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Published by the Thurston County Chamber of Commerce serving Olympia, Lacey and Tumwater Washington. This issue features North America Talk and CopsforHire.
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M A G A Z I N EM A G A Z I N E
T H U R S T O N C O U N T Y C H A M B E R O F C O M M E R C EJ U LY 2 0 1 6
BUILDING COMMUNITY PROSPERITY FOR OVER 140 YEARS
NorthAmericatalka passion for placeThe team that brought us ThurstonTalk has launched five new Talk platforms and has more launch plans on the horizon.
CopsForHireOlympia's newest technology startup
REVIEW: new overtime rule REVIEW: new overtime rule
Compassionate, personalized cancer care is a hallmark of Capital Radiation Therapy at Capital Medical Center. That’s why every patient receives a consultation within five days of referral. Our board-certified radiation oncologists work with you to develop an individualized treatment plan that recognizes the unique needs of your diagnosis and lifestyle. We treat most types of cancer and offer advanced therapies for breast, prostate, lung, head and neck cancers, improving the chances for long-term survival. At Capital Medical Center, being cared about is as important as being cared for.
For more information, visit us online at capitalmedical.com or call 360-596-4872
Your road to remission starts with our expert team!
Capital Medical Center is partly owned by some of the physicians who serve our patients. ©2016 BCI
3900 Capital Mall Dr. SW • Olympia, WA 98502 • 360-754-5858 • 888-677-9757 • capitalmedical.com
FIGHTINGCANCER
WITH CONFIDENCE
4 • July 2016 Thurston County Chamber VOICE www.thurstonchamber.com
PUBLISHER
Thurston County Chamber of Commerce
EDITORIAL
Editor: David Schaffert
Phone: (360) 357-3362
Email: [email protected]
CONTRIBUTORS
Natasha Ashenhurst
Shauna Stewart
Shawn Timothy Newman
David Schaffert
Jessica Coen
ADVERTISING
Sales and Marketing: Marny Bright
Phone: (360) 357-3362
Email: [email protected]
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Phone: (360) 357-3362
Email: [email protected]
DESIGN
Mosaic Marketing Studio
PHOTOGRAPHY
Heather Harris, Elements Photography
PRINTING
Print NW
GENERAL ENQUIRIES
PO Box 1427
809 Legion Way SE
Olympia, WA 98507
Phone: (360) 357-3362
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.thurstonchamber.com
COPYRIGHT
All material appearing in the VOICE
Magazine is copyright unless otherwise
stated or it may rest with the provider
of the supplied material. The VOICE
Magazine takes all care to ensure
information is correct at time of
printing, but the publisher accepts no
responsibility or liability for the accuracy
of any information contained in the text
or advertisements.
Celebrating Pixels and Print
The media world was uncertain
over the future of print five years
ago. Widespread adoption of
new technology—such as tablets and
smartphones—encouraged readers to ditch
the paper and dive into the digital, disrupting
both the publishing and media industries.
The technology revolution generated a digital
tide that was huge and industry analysts were
announcing the demise of paper.
Not so fast. Recent research indicates a
leveling-out in reading habits. Toward the end
of 2015, the New York Times released a report
outlining a decline in e-book sales with the
pronouncement that print isn’t going away
anytime soon. In fact, consumers are revealing
multi-format reading habits.
The VOICE Magazine beautifully represents
these trends. We are pleased to announce that
the VOICE is going from a bi-monthly magazine
to a monthly magazine, a decision we made for
a number of reasons.
First, you told us that you want more stories
about business, community and advocacy.
You also told us that you look forward to the
VOICE landing on your desk and the simple
pleasure of looking at the photos and reading
the stories and then sharing it with someone
else. We see the well-thumbed copies of the
VOICE in your offices and it makes us smile
every time.
Advertisers too have asked for more content
and their support allows us to produce more
editions.
As we increase our content, we’ll continue
to embrace the digital form of the magazine
— you can read the VOICE on your iPad,
smartphone or desktop, making it easy to share
your favorite stories or copy event information
into your calendar.
In this issue, we are also celebrating a
hugely successful, locally based digital media
company — NorthAmericaTalk. They launched
ThurstonTalk right when the economy was
tanking and have grown every year since.
