Commentary
Let’s Celebrate Some Good News in Seattle
Every now and then, it's important to focus on what unites and excites us
This story appears in the July 2018 issue. Click here for a free subscription. Theres so much in Seattle that divides and disturbs us rising taxes, housing costs, traffic congestion, homelessness that its fitting now and then to dwell on matters that unite and delight us. Employers that make you look forward to getting to…
Dream Big, but First, Get a Job: Four Lessons for Recent Grads
Tips for graduates from one of Amazons earliest investors.
Generation Z. Post-Millennials. The iGeneration. The generation graduating this year makes up a quarter of todays U.S. population which represents more than the Millennials who came before them, or even my own Baby Boomer generation. The young people graduating this season were ushered in to this world alongside the 9/11 attacks, and by their 10th…
How Business and Policy Leaders in the Pacific Northwest Can Work Together
WSU shares new report highlighting three opportunities to come together
In May, Washington State Universitys Carson College of Business released a new report, Business in the Northwest 2018, examining how the regions business leaders feel about the business climate today, how they are preparing for the future and what they need to succeed. In Washington state, 8 in 10 business leaders feel the climate is…
7 Head Tax Alternatives From the Department of Sarcasm
The Seattle head tax may have been repealed, but we have other options.
This article appears in the July 2018 issue. Click here for a free subscription. Seattles so-called head tax, which was going to charge $275 per employee to any large company making at least $20 million annually in taxable gross revenue, was registering slightly less popular than burlap underwear before the City Council reversed itself and…
Let’s Make Washington the Best Place to Receive Health Care
In Washington state, the Affordable Care Act has reduced the number of uninsured and increased the number of people with health coverage, but the Trump administrations seems set on dismantling the law. Here's what state leaders can do about it
This article appears in the June 2018 issue. Click here for a free subscription. In 2010, shortly after the Affordable Care Act (ACA) passed, then-Governor Chris Gregoire said, Weve got four years to build a runway so the health care reform plane can land. The plane did land, albeit with some turbulence. But with time,…
Starbucks Took a Lot of Flak for the ‘Philadelphia Incident,’ But That’s the Price of Being a Conscientious Corporate Citizen
Maybe we should give Starbucks a break and complain instead about companies that arent even trying.
This article appears in the June 2018 issue. Click here for a free subscription. Let me see if I have this straight. A Starbucks employee shows bad judgment and the whole country has a cow (organically raised, of course) over Starbucks failure to practice what it preaches. Only a world that enjoys soy lattes with…
PitchBook CEO: ‘Head Tax’ Would Force Us to Reconsider Growing in Seattle
"PitchBook has seen phenomenal growth over the past several years and like other Seattle business leaders, the head tax expense would force us to reevaluate where we invest in our continued growth."
Homelessness and affordable housing in Seattle are critical issues and I agree that its imperative we come together to address it. The proposed Head Tax, even with the revised rate, is not the solution. As many business leaders have already argued, the tax puts unnecessary financial pressure on the very businesses that are driving Seattles…
Who Will Be the Next Amazon?
"Companies dont grow forever. Even big and seemingly invincible ones contract, move or break up."
This article appears in the May 2018 issue. Click here for a free subscription. Back in ancient times, when the Puget Sound regions economy was basically the airplane maker and everyone else, no one talked about the next Boeing, much less tried to find it. For all of its booms and busts, for all the…
Why We Need to Support and Encourage Women Who Are Willing to Speak Out
Fear of retribution can be real and intimidating. Finding your voice requires support and encouragement.
This article appears in the May 2018 issue. Click here for a free subscription. A guest commentary by professional pilot Kimberly Perkins boldly illustrates the sorry state of gender equity in the commercial aviation industry. In March, a much longer online version of Perkins essay elicited a reply from another female pilot who shared a…
The “Seattle Process” Goes Off the Rails
Amazon made it known that it would halt downtown Seattle expansion plans over the proposed “head tax.” An ugly day for political discourse in Seattle followed. This story originally ran on SCC Insight. Welcome to “Bizarro World” Seattle. Last night after the May Day march, the antifa “anarchists” were anything but. And today, civic discourse descended…
Mea Culpa: We Haven’t Done Enough For Women in Business. We Will Do Better.
Instead of merely reporting on the status quo, we want to be a positive force for change.
This article appears in the May 2018 issue. Click here for a free subscription. As a business editor, I have a weakness for numbers. When pitched a story, I want to know how many employees you have, what your revenues are and how fast youre growing. When reporting, I want to talk to your CEO….
News Flash: Customers Dont Care About You
Your customer doesnt care if youre feeling sick or having a bad day.
This article appears in print in the April 2018 issue. Click here for a free subscription. For 15 years, I was not allowed to get sick on Saturday. I could be sick on Sunday and Monday. And while Tuesday through Friday werent ideal, if push came to shove, I could be sick then, too. But…
When It Comes to Space Exploration, Is the Sky the Limit for Jeff Bezos?
On second thought, for Jeff Bezos and Blue Origin, the sky is just the beginning.
This article appears in print in the April 2018 issue. Click here for a free subscription. The way Jeff Bezos, whos been fascinated by space since childhood, sells $1 billion worth of his Amazon shares each year to finance Blue Origin, you might think the private rocket company is just an expensive hobby. But talking…