GREATER SPOKANE VALLEY · others, has been able to provide the group with valuable data on various projects and legislation, which has helped them to make more informed decisions

SPOKANE VALLEYGREATER

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“Transportation takes center stage” page 6

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Message from Board Chair

Welcome Letter

Transportation Coalition

Airgas

The Blissful Whisk

Going Virtual

Dispatch Health

Spokane Valley Fact Page

Incyte

Mountain Dog Sign Company

4569

101214161819

Contact InformationGreater Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce1421 N. Meadowwood Ln., Suite #10Liberty Lake, WA 99019509.924.4994spokanevalleychamber.org

Credits:Graphic Design: Samantha Lindquist, Journal of Business

Mission Statement:“We are the catalyst for building relationships, driving collaboration, and championing opportunity for the Greater Spokane Valley.”

14 6 18 10

Chair: Kevin RaslerInland Empire Paper Co

President/CEO: Lance Beck Great Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce

Chair-Elect: Tami Yager Waste Management

Secretary: Julie Van WormerArchitects West

Treasurer: Greg RepettiMultiCare Valley Hospital

Vice Chair: Kelli Pearson Pearson & Weary Pain Relief Clinic

Vice Chair: Matt Albright Providence Health Care

Member-at-Large: Phil ChamplinHUB Sports Center

Past Chair: Kelly Fukai Spokane International Airport

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Lance Beck President & CEO

Sue Runsak Office ManagerGeorgia Oxford

Director of Membership & EventsDana Divine

Business Development AssociateAmanda Hester

Business Development AssociateCollin Tracy

Strategic Initiatives ManagerShelby Wilkins

Communications CoordinatorMamie Cary Bookkeeper

Madeline HoweilerOffice Volunteer

CHAMBER STAFF

BOARD OF DIRECTORSJeff Adams

Horizon Credit UnionBrooke Baker Spink Baker Construction &

Development, Inc.Kevin Brockbank

Spokane Community CollegeWanda Buddrius

BECUTammy Fleiger

STCUJoe Frank

Greenstone CorporationKary Gibbs

US BankGordon Hester

Kiemle & Hagood CompanyTerry Judge

HOTSTART, Inc.Trent Maier

Trailbreaker Cider

Joe Morgan Modern Electric Water Co.

Bonnie Quinn QUINN

Kevin Person Wagstaff, Inc. Paul Read

Journal of BusinessMelanie Rose

AvistaJeff Severs

Northwestern MutualClinton Slovarp

WalmartBen Small

Central Valley School DistrictTracey St Onge

Washington Trust Bank

Doug Yost Centennial Real Estate

Investments

2 | SPOKANE VALLEY CHAMBER 2020

Message from Board Chair Kevin Rasler

President and General Manager, Inland Empire

Paper Co

“Built to Serve”

A s the Chamber rolled into 2020, the economy was strong and the Spokane region was focused on growth. The tenets of the “Big 5” were the

backdrop for the Chamber’s efforts to bring collaboration, communication and information to its membership, all with a forward going outlook. The dramatic economic shift created by the Covid-19 virus and subsequent impact on businesses and individuals has been unprecedented. Trying as these times are for all of us, our Chamber staff, leadership and board of directors have redirected their efforts to the challenges at hand. Built to serve, the Chamber has remained focused on what its membership needs. Collaboration, communication, information and community leadership all remain at the forefront. Albeit Zoom based, staying connected with its members and sharing the best and most current available information on health, safety, finance and education has been the Chamber’s task. As the community moves closer to emerging from the virus, the Chamber has engaged with local government, community leaders and organizations to develop plans, pathways and methods to obtain and

distribute material and monetary assis- tance to its members via PPE goods and CARES funds. The “Big 5” remains a guiding light in spite of the altered tasks as Greater Cures, Learning, Goods and Vision are what our members and community need now. The outlook remains forward. The goal is to serve. The methods are to collaborate, communicate and educate. There is no doubt we will emerge as a stronger, closer and more vibrant community for our efforts. I am extremely proud of how our organization has effectively responded to the Covid-19 crisis, the engagement of our membership and the relentless efforts of our staff and board of directors through this unique time. It is truly a privilege to serve hand in hand with all of you as this year’s board chair.


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Welcome to the third annual Greater Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce Magazine

B uilding relationships, driving collaboration, and championing opportunity. These are the core tenets to the recently updated Greater Spokane Valley

Chamber of Commerce mission statement. All three are at the heart of what our organization works toward daily.

Thanks to the support from the Journal of Business, we are again able to share some success stories from our membership. Inside this publication you will learn how a handful of our Valley Chamber members are putting their membership to work. We will also highlight Chamber programming that is making a difference in our community.

