Bellevue Chamber

06/05/2026

What a night under the lights at the Bellevue Botanical Garden! Our third annual Believe brought together 14 of the Eastside's smaller and newer nonprofits, the ones doing essential work that doesn't always get the spotlight. Big thanks to presenting sponsor Amazon, and to everyone who showed up ready to listen and connect!

Meet all 14 organizations in our recap: https://www.bellevuechamber.org/news/believe-2026-putting-14-eastside-nonprofits-in-the-spotlight

06/03/2026

"A strong Seattle is integral to a strong Bellevue, and our fates are forever intertwined."

Joe Fain opened with that line at West Side Story, and the packed room at W Bellevue got the conversation to match. Joe Nguyen, Jon Scholes, and Tiffini Connell didn't dodge the hard stuff: the Jumpstart tax, $10 billion in lost downtown Seattle office value, and what it takes to keep employers on this side of the country.

But there was plenty of good news too. Pioneer Square is coming back, the waterfront is transformed, and the World Cup kicks off in 24 days with 750,000 visitors on the way.

The full recap is on our blog:
https://www.bellevuechamber.org/news/chamber-lunch-recap-west-side-story-brings-seattle's-toughest-questions-to-bellevue

06/02/2026

This Friday, we're rolling out the red carpet for the 2026 Bellevue Regional Awards Gala.

One evening at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue to celebrate the people and businesses shaping our region: Nonprofit of the Year, Public Official of the Year, Chamber Member of the Year, Signature Experience of the Year, and the People's Choice Business of the Year. Add a silent auction, a live auction, and a Dessert Dash, and it's a night worth dressing up for (glitzy-and-glammy encouraged).

Doors open at 4:30. Here's everything you need to know before you go: https://www.bellevuechamber.org/news/know-before-you-go-2026-bellevue-regional-awards-gala

05/28/2026

Tomorrow night at the Bellevue Botanical Garden, we're connecting the next generation of Eastside leaders with small and newer nonprofits doing real work in this community: Theatre 33, Music Aid Northwest, Nourishing Networks, Old Friends Club, Bellevue Police Foundation, and more!

A few seats are still open. Join us from 5 to 7 PM.

Register: https://www.bellevuechamber.org/events/2026-eastside-leadership-initiative-believe

05/27/2026

Rob Brenner has watched Bellevue's Main Street change. As Comcast Business's Pacific Northwest VP, he's seeing a new generation step up. Rob lays out what they're building, what they're up against, and what it really takes to grow a small business on the Eastside in 2026.

Read his full piece: https://www.bellevuechamber.org/news/main-street-is-evolving-in-bellevue-how-a-new-generation-of-entrepreneurs-is-taking-charge

Comcast Business Pacific Northwest VP Rob Brenner on how Bellevue's Main Street is evolving with a new generation of entrepreneurs, and what it...

05/26/2026

Twenty-three seasons in, and the Bellevue Farmers Market is back for 2026!

Booths up. Stalls full. Downtown blocks alive again every Thursday and on select Saturdays through October!

05/20/2026

Big week on the Eastside! BRAG voting closes tomorrow, City Council greenlit the MFTE Catalyst program we backed, the Bellevue Farmers Market reopens Thursday, the Seattle Metro Chamber released its tenth annual Index, and ELI's Believe garden party is May 28, registration is open!

The full 5 Things: https://myemail.constantcontact.com/5-things-you-need-to-know.html?soid=1102397697178&aid=36p52aQPbHo

Email from Bellevue Chamber 1. Garden Party: Come Hang Out With Us! Our Believe event is next week, and we are looking for more like-minded folks to join us for an evening of chatting with local nonpr

05/19/2026

Coming this Thursday! Joe Nguyen, Jon Scholes, and Tiffini Connell are coming east to talk Seattle's economic outlook and what it means for the Eastside. The room at the W Bellevue is filling fast there are only a few seats remaining. Join us!

Thursday, May 21 · 11:30 AM · W Bellevue

Register: https://www.bellevuechamber.org/events/chamber-lunch-may-21/

05/15/2026

Nearly one in four Washington employers are now considering moving their business out of state. That is the headline from the Association of Washington Business's spring 2026 survey of more than 400 employers, released this week. 24% are weighing relocation, up from 17% in Q4 and roughly 8% last winter. 18% are actively developing a relocation plan. 7% already have an out-of-state location secured. 17% report being contacted directly by economic development officials from other states. And 55% of business leaders say they are weighing a move of their personal residence, too.

We are interested in keeping employers, jobs, and investment in Washington. That work runs through Policy Council, through our coalition partners statewide, and through every conversation we have with the Bellevue and Eastside members who built the regional economy we are trying to protect.

Read the full AWB commentary: https://www.bellevuereporter.com/2026/05/13/washington-employers-are-looking-for-the-exit-commentary/

05/15/2026

"We saw systems around the country that were in a debt spiral because they had succumbed to diverting maintenance money into shinier objects, things on which ribbons could be cut and brass plaques could be affixed."

That's Sound Transit CEO Dow Constantine at our Eastside Business Roundtable this week. On the table: a $35B reset, ridership up 15% to 142K+ daily boardings since the Crosslake Connection opened, and what's still ahead for the Eastside!

Read the recap:https://www.bellevuechamber.org/news/ebrt-recap-dow-constantine-on-sound-transit%27s-35b-reset-and-a-region-that%27s-done-debating-transit