NOW HIRING:
New program breaks down employment barriers for military spouses

Employers who sign up will be registered in all of the Washington State Employment Security Department's databases and search engines as an employer friendly to military families. Registered employers will immediately receive the trademarked "2008 Military Family Friendly Employer" window decals as well as an electronic version to be added to a business' Web site or used in advertising.  They will also receive a guide directing them to the official Military Family Employment Resources web sites where they will be able to post job openings including one military Internet site that allows them to link to the Monster.com job site without paying the usual $550 fee.

Your business will benefit even further from Naval Station Everett's "Order of the Day" directive that encourages military personnel and their families to patronize businesses that display the "Military Family Friendly Employer" emblems. As there are 6,500 military and civil service employees at Naval Station Everett, with about 10,000 family members, the potential to increase your business as a result of displaying your support is outstanding.

Employers will be asked to renew annually for the purpose of sustainability and public awareness.

Benefit your Business

Click Here to Sign Up

The Greater Marysville Tulalip Chamber of Commerce believes the following items are the highest priority issues facing business in the 2008 Washington State Legislature.  These priorities will shape our policies and guide our 2008 legislative lobbying efforts directed at advancing and/or defending the needs of the business communities we serve.

Education

Electric Energy

Global Climate Change

Healthcare

Land Use GMA

Economic Development and Infrastructure Financing

Municipal Tax Fairness

Oil & Gas Energy

Budget Policy

Property Tax Reform

Regulatory Reform

Research and Development Tax Incentives

Staffing Industry B & O

State Death Tax

State Tax Appeals Reform

Streamlined Sales Tax

Tax Classification for Environmental Remediation

Transportation

Unemployment Insurance

Water Resources

Workers' Compensation

Workforce Training

Labor & Employment Law

Paid Family Leave

Say "Thank You" with The Lights of Christmas Gift Certificates

            Over 450,000 people have experienced the wonder of The Lights of Christmas, a Northwest holiday tradition entering its eleventh year. This spectacular, lighted event opens Thursday, November 29 at 5pm and runs 20 nights (Thursdays thru Sundays) through the end of December. Located at Warm Beach Camp near Stanwood, The Lights of Christmas features over one million lights, a stunning larger-than-life nativity, live music, crafts, food, children's pony rides, petting farm, draft horse wagon rides, train rides, and more.

            WarmBeach Camp would like to offer you the opportunity to give tickets to The Lights of Christmas to your employees, clients, customers, or vendors.  An evening at The Lights of Christmas is a unique and thoughtful gift, and would give you a chance to say "thank you" to those you work with.  As a special offer to local businesses, you may request as many tickets as you need and pay nothing in advance.  You only pay for gift certificates that are redeemed at the event. 

            For more information about this special offer or to order The Lights of Christmas General Admission gift certificates, call Jo Reed at 360-652-7575, or 800-228-6724. More information about The Lights of Christmas is available online at www.warmbeach.com.

Byte Slaves Computing

Sven Mogelgaard, President

Byte Slaves, Inc.

425-482-9529 - 877-972-7767

www.byteslaves.com 

Visit Our Online Store!

Byte Slaves Computing has hired two full-time technicians:  Luke Szczutowski and Alexander Aversano.  This will allow us to provide better service and faster response times.  As part of our growth spurt we have moved into a new office located at 18221 102nd Ave. NE in Bothell - just one block off Main Street.

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Cara Vinson Photography

Cara Vinson - Owner

8515 State Ave. #28, Marysville, WA98270

(360) 631-9412

Cara Vinson Photography is a full service wedding and portrait provider with a professional mobile studio and top of the line digital equipment. Cara Vinson is able to create beautiful portraits of families and pets where they are most comfortable.

Cara Vinson Photograph is offering a special promotion for weddings!  I am giving each wedding family that books a Bride's Choice, Groom's Choice or Mom & Dad's Choice packages 5 free custom made mini hardback books!

