Commentary
Editor’s Note: Human Resources
On a brisk seattle morning, a couple dozen of us meet at Seattle Parks and Recreations Denny Park headquarters for a Civic Boot Camp. The goal is to prepare us for civic engagement, says Diane Douglas, executive director of Seattle CityClub and a 2014 honoree in the Community Impact Awards (see page 31 for the…
Commentary: Pot Stickers
In November 2012, Washingtons voters supported legalization of recreational marijuana, passing Initiative 502 by a 56 percent to 44 percent margin. Unlike Colorado, which had a robust medical marijuana system before its recreational system was created, Washington started its regulatory scheme from scratch. This was because former Governor Chris Gregoire felt forced to veto nearly…
CEO Adviser: The Art of Recruiting
If you want to attract top talent to your company, you need to tell your story in a way that makes you stand out from the pack. Yet most job descriptions fail to tell a compelling story. Here are the three most common mistakes: Story Fail No. 1: Culture CoolIn an effort to appeal to…
Virgin on Business: The Next Generation
Are you a millennial? Great! Congratulations! The world is your oyster (or veggie loaf, if youre not into shellfish). Everyone wants to hire you, market to you, configure entire cities to meet your every desire. Just a few details to clear up. Born roughly between 1980 and the late 1990s? Check. Heres your list of…
Final Analysis: Naming Rights (and Wrongs)
Remember the haloid photographic company? I dont, either. But I remember the hoo-ha in the 1960s when Xerox ditched the Haloid name. Everyone thought Xerox was kind of odd. But, within a generation, Xerox had become as generic as Kleenex. People didnt say they were photocopying. They said they were Xeroxing. Any CEO would trade…
Letters to the Editor
CURE FOR CONGESTION?Rarely do I grab my pen to underline when reading Seattle Business, but I really appreciated your unvarnished appraisal of our citys needs [Editors Note, July 2015]. As the current president of our familys business, traffic congestion is a huge issue and one that the current city administration seems committed to use in…
Editor’s Note: A Choice Development
When Delta Air Lines began flying to sitka last May, some local leaders assumed the move was part of Deltas effort to invade Alaska Airlines home turf and undermine the Seattle-based airline in a first step to acquiring it on the cheap. Why else would a global airline fly to a city with just 9,000…
Commentary: Mindful Practices
Apple founder Steve Jobs lived with mental health issues. So did cosmetics mogul Estee Lauder. Media tycoon Ted Turner has written about living with mental illness. Many other executives struggle with mental illness, a fact that is gradually changing minds and practices within the business community. But this gradual pace of change of mental health…
CEO Adviser: Keeping it Old School
A proper mobile strategy is as important for a business as its actual products and services. With three billion mobile users on nearly six billion devices worldwide, it is the top channel for reaching and interacting with on-the-go customers and employees. As executives consider the checklist of mobile capabilities their businesses use, one key technology…
Virgin on Business: Who Gets What?
Lets review the recent history of Washingtons economic development programs and sector-specific initiatives. State government has a position dedicated to aerospace, and it offered an incentives package to encourage Boeing to build the 777X here. Meanwhile, the state jettisoned its own tourism marketing and promotion efforts, leaving that to the industry. Tax incentives for technology…
Final Analysis: Reality Bites
As i write this, the seattle seahawks have just disclosed that Russell Wilson has agreed to a four-year extension of his contract to play football for them. As with all big-time sports contracts, terms of this deal were conveniently revealed to the media, indicating Wilsons average annual salary will be $21.9 million. As you read…
Letters to the Editor
CELEBRATINGCREATIVE CONTENTI love that you did an issue on creativity in Seattle [August 2015]. I feel creativity will be an economic engine in the 21st century and will inevitably separate us from our competition in China and India. This city doesnt focus on it enough and, while it gets labeled as a creative city, doesnt…
Editor’s Note: Investing for Impact
The threshold group, which was established to invest the assets of the Russell family of Russell Investments fame, now represents 60 well-heeled clients. It recently found itself facing an odd conundrum. Of the $3 billion it manages, says Threshold President Ed Lazar, $1 billion is money clients want invested in ways that will improve social…