Candidates Begin Their Races By Jan Teague, President & CEO
House Democratic and Republican leaders recently held kick-off fundraisers to introduce new candidates running for office. I was both impressed and struck by the nature of the candidates. From the D side there are a number of nurses running this year. From the R side, there are those who served in the military. Eastern Washington has a few angry at government spending. In the West, the focus seems to be on better schools and good paying jobs. There are those who look like they would have trouble door belling, a problem for a campaign. There are those who freeze up when they have to speak, another problem. There are those who look sick and those who look like they forgot they weren't going to work in the garden until later. And, there are those who strike you right away as great leaders. All in all, it was probably a very good cross section of the citizenry.
Each party leadership speech talked about what a good crop of candidates they had. The candidates all seemed excited about running and becoming a legislator. But what does it take to win a race? It takes votes and votes happen one at a time. Candidates must work hard to get votes and it is done with everything they say and do making a difference.
George Stephanopoulos wrote a great article in the Parade, June 29th paper titled, "How to be a better voter". One piece of advice really struck me after having just attended these fundraisers. He said that debates matter and we should focus on what candidates say and do. George believes that debates can be a key turning point for voters and he gave some good examples. Nixon was undone by bad makeup that failed to hide his 5 o'clock shadow on TV, and Gore was undercut by reactions to shots that caught him sighing and rolling his eyes while George W. Bush was speaking. Gerald Ford's bid against Jimmy Carter in 1976 stalled at the second debate when Ford declared there was "no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe". Bill Clinton sealed his 1992 victory during a second debate with George H.W. Bush when Clinton engaged a questioner on the economy, and Bush was caught checking his watch. The metaphor stuck.
George writes that debates can offer a glimpse of how candidates perform when everything is on the line. He suggests that we watch how a candidate handles the pressure and give extra credit for spontaneity. Are they thinking on their feet or reciting canned talking points? Which one can defuse a difficult moment with humor, recover from a gaffe with grace, or pounce on an opponent's mistake without seeming too mean-spirited?
Political scholar Richard Neustadt observes that wit and showmanship are most essential in "the power to persuade". But Stephanpolous offers that experience, judgment, and competence all have to be weighed also.
As the political season gets into full swing, take time to go to a debate. Meet all of the candidates. Your personal vote counts and so does the vote of your employees. When you see what the candidates each offer, you will either be worried about what could be, or excited about it. Either way, a race can be won with very thin margins and your vote matters.
The Washington Retail Association will be meeting with candidates all summer. We will be sending them questionnaires to look at their experience and philosophy towards retail business issues. Our political action committee will be donating and endorsing some races. As we go through this effort, the WRA will let you know what we think. But take the time to meet these candidates. They need to know you as much as you need to know them.
Carbon Tax Likely Coming Soon
Governor Gregoire signed a bill this year that will pave the way for a carbon tax which recently raised British Columbia gas prices by 9 cents a gallon this Tuesday. According to the Olympian, July 2, Associated Press reported that by 2012 the BC carbon tax will total 29 cents per gallon. In BC the price of gas is currently $5.80 (U.S.) a gallon. The political speak in BC on the carbon tax is that it is "revenue neutral". This is a notion that is hard to swallow unless you are with government watching the money pass from one place to another, making it somewhat revenue neutral for government, but not for those paying the tax. Over the next few years, we can anticipate a similar discussion on carbon taxes as the state of Washington government agencies wrestle with funding sources to meet the requirements of Governor Gregoire's bill to lower air pollution and carbon in the air.
Destination-Based Sales Tax Software Solutions
On July 1, Washington is moving to a new system of sales tax sourcing.Businesses that deliver goods will tax items based on the location of delivery.
WRA is partnering with the following two vendors to offer our members solutions to destination-based sales tax sourcing.If you are impacted by the new law, we encourage you to contact them.
Washington State Destination-Based Sales Tax
Effective July 2008
What is changing for Washington State Retailers?