They have built a robust business model that
harnesses rapidly changing technology, social
media trends and Web analytics and produce
sought after content and results for their
advertisers.
Will readers embrace both print and digital
media? Absolutely, and the beauty is we do
not have to pick. We can choose from a hybrid
model of pixels and print to tell the story of
business and community, and create a climate
for business success in Thurston County.
THANK YOU TO OUR COMMUNITY INVESTORS
DIAMOND INVESTORS:Anchor BankCapital Medical CenterHeritage BankPhillips BurgessPhysicians of Southwest WashingtonPort of OlympiaXerox
PLATINUM INVESTORSAmerica's Credit Union - LaceyLucky Eagle Casino & Hotel
Mills & Mills Funeral Home & Memorial Park Morningside Olympia Federal SavingsOlympia Orthopaedic Associates Print NWProvidence St. Peters TwinStar Credit Union Washington Business Bank
GOLD INVESTORSExpress Employment ProfessionalsFirst Citizens Bank Cabinets by TrivonnaColumbia Bank The Creative Office
FirstLight Home Care GHB Insurance Great Wolf Lodge Hometown Property Management Mantis Graphix Jessica Jensen Law PS Nicholson & AssociatesNisqually Red Wind Casino Olympia Furniture CompanyPardiman Productions Puget Sound Energy RHD EnterprisesRed Lion Hotel OlympiaSaint Martin’s University SCJ AllianceTAGS
By, David Schaffert, THURSTON COUNTY CHAMBER PRESIDENT/CEO& Jessica Coen, THURSTON COUNTY CHAMBER BOARD OF DIRECTORS CHAIR
Thurston County Chamber VOICE July 2016 5www.thurstonchamber.com
CONTENT & CALENDARFeaturing...
In this issue...
6Caught in the LensPhotos from Chamber events.
9Cops for HireThurston County's newest startup tells the VOICE why they are automating the off-duty marketplace and why they chose to do it in Olympia.
12NorthAmericaTalkThe team that brought us ThurstonTalk has launched five new Talk platforms and more on the horizon.
15Summertime in TCWhat's on your bucket list this summer? We've got some suggestions!
17Meet the BoardIntroducing the Thurston County Chamber's 2016/2017 Board of Trustees.
21New Overtime RulesLocal legal scholar chimes in the new law.
Every month, the Thurston County Chamber offers several networking events, forums & workshops to the community. Here are some highlights you won't want to miss.
Young Professionals NetworkJoin the Young Professionals at the Olympia Country and Golf Club at
5:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 7. This is a great way to get to know young
professionals working in Olympia, Lacey and Tumwater. Location:
3636 Country Club Road, Olympia.
YJ
7y 7JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuulllllllllllllllyyyyyyyyy
BAH @ The Village at Mill Pond On July 21 at 5:30 p.m., join us for Business After Hours at
the The Village at Mill Pond, 2400 Lilly Rd NE., Olympia. BAH
is a great way to meet new friends, network and enjoy great
food.
J yyyyyy 121Juuuuuuulllllllllyyyyyyy
Foofaraw Military Appreciation On Sept. 9, the Thurston County Chamber and the Olympia
Yacht Club will host over 225 active duty military men and
women at Island Home.
ppppppppppppppppppppppSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt... 9999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999
Chief Economist @ July Forum Steve Lerch, Chief Economist & Executive Director of
Washington State Economic and Revenue Forecast Council
will keynote the Thurston Chamber's July Forum on July 13.
3JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuulllllllllllllllllllllyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy 1111111111111111111111111111111111113333333333333333333333333333333333333
5th Annual Olympia Brew Fest Enjoy beers from 30+ hand-picked, Northwest breweries.
Come and celebrate Olympia’s fine brewing heritage and
support the Chamber Foundation. Port Plaza, August 6, 1
p.m.- 8:30 p.m. www.olybrewfest.com
August 6AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggguuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuussssssssstttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt 6666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666
Due to the July 4 holiday, we will not have a Morning Mixxer in July. For more event information, please visit www.thurstonchamber.com
6 • July 2016 Thurston County Chamber VOICE www.thurstonchamber.com
Caught in the Lens... A collection of photos taken at Chamber events during May and June 2016.