I also have done a wonderful Trash the Dress shoot, and am looking for people who have their wedding dresses and would like to participate in this kind of shoot. Completely creative and totally fun stuff!

My website is www.caravinsonphotography.com and I have a movie of the Trash the Dress shoot on there as well as lots of other great things. I am also doing lots of holiday/family photo shoots, and they make wonderful gifts!

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Aman Inc.

PO Box 650, Marysville, WA98270

360-658-8533

Highland Christian Schools is looking for Job Shadow opportunities, Internships & volunteer activities for our students.  We are hoping that Chamber members might have a few of these opportunities for our students.

Highland Christian Schools is a state-approved K-12 school, located in Arlington, Washington. HCS focuses on college preparation and has experienced faculty who teach from biblically-based curriculum. 

Please contact Tana Litwin at TLitwin@highlandchristianschools.org or 360-403-8351 ext. 105

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Just Paint It Ceramic Studio

Just Paint It has a Christmas club going - Buy 7 items get one free! This studio is set up to accommodate kids of all ages. NO appointment needed. It is great to make gifts from the heart. We have Christmas pieces as well as all the normal stuff, figurines, cups, plates, bowls, Asian dishes, Native things and much more.

Just Paint It Ceramics

Tami Odell - Owner

1418 5th Ave., Marysville, WA98270
(360) 653-6250

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Pacific One Mortgage

3719 88th Street Suite G
Marysville, WA 98270
360-654-4010

We have had such an overwhelming response to the Strategic Bank Seminar that we decided to begin a bi-monthly educational networking event to springboard from the information shared in the seminar. 

These seminars will start up again in January after the holidays and just in time for our All-Day Investor Workshop tentatively planned in Seattle for January 12.  Keep an eye on your e-mail for the latest schedule, or email donna@pacificonemortgage.com to be added to the notification list.

 The fee is $5 to offset costs and after the educational part, we'll have a time of question/answer and networking.  If you have any questions about times/dates/locations call Donna at 360-654-4527 or e-mail her: donna@pacificonemortgage.com

We look forward to seeing you there and showing you more endless possibilities of Real Estate Investing!!  Check out www.pacificonemortgage.com for more information
and click on Seminars and Meetings.

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The Salvation Army Red Kettle Kick-Off

9620 State Ave

Marysville, WA98270

653-6368

The Salvation Army of Snohomish County kicked-off our annual Red Kettle Campaign as sponsors of the November 30th Business Before Hours.  The Red Kettle Campaign is our biggest fund-raiser of the year, and is the key to providing critical social services for the Snohomish County community.  Kettles are located at area Walmart, Fred Meyer, Safeway, Top Foods/Haggen, and other various stores from November 23 through Christmas Eve.  If any chamber members would like a kettle for their business, please contact Jerry Gadek at (425) 259-8129 and we'll deliver it at your convenience.  Due to the current job market, we cannot man as many kettles as years past, so we're looking for folks that will display one at their business to help our cause.

Regards,

Jerry A. Gadek

Deputy Director

The Salvation Army, Everett & Snohomish County

(425) 259-8129

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Click here for a great getaway at Silver Cloud Inn Mukilteo

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Sound Drug Testing Services

Sound Drug Testing Services (SDTS) has recently been established in the Pacific Northwest as a full service drug testing and employee screening company.  Our services are available to business owners and corporations who are concerned about the effects of alcohol and other drugs within their workspace.  We assist in developing drug free workplace programs and work hand in hand with our clients to help reduce the risks associated with substance abuse in the workplace.

SDTS utilizes the top laboratories, state of the art drug testing products and offers the highest level of personalized service to meet the needs and expectations of our clients.  We work very closely with business owners to screen pre-employment applicants for drugs and criminal history.

Laura Moody, president of SDTS says, "The risks associated with substance abuse in the workplace are killing business owner's bottom line dollars."  Implementing a proper drug testing program for employees can save a business owner a lot of money over the course of a year.  It's like health insurance, you shouldn't live without it.

