One year ago, on October 5th, University Place got a little hotter...not the weather unfortunately, but because of the addition of HOTWORX Studio! Franchise owners, Ciara Boyce and Tracey Pidge, took the ultimate leap of opening their own HOTWORX fitness studio in 2023 and invited our Chamber to celebrate their anniversary.
 
HOTWORX University Place is a 24-hour infrared fitness studio equipped with 10 sauna rooms and a FX ZONE (functional exercise area). Members are led in a variety of workout sessions taught by highly skilled virtual instructors; with three paces they can choose to follow. You can often find Ciara and Tracey ‘earning the burn’ (a popular motivational phrase used by the virtual instructors) multiple times a day, every day!
 
Through heartfelt speeches by co-owners Boyce and Pidge, the Warriors (aka the members) were thanked for trusting them and supporting HOTWORX University Place. They made special shoutouts to their spouses and loved ones for the continued belief in their personal mission statements, which has gotten them to where they are today.
 
We were joined by Council Member Melanie Grassi, several members of the community, Warriors (some who left the sauna mid-session to watch the ribbon being cut!), and even Fudge the bulldog, who was able to get in on the celebration. Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber Board Chair, Kierra Phifer, led the team in the countdown to cut the ribbon and we ended the ceremony by signing the cut piece of ribbon.
 
Each individual staff member is passionate about what they do and is eager to help you meet your fitness goals inside and outside the sauna. Schedule some time to meet with them and book your first HOTWORX session here. 

Website: www.hotworx.net/studio/universityplace
Phone: (253) 336-3090

​Every year in late August through September, Puyallup, Washington takes on a massive undertaking – the Washington State Fair. The Washington State Fair is not only the largest fair in the Pacific Northwest, but one of the largest in the world. Hundreds of thousands of visitors each day have so much to experience from concerts in the Umpqua Bank Grandstands, a showcase of agriculture and farming, and 13 plus buildings to walk through all offering a variety of activities.
 
This year, the fair had something that has never been offered before – the Pierce County Business Accelerator vendor section. Every three days, six new PCBA program graduates had the chance to share their unique businesses with Fair guests. Located in the Pavilion Marketplace right inside the Gold Gate on the fairgrounds, it was the perfect venue for these booths. The Pavilion Marketplace historically hosts small ‘maker’ businesses, 4-H contestants, and much more.
 
PCBA vendors offered a variety of products including custom painted glassware, season-trendy clothing, handknit plushies, self/body care products, jam-filled jars, laser cut wood ornaments, handmade jewelry, beard oil, perfumes, Croc charms, and more! If you were unable to walk-through the Pavilion Marketplace and shop these PCBA vendors, then head over to the PCBA Website, Pierce County Business Accelerator (pcbamap.biz), to check out not only these grads, but also the other 450+ graduates.
 
The PCBA is a program of the Pierce County Economic Development Department funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and administered by the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce. The City of Lakewood is a municipal partner. The PCBA is managed in partnership with Next Consulting, Asia Pacific Cultural Center, The Black Collective, Mi Centro, and Korean Women’s Association. To learn more visit PCBA.biz.

​Autumn is here and what is cozier than a historic courtroom and an elegant ballroom to gather for September’s Chamber After Hours?
 
Court House Square, located in the heart of Downtown Tacoma, opened their fourth floor for attendees to walk through the courtroom and network in the ballroom. Jessica Johnston, Director of Court House Square and Chamber Ambassador, was there to share knowledge of the 114-year-old venue over upbeat music and delicious food catered by fellow Chamber member, Cafe Pacific Catering.
 
Guests enjoyed sandwich-sliders, pasta salad, and a charcuterie station where they could make their own spread. On a sweeter note, there was Almond Roca sprinkled cannoli, crème brulée, and peanut butter pie to top off the night. To accompany the food, bartender Derek was happy to pour you some wine, or pop-the-top off a cold one. There was a punch as well that was a hit amongst the crowd!
 
Thank you, Jessica, for hosting September’s Chamber After Hours! We look forward to more events taking place in your beautiful venue and the hallowed halls. 

​October 2024 Chamber After Hours
 
If you missed September’s Chamber After Hours and are looking to attend October’s, registration is now open! October’s Chamber After Hours will be held at New Tacoma Cemeteries Funeral Home & Crematory. Halloween costumes / themed clothing is optional!

The Business Leadership Academy of Tacoma-Pierce County aims to connect both current and emerging leaders with our business community, fostering leadership development and interaction with exemplary figures in their respective fields. This program is sponsored by the Chamber and Pacific Lutheran University and has been a regional community leadership program since 1978.
 
This program kicked off its 46th year last week as we welcomed 19 excited leaders into the Business Leadership Academy community! There are many things to look forward to over the next several weeks as these leaders explore leader development, assess their leadership strengths and weaknesses, learn from leaders that contribute to the vitality of our community, and visit organizations at the heart of our regional business community.

During the first day of class, students received the chance to hear from Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber President & CEO, Andrea H. Reay. She shared more on her career journey, valuable leadership insight, and what led her to our Chamber. Thank you, Andrea, for taking the time to speak to our BLA students!

