Grifan Cayce, President

Cayce & Grove Law Offices
Office: 425.255.0603
grifan@caycegrove.com

Grifan is an Attorney with local law firm, Cayce & Grove Law Offices. Grifan joined the firm in 2011 after graduating from Seattle University School of Law and practices Estate Planning and Probate law, along with Real Estate and Business law. During law school Grifan was a Summer Associate with a firm focusing on School Law and representing a large number of School Districts – this experience helped her to develop a greater understanding of and appreciation for the complexity of how business and government entities function within a community. Prior to law school, Grifan earned her Master’s in Education at CWU and taught AP US History in the Bellevue School District. Grifan is a K-12 graduate of the Tahoma School District, and passionate about living and working in the Maple Valley/Black Diamond community. Grifan is dedicated to Tahoma’s We The People team, a reflection of her commitment to civic education and engagement, she is excited to be nominated to the Board and is excited for the opportunity to continue focusing on economic development, community, and civic engagement with the Chamber.

Becky Sheets, President Elect

Fairway Independent Mortgage
Office: 253.797.1316
bsheets@fairwaymc.com

I am Becky Sheets, the Branch Manager of Fairway Independent Mortgage in Maple Valley. I am honored to be considered to serve on the Board of GMVBD Chamber of Commerce.  I was born and raised in the PNW, and currently live in Enumclaw. I raised my 3 children (now grown) in Covington. I served in Kiwanis of Covington for 5 years, was active in the Covington Chamber and served on leadership for Covington Networking group for 10 years.

Currently, I am a Maple Valley Rotary member, and have been active in various Maple Valley community events and efforts for the past year. I am a supporter of The Greater Maple Valley Veterans Memorial Foundation (the last 3 years) and Vine Maple Place (for the last 5 years).

I chose to open my office in Maple Valley and become more involved locally, because of the strong sense of community and service that I have witnessed by various friends and business partners here.  The welcome and comradery that I have experienced with the GMVBD Chamber has been amazing!

I have always believed in serving the community I live and work in. My passion is to influence, inspire create opportunities and serve in both business and community efforts. I hope to have the chance to link arms and serve this growing community in various capacities.

Lucia Pearson, Vice President

BECU
Office: 425.413.0576
lucia.pearson@BECU.org

I appreciate the board’s nomination for the Chamber. I look forward to continuing and growing a close working relationship between the Chamber and the greater Maple Valley and Black Diamond communities. I’ve lived in the Northwest since 1990 having moved here from Minnesota. Kent has been home for seven years and I have five adult children and am a grandmother of nine.

For the past 18 years I have worked for BECU and have been the Maple Valley Branch manager for the last eight years. I was a member of the Rotary for five years and still actively participate in Rotary events. I previously served on the Greater Maple Valley Community Center Board for five years. I have sponsored MV FD registration for the last eight years. I love working in this community and I’m “Hooked On Fishing!”

Gary Taylor, Treasurer

Eagle River Interiors
Office: 425.413.0090
gary.bdblinds@yahoo.com

Hi, I am Gary Taylor, owner of Black Diamond Blinds and co-owner of Eagle River Interiors…aka..The Blind Lady. I have been married to my lovely wife, Ann, for 31 years. We have 3 wonderful sons Michael (26), Matthew (24), and Jonathan (22). We are proud to be a family owned business since 2001.

I really enjoy working in our community, and have participated in many positions in various local organizations. I served on the Black Diamond Community Center board for 4 years as the treasurer and as a member of the budget and finance committee. I was also heavily involved with the Maple Valley Pony Baseball league, serving on their Board of Director for several years as a member of the fiscal responsibility committee and served as the Director of Sponsorships where I worked closely with local businesses trying to obtain team sponsors. I also coached for 8 years and was an umpire for several years. I am very active in our church, Lake Sawyer Christian Church, volunteering as an usher and a greeter. I am the referee coordinator for our Upward Basketball program and a team leader for a James Brigade team, a group of guys that work with widowers to help maintain their homes.

