POULSBO — Retired Kitsap Bank CEO Jim Carmichael and Poulsbo City Councilman Ed Stern were honored Thursday by the Kitsap Economic Development Alliance for “their outstanding service to KEDA and their many contributions to Kitsap.”
Some 120 local business and community leaders gathered at the Kitsap Golf and Country Club in Bremerton for the annual meeting of the Alliance, also known as KEDA (www.kitsapeda.org).
Carmichael was presented with the Economic Development Lifetime Achievement Award. He has served on the KEDA Board of Directors for more than 25 years, and recently retired after a long career at Kitsap Bank.
Carmichael was praised for his leadership, support of the Alliance and commitment to promoting economic development in Kitsap County.
“Through thick and thin, our Alliance could always rely on Jim to stand up, lead by example, and call others to action in the spirit of pursuing a rising economic tide for all throughout Kitsap,” KEDA Executive Director John Powers said.
Stern, a Poulsbo council member since 1998, was recognized as KEDA’s Economic Development Champion of the Year.
Stern is an investment adviser at E.K. Riley Investments in Poulsbo. He is a member of the Legislative Steering Committee of the Association of Washington Cities.
He is a long-time advocate for developing the infrastructure that will enable people to telecommute, and has served on local and regional committees involved in countywide public fiber-optics initiatives, private sector partnerships planning, and land-use and transportation policy planning.
Poulsbo Mayor Becky Erickson said Stern has been particularly active on several economic development fronts this past year, with impact at a local, regional and statewide level.
“Ed serves as chair of the Central Puget Sound Economic Development District, and was responsible for spearheading a large and active delegation of Kitsap leaders in crafting the new Regional Economic Strategy,” Erickson said.
“He championed the Association of Washington Cities’ efforts to pursue creative new economic development financing tools for local governments, and provided key leadership in expanding access to telecommunications infrastructure in Kitsap.”