The Valley Chamber turned 99 years old this May and we remain committed to our community more than ever. I am writing you today to convey that your Chamber works every day to deliver on the implied promise that every Chamber makes to its community. That promise is to be focused on developing programs that provide Advocacy, Education and Economic Growth Opportunities for its membership and to be a resource to the communities we serve.

The challenge to business is intense as the COVID-19 pandemic has swept across the country. I am proud to report that the Greater Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce has never been stronger. With our membership’s support, we

remain on firm financial footing and have never been more relevant to the business community.

To our members, thank you.


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Companies & Faces of The Greater Spokane Valley Regional Transportation Coalition

T his summer marks almost one year since the formation of the Regional Transportation Coalition, a public- private coalition that has been working to shape the

future of transportation in the greater Spokane region.The coalition was spearheaded and reinvigorated in

August 2019, through the efforts of the Greater Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Inland Northwest Associated General Contractors, and the Spokane Regional Transportation Council.

Greater Spokane Valley Chamber President and CEO, Lance Beck, says the Chamber’s goal in starting the coalition was to organize these groups, convening their diverse interests into one conversation about how each could work together to connect their communities.

“The coalition’s purpose was to bring together private business, public agencies, and elected officials to discuss transportation issues in our region, and it became active for the first time since the last push for the North South Corridor was happening,” he says.

Sabrina Minshall, Executive Director for the SRTC, says her agency was eager to be involved, particularly as it had been years since such a coalition had worked together on transportation funding and advocacy issues.

“We wanted to be able to share in discussions of the

needs in our communities, find ways to make the system more efficient, and address the role of transportation in economic development,” she says. “It was about coming together with one strong message and mission that included the combined efforts of our agencies.”

Minshall says the SRTC, which represents public agencies like the major cities in Spokane County, Spokane International Airport, Washington State Department of Transportation, Spokane Transit Authority, and many others, has been able to provide the group with valuable data on various projects and legislation, which has helped them to make more informed decisions.

“Because we represent the public side, SRTC knows details of projects, and has access to tons of data, analysis and experts,” she says. “Our team used this opportunity to help illustrate very technical information to less technical audiences, as well as connecting transportation issues to economic issues.”

Cheryl Stewart is the Executive Director of the Inland Northwest AGC, a trade association that represents private sector commercial contractors throughout eastern Washington and northern Idaho.

“We are the voice of the construction industry and advocate on behalf of our members,” she says. “We’ve


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been involved with the funding and construction of transportation projects since our beginnings almost 100 years ago, so it was definitely important to us to be part of the Transportation Coalition.”

Stewart says the association previously helped lead an earlier iteration of the coalition, Keep Spokane Moving, to organize support and funding for the North Spokane Corridor project.

“We have lots of experience in working with legislators at the national, state, and local level, to put together transportation funding for projects,” she says. “That experience is part of what we’re able to bring to the Coalition’s table.”

Interestingly, one of the first issues the coalition focused on after its formation was I-976, a state initiative that places limits on motor vehicle taxes and fees.

With concern for how the cartab cap could impact transportation funding for current and future projects, the group set out to establish a position on the issue and work together toward advocacy.

“The coalition was opposed to passage of I-976, as the funding gap would further strain our system if it passed,” says Beck. “We worked to provide a joint opposition letter and actively endorse and message the “No” campaign in an attempt to educate the voters in Spokane County.”

Minshall says data played a significant part in the coalition’s decision to oppose the initiative.

“From a data perspective we determined the resulting loss of revenues would negatively impact completion of needed projects,” she says. “Projects which were also

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

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linked to the region’s economic development.”Although I-976 did pass, afterward various cities,

counties and transit agencies sued the state, arguing that the initiative violates the state constitution. While the issue continues to linger in the courts, funding for new projects has been delayed, and organizations like WSDOT have switched their approach to prioritize maintenance and preservation projects instead.

As a result, Minshall says the coalition is also shifting its focus to strategize for ways to keep new projects moving forward and advocate for completion of projects that address the needs of Spokane communities.

“Our concern is this state of limbo we find ourselves in,

with many projects, both large and small on hold,” she says. “Additionally, we’re seeing decreases in gas tax revenue and other state revenues due to the COVID-19 health crisis, so transportation revenues have been hit doubly hard.”

Beck and Minshall say the coalition also anticipates that both state and local governments will face a budget crisis this year that could result in even more cuts to transportation funding.

“We don’t have any real solutions yet but some of the low-level conversations we’ve started are about how we can prepare for that shortage,” Minshall says. “We’re looking at how we can be as efficient as possible with funding and get as much out of the system as we can.”

Currently, the coalition meets once a month to talk about transportation issues, ongoing and upcoming projects, and their impacts, as well as advocacy strategies.

Beck says he has been pleased to see how well the coalition’s various public and private groups have been able to work together.