I feel very strongly that if you want your community to be stable and have good, solid programs, that you need to participate and help, whether it’s by being in leadership roles or just rolling up your sleeves and working toward a common goal. It really bothers me when I hear people complain about things in the community when they haven’t invested their time or effort into making a difference and participating.

It is an honor to have been asked to be a board member for the chamber, I look forward to serving in whatever capacity I am needed. Though the majority of my career has been in life sciences and healthcare, I feel strongly that good marketing can help any business. A mentor encouraged me to follow my passion for helping small businesses and start-ups by creating a company that brings together marketing, sales and design professionals to solve business problems in a collaborative, approachable and cost-effective way.

I would like to serve on the board because I truly cherish our Chamber of Commerce. Everyone I have met has been wonderful and I love being a part of a community. I want to do anything I can to support the local businesses in our town because they are a huge part of what makes Maple Valley a dynamic and lovely place to live.

Brett Habenicht, Past President

Past President
Office: 425.432.2184
brett@javajavacoffee.com

I am the co-founder and vice-president of Java! Java! Coffee Company, headquartered here in Maple Valley. I have been married to Brenda for 27 years and we have 2 kids, Lindsey, 22 who is finishing up her masters degree with Georgetown Univ. and Alex, 19 who is finishing up his freshman year at Central Washington Univ. Interesting fact: I am a fifth generation resident of the Maple Valley/Black Diamond area. My great-great grandfather, Henry Habenicht came up from Nortonville, CA with the Black Diamond Coal Company and helped to settle the Black Diamond area. Another great-great grandfather, John Davies, was one of 31 men killed in the Ravensdale mine explosion of 1915.

I understand the importance of a strong, local business community and how a strong Chamber of Commerce can influence and assist those whose job it is to create policies that can impact small business owners. As a charter member of both the planning commission and economic development committee for the City of Maple Valley, I was tasked with helping to find solutions to some very vexing issues. I believe in building consensus by finding win-win solutions to the concerns that many business owners face every day and by building strong and durable relationships with other locally owned businesses.

I would be honored to serve on the MVBD Chamber board and will work smartly to ensure that our chamber is one that is fun, engaged, relevant and is always striving to create more value and equity for its members.

Amanda Gross, Director

Director
Office: 425.413.0882
amanda.gross@edwardjones.com

I’m honored to be elected to the Chamber Board, and grateful for the opportunity to contribute to our community. Having worked in Maple Valley since 2006, I’ve seen the city work through challenges that face many growing cities and towns, and I’m excited to be part of that process. My decision to locate my office in Maple Valley was a deliberate one, and I’m pleased to be deepening my relationships with the residents and the business community, as I plan to be here for quite some time.

Since joining Edward Jones, I’ve served in a variety of leadership roles, with a focus on assisting new associates – mentoring, training, and supporting other branch teams as they build their businesses. Volunteerism is at the core of the Edward Jones culture, and this extends, of course, outward to our communities. I look forward to working with Chamber members in the same way, empowering them as business owners to succeed and thrive through networking and building relationships.

Amanda is a member of the Maple Valley Chapter of BNI (Business Network International), and serves as an Ambassador for the Maple Valley Chamber of Commerce. She and her husband, Chris, live in Auburn with their nine year-old daughter, Alexis.

Lori Cloud, Director

Director
Office: 425.413.3400
lcloud@tahomasd.us

Lori Cloud is assistant superintendent and director of finance for Tahoma School District. Lori lives in Black Diamond and joined the school district in 2002. She and her husband, Kevin, have three children, each of whom attended Tahoma schools. Before coming to Tahoma, Lori worked in the private sector and served in a variety of fiduciary positions, including chief financial officer and chief executive officer. She is a 1988 graduate of the University of Montana.

In addition to managing the school district’s budget and financial affairs, Lori also helped lead the school district’s successful transition to a new high school, new Lake Wilderness Elementary School and major upgrades and grade realignments to schools throughout the district as part of the 2013 construction bond measure.