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HOME | CONSTRUCTION | BUSINESS
A CENTURY OF HELPING OTHERS.
8 • July 2016 Thurston County Chamber VOICE www.thurstonchamber.com
Together, we can create a workspace that works.
1-800-900-1732
Thurston County Chamber VOICE July 2016 9www.thurstonchamber.com
Instead, what you find is a well-designed, open-concept
office space filled with hand-crafted work tables,
computers, fairy lights and white boards—as well as
programmers, program managers, designers, marketing
experts and an office dog named Ava.
You will find one cop, who happens to be retired, CopsForHire
founder Andrew “Drew” Finley.
You might have heard of Finley’s other business, 911 Driving
School, which is now a franchise with hundreds of schools
across the country. CopsForHire is his latest project, which
attracted the support of Seattle’s mobile gaming entrepreneur
David Bluhm.
Finley was selling 911 Driving School in 2013 when he had the
big idea behind CopsForHire.
Some police officers are allowed to work off duty, and
organizations—like Zappos, Microsoft, Costco and the NFL—
hire them across the country for games, marathons or business
events. When Finley was a deputy in Pierce County, he logged
more than 900 off-duty hours
in a single year.
“Cops are allowed to work
off duty as long as they
have supervisorial and
jurisdictional approval,”
Finley said.
Nationally, there are 780,000
commissioned officers, and
approximately 43 percent
of them are working 6.9 off-
duty hours per week with an
average pay of $53 per hour.
This amounts to a $6.4 billion
market for CopsForHire
today.
Finley knew that if he could
find a system to organize the
complexity of finding and
When you walk
into a business
called CopsforHire
you expect to find,
well, cops for hire.
That is not the
case at Olympia’s
newest tech startup
operating out of
the beautiful Steam
Plant Building in
downtown Olympia.
CopsForHire
TECHNOLOGY
By Natasha Ashenhurst
8 Local Branches to Serve You
INTRODUCING BUSINESS BANKINGFROM A TRUSTED FRIEND.
NMLS# 1143795
CARRIE WHISLERCommercial Relationship Manager
KEN PEKOLACommercial Real EstateRelationship Manager
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Thurston County Chamber VOICE July 2016 11www.thurstonchamber.com
hiring off-duty cops — just as he did for
students and parents with the driving
school — he’d have another business.
“When police officers work off-duty
they are subject to complex rules, which
vary from department to department,”
said Finley. “What we needed was an
electronic software solution — an online
marketplace — where each department
and each police officer builds a profile,
as well as each customer interested in
hiring an off-duty officer
“We’d automate an incredibly complex
system.”
“I pitched it to [Bluhm] for funding,
but instead of simply funding it he was
excited to join the business because of
its potential to help ease the tension
between law enforcement and the
communities — to help communities
heal,” said Finley.
Bluhm, a veteran entrepreneur, knew
the business needed three elements:
a subject matter expert, someone to
manage the technical space and IT
infrastructure, and an operator. Finley
is the subject matter expert, world-class
programmers were staffed, and Rob
McDermott was hired as CEO. McDermott
had worked for three of Bluhm’s startups
and was eager to join this new venture.
When McDermott joined the team,
Bluhm gave him the choice of location
for the company’s headquarters.
“Bluhm called and said, ‘Pioneer Square
or Bellevue, take your pick.’ I said,
‘Olympia’. I am from Olympia, Drew lives
in Puyallup and our developers were
all over the country meeting virtually at
the time,” said McDermott. “So, we met
with the team and asked them to move
to Olympia, we found this space and in
December we signed the lease. We’re
growing rapidly and world-class talent is
excited to re-locate here.”
In addition to the great quality of life
they sought in Olympia, Finley had
built relationships in his 17 years as
a commissioned officer, and many of
those relationships were with local
officers—like Thurston County Sheriff
John Snaza.
