Commentary
Vertafore Still Expanding in Seattle
By Susanna Morgan Senior Vice President, Corporate Development Vertafore The December issue of Seattle Business Magazine included Vertafore one of the regions largest software companies on the Most Likely to Be Missed list given our acquisition by an out-of-state buyer, inferring that Vertafore would soon be leaving the area. However, what the story didnt convey…
Washi-Leaks
Reference ID Subject Created Origin 45SONICS0224 Handwritten note misfiled with documents for City of Seattle lawsuit over Sonics relocation. From Clayton Bennett to Seattle Symphony Director Gerard Schwarz: While our brand spankin new OKC symphony hall sits empty, our wallets do not. Perhaps the Maestro and the Mrs. would like to see what $52 mil…
Talk the Walk
Companies large and small are embracing corporate social responsibility. But consumers, employees and investors want to know not only that companies are good corporate citizens, but also that they can back up their claimsthat they can be trusted. Any effort at spin, real or perceived, will be met with harsh criticism and serious damage to…
In Search of a New Destiny
The City of Destiny moniker was attached to Tacoma in 1864 when it landed the economic-development plum of the erathe western terminus of the Northern Pacific Railwaybut in the midst of all the hoopla, no one thought to ask just what specific destiny the fates had in mind. Instead of what the local gentry figured…
Keli Carender
I feel like the tinder was already there, ready to burstinto flames and I just lit the match, says conservative blogger and activistKeli Carender on her early role in the Tea Party movement. On Feb. 16, 2009, Carender organized a Porkulus protest atWestlake Park in downtown Seattle. Appalled by what she deemed excessivespending in the…
Letter: Unrecognized SoDo
Regarding Bill Virgins column on SoDo (The Old IndustrialHeart, October 2010)well, he got most of it right. Dan Raleys remarkable book, Tideflats to Tomorrow: TheHistory of Seattles SoDo nothwithstanding,this area of south Seattle is looked on, particularly by those on the upperfloors of City Hall, as that big gray area just south of Qwest and…
Sergei Says
Ive got it figured out. Its easy, really. Ive been tryingto figure out a way to make it, but have been stymied by a depressed economy,no public investment, no corporate reinvestment, no irrational exuberance … nofun. But as my friend Sergei says, When life gives lemons,poison neighbors lemon tree and corner market. Theres nothing a…
Hello, World
Words have amazing power to conjure in the mind people, places, objects or concepts that weve never seen or had any experience with, and may not even exist. Sometimes, that power can be demonstrated with just one word: Sasquatch. Sometimes, it takes two: Seattle Republican. Or three: Mariners power hitter. On occasion, it takes more…
Finding Work, Not a Job
You can barely turn around these days without bumping into discouraging news about the pace of the economic recovery and job creation. Here in Washington state, unemployment is 8.9 percent. Thats down from a few months ago, but the last time unemployment reached these levels was way back in the early 1980s. While its clear…
Reform School Days
It is no secret that a college degree is an essentialqualification to succeed in todays economy. Proving workplace value is at afever pitch and applicants are looking for ways to garner a competitive edge,many through furthering their education. These types of potential studentsrequire nontraditional avenues to learning such as online courses, fast-trackdegrees and the flexibility…
The Death of an Intellectual Giant
A great man died yesterday. Chalmers Johnson was the kind of intellectual the world no longer seems capable of producing. I had the good fortune of studying Japanese political economy under him at the University of California, Berkeley in the late 1970s. He later taught at the University of California, San Diego and launched the…
Glimmers of Hope?
The Sunday Seattle Times offers a page full of graphs to support a rather grim view of the state’s economic future. But that pessimistic view isn’t necessarily supported by the graphs on the page. Economics is all about trends, and if you look at the trendlines over the past year, conditions look substantially brighter. We…
The faces of philanthropy within the Puget Sound business community
McKinstry Co. and Delivery Express are among the faces of philanthropy within the Puget Sound business community. McKinstry Co. and the McKinstry Foundation, founded by executive Dean Allen, are deeply devoted to local nonprofits, focusing on education, youth, global/health science, and community outreach. Delivery Express of Renton and president Dave Hamilton literally go the extra…