Several years ago, the Covington Chamber Board of Directors created a Veteran Spouse Scholarship to support the spouses who selflessly follow their spouses around the globe, defending our country. The Green River College Foundation administers the scholarship. In addition to seed funding from Covington Chamber members, King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn has funded this scholarship with a $2,500 contribution each year. We received this letter from the scholarship winner in September. The name has been removed to protect their privacy. This shows how a single scholarship can impact more than one life. The last 12 months have been so much fun filled with ribbon cuttings, business awards, makers' markets, advocacy, and opportunities to connect with and promote our members. Here is a look back at the last 12 months.
The Covington Chamber of Commerce will host a candidate forum on Monday, September 23, 2024 for candidates of the 47th legislative district running in the November 5 election. The lobby will open from 5:30 to 6 p.m. for the community to gather; light refreshments will be offered. The public is invited to attend the candidate forum which will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. in the auditorium at Real Life Church at 26201 180th Ave. SE, Covington, WA. The event is free. For planning purposes, registration is encouraged.
Three of the four legislative candidates have confirmed their attendance at the event. Each candidate will have an opportunity to give a brief introduction at the beginning of the event, followed by a Q&A period moderated by Pat Hanis or Hanis, Irvine, Prothero PLLC. Hanis will ask questions about where the candidates stand on issues important to businesses and residents in the 47th legislative district. Candidates include:
The event is sponsored by the 47th District Republicans and the 47th District Democrats. Some portions of the church are under construction. Attendees are asked to park in the field adjacent to the building and to enter through the front door. Please contact Covington Chamber CEO Dana Neuts at 253-780-1555 or [email protected] with questions. It’s that time of year again – time to elect our board of directors for 2025! The election, or ratification of the board slate, is for the four director seats that will be vacant seats at the end of the year. Per our bylaws, we are required to give members a minimum of 10 days and a maximum of 50 days' notice when and where the election will take place. This year’s annual membership meeting will take place on Thurs., Sept. 12 (11:30 am – 1 pm) at our Member September Luncheon at Grill In The Woods at Druids Glen (29925 207th Ave SE, Covington, WA 98042). At this meeting, the membership will ratify the board slate as approved by the current Board of Directors at their Aug. 20, 2024 meeting. {Register by 5 p.m. on Sept. 6, 2024 to attend the luncheon.} The Designated Voter for each active member in good standing will receive an official ballot with the complete slate of appointed candidates electronically and/or in person with instructions to ratify the official slate as presented. The slate of candidates shall be deemed approved unless a simple majority of the membership votes to disapprove. The candidates on the ballot are:
Liz Nolan Liz is a trusted, collaborative, authentic and transformational executive. Having served in clinical and nonclinical roles for over 25 years, she has a broad perspective and deep understanding of healthcare systems; hospital, outpatient and clinic network operations and communications; community and staff engagement; strategic planning; digital transformation; wellbeing; and preventative care. She also has an entrepreneurial spirit and extensive volunteer and board experience. Liz reports directly to Valley Medical’s CEO, and she is the designated CIO for crisis management, organizational response and reputation management. Dr. Wade Barringer Growing up in Port Orchard, Wade went to WSU on an academic scholarship where he earned a BA in Education and certifications in history, K-8 elementary education, speech communication and leadership studies. He began his teaching career as a fifth grade teacher at Green Mountain Elementary in the Central Kitsap School District. He returned to WSU where he earned his PhD. In 2004, he joined the staff at Kent-Meridian HS as an assistant principal and later principal. In 2018, he joined the administrative operations of the Kent School District. In 2023, he was promoted to his current role. He has extensive experience in community involvement and is an award-winning educator. Stephanie Hunziker For the last 10 years, Stephanie has been a REALTOR® for the Hunziker Real Estate, taking satisfaction in helping buyers find their dream homes and expertly guiding sellers through the listing process. Since 2014, she has assisted countless families, first-time homebuyers, investors and those moving on to a new stage of their lives. Stephanie is a huge advocate for the Covington community. She sponsors city and chamber events, has adopted a street, and was recently appointed to the Planning Commission. Since joining the Covington Chamber in early 2022, she has been engaged, supportive and a cheerleader for the community and other business owners. Jeff Wagner One of the Covington Chamber’s founders, Jeff knows the ins and outs of owning a business, and since day 1 has supported other business owners and helped many to be successful. In addition to his role as municipal manager at Republic Services where he’s worked for nearly 12 years, Jeff serves on the Covington City Council as mayor, is a founding member of Covington Kiwanis and has been involved in Covington Days, Reach Out Covington, and previous director for the Covington, Auburn and Kent Chambers. Jeff has excellent organizational and leadership skills, and he cares deeply about the Covington community. He has spent time and energy over decades to ensure that Covington and our region thrives economically.
We have a busy fall planned for you with networking opportunities and community events. For additional event details and to register for upcoming events, visit our events calendar. Have questions? Contact Keylona at [email protected] or Dana at [email protected].