Prior to July 1, 2008, retail sales tax is collected based on the location FROM which merchandise is shipped or delivered. Substitute Senate Bill 5089 changes that.
On July 1, 2008, Washington retailers delivering goods to customers in Washington must start collecting sales tax based on where the customer receives the merchandise - the "destination" of the sale.
Edge Technologies is a Washington State Point Of Sale Software Developer offering solutions for calculating and reporting these sales taxes
Three programs have been developed to provide solutions for calculating and reporting these different tax areas. Both have the ability to update the address database on a periodic basis
Stand AloneTax Link
This program will allow you determine the tax area and calculate the tax rate based upon the destination address. It is self contained and requires no internet access or other program to operate and will run over a network. Your end of month report will allow you to quickly and easily report your taxes collected. Take a few minutes and download the test version or view our tutorials at www.profit-plus.com.
The Tax Link Stand Alone program, prior to July 1st, is only
$99.99 plus tax!
The Stand Alone version of
Tax Link is available NOW!!
Don't wait till the last minute, place your order today.
Edge Technologies, Inc. is pleased to announce a Web Services version of its Tax Link destination sales tax product.Now your shopping cart and other web applications can benefit from our service supporting the Washington State Destination Sales Tax.If you are a retailer with a shopping cart, here is your answer.
How It Works
Your web application sends us the address information via a secure URL (HTTPS), using an HTTP POST transaction.Our server returns the tax area, tax rate, and normalized address of any matching addresses.If there is only a single match; your web application can simply use it; otherwise it can construct an HTML SELECT with the matching addresses so the user can select the proper one.It will most likely be necessary to contact your IT person or your Shopping Cart provider to make these changes for you.
Premier Tax Link
This program is integrated with the Profit Premier Point of Sale system and works in conjunction with the Ship/Deliver function and existing sales tax reporting within the Profit Premier System.
Merchants Consulting is your source for Streamlined Sales Tax automation. Our SST Module is for retailers to capture destination sales tax up front, and report properly at the end. Our software enables retailers to collect, report, and track sales tax by shipping destination within Washington State.
Features:
Setup and use easily.
Automates the loading of the streamlined sales tax chart into RMS tax tables.
Operates within the RMS point of sale screens.
Streamlined Sales Tax reporting.
How It Works:
During an RMS sales transaction, when entering shipping information, the cashier enters the zip code plus four or the ship to address plus zip of the destination. The destination tax code will show for the cashier to enter into a pop up box. The cashier enters the tax code and the sales tax will be adjusted to charge the rate of the shipping destination.
How To Purchase:
The SST module for RMS is $129.95 per RMS Store Operations license. You will need one license for each POS performing shipping transactions. Volume discounts are available.
Need Help?
Merchants Consulting support personnel are available for telephone and remote support to help you install the SST module for a one time $40 support fee. (Merchants Managed Services Agreement customers are no charge). email for appointment (request your preferred date and time for us to contact you to perform the installation)
For more information please contact Merchants Consulting LLC at 253-509-2110
Workplace rule for outdoor heat takes effect July 5
TUMWATER - With temperatures reaching near-record levels in many parts of the state this week, the Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) is reminding employers that a permanent outdoor heat rule takes effect Saturday, July 5. The rule protects workers from outdoor heat exposure, which can result in serious medical conditions, including disability or death.
The rule requires employers with employees who work outdoors to:
Train employees and supervisors to recognize heat-related illness and what to do if someone has symptoms.
On days when temperatures require preventive measures, increase the volume of water available to employees.
Have the ability to appropriately respond to any employee with symptoms of illness.
Include heat-related-illness hazards in the employer's accident prevention program.
L&I offers many online resources, such as a sample accident prevention plan, training materials for supervisors and workers, and wallet cards with safety tips.
Registration is now open for the Governor's Safety and Health Conference.