“We’re not duplicating each other’s work, rather we understand what each group does well, send them to do it, then come back and talk about it together,” he says. “As an organization focus on driving collaboration, I believe that including other perspectives always helps us to do a better job, so it’s great to see this approach working well.”

Minshall says SRTC’s involvement with the coalition may also have influenced its decision to bring back its own private sector advisory committee, known as TAC.

“I can’t speak for anyone else, but I believe our experiences with the coalition encouraged conversation and reinforced the importance of having multiple voices at the table,” she says. “I think that with tighter funding we’ll need to do even more cross-sector work, but the beauty of this community is that we’ve already figured out how to do that really well.”

Stewart agrees that it is important for discussions about transportation to include diverse voices, both now and in the future.

“It’s important to understand that no one industry can get it done alone,” she says. “And looking ahead, as we face upcoming challenges with funding, we’ll continue to need everyone’s insights and experiences in order to determine how best to use our limited resources.”


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Companies & Faces of The Greater Spokane ValleyAirgas

A irgas, a distributor of industrial, medical, and specialty gases, is taking steps to expand its operations and establish deeper roots within the

Spokane Valley community.“The Spokane region is one of the largest markets in the

state, so it made sense to create a new location here to better serve our customers,” says area Vice President Luke Aass.

“Spokane Valley is also a bit of a central point for this region, between Coeur d’Alene to the east, and the airport to the west,” he adds.

Airgas was founded in 1982, and acquired by Air Liquide, a global supplier of industrial gases, in 2016. The company has more than 1,400 locations nationwide, with a branch in Moses Lake and a dry-ice store near the Spokane Industrial Park.

“Over the years, we’ve come to be a leading supplier of gases, hard goods related to welding, industrial tools, and safety products, including personal protection equipment (PPE),” says Aass. “Together with Air Liquide, we’ve become a world leader in gas technologies and services for the industrial and medical markets with a presence in 82 countries.”

The first major step toward expanding its presence in the Spokane market, Airgas has nearly completed construction of a 9,700-square-foot building at the southwest corner of Fancher Road and Desmet Avenue.

Aass says the new location, which will have five employees, and is expected to open July 2020.

“We chose Spokane Valley because its situated amidst lots of industrial activity and metal fabrication, as well as close to health care markets and universities that are focused on life science research,” he says. “These are parts of our business that we’re hoping to continue growing.”

While Spokane has roots in industries like mining and lumber, Aass says Airgas feels this region also has a future in new technology.

“The high-tech market is growing here, with many customers doing new and interesting things with gases,” he says. “We definitely see sustainability and future innovative opportunities here.”

Aass says that as a company, Airgas’s growth strategy is based on being geographically close to its customers, in order to make decisions and develop solutions that suit their needs.

“Part of that means integrating our specialists into the community,” he says. “Being present here and interacting allows us to develop good customer relationships and

helps us better understand their needs.”He says employee specialists in each of Airgas’s product

industries work to collect data that helps their customers to operate more effectively.

“Our specialists collect data on things like supply usage, product demand, and more,” he says. “The goal is to use that expertise to help our partners to become more efficient, profitable and safer, while also enabling us to be a better supplier for their needs.”

Aass says the new location was built with room to expand as demand for products and specialists warants.

“We envision bringing in more employee specialists as we form relationships, discover new potential partnerships, and become engrained in the community,” he says.

Aass says Airgas joined the Greater Spokane Valley Chamber prior to starting construction of its new location and has found membership to be helpful in integrating itself in the local community.

“We’ve worked with various chambers in other cities, but this is one of the better ones we’ve been part of, offering excellent networking events with relevant speakers,” he says. “Membership was important to us, because it’s enabled us to meet and interact with so many different people, and work to truly become part of this community.”

As an essential business that supplies medical gases to health care industries, Aass says Airgas has continued to operate throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and has adjusted to comply with health and safety guidelines.

“We, of course, adopted sanitary protocols within our business as well as adding options like curbside pickup for our customers,” he says. “Because of our safety product offerings, we’ve also been able to help other businesses to adapt to requirements, supporting them with PPE products to suit their needs.”

As a maker of PPE products, he says Airgas also faced some of the same challenges as other regional manufacturers with material shortages and shipping delays.

“During those challenges, we’ve worked hard to come up with alternatives with the help of our area specialists,” he says. “We’ve worked to follow government guidelines and required phases of reopening, and provide support where we can.”

Looking ahead, Aass said, “We’re excited to be forging new partnerships in this community, and can’t wait to see what the future holds.”

Airgas’ new location on

the southwest corner of

Fancher Road and Desmet

Avenue.


Companies & Faces of The Greater Spokane ValleyThe Blissful Whisk

T he Blissful Whisk, a bakery in Spokane Valley, offers delicious pastries cookies, scones, muffins, cupcakes, cake pops, cakes, coffee, tea and so much more.

