Hayden Homes: A Culture of Caring | Sponsored
Giving back, changing lives
Since 1989, Hayden Homes has worked hard to build a reputation for the quality of our homes and the passionate support we give to the communities in which we live and work. The balance of building and giving is essential to who we are. It’s what connects our people, passion, and purpose. We believe in…
Catching up with Michelle Li
Very Asian co-founder remains a fan of Seattle
Michelle Li lives and works in St. Louis now, but the former KING-5 broadcaster will always consider Seattle a second home. Li famously created the Very Asian Foundation after a viewer in St. Louis left a racist voicemail telling her to “keep her Korean to herself” and accusing her of being “very Asian” after she…
Sweetgreen Opens First Seattle-Area Location
Popular and fast-growing healthy food chain plans more Seattle outlets
The fast-growing Los Angeles-based chain will open its first Seattle-area location in The Village at Totem Lake in Kirkland. Another location on South Lake Union may open as soon as this spring, followed by a third on Capitol Hill.
Second-Chance Hiring
Would your organization hire formerly incarcerated individuals?
Even though many studies show that formerly incarcerated talent has equal-to-better job performance stats when compared to peers, some organizations still have systemic bias against employees and applicants with a criminal history. If employers are truly committed to infusing DEIB into their practices, instituting intentional fair-chance hiring practices must be considered. Here are some frequently…
Best Companies: Wizards of the Workplace
Executives from top-scoring companies share their beliefs and behaviors
It’s not exactly Undercover Boss, but Jessica Jackson learns a lot when she visits Revolution Custom/Civil Builders workers at job sites. Jackson, office manager at the Issaquah-based general contractor, surprises workers with lunch once a month. She hears questions and concerns she never expected. “We are pretty shocked at what we learn,” Jackson says. “Normal,…
More than Milk
Smith Brothers Farms is more than just a dairy
Dusty Highland is firmly rooted in modern times, but the fourth-generation owner of rapidly growing Smith Brothers Farms still centers his company on a time-tested business practice that dates back to colonial New England. Despite having a fancy app and a business model built around acquisitions, new products and corporate partnerships, Kent-based Smith Brothers still…
The Train Keeps Going
Why workforce development is always a work in progress
Regina Mills would shop late at night, when her two sons and neighbors were not around, because she was ashamed that she needed the state’s food assistance program to pay for groceries. She had been rejected from one job after another because of a charge of possession and burglary that, though dismissed, kept showing up…
Higher-Ed Dread
Optimal works to untangle the chaotic world of choosing a college
The difference between Harvard University and your local community college may not be as great as you think. It depends on your focus and interests. Just ask Sung Rhee. His Kirkland-based company, Optimal, prioritizes tuition costs and alumni salaries in ranking colleges. Unlike U.S. News & World Report — once considered the gold standard for…
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….
Downtown’s ‘It’ Man
Jon Scholes is leading the effort to bring downtown Seattle back. It’s working
For Jon Scholes, the state of downtown Seattle is deeply personal. As a longtime resident, he’s keenly invested in downtown’s post-pandemic recovery. As president and CEO of the Downtown Seattle Association, he’s inarguably the neighborhood’s most fervent advocate. He keeps close tabs on store openings, crime rates, transportation issues, and public policy decisions. And he’s…
‘It’s Not About the Visitors’
Visit Seattle CEO Tammy Blount-Canavan reveals some secrets about tourism
Tammy Blount-Canavan calls herself a “travel evangelist.” Visit Seattle calls her its CEO. Blount-Canavan had big shoes to fill when she took over the regional destination marketing organization last year from Tom Norwalk, who served as CEO for almost 14 years. Blount-Canavan, who lives in downtown Seattle just blocks from her office, has a long…
How Four Letters and AI Can Create a Cure
François Vigneault’s Shape Therapeutics seeks to find answers for incurable disease
The impetus for François Vigneault’s decades-long love affair with biology was actor Dustin Hoffman. Vigneault watched the movie Outbreak in 1995, in which Hoffman plays an Army epidemiologist searching for a cure for a quickly spreading and deadly virus. “That’s what I want to do,” he thought. The movie motivated Vigneault, who was serving in…
The Fixer: Alicia Crank
Seattle CityClub executive director Alicia Crank wants to inject respect into civic discourse, one conversation at a time
