Business briefs — Oct. 3, 2018
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, October 3, 2018
Washington Coast Works seeking apps for competition
The Washington Coast Works Business Competition is seeking applications from those with ideas and energy to create or expand a small business that strives towards a triple bottom line: profit, people and place.
Applications for this year’s competition are by Oct. 15. Applications and instructions can be downloaded at www.wacoast works.org/apply.
Up to 15 finalists will be selected to join the growing Coast Works Alliance, participate in intensive training on sustainable entrepreneurship, receive ongoing one-on-one technical assistance, connect to mentors and present their business case statement at a fast-pitch event for a chance to win up to $10,000.
See www.wacoastworks.org or contact Mike Skinner at 206-235-6029.
Pondicherri & Handprint new hire
Pondicherri & Handprint recently added Ariel Ferree to their staff.
Ferree joins Pondicherri-Handprint after a two-year stint of traveling the United States and other countries while freelance writing and blogging about her adventures.
“Ariel brings an impressive sales background and much-needed social media, digital marketing skills to our retail and online operations,” operations manager Kathy Greenwald said.
Pondicherri is at 119 E. Washington St. in downtown Sequim. Call 360-681-4431 or see www.pondicherrionline.com.
WSU Extension offers farm business planning course
WSU Extension’s Regional Small Farms Program is offering a course series titled, “Cultivating Success: Agricultural Entrepreneurship and Farm Business Planning.” The course is designed for people exploring farming as a career, for beginning farmers with new businesses, farmers with existing businesses, and value-added food producers.
Designed for farmers in Clallam, Jefferson and Kitsap counties, the course begins on Wednesday, Oct. 10, and runs 6:30-8:30 p.m. each Wednesday through Dec. 19 in the WSU Extension Classroom, Kively Center, 97 Oak Bay Road, Port Hadlock.
The course includes a combination of guest speakers, in-class discussion, assignments and a field trip, and dives into the business side of running a farm, from sales and marketing to financial management. Weekly topics include licensing and permitting, market analysis and branding, farm operations, accounting and bookkeeping, finances and taxes, and more.
Cost is $260 per farm. Pre-register at agent18.brownpapertickets.com.
For more info about the event, visit jefferson.wsu.edu or contact course coordinator Kellie Henwood at kellie.henwood@wsu.edu or 360-379-5610, x20.
Free webinar about business taxes
To help reach more business owners statewide about knowing which taxes they must report, the Washington State Department of Revenue hosts a free live webinar for new and small business owners from 10-11 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 10. In offering these live webinars, state officials aims to make it easier for small businesses to participate.
Participants will learn about Washington excise taxes, reporting classifications, deductions, sales tax collection and record-keeping requirements. During the webinar, the facilitator will answer specific questions related to one’s business. Continuing education credit is also available.
To register, send an email to DORWebinar@dor.wa.gov with the following: name, company name, phone number and email address.
For more about the workshop, contact Rick Stedman at 360-705-6624 or rickst@dor.wa.gov.
The deadline to register is Tuesday, Oct. 9.
Stewart named one of ‘25 Women to Watch’
Laurie Stewart, President and CEO of Sound Community Bank, was named one of 2018’s “25 Women to Watch” nationally by American Banker Magazine.
The “25 Women to Watch” is a ranking that honors top-performing female executives whose governance continues to shape the banking industry throughout the country.
“As one of the Most Powerful Women, Laurie is a change agent, both at Sound Community Bank and in the greater banking industry,” American Banker executive editor Bonnie McGeer said. “We congratulate her on her achievements and look forward to seeing what she’ll do next. We expect her contributions to positively impact women in the industry for years to come.”
Stewart, a former Sequim resident, recently celebrated 28 years with Sound Community Bank. In this span, she led the conversion of the organization from a $38 million dollar credit union to a $687 million publicly traded commercial bank.
Grants available for professional educators
The Beta Nu Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma group has set a Nov. 15 deadline for their Professional Educators grants.
These are continuing education grants from the Helen Gariepy Grants for School Educators in Clallam and Jefferson County.
Grants will be made available to selected educators who are working for professional improvement or development of their teaching skills.
Any educator or paraprofessional working in a Clallam or Jefferson County school may apply. Funding may be for full reimbursement of funds, or for partial reimbursement of programs not paid for from any other sources.
Applications are available at www.betanuchapter.com. Applications must be postmarked by Nov. 15 to be considered eligible for the fall deadline.
Gariepy’s bequest honors her long career as an educator in Port Angeles.
Interested educators with questions may contact Kathy Strozyk at 360-683-1299 or kjstrozy@olypen.com and Sharle Osborne at sharleo@stevekoehler.com for more information.