Owner Tiffany Cable has been baking for most of her life. When her daughters went off to college, they encouraged her to go to pastry school.

“I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, and they encouraged me to go to pastry school,” Cable said. “I

decided if I could get through pastry school and still want to bake every day after that I would try and open a bakery and I did.”

Only a year old, The Blissful Whisk opened its doors on May 28, 2019, to serve the Greenacres neighborhood, on the corner of Mission and Barker.

“I live in the area and the corner lot was empty and for sale for a long time, so I told myself if it was still for sale after I graduated that I would try to buy the lot,” Cable said. “A month before I graduated, the dentist next door bought the lot, so I convinced him to let me partner with him.”

The name of the bakery came from a whisk that Cable found at a reclaimed furniture store on the Oregon coast.

“The whisk was in the window and it was from the original bakery in Astoria, Oregon,” Cable said. “The baker had passed away and his wife donated it to the reclaimed furniture store, and they put the light in it so, it was like his light in the window. I bought it and I was kind of hoping he would follow me to the bakery and look over my shoulder to make sure I was doing things right.”

The Blissful Whisk’s array

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Supports and thanks the Greater Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce for the great work it is doing for our business

partners and our Valley community.

You can find the whisk today in the bakery behind the registers.

Not only do they sell delicious pastries and coffee, The Blissful Whisk holds baking classes for people to learn how to bake and decorate. Cable said they have had a couple of homeschool programs come in but it’s mostly kids in the neighborhood that sign up for the baking classes. Anyone of any age can come and bake.

“We’ve done some decorating classes and as things open back up again following COVID-19, I would like to do some actual baking classes that are more than just the decorating,” Cable said. “We would start from the very beginning and go all the way through the baking process.”

The Blissful Whisk is also on its way to holding High Tea events where people can gather and enjoy each other’s company while indulging in a three-course meal.

“We were going to have the very first one just before they closed everything down for COVID-19, so we had to cancel,” Cable said, “but once things open back up again completely, we want to do one every month.”

You can also rent out the space to hold your own special events like baby showers, birthday parties and more.

Due to the effects of COVID-19, Cable had to take a different approach when it came to her bakery. The Blissful Whisk started offering curbside pick-up because of the Stay Home Stay Healthy order and has recently allowed people to come into the bakery. The bakery also put out

tables and chairs for people to come enjoy their treats and hang out while maintaining a safe distance. In addition, the bakery did not have a website before closing their doors to the public.

“My sister-in-law put together a website for me,” Cable said, “and that has really helped my business because people can order online.”

Cable went from averaging about eight six-packs of cinnamon rolls a week to making 86 six-packs of cinnamon rolls a week from online orders.

“I couldn’t make enough pre-orders to have some to sell to people who would just show up for our curb-side service,” Cable said. “I just have to thank the community for that because it kept my business alive.”

Cable is very involved in our community. She makes treats for the teachers and schools in the area. Among other involvements, she volunteers at Sacred Heart as a NICU nanny.

“I’m really active in the neighborhood,” Cable said, “and so I try and support that as much as I can.”

The Blissful Whisk is new to the Greater Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce. Cable said she joined the Chamber because she thinks it’s good to support businesses in the community and it’s a good way to network.

“I’ve met a lot of nice people that are local business owners so it’s nice to talk to them about their same struggles and successes,” Cable said. “I’m very thankful for this community.”


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Companies & Faces of The Greater Spokane ValleyGoing Virtual

A t the Greater Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce, we focus on being the catalyst for building relationships, driving collaboration, and

championing opportunities in the Greater Spokane Valley. A majority of this focus involves face-to-face interactions in our business community. In mid-March, Governor Jay Inslee imposed a Stay Home Stay Healthy order due the COVID-19 pandemic, mandating most of our business community to close, work from home, or offer take-out/curbside service only. This order changed the way we did business. So how does a Chamber thrive without leaving the comfort of our own homes? We had to make the switch from face-to-face interactions to going completely virtual.

Our primary focus was how to give our members the

resources they needed to keep their businesses up and running. We teamed up with two of our neighboring chambers, Greater Spokane Incorporated and West Plains Chamber of Commerce, and started doing weekly Joint Chamber Business Resource Calls. These resource calls were available for businesses to join and receive resources and updates regarding the COVID-19 pandemic with varying speakers. Attendees could also submit questions to the speakers, and in turn received answers during the calls or following them. Together, with the other chambers, we created a resource page to direct businesses looking for information regarding grants, loans, updates from the Governor, CDC, and many other agencies.

