Happy New Year Chamber friends!

You may already have this information, but just in case, I’m popping in to share an exciting AND FREE program that our partners over at Greater Seattle Partners offer to small and medium-sized businesses looking to expand their reach to international markets – the Greater Seattle Export Accelerator (GSEA). There are a few weeks left for businesses to apply to be part of the next cohort.

GSEA is a fully sponsored, complimentary program open to King, Pierce and Snohomish County businesses to provide advanced export training, export advising, and access to new international markets. Led by an expert export adviser, the 6-week program is held both in-person and online, and collaborates with community, state, and federal trade organizations to give you the resources you need to increase profits and diversify risk.

Applications for the next Cohort are due January 31, 2025, and space is limited. For more information and to apply visit https://greater-seattle.com/exportaccelerator/. It only takes a few minutes.

 

With the arrival of 2025 comes a flurry of new laws taking effect.

These are some of the key laws to know about this year.

Minimum wage increase

Minimum wage for 2025 is raised to $16.66 an hour. A 38-cent increase from 2024 ($16.28 per hour), due to increased housing and food costs as calculated by the state Department of Labor & Industries.

Overtime exempt workers

Salaried employees made a large jump with the calendar turning to 2025.

For employers with 50 or fewer employees, workers will earn a minimum of $1,332.80 a week ($69,305.60 a year).

For employers with 51 or more employees, workers will now bring in a minimum of $1,499.40 a week ($77,968.80 a year). This covers employees who are exempt from overtime pay, so workers who are not paid for overtime must be paid their salaries.

Rideshare drivers' minimum pay

In 2025, drivers for companies like Uber and Lyft will earn a guaranteed wage based on time and mileage.

For trips outside of Seattle, drivers will earn 39 cents per minute of a trip and $1.34 for every mile driven during that time. The minimum trip amount earned will be $3.45. Food delivery drivers are not covered by the law—only drivers transporting passengers.

Paid sick leave

Washington has mandated employers to provide paid sick leave to employees since 2018.

In 2025, Washington's paid sick leave has now expanded.

Washington workers will now be able to take sick leave to care for anyone who lives at their residence or anyone "who has a relationship with them that creates an expectation that they would take care of them during an illness."

Under this new law, workers can also choose to take sick leave if an emergency closes their child’s school or daycare. A "child" includes a biological, adopted, foster child, stepchild, a child's spouse, or any other child for whom there is a legal responsibility.

Department of Commerce offers clean building performance grants

OLYMPIA, WA– The Washington State Department of Commerce is now accepting applications for the Clean Building Performance Grants program, which provides funding to help private and public building owners make improvements and meet Washington’s Clean Buildings Performance Standard (CBPS). This initiative aims to lower energy costs, reduce pollution, and create jobs across the state.

Building owners are required to comply with the performance standard beginning in 2026, depending on building size. Competitive grants are available now for work on Tier 1 covered buildings and Tier 1 and Tier 2 covered public buildings.

A Tier 1 covered building is defined as a building with combined nonresidential, hotel, motel, and dormitory floor area exceeding 50,000 gross square feet, excluding the parking garage areas. Tier 2 buildings have floor areas greater than 20,000 gross square feet, but not more than 50,000 gross square feet, as well as multifamily residential buildings with floor areas of 50,000 gross square feet or more, excluding parking garage areas. Get the complete details, timelines and FAQs at the Clean Buildings Performance Standards webpage.

Building owners can use these grants to offset the costs of energy efficiency projects and services that promote compliance with the performance standard. Grants will reimburse building owners for costs associated with projects and services that help achieve compliance with the CBPS, such as:

• Energy efficiency retrofits
• Contracted services to assist with:
  • Energy audits (for privately held buildings)
  • Energy benchmarking
  • Developing an energy management plan (EMP)
  • Developing an operations and maintenance program (O&M)
  • Professional accounting services

“This program represents a significant step forward in creating cleaner, more energy-efficient buildings while also supporting economic growth and job creation in Washington,” said Commerce Director Mike Fong.

Application details:

• Deadline to apply is Jan. 30, 2025.
• Applications and additional details about the program are available on the Clean Building Performance Grants webpage.
• Two applicant conferences will be held on Dec. 19, 2024, and Jan. 9, 2025, providing potential applicants with an opportunity to ask questions about the program and eligibility.
• The Clean Building Performance Grants program reflects Washington State’s ongoing commitment to sustainability, energy efficiency, and economic opportunity.
• For information about Clean Building Performance Grants or to learn how to apply please contact the department at CBPSGrants@commerce.wa.gov.

Quick Business Tip* 
Check your google listings and make sure your information is up to date and correct! Make sure to add photos of your business and ask a few chamber members or friends to leave you a good review. Try to do at least three businesses for January 2025. Happy New Year!
Janelle Drews
Executive Director
Monroe Chamber of Commerce 

November and December has some really great Chamber events!  