SDTS also provides many different types of background checks for pre-employment and personal purposes. 

We work very closely with many different types of attorneys and courts to support all of their needs

SDTS has a true dedication to this field and really enjoys helping others. 

Additional services offered by SDTS are:

Drug Detection Surface Assessments, DNA Paternity testing, Background Checks, Home Drug Testing For Teens, Steroid and Hair Follicle drug testing. 

Please Contact Laura Moody of Sound Drug Testing Services: # (TEL) 1-866-212-3309 Toll-Free.  Please Visit our website at

We customize all of our testing and programs to every individual or business that we work with. 

Thank you/

Sincerely,

Laura Moody

Sound Drug Testing Services

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White Owl Arts Videography

Tulalip, WA 98271

(360) 653-6726

White Owl Arts Videography is offering free keepsake video portraits to seniors who sign up in advance at the Ken Baxter Senior/Community Center, 514 Delta Ave, Marysville, WA, 98270.   Up to eleven time slots are available from 10:30am to 3:30pm each day on Dec. 11 and 18, 2007.

Seniors will have the opportunity to share their favorite stories, or to communicate with faraway family & friends, or even future generations.   In addition to their choice of topic, seniors will also have the choice of sitting alone, or including one or more family or friends in their sitting.  The resulting portrait will be custom-edited and presented to participants on a DVD in time for the holidays.

Sittings will be 20 minutes in duration; appointments are available on a first-come, first-served basis.  Seniors may sign up for an appointment by contacting the Ken Baxter Senior/Community Center at 360-363-8450.  The center's hours are 9am-4pm Mondays thru Thursdays, and 9am-noon Fridays.

For more information regarding video portraits, call White Owl Arts at 360-653-6726, or visit www.WhiteOwlArts.net.

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Soroptimist International of Marysville

Marysville Cooks with Soroptimist Cookbook!

Marysville Cooks with Soroptimist is a treasured collection of recipes from the Soroptimist International of Marysville members as well as their family and friends. This cookbook makes an excellent Christmas gift. Funds raised from the sale of the cookbook go towards the Soroptimist's commitment to improve the lives of people in our community. To get a copy of this delightful book please call Vicki Mattson from Let's Dish at 360-658-9903.

Soroptimist International of Marysville is seeking applicants for several awards.

Soroptimist International of Marysville is a volunteer organization for business and professional women dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls in the local community and throughout the world.

Making a Difference For Women Award

This award  is designed to honor a woman in the North Snohomish community who is working to improve the lives of women and girls through her personal or volunteer life or through her profession. If you know someone that you would like to nominate please contact Caroline Brown at 360-651-1605. The deadline for nominations is Jan 1, 2008.

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Marysville Site Ranked #2

UW North process moves forward

The Marysville Tulalip Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Information Center held its third annual Board of Directors' Business After Hours at the Chamber office on Thursday, December 6.  Over 100 individuals representing  businesses and organizations from throughout Marysville and Snohomish County attended, enjoying each others' company, networking, and sampling a vast array of appetizers, desserts, and other dishes provided by our Chamber's many restaurants.

Among the gracious establishments donating their wares were; Bob's Burgers & Brew, Applebee's, G A Maxwell's, Kafe Neo, Maxi's, Let's Dish, and Domino's Pizza. Also, we had much of the catering for the affair expertly handled by Costco. A special treat was provided by John Bell of Willis Hall, who offered a wine tasting corner which was well stocked with his award winning selection of whites and reds. Worth mentioning as well was the "cheered" and "uncheered" punch created by Kimberlie in her laboratory in back.

In addition, raffle prizes were given away. Prize donors included: Just Paint It Ceramic Studio, White Owl Arts Videography, 3D Automotive, and Clear Image One Hour Photo.

