A note from our NEW Board Chair
A note from our NEW Board Chair
Surprise! When one accepts the position of Vice-Anything, it is with the knowledge of the possibility of needing to step into the role of THE-Whatever. The biggest ask is usually to step in and run a meeting. But there exists the possibility of filling in on a more permanent basis. Yep, surprise!
I would like to thank Lora for her years of service to WCCE and her chamber. We wish her well in her new endeavors. As your newly minted Board Chair of WCCE, I will do my best to carry the torch from Lora and the multitudes of other amazing leaders who have served our organization. Now the bad news; as the presumed board chair next year, this means that I will be serving an 18-month term. My apologies in advance. And since I will be filling this role for a while ...
With every great chamber meeting, we have the opportunity for connection, networking, and introductions. For those who do not know me, my name is Guy Occhiogrosso. I have had the pleasure of being in this industry for almost 16 years serving two chambers in the far corner of Northwest Washington. I started my career in 2006 with the Ferndale Chamber of Commerce as the Executive Director, and for the past 8+ years I have been the President/CEO of the Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce. Typically, I am the obnoxious one in our meetings - and yes, In our zoom calls, Bob loves to call on me as he knows I have no shortage of things to say - valuable or not. At least he and I will have some fun over the 18 months.
Our upcoming conference will be a great opportunity to learn and network. It is my hope that you will attend and spend some time taking back some valuable information and quality tools to your chamber and community. So much work has been done to ensure this conference experience is great. Thanks again to Lora as well as Andrea, and the entire committee who is working on it.
My promise to you: we will continue to lean into providing valuable content, best practices, and a safe place for those of us in this industry. Both your input and participation matter. As generally the "only one of us" in each of our communities, it is important that we continue to support each other and better the "Chamber of Commerce" name across the state. With your help, we can continue to do that. As our industry continues to move faster in this post-pandemic world, it is my hope that we can continue to be the strong force for each of our communities - and sometimes more importantly, each other.
Thank you for your service to your community and WCCE. I look forward to working with you and Bob to make our shared organization of WCCE even more valuable.
Guy Occihiogrosso
Conference is Back and In-Person
WCCE is excited to announce the return of the in person Annual Chamber Professional Leadership Conference, October 26 – 28, 2022 at the Marriott Tacoma Downtown. Planning for the conference agenda and all the extras that we’ve come to expect from past in-person conferences is underway. For more information about the conference along with registration information, click here.
WCCE Exec2Exec Zoom Calls
WCCE holds twice a month for Chamber professionals, Zoom calls on the 3rd Friday at 10AM for July and August. Chamber Pros will learn from each other, especially when it comes to community and economic challenge impacting their businesses.
The WCCE Exec2Exec Zoom call is a open agenda providing Chamber professionals the opportunity to share ideas and concerns while hearing from others as to how they are reacting to current circumstances.
Washington Chamber Directory
Looking for a specific Chamber to contact, you'll find some 200 Chambers listed by clicking on the following link: Chamber Directory
Chamber Career Opportunities
Position: CEO
Salary & Benefits: 75K - 95K / Medical Stipend, Professional Development, IRA Match, Mileage Reinbursement, Service Club Membership
Job Annoucement (click here)
WCCE Member Facebook Page
All members of WCCE are encouraged to join the "MEMBERS" Facebook group. Ask to join by clicking on the following: WCCE Member Facebook Group
WCCE Resource Library
Your WCCE membership grants you access to hundreds of documents, presentations, and forms that have been used by your Washington colleagues to run their chambers.
For the time being, the Resource Vault will be open to all Chamber professionals in Washington State. A new category for COVID-19 related documents has been created that will house documents and information shared by Chamber Professionals.
You can click on the following to login in and access the library: WCCE Resource Vault
WCCE Listserv
Have a question or issue that you need some feedback for your colleagues? The WCCE Google Group Listserv is a great way to ask that burning question and receive input from your contemporaries who are successfully leading their Chambers. If you are not currently signed up, contact the WCCE office at admin@wcce.org.
eAPP – A new platform to help create your workplace safety culture
Creating a workplace safety culture requires collaboration among employers, management, and workers. For this reason, Washington state’s Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) requires all businesses to have a safety plan in place specific to each of their locations.
The first step to establishing a foundation on which to build a business’s safety culture is the creation of an Accident Prevention Program (APP) that is both thoroughly prepared and frequently updated.
One of the most frequent citations issued by L&I’s Division of Safety and Health is to businesses without an APP or an updated plan in place specific to their current business operations.
The good news is that Washington Retail (WR) has been developing a unique tool to help make it easier for its members to create an APP.
WR received grant funding from the Safety and Health Investment Projects (SHIP) program to create an electronic APP (eAPP.) SHIP is a Division of Occupational Safety and Health at Washington Labor & Industries.
The eAPP tool guides the user through step-by-step assessments to develop a customized APP quickly and makes it easy to keep it current. eAPP also makes it convenient to quickly create similar plans for other business locations and is perfect for anyone looking to start or update their APP.
See a short video about eAPP. You can also try the beta version of the eAPP.
For more information you can contact Rick Means at rmeans@washingtonretail.org or at 360.200.6454.
Improve your Workspace
Pain in the n
eck? Whether you are working from home still or back at the office, take time to improve your workspace posture. If seated at a desk, try working in 45-minute blocks with a short break, place the top of the screen at eye level, make text large enough to avoid squinting or leaning forward. If standing, add a cushioned mat under your feet & shift your posture frequently. For more information on office-related discomfort, visit @Washington Department of Labor & Industries website at https://lni.wa.gov/safety-health/preventing-injuries-illnesses/sprains-strains/office-ergonomics.
Non-Competition Agreements
Check out the new salary thresholds for non-compete agreements in Washington State. Only employees or independent contractors who earn more than the thresholds established by law can be held to non-competition agreements. If you have earnings less than the threshold, the non-compete agreements is considered void and unenforceable. For employees, the 2022 threshold is $107,301.04 and for independent contractors, it is now $268,252.59. For more info visit Washington Department of Labor & Industries website at https://lni.wa.gov/workers-rights/workplace-policies/non-compete-agreements
New Overtime Rules
Do you need help understanding the new overtime rules in Washington State? On January 1st, the exempt threshold increased. These changes affect employees defined as executive, administrative and professional, as well as outside salespeople and computer professionals. In 2022, for both small and large businesses, the threshold is $1,014.30/week ($52,743.60/year). By the time the rule is fully implemented in 2028, a salaried exempt employee will have to be paid at least 2.5 times the state minimum wage. Visit Washington State Department of Labor and Industries website at https://lni.wa.gov/workers-rights/wages/overtime/overtime-rules-resources for more information.