To utilize social media, we continued to post updates regarding the pandemic. We also created a “Hot Deals” Facebook page which allows members to post any deals, hour changes, events, or promotions they have going on at their business. We have about 150 people following the page and will continue to push our members to use this page as we move forward. In light of the situation, we felt the need to spread a little positivity, so we started to include “Some Positive News” stories on our social media and in our newsletter.

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events we launched Virtual Networking & Coffee events for our members. These events allowed our members to network virtually using a format where we could come together as a group then breakout into rooms of four. These randomly selected people would then introduce themselves to one another and network. “I really loved getting to interact with individuals I otherwise might have missed during an in-person event,” said Jesse Tennant, Director of Philanthropy for Girl Scouts of Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho. “This was one of the most helpful networking events I’ve been to.” In addition to allowing our members to meet people they wouldn’t normally meet in person, these events gave the Chamber the opportunity to offer a new sponsorship opportunity for members to promote their businesses to all registrants during this time of uncertainty.

Another one of the main events we held was our Virtual Education Town Hall. Governor Inslee announced the closure of all public and private K-12 schools in the state of Washington through the end of the 2019-2020 school year along with the Stay Home Stay Healthy order. To inform the community on what our school districts were doing in Spokane Valley, we invited the four superintendents from the Spokane Valley school districts to give an overview on what they were doing for the current and upcoming school year as well as answer questions. The four school districts; Central Valley, East Valley, Freeman, and West Valley, worked together to have a unified program. “We work together because we think we’re greater together,” Ben Small, Superintendent of Central Valley School District said. “We also think that there are certainly things each of us want to do differently and want to apply to our unique school districts.” The virtual town hall meeting via Zoom was attended by over 800 people in our community. This event prompted Kelly Shea, Superintendent of East Valley School District (EVSD), to hold another town hall meeting just for the EVSD on May 14. The purpose of their town hall was to give families the chance to ask questions and get answers on what EVSD was doing and the impact COVID-19 had on the schools and the students’ education. They had over 200 people in attendance and around 70 questions answered. They plan on hosting additional meetings in the future.

As the Greater Spokane Valley Chamber moves forward, we have certainly improved our capacity to reach the community virtually and will continue to implement some of these virtual aspects as we continue serving the business community in the years to come.

Virtual Networking & Coffee events give members

a chance to network

remotely.


D ispatchHealth is a new, on-demand urgent care service that is changing how we view health care delivery here in Spokane County.

The service works by dispatching a board-certified medical team to its patients’ homes or offices.

“We’re an acute care platform, that operates like a mobile care service,” explains Karrie Austin, the company’s regional market director. “Patients can be referred to us by their physicians, senior living, or home health agencies.”

Austin says DispatchHealth’s mobile medical teams consist of either a nurse practitioner or physician’s assistant and an EMT trained medical technician.

Teams travel with medical kits that allow them to treat conditions commonly seen in urgent care, as well as a lab that enables common testing, and a mini-pharmacy with basic mouth and IV medications. Each team is also able to access a board-certified physician by phone or video call if needed.

“We’re able to do about 70 percent of what a normal ER is capable of doing, including things like placing an IV or catheter, laceration repair, splints, or even breathing treatments,” she says.

DispatchHealth has an office in Spokane Valley, at 920 N. Argonne, but care teams remain on the road throughout their shift.

“Our services are available 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, 365 days a year, including weekends and holidays,” Austin says.

She says patients can request a visit through the company’s phone app, online at the company’s website, or by phone.

“The app makes it really easy to preload information, so that later when you need care all you have to do is press a button. We then call you back (usually within a minute

or less) to ask additional questions and set up the visit,” she says.

DispatchHealth was brought to Spokane Valley in August 2019, through a partnership with MultiCare Health System, which operates Deaconess and Valley hospitals here.

Austin says the company’s goal in partnering with MultiCare was to help improve healthcare access for Spokane’s at-risk patient populations, and address their acute care needs at a fraction of the cost.

“We want to provide the right size health care model to populations in need, at the right cost,” she says. “To that end, DispatchHealth partners with almost all of the major insurance companies, including Medicare and parts of Medicaid, which enables us to drive down the cost of care significantly.”

Austin says the company’s first year here has gone well, as it continues to raise awareness of its services.

“We’ve worked diligently to integrate our health care model with various at-risk populations, particularly senior living communities and home health agencies,” she says. “We’ve also been working with MultiCare to address some of their patients’ needs at home.”

Austin says DispatchHealth’s service area includes the majority of Spokane County, an estimated 475,000 people. She says that since its start, DispatchHealth has seen about 2,000 patients, and received overwhelmingly positive feedback.

“Patients seen in the emergency room often express negative feedback, as their physical discomfort is compounded by long waits and a high cost,” she says. “However, our patients are seen quickly, within the comfort of their home environment, and generally seem more satisfied with the level of care received.”

