March 7 – Cmdr. Gary MartinIndian Island commander will give a

presentation on Naval Magazine Indian Island. The strategic mission of the naval magazine is to provide ordnance logistics support to the Paci� c Fleet and the joint services in times of peace and war.

March 14 – Jake BeattieBeattie is the new executive director of

the Northwest Maritime Center and he will update the chamber on Maritime Center programs.

March 21 – Mike GlennGlenn is the new executive director of

Je� erson Healthcare. He will talk about what he has learned since coming to the job and what the community can expect in the future from its local health-care provider.

March 28 – Madrona MindBody, Olympic Hostel

Aletia Alvarez and Allison Dey, co-owners of Madrona

MindBody Institute, and Christopher Overman from the Olympic Hostel will talk about their roles in the Fort Worden community.

March2011

Luncheon SpeakersJefferson County Chamber of Commerce lun-cheon meetings are held at the Port Townsend Elks Lodge, 555 Otto St., at noon each Monday, federal holidays excluded. Everyone is welcome!

By Karen Anderson

We all know that the Port Townsend Visitor Informa-tion Center wouldn’t function without the 60 volunteers who help throughout the year. So each winter, we give them a big thank-you in the form of food, drink and praise.

This year we met at the love-ly Clam Cannery for a buffet of good food and friendly ban-ter among friends. The party is completely paid for by the do-nations the volunteers have re-ceived during the year for their fi rst hand and detailed knowl-edge of our fair town, while do-nations of food, drink and time are offered through Chamber members. It all comes together in the end to make a beautiful

evening where we can really focus on the incredible accom-plishments of our volunteers.

The amount of work our volunteers have done for the Chamber is immense. Accord-ing to the most recent data on in-dependentsector.org, they saved the Chamber of Commerce over $91,000! Don’t they deserve a raise? Dave Harrah and Ron Brantner both worked more than 300 hours in 2010! The consistency with which our vol-unteers give their time is also in-credible. VIC volunteers step up to the plate each week to fi ll the 50 shifts that keep us open seven days a week all year round.

The VIC gained 12 volun-teers in 2010, four of which were returning volunteers! If you haven’t met Ian, Sandra,

Ken, Marilyn, Michael, Joe, Nancy, Jerry or Terri yet, come in and say, “Hello!” I look for-ward to another promising year with you all!

Thank you to the Jefferson County Chamber of Com-merce, Clam Cannery Water-front Hotel, the Wine Seller,

Finnriver Farm & Cidery, Si-rens Pub, Galatea Café, T’s Restaurant, 1-2-3 Thai, Banana Leaf Thai Bistro, Valley Tav-ern, Mt. Townsend Creamery, Creative Laser Design, SOS Printing, Badd Habit, Silverwa-ter Café and Harborside Inn for their generous donations!

Visitor Info volunteers thanked for service

Visitor Information Center volunteers gather at the Clam Cannery for their apprecia-tion dinner. The volunteers have logged thousands of hours assisting people who pass through Port Townsend.

Executive director

The year 2011 is, without doubt, the most exciting time in Chamber history, with a huge transition in direction and a revised focus aimed solely at better serving the varied business needs of Jef-ferson County.

Returning to the place I have always called home brings with it an opportunity to enact the Chamber’s new strategic plan, something that the talented business lead-ers in the county have been preparing for over a year and a half.

Bringing together the regional chambers into a single, dedicated unit presents both signifi cant opportunities and chal-lenges that we will tackle together. Rural Jefferson County’s needs are very different from those of a

downtown Port Townsend retail outlet. However, a strong economic policy en-acted by the people – and for the busi-ness interests of the people – will see a strengthening of our wider economy and benefi t everyone.

Along with this shift in focus comes

immediate economic growth. The Cham-ber will seek external funding to create new jobs in the county, all of which will be aimed at identifying and maximizing opportunities for local businesses, thus creating more employment in 2011.

