Commentary
The Workers Comp Chokehold
Economic crises tend to expose flawed systems. The current crisis surrounding the financial markets and housing bust displayed the weaknesses of mortgage-backed securities. The recession a decade ago brought overexposed dot-coms to their knees. A decade before that saw the trials of savings and loans. Here in Washington, our down economy revealed regulatory policies that…
The Social Media Blind Spot
Despite the massive success and acceptance of Web 2.0 community-building sites such as Facebook and Twitter, many of today’s executives continue to ignore these social media networks. Many claim they don’t have the time or desire to spend energy or resources building their online communities. But the reality is these tools are being widely adopted…
Will Seattle Continue to Grow As a World-Class City?
The coming battle over building a new tunnel across the Seattle waterfront may be a preview of how Seattle sees itself and whether the city wants to remain a world player. A decision not to build the tunnel, at a time when the city has yet to put in place an effective public transit system,…
Seattle Times Still Mired in Pension Woes
When the McClatchy Co. wrote down its 49.5 percent stake in the Seattle Times Co. to zero at the end of 2008, the Sacramento-based media company blamed the Times Co.’s pension fund liability, which soared after the fund was clobbered by the stock market crash last year. The Times‘ pension plan was under water by…
The Good, the Bad and the Stupid
The December issue of Seattle Business is en route to mailboxes and now online. In this issue, we take our annual look back at the best and worst business stories of the year. It’s a pretty mixed bag, especially given the brutal economic climate businesses have faced in 2009. Which is all the more reason…
The Best and Worst of Business 2009
The Best of Business 2009 Best Hire: Phyllis Campbell Washington Mutual’s collapse last year-which came to a head with a run on the bank and seizure by the FDIC-resulted in the loss of 3,400 jobs in downtown Seattle, a virtually empty shell of a new headquarters building, and a lot of anger and hurt in…
New Horizons
The region with what may be the healthiest economy in Washington is also, not coincidentally, the region with what may well be the most vibrant and innovative manufacturing sector in the state. It’s a region that, should the green economy deliver even a portion of what the hype promises for new jobs and economic growth,…
Resetting the Standards
Gentlemen, please take your seats, so we can begin. More Glenlivet, Frank? As you know by now, thanks to our friends in the media (general laughter) … and the news reports lately, we’ve run into a problem with how we grade financial products. For the past 18, 24 months-who’s counting, really?-it seems our analytical team…
Surviving and Thriving Amid Uncertainty
As unemployment heads toward its highest level in decades, homeowners are facing more foreclosures and many companies continue to confront huge challenges. We at Seattle Business magazine feel your pain. In an epidemic that continues today, nearly 2,000 periodicals have closed their doors in the past three years, including Portfolio, a wonderfully written national business…
U.S. Soccer World Looks to Seattle Sounders for Business Model
SEATTLE – If Major League Soccer is looking for an ideal business model, it need look no further than the host club for this year’s MLS Cup: the Seattle Sounders. The first-year franchise didn’t make it to the finals, but its 48 points were well ahead of RSL’s in the regular season. The club sold…
Seattle’s New Economy Advantages Strong in Downturn
Dean Paton, one of our favorite writers, has a great story in the Christian Science Monitor on the advantages Seattle still has as a consequence of its 68,000 millionaires, its Boeing jobs (still largely here in spite of planned announcements to build production in South Carolina), its emerging role as a center for World Health…
Shoe Importer’s New Headquarters Receives AIA Design Award
When the American Institute of Architects’ Seattle Chapter announced its annual design awards, we were surprised to find Topline, a Bellevue-based shoe importer, among the companies honored. The company converted its warehouse into a stunning design center. While the company’s shoes are stylish, its offices had become old and updated. Now the space fits the…