South Kitsap businessman says it’s just his way of saying thanks

A Port Orchard business owner has found a creative way of thanking the soldiers currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, by offering them the use of his company’s facilities off of Bethel-Burley Road.

Charlie Williams, co-founder of Nation-al Strategic Investment Corp. (NSIC), says servicemen and women returning home from tours of duty will be able to use his company’s conference center to gather as many as 70 friends and relatives for dinner, slide shows, presentations and activities, while paying, if anything, only for clean-up costs.

The firm is trying to do “anything that we can help out with,” said Williams’ partner, Ron Kimball.

Like many folks in Kitsap County, including a number of NSIC clients, Williams and his partners have strong ties to the military. So finding a way to help soldiers reconnect with family and friends seemed only natural to the business owners.

“A lot of (the investors) are vets, and we talked about this and they got really excited,” Williams said.

Williams grew up as a self-described Army brat, while Kimball spent time with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), and has numerous friends within the armed forces.

Steve Hettema, Williams’ other partner, served in the Navy before helping found the NSIC group.

Williams said he came up with the idea to use his conference center for the benefit of the troops after watching a news program that featured a pair of adolescents with an innovative idea for helping soldiers keep in touch with loved ones.

The teens collected old cell phones, then turned them in in exchange for free minutes from service providers, which they could then donate to military personnel for use.

Williams said to himself, “I could do something like that,” and took a look at his conference center, which as it stands now, is only used about once a week for investor group meetings and seminars.

The building, located on SE Ellis Court, just off of Bethel-Burley Road, south of Sedgwick Road, contains tables and chairs for guests, two projectors with screens, surround sound, a full kitchen and bathroom, and enough space to house about 70 people without tables — or 40 people with them.

“These guys (the soldiers) are getting a pat on the back, which they really should get,” said Kimball.

See more of the facility online at www.nsicgroup.com, or contact Williams about rental by emailing him at charliew@nsicgroup.com.