            

Small Business Disaster Relief grants

Commerce has $9.7 available for grants to small businesses with annual gross receipts of $5 million or less that have sustained a reduction in business income or activity as the result of:

• Natural disaster such as flood, earthquake, or a comparable
• Human-caused disaster such as a major utility disruption resulting in property damage or prolonged outages

Grant limit is $75,000 per business. Funds may be used to reimburse the following eligible expenses:

• Payroll
• Utilities and rent
• Marketing and advertising
• Building improvements and repairs
• Replacing damaged inventory and equipment
• Other operational and business expenses related to a qualifying disaster

Applications are due March 31

First, identify and contact the Associate Development Organization (ADO) (webpage) representing your county. You will need the name of your local ADO and a representative's name and contact information to complete the online grant application.

In addition to the ADO information, eligible businesses must provide all of the following in the application:

• Washington State Business License
• proof of address
• W-9 and 2019-2021 tax returns
• documentation of receipts

Once you have gathered the required information, visit the application portal online at Washington State Department of Commerce Statewide Disaster Relief Grant Application – BUSINESS (smartsheet.com).

Ambassador program position opens!

The ambassadors of the Monroe Chamber of Commerce meet the 2nd Tuesday every month from 10:30am to 11:30am.

Requirements:

️ ️Ambassadors represent the Chamber and believe in our mission and values.

️ ️Chamber Ambassador are a walking testimonial to the good our chamber does within the community.

️Required to attend at least 1 ribbon cutting ceremony.

️ ️Welcome new business owners to the community.

️ ️ ️Name Badge made just for you!

️ ️Volunteering for at least 1 event a year.

️ ️Attend most meetings remote or in person.

️ ️Bring information from around Monroe to meetings: issues businesses may be facing, strategies, ideas, etc.

Being an Ambassador helps your business stay in the know of the good work the Monroe Chamber is doing.

It also creates a way for you to become more involved and network within our community. As an Ambassador, you support the Chambers efforts in recruitment, planning, economic development and help with an effort to strengthen Monroe's business community and organizations. An Ambassador is a very important role and we are excited to partner and accept nominations for positions!

CHAIRS OPEN for the 2023 fiscal year:

POSITION #3

POSITION #4

POSITION #5

POSITION #6

Currently, Kathleen Sather LE and Cara Fleming are on our ambassador program.

Ambassadors report to the Executive Director.

Please if interested email Janelle at Director@choosemonroe.com

January 2023

As we begin a new year, we look forward to our new location of our luncheons at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds at the LongHouse. With change means we have many new exciting networking events, events, video podcasts and more!  The link from Anneliese Vance-Sherman presentation today is below. Anneliese is a Regional Labor Economist of Employment Security and serves Snohomish County as her district. PowerPoint Presentation (wildapricot.org)

DONT MISS THE LARGEST NETWORKING EVENT OF THE YEAR!
Located at the: Monroe School District 
$5 register online or $10 at the door.
DOORS OPEN 5:30PM-7pm
Door prizes, networking with over 100+ business professionals from around Snohomish County! & Don't forget to bring plenty of business cards! (50+ CARDS)
Appetizers/Snacks/Drinks

EMCEE: MAURY KRKO RADIO

CHAMBER PARTNERS:
SKY VALLEY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
MONROE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
LAKE STEVENS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 
ECONOMIC ALLIANCE SNOHOMISH COUNTY
SNOHOMISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
MARYSVILLE TULALIP CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 

Dear Monroe Businesses,

On March 23, 2020, Governor Inslee issued a Proclamation directing all residents immediately to heed current State public health directives to stay home, except as needed to maintain continuity of operations of essential critical infrastructure sectors and additional sectors as the State Public Health Officer may designate as critical to protect health and well-being of all Washingtonians. This order takes place on March 25th, 2020 at midnight.

Prior to the order, some of you reached out to the city requesting guidance on who is designated as “essential businesses” and would be allowed to operate during a shut down.  The Governor’s office has provided a list of “Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers” to help state, local, tribal, and industry partners as they work to protect communities, while ensuring continuity of functions critical to public health and safety, as well as economic and national security.

Please review the PDF link above (If you are unable to view the link please contact me directly on my cell listed below) and if you feel your business is identified as an “essential businesses”, we would ask you to please notify us and let us know the address of the facility where workers will be present and the number of employees who will be present.  We also ask that businesses operating during the shutdown do their best to reduce staff to only those necessary for basic operations/production, plan to ensure social distancing on production lines and follow other guidelines outlined in the US Dept. of Labor/OSHA Guidelines for workplace safety during the COVID-19 outbreak.  Any repeated violations of an order to cease operations of non-essential businesses will be referred to the Snohomish County Health Dept. who has the authority to close businesses during the quarantine. In the event of any disputes regarding what is and what isn't "essential", the determination will be made by the Washington Military Dept.  During such a dispute the businesses will be closed and must submit a request for an exemption from Disaster Area Re-Entry Application website in order to re-open.  The business will remain closed until an adjudication is reached by the WMD.  