DispatchHealth joined the Greater Spokane Valley

Companies & Faces of The Greater Spokane ValleyDispatch Health


Chamber last fall and made an early splash in the community as a sponsor for its Greater Cures event, which featured the topic of mental health in the workplace.

Austin says participating in the event gave the company an opportunity to raise awareness of its services, as well as develop relationships and partnerships with local mental health organizations.

“We wanted to support the event because we realize how impactful mental health is on overall health,” she says. “When we visit a patient and identify a mental health risk or need, it’s important to have relationships established with those organizations so that we can provide them those resources and get them the help they need.”

Prior to DispatchHealth’s Spokane launch, the mobile health care model was a relatively new idea. However, Austin says a combination of increased awareness, and the COVID-19 pandemic have brought the need for such services to the forefront.

“COVID-19 has definitely highlighted a shift we’ve been seeing in how health care is delivered,” she says.

“We’ve been uniquely positioned to meet the needs of in-home care during this time, but it’s also helping people to see how models like ours, that bring care directly to the patient, can result in better outcomes and higher patient satisfaction.”

Austin says one of the challenges in bringing care to patients in their homes during COVID-19, has been maintaining safety for both providers and patients during the epidemic.

“We’ve worked really hard to ensure safety through enforcing infection control guidelines, not just for COVID-19

but other communicable diseases,” she says. “We’re constantly looking to ensure that our work follows the best guidelines to keep our teams, patients, and communities safe.”

While DispatchHealth is able to treat respiratory symptoms and suspected COVID-19 cases, she says testing for the disease remains at the discretion of providers and is based on thorough evaluation.

“Right now, COVID-19 testing is limited, but we’re currently working with MultiCare Health System, local laboratories, and the Department of Health to create a more robust testing system that would enable the testing of even asymptomatic patients,” Austin says.

Austin says she believes awareness of and demand for mobile and in-home health care models like DispatchHealth will continue to increase even after the COVID-19 crisis has subsided.

“Health care first started with physicians visiting patient’s homes, then moved to clinics and hospitals,” she says. “Now, as we continue to see increasing costs and poorer outcomes, we’ve begun to see a shift back to platforms that bring care back to the patient at a lower cost.”

Looking ahead, Austin says DispatchHealth plans to continue expanding via increased community engagement, additional mobile teams, and extended hours.

“We have two Spokane teams right now but we’re working to grow this market and extend into Coeur d’Alene this fall,” she says.

“It’s about improving the look and feel of health care,” she adds. “With increasing demand, I think this model may even evolve from simply acute care to greater in-home services in the coming years.”

DispatchHealth is an on-

demand urgent care provider

that comes right to your front

door.


MEMBERSHIP BY LOCATION

Members

Business & Professional Services

PROGRAMS & EVENTSThe Chamber hosted a wide variety of events highlighting our Big 5 Initiatives and member businesses, from the Gem of the Valley Awards Gala, to grand openings, and the State of the City. We brought our members together to discuss, network, learn, and celebrate the business community in the Greater Spokane region.

24 COMMITTEE MEETINGS

including Government Action, and a Regional Transportation Coalition OVER 450 attendees to the committee meetings held in 2019.

AMBASSADORS

NEW MEMBERSADDED IN 2019

The Government Action Program and Regional Transportation Coalition brought together local legislators and private businesses to address our region’s challenges. The Chamber advocated legislature for local businesses and schools during the Olympia and DC fly-ins.

SCHOLARSHIPSAWARDED$24,000 to nine students going into career technical education programs.

Olympia

33%2%

121123

30 Ribbon Cuttings

6 NETWORKING GROUPS

The groups average 20 unique members each and met a combined 148 times in 2019. Groups are located in Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake, and Spokane

TOTAL ATTENDEES 4,649

Hospitality & Retail

Construction & Engineering

Manufacturing

Finance & Insurance

Community Nonprofit

Government & Education Arts & Recreation

Health Care Real Estate, Moving & Storage

1 6

2 7

3 8

4 9

5 10

681

23

LARGEST MEMBER CATEGORIES

ADVOCACY EFFORTS


Spokane ValleySpokaneLiberty LakeNorth IdahoWest PlainsOther

2019 Financial Report

EXPENSES

REVENUE

2% Advertising & Sales

4% Grants

5% Rent

11% New Members

32% Events

46% Annual Dues

3% Marketing

Total: $588,022.79

Total: $700,055.21

2% Travel

10% Operations

14% Events

62% Labor

DC

49%

11%

1%

4%

49%

33%

11%

1%

4%

2%

11% Facilities

SPOKANE COUNTY POPULATION BY AREABy city and census designated place 2018

Liberty Lake

MILLWOOD1,795

206

290

27

Otis Orchards-East

Farms CDP6,300

SPOKANE VALLEY96,720

LIBERTY LAKE

11,000

SPRAGUE AVE.