Thousands of workers are injured, and sadly, more than 100 Washington workers die from job-related injuries each year. Many of these injuries and losses are preventable. The conference provides resources to assist in design and maintenance of a sound safety and healthy culture at your workplace. The benefits include; reduced injuries, less time lost from work, money saved on industrial insurance premiums and an increase in profits. The comprehensive safety skills gained will benefit you far beyond the workplace.
There are two great pre-conference sessions, one dealing with wellness for commercial drivers that is a MUST SEE for any type of driver working out of their vehicle. This will take place Tuesday, September 23, 8:30am - 4:30pm at the DoubleTree Hotel, Spokane Falls Ballroom. For more information, please contact Sharon Drozdowsky at (360) 902-4622 or dros235@LNI.wa.gov . This is valuable for delivery drivers too!
The second session deals with Solutions for an Aging Workforce. Many workplaces are confronted by the demographic reality of an aging workforce. While older workers do have particular needs, solutions must take into account the needs of workers at all stages of their careers and lives. The course will examine specific issues, including workplace design for safety and health; work/life balance; maintaining health as we age; the roles of employers, employees, the larger community, and public policy in addressing this demographic change. For more information, visit http://nwcenter.washington.edu or contact Maribeth Moore, Northwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety, 206-543-1069 or moomoore@u.washington.edu.
Entertainment Retailers are the power group category this year, replacing the more narrowly focused booksellers grouping. Though it might appear to be a diverse set of specialty stores, there is more overlap than you might think. Borders brings together digital and Internet options with the hand-on approach to books, CDs and DVDs. Borders is opening 14 of these prototype stores this year, combining 170,000 book, music and movie titles on the shelves with digital centers where customers can download e-books, mix and match songs and CDs and create electronic photo albums, family histories and more.
Apples iTunes Store is now the largest seller of music, surpassing Wal-Mart, Amazon.com, Best Buy and Target. And iTunes broke the news in May that it would sell movie downloads, beginning the same day the titles are released on DVD.
Blockbuster rentals only constitute half of their revenues and now promotes its Total Access program to compete with Netflix and other electronic retailers, while video games constitute a growth area for store merchandise.
Entertainment Retailers: GameStop, Blockbuster, Barnes & Noble, Borders Group, iTunes, TransWorld Entertainment, and Netflix
The Washington Attorney General (AG) announced these upcoming free community shred events and free identity theft prevention forums providing opportunities to shred important personally identifiable documents. Bring your documents to be shredded!
Below is a list of upcoming events. You can find more information and additional shredding sites online at www.atg.wa.gov/shredathon.aspx.
OLYMPIA: Saturday, July 26, 2008, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. WSECU, 400 East Union St. Olympia. Shredding provided by Shred-It.
MOSES LAKE: Thursday, August 14, 2008, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Location TBA. Guard It! identity theft forum with Attorney General Rob McKenna: Noon to 1:30 pm.Shredding donated by United Data Security.
CENTRALIA: Wednesday, September 3, 2008, 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. Location TBA. Guard It! identity theft forum with Attorney General Rob McKenna: Noon to 1:30 pm.Shredding donated by LeMay
GOLDENDALE: Tentatively planned for Wednesday, September 10, 2008. Location TBA. In conjunction with Guard It! identity theft forum with Attorney General Rob McKenna.
TACOMA: Ongoing, Monday-Saturday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Tacoma Recycling Co., Inc., 2318 South Tacoma Way Offers free document destruction for private individuals who bring in less than 10 pounds of material during regular business hours. Consumers may witness their papers being destroyed. Businesses will be charged for this service. Info: (253) 474-9559
Retail Sales List
Though the retail climate has changed dramatically in the last year, the top retail power players have not, according to STORES magazine's Top 100 Retailers List. The report, sponsored by SAP and featured in the July issue of STORES, is an annual snapshot of the retail industry and ranks companies by revenue and groups them on one chart regardless of the segment or segments in which they operate.
As the definition of retail continues to expand, technology and entertainment companies were added to the list, with Apple Stores/iTunes (#52), Dell Retail (#56), Verizon Wireless (#61), and AT&T Wireless (#81) all making their debut this year.
