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Daily Digest
Aug. 4, 2025
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 Unity helps Small Business
Resiliency Network team
navigate challenges
 Pictured from left to right: Commerce team members Jessica Camacho (second in third row), Cheryl Smith (second in first row), Eva Chavez Suarez (third in second row), JB Bennis (sixth in third row), and members of the Small Business Resiliency Network's (SBRN) Co-Governance Inclusive Structure
By Rachel Lucas | Internal Communications specialist
When the Small Business Resiliency Network (SBRN) faced a significant budget cut, the partner organizations chose solidarity over self-interest. Rather than compete, they chose to stand together; they agreed to share the reduction equally across the network.
“That moment was really emotional and powerful for me because it shows a lot of unity within the network," said Small Business Resiliency Network Director Jessica Camacho. “Even though they're going through difficult times, they're still in it together. What I've seen in the past was contractors who wanted to compete for those funds – but here – the trust and collaboration we've built within this network is showing up now during these difficult times of decision making."
Commerce's SBRN uses a co-governance model with community partners. They co-design programs, set agendas and build work plans in collaboration with SBRN partners made of trusted community messengers. Since launching in 2020, the SBRN team has expanded the network, which now includes 29 partner organizations. They coordinate committee participation and ensure alignment across groups.
Jessica and her team manage the co-governance structure and provide capacity building to partners, many of whom began their first government relationship with Commerce through the SBRN program. They offer support with compliance, reporting and program development. They are also committed to keeping lines of communication open.
“We've told our partners, let's talk about your plan to make sure it's in alignment with what you can or can't do with federal and state funds," Jessica said. “We kept our door open the entire time and, in doing so, we were able to provide a lot of technical assistance and support."
Though the team's organizational structure recently changed, they remain focused on preserving the program's original intent — a network built by and for the community. Formerly part of the Director's Office, the Small Business Resiliency Network (SBRN) team now operates within the Office of Economic Competitiveness and Development (OEDC) where they report to Managing Director Linda Womack.
Commerce provides pass-through grant contracts to SBRN partner organizations to deliver direct technical assistance to 13,000 Washington businesses furthest from opportunity. They offer support in more than 40 languages. They tailor their customer service to each business's unique identity and values.
“The SBRN inclusive structure is a bold, power-shifting model of shared leadership that puts community at the center," said Jessica. “It embeds equity into every step of how we lead, build, and serve: improving the customer service experience."
Decision-making remains in the hands of community partners who understand the people they serve. This inclusive structure features an Advisory Council and three active committees focused on policy, budget and credit-building.
Velma Veloria, the first Filipina elected to state legislature in the continental US and a longtime advocate, joined the Advisory Council, and experienced the co-governance structure first hand. She said, “As a former legislator, I've never seen this before. I think we need to defend it. It's been a really good experience. Please make sure that this structure is preserved. This is very powerful. We cannot let this die. We need to continue it."
The SBRN team has shown how shared decision making creates powerful partnerships with communities and encourages them to prioritize collaboration over competition. Their transparency and open communication have built trust with partners, and their work is now recognized across agencies as a model of inclusive leadership.
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CMS update will release on Aug. 11
By MEILING GUENTZEL | IT business analyst
An update to Commerce's Contract Management System (CMS) will release in the evening on Monday, Aug 11.
This update will include enhancements on the Warrant Detail page and bug fixes for External CMS and Internal CMS. Additional updates will include changes to some reports and a default setting of Non-Match for category types in the Unit Budget Setup.
You can view the release notes to find out more.
Please send questions about how to use CMS to cmsappsupport@commerce.wa.gov.
New tribal funding category
streams eligible grants
to Commerce’s OTR webpage
By MARY MILLER, BECKY BERG and LYNDA JENSEN
Do you post funding opportunities to Commerce's website? The Office of Tribal Relations (OTR) recently partnered with their Communications Team colleagues to create a funding opportunity stream on the Office of Tribal Relations webpage.
If tribes are eligible to apply for your funding opportunity, please select the Tribal Opportunity category with your post. This ensures that any relevant funding opportunity is automatically included in the Tribal funding opportunities stream on Commerce's OTR webpage.
Remember, when your grant includes tribal-eligible funding, select the “Tribal Opportunity" category to ensure it's more visible to tribal partners.
