calendar This month s luncheon is sponsored by Companions & You are cordially invited on April 19 to H20 for the chamber s next Companions & Care

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1 April Commercial Avenue The Newsletter of the Anacortes Chamber of Commerce Volume 22 / Issue 4 calendar Tuesday, April 3 3:30 pm Marketing & Promotions Division Meeting Thursday, April 5 Ambassador Lunch Meeting cornerstone members 11:45 am Thursday, April 5 4:00 pm Economic Development Division Meeting Tuesday, April 10 Membership Division Meeting 4:00 pm Thursday, April 12 11:30 am 1:00 pm Chamber Luncheon Anacortes Lutheran Church Thursday, April 12 3:45 pm Governmental Affairs Division Meeting Friday, April 13 Finance/Executive Meeting Tuesday, April 17 Board of Directors Meeting NWESD Thursday, April 19 Business After Hours H2O 10:30 am 3:00 pm 5:30 7:00 pm Tuesday, April 24 9:00 am Visitor Information Center Volunteer Meeting TESORO Puget Sound Refinery networking luncheon Companions & Care This month s luncheon is sponsored by Companions & Care Senior Services, the eldercare division of Secret Harbor, the non-profit agency that has supported children, youth and families since With their expanded mission, they are helping seniors and people with disabilities live safely and comfortably in their own homes, while giving their families peace of mind as they juggle their many other responsibilities. To learn more, visit or call Donna Seebo has been leading seminars, workshops, panels, and speaking to groups of all sizes for over twenty years. Entering her eleventh year as host of her radio show, The Donna Seebo Show, her personal goal is to empower others. In her presentation, Obstacles and the Entrepreneur she will shed light on strategies from business owners who found success against all odds. After lunch, chamber member Vicki Stasch will lead a networking activity entitled 4 Corners. This activity s goal is to help you discover the unknown layers of your fellow members and their business you may not readily know. Bring your marketing materials! The April 12 lunch will be provided by Westside Pizza and will cost $15. Please RSVP to the chamber via our evite sent out through ChamberMaster today. Remember to bring a gift for the giveaway! The Anacortes Lutheran Church is located at 22nd & O. business after hours H2O You are cordially invited on April 19 to H20 for the chamber s next business after hours, complimentary hors d oeurvres and happy hour prices will be offered 5:30 pm until 7pm. H20 is Anacortes newest restaurant and club in downtown Anacortes. They are located at 314 Commercial Ave and are open every day at 3pm Thursday Sunday. H20 is the new venture from Allen Rhoades, Rick Star and Paul Wasik of the Rockfish Grill and the Anacortes Brewery. Renovation of the old Watertown space was extensive, floor to ceiling the most common reaction folks have had upon walking into the new place is wow! They feature an amazing selection of craft cocktails using unique house infused liquors, such as strawberry vodka, lavender gin, jalapeno tequila, orange cognac plus an above average selection of well liquors at reasonable prices and many boutique micro distillery products. H20 offers the largest and best selection of craft brewed micro beer in the county. Live music features the top talent in the northwest and takes advantage of H20 s dance floor. The restaurant s open lay-out is perfect for interaction with old friends or for meeting new ones, or grab an intimate corner if you d prefer a quieter evening. H20 hosts large groups celebrating a variety of occasions. Contact them at or for more information, their complete menu and events calendar. Bring a gift for the give-away! RSVP to the chamber at today (or online!).

