Bellevue Chamber

09/02/2026

An hour with a business mentor usually costs something. This one does not. SCORE Greater Seattle brings its mentors to WaFd Bank on September 17 for free, confidential one-on-one sessions, 6 to 7:30 PM, parking and light refreshments included.

Whether you're just starting your entrepreneurial journey or looking to take your business to the next level, this is the perfect opportunity to connect with experienced business mentors in a relaxed, welcoming environment. Join WaFd Bank and SCORE Greater Seattle for an evening of networking, conve...

09/01/2026

The fall calendar is set. Chamber Lunch on September 17, where we will dig into the rise of data centers and what it means for Washington. The Eastside Leadership Conference on October 8. The Economic Forecast Summit on November 18. Put them on the calendar now and we will fill in the rest as we go!

09/01/2026

Applications for at least 1,585 new homes entered Bellevue's permit pipeline between January and June. In Seattle, a city five times our size, the number was 1,137. And 1,585 undercounts it: unit counts are optional when a permit is filed, so the real number is higher. The zoning work around our light rail stations is finally showing up in the data. Read the full story:

In the first six months of 2026, Bellevue saw at least 1,585 new multifamily units enter the pipeline, compared to just 1,137 housing units in Seattle. The numbers illustrate Bellevue's success in spurring development... and Seattle's continued slump.

08/25/2026

Over four years, downtown Seattle lost close to 40,000 jobs and 48 percent of its commercial office value. Over the same stretch, Bellevue's commercial values went up 7 percent.

Joe Nguyen of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber, Jon Scholes of the Downtown Seattle Association and Tiffini Connell of West Coast Commercial Realty sat down with our Joe Fain to work through why, and what a region does about it. Two downtowns, one lake between them, and the numbers going opposite directions.

Read the full recap: https://www.bellevuechamber.org/news/chamber-lunch-recap-west-side-story-brings-seattle's-toughest-questions-to-bellevue

Inside our West Side Story Chamber Lunch with Seattle Metro Chamber CEO Joe Nguyen, Downtown Seattle Association CEO Jon Scholes, and West Coast Commercial Realty's Tiffini Connell

08/21/2026

Sixteen businesses joined the Bellevue Chamber in July, across finance, technology, marketing, home services, health and wellness, retail, real estate and the nonprofit sector!

We are glad to have all of them. Meet the full list: https://www.bellevuechamber.org/news/meet-the-new-members-businesses-that-joined-in-july-2026

Sixteen new businesses joined the Bellevue Chamber in July 2026, spanning finance, technology, marketing, home services, health and wellness, retail, real estate, and the nonprofit sector.

08/21/2026

LifeWire answered 2,654 hotline calls last year, helped 203 families including 358 children into safe housing support, and has partnered with more than 176,000 survivors since 1982.

It started here 45 years ago as the Eastside Domestic Violence Center. Today it is the largest domestic violence service provider in Washington, and it runs East King County's only apartment-based shelter for survivors. The model is unified advocacy: one advocate stays with a survivor across every program, from safety planning through housing.

Two ways members can plug in. LifeWire offers DV 101 trainings for employers and community organizations, and its annual gala is October 3 at Meydenbauer Center.

Read the full profile with Amy FitzGerald: https://www.bellevuechamber.org/news/member-profile-lifewire

08/20/2026

Our new office is still an active construction site, but VMG Studios saw a film set. The Bellevue-based production company, which has crafted video and animation for global brands since 2004, turned around the Chamber's new mission video in just two weeks, filming President & CEO Joe Fain on the very floors we'll soon call home!

Learn more about the project here: https://www.bellevuechamber.org/news/the-vendor-edit-vmg-studios-brings-the-chamber%27s-mission-video-to-life

08/19/2026

Washington ranks second in the nation for its economy and 45th for the competitiveness of its tax code. Both are current, and both are built on credible public data. We built a tool to show how the same state lands at both ends of the scoreboard.

Every few weeks a new economic ranking shows Washington at the head of the pack, or scraping bottom. This analysis shows you why.

08/19/2026

Applications are open for the Fall 2026 New Executives cohort. Nine sessions across 8 weeks, September 24 through November 18, built for the people in your organization who are about to step up and run something. The cohort sits in on the Eastside Leadership Conference in October and the Economic Forecast Summit in November, so they leave knowing the region and knowing each other. If someone came to mind reading that, send them: https://www.bellevuechamber.org/new-executives

08/13/2026

Bellevue has identified about $1.5 billion in transportation projects it cannot build fast enough at current funding levels. The city is asking which ones you would put first. The survey takes five to seven minutes and closes August 20, and the answers shape the 2027 to 2032 capital project list that goes to Council on September 15. If you move goods, customers or employees through this city, this is your window. Details here: https://bellevue.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_24vgPLOpVMO5pPM