The 36th anniversary of the
Centennial Accord is today
Upcoming meeting will focus on mutual goals
to improve the relationship between
sovereign governments
By ALDEN ANDY | Office of Tribal Relations interim director
The Centennial Accord was signed on Aug. 4, 1989, between federally recognized Indian tribes and the State of Washington to achieve mutual goals and to improve the relationship between the sovereign governments.
The accord aims to enhance and improve communication and facilitate the resolution of issues. It serves as a foundation to Commerce's tribal engagement work, which we will strengthen with new work and consult requirements with our tribal partners. Washington is the only state to have an agreement of this nature.
Every year, we gather in the spirit of the accord to discuss what's going right and wrong in the government-to-government relationships between Washington and the tribes who have native and ancestral lands within state borders. Centennial Accord participants invited include Gov. Bob Ferguson, the Governor's cabinet, state agency directors and tribal liaisons, and all 29 federally recognized tribal nations' elected councils/governing bodies.
The gathering is hosted by the Governor's Office of Indian Affairs (GOIA). This year, we're collaborating with GOIA's Centennial Accord Innovation Group to plan the 2025 meeting, which takes place Oct. 20 to 24.
To read more about the Centennial Accord and the agreement, visit the Governor's Office of Indian Affairs page.
Want to join SOVEREIGN’s next
General Membership Meeting?
By SOVEREIGN
You can join us for our next virtual General Membership Meeting at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 20. on Zoom. To access the meeting, use the passcode: SVRN.
We welcome our allies and accomplices to learn, support and elevate tribal voices. We look forward to seeing you there!
American Sign Language (ASL) and Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) captioning will be provided.
SOVEREIGN stands for Supporting our Voices, Empowering Rights, and Engaging Indigenous Governance. Our mission is to empower American Indian and Alaska Native employees, partners, and allies within the Washington State government by providing resources, support and advocacy. Visit our BRG page to find out more.
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Where in Washington
Can you guess where in Washington
this picture was taken?
 By JAMIE SMITH | Internal communications specialist
We have team members living in almost every county in Washington! Let's get to know each other (and our beautiful state) with this Where in Washington? guessing game.
Every Monday, we'll share a picture taken somewhere in Washington. The first team member to guess where it was taken will get a shoutout in Thursday's digest (unless you'd like to remain anonymous) and bragging rights for the week.
If you have a guess or a picture you'd like us to consider using, you can submit them here.
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 Quick links
Director's Corner
Budget Freeze Resources and FAQ
Commerce Affinity Groups
Contact the Help Desk
Need a Commerce template?
 Commerce community calendar
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Fiscal Year End Office Hours (morning), 9 to 10 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 5, Teams (add to calendar)
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Ask a Coordinator Meeting (contract questions drop-in), 1:30 to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 5, Teams
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Real Talk, 10 to 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 6, Teams
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Toastmasters, noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 6, Zoom, learn more
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Travel Office Hours (travel questions drop-in), 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 7, Teams (add to calendar)
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Let’s Meditate (break time), 10:45 to 11 a.m. Friday, Aug. 8, Teams
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COM Records Management: Email Management and Retention, 10 to 11 a.m. Tuesday, Aug 12, register
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Commerce Brand and Templates training, 2 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Aug 13, register
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In-person Coordinating a Competitive Process training, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 13, Olympia Headquarters, 4th floor, register
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COM Records Management: Naming Conventions & Folder Structures, 1 to 2 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 14, register
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COM Records Management: Understanding and Using Retention Schedules, 2 to 3 p.m. Thursday, Aug.14, register
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Smartsheet User Group, 3 to 4 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 14, Teams
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COM Records Management: Retention Schedules Workshop, 11 a.m. to noon, Tuesday, Aug. 19, register
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New Series: Facilitation Community of Practice (CoP), from 1 to 2:15 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 20 on Teams (add to calendar)
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Hybrid All Hands Director's Update, 11:15 a.m. to noon Thursday, Aug. 21, Teams (add to calendar) (submit a question)
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Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 1, Commerce offices closed
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COM Public Disclosure training, 9 to 10 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 11, register
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COM Records Management: Introduction to Records Management, 11 a.m. to noon Tuesday, Sept. 11, register
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COM Records Management: Records Management Best Practices, 1 to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 11, register
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COM Bulk Email Cleanup Workshop: Identifying and Disposing of Transitory Records, 1 to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 16, register
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CMS Learning Group, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 24, Teams (add to calendar)
Please send your calendar postings to IntraCOMeditor@commerce.wa.gov. Any item included must be open to all Commerce team members.
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