News
The Most Influential People
Meet 25 extraordinary individuals and one transformative company building community and advocating for equity
Seattle magazine’s annual list of Most Influential people includes those who inspire, guide and uplift others through their actions, leadership and dedication. Their far-reaching influence stems from their achievements, but equally important, their ability to foster connections across the community, advocate for positive change, and empower others to make a difference. We’re rolling out brief…
It Takes a Five-Star Team to Deliver Five-Star Service at Davis Law Group
Davis Law Group’s commitment to excellence starts with a genuine and transparent office culture
Success in business can be hard to come by, especially in the legal industry. It takes buy-in across the board to achieve — let alone sustain — consistent results in the way that Davis Law Group has. A reputable litigation firm that has represented victims of serious accidents in Washington for more than 30 years,…
Best Companies To Work For 2024
A positive company culture encourages collaboration, collegiality, and productivity
A strong company culture doesn’t just happen. It’s nurtured, intentional, and deliberate. It takes work. Seattle Business magazine has again partnered with Pennsylvania-based Best Companies Group to measure company culture in numerous categories, asking employees themselves to rate their organizational culture. These are the region’s Best Companies To Work For in 2025.
The ‘T’ in Teleion Stands For Team
A company where everyone has a stake in the outcome
Teleion’s people-first culture means that everyone in the company has a voice in our decision-making processes. “It’s foundational to who we are as an organization,” says Jon Elliott, managing member. “We ask questions, we look for pain points, and we make changes based on feedback.” It’s this ethos that has propelled Teleion to a fifth…
The Hits Keep on Coming for Bartell Drugs
The last few times I was at Bartell Drugs, it was a sad sight. This was several months ago. Entire aisles were barren at both the Queen Anne and Ballard locations. Now, as the University Village Bartell Drugs is set to close late next month, I have to wonder what the future holds for a…
Nordstrom Goes Private
The Nordstrom family remains majority owner
Nordstrom has taken a huge step in reshaping its future in an increasingly competitive retail landscape by announcing plans to go private. The Seattle-based luxury department store has agreed to be acquired by Mexican retailer El Puerto de Liverpool for $6.25 billion in an all-cash transaction. The great grandsons of company founder John Nordstrom —…
Los Angeles Developer Buys Historic Fairmont Olympic
Luxury hotel recently underwent a major renovation
Seattle’s historic Fairmont Olympic Hotel is changing hands. Los Angeles-based Trinity Investments has acquired the 450-room luxury hotel in downtown Seattle for an undisclosed price. The 100-year-old hotel, which spans an entire city block, recently completed a $22 million renovation that included a new lobby, a new bar, and a reimagining of the famed Georgian…
Last-Minute Shopping? Amazon, Starbucks, REI Rank Among Best for Gift Card Value
Several Seattle-area retailers top 2024 list
If you’re last-minute gift-shopping — and chances are you are — you’re probably considering a gift card. The National Retail Federation says 157 million people plan to shop on Super Saturday — the last Saturday before Christmas. An estimated 26% of shoppers have already bought gift cards. “As with last year, over half of consumers…
Kraken Founding Owner David Bonderman Dies
Bonderman worked as a security guard at the Space Needle while attending college at UW
It was only my fourth day on the job in a new city, and I found myself sitting across a table from David Bonderman. This was back in 2003. I was the newly minted editor of the Portland Business Journal, and Bonderman’s private investment group — Texas Pacific Group, known as TPG — had just…
Judges Block Kroger-Albertsons Merger
Decision effectively ends plans that effect more than 300 grocery stores across Washington state
A woman named Kerry (she asked that her last name not be used) was perusing the canned goods section at the Magnolia QFC when she was asked if she had heard that a federal judge in Oregon had blocked parent company Kroger’s proposed merger with Albertsons. (About an hour later, a King County Superior Court…
Tacoma Mall Goes Upscale
It joins several other properties in recreating the mall experience
Many malls across the United States are struggling. So, why is Tacoma Mall investing tens of millions of dollars in a massive renovation? Mall owner Simon Property Group — best known locally as the redeveloper of Northgate Mall, now known as Northgate Station — has launched plans for a multi-million-dollar revitalization of the mall, which…
Stronger Together: Seattle U. and Cornish Announce Deal to Join Forces
Combined institution could boost Seattle’s flourishing creative economy
A few months ago, the president of Seattle University approached his counterpart at Cornish College of the Arts with a proposal: Let’s join forces. Today, the two Seattle educational powerhouses announced a plan that would create a unique entity combining the Jesuit tradition of education with a strong emphasis on arts and design. The boards…
Starbucks Dubbed a ‘Loser’ for Recent Performance
Problems are ‘deep-seated and multi-faceted’
Restaurant Dive (one of the many Dive verticals) cited an unfocused menu, a brand identity crisis, and political perceptions related to the war in Gaza and unionization efforts as reasons for a 10% drop in foot traffic and a 6% plunge in sales…