Chamber Chat

Chamber Quarterly Luncheon – Contributed photo

Here’s this month’s Chamber Chat, written by Lauren Cohen, Co-owner San Juan Canvas, LLC and Chamber of Commerce Board President…

Welcome to 2016. The Chamber of Commerce in any community should be a cohesive voice for the best interests of our business community. San Juan Island is no exception. All of us in business of any kind, desire a vibrant local economy. A united group of merchants is more likely to create the dynamic commercial environment we wish for then each of us on our own.

Speaking for our business, San Juan Canvas did not get involved with the Chamber to gain exposure or get references from the visitor’s center as is true with many non-tourist related businesses on our island as these are not services we need. We are members because we want there to be an organization that represents and advocates for small business.

We believe it is important to be connected to and learn from the business community at large. Medical professionals, specialists in the trades, beauty industry pros and many more all have something great to add to our community’s business conversation and we would love to see more of you involved. All of us at the Chamber of Commerce wish every business on San Juan Island a prosperous 2016.

Featured Member

Congratulations to the Lion’s Club who has been randomly selected as our “Featured Member of the Month” for January. Chartered in 1962 our current club is 53 members strong. We are proud and lucky to have such an honorable group of service oriented citizens on our small island. Their service projects along with their sponsorship of Leo’s Club High School service group provides so much to our community. Lion’s Club meetings are every Tuesday at noon in the downstairs room at the American Legion. Stop in sometime.

Cheers to you all Lions!!

Quarterly Luncheon

The Chamber of Commerce held our first quarterly luncheon on January 14 at Brickworks. It was very well attended and featured Duncan Wilson, Friday Harbor’s Town Administrator, as the featured speaker. Education opportunities for our business membership is a part of the Chamber’s mission. Lunch meetings are a great way to educate and inform in a setting that allows interaction, a great meal and little bit of a fun break in the day. Join us for the next one in April. Specific details to be announced at a later date.

B.O.S.S.

The Business Owner’s Sharing Solutions meetings will continue on Wednesday, January 27 at 5:30 at the Chamber of Commerce office. This month will be for business owners and managers in the service sector which is a catch-all category for all of us that do not fit into the lodging, restaurant and retail groupings. The purpose is to bring together business owners/manages who can act as advisers and mentors to one another in a confidential atmosphere to enhance their business success. Come find out how to improve your catch page on the website, how to get your business recognized not only in the community but to potential visitors and future community members. Other topics of discussion are open to anything helpful to the group on hand. Give Becki a call at the Chamber for more information

New Members

We offer an enthusiastic welcome to our first new members of 2016.

Ron’s Island Meats owned and operated by Ron Puetz. Ron’s Island Meats is a full service meat shop. Ron carries a wide selection of meats plus he makes his own fantastic sausage, franks & brats. Check in with Ron if you are looking for something special for an occasion or just a regular dinner. He is always friendly and willing to help. Ron’s Island Meats can be found in the Surina Business Park at 50 Malcom. He can be reached at 472-1325, on Facebook or at [email protected]

Deer Hazel owned by Jeanne MacFarland and Kerry Andrews. Deer Hazel is a beautiful new shop in town carrying clothing, accessories and jewelry. Both of these creative women are artists in their own right and along with the fantastic inventory in the shop, they would be happy to work with you on custom pieces. Stop in and check out Deer Hazel. They are located at 165 Spring Street. They can be reached at 370-5180 or [deerhazel @ gmail . com]

The Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and Executive Director met in early January to plan and set goals for 2016. Many fantastic new ideas came out of the meeting and that we will be reporting on as the year goes on. Until next month. Cheers to you all.

You can support the San Juan Update by doing business with our loyal advertisers, and by making a one-time contribution or a recurring donation.