‘Culture Takes All of Us’

‘Culture Takes All of Us’

Impinj sets the tone, but allows employees to build an inclusive workplace

Christina Balam and other executives at Seattle tech company Impinj use a simple yet powerful phrase to ensure collaboration and communication. “‘Culture takes all of us’ is the call to action we remind employees of often,” says Balam, the company’s senior vice president of human resources. “To empower this attitude, we’ve built pathways for discussion…

Costco’s Kirkland Signature Scores With Shoppers

Costco’s Kirkland Signature Scores With Shoppers

The private-label brand is among the most popular in the U.S.

If you’re a fan of Costco’s Kirkland Signature brand, you’re not alone…

Amazon Fresh Reopens Seattle Stores

Amazon Fresh Reopens Seattle Stores

The three stores feature a new design and a broader selection

Amazon Fresh is reopening three stores in the Seattle area after extensive redesigns featuring colorful layouts and a wider assortment of products…

Asian Grocery Chain to Open First U.S. Store in Bellevue

Asian Grocery Chain to Open First U.S. Store in Bellevue

T&T Supermarket’s 76,000-square-foot score will become the state’s largest Asian grocery store

Canada’s largest Asian grocery chain is poised to open its first location in the United States in Bellevue on Dec. 5…

Microsoft To Grant $50,000 to 50 Nonprofits For Its 50th Birthday

Microsoft To Grant $50,000 to 50 Nonprofits For Its 50th Birthday

50 for 50 program seeks ‘community champions’

Microsoft turns 50 next April, and the software giant wants to celebrate. The company will make 50 grants of 50,000 apiece to 50 local “changemakers” across the Puget Sound region “who are making a difference in the lives of their neighbors.” In a letter titled “Thank you, Puget Sound,” Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad…

Tutta Bella To Open ‘Evolved Concept’ Restaurant

Tutta Bella To Open ‘Evolved Concept’ Restaurant

The Denny Triangle location is ‘the first in a new generation’ of restaurants

Tutta Bella’s new Denny Triangle restaurant will feature fresh seafood along with its traditional Neapolitan pizzas as it pivots from a traditional pizzeria to a “more culinary diverse” restaurant. “Although Tutta Bella has been much more than a pizzeria for a long time, the new opening will make that very clear from a positioning standpoint,…

Bellevue Launches Sea-Tac Shuttle Service

Bellevue Launches Sea-Tac Shuttle Service

Users can depart or get dropped off at five downtown hotels

Five hotels in downtown Bellevue are now offering a shuttle service to and from Sea-Tac International Airport. Cost is $30 plus tax. The effort is a partnership involving the Port of Seattle, Visit Bellevue, and Eagle Shuttle Service. Users don’t have to stay in one of the hotels to use the service. The hotels are:…

Election-Induced Anxiety? You’re Not Alone

Election-Induced Anxiety? You’re Not Alone

From pure escapism to booze and antacids, here’s how others are coping 

Anxious about the election? Us too. We talked to 11 voters about how they’re coping — from TV marathons to comfort food and limiting news updates. How are you handling it?

Ridwell Wants Your Campaign Signs

Ridwell Wants Your Campaign Signs

Seattle company offers free pick-up after the election

We’ve all seen campaign signs remain up well after election season. Ridwell is out to do something about that…

Shrinking Starbucks

Shrinking Starbucks

Customer visits are on the decline. What’s going on?

Been to Starbucks lately? For a company that helped put Seattle on the global map, the coffee giant sure receives a lot of criticism, whether it’s about product quality, founder Howard Schultz’s bungling of the Sonics during his ownership tenure or wait times…

The Wonderpreneur

The Wonderpreneur

Aegis founder Dwayne Clark is an author, philanthropist, filmmaker, and a highly successful business executive

Dwayne Clark was standing on a crate washing dishes at the tender age of 7 in an airport restaurant where his Mother, Colleen, was a cook. He grew up without a father. He was, he says, “at the bottom rung of the economic cycle.” The biggest influences in his life were all women: his grandmother,…

A Medical Journey

A Medical Journey

Jody Elsom has spent a career designing health care facilities. She never expected to become a patient in one of them.

Jody Elsom never imagined she’d wind up a patient in a health care center she had designed. But there she was at the recently opened True Family Women’s Cancer Center on the Swedish Hospital First Hill campus shortly after an unexpected diagnosis for breast cancer. “It wasn’t what I expected, but it was actually an…

Lori Hill: The Seattleite

Lori Hill: The Seattleite

The commercial real estate veteran is upbeat about the future of Seattle

Lori Hill has seemingly worked at just about every job in commercial real estate. Last September, she pivoted to the leasing side at Clise Properties, where she serves as executive vice president. Her resume includes stops at Unico Properties as senior vice president of investment management, and as managing director of capital markets at JLL….

Jon Jones: The Mindful CEO

Jon Jones: The Mindful CEO

Jon Jones isn’t your ordinary boss, and Brighton Jones isn’t your ordinary company

Jon Jones is a business executive by trade and a guiding light by nature. The culture at the wealth management firm he co-founded with Charles Brighton 25 years ago, Brighton Jones, is a mix of spiritual, practical and, when appropriate, lighthearted. Acronyms such as “MESI” and “RLP” spill from his tongue like a free-flowing river….