Most important is feedback and in-volvement from the business commu-nity of the county. I urge you to attend Chamber meetings, become a member and get involved. If you have attended in the past and since opted out, please return so we may illustrate to you how we are changing and how we will stand up for your business in the coming de-cade and beyond.

Teresa Verraes

2 March 2011 Je� erson County Chamber Newsletter

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The following are new members of the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce. Stop in at their places of business and see what they have to offer. You won’t be disappointed.

NORTH OLYMPIC ARTISTS COOPERATIVEYou can’t walk

down the street in Port Townsend without passing an amazingly talented artist. Your chances multiply if you

visit the North Olympic Artists Cooperative current-ly curated at Gallery 9 on Water Street. Just walking through the front door offers a delicious experience for your visual cortex from Sandra Smith-Poling’s watercolors and Mitch Poling’s skin and frame kayaks, to Judith Komishane’s beadwork and Mark Carpenter’s woodwork.

The North Olympic Artists Cooperative’s mission is, “Celebrating the creative spirit of local artists.” They do this by providing a place for many art-ists – from boat makers to painters to woodworkers – to share their works as well as through support-ing the community with benefi ts and fundraisers. They have raised more than $60,000 for the Port Townsend Educational Foundation by donating art for auction. Their artists have made many contribu-tions to the Gatheringplace calendar project. They also have supported the Northwinds Art Center, Port Townsend Arts Commission, Jumping Mouse and the Food Bank, just to name a few.

The North Olympic Artists Cooperative has been voted Best Gallery in Jefferson County four years in a row. They are currently planning on enhancing

their mission by providing workshops to the public and by creating grants to help teach skills to stu-dents who desire careers in the arts.

There is so much more going on with the North Olympic Artists Cooperative at Gallery 9 on Water Street. If you haven’t stopped in, I really encour-age you to enjoy these 26 or so amazing artists. For a preview of the artists and art works on display, check out their web site: gallery-9.com.

QUADRA ENGINEERING INC.Quadra Engineering Inc. has joined

the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce to become more connected with Port Townsend, Port Ludlow and the Tri-Area communities. Harold Andersen, Quadra’s owner, and his wife, Jane E. Albee, moved to Port Townsend in July 2010 after almost

20 years in Sequim. Andersen indicates that he will continue to work, at least part-time, from his home in Port Townsend. Joining the Chamber provides an opportunity to meet like-minded community mem-bers and to develop business relationships.

Quadra Engineering Inc. has been in business in Sequim since June 1991. It offers general civil engineering, land use planning, construction man-agement and structural design. Its emphasis is on municipal infrastructure and residential develop-ment. New homes on sites made diffi cult by terrain and land use law are a specialty.

Staff include Harold Andersen, principal engi-neer; Jay Ward, senior engineer; Andrew Schuen-emann, engineer; and Sandy Placek, accountant. Andersen has over 40 years’ of civil engineering experience, primarily as a consultant in private

practice. Ward joined Quadra in July 2000,

bringing 20 years’ of experience as a civil engineer, computer systems spe-cialist, survey party chief and construc-tion inspector. He is now a co-owner of Quadra. Schuenemann is a 2007 graduate architectural engineer. He will soon become a Port Townsend resident and in July will become professionally licensed civil engineer in Washington state.

New Members

Harold Andersen

Jay Ward

March 1

Breakfast at Pedro’sThe monthly breakfast meeting is from 7:45 to 8:45 a.m. at Pedro’s Fiesta Jalisco

Mexican Restaurant at 10893 Rhody Dr. in Port Hadlock. Everyone is welcome to come and network with chamber members.

March Events1 – 1st Tuesday Salon Rose Theatre 7 p.m.

2 – Nat’l Theatre of London Rose Theatre 6:30 p.m.

4 – 1st Friday Lecture City Hall 7 p.m.

4 – 1st Saturday Dance Quimper Grange 8 p.m.

5 – Gallery Walk Downtown 5:30pm

5 – PT Shorts Pope Marine 7:30pm

8 – Mixer at the Visitor’s Information Center from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

12 – 2nd Saturday Contra Dance Quimper Grange 7:30 p.m.