A great thanks to all who attended and joined in the holiday festivities. A special thanks goes to the Tulalip Tribes, who allowed the use of their refrigerator and stove in the kitchen area, as well as providing us with a coat hanger rack for the use of our many guests. The Chamber of Commerce's Board of Directors gets a big thanks as well for their added monetary support that greatly helped to make this event possible. And a wonderful thank you goes out to Alicia Delegans, of the Marysville School District, who provided the great big coffee pot and other important pieces to what we needed. We couldn't have done it without any of you. We're glad everyone had a good time and will see you all next year!

The Marysville Tulalip Chamber of Commerce and Regional Visitor Information Center held its' annual Volunteer Holiday Party on Wednesday, December 12. Volunteers, interns, and students interns (both present and former) chatted, mused, laughed, joked, and enjoyed each others' company.

All feasted on a great spread consisting of pizza provided by Miles Miller of Domino's Pizza (Miles, General Manager of the Marysville branch,  is a great, great guy ) and deli sandwiches from the Allen Creek Thriftway. In addition, we had goodies such as quiche, candy bars, green bean casserole, cheese cake, pie, fruit bars, and a myriad of juices, tonics, coffee, and tea. No one left hungry.

"I personally want to thank everyone, and say how pleased I am to be working with and around all of our volunteers."  Summed up Bill Wheaton, Director of Information Services.  "I look forward to working with everyone in the future and growing the scope of services our Visitor Center offers and increasing our valuable volunteer base."

It's time to take public roadways private

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

DON BRUNELL for The Columbian

On November 6, voters rejected Proposition 1, the $17.8 billion highway and transit measure to fund transportation projects in the Puget Sound region. In light of that defeat, the obvious question is, "What now?"

The rising cost of road and bridge construction in Washington is staggering. Despite $11 billion in new taxes and fees over the last five years, traffic congestion is choking the state's economy and leaving drivers trapped in 30 mph rush hour traffic.

As expensive as highway projects are, doing nothing is not an option.

Traffic congestion increases the price of groceries, electronics and everything else that's shipped by truck - and virtually everything is shipped by truck at some point. Nationwide, Americans spend 3.7 billion hours a year stuck in traffic, costing drivers $63 billion a year in wasted time and fuel costs. Cars crawling along congested roads and highways pump thousands of tons of pollutants into the air every day.

If we wait, congestion will only get worse and costs will go even higher. For example, the cost of road repair materials has increased an average of 33 percent in the past three years. And if we wait too long, we could experience a tragedy like the collapse of the I-35 Bridge in Minneapolis.

Spiraling costs, increasing congestion, big tax hikes and voter frustration. So, what's the answer?

Perhaps it's time to think outside the box.

One idea is to hand major projects over to the private sector. In Europe - and increasingly here in the U.S. - governments are selling the rights to build or maintain major highways and bridges to private companies. The companies do the projects and then charge a toll.

In Chicago, the city recently turned over operating and maintenance responsibilities of the 50-year old Chicago Skyway Bridge, a 7.8 mile toll road, to a private company. In exchange for $1.83 billion in cash, the city granted the Skyway Concession Company a 99-year lease to maintain and operate the Skyway. The company has the right to all toll and concession revenue.

In 2006, the ITR Concession Company paid the state of Indiana $3.85 billion for a 75-year lease to operate and maintain the Indiana Toll Road, which stretches 157 miles across the northern part of the state.

Both lease companies are owned by a Spanish firm called Cintra. It operates hundreds of miles of toll roads in Spain and is expanding worldwide.

In February, Cintra paid the state of Texas $2.1 billion for a 50-year contract to operate State Highway 121 as a toll road. The minimum and maximum tolls are specified in the contract.

 'Congestion pricing'

Increasingly, companies like Cintra are building the roads, and motorists pay them back through tolls. Supporters point out that the private companies assume all the risk of construction overruns and bear the consequences if the road or bridge doesn't attract enough vehicles. Another big selling point is the huge upfront payments, which the state can use for other road projects that would otherwise languish on the back burner, becoming more expensive over time.