“When we started evangelizing our
idea, Sheriff Snaza said he wanted to be
the first to provide his agency with an
opportunity to recover all costs to his
agency while partnering with a private
entity to ensure all public assists are
accounted for,” said McDermott. “Our
plan was to roll-out first locally with the
Thurston County Sheriff's office before
opening the marketplace up nationally.
However, word is spreading and now
we’re having departments across the
country contact us -- including the
Seattle Police Department, one of the
largest on the West Coast.
“In addition, we’ve received a lot of calls,
from a recording artist going on tour,
big box stores tired of using security
companies and many others. We’ve also
made contact with the Fraternal Order
of Police, which represents labor for a
third of the cops in the country. It’s been
hard to put the brakes on all of this at
times as we work to ready the technical
capabilities of our marketplace with all
the demand.”
Once fully launched, CopsForHire will
match off-duty officers with customers
looking to hire them, while building
jurisdictional rules and regulations
into the software and developing
the infrastructure to allow police
departments to recover lost assets such
as fuel costs.
“Let’s imagine that Panowicz Jewelers
is going to have a trunk show, and they
want to hire two off-duty police officers
to secure the event,” said McDermott.
“Panowicz would simply go online and
build a job, indicating the day, location
and the number of officers needed. If
they need a K9 unit or a car, they could
select those as options. If they need
officers trained in crowd control or to
hire officers with medical certifications
those options are built into the selection
process.
“Our system knows the jurisdiction,
knows the rules, requests the officers
and, when the job is completed, we route
money back to the department for their
recovered assets, pay the officers and
take a small transaction fee. Just like
eBay or Uber, the entire transaction takes
place within our marketplace. Our whole
model is about automating complexity
and driving it through email, phone and
the Web.”
In addition, the team is building in what
they call “fairness features,” which allow
for diversity and inclusive transparency
for the officers interested in working off
duty. The system also provides real time
access to data for all participants in the
marketplace, which improves fiduciary
responsibility.
CopsForHire is transforming a complex
system that is difficult, frustrating
and paper-driven into a simplified
system that might ultimately improve
departmental fiduciary oversight,
inclusiveness and transparency.
“In addition, we’re building a compelling
technology company right here in
Olympia because this is a great place to
do it!” said McDermott.
CopsForHire CEO Rob McDermott working in the conference room inside the Steam Plant Building, downtown Olympia.a marketplace
promotingtransparency
12 • July 2016 Thurston County Chamber VOICE www.thurstonchamber.com
NORTH AMERICA TALK WAS BORN THE
WAY MANY BUSINESSES BEGIN: TWO
FRIENDS SHARING A MEAL ASKING,
"WHAT IF?"
Dan Jones and Martin
McElliott were sitting
at their favorite
restaurant in Olympia
in 2007 when Jones
introduced McElliott
to his big idea—a digital media platform
called a community social network,
which would represent what it is like to
live, work and play in Thurston County
through photos and positive stories
leveraging social media.
This was significant. Traditional media
was in decline, and ad revenue right
along with it. Jones knew they would
have to tell stories no one else was
telling to compete in the media market.
They had to create content that was
meaningful to the community.
It is likely that 99 percent of ideas
sketched on restaurant napkins fizzle
out, but not this one.
During the next few months, the friends
compiled hundreds of notes in a manila
folder and outlined what would become
NorthAmericaTalk. In addition to the
big idea, Jones and McElliott had the
passion, drive and determination to
launch what is—today—one of the
fastest-growing media companies on
the West Coast, boasting more than
80,000 subscribers across five platforms,
reaching 350,000 unique readers each
week.
The duo launched the first Talk platform,
ThurstonTalk, in 2010 with just the
two of them — Jones taking photos and
writing content while McElliott landed
advertisers.
“The early adopters were progressive
advertisers and marketers,” said
McElliott.
“[McElliott] did an awesome job of
presenting the product,” added Jones.
In the next few years, three pivotal events
occurred sending the Talk idea on an
NorthAmericaTalk: Spreading Passion for Place
The NorthAmericaTalk team from left to right: Martin McElliott, Amy Rowley
By Natasha Ashenhurst Photographs by Heather Harris
Thurston County Chamber VOICE July 2016 13www.thurstonchamber.com
upward trajectory.
