Federal Way Chamber Of Commerce Also Surfing New Marketing Waves In South King County

In regards to the topic of movement and energy in the area of local marketing, the Federal Way Mirror has been carrying an interesting column by Tom Pierson, CEO of the Federal Way Chamber of Commerce about what's going on in the area's business sector.

Pierson's outreach, as it were, is worth noting and ought to be saluted in the personal opinion this writer, because such an attempt to directly communicate with residents not linked in the circles of the Chamber in a warmer, more considerate way - is a perspective that has been for the most part sadly neglected.

Above: Showing that the Federal Way Chamber of Commerce is not the only organization in the South King County metropolis climbing aboard an infusion of fresh marketing waves in the area of community marketing, as illustrated by this brochure available from the City of Federal Way.

Outside of occasional news articles about say, featured lunch speakers, fundraisers, business as usual boosterism, and a handful of irregular promotions - any conversation about community between organized business and the public used to consist of a regular one-sided stream of annual scoldings and increasing louder exhortations to buy local or support community businesses for what often seemed to be no other apparent reason than the owners had opened up shops here.

While the first duty of a body such as the chamber is to its paid membership and the overall climate of business, the patronizing, immature, juvenile love/hate approach that characterized this organization in our early city years towards the rest of their supposed community partners may well be making a long-needed transition in light of more recent efforts.

Perhaps some of this was the flip side of the small town welcome mat more established members of the area have always insisted was here in the first place, a question I submit, that's worth more than a few seconds today as we try to navigate from our present condition into those visions we entertain for the community of tomorrow.


Left: Burgeoning local city and community pride is evident in the selection of the Federal Way Transit Center as one of thirteen local tourist attractions in the current municipal brochure. Photo copyright 2008 by Mizu Sugimura.

It's worth noting that ten years ago in 1998 the decision by the Federal Wayt Chamber of Commerce to establish and support an Advancing Leadership program to provide training for support, encouragement, networking and connecting for prospective and emerging leaders both young and old was a significant break with the aforementioned past, and the organization can congratulate itself for this apparent contribution to part of the buzz and energy that appears on the horizon.

Irregardless, with Federal Way's teenage years soon behind us it would not be surprising to see that some of the old,worn and broken toys and games are naturally being retired (along with some genuinely loved favorites - Federal Way's Festival Days appears momentarily to be in danger) as newer items with bells and whistles ostensibly designed especially for our needs are put into place while our leadership matures and the community horizons and perspectives expand and grow.

So there is much that citizens of Federal Way can celebrate, be heartened and encouraged by the new energy beginning to course through the veins of the town from City Hall on down. We can salute the work put into these more recent milestones and accomplishments and cheer the possibilities of those just down the pike, of which the programs mentioned in this blog are only a fraction.