A New Life in the Sea Suite

A New Life in the Sea Suite

Kristi Schooley left a long career in hospitality to follow her passion

As a lifelong Seattleite, Kristi Schooley always loved being surrounded by water. She bought her first boat in her 20s. “After that, being on the water became a part of my life and a true passion,” says Schooley, who launched a second career as a senior captain at Argosy Cruises 20 years ago after spending…

Play's the Thing

Play’s the Thing

Kimberly Bartlett uses play therapy to help children deal with their problems

You can call it trauma therapy. Child mental health. Or even the more straightforward family or child therapy. Kimberly Bartlett prefers a more lighthearted term to tackle a serious subject: integrative play therapy. Bartlett launched Evergreen Play Therapy in Seattle two years ago to help children and families heal through play. She combines various therapeutic…

Left to Her Own Device

Left to Her Own Device

Monica Plath couldn't find a suitable tracker for her young kids, so she invented her own

Monica Plath wants her two young children to be safe. She feels the same way about yours. Plath created Seattle-based Littlebird Connected Care after a concerning care experience for her child. The wearable tracking device, called the Littlebird Toddler Care- Tracker, is a wristband for kids that helps parents ensure that their children are safe….

Lots of Joy, People and Pie

Lots of Joy, People and Pie

Lorrie Baldevia: 'If you can't change the environment, change the game & how you play'

As Lorrie Baldevia says, “It’s not who you know. It’s who remembers you.” Baldevia, a native of Guam, was recently promoted to platform president at insurance brokerage AssuredPartners, where she oversees Oregon, Washington, and Northern California. The company is closing in on $100 million in annual revenue, and the region includes about 350 employees. Baldevia,…

Statshot: The Silver Economy

Statshot: The Silver Economy

Washington state fares better than most when it comes to older adults

Washington state is considered among the best places in the country for older residents due to its natural beauty and thriving economy, though it does have a relatively high cost of living. Seniors are significant players in the state’s economy. Here’s an economic snapshot: 38.5 Median age in U.S. 37.7 Median age in Washington state…

Gym Journey

Gym Journey

Chris Travis launched SSP to help others in the same situation he once found himself in

Chris travis remembers working 80 hours a week after starting a new job at Amazon’s Kindle division back in 2010. Not surprisingly, it took a toll on his health. He was eating poorly. He had developed a bad back, and wasn’t exercising. He wasn’t really even moving at all. He spent all of his time…

Deliberate, Direct, Decisive

Deliberate, Direct, Decisive

At Davidson & Associates, culture is nurtured on a daily basis

Don’t be confused by Tony Johnson’s use of the word “deliberate” to describe the culture at his insurance company. Think thoughtful, not laid-back. And it all begins before an employee even sets foot in the door. “We are ‘deliberate’ about ensuring personalities will mesh well with our culture in the hiring process,” says Johnson, principal…

On Reflection: Telecommuting Triumph

On Reflection: Telecommuting Triumph

Seattle and Washington state score high for remote work

If you’re reading this from your home office, you’re not alone. Almost one-third of employees across Washington state work from home on at least a part-time basis. A report from web hosting company Hostinger says slightly under 2 million people, or 32.7% of the state’s workforce, worked remotely at least one day out of the…

Saving for the Sunset

Saving for the Sunset

Six strategies for retirement, no matter your age or income

Planning for your retirement can feel overwhelming, even intimidating. As a Seattleite who has spent more than 35 years guiding clients in achieving their retirement goals, I’ve worked with people of all ages and incomes. Throughout the years, I’ve guided them through fears, implemented new approaches, and helped them shift their mindset and habits. The…

Political Ping-Pong

Political Ping-Pong

How to manage sensitive discussions in the workplace

With the 2024 u.s. presidential election around the corner, talk of politics is a constant on our televisions, in our social media feeds, and around our dinner tables. What happens when those discussions enter the workplace? Surveys consistently show that political discussions at work increase anxiety and decrease productivity. This is not a new issue;…

Editor's Note: So Common, Yet So Underappreciated

Editor’s Note: So Common, Yet So Underappreciated

Most of us have been, are, or will be caregivers in our lifetimes

My mother’s voice was calm, even more measured than usual. “Your father’s breathing tube came off last night while he was sleeping,” she said over the phone from Portland. “I had to take him to the hospital. He’s doing fine.”
This was almost three decades ago, and I still vividly recall not being surprised that something had happened.

Sonic Gloom

Sonic Gloom

The NBA delays its much-anticipated announcement of the return of the Sonics 

I had never seen my friend Carter so perturbed. “This is a load of crap,” he said, reflecting the views of NBA fans across the city. “I’m starting to wonder if this is ever going to happen.” Carter — who remains an avid NBA fan, unlike many other Sonics loyalists — was reacting to an announcement this week by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who said the league would deal with expansion at some point in the season…