Tahoma School District is the largest employer in the Maple Valley-Black Diamond area. As a member of the City of Maple Valley Economic Development Committee, Lori represents Tahoma and has worked with community leaders to explore how the city can bring jobs to the area, diversify the tax base, and maintain the area’s livability.

In her spare time, Lori enjoys spending time with her family, which could include cruising Puget Sound on the family boat, visiting her home state of Montana, skiing, or other leisure travel.

Brad Johnson, Director

Johnsons Home & Garden
Office: 425.432.3384
b.johnson@johnsonshg.com

I am currently President of Johnsons Home & Garden, a local hardware store that has been part of Maple Valley for over 50 years.  I am the 3^rd generation to run the family business and an owner for the last 23 years.  I began working at the store with my dad when I was just 6.  I would clean the bathroom, dust shelves, sweep, thread pipe and stock shelves.  Prior to running the hardware store, I worked as an insurance underwriter, commercial appraiser, and a bond underwriter.

I graduated from Western Washington University in 1988 with a degree in business/finance, where I met my wife Carri. We have been married for 31 years and have two children, one of which works with me at JH&G.

I believe in a strong, thriving small business community and hope to further that goal as a member of your Chamber.

Gary Thompson, Director

OnMerit Marketing
Office: 425.654.1814
garyt@onmerit.com

I’m a 23 year resident of Maple Valley and a transplant from Dallas, Texas, you’ll notice my Texas twang.

My wife Elaine and I have raised two wonderful daughters, Lauren and Katelynn in this community and we are proud to say they’re both Tahoma grads.

I’m the lead consultant and owner at OnMerit Marketing and have over 30 years experience helping small businesses compete and grow. My journey into the world of design and marketing started as a college student working for a rodeo supply company. After three years I was ready to move on to the next phase and took a job at a large ad agency in Dallas. After eight years with the company, working as both a designer and production manager, I decided it was time to strike out on my own full time, and now the rest is history.

As a brand designer and digital marketer I use design and communications to solve business problems or create business opportunities. I especially love doing this with small businesses.

I’m an active member of the Maple Valley-Black Diamond Chamber of Commerce and the Maple Valley Rotary Club. I continue to work with the Maple Valley Parks & Recreation Department and designed the City of Maple Valley Economic Development marketing brand and messaging.

I am honored to be a part of the Maple Valley-Black Diamond Chamber of Commerce and to serve on the board. My goal is to bring new ideas and opportunities for promoting our member businesses, help connect and create new partnerships, grow local tourism, grow chamber brand and membership base.

Erica Dial, CEO

Maple Valley-Black Diamond Chamber of Commerce
Office: 425.432.0222 x101
Fax: 1.888.778.6823
ceo@maplevalleychamber.org

Erica Dial is the CEO of the Maple Valley Black Diamond Chamber of Commerce, a small but mighty 225-member organization dedicated to growing business and building community. Ms. Dial has held this this position since November 2015 after moving to the Seattle area from Wisconsin. She also serves on many local legislative coalitions and organizations including the East King County Chambers of Commerce Coalition and the Southeast Area Legislative Transportation Coalition (SEAL TC). She also serves as a board member of WCCE (Washington Chamber of Commerce Executives) and AWB (Association of Washington Business).

Prior to joining the Maple Valley Black Diamond Chamber, Ms. Dial was Executive Director of the Stoughton, WI Chamber of Commerce for two years. She was promoted to that position after serving as the Chamber’s Visitor Services Coordinator for four years. Before she found her passion in the chamber industry, Ms. Dial worked in a variety of marketing positions at National Guardian Life, PDI Ninth House and Honeywell.

Ms. Dial earned a B.S. (Marketing) and MBA from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. She is also a graduate of the Leadership Institute of South Puget Sound.

She currently resides in Ravensdale with her husband Adam and has two children, Lindsey a student at WSU and Tyler a student at Tahoma High School.