What's Ahead

We are excited to engage with Tacoma's Downtown community through an extensive tour led by JD Elquist, Retail Advocate at Downtown Tacoma Partnership. Additionally, our Economic Development Tour will take participants through the Port of Tacoma, showcasing the vibrant economic opportunities in the region. These tours will highlight the dynamic business environment and offer valuable insights into Tacoma's economic landscape.

​We love our ambassador team and are very grateful to have their support! Our Chamber ambassadors are an extension of the Chamber staff, allowing our members to have more points of contact. We want to highlight each ambassador as a 'thank you' for their continued support and dedication that they put into the ambassador team.

We asked each ambassador a set of questions in an effort to become better acquainted and get a preview of their life outside of ambassador work. For September, we will be highlighting the wonderful Sarah Asay!

If you have been following the Chamber for a while, you probably have attended a few of our signature events. Occurring quarterly, Chamber signature events take months of planning and significant collaboration to make them meaningful, memorable, and successful. Those events also gain the highest attendance. Our 2024 Happy Hour Business Expo was no exception – we expected over 400 attendees to come out and we were happily surprised to have 500+ people attend!

The Happy Hour Business Expo is arguably the most favorite for members (and staff) amongst our signature events. This year’s event helped kick-off summer with sunshine throughout the day, which perfectly highlighted the venue’s location at the Tacoma Narrows Marina. This was our third-year hosting HHBE at The Waterfront Venue, and guests got to experience a few new aspects this time around.

As guests entered the venue, attendees were able to receive a door prize upon entry, sign-up for special giveaways, and grab an exclusive swag bag filled with goodies to get the evening started. Live music performed by Chris Jones filled the hall, welcoming guests into the main room where 70+ local businesses awaited to network, conduct giveaways, and share amazing food and beverages. 
There was no shortage of entertainment for the night as guests took selfies in front of the giant ‘HHBE’ neon letters, savored food and desserts from beloved South Sound businesses, and enjoyed the event’s signature cocktails – the Chamber margarita and huckleberry lemon drop.

Thank you to our sponsors, vendors, attendees, and staff who helped make this year’s expo a memorable night. We can't wait to see what surprises await in next year’s Happy Hour Business Expo! ​

Event Sponsors

Title Sponsor: Amazon

Supporting Sponsor: Verizon

Swag Bag Sponsor: Business Health Trust (BHT)

Parking Lot Sponsor: GTM Transformations LLC

Community Table Sponsors: BECU & Umpqua Bank

Silver Sponsor: Silver Cloud Hotel Tacoma at Point Ruston Waterfront

Media Sponsors: Lamar Advertising & South Sound Business (PMG)

Door Prize Sponsor: Emerald Downs

Giveaway Prize Sponsors: Brassfields Salon and Spa, MaidPro Tacoma & Lemay - America's Car Museum

​What better way to spend an evening than watching the sun set over Chamber’s Bay while networking with those in your community and eating delicious food? Well, guests of the Partner UP & Chamber After Hours on June 13, 2024, did just that.

Partner UP, a play on the acronym U-P for University Place, is a networking event held twice a year put on by the City of University Place. The Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber is proud to have the City of UP as a partner and was eager to jump on board to dual-host their Spring event. The outcome? Partner UP & Chamber After Hours!

We held the event at the Chamber's Bay Golf Course inside their Hospitality Tent, which can also be used for events such as retirement parties, weddings, graduation parties, and the like. The tent is decorated with fairy lights throughout the canopy, and includes a mobile bar, buffet, and plenty of seating for the guests to enjoy.

Attendees heard from the General Manager of Chamber’s Bay Golf Course, Matt Cohen; the City of University Place Mayor, Javier Figueroa; the City of University Place Community and Economic Development Business Outreach Liaison, Becky Metcalf; the Chamber's Ambassador Team; and Emily Cook, Director of Membership and Development for the Chamber.

At the end of the program, three lucky attendees won the giveaway prizes which were Tacoma-themed wine bottles, and four complimentary appetizer or dessert vouchers for any Anthony’s restaurant, generously provided by John Little of Boathouse 19. 

Once again, the Chamber wants to extend our gratitude to Chamber’s Bay Golf Course for allowing us the opportunity to gather at their beautiful venue and to the City of University Place for being such a wonderful partner. Thank you to all who were able to attend our event!

The Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber and Pierce County Economic Development recently celebrated the graduation of Cohorts 15 and 16 of the Pierce County Business Accelerator! Over the past six weeks, these cohorts of local entrepreneurs and business owners have been hard at work engaging in trainings, coaching, technical support, and networking to accelerate their businesses. 

Our Chamber is honored to have played a role in the Pierce County Business Accelerator from the beginning as the program administrator, in partnership with Pierce County. The Pierce County Business Accelerator serves entrepreneurs and business owners throughout Pierce County with a focus on BIPOC, veteran, and women-owned businesses to help foster innovation and create wealth-building opportunities. Congratulations to these amazing groups of graduates! 

View photos from the Cohort 15 & 16 graduations below, and learn more about the Pierce County Business Accelerator at www.pcba.biz!