BellevueBusinessJournal.com has joined with the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce and Microsoft Corporation for the “It’s Time for Business with Office 2010 Video Contest.”

Participation is easy. Simply follow three steps to enter:

1. Download a FREE trial version of Office 2010 and use it in your business.
2. Create a short video about your positive experience with Office 2010. Your video must be at least 30 seconds but no more than two minutes in length. Absolutely no video production experience is needed!
3. Complete the video contest submission form at itstimeforbusiness.com. Be sure to follow all the required steps.

Videos can demonstrate your favorite feature of Office 2010, show how Office 2010 improves your productivity, or explain how Office products helped you launch your business. Submissions will be judged on five criteria: originality, creativity, concept, information, and overall presentation.

Prizes
$10,000 Best Video/Grand Prize Winner
$1,000 Best Foreign Language Video
$1,000 Best Video by a Woman-Owned Business

ABOUT THE CONTEST
No purchase is necessary but participants must meet all contest rules and eligibility requirements.

Questions? Read the contest FAQs at itstimeforbusiness.com/contest/faqs. Submissions will be accepted until April 22, 2010.

Tickets are only $30 and can be purchased at the Ellensburg Chamber of Commerce located at 609 North Main in Ellensburg, or call 888-925-2204. Each ticket includes a commemorative wine glass and ten tasting scrip; tickets are limited. Of course, participants must be at least 21 years old.

Because Ellensburg is centrally located in the state, it makes for a great host for the Wine Festival; as Ellensburg is somewhat the “entrance” to Washington wine Country. Over 30 Washington State wineries will participate in the festival that was named “One of the top 10 things to do in the Northwest wine country” in Wine Press Northwest magazine!

Below is a sampling of wineries that are participating:

Adamant Cellars

Agatefield Vineyard

Airfield Estates

Bunnell Family Cellar

Daven Lore Winery

Desert Wind Winery

DiStefano Winery

Domaine Winery

Pouillon Winery

Dunham Cellars

Eaton Hill Winery

Gilbert Cellars

Gingko Forest Winery

Hedges Family Estate

J. Bookwalter Winery

Jones of Washington

Kestrel Vintners

Kiona Vineyard & Winery

Knipprath Cellars

Lowden Hills Winery

Martinez & Martinez Winery

Milbrandt Vineyards

Naches Heights Vineyard

Parejas Cellars

Revelry Vintners

San Juan Vineyards

Smanse Cellars

Snowgrass Winery

SuLei Cellars

Swakane Winery

Tertulia Cellars

Tsillan Cellars

Ward Johnson Winery

White Heron Cellars

Whitman Cellars

Wilridge Winery

Windy Point Vineyards

The downtown Ellensburg host venues are Fitterer’s Furniture, Gallery One Visual Arts Center, Pink Catered Events, Shaw’s Furniture & Appliance, The Party Barn Rentals, The Clymer Museum, Sazon, Boys Smith Vision Center, and The River at Grand Central. Each location is within walking distance of each other. Along with wine, each venue will feature live music.

Ellensburg is located in the heart of the beautiful Kittitas Valley and in the center of Washington State, home to year-round recreational activities, numerous events, excellent shopping and dining, and a variety of performing and visual arts. Ellensburg’s historical downtown district is home to art galleries, unique shops, and wonderful restaurants serving some of the Northwest’s best cuisine. Ellensburg is approximately 110 east of Seattle and 170 west of Spokane, log on to visitellen.com today, or head out to Ellensburg to experience the best of the west! Log on to visitellen.com for more information.

Cadence Winery

Fall Line Winery

Note Benne Cellars

O-S Winery

O’Shea Scarborough

For more information visit their website at http://www.ssaw.info

And don’t forget, exclusive wine tastings are offered every third Sunday of the month at Wild Ginger Bellevue in The Shops at The Bravern from 1 to 4 pm. No cover charge and the parking’s free!

11020 NE Sixth Street – Bellevue, WA. 98004

The award, to be presented at the chapter’s May 18 Spring Luncheon, honors Floten for making education more accessible by bringing baccalaureate degrees to Bellevue College.

Known nationally for its innovative programs, Bellevue College offers two baccalaureate degrees: a Bachelor of Applied Sciences in Radiation and Imaging Sciences, launched in 2007, and a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Interior Design launched in January of this year.

Bellevue College was awarded accreditation as a bachelor degree-conferring institution earlier this year by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, which sets standards for all four-year institutions in Washington and nearby states.

Floten joined Bellevue College as president in 1989. Since then, the college has grown to become the third largest educational institution in Washington state, serving approximately 35,000 students annually.

The college was listed by Yahoo Finance in March as one of “15 Fantastic Higher Education Values” nationally.

A series of national, regional and local awards have recognized Floten’s contributions to higher education, most recently including an Honorary Doctor of Letters degree, conferred by City University; the Shirley B. Gordon Presidential Award of Distinction, from Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society; and the John L. Blackburn Award for Exemplary Models of Administrative Leadership, from the American Association of University Administrators.

Floten serves on the Educational Testing Service national advisory board, the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and the Key Bank Advisory Board.

She earned Master of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees from Portland State University.

Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most widely known academic honor society, encourages and supports academic excellence in the liberal arts and sciences. Its Pathfinder Award honors people “who encourage others to seek new worlds to discover, pathways to explore, and untouched destinations to reach.”

Gunn will serve a five-year term, replacing Lee Kraft, a Bellevue attorney and former King County Superior Court Judge, who served two terms on the Bellevue College board.Gunn retired from banking in 2007, after a 38 year career with Bank of America and Seafirst Bank.  During her career she held management positions in retail banking, business banking, human resources, community development and quality of service.