32ND AVE.

SULLI

VAN

RD.

State of Washington 5,7151

Providence Health Care 5,466

MultiCare-Inland Northwest Region 3,3572

Spokane County 2,041

Central Valley School District 1,591

1These state figures are a headcount and include: Department of Corrections, Department of Transportation, Department of Social and Health Services, Department of Veterans Affairs, Employment Security Department, and various other departments. 2This figure includes Deaconess Hospital, Rockwood Clinic, and Valley Hospital. Sources: Representatives of the organizations, Office of State HR Director.

Employer Employees

SPOKANE VALLEY’S LARGEST EMPLOYERSAs of Nov. 1, 2019


S pokane Valley-based Incyte Diagnostics, a leader in pathology services since its founding in 1957, looks to continue expanding its offerings in the Pacific

Northwest.Initially, Incyte started to provide diagnostic pathology

services in Eastern Washington and North Idaho. Over the years, the private company has grown to serve clients across Washington, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Alaska.

“Our team of expert pathologists believes in a collaborative approach to patient care centered on outstanding quality diagnostics,” says Incyte’s chief operating officer, Gary Gemar.

Gemar says Incyte Diagnostics is primarily an anatomic pathology business, meaning it tests mainly tissue samples taken during surgeries or biopsies, in order to diagnose cancer, diseases, or infections.

Incyte’s laboratories provide testing of clinical specimens submitted from area clinicians, clinics and hospitals, as well as those collected at Incyte Diagnostics’ patient service centers throughout their service areas.

Headquartered at 13103 E. Mansfield in Spokane Valley, Incyte also has operations in Bellevue, Spokane Valley and Richland, including a new clinical lab facility which opened in March of 2020.

Gemar says the new clinical lab, which is located in a 13,000-square-foot facility at 15912 E. Marietta Avenue, expands the company’s capabilities to include clinical pathology, or the testing of bodily fluids.

Departments in the laboratory include chemistry, immunoassay, blood bank, immunology, hematology, urinalysis, coagulation, microbiology, and molecular.

“Testing includes everything from routine blood work to allergy, bacterial infections, prenatal screens, autoimmune disorders, hormonal imbalance, cancer and infectious diseases,” he says.

In conjunction with the new clinical lab’s opening, Incyte Diagnostics also opened two new patient service centers in Spokane, and one in Liberty Lake. A fourth patient service center in nearby Hayden, Idaho, was opened in June 2020.

Gemar says Incyte Diagnostics’ decision to open the

new clinical lab and patient service centers here was to meet increasing demand for clinical testing services.

“Physician and hospital demand for timely testing services in this region were the main factor in our decision to expand in the Spokane region,” he says.

Gemar says the company plans to continue expanding its clinical testing capabilities throughout its five state service area, and could have between 10 and 15 new patient service centers established in the next five years.

“Continued expansion will, of course, depend on each territory’s needs,” he says. “It will take time too, as we’ll need to lease facilities, as well as remodel, furnish and staff them.”

Currently, Incyte Diagnostics employs 370 people, including almost 50 pathologists with sub-specialty training in various fields.

In addition to services provided to physicians’ offices and clinics, Incyte Diagnostics contracts with hospitals to provide laboratory medical directorship and consultative services.

“Collaborations and partnerships are a key part of our business,” he says. “Providing medical directorships helps us build relationships with urban and rural hospitals and keeps us connected to regional health systems and their needs.”

Most recently, Incyte Diagnostics has been collaborating with area hospitals as well as the Spokane Regional Health District to provide timely diagnosis of COVID-19.

Gemar says diagnostic testing for COVID-19 was added to the new clinical laboratory’s molecular department on April 29, and antibody testing, which determines patients that have had COVID-19 infections, was put online on May 18.

“We’re working to increase testing capacity to allow businesses, schools, universities, skilled nursing facilities and healthcare facilities to test all their employees, students, and staff if they so desire,” he says.

Gemar says Incyte has been a member of the Greater Spokane Valley Chamber for over 50 years, and supports its mission to strengthen the region’s economy, build relationships, and encourage community engagement.

Companies & Faces of The Greater Spokane ValleyIncyte Diagnostics

Incyte’s new clinical lab located in

Spokane Valley.


M ountain Dog Sign Company is a local small business that’s recently put its creative energy and manufacturing resources to work supporting

its community in a time of crisis.Founded in 2011 by Steve and Marshon Kempf, the

Spokane Valley business typically produces interior and exterior signs, vehicle graphics, and ADA compliant signage.

The couple have owned two Bernese mountain dogs over the years, both of whom inspired the business’ name and served as its mascots.

“When we started, we had no experience in creating signage, but we jumped right in,” says Marshon Kempf, who currently serves as company president.

