Family Friendly Businesses

Minutes of the Family Friendly Business Meeting of Clallam County Prevention Works! Community Coalition
2/1/02

The meeting was called to order by Nancy Martin.  Those attending were Nancy, Paul Beck, Debra Sharp, Patty Hannah, Steve Methner, and Cynthia Martin.

Nancy showed us the forms we will be sending out.  We received postage money from Prevention Works for the stamps.  We missed Jim Borte since we were talking about publicity issues.  We decided the day the letters go out will coincide with the day we get the publicity in the paper and with the radio station.  The radio station will get us on the same day they get the information from us.  Cynthia will get the labels of the business names to Nancy.  Nancy will contact Jim to get him ready to go.  When it hits the paper, the letters go in the mail.  Both Paul and Steve volunteered to do some of the flyers in color.  Probably Cynthia will need to do it since it is on Page Maker.  Steve will contact Todd Ortloff and hopefully the businesses will be the ones who do the spots.   Cynthia will send the list to Paul and Steve and they will include some from the areas outside of PA.  For now we need to do just the mailing as it stands.  Jim will do the press release.  Steve is waiting for the press release from Jim.  Nancy reminded us that we are behind about a month.  We need to set a date to get this information out to the public.  We will tell Jim to have everything ready by March 1.   

Service Clubs as the next big jump came up.  Patty will do the Noon Rotary, Steve will do the Chamber of Commerce,  in PA and Sequim, Jim will do the Downtown Association, Nancy will do both of the Kiwanis, Cynthia will do the Soroptimists in Sequim and Pa, Rich Wilson from Joyce, the Sequim Chamber of Commerce, and the two Rotary Clubs in Sequim, and Paul will do the realtors association in Sequim and PA.  West End business and Chamber of Commerce on the West End will be done by Nancy.  Usually the programs are about 20 minutes long.  Go to the service clubs with the letter in hand.  May need to do the publicity more than once.  Patty Hannah said we should do a whole program on Prevention Works! rather than just Family Friendly Business.  Steve talked about the number of clubs we should be going to talk with about Family Friendly Business.  The fact that the Big Event will also be doing publicity is an issue.  Maybe consider doing this in March.  Paul said to be sure to get the Serenity House on the list of businesses.  We will schedule these as soon as we can in March.  If we could get our flyer into the Chamber’s newsletters it would really go beyond our list and to all the people who are most interested.

Display for the Big Event were discussed.  Nancy will set up the display for that event.  Patty also said that Prevention Works! can also sign up to be part of the United Way Home Show Booth to call the United Way office.  We should also get some information to the groups.

Steve suggested we change the back sheet of the letter and put in quotes from businesses instead of the list of possible things businesses could do to be family friendly.  Patty will call someone from the west end to get a quote. 

Next meeting will be March 1 at Parent Line. 

I think this list has most of the people who have come to any of the meetings.  Please correct me if I am wrong.

Lisa Wyatt at lawyatt93@aol.com, fax 457-0017, work 457-3333
            Cynthia Martin at cynthia@firstteacher.org 681-2250, fax same
            Fiona Hert fiona@olypen.com 417-6496 work
            Florence Bucierka fbucierka@co.clallam.wa.us 417-2366 work
            Jane Shefler  jshefler@olympus.net 452-3895 work
            Mel Melmed mmelmed@jamestowntribe.org 681-4634 work
            Patty Hannah unitedway@tenforward.com 457-3011 work
            Nancy Martin parentline@tenforward 452-5437, fax 452-5438
            Steve Methner  steve.methner.129e@statefarm.com 457-6456
            Paul Beck paulbeck@olypen.com 457-0456
            Debra Sharp dsharp@co.clallam.wa.us 417-2431
            Mark Madsen  mmadsen@jamestowntribe.org
            Jim Haguewood jhaguewood@clallam.org 457-7793 work
            Shaine Schramling shaines@nwinet.com  206 855-9189 work

 

Minutes of the Family Friendly Business Meeting of Clallam County Prevention Works! Community Coalition
11/19/01

The meeting was called to order by Nancy Martin, Committee Chairperson.   Those attending were Steve Methner, Shaine Schramling, Patty Hannah, Jim Borte, and Cynthia Martin.

Patty talked about talking with Dee Christianson and she was going to put out a survey in Sequim.  Patty did meet with Jim Eckert from Battell.  They contract for so many hours per year so their employees can set their own hours.  They also have extensive family friendly services.  They would consider childcare if there was a need.  Sounded like a great place to work.  He said the plan is hard to manage but the people love it.  Low turn over of employees exists in this company.  Personal leave, flex time, and all sounded like they were set up in very friendly fashion.  Sequim Gazette was also being considered.

