Our September Chamber After Hours was hosted at TOTE Maritime Alaska's offices in Downtown Tacoma. This event came with a spectacular view of the Port of Tacoma and Thea Foss Waterway. In addition to the amazing view, this event offered delicious catering, giveaway prizes, and plentiful opportunities for networking.

Chamber After Hours is your monthly chance to meet fellow Chamber members, share your business, and develop relationships! Thank you to TOTE Maritime Alaska for hosting us for such a memorable event. 

View photos from the evening below!

Last Thursday, September 14th, our Chamber joined The Art of Crunch to help celebrate its 12-year business anniversary with a ribbon cutting! This marks twelve years in business for The Art of Crunch and two years of having a storefront. This event included delicious samples and deals from The Art of Crunch, a vendor market, and a food truck! Thank you to The Art of Crunch for inviting us to be part of this exciting business milestone, we wish you many more years of success!

View photos from the event below!

On Wednesday evening, September 13th, the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber hosted a candidates forum featuring candidates running for positions on Tacoma City Council and Port of Tacoma Commission. 

The event was held at the Tacoma Art Museum and had around sixty guests in attendance including community leaders, elected officials, and local business owners. The evening began with networking between candidates and guests before the official panels took place. Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber President/CEO Andrea Reay moderated the forum. 

The first candidate panel featured candidates running for office for Tacoma City Council. This included Chris Van Vechten and Jamika Scott running for District 3, Olgy Diaz and Kristen Wynne running for at-large Position 7, and Todd Briske and Kristina Walker running for at-large Position 8. Attendees in the audience were able to submit their questions to be asked of all candidates, which included questions on the topics of housing, business license fee increases, public safety and policing, the Tacoma Tideflats, and more. Following questions from the audience, the candidates participated in a rapid-fire section of questions during which they were given paddles to hold up to indicate agreeing or disagreeing with statements shared by the moderator. One question asked "Is the City of Tacoma moving in the right direction?" After several moments of consideration, five of the six City Council candidates responded "Yes" with their paddles.

The second candidate panel featured candidates running for Port of Tacoma Commission. This included Deanna Keller running for Position 3, as well as Kristin Ang and Dave Bryant running for Position 5. Port candidates answered questions from the audience on the Tideflats Subarea Plan, jobs and workforce development, the economy, workforce housing, and more. These candidates also participated in a rapid-fire question session addressing agree or disagree statements. 

The event was one of candidates and community members coming together to share ideas and visions for the future of Pierce County. It was clear that everyone in the room was passionate about seeing our region thrive. 

Thank you to the Tacoma Art Museum for serving as a space for this forum, our sponsors Puget Sound Energy and GTM Transformations LLC, our engaged and respectful audience, and all the candidates who participated. 

You can learn more about the upcoming elections in Tacoma and Pierce County by viewing our 2023 Vote For Business Guides which feature information on the candidates and exclusive video statements. Elections take place in Pierce County on November 7, 2023. 

View photos from our Candidates Forum below! 

Last Thursday, September 7th, we helped welcome PSR Mechanical to Tacoma with a Chamber ribbon cutting! Guests who attended this event were able to view PSR Mechanical's new location in the Port of Tacoma, network with business leaders, and celebrate.

Thank you to PSR Mechanical for having our Chamber join you for this exciting business milestone and to everyone who attended this event.

Last Friday, September 8th, our Chamber Ambassadors took their annual trip to the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium! The Chamber hosts this excursion every year as a way to thank our Ambassadors for all that they do for our community. This year, our group of Ambassadors got an up-close look at the new polar bear cubs at the zoo! Thank you to our Ambassadors for volunteering so much of your time to our Chamber and thank you to the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium for leading us on such an informative and fun tour! 

Welcome to our Chamber the new members who joined in July 2023!

3YNot Company (Comfort Corner Cafe)
4EVRGRN
Aichas Wholesomes
Always in Bloom
Angkor Barber & Beauty Salon LLC
​The Art of Crunch
Atomy Seattle Tacoma Center
AuntieSeasonSzn
B.I.C. Entertainment & Production
Big M Art Glass & Studio
C & C Electric Connected & Continuity
Cenchrea Barber Shop
Cerellos Pizza
Cinman Consulting
Coaching with Nette LLC
Common Ground Coffee
Cougarwear
Counter Culture Leadership
Craft Theory LLC
Craft3
​CSI Mini Storage
Cute Nail
EIJAS LLC
Elements
Eyedentity Studio
Gawison Hair Salon
Generous Influencers
Happy at the Bay & Teriyaki
Hee's Best Fades & Haircuts
HSY Corporation of NW
Island Family Market
J & J Nails Spa LLC
J.S. Barber Shop
Jadawoo Designs
Jazzy Curls
JC Yeolrinmun
Jlee & TK Chiropractic Clinic LLC
Lanaya Taylor Hair Studio
Locale Modern Plant Design
Mindful Health Solutions
Mins Crew LLC
Musette Piano Studio
New Kko Kko Restaurant
New York Life Insurance Company-ISABELLA BROOKS, AGENT
Operation Red Dot
Orchard Cleaners
Pho V & V Vietnamese Restaurant
Photo Map LLC
Portland Avenue Hair & Beauty Supply
PostNet Spanaway
QS21 LLC
Rainier Refills
RCF Tacoma
Ready Set Go - Kids Club
Reclaiming Us
Rollin Cafe LLC
SE Events
Sonny Nail LLC
Sunny Barber
Susie Investment, Inc.
Swae Media
The Kindship
The Party’s Here LLC
The RV Doctor
Tiger Taekwondo Academy, Inc.
Vanity Esthetics
Venus Nails Salon LLC
WSP USA