2 Carla Cummins Your Full Service Travel Agent Specializing in Unique, Customized, Romance Travel or a message from the executive director Spring is finally here and the activities that go with it. The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival will run the entire month of April. The Spring Wine Festival (a Tulip Festival sanctioned and chamber produced event), is held on April 14 at the Port Event Center (read more on page 4) tickets are flying out the door so buy yours today. New this year a wine pairing dinners and featured pours at our amazing restaurants. Check out the for details. The Anacortes Quilt Walk runs throughout the month, put on by Fidalgo Island Quilters Guild, this event takes you through businesses downtown to view hundreds of quilts and wearable art. Also produced by the Guild is the Anacortes Quilt Show April 6 and 7 at the Anacortes Middle School (learn more about both on page 3). The Anacortes Salmon Derby is this weekend this event always sells out early, but do head on down to Cap Sante Boat Haven to check out the catch. The Annual Depot Art Garden Fair is the 28 29, offering a wide arrange of items for your garden this spring. Our events and communications coordinator, Cecilie Miller, is busy finalizing plans for the Waterfront Festival with the engaged committee. As a reminder we moved the festival to June 2 and 3 in order to accommodate TrawlerFest. The Waterfront Festival has a few great new features you will learn about next month but one exciting new event is a milk carton derby for the kids (see page 4). Our poster unveiling event was once again incredible and this year s poster is spectacular (check it out on page 5). The Port of Anacortes is now producing the Waterfront Festival Kick-off Dinner, held on June 1 in the Port Transit Shed Event Center, always a fun event on the beautiful Guemes Channel. New billboard art is in place thanks to two of our chamber members for stepping up to act as models (Colleen Craig Windermere and Nels Strandberg Strandberg Construction) as we showcase the Spring Wine Festival and Anacortes as a dining destination. The Anacortes Restaurant Trades Group is partnering with the Anacortes Farmers Market to produce Taste Anacortes. Differing from past Tastes, this one will be held at the Depot Art and Community Center on September 15 save the date and keep watch for more exciting news on this event. A group of 40 Anacortesians met up with 12 San Juan Islanders to head to Sidney for the opening of the Ferry Run on Sunday, March 25. This is always a fun celebration between the sister cities and a great day on the water for all. Finally, last month you received our 2011 Annual Report the first one produced in almost two decades. This was a great project for chamber staff to undertake; we were so amazed by how much a volunteer organization can accomplish in one year. We want to thank our design partner, Linda McGuire (Bayshore Office Products) for her creativity and guidance. We hope you enjoyed reading it and we are truly grateful for your continued investment in the Anacortes Chamber of Commerce together we get things done! inaugural run of the Washington State Ferry to Sidney stopover in Friday Harbor, en route to the best ten-minute party of the year.

3 Your Anacortes American print subscription now includes premium access to local news and online-only content from your computer, tablet or mobile device. Visit goanacortes.com! member profile Fidalgo Island Quilters FIQ Quilt Show marks 30th anniversary The Fidalgo Island Quilters (FIQ) will host its biennial Quilt Show, April 6 7, at the Anacortes Middle School. Hours are 10am to 6pm on Friday and 10am to 5pm on Saturday. Admission is $5. Children 12 and under are free. The Quilt Walk will run the entire month of April. Downtown Anacortes businesses display quilts during regular hours. Quilt Walk maps are available at the Visitor Information Center and all participating merchants marks 30 years of service to the community. FIQ is a registered non-profit organization whose mission is to support the Skagit County Domestic Violence Center