Cynthia will call Prue Miller this afternoon for a west end person.

Summary of last months discussion.  The first discussion was whether there was a need for specific criteria and it was felt some was needed.

“Extras” that maintain quality employees (Put into practice—not just a philosophy)

                        Flexible leave of absence
                        Personal days
                        Vacation days
                        Flexible work time
                        Job sharing
                        Health care and dental for all employees—full and part time
                        Give away vacation and sick leave
                        EAP
                        Wellness plan
                        Cafeteria plan for benefits
                        Child care reimbursements
                        Investment in the physical environment
                        Changing stations in men’s and women’s restrooms
                        ADA enhancements—ramps, handrails
                        Child friendly—books, games, toys
                        Positive friendly atmosphere

Nancy was concerned that the smaller businesses might be intimidated by the groups being honored initially.  Steve said some of these issues might inspire others.

Contacting Businesses 

            We are going to mail to 200 businesses using regular mail because for that number it will only be $74.  We discussed ways to send this out by bulk mail, bulk mail with non profit, or regular mail. 

            We discussed the letter and nomination form to go out.  We want a statement saying that not all criteria would be met by any one business.   We still want to include the one with the illustrations so that those things should be included.  Cynthia will send rough draft to Steve for him to check out with the revisions.  We will then send them to the rest of the committee.  Nancy will do the letter and send it out to the committee.  Most of what we will do on e-mail.  Cynthia will bring up the issue of this first mailing to try to get funding from the Executive Committee of Prevention Works!

Time Line

            We are going to move everything up until January by basically moving everything up one month.   (See minutes of 9/26/01)  Steve will have list of names reviewed and get in touch with Paul Beck by the end of November.  

Honoring Winners

What we are going to give out to winners was discussed.  General agreement that we should give out a plaque in a frame.  The need to come up with a catch phrase to call the award such as the Family Hero Award.  We will all work on this name as something catchy.    E-Mail Nancy possible names for this award.

Meeting was adjourned. 

Minutes of the Family Friendly Business Meeting of Clallam County Prevention Works! Community Coalition
9/26/01

Nancy Martin, chairman of the Family Friendly Business Committee, called the meeting to order.  Those attending were Joy Sheedy (parentline@tenforward.com), Jim Borte (jborte@co.clallam.wa.us), Steve Methner (steve.methner.i29e@statefarm.com), Paul Beck (paulbeck@olypen.com), Nancy Martin (parentline@tenforward.com), and Cynthia Martin (cynthia@firstteacher.org).

Nancy went over the background of the committee to date.

Nancy presented a rough draft of the letter she had written that could accompany the application form.  Cynthia talked about the list of businesses we have compiled.  We have over 1100 mostly with addresses, some with phone numbers, and some with names.  The question was how to use this list and the letter and what should the process be.  Some of the businesses on the list are very small businesses and wouldn’t have employees.  Paul and Steve agreed to look over the lists to try to find about 200 we should initially mail to and also to eliminate people who are in small, no employee settings.  Several suggestions were made for the letter.  (Anyone who had specific ideas for changes in the letter—would you please e-mail them to Nancy or Cynthia so they can be incorporated into the letter and we use all your ideas.)

Steve suggested we develop a time line to see when we will send things out to businesses.

OCTOBER

  • Work on the letter and the internet application form
  • Interview three businesses for first award but not announcing to them about the award

NOVEMBER

  • Our first nominations by November (These will be from known family friendly businesses in Sequim, PA, and the West End. )
  • First press release

DECEMBER

  • Letters to about 200 businesses sent out at the beginning of the month.  Skip retail businesses for this first mailing because of the time of the year.

JANUARY

  • Make contact with service clubs

JANUARY/FEBRUARY

  • Announce second group of awards

We will still send out more letters later to other businesses but we hope to have more on e-mail by that time and also will have a better idea of the number of people responding.

Nancy will interview and select the first businesses in Sequim and Port Angeles.  Several suggestions were made including Washington Mutual, Arrow Composite, Sherwood Manor, and Serenity House.  The group felt it would be important to first work with primarily local agencies even though groups like Washington Mutual did many family friendly things for their employees.  The interview will decide for sure who should get the awards.  Cynthia will check with contacts on the west end.  We will recognize small businesses and businesses that make improvements as a result of learning about how to be family friendly.  Jim Borte will work on the publicity and media recognition for the businesses once we know what we are doing.  The cost for awards will be brought up to the board of Prevention Works!

Our next meeting is scheduled for Friday, October 26 at the State Farm Office at 611 East Front Street by Clinic Care.  Bring anyone to join us but we will be using the back door since we are meeting at 8:00 a.m.  

 

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