First, Amy Rowley joined the team about
six months into the venture, as a writer.
Her position grew with the business and
she became the editor. Rowley hired a
team of freelance writers and created
a dynamic editorial calendar full of
community-based content and featured
business articles, distributed through the
ThurstonTalk website and pushed out on
social media.
Rowley has an MBA from Northeastern
University and had worked with other
tech startups and small businesses. She
believed in the ThurstonTalk platform
and business model.
could be replicated — that we had a
business that was scalable,” said Rowley.
“Systematically and strategically we
started launching other platforms.”
Since its inception, the NorthAmericaTalk
leadership team has refined the business
model, and admit that the positive
community-focused stories readers see
when they visit a community social
network is just the tip of the iceberg.
“We reach an audience in a specific
geographic region, overlay tools that
allow us to generate revenue and
measure the results,” said Associate
Editor Kate Scriven. “And, at the end of
the day our platform gives people pride
in their community.”
as vice president of technology.
With each new platform launch the team
sees steeper and faster growth, which
they attribute to a business model that
they’ve refined.
“We have the same launch model, but
we’re more efficient. We employ local
individuals within each community, but
we’re better at recruiting,” said Rowley.
“We’ve acquired all of the key assets to
roll-out 250 Talk platforms across the
United States.”
“Ultimately, our growth in readership
is because of the good stories we are
sharing about our community—stories
that are written and distributed in a
“The early days were built with
customers who had a belief in us as
individuals who would deliver what we
promised — growth in readership,” said
Rowley. “These marketers knew we had
a special formula that could deliver their
brand to the community.”
The next step toward success was
winning the Thurston Economic
Development Council’s New Business of
the Year award in 2011.
“That award created instant growth.
It gave us legitimacy, put us on the
community’s radar and got our brand out
there,” said Jones.
“The other pivotal moment was realizing
that the brand and business model
“We’ve created a way to drive readers
and grow revenue while compiling
unique data that we share with our
marketers,” said Rowley. “We call it,
‘Reach. Grow. Measure’, and it works
across each Talk platform.”
There are five community social
networks, all modeled after the proven
ThurstonTalk platform, —including
SouthSoundTalk, GraysHarborTalk,
WhatcomTalk and LewisTalk. Each
platform has local ownership, but is
guided by Rowley as CEO, McElliott as
vice president of sales, Jones as chief
research officer and Stephen Backholm
very deliberate way — and because our
content is so meaningful people share
those stories.”
Over the coming years, the
NorthAmericaTalk team plans on
replicating their business model from
their home base in Thurston County.
“This is where we choose to raise our
families and where we choose to live,
work and play. We all very intentionally
choose Thurston County as our home,”
said Rowley.
Ultimately, this passion for where we
live and for promoting the best of local
culture, as well as local commerce, is the
underlying philosophy that has rocketed
NorthAmericaTalk to success.
Reach. Measure. Grow.Reach. Measure. Grow.
IMAGE © ELEMENTS PHOTOGRAPHY
Dan Jones, Margo Greenman, Kate Scriven and Tim Shaw.
14 • July 2016 Thurston County Chamber VOICE www.thurstonchamber.com
Thurston County Chamber VOICE July 2016 15www.thurstonchamber.com
COMMUNITY
Music in the ParkThis summer concert series is held every Wednesday from July 6 - August 24 at 7 p.m.
at Sylvester Park, with the exception of the performance on Friday, Aug. 5, at 7 p.m. at
the Port of Olympia. www.musicintheparkolympia.com
Hands-On Summer SplashAfter 15 successful years of Sand in the City® Hands On is transitioning to Summer
Splash!, their first annual summer-long family festival of fun!
www.hocm.org/summersplash
Capital LakefairThis annual five-day community festival, July 13-17, includes a carnival, summer
sidewalk sale, kid’s day, Lakefair Run, volleyball tournament, battle of the bands, food
concession booths, live entertainment & fireworks display. www.lakefair.org
Thurston County FairMark your calendar for this family-oriented, old fashioned, five-day fair. The fair runs
Wednesday through Sunday, always on the first full weekend in August.
Visit www.co.thurston.wa.us/fair for more information.
