 [6/21/22] The 2022 Spotlight on Business Awards winners were announced and honored at the Chamber's Happy Hour Business Expo last Thursday, June 16th. Congratulations to all the incredible businesses and organizations who won and those that were nominated! Non-profit Organization: Korean Women's Association  Small Business: Velvet's Big Easy  Medium Business: The Doty Group  Large Business: First Citizens Bank  Minority-Owned Business: BIMA Services  Veteran-Owned Business: Catffeinated  Business Supporter of the Military: NineLine Veteran Services  Resiliency in Business: Acts Pharmacy  [6/21/22] Last Thursday evening, June 16th, over 400 attendees walked through the doors of the Waterfront Venue to attend the Chamber's annual Happy Hour Business Expo. This year's event was a stunning success that saw local business owners, community leaders, vendors, caterers, and partners come together to create an unforgettable evening. There were giveaways, prizes, games, food and drinks, and a novelty photo booth. This event was a great way to network with partners and socialize with friends. The winners of the 2022 Spotlight on Business Awards were also announced at the event. Relive the evening with the photo gallery below. We can't wait to see everyone again at next year's Expo!  [6/21/22] “All that you touch You Change. All that you Change Changes you. The only lasting truth Is Change,” This quote from Octavia Butler’s novel Parable of the Sower, Parable’s namesake, reflects much of the space’s philosophy. Parable started as an idea between three family members. Le’Ecia Farmer, LaKecia Farmer, and Deatria Williams are sisters and cousins who co-own and operate the space in Tacoma’s McKinley Hill neighborhood. Parable is Black-owned, woman-owned, lgbtq-owned, family-owned, and community-owned. The three had always wanted to start a business together. Walking around in the McKinley Hill neighborhood where they live, they were inspired by a retail space available for rent. “We passed by the windows of the empty space day after day and allowed ourselves to dream. We envisioned neighborhood youth popping in and out for a story circle. We could see people singing, dancing, and sharing stories over a warm cup of tea. We imagined elders resting in a big comfy chair with an old book.”
Originally, each had their own idea of what the venture should be. They looked around their community and saw many different needs. Neighborhood youth needed a place to hang out without having to worry about spending money. Diverse small businesses and entrepreneurs needed a space to stock and sell their goods. Families needed somewhere kid-friendly to bring their children to experience the outside world. Artists and teachers needed a space to host workshops and events for the community. The neighborhood needed a space to come together to share stories and grow with each others’ knowledge. With all these different needs, the co-owners eventually decided: why not just incorporate them all? And so Parable was born. Well, not entirely yet. The three co-owners leading this ambitious project faced the unique challenge of starting a business during the middle of a pandemic. However, rather than be disheartened by the struggles of COVID-19, the family members were inspired by many of the issues and disparities that this global crisis highlighted. “In the midst of racial and health pandemics - opening a business seemed risky but also imaginative timing. The more we thought about it, the more we remembered all of the exploratory solutions that arose during times that felt chaotic and unjust.” They pushed forward in their mission to build a community space “that could offer events and products that affirm the members of the diverse neighborhood in the Mckinley Hill area and beyond.” They worked to bring this space into reality throughout the pandemic by holding fundraisers, collecting books, and selling at local markets and online. They also participated in the Pierce County Busines Accelerator program through Pierce County administered by the Tacoma-Pierce Chamber and were able to fundraise through a Kiva small business loan with the help of Spaceworks Tacoma. During the midst of the pandemic, the three owners delivered books and plants all over Tacoma, every bit of work going towards making their dream a reality.
Then, finally, on August 21st, 2021, Parable officially opened its doors. Since its opening, Parable has received a positive reception in the McKinley Hill neighborhood and been embraced by the community. It has hosted food pop-ups, open mics, educational events, workshops, storytimes for children, and more. With tea, books, chess and checkers, Parable looks to be accomplishing its goal of providing a calm, affirming space for people to simply hang out. The retail side of the businesses seems to be thriving as well. While the owners curate some aspects of Parable such as the books, when it comes to retail, they have a tendency to welcome everyone with open arms. Such was the case when a group of 11-year-olds asked if they could sell their handmade potholders in the space. You can now find the potholders on sale alongside Parable’s other goods like records, apparel, plants, and jewelry. This ties into a goal the owners have to make partnerships less intimidating for creators and entrepreneurs just starting off. In regard to style, the owners embrace maximalism most of all. They are interested in curating an environment that reflects the vibrancy and diversity of the community and prioritizes Black and minority creators, women, and members of the LGBT+ community. As graduates of the Pierce County Business Accelerator program, they have also formed partnerships with other program grads including minority-owned businesses Civic Roasters and Jan Parker Cookery. Both of these small businesses have already hosted pop-up events at Parable.  At the end of the day, however, Parable’s heart is still its events and programs. In addition to giving other small businesses a space to sell, the eclectic retail offerings help Parable pay its bills and grow future program opportunities. The vast majority of Parable’s events and workshops are free and the owners want to keep it that way. In the future, they hope to fund more programs through grants and fundraising. They also hope to get more older youth engaged in what Parable has to offer. If you’re in the McKinley Hill neighborhood, make sure to stop by Parable. Enjoy a cup of tea, buy a book or record, or simply pause for a moment in an armchair in this affirming community space. Make sure you say hello to the store’s parakeets, Angelou and Morrison, while you’re there.  This Member Feature story is part of a series by the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber to promote stronger connections and increased engagement between the Chamber, its members, and the local business community. Member stories are non-promotional opportunities to share members' business stories with the community. If you are a Chamber member interested in being featured for a story, please contact Digital Marketing Outreach Coordinator Audrey Widner at [email protected]
[6/6/2022] Tacoma is famous for its beautiful waterfront but, shockingly, around 90% of students in Tacoma public schools don’t have access to experience the waters of the Puget Sound. That’s something Monique Valenzuela, Executive Director of the Tacoma Youth Marine Foundation, wants to change.