with donations of hand-made quilts for children. New at the show this year is an expanded demonstration area, which will include a hands-on quilt block activity for kids. Completed quilts made by young people will also be on display. The 2012 Show will offer a wide range of work, from traditional utility quilts to sophisticated art quilts. Featured Artists Joanne Ellsworth and Kathy Howe will be available to answer questions about their quilting journeys. The Style Show at 1pm on Saturday will feature artistic, fashionable garments and accessories 2012 Ambassadors created by guild members. The Style Show is included in the $5 admission fee. Guild members meet the first Monday of the month at 12:30pm and 7pm at New Hope Christian Fellowship on 35th Street. Contact President Linda Ballard, laballard@wavecable.com for more information. Guests are always welcome. ambassador profile John Williams Quilt Name: Lichen Series, #3: Watch Your Feet! Artist: Barbara Eades. Second Prize winner, Art Quilt category, 2010 Fidalgo Island Quilters Quilt Show. John comes to Skagit Publishing and the Anacortes American with 13 years of newspaper advertising experience, most recently with the Seattle Times. He grew up on a wheat farm in eastern Washington, so he was attracted to the small town feel of Anacortes. He was shocked, however, to discover how many businesses and entrepreneurs there are in town. He s enjoyed getting to know many of the merchants, owners and employees. He s looking forward to meeting ALL of them. He finds satisfaction in helping develop programs for his customers that work, whether it be increasing sales, bringing in new customers or creating brand awareness. John and his wife Melodee have been married 34+ years. They have 3 children and 3 granddaughters. John is a WSU graduate and is an avid Cougar fan and supporter. He likes all sports, especially golf. He enjoys gardening, cooking, travel and walks on the beach with his wife. Josh Baldwin Quantum Construction Carla Cummins All About Honeymoons & Vacations Lara Dunning Gems, LLC Jim Gordon Freedom Wireless Media, Inc. Jack Hamilton Labor Ready, Inc. Barry Harter Central Payment Corporation Jan Hersey Biz Point Communications Debra Jones Individual Member Kari Kennedy KeyBank Tara Milas Massage Therapy Yolonda Norman de Fernandez Amigo Trails Copper Canyon Specialist Leileah Petty Farmers Insurance Jeffery Pleet, CLU, ChFC Edward Jones Jeffery Pleet Therese Rudzis Individual Member Mary Staley Marketing with Mary Sandy Swartos Steam Interactive, LLC Boyd Veer Seaside Autobody & Accessories John Williams Skagit Publishing 3

4 4 The 4th Annual Spring Wine Festival is almost here! 30 wonderful regional wineries to try and this year two are offering something different, their refreshing ciders (along with their vine offerings)! Six fabulous local restaurants will be offering up tasty bites to tempt your pallet; A Town Bistro, Frida s Gourmet Mexican Cuisine, Gere-A- Deli, Le Crema Cakes, Swinomish Casino & Lodge 13moons, and the Majestic Inn & Spa. Purchase your tickets now and avoid the lines, simply go to our website cortes.org, click on Spring Wine Festival and hit the Eventbrite button. Saturday, April 14, :00 pm 4:30 pm. Must be 21+. The festival would like to thank the following sponsors: Magnum: Tesoro Refining and Marketing Company Carafe: Anacortes American Cornerstone Home Lending Island Rentals KeyBank Shell Puget Sound Refinery Table Sponsors: Fidalgo Country Inn Labor Ready Majestic Inn & Spa Samish Indian Nation Tri-County Recycling Walgreens Drug Store Friend of the Festival: Chinook Enterprises Island Rentals Upstage Boutique and Men s Store Without their generosity and commitment to our community events and festivals would not be possible! Thank you. Ribbon Cutting Events H2O celebrated its opening with owners Paul Wasik, Alan Rhoades, and Rick Star with Mayor Dean Maxwell, chamber president Kristi Gabrielse and friends on February 16, H2O is located at 314 Commercial Avenue where Watertown Tavern used to be. H2O underwent an extreme makeover and has successfully transformed itself into a