"With new products, a different ad campaign, or a fresh look, the best retailers are constantly reinventing themselves to remain relevant to their customers," said Susan Reda, Executive Editor of STORES Magazine. "As consumers struggle with higher gas and food prices, lower home values, and a shaky economy, retailers are staying focused on how to appeal to shoppers during this difficult time."
As it has since 1991 when STORES began compiling the Top 100 list, Wal-Mart tops the list again for 2007 with sales of $379 billion. According to the STORES article, while Wal-Mart continues to invest in its "green" and organic initiatives, it has not lost site of its original claim to fame of providing everyday low-prices for its customers.
Standing strong near the top of the list, The Home Depot is the nation's second largest retailer. Home Depot's rival competitor, Lowe's, also landed on the list at number nine. Cincinnati-based grocer Kroger came in at #4.
Thanks to its acquisition of Caremark, CVS Caremark landed the number three spot on the list, up from number nine in 2006. The health and wellness industry has continued to outperform many other sectors, largely due to consumers cutting back on discretionary purchases and focusing on essentials. Walgreen saw sales increase 13.4 percent from 2006 to $54 billion, securing the number seven position for the Illinois-based drug store.
Costco (#5) and Target (#6), oftentimes competing for the same customer, maintained their positions within the top 10 with sales of $64 billion and $63 billion, respectively. Costco has consistently landed a top five spot for the last five years.
Rounding out the top 10 are Sears Holdings (#8) and SUPERVALU (#10), moving Safeway down to number eleven.
STORES Top 10 Retailers
1. Wal-Mart
2. The Home Depot
3. CVS Caremark
4. Kroger
5. Costco
6. Target
7. Walgreen
8. Sears
9. Lowe's
10. SUPERVALU
Registration is now open for the Governor's 2008 Economic and Workforce Development Conference, Sept. 3-4, in Lynnwood.
Learn new strategies, applaud best practices and make important connections that will help move your workforce development organization forward.
The conference features:
·An update from Gov. Chris Gregoire on The Next Washington.
·Recognition of 2008 Economic and Workforce Development Award winners.
·Cutting-edge workshops on industry clusters, Innovation Partnership Zones and the green economy.
·Compelling breakout sessions to help your organization thrive in a global marketplace.
Register now and qualify for the early-bird registration fee of $150. After Aug. 8, it's $200. Tickets to this two-day event include continental breakfast, lunch and an evening reception.
Join us and learn new ways to keep Washington's economy and workforce moving ahead!
Washington Workforce Development News: Keep posted with the latest workforce development news in Washington state. Reply to this message if you would like to receive our brief weekly e-mail news.
Insight on disaster preparedness and emergency readiness for homeowners, renters, and business owners. Answers to questions on how to plan for physical disasters, including how to recover from property damage and economic loss.
Small Business Administration Media Advisory
PRESS OFFICE
Release Date: July 3, 2008Contact: Cecelia Taylor (202) 401-3059
SBA's Live Web Chat with Diana McClure, Director of Business Protection at the Institute for Business and Home Safety will answer questions Thursday, July 10 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., ET
WHO: Diana McClure, director of business protection and vice president at the Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), will host the SBA's July Web chat on "Preparing for Disaster - What Every Homeowner, Renter and Business Should Know."
McClure will share her insight on disaster preparedness and emergency readiness for homeowners, renters, and business owners. She will answer questions about how to plan for physical disasters, including how to recover from property damage and economic loss.
McClure's business continuity approach is based on IBHS' Open for Business® program, a toolkit geared toward small to mid-sized businesses. The toolkit and an online training series are available for free to help business owners complete their disaster plan at www.DisasterSafety.org. The toolkit is also available in Spanish.
WHAT: The SBA's live Web chat series provides small business owners with the opportunity to have an online exchange about relevant business issues with experts, real-world industry leaders and successful entrepreneurs. Participants will have direct, real-time access to the Web chat via questions they submit online, in advance and during the session, with instant online answers.
