Commentary
Reasons to Celebrate
By now, the commemorative events have run their course, the books have been published, the articles written and the souvenirs moved to the discount table. Like Christmas decorations stashed in the garage in January, the banner, displays and accompanying gewgaws to mark the 50th anniversary of Seattles coming-of-age event, the Century 21 Exposition, are being…
Final Analysis: Corporate Identity
Youre an executive in a firm whose CEO says he is giving $5 million of his own money to assist the Hyperactive Gay Baby Whales Foundation. On learning this, you are: A. Outraged B. Delighted C. Perplexed that your CEO has $5 million in walking-around money and you havent had a raise since Jennifer Aniston…
Editor’s Note: Technologys Impact
Information technology has transformed our lives during the past half-century. It has eliminated thousands of boring jobs in places like the back rooms of banks, where rows and rows of clerical workers once manually entered millions of financial transactions. And it has enabled a new generation of entrepreneurs, who take full advantage of such basic…
Seattle, We Have a Problem!
As Seattleites, we can proudly say we have an awesome city for innovation. Our companies, our tech sectors goods and services, and our lifestyle are coveted the world over. But we have a major problem brewing when it comes to our regions competitive advantage in the new innovation economy: a talent deficiency. We need to…
Just Do It
When looking at a traditional corporate training classroom, its tempting to ask why this environment hasnt changed in centuries. The traditional model of students at desks with an expert imparting knowledge is the industry standard for most corporations. But is it effective? When is the last time you truly learned something sitting in a classroom,…
Virgin on Business: Branching Out
For a time, economic development history in Grays Harbor County could best be summed up by a line from the ruefully philosophical song Gloom, Despair and Agony on Me from that underappreciated television treasure, Hee Haw: If it werent for bad luck, Id have no luck at all … Such was the lot in life…
Final Analysis: The Business of Baseball
The Mariners are a bad team; are they a badly run company?
Anyone who plays professional baseball will tell you it takes luck to get to the World Series. So the Seattle Mariners are one of the unluckiest teams in Major League Baseball, right? I mean, only two of the 30 current MLB teams have never been to the World Seriesand one of them is the Mariners,…
Partners with Purpose
In 1994, downtown Seattle was in critical condition. The departure of the Frederick & Nelson department store, closed and boarded up for two years, was followed by the shuttering of I. Magnin. Downtown streets were empty after dark. As luck would have it, Jeff Rhodes, a veteran shopping center developer who helped create Bostons Copley…
CEO Adviser: Whats the Password?
Scoping out an employees or a potential employees social media life online has become common practice for employers who believe sound reasons exist for requesting this type of information. But requesting a Facebook password or other personal access codes crosses a line that many experts think should not be crossed. Before entering these murky waters,…
Virgin on Business: Uh Oh, Canada!
The continuing lament of Canadians about their southern neighbors is that when Americans pay attention to them at all, it is done in patronizing cliches usually involving hockey and Mounties. Which would be a wounding comment, were it not uncomfortably true and were we actually paying much attention to what Canadians think. If we were…
CEO Adviser: It’s the Law
Last September, when the Seattle Paid Sick Time and Safe Time Ordinance was approved by the Seattle City Council, most Puget Sound area businesses were not spurred to take action. The ordinance wasnt scheduled to take effect for a year, and many businesses not based in Seattle city proper assumed the ordinance did not apply…
To the Rescue
Those who understand the important role corporate turnarounds can play in job retention and a healthy economy know its disturbing to see turnarounds become, in this divisive political year, a disparaging synonym for heartless greed. Mitt Romneys background with Boston-based Bain Capital has served as the object of criticism and negative comments from his opponents…
Editor’s Note: Cultured Pearls
Last year, there was excitement in the offices of Seattle Business magazine when a crew moved in for a few days to do some filming on Safety Not Guaranteed, an indie film by the producers of the Oscar-winning Little Miss Sunshine. We caught glimpses of familiar television stars such as Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation),…