Bill Conroy
‘The Tyranny of Geography’
Zillow all but ditched its physical offices years ago. It has no plans to reverse course
Zillow Group made a bold move in the summer of 2020 when it announced that most of its employees would work from home at least part of the time “indefinitely.” The Seattle-based real estate tech company was one of the first in the United States to adopt a “permanently flexible” workplace. Today, the bulk of…
Common Ground
The office of the future? Shared spaces, quiet rooms, natural light and a sustainable ethos
The workplace of the future is not just about some employees working from home while their counterparts toil in an office. It’s about rethinking the concept of an office entirely. Consider what’s happening on the 48th and 49th floors of the iconic Columbia Tower in downtown Seattle. The completely redesigned, 41,000-square-foot corporate headquarters of Seattle-based…
Icertis’ Big Contract Hits
Culture ‘at the forefront’ of every decision at growing contract-management company
Contract-management company Icertis has grown into a global software-as-a-service behemoth since its launch in 2009 — with some 2,400 employees globally, including about 400 in the U.S. and 140 in Washington state. The privately held company, headed by Chairman and CEO Samir Bodas, has raised more than $400 million in financing, including securing a $150…
Power Play
Nationally recognized Omnidian is building a clean-energy future with passion, purpose
Seattle-based Omnidian has become a national powerhouse in clean energy since its launch in 2017. The provider of performance-assurance contracts in the solar-power arena today has some 185 employees nationwide, including 75 in Washington, plus a national network of 200 external field-service providers. “We guarantee that the (solar-power) asset is working,” says Mark Liffmann, cofounder…
Fight Against Homelessness
Seattle-based Housing Connector takes a creative approach to an enduring problem
Sometimes, helping to solve big world problems, like homelessness, starts by employing the passion of a small but dedicated workforce that is willing to dive into the deep end of the pool together. The nonprofit Housing Connector, which ranks as one of Seattle Business magazine’s 100 Best Companies to Work For in 2022 in the…
Business and Civic Leaders Denounce the Threat to Public Safety in Downtown Seattle
In a letter to public officials, they urge action to permanently take back Third Avenue from the open drug market
In a letter to public officials, they urge action to ‘permanently take back Third Avenue from the open drug market’
Microsoft Manager Petya Vidolova Has Built Her Career the Old-Fashion Way With Dedication and Hard Work
Vidolova stresses that successful women leaders early on surround themselves with people who are willing to invest in their careers
Microsoft Group Business Program Manager Petya Vidolovas star is still rising as a leader in the business world, but her success to date is built on a foundation of perseverance and forward thinking. Vidolova was born in Bulgaria and moved to the United States some 17 years ago, starting her career from the ground up,…
The Coronavirus Crisis Has Idled More Than 500 Freelancers at the Pac-12 Networks, a Federal Filing Shows
The freelancers remain on the active roster of the Pac-12 Conferences sports-media affiliate, with the goal of returning them to work when broadcast productions resume
The coronavirus crisis has brought a temporary halt to sports programming nationwide to the dismay of many sports enthusiasts. The pain of the programming halt extends to the Pac-12 Conference and its content-production unit, the Pac-12 Networks, which have implemented pay cuts of up to 20% for top executives as well as staff layoffs affecting…
Seattle Business Leaders Aren’t Being Pollyannaish About the Fallout From the Coronavirus Crisis, Survey Shows
Executives in the Puget Sound Area have a notably bleak view of COVID-19s impact on their businesses, the poll states
Labor-market information platform ThinkWhy surveyed 500 business leaders across a half dozen major metro areas from March 14 through March 19 only several days before Washington Gov. Jay Inslee issued a mandatory statewide stay-at-home order and found that executives in the Seattle area have the most negative view of the impact of the COVID-19 crisis….