“We knew that all businesses need some kind of signage, but we also came to understand that the sign-making process was a way we could give back to businesses, helping them grow.”

During the first five years of operations, the company was based at Meadowwood Technology Campus in Liberty Lake.

“We started with basic sign-making equipment, building mostly non-illuminated signage,” says Kempf. “We found a bit of a niche creating interior architectural signs and ADA compliant signs for schools and other large building projects.”

In 2016, Mountain Dog moved to its current location at 1620 N. Mamer Road, where it occupies about 6,600 square

feet of space.“The move expanded our in-house capabilities,” says

Kempf. “We added more printers, engravers, computer-numerical-control (CNC) routers and a machine for braille signage that’s ADA compliant.”

Today, she says the company designs, produces and install most of the signs it makes, with the majority of its work being business-to-business transactions.

“As a custom signage company, a big part of our process is consulting with clients on how we can design a sign that helps them fulfill their unique marketing and business needs,” she says.

The company’s core markets include health care, hospitality, education, and multifamily apartments.

In recent months however, the company has also transitioned into making personal protective equipment (PPE) products to help businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“When the virus first started, there was a lot of talk about shortages of PPE supplies, so we quickly assessed our own internal capabilities to see if we had the potential to help,” she says.

During this time, Kempf says the Greater Spokane Valley Chamber reached out to ask how the business was coping and offer support if needed.

Companies & Faces of The Greater Spokane ValleyMountain Dog Sign Company

Mountain Dog Sign Company

holds a meeting with a client

along with the company’s

mascot.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 20


When Mountain Dog expressed interest in PPE production, Kempf says the Chamber worked to connect them with government officials and others for guidance in building the supply chain.

She says Mountain Dog soon realized its use of CNC routers in sign making gave them an important tool that could be turned to the creation of certain PPE products.

“We saw we could give back a viable product that would help protect people in health care especially, so we pivoted to making medical face shields and counter shields,” she said.

Facing difficulties sourcing materials and shipping delays, Kempf says Mountain Dog had to be aggressive in ordering large quantities of raw materials from the start.

She says the company also saw challenges in testing prototypes of the new products to ensure they worked as needed.

“We had to design and engineer products based on the materials we were able to source,” she says. “We were lucky to have local people that were willing to test our prototypes, which enabled us to adjust their efficiency while ensuring they were compliant with CDC recommendations.”

As creating PPE products was a shift from the company’s normal product line, Kempf says it also asked for the Chamber’s help in getting the word out to the community.

“They were very helpful in those efforts as well, letting people know about us as a local source for these items,” she says.

Kempf says creating PPE products has made up about 95 percent of the company’s business since March, both locally and nationwide.

“The majority of our PPE products have been sold or donated locally,” she says. “We’ve provided face shields to many in the medical industry including assisted living and hospice care facilities, and dental offices. Meanwhile, our counter shields have benefited businesses within the health

care, hospitality, real estate, and automotive industries.”In addition to face and counter shields, Mountain Dog

is also creating CDC recommended signage for use at construction sites and other businesses.

“Each industry has different challenges, but being a custom sign company makes it’s been easier for us to adjust and ensure clients have the products they need to be compliant,” she says.

Even after the crisis has slowed, Kempf anticipates a continued need for PPE products. Fortunately, she says, they are easy to make, and the company will have the capability to make them for years to come.

“COVID-19 has changed how we deal with illness and safety in face-to-face interactions,” she says. “It’s because of that changing view that I feel these products will continue to be useful in how we chose to deal with other diseases in the future.”

Kempf says that although many of Mountain Dog’s clients have been closed during the pandemic and are still navigating through unknown circumstances, she’s confident the region’s economy will begin to recover.

“Everyone has taken a hit, but as restrictions relax we’re already starting to see industries slowly reopen, continuing prior projects and planning for new ones,” she says. “Part of the beauty of this region is that we have so many generous, caring people willing to support each other, and I’m confident that our community will rebound.”

Post COVID-19, Kempf says businesses also will continue to need custom signage as they work to reopen and make up for lost revenues.

“Businesses will need signs not only to market and brand, but also to tell their stories and reach out to donors for support,” she says. “We’ve always believed that giving back to others in service is important, and we plan to continue giving back in any way we can.”

Pictured right: Marshon Kempf,

Co-owner of Mountain Dog Sign Company.


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WHERE TRADITION MEETS AMBITION Spokane Valley is a spirited community anchored by strong values passed up through generations.

We are determined. We are innovative.

Our future is bright.

Katerra:A new force in manufacturing

Kaiser Aluminum:Going strong since the 1940s

Documents

GREATER SPOKANE VALLEY · others, has been able to provide the group with valuable data on various projects and legislation, which has helped them to make more informed decisions