new evening gem! March 1, 2012, O Reilly Auto Parts celebrated their grand opening with their new store located at 2219 Commercial Avenue (the old NAPA building). Stop in and welcome store manager, Aaron Stribling and his crew! Waterfront Festival Milk Carton Derby The Waterfront Festival is proud to announce a new event this year created for youth 12-18, the Waterfront Festival Milk Carton Derby! The derby is being organized by a sub-committee team led by Kari Kennedy (KeyBank), Leileah Petty (State Farm Insurance), and Jeffery Pleet (Edward Jones). This event designed to engage older youth in participating at the festival and is a welcome and fun addition to the Sunday line-up. The derby boats will have two categories in which to compete; on dry land there will be a prize awarded for Most Creative, and on the water a prize will be awarded to the first boat that crosses the course finish line. Teams can apply to compete in either category or both. Teams can be made up of as few or as many members they want, but in order to participate on water they must be and have parental permission. Rules, waivers, and permission slips can all be found on the chamber website at You can help! Local businesses have already started collecting well rinsed out milk cartons to get a jump on helping teams to collect cartons for their boats. You can drop off your ½ gallon rinsed cartons at Peoples Bank (911 11th Ave), Bank of the Pacific (801 Commercial), KeyBank (1600 Commercial Ave), Fastenal (2915 T Ave), or the 3R Thrift Store (616 Commercial). Come see us for all your vehicle or vessel needs! Registration renewals, title transfers, disabled parking placards, monthly tonnage, trip permits, dealer work 819 Commercial Ave Ste. B (360)

5 DOES YOUR FINANCIAL ADVISOR KNOW YOUR FINANCIAL GOALS? IF NOT LET'S TALK. Jeffery C Pleet Financial Advisor. 630 Southeast Midway Boulevard Oak Harbor, WA Member SIPC CIPF Ribbon Cutting Events Ribbon Cutting on the completion of the West Basin Redevelopment Project E&F Docks Replacement. The Port was fortunate to receive a Boating Infrastructure Grant from the US Department of Fish and Wildlife through the State s Recreation and Conservation office, which partially funded this project. Waterfront Festival 2012 Sponsors: Venue Port of Anacortes Poster Shell Puget Sound Refinery Fleet Dakota Creek Island Hospital Trident Seafoods Admiralty Puget Sound Energy Skagit Valley Herald Tesoro Vice-Admiralty KeyBank Les Schwab Swinomish Casino & Hotel Whidbey Island Bank Commodore Anacortes American Gere-a-Deli Irishman Enterprises Pacific Party Canopies Samish Indian Nation Sebo s Hardware Transpac Marinas, Inc. Williams & Nulle CPA, PLLC Captain Best Western Plus/Candlewood Suites Lovric s Sea-Craft Inc. Jody Barnett (Shell Puget Sound Refinery and Poster sponsor and Kristi Gabrielse (Ana-Cross Stitch and President of the Anacortes Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors) unveil the 2012 Waterfront Festival Poster at the business after hours sponsored by Trident Seafoods, Gere-a-Deli, Rockfish Grill/Anacortes Brewery/H2O, and Labor Ready. MacGregor Publishing Marine Hardware & Supply Nordic Northwest Yachts Peoples Bank Soroptomist International Friend of the Festival Anaco Bay Inn Calico Cupboard Café & Bakery Mystic Sea Charters Upstage Boutique and Men s Store Thursday, April 12 4:00 8:00 pm Van Zyverden s Bulb Warehouse Tickets $20 Call EDASC Anacortes Waterfront Festival Kick-Off Dinner Friday June 1 st 6:00 p.m. At the Port of Anacortes Transit Shed Great fun! Great food! Great band! Join us on the dock to honor our Port Partners. Sponsor a table or buy your tickets at the door. Tickets go on sale April 2 nd. Call or Julie at the Port for information and to reserve your seats! (360) Featuring The Walrus julie@portofanacortes.com On the waterfront 5

