Brent Hunter, GH Tourism
Brent Hunter of Grays Harbor Tourism says 2009’s tourism numbers were great, and the way this year has been, the official count (out in early 2011) will be at least as good.
“In 2009 we had 4.3 million people, and they spent $269 million for goods and services in the county,” Hunter, marketing and public relations coordinator, said. “That’s fantastic. That’s amazing.”
Those numbers put Grays Harbor in the “top 10 or 12” of counties for tourism in the state. Hunter said it would be pretty hard to compete with King County, but he has his eye on some of the areas with comparable populations and attractions to the Harbor.
“I’d like to move up,” Hunter said.
Doug Fricke catches fish
Doug and Barb Fricke of Boat Seafoods have their routine down. They go out to sea in their boat, bait about 40 or 50 hooks on their troll lines, haul in the salmon or albacore they catch, then they prepare the catch in a process they have down to a science. The fish spend three hours in chilled seawater before they’re buried in ice.
“I’ve been doing this for over 30 years,” Doug Fricke said. “It adds to the shelf life and the quality of the fish.”
As they pilot back to Westport, Barb Fricke starts making phone calls to let their regular customers know they’re coming with fish. While the Frickes sell their seafood off Float 7, they have big orders that come in from all over the Puget Sound area, Oregon and even Eastern Washington and Idaho. If it’s a regular day on the dock, all they have to do is fire up the grill for lunch and the smell of barbecued tuna (yes, it can be done and yes, it is yummy, they say) lures in customers.
This coming fall – get ready for a big Shop the Harbor First push! The Grays Harbor Chamber of Commerce wants to help you expand awareness of your business at just the time you need it most – the shoulder season between the summer and the holidays.
To do that, we’re hosting a big Shop the Harbor First campaign this fall. And in order for it to work, we’re going to need your help.
First, you’ll see that we’re debuting a new Shop the Harbor First logo – and we’re printing it into window clings and bumper stickers you can put up at your business and on your car or (maybe) official vehicle. The window cling is colorful, it’s attractive, and you should receive it in the mail.
Second, we are looking to get as many bumper stickers on cars as possible (Update: We may go with window clings for cars instead), so we want to make people with bumper stickers eligible for prizes. But we’ll need prizes! We are hoping to get scads of smaller gift certificates to give away, as well as a few larger prizes. If you donate gift certificates, even small ones can get new customers in your door – where hopefully they’ll spend more money and come back in the future! (Why we’re looking for gift certificates will be explained below.)
The members of the Chamber board will be responsible for finding cars with the bumper stickers to give away prizes.
Third, we are looking at partnering with our Leaders Circle media members to provide opportunities for you to partner with the Chamber for “Shop the Harbor First” ads. Like we did with the EXPO, we’ll provide a certain amount of money to the media outlets for them to use to subsidize ads for your businesses. This will help you get your message out to consumers – but with a little help from the Chamber. It’s one of our ways of providing value to our members.
To make this promotion work best, we obviously could use a little help. We are specifically looking for prizes in the form of gift cards or certificates because those are easily portable for our board members, who will be distributing these prizes county-wide (we have board members from as far as Quinault and Satsop, and we want to blanket all of Grays Harbor). Plus, they can be tucked into windshield wipers (at the discretion of the board members, who will use their best judgment as to whether this is a good idea).
If you want to be part of this promotion, please contact Callie White at 360-532-1924 or email at callie@graysharbor.org.
Tagged local business, restaurant, retail, Shop the Harbor First
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Aberdeen, May 20, 2011 — The boards of the Grays Harbor Chamber of Commerce and the Grays Harbor Economic Development Council have passed non-binding resolutions to create a transition task force that will develop a plan to merge the two organizations by the beginning of next year. The task force will bring their report to the boards later this year.
The resolutions, which were voted on at the EDC’s Thursday meeting and today’s Chamber meeting, and which were both passed unanimously, seek to create a combined organization with a unified voice that would promote Grays Harbor’s interests in a more efficient and effective manner for its members and the community as a whole.
“We have some amazing talent at the Chamber and the EDC, but we recognize that the way things are now, we duplicate efforts,” said Leonard Barnes, Chair of the Grays Harbor Chamber of Commerce. “We have the opportunity to create a streamlined organization that gives the greater Grays Harbor area the world-class business service and promotion that we deserve, and in a more efficient way.”
“This is a very exciting opportunity,” said Randy Ross, Chairman of the GH EDC. “I’m looking forward to the next step.”
The transition task force will be made up of board members of both organizations. They will work with staff from the EDC and Chamber to develop the merger plan.
“Our number one goal is to serve our community, not our individual organizations,” said Tami Garrow, Chair-elect of the Chamber of Commerce and a GHEDC board member. “This partnership allows us to grow our services, reduce consumer confusion, lower our overhead and increase our clout. It is a win-win for us as organizations, and for the benefits it will give to Grays Harbor.”
The Chamber and EDC have been gathering feedback from their partners and members since they announced the potential consolidation, and will announce upcoming community forums for the public to further ask questions and contribute input.
Where do you go to get Mothers Day essentials in Grays Harbor? Not to worry — there are plenty of great options!
FLOWERS
One of the best places to get floral deliveries is Hoquiam-based Kathy’s House of Roses.
Make a bundled posey of your own at Grays Harbor Public Market. Or give mom the gift of flowers that keep on growing at The Dennis Company.
JEWELRY
Sparklies are a great way to become mom’s favorite. And they don’t have to be terribly expensive, either. There are a great range of price points and styles at these local jewelers:
Carol Sutton/Independent Jewelry is also one of our members, and she does a catalog-based business.