WHEN: July 10, 2008, 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. (ET)
McClure will answer questions for one hour.
HOW: Participants can join the live Web chat by going online to www.sba.gov, and clicking "Online Business Chat." Web chat participants may post questions before the July 10th chat by visiting http://app1.sba.gov/livemeeting/jul08/index.cfm and posting their questions online.
BELLEVUE, Wash. - July 2, 2008 - Puget Sound Energy, utility subsidiary of Puget Energy (NYSE: PSD), and Puget Holdings LLC, a consortium of long-term infrastructure investors committed to supporting and strengthening Washington's oldest and largest energy utility, today announced that their proposed merger will immediately benefit PSE customers by providing $100 million in rate credits and reduced costs.
In testimony scheduled to be filed later this afternoon with the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC), which is reviewing the proposed merger announced in October 2007, the Puget Holdings investors reaffirmed their financial support of PSE's $5 billion capital program ($1 billion annually over the next five years) to meet the critical energy, environment and economic needs of the region and outlined additional commitments that will protect and benefit customers.
"We have a group of patient investors who have listened and take seriously the issues raised by the interested parties in the merger case," said Stephen P. Reynolds, chairman, president, and CEO for PSE and Puget Energy. "The investors are willing to go the extra mile to demonstrate their long-term commitment to our customers and make sure our local management team and employees succeed in improving customer service, are sensitive to rates, and meet the critical infrastructure and growing energy supply needs of the region."
Today's filings by PSE, the Puget Holdings investors and outside experts correct inaccuracies, outline customer benefits and make additional commitments in response to issues raised last month by the interested parties in the case. Customer benefits include tangible rate credits and meaningful service improvements, capital infusions to strengthen the utility, and, if required, limitations on distributions of earnings. The filings also include additional commitments to continue PSE's aggressive approach to renewable energy and to PSE's Green Power and energy efficiency programs. PSE also agrees to set a goal to be carbon neutral by 2050, making it the first such investor-owned utility in the region.
"The investors will commit to specific actions for the direct benefit of PSE's customers and the region," said Christopher J. Leslie, CEO for New York-based Macquarie Infrastructure Partners, a Puget Holdings investor member. "We are taking significant steps above and beyond the "no harm" standard for merger approval. PSE customers will benefit from $100 million in rate credits and reduced costs ($10 million annually over 10 years), which will help stabilize rates while we invest in the company."
Lincoln Webb, Vice President, Private Placements for British Columbia Investment Management Corporation, one of the three Canadian investor members, said, "We're counting on the same local people to run the same local utility, only now with access to new, reliable and patient capital. Everyone benefits from a financially stronger utility. Simply put, we're looking for a solid, long-term place to invest and PSE and Washington state fit that description."
Phyllis Campbell, president and CEO of the Seattle Foundation and independent lead director of the PSE and Puget Energy boards said, "PSE has tremendous capital needs regardless of its owners. Aging infrastructure must be replaced, expiring wholesale power contracts must renegotiated, and a high-growth region must be served. Puget Holdings is comprised of experienced financial investors who fully support PSE's existing commitments.
"Committed capital, during a time of turbulent markets and quickly escalating costs, provides security that works to the benefit of customers," added Campbell. "The status quo, in light of these massive needs for capital, poses its own significant challenges. Turning to the public capital markets repeatedly, while continuing with the status quo, would expose the company's continued financial well-being to very real risks. And a financially weak utility is not in the customer's benefit."
The UTC is expected to issue a decision on the merger, which has already been approved by both the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and shareholders, in September 2008.
The Washington Retail Association, WRA, is a 501 C 6 trade association formed to advocate for Washington State’s retailers at the local, state and national level. Since 1987, the WRA has protected Washington's retailers from unreasonable taxes, fees, regulations and legislation. The efforts of the WRA benefit all Washington state retailers and help fuel statewide economic growth.
