Thursday, February 18, 2010

Small Business Brings Fresh Ideas to Washington State


On February 9, 2010, Business Solutions Manager Karen Pemerl joined the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce's Council for Small Business meeting to share what's new at the Washington State Department of Commerce. In this video, we heard about great initiatives that Washington State is implementing to fuel a job growing economy, and participants contributed great ideas on how state governments can be more responsive to small business needs.

In the next few posts, I will share a synopsis of the comments shared here and through other conversations with small businesses.

The Council is a great way to engage and explore ways to help small businesses thrive. If you're a small business in the Puget Sound region, please contact the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce about getting involved with the Council and attending our Opportunity Exchange events each quarter. If you're not in the Puget Sound, I encourage you to share your ideas in the comments below.

Here are links to a few of the small business resources we discussed:
Here are a few government contracting links for businesses:

Recognition Roundtable presents Shameless You! and Workplace Flexibility

Wed, Feb 24th, 2010 12:00 pm
Bob Drewel Building, 1st Floor, east, Public Mtg Rm #1
3000 Rockefeller Ave., Everett, WA 98201 US


Part One: Shameless You! We are fortunate to kick off our meeting with a presentation by Tracy Corley, Chief Strategist at Tracy A. Corley & Associates and Shameless You! Tracy's session, Shameless You! encourages employees to drop their shame so they can live, work, and play with confidence and integrity. This program helps individuals build personal strategies by identifying, acknowledging and accepting their strengths, preferences, and values. Tracy will lead us in a discussion about how a shameless workforce can lead to better alignment of personal and organizational values, one of the components of a flexible, effective workplace.

Part Two:
Does Workplace Flexibility Matter? Theresa Chambers will present information on a) the workplace flexibility movement and how it is viewed as a business strategy to attract, retain and engage talented employees and b) the Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility. Visit www.whenworkworks.org for more info. Deadline for nominations is March 5.

This event is for organization hiring leaders and managers who want to build and maintain great places to work for a talented workforce.

If you would like to attend, contact Theresa Chambers, Chief Motiviation Officer, Recognition Works, 206-353-8267 or theresa at recognitionworks dot net

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Is there a Worker's Comp crisis? You decide.

During a Friday morning legislative update with WashACE, we discussed a few issues including education, tax changes, and worker's compensation. We reviewed how the recent election in Massachusetts and tax changes in Oregon impact Washington legislative policy. For me, a few key items stood out that will have a major impact on small business.

First, Washington business taxes comprise nearly 52% of all state and local tax revenue for the state (see the numbers). The success of small business is critical to the success of the state. Lawmakers should be working harder than ever to ensure that small businesses succeed.There is real concern that recent changes in Oregon could signal higher taxes for corporations. With businesses already struggling, an even higher tax burden will make it difficult for small employers to hire and could even drive them out of business.


Then we heard about the proposed changes in worker's comp. In addition to a controversially high rate, the program runs the risk of insolvency, which could trigger an insolvency tax. One small business owner shared that in 2010, her tax rate went up by 347%, though her company is claims free. This increase means that she cannot hire because of the increased cost. Bringing on new employees would risk her company's insolvency.

Washington desperately needs job growth so that consumer confidence will increase and improve the demand for the products and services of small businesses. The governor's proposed tax incentives will help offset the costs of hiring in the future, but small businesses need real breaks now to get Washingtonians back to work.

Our economic development leaders agree that small businesses will once again lead us out of this recession. We hope that our legislature will give them the opportunity to do that through job creation and innovation. The goal is to find a way to encourage job growth and keep your economy going without taxing small companies out of existence and sending large employers elsewhere.