Economic Development
Racial Equity Commitment from WA Employers
Corporate leaders in Washington state have been gathering data and listening to leaders in minority communities across the state. They came together as a new coalition: Washington Employers for Racial Equity. They have released a report that documents the inequities that African Americans and their families experience. While the initial focus is on Black Washingtonians,…
Read MoreAction Alert: WA Hospitality Association
The WA Hospitality Association has posted an Action Alert. They want to hear your voice, whether you are a restaurant or hotel operator, an employee, or even just a customer. The Government Affairs team is collecting stories to share with the Governor, lawmakers, and agency directors. How has this closure and COVID-19 impacted you, your…
Read More$50 Million Working Washington Business Grants
The $135 million authorized by Inslee for Covid relief includes $50 million in Working Washington Business Grants. Here’s who the funding will be available to help. Priority assistance is for small businesses with annual revenues of $5 million or less in 2019. Additional qualifications include that those businesses are also in industries most impacted by…
Read MoreAdditional $135 Million in Covid Relief Funds
Earlier this week, when Governor Inslee announced Rollbacks and restrictions for certain industries, he pledged additional Covid relief funds. At that time the promise was for $50 million, but that has increased to $135 million. Both businesses and residents are the intended recipients of the funds, which are coming from Federal CARES Act assistance. State…
Read MoreGrassroots Advocacy
The Fife Milton Edgewood Chamber joined the Association of WA Business and dozens of other Chambers in a grassroots advocacy effort. Chambers around the state recognize the extreme hardship businesses are enduring. In light of this, the FME Chamber joined with other chamber leaders to advocate for our local businesses. Read the full content of…
Read MoreNew Rollbacks
Today Governor Inslee gave more details on the new rollbacks that he suggested in yesterday’s announcement. “In order to slow the spread of rapidly increasing COVID cases in our state and ensure that hospital and medical systems are not overwhelmed, we are taking the very difficult but necessary steps to protect public health.” The governor…
Read MoreInslee Ban on Indoor Dining for Restaurants
Governor Inslee addressed the state and indicated an announcement of a ban on indoor dining. The ban will begin on Wednesday November 18 and last for a minimum of 4 weeks. That means that this temporary ban for restaurants, breweries, taverns and wineries could end by December 14. The governor and his wife also encouraged…
Read MorePre-Legislative Session Discussion
The Washington Retail Association is planning a Pre-Legislative Session discussion and invites retailers to attend. Without a doubt, the Washington Retail Association, like the Chamber, is looking out for the success of businesses. In fact, their website describes their upcoming event like this. “If you’re a retailer, the Washington State Legislature and Seattle City Council…
Read MoreBiden Defeats Trump
By now, after a long election week, you’ve heard that Biden defeats Trump in the Presidential election. While many races have not been decided, economists are already making predictions about what that will mean for businesses and our ecomony. What will the impacts be on businesses since Biden defeats Trump? Other key races will shape…
Read MoreSmall Business Assistance Program in Milton
The City of Milton has an new Small Business Assistance Program. The program will provide financial assistance to qualifying local small businesses. The City has funds from the CARES Act funding to release to assist small businesses in Milton. In fact, the city is allocating $100,000 to the program. The purpose of the program is…
Read MoreSalaried Overtime Rules
The Chamber has been keeping you up-to-date with changes to the overtime rules for salaried employees. Because 2020 focused on Covid and its impacts on businesses, we don’t want this to sneak up on you. Somehow, surprisingly, there’s just over 2 months left in the year. Therefore, businesses need to plan for the possibility that…
Read More6 Things to Know about the PPP
The Small Business Association recently shared 6 things to know about the PPP. It came via email to the Chamber and we thought we would share it with you exactly as they sent it. 6 Things About PPP Loan Forgiveness Small Businesses Should Know More than $23.4 billion in PPP loans were approved for small…
Read MoreWA Retail Association Town Hall
The WA Retail Association is hosting a Town Hall, in conjunction with NRF Retail Associates. If you are concerned about issues impacting your retail business, then take note of this free event. You will have a chance to make your voice heard on October 27 from 11am to 1pm. Registration is required. Featured speakers include…
Read MoreEasier PPP Forgiveness
The Small Business Administration and the Treasury have made adjustments to make it easier to apply for PPP forgiveness if your loan was for less than $50,000. Not only is the process now more simple for borrowers, but also for lenders. The new approach lifts burdens from lenders. Therefore, the process should be more streamlined…
Read MorePierce County Restaurant Rally
The Washington Hospitality Association has asked us to share an exciting promotion. The Pierce County Restaurant Rally. This is, indeed, an exciting offer for both restaurants and their patrons. Pierce County is rallying to help dine-in restaurants stay open and retain jobs! Full-service restaurants should apply by October 23, 2020 to participate in the Pierce…
Read MoreL&I Proposals for 2021 Rates
A bit of good news for employers! Workers’ compensation should not increase for employers. That is, L&I proposals for 2021 rates is that there be no increase in the average price for this insurance. L and I’s website explains. “While financial projections point to the need for a significant increase to cover all of the…
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