Go Hiking, Kayaking & Drink Beer!Take a walk at one of Olympia's waterfront parks like Priest Point or Tolmie or head over
to Tugboat Annie’s and rent a kayak or paddle board. Waterfront dining is spectacular this
time of year, and so is beer—check out the Olympia Brew Fest and South Sound Craft Crawl.
Explore the Thurston Bountiful BywayPack a picnic basket, load up the car and take a day to explore this sixty-mile route
through Thurston County. Visit local farmers producing our region's fruits and
vegetables, visit a lavender field or a distillery. www.visitolympia.com/BountifulByway
SUMMERTIME IN Thurston County, 2016!Add these events to your bucket list...Suggestions contributed by Shauna Stewart, Executive Director of the Olympia, Lacey,
Tumwater Visitor & Convention Bureau
16 • July 2016 Thurston County Chamber VOICE www.thurstonchamber.com
Venables Pest Management is a locally owned and operated company using pet-friendly, professional pest management solutions for ants, termites, mice, beetles, spiders, bed bugs, yellow jackets and rats. We also offer commercial and residential maintenance services and real estate inspections. Give us a call today.
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AS A BUSINESS OWNER,YOU’RE CONSTANTLY CHANGING ROLES.
Thurston County Chamber VOICE July 2016 17www.thurstonchamber.com
WE’RE BUILDING SO YOU CAN, TOO
Meet Armand Resto-Spotts, the newest member of our rapidly expanding team. An honors graduate of the University of Oregon School of Law, Armand is past editor-in-chief of the
Journal of Environmental Law and Litigation. He will focus his practice on land use, natural resources, and environmental law.
IN BRIEF
Thurston County
Chamber
Welcomes New
Board Members
and Chair
The Thurston County Chamber of Commerce has elected three new
members to its board of directors. New members include John Bash, Shauna Stewart and Rachel Young. Each will serve a three year term.
John Bash is Superintendent of the Tumwater School District.
Shauna Stewart is executive director of the Olympia Lacey Tumwater Visitor &
Convention Bureau.
Rachel Young is owner of Miss Moffett’s Mystical Cupcakes.
The Chair of the 2016/2017 Board is Jessica Coen of Xerox Services.
The outgoing Chair is Mariella Cummings, former CEO of Physicians of SW Washington.
John Bash Rachel YoungShauna Stewart Jessica Coen
Thurston County Chamber VOICE July 2016 19www.thurstonchamber.com TTThuThuThuThuThuThuhThuThuTThuhhuThuThuThuThuThuThuuThuhuThuhhursrsrstrsrsstststttttrstttrsttrrsrsttsttttrstrstrrsststtrrstrstrrsssrrsttooooooon onoon on ooonoo CCouCouCouCouCouCouCCouCouCouCouCouCouCCouCouCouCouCCouCouCouCCCCCouoCCouuCCCo ntntntntyntyntyntyntyntytyyyyyyntntyyyyyn yyntyyn yyntnntyyyyyn yyntnn ynn yyyyyy CChChChChChChChChChChChhChhhChCChhCChChChhhChhChChChChChhCChhCCCChCChC ambambambambambambambambambambambambambambambambbambambambambbambambbambmbambamambbmbmbmbmbmbmbmbbbaa bbaaammbbba baamaa ba bamamamaammaaaam er ererererererer rer er eer r er eer er ereer er er eer er er r rer erer rrererre VVVVVVVVVOIVOIVOIVOIVOIVOIVOIVOIVOIVOIVVVVVVVVOVOIVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVOIVVVVOVVVVOIVVVVVVOIVVVVV CECE CE CE CECE ECECECE CE CECECECE CECEEEE JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJulyulyulyulyulyulyulyulyulyulyllyulyu yuuly 2020202202020202020202020020020016 16 16 16 1616166161616161616166 191919191919191919191991991919199wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww wwwwwwwwwwwwww wwwwwwwwwwwww wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww..t.t.ttt.tt.tttththhhhhhhh.t.tt.thhttth.th.tthtthhhtthhhthhtttth. uuuuuursursursrsrsrsursursrsurrsrsrsuuursuurursr tontontontontontontontontontontonontontontonononontontononnonnotoonnchchcchchchchchachachahahacchchchcchchachahachachchahahaaaaaaac mmmmmbmbembembembeemmbmmmmbmmmbem r.cr.cr.c.ccccccooooomomomomommmmomomommomommmm
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20 • July 2016 Thurston County Chamber VOICE www.thurstonchamber.com
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Thurston County Chamber VOICE July 2016 21www.thurstonchamber.com
Effective December 1, 2016, the US
Department of Labor will update
the “white collar” overtime rules
to raise the salary test for executive,
administrative and professional
employees from $455 ($23,660 annually)
to $913 per week ($47,476 annually). An
individual earning below that threshold
will not be exempt from overtime pay.