6 The Lender You Can TrusT! Contact me for all of your home-financing needs. At the Framemaker Regional Fine Art and Custom Picture Framing 420 Commercial Ave. Anacortes Carrie Worra Loan Officer NMLS Cell: Not a commitment to lend. Borrower must meet qualification criteria Commercial Avenue CL (NMLS ) member renewals Adrift Anacortes American Anacortes Arts Festival Anacortes Community Theatre Anacortes Econo-Wash Anacortes Inn Anacortes Senior Activity Center Anacortes Ship Harbor Inn Anderson, James E. Burton Inc., Jewelers Chicago Title Company Island Division City of Anacortes Companions & Care Senior Services Complete Plumbing Repair, Inc. Dakota Creek Industries Drs. Collins, DDS Edward Jones Gary Thramer AAMS Edward Jones Jeffery Pleet Epicure... for the Passionate Cook Fidalgo Island Fiber Art Gae s Drapery General Chemical Gere-A-Deli Guardian Northwest Title & Escrow Holiday Inn Express & Suites Burlington Doug John. L. Scott Real Estate IMCO General Construction Island Rentals and Supply, LLC Island Transport Ferry Service, Inc. KP Studios Krieg Concrete Products, Inc. Left Bank Antiques Les Schwab Tire Center Lubic Construction Marina Inn Hotel Marine Supply & Hardware Mister T s Awards & Embroidery Pacific Marine Center Petite Wine Bar Maria Petrish Portalis LLC Prosser, John CRB, Windermere Real Puget Sound Energy Reisner Distributor Inc Cynthia Richardson RIS Insurance Therese Rudzis San Juan Lanes/Bar & Grill Scott Richards Insurance, Inc. SeaBear Sheely s Floral & Gifts Simmonds Glass Skagit State Bank Smarter Than Your Dog! Tesoro Refining and Marketing Co. Town Graphics Tracys Furniture Upstage Boutique & Men s Store Washington Federal Wells Fargo Bank Whidbey Island Bank Windermere Real Estate new members Anacortes Artisan Bakery 124 Lummi Drive La Conner, WA (360) Cherry Haas cherryreb@msn.com Bakery Anchor Social Media Consulting th Street (360) anchorsocialmedia.com/ Caren Bonnet caren@anchorcaters.com Social Media Bridge Cafe 4962 Old Cornet Bay Road Oak Harbor, WA (360) Lisa Aydelotte lisa@bridgecafe.us Restaurant Fidalgo Yacht Club PO Box 1838 (360) Liz Weideman Fidalgoycmembership@gmail.com Yacht Club Greysam Industrial Services 1777 S. Burlington Blvd. #456 Burlington, WA (360) Lori Ludwig lori.ludwig@greysam.com Industrial Contractor Services Life Care Center of The San Juan Islands 660 Spring Street Friday Harbor, WA Mary Wright mj_wright@lcca.com Skilled Nursing Facilities NW Yacht Provisions 1004 Commercial Avenue, #1055 (888) Sandra Benton info@nwyachtprovisions.com Marine Concierge O Reilly Auto Parts 2219 Commercial Avenue (360) Aaron Stribling Auto Parts Outer Island Expeditions PO Box 653 Eastsound, WA (360) Nathan Brandow outerislandx@live.com Whale Watching Partolan Design Heart Lake Road (360) Angelita Partolan apartolan@me.com Graphic Design Sher-E-Panjab 2120 Commercial Avenue (360) Jaspreet K. Gill gill-jasprett.123@hotmail.com Restaurant Thank you from the Fidalgo Island Quilters FIQ greatly appreciates the participation of 37 businesses up and down Commercial Avenue in this year s Quilt Walk. We hope it has been a positive experience for you and your visitors and that it has made them more aware of what you do and offer. Joe Pepia, Quilt Walk Chairperson 6

7 thanks... Thank you to this month s sponsors: Luncheon: Scott Milo at the Framemaker Business After Hours: Trident Seafood Corporation And thank you to all who contributed to the gift give-aways! Luncheon: Always A Coach American Cancer Society Bayside Specialties, Inc Days Gone By Antiques for the aprons Jim Darling Prospective Member Le Crema Cakes for all the wonderful cupcakes Marketing With Mary Papa Murphy s Pizza The Mailbox Business After Hours: All About Honeymoons and Vacations Anacortes AJ Rentals Buer s Anacortes Floral & Gift Cap Sante Inn Cap Sante Court Retirement Center Edward Jones Jeffery Pleet Fidalgo Island Quilters Fidalgo Island Writer s Guild Fine Edge Nautical & Recreational Publishing Gems, LLC Kathy s Upscale Retail Boutique KeyBank Labor Ready Marketing With Mary Olympic Legal Services, PS Papa Murphy s Pizza Chamber member, the Anacortes Rotary Club, in a group picture. This amazing group raised $5,000 to sponsor Relay for Life in just a few minutes at a club meeting in February. JOIN US AT OUR NEXT RELAY RALLY! Come learn more about Relay For Life and how we are creating more birthdays! Everyone is welcome! Thursday, March 15 th 6:30-7:30PM Gere-a-Deli 502 Commercial Want more information on Relay For Life or the American Cancer Society? Contact: 2012 Relay For Life of Anacortes Event Chair Chris Zimmerman Chris.L.Zimmerman@tsocorp.com Your Dollars at Work What Your Gift Can Do Programs and Services $5 - provides an hour of toll-free access to the National Cancer Information Center, providing support and valuable information for a newly diagnosed cancer patient anywhere in the country. 