13 – Daylight Savings Begins

13 – School of Athens Lecture Rose Theatre 1 p.m.

17 – St Patrick’s Day

18 – Swing Dance Elks Lodge 7 p.m.

18-20 – Wooden Boat Symposium NW Maritime Center

19 – Je� erson County Community Garage Sale Fairgrounds 9 a.m

19 – Metropolitan Opera Rose Theatre 10 a.m.

20 – 1st Day of Spring

March 2011 Jefferson County Chamber Newsletter 3

Wine and chocolate Mike and Judy Cavett of FairWinds Winery were among the local winemakers to show off their products at the Wine and Chocolate mixer sponsored by the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce. As the name implies, chocolate makers also got into the act at the Northwest Maritime Center. Photo by Felice Thompson

Chamber contactsChamber Staff

Executive Director Teresa Verraes director@jeffcountychamber.org

Event Coordinator Laura Breckenridge admin@jeffcountychamber.org 385-7869 VIC Manager Karen Anderson info@jeffcountychamber.org

Membership Director Heather Flanagan membership@jeffcountychamber.org 379-5380

Executive Board President Kim Aldrich Cobalt Mortgage Vice president Fred Obee The Leader Secretary Molly Force N.D. Prosper Natural Health Past President Kris Nelson Siren’s PubTreasurer Kerry Robinson Frontier Bank

DirectorsJordan Eades Hope Roofing Chuck Russell Valley Tavern Ron Ramage Quimper InnKatherine Brady Brady Chiropractic Linda Streisguth Puget Sound Energy Judy Cavett FairWinds WineryCarol Woodley Hadlock Realty & Hadlock Hotel

Debbie Wardrop Resort at Port LudlowVi Koenig PT Laundromat Terra Tosland Worldmark ClubPiper Diehl Ludlow Bay Wellness SpaNancy McConaghy Coldwell BankerKathryn Brady Brady ChiropracticBill Wise Team Jefferson

Alex Viniski Ancestral SpiritsDominic Svornich Kitsap Bank

Newsletter AdvertisingSara Radka

The Leader360-385-2900

We welcome your submissions. If you have news to share, send articles and photos to director@jeffcountychamber.org or mail to 220 12th St. Port Townsend, WA 98368.

March 8 – Join in the Cham-ber Mixer from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Visitor Informa-tion Center at 440 12th St.

Chamber Ambassadors Group

The Ambassadors group meets at 5:30 p.m. March 17 at the Inn at Port Hadlock for its monthly third Thursday meeting.

Please contact the Chamber office to find out more about this fun program and how you can be involved, or to talk about having a ribbon-cutting or celebration at your business.

All members are welcome to be a part of the Ambassadors group. This is an ever-growing, fun, social group that is getting together once a month at various member restaurants. Members spend some time talking about new businesses that can be welcomed or businesses that have something new going on that can be celebrated. Ambassadors are planning upcoming open houses and ribbon-cuttings. The rest of the time is spent eating, drinking and laughing – and getting to know fellow Chamber members better.

The Chamber would like to thank the following members for being part of this group: Sherry Kack, professional referrals (and organizer for the group); Carol Woodley, Hadlock Realty & Hadlock Motel; Heather Flanagan, certified life coach and Chamber membership director; Marilyn St. Clair, Victoria House; Mark Cole, Upstage Restaurant; Melinda Short, Oasis Daycare & Preschool; Mickey Davis, Subway; Nina Dortch, Holly Hill House; Nancy Tocatlian, T’s Restaurant; Sandi Bird, Life Care Center; Vi Koenig, PT Laundromat & Car Wash; Viva Davis, Hadlock Realty; Riannan Clark, Jefferson Title Co.; and Pam Lampman, Wells Fargo.

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In the past sev-eral weeks, I have attended or been made

aware of meetings, classes and collaborations by and for Jefferson County business people. The county, city, port, local trades groups, educa-tors and collaborations are all working toward a common goal: How do we make Jefferson County a great place

for all of us to live and work?

