In an effort to communicate what's happening in our great community, we're jumping online. If you have suggestions for content, would like someone added to receive this free weekly newsletter, or if you'd like to stop receiving it, email Executive Director Rhonda Madison at jrmadison@comcast.net or call 253-223-7045. This is another one of the hometown services provided by the Orting Chamber of Commerce caring member businesses. Remember to shop local first! |
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Dignigaries Float Into Town  Governer Christine Gregoire, Senator Maria Cantwell, OVFD Chief Shelton and Mayor Cheryl Temple listen to the public comments about area flooding in a visit by government officials last week. The delegation flew into town on a Chinook helicopter to tour the damage.
Mayor Temple asked the governor and senators to: collaborate in building up the setback levees, expand Hwy 162 for speedy & secure evacuations, a system friendly to salmon and the rivers that moves water out of town, a presidential proclamation of emergency to enable funds for our recovery.
 The following request came to the OCC asking for information from businesses: "We are looking for information about any damage that businesses may have sustained during the snow (from December 11th through January 5th) or the recent floods (from January 6th on). Damage to their building should be included even if they lease and are not the land owner - we just want to know how much damage has been done. Also, we want to know about damage to their operations. For example, maybe their building wasn't damaged, but they had to close for a day or two and lost business; or the roads were so bad that, even though they didn't close, no customers could get in to their business and they lost revenue. If people report damage, it doesn't mean they are making a claim, or even intend to make a claim. At this point we're just gathering information to see if we qualify for a Presidential Disaster Declaration. It is important that we get as much information as we can because even if a business owner had only minor damage, other businesses sustained substantial impacts and getting the disaster declaration will help make resources available to those businesses that need it." Robert Allen Economic Development Specialist Pierce County Office of the Executive Economic Development Division 950 Pacific Ave., Suite 720 Tacoma, WA 98402
RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES REPORT DAMAGES
CALL 1-866-798-6363 8 A.M.- 5 P.M.
CALLERS SHOULD HAVE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION AVAILABLE:
● NAME AND ADDRESS OF AFFECTED PROPERTY,
● TYPE OF INSURANCE (HOMEOWNERS) AND DEDUCTABLE AMT.,
● DESCRIPTION OF DAMAGE, EVEN IF UNINSURED,
● PERSONAL ESTIMATE OF UNINSURED LOSES,
● ESTIMATED FAIR MARKET VALUE OF DAMAGED HOME OR BUSINESS
IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO HAVE A CONTRACTOR'S ESTIMATE.
Findings from this assessment will aid the Governor in requesting a disaster declaration and receiving federal disaster assistance from the
President. |
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New Leaders Retreat To Plan Advance 
The new leaders of the OCC joined for their annual planning retreat on January 10th and 11th at the Wild Rose Quilt Shop and Retreat Center.
The board of directors for 2009 includes: Vice President Dan Bunker of Business Solutions Center, Director Jason Smith of American Family Insurance, Treasurer Pam Giles of Liquid Assets Accounting, Executive Director Rhonda Madison, Director Dawn Balogh of Orting Liquor Store, 2nd VP Brenda White of Keybank, Secretary Marlene Bartram of Saints Cosmas and Damien Catholic Church, Director Marlene Wade of Frontier Bank, President Steve Rodrigues of Baxter Mfg., Past President Dave Harman of Northstone Realty.
Also present in an advisory capacity were 2008 officers: Director Madeline Jones of Jones Storage and Past President Susan Rigley of the Orting Libraray.Secretary Kim Lemka of DK Photography was unable to be present, but contributed to the preparations for the meeting. |
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OCC Welcomes Team Schoos!
New OCC members, husband and wife realtor team, Steve and Deffia Schoos enjoy living and working in Orting. Steve is a lifetime Washingtonian with a passion for fly fishing. His biggest catch was a 22 pound king salmon on the Carbon River which he subsequently released. His biggest trout was an 11 pound rainbow from a lake in Eastern Washington. Deffia loves spending time with their grandkids who live in Ellensburg, Washington and Arkansas. Steve and Deffia have 5 grown children, 3 grandchildren and two cocker spaniels.
Steve serves the community as the president of Orting Soccer Club and a Wings Mentor for CISO. Deffia is the Orting Soccer Club Registrar. .
As "personal" Realtors, they primarily serve Orting, Puyallup, Pierce and King County areas, working from the John L. Scott Real Estate office in Orting. According to Team Schoos, "With each of us having over 20 years in the banking industry dealing with mortgage loans and pre-qualifying customers, we understand what goes into buying a home. We take a very serious approach in doing our job and understanding what clients needs and goals are. We are committed to providing the highest level of customer service available in the real estate industry today."
