New Gig Harbor Chamber chief: Shoppers, give stores a break about COVID mandates

The new president of the Gig Harbor Chamber of Commerce has a request for shoppers.

“When you shop at a small business, bring your patience,” said Miriam Battson, who becomes the new head of the Chamber this week. If the store owner asks you to wear a mask or wait outside, give them a break, she suggests.

“One of the things we’ve been trying to do is remind people that the rules small businesses have to follow are not their own, but come from the state or the county,” she said. “They are simply doing what they have to do to keep the doors open.”

Many businesses have stories about customers getting testy or irate because of mask mandates, six-foot separation or occupancy rules imposed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Two weeks ago, a customer at a Gig Harbor pet store threatened to shoot employees who asked him to wear a mask at the checkstand.

“It’s a challenging time for small business,” Battson said. “They really do not need to hear your opinion of the mandates.”

The governor reinstated a statewide indoor mask mandate in August as cases soared. The amended order requires everyone over the age of 5, vaccinated or not, to wear masks in most public places that are indoors.

Battson, 57, who has been the Chamber’s membership coordinator, was chosen this week by the board of directors to succeed Warren Zimmerman, who is relocating to Arizona, as president and chief executive officer. Her appointment was announced Oct. 4.

“When it came time for a national search, the best candidate happened to be from within,” the Chamber said in a release.

“Miriam is a long-term resident with a heart for the business community and a pleasure to work with,” Keith W. Page, the board chairman, said in the release.

Zimmerman had served 14 years as president and chief executive officer of the Gig Harbor Chamber, growing the organization from 200 to nearly 500 members, according to Page.

Battson joined the Chamber office in 2018 with a background in marketing and business development.

Reared in Oregon, she graduated with a business degree from Pacific Lutheran University in 1986. Previously she has worked for Sagem Mortho, a fingerprint imaging company once headquarter in Tacoma, and Pettibon System, a maker of spinal rehabilitation equipment. She also worked as a consultant to businesses and organizations.

She and her husband, Richard, the materials manager at St. Francis Hospital in Federal Way, live in Gig Harbor. Her son, Chance Busey, 26, is a coach at Gig Harbor High School. The couple also have a daughter, Amber Yates, who lives with her husband Dave and children in Massachusetts.

Battson said she is looking forward to continuing the Chamber’s work on behalf of “the economic vitality of our community.”

“Gig Harbor is such a wonderful area, and its people really have been embracing our small businesses during COVID,” she said. “We really look forward to continuing to build on that support and love for our local businesses.”

Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the year in which Miriam Battson joined the Chamber of Commerce.

This story was originally published October 6, 2021 at 5:00 AM.