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We are proud to have Novo Apartments as a member of the Covington Chamber. Their beautiful property, upscale apartments, and warm hospitality are wonderful assets to the Covington community. The serenity of life at Novo provides the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of modern life! With a tranquil lake view providing the perfect backdrop, their spacious apartment homes offer everything you have been looking for, including new gourmet kitchens, complete with stainless appliances and wood style flooring. At the end of a long workday, you will be re-energized with a dip in the beautiful pool and spa, or a workout in their state-of-the-art 24-hour fitness center! With favorite restaurants and retailers just steps away, Novo combines the tranquility of a lakeside retreat with all the upscale luxury and convenience of modern living. Visit Novo Apartments online for more information, or contact Jose or Haillie at 253-201-0590 to schedule a tour!  Ed Holmes, Axios Health + Wellness and Clayton Pantano, Entrust Marketing After six years in the auto industry, Clayton Pantano started Entrust Marketing in March 2020. Since then, he’s been putting his marketing degree from Green River College to good use. In his first year, Clayton worked mostly with local businesses, building websites, managing social media, running digital ad campaigns, and improving search rankings via Google My Business tools. In a little over two years, Clayton’s team has grown, and he now has clients across the U.S. and Canada. Clients usually reach out to Clayton when they have a problem to solve. Maybe they don’t have time to develop and manage social media accounts, something on their website isn’t working, or maybe their business isn’t ranking high enough in Google search to be found online easily. Clayton helps solve the problem and then, taking a high-level view, looks at the individual parts of a business to see how they fit together. What’s working? What’s not? The name for his company – Entrust Marketing – is meaningful for Clayton, embodying how he views his business. Building trust with his clients, he sees them as more than third parties. They are an extension of his business. Meeting with each client, he asks himself, “How do I serve this client?” and “What would I want if I were the client?” Clayton really listens to his clients and what they want, putting their needs at the forefront of the work they do together. “Every business has a story,” Clayton says. “I help them tell their personal story.” Learn more about Entrust Marketing online.  Meet Lavonne Dideon, a long-time member of the Covington Chamber and the owner of Aspire Pest Solutions. Aspire PS offers full-service pest solutions from bugs to rats and attics to crawlspaces to help protect your home and family. "We treat your home like it was our own home or business." ~ Aspire Lavonne and her team love dealing with pests and using science to resolve pest issues that can be harmful to your health and your home. Using integrated pest management and other tools, Aspire serves the greater Seattle area. Aspire is a local, woman-owned and operated business, and their solutions are family and pet friendly! Have pest problems or suspect that you might? Aspire can help. - Commercial - Property management - Real Estate - Residential - Specialty - Home pest inspections Visit Aspire-PS.com for more information, or call Lavonne and her team at 425-318-8551. Meet Leslie Wright of Cruise Planners, a new cruise-based travel agency in Covington. With a love of a travel since she was a little girl, Leslie enjoys planning trips for family and friends. This passion for travel was the impetus for Leslie’s plan to one day purchase her own travel business. In 2019, she took a step toward that dream by working as a travel associate for a cruise franchise. In October 2021, she bought her own – Cruise Planners in Covington – where she helps clients plan cruises to Alaska, the Caribbean, Europe, and more. Leslie’s long-term plan is to do travel planning full-time when she retires early, so she can see more of the world herself. Her all-time favorite destination is Hawaii, but she has been all around the world, including Switzerland and South Africa. Two trips left on her bucket list are Bali and Maldives. Want to learn more? Meet Leslie at an upcoming Chamber event, or visit Leslie online at https://www.travelandsea.com/ or on her YouTube channel, Travel and Sea. "TRAVEL and SEA the world!"  Meet Victor Torres and Peter Haroldson of the Law Offices of Torres & Haroldson. Serving the greater Maple Valley-Covington-Black Diamond area, the firm joined the Chamber earlier this year at the Community Leader level. Though they both have had impressive careers and degrees prior to teaming up in 2018, Victor (Seattle University) and Peter (Tulane University) say they are “just regular dudes” with families who enjoy serving the community in a variety of ways. Victor specializes in personal injury law, wrongful death, employment law and litigation. Peter has a family-centered practice which includes domestic relations, estate planning, and elder law. “We are one of you for you,” they say. If you visit their law offices in the historic Gibbon House, you will find a few surprises throughout, including some of the original design features of the home, a Batman mirror, Yoda, a 49ers football and Victor’s red cape signifying his status as a Super Lawyer. You’ll also find staff including an associate, two paralegals, and a client relations liaison. When not at work, Victor and Peter are often shuttling their kids back and forth to sports games and events or participating in community events like the Fishing Derby. Learn more about these "regular dudes" online.  If you haven't already met Jean Wall of Jean Wall Insurance, stop by her State Farm office at 27121 174th Pl SE Suite 103, and introduce yourself. She loves meeting new people! Jean has been with State Farm since 2010 and moved her office from Seattle to Covington last summer. She joined the Chamber soon after and has been an active member, participating in the Clean Safe Welcome City committee and attending Chamber events.
