CHAMBER CHAT

Have you cast your ballot for The Best of … Central Kitsap? The Silverdale Chamber is thrilled to be partnering with the Central Kitsap Reporter, Kitsap Mall and Southwest Airlines for this second annual celebration of the people, places and things that make Central Kitsap a great place to live, work and play.

Share your enthusiasm and show your support for the people who provide you with excellent customer service. Recognize your favorite place for a meal. Tell us who and what you think makes Central Kitsap the best.

You are invited to vote in more than 50 categories to recognize your favorite. This year we’ve made it even easier. You can clip your ballot from the paper, pick it up at a number of locations around the community or fill it out online at the CK Reporter’s Web site, www.centralkitsapreporter.com. You can even download a copy of the ballot from the Chamber Web site, www.silverdalechamber.com and have them on hand for your own clients and customers to fill out.

Additionally, the Chamber is seeking your help in recognizing the Business of the Year, Citizen of the Year and Business Pioneer. The annual awards are part of the Chamber’s “Accolades” program. Those three and the Chamber Member of the Year will be presented with beautiful Tiffany and Company platters sponsored by Puget Sound Energy, Oxford Inn and Suites, Kitsap Credit Union and the Central Kitsap Reporter. The platters will be presented during The Best of… Central Kitsap ceremony.

The recognition event will be on Sept. 24 at Kitsap Mall where the winners will be announced and presented their plaques. Our inaugural event was very well attended and the sense of community spirit and pride was abundantly evident.

We’d also like to thank Southwest Airlines, Outback Steakhouse, Old Town Bistro, Costco Wholesale, Sportsman’s Warehouse and EmbroidMe for partnering with us by providing some terrific prizes that you might win by simply returning a completed ballot.

To some outsiders, Silverdale is myriad buildings and a maze of traffic. I say Silverdale is the spirit of the people within the community. The spirit of customer service combined with civic pride is alive and well here and The Best of… Central Kitsap is a wonderful way to celebrate that.

Darla Murker is the executive director of the Silverdale Chamber of Commerce