On occasion, public officials have complained about the amount of the toll set by Cintra. The company counters that its tolls are carefully balanced to encourage use but discourage congestion.

That concept, called "congestion pricing," is another option for Washington's highways, whether those roads are publicly or privately operated.

Congestion pricing is a traffic management tool. Tolls are placed on the most heavily traveled roads and can vary throughout the day - higher during peak hours, lower during off-peak hours. Drivers have other non-toll alternatives, which means they have a choice to pay a toll or not. Another benefit: Construction and maintenance costs are paid by the people who use those particular roads, without raising taxes on everyone who buys gas.

Private-sector leases and congestion pricing are not the only answers to our traffic woes. But they're worth considering as voters balk at new taxes, and we struggle to answer the question, "What now?"

Ask yourself: "Would you pay more to go faster?

Don Brunell is president of the Association of Washington Business, Washington state's chamber of commerce. Visit www.awb.org

Stop Monkeying around  & Join Us!  We take your business seriously.

Ø     Monthly Networking Events with Televised Exposure

Ø     Legislative Business Advocate

Ø     National Website Listing

Ø     Post Free Online Jobs, Events & Special Offers

Ø     Referrals to Members First

Ø     Business Card Wall & Display Area for Members Only

See the Numbers Served at Our

With the holidays just around the corner, volunteers are kicking off Operation Marysville Community Christmas, celebrating a 22-year tradition of neighbor helping neighbor through distribution of Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday food baskets and toys to families in need.

OMCC, a group of volunteers who serve within the Marysville Community Food Bank, are registering families now for Thanksgiving and Christmas food baskets and toys, so don't miss out. Recipients can register every day of the week except Wednesday and Sunday at the food bank between the hours of 8 - 11 a.m. The food bank is located at 6518 60th Drive NE, directly north of the Marysville/North County YMCA.

Volunteers are needed for a variety of tasks. If you want to help, please call the food bank at 360-658-1054.

OMCC officially kicks off its efforts with the All City Food Drive on Saturday, Nov. 3, when the familiar Christmas red giving barrels will be in place at entrances and lobbies in more than 50 participating grocers, businesses, public buildings and places of worship.

Various volunteer organizations will be stationed at some of the sites to encourage donating, and to share information about OMCC.

Individuals who wish to donate non-perishable food items, unused toys and bicycles, stocking stuffers, cash cards, candy or wrapping materials are welcome to drop them by the food bank between 8-11 a.m. every day except Wednesday and Sunday.
OMCC Coordinator Terri Hall emphasizes that donations and gifts will go directly to families in the community. "What you give here, stays here. That's the real difference your donation or gift has made in seasons past and present."

Various area service organizations formed OMCC in 1985 to provide needy families with food and toys at Christmas time, with Thanksgiving baskets added soon after, Hall said. In its first year, 104 families were served, compared with the 700 families and 1,200 children served today, she added. In 1993, OMCC partnered directly with the food bank as an ad hoc committee.

OMCC experienced the loss of a hard-working, longtime OMCC Coordinator and leader, Lillie Lein, who passed away unexpectedly. Volunteers, and the city of Marysville where she was employed, are paying tribute to her good works through "Lillie's Legacy," with a goal to collect more than 250 toys from city employees alone, and are asking the community to give a little extra this year in her name.

The food bank serves residents in the 98270 and 98271 zip codes.
"Families in need can be hungry any time of year, but the holiday season can be especially difficult, with worries of whether their children will be able to share in a holiday meal or unwrap a new toy, activities that many of us sometimes take for granted. Help make this a special time, and put a little happiness in someone's holiday," Hall said.
If you would like to volunteer or need more information, we encourage you to call the food bank at 360-658-1054.

Proud Partners with:

                         

US Chamber of Commerce

Association of Washington Business

Snohomish Economic Development

Washington Chamber of Commerce Executives

League of Women Voters