Listen to Tacoma Youth Marine Foundation Executive Director and CEO Monique Valenzuela talk about YMF, developing leaders of the future, and her experience being involved with the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber on this episode of Making It in the South Sound.
The Tacoma Youth Marine Foundation is a nonprofit organization that operates the Tacoma Youth Marine Center on the east side of the Foss Waterway. Formed in 1991, the Youth Marine Center serves as “a place for youth to touch the Sound.” The center’s campus houses classrooms, dock space, a boat repair shop, a fuel station, and a fleet of 24+ vessels that youth can use to experience being on the water.
Youth access to marine experiences is about so much more than the fun of being on a boat. In Monique’s view, it’s a unique way to build leadership, business skills, and responsibility. How does the Youth Marine Foundation achieve its mission of “empowering youth to navigate their future?” It starts with partnerships with the Tacoma Sea Scouts, local schools, and organizations like Metro Parks Tacoma. 
The Sea Scouts, which has been operating in Tacoma since 1923, is a training program where kids can get involved in learning about, sailing, and maintaining maritime vessels. The Youth Marine Center is home to Tacoma’s Sea Scout Base and provides the group with classroom space, dock usage, and use of their fleet of vessels. This program, which is co-ed and open to youth as young as 13, teaches kids how to operate and maintain vessels year-round through active boating experience in the waters around Tacoma. In addition to practical skills, being in the Sea Scouts helps kids learn leadership skills, practice conflict resolution, and take pride in their hard work. For many kids, participating in the Sea Scouts can also put them on a path to their future careers. Many former Sea Scouts go on to have jobs in naval architecture, ports, merchant marines operations, the military and Coast Guard, and other maritime-related fields.
The lessons of being a Sea Scout are just the beginning of the learning experiences that take place at the Youth Marine Center. For high schoolers at Tacoma School of the Arts (SOTA) the center is likely a familiar location, as it serves as the home of their science classroom. That’s right: instead of learning science in a traditional classroom, SOTA students are taught science lessons a few days a week at the only public high school classroom on the Foss Waterway. Not only that, but the center provides chartered vessels to take students on marine science cruises throughout the school year that gives them an opportunity to conduct hands-on research as part of their learning. The Tacoma Science and Math Institute High School and School of Industrial Design, Engineering and Art also have strong collaborations with the center that offer public school students unique opportunities to learn outside of four walls.
For youth who aren’t part of the Sea Scouts or students with the schools listed above, there are still even more opportunities to experience what the Youth Marine Center has to offer. Every summer, YMF partners with Metro Parks Tacoma for a “Sails and Trails Summer Camp.” They provide vessels, staff, and the Center’s campus for education and activities to this popular camp that sells out every year. The camp also opens up opportunities for Sea Scouts by employing them to be instructors and provide vessel maintenance.
It’s clear that in addition to their goal of helping youth access the waters of the Sound, YMF is doing much more than that: they are empowering youth to navigate their futures. A big part of that comes in the form of connections to local commerce.
While YMF is a nonprofit organization, it also houses two businesses on its campus. One of these is a fuel dock that private boats and emergency vessels can use. The other is Commencement Bay Marine Services, a full-service marine vessel repair and boat parts company. Proceeds from both of these businesses benefit the programs of YMF. A direct way the Foundation is developing future South Sound business leaders is through the opportunities these on-campus businesses provide. High schoolers interested in mechanics can take part in internships with hands-on learning in the vessel repair shop. Sea Scouts can gain job experience through employment at the Sails and Trails Summer Camp. For young adults interested in careers in mechanics and marine services, the boat repair shop and fuel dock offer entry-level job opportunities in skilled trades. Even for youth who don’t plan on pursuing careers related to the marine industry, the programs at YMF teach critical skills for future success. Hard work, leadership, collaboration, responsibility, problem-solving, and conflict resolution are just some of the many skills youth learn through YMF’s programs that will give them advantages in any future career field. Kids who participate in YMF-supported programs —whether it be the Sea Scouts, science classes, or summer camps—may go on to become future small business owners, CEOs, elected officials, scientists, teachers, and more. And when they do, it will be thanks in no small part to the lessons they learned on a boat on the Foss Waterway. 
This Member Feature story is part of a series by the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber to promote stronger connections and increased engagement between the Chamber, its members, and the local business community. Member stories are non-promotional opportunities to share members' business stories with the community. If you are a Chamber member interested in being featured for a story, please contact Digital Marketing Outreach Coordinator Audrey Widner at [email protected]
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