An active community volunteer, Gunn has served on the boards of YWCA, Alliance for Education, United Way of King County, Partnership for Learning and Washington Round Table.

She was recognized as a Puget Sound Woman of Influence by the Puget Sound Business Journal in 2005.

She currently chairs the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network annual gala.

In the RMEF northwest region, the Stokkes have been active in the Sammamish Valley Chapter since 2002. Marci is editor of Washington Tracks newsletter for volunteers and chapter chair since 2003. Bob has been the development and merchandise committee chair for four years. Bob also has been instrumental in tracking elk for a research project with the Upper Snoqualmie Valley Elk Management Group.

Congratulations Bob and Marci!

“Bruland exhibits her traits as an entrepreneur by staying ahead of the curve.  To position the company for future growth, in 2009 Bruland used an SBA 504 loan from Ameritrust CDC and Wells Fargo Bank to purchase a commercial building and property, expanding from 3400 square feet to a building space of 7200 square feet on 2 acres,” said SBA Seattle District Director Nancy Porzio.

An independent panel of judges selected the winners based on several criteria, including; staying power, business growth, increase in employees, response to adversity, innovation, leadership and contributions to the small business community, and evidence of community-oriented projects.  “Janelle Bruland exhibited strength in all areas,” said SBA Regional Administrator Calvin W. Goings.  As the state winner, Janelle Bruland will compete with 53 other winners from across the country for the National Small Business Person of the Year Award in Washington D.C.

The Washington state SBA Small Business Awards’ Event – A Big Night for Small Business – will be held in Seattle on April 8^th at the Marion Oliver McCaw Hall at Seattle Center.  In addition to celebrating Bruland’s outstanding accomplishments, the award ceremony will honor the following state and regional winners (regional winners competed against state winners in AK, ID, OR and WA):

×           WA state & Region 10 – Small Business Exporter of the Year – Leonard Felix, CID Bio-Science, Inc., Camas;

×           WA state & Region 10  – SBA Young Entrepreneur of the Year – Dan Price, Gravity Payments, Seattle;

×           WA state & Region 10 – Family-Owned Business of the Year– Scott Tate, Tate Technology , Inc., Spokane;

×           WA state  & Region 10 – Home-Based Business Champion – Cheryl L. Sesnon, Washington CASH, Seattle;

Also featured will be 5 (five) state SBA Champion award winners who support and advocate on behalf of small businesses and entrepreneurship.

×           WA state SBDC Service Excellence and Innovation Award – John H.  Rodenberg, WSU/SBDC, Tacoma;

×           WA state –  Financial Services Champion – Lynda M. Hamilton, Heritage Bank, Tacoma;

×           WA state – Minority Small Business Champion – Christine Chen, Chen Communications, Seattle;

×           WA state – Veteran Small Business Champion – Jerrod C. Sessler, HomeTask.com, Seattle;

×           WA state – Women in Business Champion – Carole A. Butkus, Washington Business Center, Seattle;

“Our winners remind us that the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in Washington state,” said Porzio, “and we look forward to honoring their success in Seattle in April”.

For information about SBA’s National Small Business Week 2010 celebrations in Washington, D.C., go to http://www.sba.gov

“Mark’s experience in working with entrepreneurs along with his dedication to meeting client needs makes him a valued asset to our team,” said Jim Farmer, regional brokerage manager.  “Mark will maintain our high standards of service for our clients.”

Murphy has 16 years of experience in financial services.  He received a degree in economics from Seattle University.

The Strawberry Festival is a family-oriented, historic community event, featuring fresh strawberry shortcake, historical and agricultural exhibits, food and vendor booths, entertainment, a Classic Auto Show and a Family Fun Area with games, inflatable bouncers, strawberry shortcake eating contests and much more.  In 2009, more than 40,000 people attended the two-day event, consuming 6,000 lbs of strawberries!

Through the Strawberry Festival, the Eastside Heritage Center endeavors to create public awareness for the organization and to promote community involvement in and appreciation of Eastside history.

Booth Spaces range from $60 to $310:

Non-profit information only

Non-profit merchandise sales

Profit hand-crafted Merchandise

Profit Import and Manufactured Merchandise.

Main Stage Entertainers:

Saturday and Sunday
30-50 Minute Sets

Ethnic, Dance and Community Entertainers Encouraged

The Festival is a revival of the original Lake Washington Strawberry Festival begun in 1925 to attract business and residents to Bellevue.  Cancelled in 1942 due to WWII, the Festival was revived in 1987 by the Bellevue Historical Society (now the Eastside Heritage Center) as a single-evening celebration in June, honoring Bellevue’s agricultural heritage.  Since that time, it has grown to a large two-day event, attracting not only visitors from the greater Eastside, but the entire Puget Sound area.

Eastside Heritage Center is a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit organization committed to preserving the past as it builds community and connects people with their heritage. In addition to maintaining and preserving the largest collection of artifacts, photos and archival material related to East King County, Washington, the EHC focuses on sharing this collection with the community through exhibits, books, presentations and a wide variety of educational programming. For more information on the Eastside Heritage Center, visit www.eastsideheritagecenter.org.

To become a Strawberry Festival Vendor or Entertainer, contact the Eastside Heritage Center at (425) 450-1049 or email Jennifer@bellevuestrawberryfestival.org. For complete Festival details, applications and forms, visit www.bellevuestrawberryfestival.org.

The Community Shield concept comes from football clubs in Europe which annual hold matches with all proceeds benefitting local community organizations.  Proceeds from this match will benefit the team’s four community partners:  Boys and Girls Club of Washington State, Save the Children, Seattle SCORES and Washington Youth Soccer.

Are you a Sounders FC fan?  Will you be at the match?