I am amazed at all of the positive energy go-ing toward these efforts. People are pitching in to help and are finding creative ways to reach that goal. The word is getting out that we are all in this together and things are happening.

With the school lev-ies passing, we are, in a real way, telling the community and our youth that education matters and have a bet-

From the PresidentAn invitation to jump in

Kim Aldrich

ter chance at meeting the needs of our com-munity. We are taking steps toward having educated workers, and will retain more of our youth and attract young entrepreneurs to our communities.

You will constantly hear me talking about connections. That is how things get done. If the Port Townsend Ma-rine Trades Association hadn’t called a meeting asking for strategies in getting the word out about what they do, WSU and the Chamber would not be working with them toward a series of classes spe-cific to basic web and social media training. If the young entrepre-neurs hadn’t jumped in, we would not have a fledgling Young Entre-preneurs group.

Consider this your invitation to jump in, make connections and watch our community become a better place.

Briefly...

Retreat and Outreach Linda Streissguth of Puget Sound Energy makes a point at the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce Board retreat in January while new executive director Teresa Verraes listens. Among the goals for the board this year are to do serious outreach to Chamber members in all corners of the county. Also, now that Port Ludlow, Port Hadlock and Port Townsend chambers have merged, the board wants to re-brand the Chamber to reflect its broader reach.

4 March 2011 Je� erson County Chamber Newsletter

PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGE PAIDPORT TOWNSEND, WAPERMIT NO. 34

Volunteer of the month

If you are a member of the Je� erson County Chamber of Commerce and use Twitter or Facebook -- please follow us @Je� CoChamber on Twitter and Je� erson County Chamber of Commerce on Facebook.

We use Twitter and Facebook to showcase our

members and bring you the latest business news that is important to our members – so if you’ve got some news, a deal, a Twitter-only special – tweet about it and we’ll help spread the word.

Follow the Chamberon Twitter, Facebook

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David Harrah

By Karen Anderson

David Harrah is a Port Townsend High School graduate. How many retirees do you know in Port Townsend who can say that? His military career took him all over the world while his post-military career kept him traveling all over the country, until he decided to come home and live in his hometown.

His hard work within the community has made him a valuable

member of our Port Townsend Visitor Informa-tion Center pack. He has been with the

Visitor Information Center since 2007. He is an active member of the Elks, where he has served as exalted ruler and as a member of the board of directors.

He also spends time volunteering with the American Legion, among other organiza-tions in town. Dave is “old-school” and always willing and able to help when needed. Port

Townsend is a great match for Dave, who is also a devoted dog lover. He always has a warm greeting for each person and dog that walks in our door.

Dave has been in-valuable to the VIC in the past few years. His reliability and dedica-tion put him at 300 hours during 2010. And of course, if I need help carrying something heavy, he’s always there to lend a hand.

Thanks Dave, for all of your hard work and continued support!

And a thank-you to all the volunteers who help the locals and visi-tors in Port Townsend!

David Harrah

Lucille and Noble Nilsen were named Citi-zens of the Year and Katherine Baril won the Tim Caldwell Business Leader of the Year award Jan. 30 at the Fort Wor-den Commons during an annual brunch sponsored by the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce.

Baril praised a new generation of leadership that is rising in Jefferson County, and she urged people to embrace change and work together for a brighter future.

“Communities that collaborate do better,”

Baril said. “We need you active and en-gaged.” No-ble Nilsen said only, “Thanks.”

T h e N i l s e n s ,

Jefferson County resi-dents for more than 20 years.

The couple received the prize for having craft-ed beautiful quilts for nearly 500 babies born at the Family Birth Center at Jefferson Healthcare over almost fi ve years.

Lucille and Noble Nilsen were named Citizens of the Year for crafting beautiful quilts for nearly 500 babies born at the Family Birth Center at Jefferson Healthcare.

Nilsens, Baril honored for their contributions

Katherine Baril