligibility of new hires and the validity of their Social Security numbers.

Employers should consider participating in E-Verify as it is currently the best means available for employers to verify electronically the employment eligibility for their newly hired employees. E-Verify virtually eliminates Social Security mismatch letters, improves accuracy of wage and tax reporting, protects jobs for authorized U.S. workers and helps U.S. employers maintain a legal workforce.

To register online for E-Verify click here for the start page.

For more information about E-Verify, click here for a copy of their customer guide.

Chamber Speaks for Business in Education Forum

On February 23, KBTC, Bates Technical College, Business Examiner and Northwest Public Radio presented “Building a Grad Nation: The American Graduate Project Forum.”

Tom Pierson, Chamber President & CEO, was invited as a business leader to participate in a panel discussion on exploring the impact low graduation rates have on our community.

Fueled by the detrimental national rate of more than a million students dropping out of high
school each year and the effect this has for our nation to compete in a global world, KBTC joined public media stations across the country to address the issue in their own communities. Pierson
represented business interests within the panel and touched upon the close ties entrepreneurship and education to jobs and therefore businesses and the community.

“There is an undeniable connection between K-12 education and business. The stronger our schools are, the stronger our workforce and the stronger our businesses and community,” Pierson said.

Pierson’s message was that businesses definitely care about the health of K-12 education and are willing to be engaged in the future of our community’s workforce.

Along with Pierson, the participating panelists also included Miguel Blanco (President - Pierce County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce), J.W. Harrington (Vice Chancellor - University of Washington-Tacoma), Kurt Miller (Director - Reach Center/Tacoma School Board), Salvador Mungia (Partner – Gordon Thomas Honeywell/Member – Tacoma Mayor’s Education Task Force) with Jeff Rounce, Business Examiner CEO moderating.

Chamber Partners Up With Tacoma School of the Arts Internship Program

You may have noticed a new contributor on the Chamber’s blogs, The Live Wire and the BIA blog. Well, that’s me, Livey Beha, a student at Tacoma School of the Arts (SOTA). As a junior in high school at SOTA, which is right here in the heart of downtown Tacoma, I am truly ecstatic and honored to be able to join the Chamber for the month of January as a short-term intern. I am looking forward to learning about the programs and events offered through the Chamber to support the local economy and community.

The SOTA internship program is a chance for high school students to gain a new perspective of occupations they may be interested in pursuing following the completion of their educational careers. I see the internship partnership between the Chamber and SOTA as an opportunity for me as a student to gain knowledge of and contribute to the Chamber and the South Puget Sound community in a unique and positive approach.

If your business is interested in mentoring and working with a Tacoma School of the Arts intern as apart of “The Next Move” program, you can find more information here.

Information on job and internship opportunities at the Tacoma-Pierce Chamber can be found here.

South County Division Signs Skills Center Resolution

“101” for Hopeful Small Business Start-Ups

Small businesses make a up a large portion of our area’s big economic picture. Sometimes they even provide “fuel” and sustenance to larger organizations and businesses.  So, the Chamber developed a series of programs aimed at small business success.

Called “Operation Business Bootstrap,” this free-to-the-public resource series includes a workshop, Small Business Start-Up: 101. The workshop, to be held next Wednesday, July 7, provides help for would-be small business owners with information on starting a business.

Presentations from local experts at the July 7th workshop will address:

- “How to form your corporation,” by Evan Marques, Eisenhower and Carlson law firm

- “Common office set-up/start-up mistakes to avoid,” by Petra Perkins from Corporate FrameWorx

- “Insurance needs of new businesses,” by Steve Thomason from Tom Taylor Insurance

Partners for “Operation Business Bootstrap” include City of Tacoma , Pierce County Economic Development, Procurement Technical Assistance Center, SBA , Small Business Development Center, and South Sound Washington Business Center.

For more information and to register, (due to limited seating, registration is required to attend), contact Judy Singley, 253.627.2175.