Jean loves being an insurance agent because she has the independence of being a business owner. She gets to set her own hours, work remotely when needed, and be a part of the Covington community. Why insurance? Jean says that there is a meaningfulness to her work that may not be immediately obvious. She has the opportunity to help clients plan for the "what ifs" of life by helping them protect themselves and their assets, and she loves building client relationships and earning their trust.With Jean, insurance is much more than a transaction. It is a lasting relationship. In addition to helping clients with their insurance needs, Jean enjoys mentoring other agents. So far, she has trained 12 agents, helping them develop their professional skills and leadership abilities. When not working, Jean and her husband Steve enjoy traveling and spending time with their grandchildren. Next time you're in the neighborhood, stop by and say "hi" to Jean and, of course, to Jake! Both are sure to greet you with a friendly smile.  Last week Chamber Ambassador and Edward Jones - Financial Advisor: Bryan LaBelle had a great visit with Alex Barth of BECU. Alex became the new Center Manager at the Covington location in January, after seven years with the company.
While Alex is new to the location, he is not new to the area as a graduate of both Kentridge High School and UW. Alex, his wife April, and their daughter Analise live in North Auburn, and make up the Barth 'A-Team.' Alex is excited to be a part of the Covington Chamber and the community. He is passionate about improving the financial lives of our community, with a heart to help educate and prevent fraud with our seniors. Give him a warm welcome! In today’s Member Spotlight is Vine Maple Place, a Christian nonprofit that transforms lives by preventing and ending homelessness. Though it is a multi-step process, they break their work down into three key areas: - Offering safety (stable housing and temporary rent assistance, basic needs and counseling) - Providing stability (employment and wage development, budgeting and family healing) - Equipping clients for self-sufficiency (livable wage jobs, life skills and family bonding) Key statistics from fiscal year 2020: - Served 524 families and 1,603 individuals - 91% of families were successfully housed 1 year later - Average cost per family is $5,716 for 5 ½ months in the Stable Families Program - They provided 12,267 meals through their Hot Meals Pilot Program. - The nonprofit received 2,435 desperate calls for help in 2020. - For every 1 family they can help, 4 families are turned away. - 40 new families with 80 children enter the program every month. - 7 out of 10 individuals have experienced or witnessed domestic violence. - 100% live below the federal poverty level or are severely low income when they enter the program. - 86% of parents leave the program employed and with greater financial stability. To learn more about Vine Maple Place, which primarily serves clients in Maple Valley, Covington, Kent, Renton and Auburn, visit VineMaplePlace.org online. Lily Tran has been in the accounting industry since 2003. She became an Enrolled Agent (EA) in February of 2016 and launched her own tax firm business serving individual and small business clients across the United States. She rebranded her business in the Fall of 2019 to TaxUSign, a virtual tax firm providing dedicated professional tax assistance anywhere, anytime. Lily says, “We have been a proud member of the Covington Chamber of Commerce since 2019. Our mission is to make taxes the least of people’s worries. Our vision is a country where people have more time and are more confident about their taxes wherever they’re at in life. Remember our tagline: Virtual tax help for whatever life throws at you.” Info Phone: 253-234-7180 Address: P.O. Box 5887, Kent, WA 98064 https://www.taxusign.com/ Areas of expertise Taxes Ambassador Highlights “Lily shares her knowledge & precision confidently answering client questions. Her clients feel comfortable and know that they can trust her with their taxes.” “TaxUSign is an all-virtual enrolled agent (EA) specializing in individual and small business that is federally licensed.” “They offer a complementary 15-minute consultation to new/potential clients to get answers, create a plan and build trust!” “Because Lily’s services are 100% virtual she can conveniently serve clients all over the United States—not just in WA.” “Lily is an innovative accounting professional that is ready to grow with you!” “TaxUSign is community-mindeded business putting people first and encouraging community engagement and involvement”  Valley Vehicle Licensing opened its doors on November 15, 2005. It was the first subagent to open a new office in 20 years in King County. Prior to opening, owner Cherie Adams had worked for the Federal Way Auto License since 1993. They have been a proud member of the Covington Chamber of Commerce since opening their doors. Valley Vehicle Licensing serves all vehicle/ vessel titling and Licensing needs. It is their goal to make customers feel at home and comfortable with their licensing transactions. They pride themselves on timely service with a smile and love to greet customers by name. They make every effort to answer customers’ questions and concerns, and they have an app for Android and iOS. They offer a reminder service that sends a text on the date and time requested. Visit them online at ValleyVehicleLicensing.com. Address: 27331 172nd Ave SE Ste 116, Covington, WA 98042 Areas of expertise: Vehicle Registration Ambassador Highlights: “Cherie Adams suggests signing up for ‘License eXpress’ (LX) in order to control everything online. She was appointed her office in 2005 out of 91 applications! She has been in licensing since 1993 where she starting out in the neighboring Federal Way office!” “Valley Vehicle licensing is their own business, not a government agency. However, they are appointed by the state. Even though they paid to start the business, for the building, employees, etc., they can’t sell it or transfer the “appointment.” Cherie truly values the Covington community she’s been serving for years. One way she gives back to our community is through her involvement at the state capital and relationships with local representatives. She is continuously looking for ways to improve and streamline the processes that affect us all.” “My favorite licensing office! Valley Vehicle Licensing is the second busiest office in the entire state. Cherie and her team provide excellent customer service!”  |
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