892 people in Washington state contacted the NCIC last month. $5 - provides a nametag for a Road to Recovery driver, a volunteer who drives patients to their treatment. $10 - provides a Personal Health Manager, an organizational system for tracking treatment information, appointments, and insurance documents, to a cancer patient. $15 - provides two boxes of wig tape to a cancer patient receiving treatment. $20 - provides a hat, scarf, or mastectomy bra to a cancer patient. $50 - provides a wig or foam prosthetic to help boost morale. $75 - the cost of training and providing resources for the Reach to Recovery volunteer to visit and provide ACS resources to a woman just diagnosed with breast cancer. $100 - provides a gas card or a night in a hotel to a patient to help them get to treatment appointments and relieve financial burden. $350 - is the value of Look Good...Feel Better consultation giving a cancer patient the opportunity to learn how to care for her changing skin during treatment including simple tactics for drawing eyebrows on her face and impacting her sense of well-being and self esteem. $2,500 - pays for a 1-year college scholarship awarded to eligible young cancer survivors to help relieve the burden on families facing costly medical bills. Research $10 - provides a Petri dish for cancer research, essential to the life-saving work of scientific discovery. $15 - provides 50 test tubes needed by scientists working on a cure for cancer. $20 - is the cost of dividing DNA taken from 5 of the 1,200 cases during the American Cancer Society s Prevention Study II, which helps researchers understand the genetics of cancer. $30 - purchases a glass Erlenmeyer flask, which allows researchers to mix and/or store different substances, including potentially beneficial drugs, to discover their cancer-related effects. $350 - provides 1 Gel Box, which researchers use to isolate DNA and identify differences that may impact cancer diagnosis or treatment. 7

8 PRESORTED STANDARD US POSTAGE PAID ANACORTES, WA PERMIT NO Commercial Ave., Suite F CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED chamber officers vic (visitor information center) statistics Executive Board President Kristi Gabrielse Ana-Cross Stitch President Elect Kathy Larson Puget Sound Energy Treasurer Mark Lawrence Simply Yards Past President Mark Bunzel Fine Edge Nautical & Recreational Publishing Board Member At Large Matt Miller Read Me A Story Board of Directors Robert Atterberry Bob s Chowder Bar & BBQ Salmon Karin Baldwin Quantum Construction Jody Barnett Shell Puget Sound Refinery Bela Berghuys Islands Inn Chris Borgen Anacortes School District Duane Clark Cap Sante Court Retirement Community Peggy Flynn pflynn+associates Brian Geer KeyBank Bob Hyde Port of Anacortes Dean Maxwell City of Anacortes Vince Oliver Island Hospital Curt Oppel John L. Scott Real Estate John Pope Tesoro Refining & Marketing Co. Mary E. Staley Marketing With Mary Chris Terrell How It Works Chamber Staff Stephanie Hamilton Executive Director Mary Talosi Visitor Information & Operations Director Cecilie Miller Event & Communications Coordinator Leah Hines Marketing & Promotions Coordinator Kristi Daniels & Crystal Johnson Licensing Sub-Agents Photography by Steve Berentson Newsletter designed by Linda J. McGuire Feb Feb 2011 Visitors Phone Calls Information Requests Thank you, volunteers! Volunteer Hours: 197 Feb Feb 2011 Relocation Requests 14 5 Web Visits 9,768 8,324 Web Page Views 27,426 25,435 Visit us on the web at Printed at Bayshore copy CENTER Inside Bayshore Office Products 603 Commercial Ave. Anacortes, WA printshop@bayshoreoffice.com