Washington State Chamber President visits the Bellingham Region Thursday afternoon, we were honored to host Kris Johnson, President/CEO of Association of Washington Business (AWB) for his “The State of Business in Washington State” speaking tour for the exclusive audience consisting of our Chairman’s Club members. AWB is Washington state’s chamber of commerce. As part of [...]
By: Guy Occhiogrosso This Monday morning we woke to the news of Hohl's - an iconic Bellingham downtown landmark. We were once again reminded of the fragility of business and community. There doesn't appear to be much info at this point, but honestly it wouldn't make the pain stop. Today we are mourning a loss [...]
by Guy Occhiogrosso If you’ve lived in Whatcom County, Washington, you know how our economy and businesses can be affected by the Canadian border. That’s the reason the Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce has a Cross Border Committee. It’s important for cross border businesses, legislators, educators, and government to communicate and collaborate. The Cross Border [...]
The Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce Cross Border Committee met on January 24th. One item of note was that it is increasingly harder to obtain qualified employees through the H1B VISA program. The results show some US companies are moving to Canada or opening offices in Canada to attract a highly qualified, diverse employees. Laurie [...]
Whatcalendar.com is back and better than ever. As many of you know (and probably experienced), this online community event calendar operated by the Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce had some technical difficulties during the winter. The dual branded online tool serves our community as the largest online calendar dedicated to promoting both community and tourism-related [...]
Advocacy over coffee by Guy Occhiogrosso, Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce President & CEO As your chamber of commerce, we regularly work for you advocating behind the scenes on community and policy issues. Once every quarter, I sit down with our Mayor of Bellingham. Our conversations are usually robust and lively and I certainly appreciate her [...]
The acronyms AirBNB and VRBO may not mean anything to you, but it certainly does to our local hoteliers and to some neighbors. With the introduction of so much technology at our finger tips, we now are equipped to take advantage of so many new opportunities. Some home owners are now offering rooms in their [...]
These day I find my time is largely spent attending a council meeting, city forum, or having a discussion with one of you about the political environment and issues facing our community. Right now our political climate is charged and seems to center on topics like the housing crisis, Cherry Point, the Hirst water case, [...]
One question I hear often is, “Why should I join the Chamber?” You should join, renew and sponsor the activities of your Chamber if you believe in supporting an economic development engine that aids in Bellingham & Whatcom County becoming an even better place to live, work, and play. As a robust business association we [...]
The Bellingham/Whatcom Chamber of Commerce & Industry announced that it has added Chris Roselli to its Board of Directors Chris has stepped up to fill an opening on the Chamber’s Board of Directors. He came to Bellingham in 1995 to study communications at Western Washington University, and has gone on to work at WWU as [...]
5/4/2017 Today, my staff and I had the opportunity to get a tour of the Whatcom County Prison. It gave us a chance to see first-hand what the conditions are like and why there is such a desperate need for a new prison. I encourage you the public to take the tour and see for [...]
5/2/17 President/CEO Guy Occhiogrosso at the port of Bellingham Commission meeting today. The big question is...what will happen to the 801/807 Roeder Avenue property? Will the Port relinquish their right to purchase the property so the City of Bellingham can use that property for a new homeless shelter forcing the existing businesses to move?