They were the recipient of the 2008 Seattle Five Star Real Estate Agents Best In Client Satisfaction, earned the President's Award in 2005 and 2006, and earned President's Gold in 2007.
To contact them email teamschoos@johnlscott.com or call Deffia at 253-334-7367, Steve at 253-334-7362.
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THANK YOU!
Thanks to all the volunteers who made our Home For the Holidays a great success. Special thanks to the city crew for setting up and taking down the tree in the Bell tower and getting the garlands and banners over the streets. Sam Colorossi for coordinating the garlands and Beckie Meek for all the work on the Parade and activities in the park. Snowshoe Farms once again donated the beautiful tree. Folks from Riverchase Church put the lights up in the park and Dan Bunker of BSC took them down. The Orting Community Baptist Church did a wonderful job taking care of the OCC Nativity scene.
Over $1000 was raised to support our Daffodil Festival float by the sales of King Alfred bulbs donated by Roger Knutson via the efforts of Madeline Jones of Jones RV Storage.
If you want to your weeks set up on the Highway sign, get your annual membership dues paid and dates reserved soon. Thanks to those who've already taken care of that little matter of business.
We've got great things in store for 2009 and together we can build a healthy business community.
The new board of directors will be meeting the 3rd Tuesday of the month. If you have an issue you'd like them to address in their stragic planning, please email or call with the information.
Remember to mark your calendars and plan your marketing around special days, events and local happenings. Contact us with events and news for upcoming newsletters and the website. Remember to refer customers to local businesses for economic vitality and to shop local first. Get involved in local government and make your voice heard.
January
14 City Council Meeting, Safety Bldg. 7 pm
19 Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Holiday
20 Inauguration Day, OCC Board 7 am
28 City Council Meeting, Safety Bldg. 7 pm
February
2 Groundhog Day
11 OCC Member Meeting, Eagles, 7-9 am
City Council Meeting, Safety Bldg. 7 pm
14 Valentines Day
16 Presidents Day Holiday
17 OCC Board 7 am
25 Ash Wednesday
City Council, Safety Bldg. 7 pm
Rhonda Madison
Orting Chamber of Commerce
PO Box 1418
Orting, WA 98360
253-223-7045
OCC Mission
The Orting Chamber of Commerce is a collective group of businesses promoting a strong local economy through networking, referral opportunities and business advocacy
OCC Vision
The Orting Chamber of Commerce promotes hometown commerce, serving the needs and values of the Orting community. |
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The Community and Financial Assistance Unit (CFA) works to strengthen and diversify the state's economy through a variety of programs by helping Washington's communities and businesses plan, finance and implement economic development strategies to create opportunities for business and job growth. The unit's customers and partners include local governments, businesses, ports, community-based development organizations, economic development councils, and tribal governments. http://www.cted.wa.gov
Washington Small Business Development Centers promote economic vitality by providing advice, training and research to entrepreneurs and existing businesses statewide.
Whether you are well established or just starting out, the SBDC can make a difference for your business. Conveniently located in 24 locations throughout the state, SBDCs offer a host of services designed to help you grow your business, achieve higher profits, and improve operations.
By helping small businesses thrive, the SBDC plays a critical role in driving economic prosperity throughout our state. http://www.wsbdc.org/
The WBACC Trust is a program of employee & employer benefits which was specifically created for sponsoring chambers of commerce. Its objective is to enable small companies to join together in order to obtain insurance protection economically through mass purchasing. Because the plans are local, they reflect the specific needs of small employers in Western Washington. Choices include: RBS - Eleven medical plans * Three dental plans * Two vision plans * One Life & AD&D plan w/ buy-up options * STD plans * LTD plans * Pre-paid legal plans ANH - Seven medical plans * Four dental plans * Two vision plans * One life AD&D plan w/ buy-up options * STD plans * LTD plans * Pre-paid
http://www.wbacctrust.com/
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| Businesses
Sound Off About
Flood Impact
Local businesses expressed their flood impact concerns to OCC Executive Director Rhonda Madison. While it may not have been visually apparent, there was definitely an impact on the business community. Employees couldn't get to work, employers sent staff home, shipments were unable to be sent or received, customers left town or stayed home resulting in lost sales revenue, productivity came to a stand still. Following are business comments.