Neither the City of Monroe, nor the Monroe Police Department have any desire to make any arrests for violations of this order. The department views its enforcement role as one of engagement and education with the citizens, educating people on how to keep themselves and their families safe and most importantly, to keep the rest of the community safe, especially vulnerable populations. 

We understand that the economic consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak are likely to be great. While we are keeping an eye on the immediate needs of the quarantine trying to keep our community safe, we have an eye on the recovery which will be national in scope and coordinated across state, county and local governments.  The City, the Monroe Chamber, and the Downtown Monroe Association are working together to ensure that recovery happens as quickly as possible and our businesses are informed of the community's recovery strategy and is able to access those resources intended to help with the recovery.​ We will get through this together, as we have through previous crisis. 

It goes without saying we are in uncharted waters.  Even with the most diligent attempts at providing accurate information, the "Fog of War" often makes the situation nebulous at best.  We will continue to update the business community on the status of the closure as well as announcements about the recovery and other forms of relief being made available.  As always, the City of Monroe website will have the most current information on its special COVID-19 page. If you have questions please contact the Monroe Economic Development Specialist, James Palmer, at 360-631-0050 (cell) or email JPalmer@MonroeWA.gov 

Thank you for your cooperation. Stay safe Monroe!  

****************************************************************

Message from Monroe Chamber of Commerce Executive Director:

Dear Monroe business & organizations,

 I want our Monroe businesses to know the Chamber is here for you, we are your resource during this time for information and working with the City of Monroe to distribute the latest information regarding business and Covid19. We are checking our emails every day Monday through Sunday to be available to you. 

The Chamber has also launched in partnership with KRKO radio this AD for Monroe business that is playing on the radio now: SHOP LOCAL Monroe KRKO.mp3

We are working hard to find information on the latest aid for small businesses in our community and are releasing that information to you as well as working with other Snohomish County Chamber Executive Directors to bring free webinars and other means of business resources from SBA, US Chamber of Commerce & AWB. Be sure to check your emails titled "MONROE BUSINESS UPDATE".

Lastly, the Chamber launched on www.choosemonroe.com a delivery & takeout page for our restaurant sector of Monroe as well as a public Facebook group "Monroe's Delivery & Takeout Options Amid Covid19" for the community and businesses offering takeout, curbside and delivery options. 

Thank you Monroe businesses for letting me work for you, to support and fuel our local economy and I hope all of us stay safe & healthy during this time. We are Monroe Strong and WILL get through this storm together. 

Janelle Drews, Executive Director
Director@Choosemonroe.com

Sarah Rosado, Operations Manager
Office@Choosemonroe.com 

Monroe Chamber of Commerce
www.Choosemonroe.com 

We want YOU to Choose Monroe!!

Check out this article below from The Herald interviewing the City of Monroe, WA. The article spotlights Monroe hoping to bring in new businesses to our community... Especially wine and brewers! 

https://www.heraldnet.com/business/spill-the-wine-city-asks-vintners-brewers-why-not-monroe/

"Don't wait for the right opportunity, create it" - George Bernard Shaw

The Monroe Chamber, City of Monroe and business owner Sally King had the pleasure of touring Werner Paddles on February 27th, 2020 a premier manufacturing company specializing in paddles for kayaks and stand up paddle boards. 

Bruce Furrer, owner of Werner Paddles explains "A love for paddling together turned the family garage into a work shop and started the journey." Werner Paddles is the premier paddle company in America, with top notch designs that lead the industry today setting the bar high for competitors. With a 8,000 square foot warehouse and pushing 70 employee's, Werner Paddles has come along way from the garage his Dad started in. In 1959 Werner, built his first ever kayak and in the same year frustrated with the large Klepper paddles, he built and fashioned a better fitting paddle by using a tree branch and some shingles he builds his first paddle. An early sign of things to come... Starting a business was never the plan. However as more and boater friends asked Jr. to build him paddles, these earliest sales made him realize, "hey people want our paddles!" So Werner set out to help create the first handwritten brochure and encouraged Jr. with business lessons. More sales helped fund his growing passion for slalom racing and like that, a business was born. Check it out, $17.00 for a "Werner Furrer Design" paddle! Starting out as Northwest Design Works in 1986, the company officially changes its name to Werner Paddles. The M upside down stands for Martha, Werner's wife who is also a adventure seeker. 

Fun Facts:

1. 80% of employee's are based in Snohomish County.
2. Werner Paddles has around 70 full time employee's.
3. Bruce Furrer owner of Werner Paddles has been in business for 33 years. 
4. They build a few hundred paddles a day.
5. Werner Paddles has been established in Monroe, Washington for two years.