Commentary
Virgin on Business: The Water Retention Issue
Battles over industrial development revive the familiar agent provocateur of the West: H2O.
A new toxic material is threatening the Northwest. Its safe enough for human, animal and fish consumption in its natural state, but it can be seriously hazardous to economic development projects and political careers. Its chemical name can be written as dihydrogen monoxide, or in shorthand as H2O. You know it as water. Water who…
UAV Law Takes Flight
What you must know if you plan to use drones commercially.
When an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) struck the Great Wheel on Seattles waterfront last November, it was a vivid demonstration of what can go wrong as more drones take to the sky. UAVs, once used mostly by hobbyists and the military, are now undergoing rapid advances in technology that unlock their potential to revolutionize commerce…
Creating an Affordable, Inclusive Puget Sound
Making room for our growing population will require more density in urban areas as well as innovation in transportation and office use.
Seattle has an enviable problem. More and more people are moving to the Puget Sound, so many that, by some estimates, the regions population could increase by one million residents by 2040. At the same time, Seattle is constrained geographically by water and hills. Our topography is scenic and beautiful, but it also makes it…
Mom to Employer: “Do You Mind if I Sit in on My Son’s Interview?”
More than one-third of managers are annoyed when job seekers get help from helicopter parents.
Do Mom and Dad know best when their children are looking for jobs? Not always, new research from staffing firm OfficeTeam suggests. More than one in three (35 percent) senior managers interviewed said they find it annoying when helicopter parents are involved in their kids’ search for work. Another one-third (34 percent) of respondents prefer…
Virgin on Business: Citizens, Beware!
Old and new taxing bodies are getting more creative and ever more opportunistic.
For decades, elements of Washingtons political class have longed for nay, lusted after an income tax, this state being among the seven currently without one. Washington voters have not shared the ardor for adding yet another tax, voting down proposals seven times, most recently in 2010. But obsession is not easily deterred, and the pro-income-tax…
Editors Note: The Case for Paine Field
Its time for the airport in Snohomish County to take some of the pressure off Sea-Tac.
Mukilteo is a divided community when it comes to Paine Field, the airport next door. Aviation enthusiasts who love to see the vintage aircraft buzzing about have bumper stickers that read I airplane noise. Anti-airport activists, by contrast, apparently play a parlor game called Stop That Project! in which guests are asked to come up…
Final Analysis: Rhymes with Uber
Some new ideas for the gig economy.
The sharing economy has changed America. Tasks we always considered menial and maybe a little annoying running errands, walking the dog, shopping for groceries now have enthusiastic champions who are happy to do them for us. If anything, this proves that companies like MyLackey.com remember it? were ahead of their time. Hard to believe MyLackey…
CEO Adviser: Paving the Way to Digital
How the Northwests leading asphalt company is embracing technology.
Whats the ROI on software? This is the question facing many leaders of traditional mid-market companies. For a well-established family-run business, there is often the temptation to invest in assets that can generate revenue faster in the short term instead of technology upgrades that dont deliver immediate profit. When I first met Mike Lee, president…
On the Way to Pension Reform
Seattles new changes are a good start, but more substantive work must be done.
The bankruptcy of Detroit which was $18 billion in debt and had to cut pension benefits for many municipal workers shows how critical it is for cities to have meaningful pension reform. Seattle recently took important first steps to change its pensions, but more fundamental reforms are needed. Pension commitments have become one of the…
What Does It Take to Become a Best Company to Work For?
Were often asked how businesses make the list.
People like to rave about companies that have pool tables in their lounges, free massages at employees desks and Friday afternoon happy hours at favorite watering holes. But seldom will such perks make us passionate about the companies we work for. What gets us out of bed every morning excited about going to work involves…
Final Analysis: The Myth of Heroic Invention
Next time youre craving the latest smartphone, watch 'Death by Design' instead.
Death by Design sounds like a Woody Allen film. Its not. Its a documentary by Sue Williams, who has been making films in and about China for 30 years. And its kind of scary. Death by Design isnt strictly about China, but that countrys role in the production of our sleek, sophisticated digital gadgets is…
Final Analysis: Wont You Come Home, Bill Boeing?
How can we celebrate such a momentous birthday when the honoree doesnt even live here?
Elsewhere in this month’s issue youll find congratulatory notes honoring The Boeing Company on the occasion of its 100th anniversary. Allow me to add my own felicitations. I just wonder if we all might get a little more jazzed about this upcoming centennial the actual date is July 15 if Boeing were still an honest-to-goodness…
Editor’s Note: Dont Worry; Be Happy
The tech disruption is unsettling, but it happened before and Seattle survived and thrived!
Seattles geek influx seems to be causing a disturbance in the force. The New York Times Timothy Egan worries that Amazon has become a large foreign presence growing inside us. At risk, old-timers say, is Seattles very identity as a culturally rich, economically diverse city. Such concerns have merit. Heavy hiring by Seattle tech companies…