Do you have a passion for the Covington Chamber and the businesses and communities we serve? Would you like to help guide us into the future? If so, we are looking for board candidates for two-year terms beginning Jan. 1, 2025. We meet via Zoom on the 4th Thursday of each month from 8 - 9:30 a.m. We also host annual planning and budgeting sessions, and we encourage board members to attend events whenever possible. Interested? Apply by August 13, 2024 to be considered. We also have committee and ambassador opportunities available. Have questions? Contact Dana Neuts, CEO, at [email protected]. The Covington Chamber of Commerce is now accepting applications from vendors and sponsors for the Sat., Oct. 12, 2024 Covington Makers’ Market. Market coordinators seek applications from local makers, bakers, artists and artisans, food trucks and food vendors, as well as local businesses that sell locally made or sourced items. Vendors are eligible for early bird pricing until Aug. 2. Regular pricing will be charged Aug. 3 through Sept. 4. Nonprofit organizations are also invited to participate at discounted rates. In addition, sponsorship opportunities are available to local organizations who want to support this popular event and expand their reach. Sponsorships range from $125 to $2,000. The presenting sponsorship ($2,000) and entertainment sponsorship ($1,000) are limited to one each and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Sponsors must be members of the Covington Chamber to be eligible. Hosted in partnership with the City of Covington and founding partner Real Life Church, the market attracts visitors from throughout the region for shopping, food, family-friendly fun and live entertainment. This fall, the market is expanding its hours to 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and moving the market to Covington Town Center at 17070 SE Wax Rd., Covington, Washington, the site of the old Covington Elementary. “This is our seventh Covington Makers’ Market, and we have loved watching the market grow with each event. We had over 70 vendors and sponsors and four performers at our May event. We anticipate at least 100 in October,” said Dana Neuts, CEO of the Covington Chamber. “Makers’ Market started in April 2022 when people were tired of being isolated and wanted a healthy way to venture out of their houses. It was also a way for the Covington Chamber to support small businesses and grow our regional footprint.” For more information, including links to Vendor and Sponsor applications, visit https://tinyurl.com/covmarket. Contact Keylona Temeyosa at [email protected] or 253-780-1557 with questions. The Covington Economic Development Council (CEDC) is hosting the city’s first-ever Restaurant Week, May 20-28, 2024. A partnership between the Covington Chamber of Commerce, the City of Covington and CEDC, the nine-day event is a celebration of Covington’s local dining scene. It will kick off on May 20 at 4:30 p.m. at Covington City Hall. The kickoff, which officially launches Covington Restaurant Week, will include fun surprises, giveaways, and free goodie bags to the first 25 people. Covington Restaurant Week will feature nine participating restaurants that are offering special menus and different deals and promotions throughout the week. Seven of the participating restaurants are located in Covington – Applebee’s, Bruchelle’s Bagel Bistro, Cosmic Bottles, Just Poké, Nikki’s Restaurant & Lounge, The Rock Wood-Fired Pizza, and Grill In The Woods at Druids Glen. Two restaurants are not in Covington but they border the city limits and are Covington Chamber members, so they were invited to participate. Restaurants do not need to be members of the Chamber to be involved. The idea originated last fall by Diana Patterson of the Patterson Real Estate Team, a member of the Covington Chamber and CEDC. “Our restaurants have struggled the last few years, navigating the pandemic and dealing with rising costs and staff shortages. I wanted to find a way to uplift them while also bringing the community together,” Patterson said. “I approached Dana Neuts at the Covington Chamber, who got CEDC involved. We formed a planning committee and here we are!” “As we get closer to kickoff, it is so rewarding to see how excited the restaurants are to be a part of this event and the buzz that’s building in the community,” Neuts said. “It has been a lot of work, but our committee and CEDC came together to make it happen. We owe a big thanks to Diana for having the vision to try something new and supporting it 100% to see it through.” To encourage diners to visit participating restaurants multiple times throughout Restaurant Week, the team created a passport program. Each time a diner goes to a participating restaurant or dines at their favorite restaurant more than once, they’ll get a stamp. Each stamp represents an entry into a random prize drawing for restaurant gift cards to keep customers coming back after Restaurant Week is over. The event is supported by the Patterson Team, the presenting sponsor, as well as Red Canoe Credit Union, Auto-Chlor System, SpotOn and UW Valley Lifestyle Medicine powered by Pinnacle. Many of the restaurants have also donated gift cards to be used as prizes at the end of Restaurant Week. More information about Covington Restaurant Week, including how the passport program works and what diners can expect, is available at CovingtonRestaurantWeek.com. Each individual restaurant page includes details about their offer(s), location, hours, links to online menus, and more. Contact the Covington Chamber at 253-780-1557 or [email protected] with questions. UPDATE -- View photos from the event! Photos courtesy of our photography sponsor Pooja Anoop Photography.
The Covington Chamber of Commerce and the City of Covington are partnering to host Covington Makers’ Market on Saturday, May 4, 2024 (11 a.m. to 4 p.m.) at Real Life Church. The outdoor event, held rain or shine, will showcase a wide range of small businesses and nonprofits, including local makers, bakers, creators, artists, artisans, and other organizations. This is the sixth Covington Makers’ Market to date and is expected to be the biggest market yet. The event will feature 70 vendor booths, food vendors, free kids’ activities, bouncy houses, and live entertainment from Tristan Wood, Chris Aaron, and Sarah Jolk. “The City of Covington is proud to partner with the Covington Chamber on Covington Makers' Market. It gets bigger and better each time, and we are excited to be a part of it,” said Covington Mayor Jeff Wagner. “This is a great opportunity to showcase small businesses while giving local families free activities and another reason to spend the day in Covington.” This event is made possible with the support of Covington Chamber partners, sponsors and members including the City of Covington, Real Life Church, Key Bank, Smith Brothers Farms, Republic Services, Just Poké, Tahoma Living, Cruise Planners, Pooja Anoop Photography, Stephanie Hunziker Real Estate, Jean Wall State Farm, and Diana + Cory | The Patterson Team. For more information about the event, including the day’s schedule and a complete list of vendors and sponsors, visit CovingtonChamber.org or email the Chamber at [email protected]. |
|
Copyright Covington Chamber of Commerce. All Rights Reserved.
P. O. Box 8041, Covington, Washington 98042 Phone: (253) 780-1555 | [email protected] Privacy Policy | Refund Policy | Site Map |