Community Involvement

Sound West Group was founded by locals to the Puget Sound region. We believe that development needs to reflect the character and culture of the people who call this place home and appreciate the rich history that makes this region unique.

‘Developing Community with Vision and Integrity’ is more than just a business tagline. It is the driving force at the heart of SWG’s activities in the Puget Sound region.

You can learn more about Wes Larson, CEO of SWG, and his history in this area in this video about Spyglass Hill

We welcome and respect people of all beliefs and traditions. We are called to partner with the communities we serve to improve the quality of life for everyone and in this spirit, we are pleased to share some of the organizations we support.

Involvement in Local Groups & Organizations

Sound West Group and its employees donate time and money to causes throughout Kitsap County including the Armed Forces Day Parade and Rock the Dock summer concert series in downtown Bremerton, United Way and the Eastside Baby Corner in the West Puget Sound, the North Kitsap Rotary and Viking Tour in Poulsbo, the Winter Wonderland event in downtown Bainbridge Island, and the AVID program at Bremerton High School.

Wes Larson speaking at the Great Peninsula Conservancy’s 5th annual fundraising dinner at Kiana Lodge. More than 280 people – a mix of elected officials, business and community leaders, and conservationists attended this spring event, which raised $79,000 for land conservation. In addition to being a financial supporter of the Great Peninsula Conservancy, Wes Larson serves as a board member of the organization.

Lisa Phipps is involved in the Dr. Maurice S. Mathis Guild, an organization that began as a small group of women in 1961 and is now a growing non-profit dedicated to raising money for Harrison Medical Center. The aim of the organization is to raise monies to support programs and equipment at Harrison Medical Center that weren’t able to make it into the hospital’s budget, resulting in a healthier community. Lisa has served twice as the organization’s President and is a voice for their endeavors in the local community.

Enhancing Community Development

Kitsap Regional Library

In November 2015, the Kitsap Regional Library (KRL) board of trustees voted to finalize the purchase of the selected 1.3-acre site on the corner of Blaine Avenue and Bucklin Hill in Silverdale. An important community development in the heart of Silverdale, Sound West Group played an essential role in securing and developing the planned site location adjacent to Clear Creek.

“We want to thank the Sound West Group, whose community-minded spirit has made this wonderful Clear Creek site possible,” said Executive Director of the Kitsap Regional Library Foundation, Jaime Forsyth. “Because of a generous library lover from Bainbridge Island and a $100,000 grant from First Federal Community Foundation, we have achieved the first in a series of key milestones that will lead to the completion of this project.”

Fourth Street & The Roxy Theater Revitalization

With a grand vision of revitalizing Fourth Street between Washington & Pacific Avenues, Sound West Group purchased the historic Roxy Theater in downtown Bremerton with the aim of revitalizing the 1941 local theater.

Currently in the process of donating the theater to a 501(c)(3), Larson sees this area of downtown as a “funky and hip” location that is ripe for millennials to move into, with the Roxy as a “critical piece” to help that block of Fourth Street come alive. In addition to other potential uses, local community groups will be able to use the theater for events and get togethers. In addition to the Roxy, SWG has purchased and is in the early stages of modernizing approx. 70,000 sq ft of property along this stretch of Fourth Street with the aim of bringing new apartments, retail, parking and storage.

Housing Kitsap

Working in conjunction with Central Highlands Partners, Sound West Group allocated 40 out of 128 lots of their Summerset Community to Housing Kitsap’s “self-help” program. Housing Kitsap’s “self-help” program helps secure financing and guides families through the building and purchasing process. Pictured left is a group of new homeowners receiving the keys to their new house after spending months providing their own sweat equity labor to the building process. Sound West continues to explore other projects in cooperation with Housing Kitsap in an effort to provide affordable housing options in Kitsap County. Examples include the Health, Housing, and Nutrition campus planned for Viking Way in Poulsbo. Sound West Group went into contract for property along Viking Way to develop, in a private non-profit partnership, a vision for an affordable housing, food and health campus, together with Fish line and Housing Kitsap. Sound West Group is providing private investment capital in a unique structure, as well as financing the entitlement and development phase for the project.