The Wild Rose Quilt Shop and Retreat Center owner Robbie Burns said "We were definitely impacted by the flooding. Our customer demographics are older women who come to our shop from a 50 mile radius. At the slightest mention of bad weather or road closures, they stay home. The last 2 days were disastrous for sales. In fact, the last 3 weeks (the cold and the snows of December) were disastrous. Many of our deliveries come up from California and Portland and with the I-5 closure, we're not getting our UPS or FedEx ground shipments. It has been a very ugly December and beginning of January. Our Retreat Center was made available to Orting Police and other rescue workers. We have 10 beds, a kitchen, hot showers and laundry facilities. We also invited the Seattle TV station news crews to stay upstairs if SR 162 completely closed down. Our facility is always available for emergency crews; that's a standing invitation. We gave OPD Chief Drake a key to the retreat center during the December snow storms in case any of his officers needed a place to sleep."
Joe and Debbie Knowles of Valley Sign said "IT IS TIME TO GO BACK TO DREDGING THE RIVERS!!! AND MAINTAINING THE RIVER DIKES...It is obvious that the lack of levy maintenance is ineffective. We have had major issues with flooding in the valley since maintenance has been stopped. We need to dredge the rivers, maintain the dikes and levees as we have done in the past.Valley Sign lost much revenue in an already slow economy. Let's put people to work maintaining rivers, bridges and infrastructure. Employment can be the key to restoring our economy."
The river bottom near High Cedars Golf Course and community has risen 6 feet in the last 9 years, according to Manager John Bennadetti. He said "The water has no where to go. The water table rises at even small rains and comes in under homes and businesses. There have been times we have been shut down because of the water problems other than this current flooding. Dredge the rivers again regularly and build the levees up."
Dick Barnes of Eagles had to shut down equipment due to the water table rising under his building. He echoed the opinion that the river's need dredged and the dikes need better maintenance and reinforcement to prevent flooding in the future.
Stan and Linda Feebus of First Love Antiques said "We were blessed with no water getting in the building except for a roof leak. Business is non-existent though. We closed early on Wednesday because of the evacuation and came in yesterday. It would be nice to let our senators know that bail-outs need to be closer to home and more directly to small business and the individual rather than to the corporations giving themselves bonuses."
Baxter Manufacturing lost two days of work, putting them behind in production and shipping, according to Steve Rodrigues, HR Director. He said that people couldn't get to work and their bathrooms backed up because the septic system filled as the water table rose.
Brenda White, manager of the local Key Bank branch said there was a need better communication. "I left Wednesday early and Thursday before returning to town, tried to get any information to see how the roads were into town. I called Pierce County Emergency and they gave me a web site to see road closures that I could not make out at all, I tried the City and they did not even have a recording going, and the police non emergency number could not be reached until after 8:00 and then was busy or no answer. The only way for me to see if the roads were fine was to head out of Graham and drive down here. I could not even tell our district office if the evacuation was still "suggested" or lifted."
The restaurants complained of miscommunication from the Pierce County Health Department. They said that they received calls on Wednesday that they all had to shut down because the Orting Sewage Treatment Plant was flooded. After checking it out locally, Around the Corner Cafe discovered this was not the case and called the county officials back who rescinded their earlier closure orders, but didn't bother calling the other restaurants back to let them know. This resulted in additional expenses due to the loss of prepared foods and customers.
Despite the hardship the flood event caused, the community showed it's true colors during the adversity. What makes Orting such a wonderful place to work and live is not just the beauty of the mountain and ambiance of a 'Mayberry' like town. It stands out in the way that people help their neighbors out and care for each other.
After Jason Smith of American Family Insurance went home and made sure his family and neighbors were safe he spent the night sandbagging and helping others protect their homes. His business is one of the few who benefits from an incident of this nature as he actually gets more people calling to add flood insurance policies, he said.
Shawn and Tamara Potter of the Park Bench Cafe closed early and visited customers in the valley to make sure they were safe before going to their home up the hill. They gave the key to their restaurant to the Wild Rose Quilt Shop and Retreat Center in case they needed food, since they were staying in town to support emergency workers.
Around the Corner Café owners Kim Farnes and Carl Scanson said they would have had water running through their restaurant and ruining their newly renovated floors if it hadn't been for the help of people who spontaneously showed in with five truckloads of sandbags to help them after seeing their dilema on the TV news.
According to the City of Orting, there were over sixty volunteers who did sandbagging and night watch. Businesses and individuals made sure emergency workers were cared for. Donations included: 100 Pizzas and bread sticks from Route 66 Pizza, 100 double cheeseburgers from McDonalds, Coffee, pastries and sandwiches from Starbucks, food from Eagles, food and housing at the Senior Center, products from Safeway, and other food and volunteer help by countless individuals and businesses.
Business leaders expressed great appreciation for the local fire, police, city workers and National Guard who worked so hard to protect Orting.
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