EVENTS
This one is for the sea-hardy, but the Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain are in port at Aberdeen Landing, and will be holding a special Mothers Day battle sail. Get her “ARR” on with a special price — $5 for moms! That’s $55 off! — and play swabby for the day.
CANDY
See THIS post for the word on candy. Also, Waugh’s, mentioned below, has Godiva Chocolates.
PERFUME
I mention Waugh’s a lot, because they have such a diversity of items, which includes fragrances. But also make sure you check out Harbor Shoes, which carries some pretty great scents you can’t find anywhere else on the Harbor.
While you’re at Harbor Shoes and Waugh’s, check out their ACCESSORIES. At Harbor Shoes, the emphasis is on cute scarves, handbags and sunglasses. They reportedly sell one of the softest socks in the world. At Waugh’s, there are also a limited selection of handbags, but also wines and craft beers.
Speaking of WINES
If you want to make mom happy, you could do worse than a basket of fancy cheeses, chocolates and a bottle of Going Coastal sparkling Gewurtztraminer from the Westport Winery. They also have neat, food-oriented gift items that pair perfectly with their wines.
The Winery is also a great place to take mom for dinner for seafood, beef or an amazing salad … speaking of which:
DINNER/BRUNCH
Some of the special places to take mom out (because she shouldn’t have to cook on Mothers Day!) are Bennett’s in Grayland (Northwest fair), Galway Bay Irish Pub for classic Irish dishes with great beer in Ocean Shores, Bridges (American upscale) in Aberdeen, Half Moon Bay Bar and Grill (fusion plus grill plus seafood) in Westport, Amore (Italian times two) in Aberdeen, or, if you want to go all out, take her to the Ocean Crest Resort in Moclips. It’s spendy, but it’s guaranteed to impress.
Call all of these places ahead of time to make sure you get your reservations in, phone numbers are at the links!
Now go and get ready to show your mother the appreciation she deserves!
Have you ever thought much about your leadership voice? This is the theme for this year’s Leadercast, and one of the things they will talk about is your ability to be a voice of influence.
Influence can come from many areas — maybe you have particular knowledge, or life experience, or just an insight into a situation that gives you a perspective worth listening to. But to get yourself heard, you need to figure out how to communicate that perspective to other people. All together, you need an “Influence Inventory” to find out what you got and who you can sell it to.
Here is a podcast of John Maxwell speaking about the “Influence Inventory.” Maxwell is a best-selling author and a speaker at the 2011 Leadercast.
If you have not reserved your space at the Leadercast, do so today. Call the Camber!
This Easter you can count on needing a few essentials:
EGGS: Buy eggs in abundance at Swansons Grocery, as well as the dyes.
HUNTS: Have your own on Sunday, but get the kiddos warmed up with these public events:
Tuesday, 4/19: 6 p.m. at Central Playfield in Hoquiam — Hoquiam Development Association
Thursday, 4/21 5:30 p.m. check in, 6 p.m. hunt at Olympic Stadium in Hoquiam. Please bring a donation of canned goods or old eyeglasses — Aberdeen Parks and Recreation, Hoquiam Community Services and Twin Star Credit Union
Saturday, 4/23, check in at 10:30 a.m., hunt is at noon to 3 p.m. Grays Harbor County Fairgrounds.
Tagged Events, Holiday, local business, Shop the Harbor First
In case of disaster, be prepared.
The tsunami that swept the coast of Japan has people talking about what will happen here if there is a similar earthquake, only this time at the Cascadia Subduction Zone.
Well, chances are almost 100 percent that Grays Harbor will feel its effects. What happens next is all about how high on the Richter scale that hypothetical earthquake hits.
But we know that earthquakes and tsunamis aren’t the only disasters that can hit the Harbor. In 2007 there was a huge storm that took out power and shut down roads for several days.
No matter what happens, your family needs a 72-hour emergency kit. The Washington State Department of Emergency Management has an online PDF of what you’ll need when the worst happens.
Getting the items locally is pretty simple: You can get canned foods (vienna weiners might be more palatable cold than soup!), power bars, trail mix, beef jerky, candy and juices at grocery stores (we love our member Swanson’s). You’ll probably want to tuck some extra utensils, paper plates and a can opener in your emergency kit, too.
And don’t forget enough water to last three days for everyone in your family; the rule of thumb is a gallon per person per day.
The state also recommends a First Aid kit. Bandages, bandaids, aspirin or Tylenol … the list the state provides is extensive but all of it can be had at Harbor Drug in Hoquiam or Aberdeen Health Mart in Aberdeen.
You’ll also want flashlights, batteries, possibly a fire extinguisher, a whistle, moist towlettes, and even plastic and duct tape to seal off broken windows. You can get all these at the Dennis Company, too.
Some items, like extra glasses/contacts, prescription medications, copies of insurance policies and identification documents, inventories of valuables, bank account numbers, or other necessities you’ll have to compile on your own. You might want to slip in a couple of games and books, and don’t forget a pad of paper and pen.
Don’t forget a complete change of clothing for every family member. Include extra warm socks (there are great wool ones at Waugh’s for men and women) and sturdy shoes (try Harbor Shoe and Dennis Company for great work shoes, Harbor Shoe also has great socks).
Your kit can include sleeping bags and warm blankets (it’s always good to have extras on hand when the heat is out), and put it in a big, waterproof box — preferably a plastic one you can see through and identify immediately.