Alicia Crank wants you to know this: She’s on a mission to elevate civic discussion in Seattle and beyond. Crank, a long time fundraising executive who has worked at AtWork!, YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish, and CityYear Seattle, took the executive director role at Seattle CityClub 18 months ago. The nonprofit seeks to improve…
Community, Coffee, Culture
Darnesha Weary has big plans for Black Coffee Northwest. Many don’t even involve caffeine
DarNesha Weary first bonded with her husband, Erwin, over coffee. Their first date was in a coffee shop. It makes sense, then, that the couple — married for 25 years — now own Black Coffee Northwest. Caffeine, though, isn’t the most important part of the growing company. The Wearys launched Black Coffee Northwest in June…
Building a Better Nugget
Rebellyous Foods founder Christie Lagally is bringing plant-based chicken to the masses
As the name of her company implies, Christie Lagally believes that rules are meant to be broken. Lagally in 2017 founded Seattle-based Rebellyous Foods, a company whose proprietary technology allows it to produce plant-based chicken nuggets, tenders, and patties at a fraction of the cost of competitors. Lagally, a former mechanical engineer at The Boeing…
A Passion for Many Missions
KD Hall has racked up a long list of accomplishments. She’s not done yet
KD Hall launched her own eponymous communications firm. Two years later, she founded the KD Hall Foundation, a nonprofit that offers educations and workforce preparation and workshops for women and girls. She is also a four-time Emmy nominee who has produced several short films and a 10-episode television talk show series. She was recently appointed…
On Reflection: Don’t Write Off Seattle’s Commercial Core Just Yet
The city makes big gains in real estate trends report
Thanks to Seattle’s battered but still significant tech sector, the region ranked an impressive No. 10 among metros in all states in the Emerging Trends in Real Estate 2024 report. “Ratings have been volatile in recent years, mostly due to the changing fortunes of the tech sector,” the annual report from the Urban Land Institute…
Washington State Statshot: Economic Snapshot 2024
Aerospace jobs are on the rise, but building permits are declining
Nobody has a crystal ball. Economists with the state of Washington, however (and everywhere else), are analyzing what they think the economy will soon look like. Here are projections for the statewide economy in 2024 based on sophisticated analytical models. They do not necessarily reflect current market conditions. 5.3%: State unemployment rate. 5.4%: U.S. unemployment…
Statshot: Talking Tech
High salaries, remote workers make Washington state the nation’s top tech employer
Watch out, Silicon Valley. Yet another study pegs Washington as the top state for tech. Business consulting firm Venture Smarter analyzed median hourly wages, the number of people employed in tech roles per 1,000 jobs, and also added the percentage of remote workers to devise a “Tech-Friendly Index.” Washington has the highest number of remote…
On Reflection: Tutta Bella Brings the Heat
Popular chain makes a big investment in SODO
Tutta Bella has opened a state-of-the-art Culinary Innovation Hub in the SODO neighborhood. The popular restaurant chain’s 15,000-square-foot USDA-certified facility will create more than 100 jobs to support the Seattle company’s rapidly expanding grocery and retail business. It features a prep kitchen, production facility, and office space, and will also serve as the company’s new…
The Battle Against Bias
How to create an inclusive, psychologically safe workplace
Creating inclusive spaces for folks with expanded gender identities can have a profound impact on both mental and physical health, and the workplace should be no exception. Employers have the unique opportunity to create a sense of belonging for individuals who might not feel inclusion in other areas of their lives. How do you create…
Respect, Not Agreement
We can agree to disagree. Let's just be civil about it
“Can we all get along?” While not an uncommon phrase, it became part of the American fabric on May 1, 1992, when Rodney King posed this question at a press conference after his beating from four police officers went viral. I was a senior in high school at the time, and it was both a…
Breaking the Age Barrier
How to combat ageism in the workplace
The current workforce consists of five different generations for the first time in history, but less than 10% of employers include age diversity in their equity and inclusion strategy. Historically, managing a multigenerational workforce has been seen as a challenge, but age inclusion can allow for increased learning, and two-way mentorship opportunities. Here are some…
The Shooting Never Stops
Gun violence exacts a steep toll on all aspects of life
18We live in a country with more guns than humans. More mass shootings than days in a year. And a significant misconception about how survivors of gun violence can heal and move on with their lives. The truth is that time does not heal all wounds. And unfortunately, there is no playbook for victims of…