The updated rule permits additional
compensation (e.g. bonuses and
commissions) to satisfy up to 10% of the
minimum salary level. These levels will
update automatically every three years,
beginning on January 1, 2020. While
the minimum salary levels to qualify as
exempt have increased, no changes were
made in the duties tests applied to white
collar employees. Further, no changes
were made to the exemptions for outside
salespeople, teachers, lawyers or doctors.
Wage & Hour Laws
The FLSA establishes minimum wage,
overtime pay, recordkeeping, and
youth employment standards affecting
employees in the private sector and in
Federal, State, and local governments.
Currently, covered nonexempt workers
are entitled to a minimum wage of not
less than $7.25 per hour under federal
law and $9.47 per hour under Washington
state law. Overtime pay at a rate not less
than one and one-half times the regular
rate of pay is required after 40 hours of
work in a work week. Some employees
are exempt from the overtime pay
provisions, some from both the minimum
wage and overtime pay provisions and
some from the child labor provisions
of the FLSA. Exemptions are narrowly
construed against the employer asserting
them. Certain executive, administrative,
professional, outside sales workers
and certain types of occupations in the
computer field are exempt provided they
meet both the duty and salary tests.
Impact
DOL projects that 4.2 million workers will
be directly affected by the change, and
that another 8.9 million will be indirectly
affected by reducing the ambiguity
of their status. The new overtime
regulations will present challenges to
all businesses. While some employers
may be tempted to simply skirt the new
regulations through reclassifications
and adjusted hiring and salary practices,
beware! Wage and hour claims are
seen as a “fruitful vineyard” by lawyers
because the law imposes reasonable
attorneys’ fees on non-compliant
employers.
Recommendations
All employers should: (1) review the
duties, salaries and benefits for all exempt
employees to determine whether they
should remain exempt; (2) for those
employees that do not meet the salary or
duties tests, determine new hourly rates
for those impacted employees but beware
of changes on employee benefits (e.g.
401K, health care and vacation); (3) revise
or update current timekeeping programs
and policies to reflect the changes; and
(4) implement training for both managers
and employees addressing the changes.
It is important for employers to monitor
overtime or the employer will be held
strictly liable.
THELEGAL DESK
By Shawn Timothy Newman
Shawn Timothy Newman is an attorney in Olympia as well as an adjunct professor at Saint Martin's University and South Puget Sound Community College. (360) 866-2322 | [email protected]
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Our gift to you
new overtime rule how updated "white collar" fair labor standards
act (fl sa) regulations impact you and your business
CHAMBER FORUM
state economistforum speakerJoin the Thurston Chamber for our July Forum on 7/13 at 11:30 a.m. at the Red Lion Hotel Olympia. Hear from Washington State Economist Steve Lerch, Ph.D.
Steve Lerch’s presentation will include
a brief summary of the U.S. economy,
information on the Washington
economy, and a brief look at state
revenues projections updated on June 15. In
addition he'll address Washington State's fi gures
on employment, personal income, consumer
confi dence, gas prices, home sales, housing permits
and recent collections including cannabis. Visit
www.thurstonchamber.com for tickets.
Thurston County Chamber VOICE July 2016 23www.thurstonchamber.com
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Jon BreinBusiness Development Officer
360.923.4560
Alexis MillerBusiness Development Officer
360.923.4450
Jeff RobertsonSr. Business Relationship Officer
360.923.4505
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