Commentary
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),…
Virgin on Business: Comparatively Speaking
The Washington State Department of Commerce recently announced it was sponsoring a delegation of companies to attend a trade conference in Europe, part of a broader effort to build, and build recognition for, Washingtons cluster of businesses in composites and advanced materials. That the state was doing so and that it has targeted the composites…
Final Analysis: Under the Influence
Someday, your Klout score will be more important than your credit score. Sigh.
Do you know your Klout score? I used to be an 11. In the world of social media, it was appalling. On a Darwinian level, it put me somewhere between fungi and green algae. Should anyone really care? Joe Fernandez, who founded Klout in 2008, thinks so. Last year, he told students in an MBA…
Education for the Masses
Kevin Phelps, Pierce County deputy executive, dropped out of college 36 years ago to go into business. Last year, he went back to school, enrolling in Western Governors University (WGU), a nonprofit, online university. He passed one course in business law in just one week because he was already familiar with most of the curriculum….
CEO Adviser: Picture This
With summer upon us, most Seattle businesses and nonprofits have done their initial goal settingidentifying strategy, measuring against last years success or challenges and dreaming that vision of success. Some companies are taking to heart the new neuroscience discoveries, which indicate that when you marry ideas, strategies and vision with a visual picture, you have…
Chamber Ensemble
You would expect the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce to be focused on issues such as job creation, education and transportationand we are. You might not expect to see our chamber actively engaged in celebrating and promoting Seattles vibrant music scene, featuring Sir Mix-A-Lot at our social media conference, or creating a common ground vision…