Rob Smith
Costco Hikes Membership Fees
The company last raised the price in 2017
I love shopping at Costco. Sure, our household doesn’t always need 18 tubes of toothpaste at once, but that’s a small price to pay for the savings. Even just one purchase — a computer, for instance — can recoup a basic membership fee. Rumors have been swirling for years that the company would raise its…
MOD Pizza To Be Acquired By Elite Restaurant Group
The sale may have staved off a potential bankruptcy filing
MOD Super Fast Pizza LLC has agreed to be acquired by Elite Restaurant Group. Terms were not disclosed. Bellevue-based MOD was founded in 2008 and until recently had been on a growth tear. It now operates more than 500 locations across the United States and Canada, but had reportedly closed more than two dozen this…
Editor’s Note: Green Serenity
It’s been 10 years since Washington residents could legally buy marijuana
I was intrigued when an email blaring the provocative subject line “Weed Man Targets Seattle for Franchise Expansion” popped into my inbox. Imagine my disappointment when the pitch was for a lawn-care company, not a pot shop. I’m sure that’s not the reaction the PR team was anticipating…
Washington’s Wave Wanderlust
Just in time for summer: State ranks No. 1 for beaches.
Washington is the best state to go to the beach in America. Vacation rental platform Lake.com found that Washington boasts the most beaches of any state, 1,550, and has 1,053.63 miles of beach. That includes “urban beaches” such as Burien’s Seahurst Park, Alki, and Golden Gardens, and Discovery Park. A few of our favorite beaches…
Catie Griggs Resigns From Mariners
Chairman John Stanton will temporarily assume her role
Catie Griggs has resigned as president of business operations for the Seattle Mariners. In a statement, Griggs says she resigned to “prioritize her family” and relocate back to the East Coast to be closer to both her husband, Justin, and her aging parents. Prior to joining the Mariners in 2021, Griggs served as chief business…
Will Supreme Court Ruling Call More Attention to the Unhoused?
One Seattle organization takes a pragmatic, optimistic approach
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling that cities can outlaw homeless encampments caught many by surprise. Brad Blackburn III and his professional peers, however, were ready…