Eighteen people from the local business community enjoyed a sumptuous salmon dinner at the Steilacoom Tribal Museum in conjunction with the Steilacoom Chamber of Commerce on March 24. Chamber President Cindy McKitrick conducted the business portion of the meeting and spoke about the advent of the new “Steilacoom Dollar” as a marketing tool to stimulate business in Steilacoom. It was suggested that Col. Don Rehburg’s image should be incorporated into the design.
Keynote speaker for the event was Jeff Rounce, owner/publisher, of the Business Examiner. Rounce made his presentation in a casual question-and-answer forum rather than as a guest lecturer. It had been ten years since he last addressed the Steilacoom business community. Much of the discussion centered on the economic recovery that has begun to take root, but that may not be apparent in terms of creation of new jobs. He emphasized that “every recession has an end and this one will end, too.”
Steilacoom Tribal Elder Danny Marshall served the cedar planked salmon dinner with fresh coleslaw and fry bread. He spoke about the origin of fry bread and that it was not indigenous among native people, but was created from the food staples they were given on the reservation. Guests commented that the king salmon seasoned with smoked paprika, butter and fresh rosemary, was the best they had ever had.
