Retail
Washington Tourism
It has been a year since Washington states tourism office closed and here is George Sharp, executive director of the Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater Visitor and Convention Bureau, leading a rallying cry: Heads in beds! Butts in seats! Feet on the street! To make the cash register ring! All right! Give each other high fives. Sharp wears a…
The Economics of the Arts
Arts and culture organizations are an important driver of Seattles economy, generating $447.6 million in economic activity in 2010, including $272 million in spending by nonprofit arts organizations and $175.6 million in event-related spending by their audiences. These are the findings of a study released in June by Americans for the Arts, a national nonprofit…
On Reflection: Paper Airplanes
Who says newspapers are dying? Certainly not the Boeing Company, which seems to be spending heavily to insert its own magazine, Frontiers, inside 220,000 copies of The Seattle Times each month. The usual Frontiers press run is about 115,000 copies, says Boeing spokesman Doug Alder Jr., so the added distribution nearly triples circulation. We wanted…
On Reflection: Ad Wars
Seattle advertising agency Wong, Doody, Crandall, Wiener (formerly Wongdoody) recently competed for a national accountand lost. Hey, it happens. But it doesnt usually happen on TV in front of millions. The agencys work, filmed at WDCWs Los Angeles office, premiered in April on AMCs new reality show The Pitch. The eight-part series, featuring two agencies…
Bright Idea: Ruff housing
During a recent vacation, Greg Gottesman, managing director at Madrona Venture Group, left his dog, Ruby Tuesday, with a high-end boarder in Seattle. When Gottesman returned, he discovered that Ruby had been injured while he was gone. That experience inspired Gottesman to pitch the idea for Rover.com, a website connecting dog owners with dog sitters,…
Retail: The Holding Company
If you look at a list of the top patent awardees in Washington state, you might be surprised to find one company few people have heard of: Pacific Market International. The company has quietly established a reputation as a green, innovative business and a great place to work. Reinvention seems built into its corporate DNA,…
Local ad agency competes on reality show …
Seattle advertising agency Wong, Doody, Crandall, Wiener recently competed for a national account with Subway, the sandwich chain. On TV. The agency’s work, filmed at WDCW’s Los Angeles office, will appear on a “sneak peek” of episode one of AMC’s new reality show The Pitch at 11 p.m. Easter Sunday, immediately after the hit series…
Booze Bonanza
Thanks to an initiative passed last year that ends the states monopoly on the sale of hard liquor, large retailers are preparing to plunge into this lucrative business. Virtually every major grocery chain store from Fred Meyer to Safeway has applied to the Washington State Liquor Control Board for the new spirits retail license and…
Casinos Grow as Tribes Diversify
Casino revenue has been a game changer for Washingtons American Indian tribes. Money from tribal gambling operations in the past 20 years has gone to improve reservation housing, expand health care services and education programs, and provide a base for economic development. Now, with challenges looming as Washington residents spend less enthusiastically on gambling, the…
Booze Privatization Means Business for Big and Small
Thanks to an initiative passed last year that ends the states monopoly on the sale of hard liquor, large retailers are preparing to plunge into this lucrative business. Virtually every major grocery chain store from Fred Meyer to Safeway has applied to the Washington State Liquor Control Board for the new spirits retail license and…
Notable Local Fashion Designers
WraphabillementThough less than a year old, former Microsoftie Elizabeth Roberts outerwear line has already been picked up by Nordstrom, a testament to the Madison Park designers thoughtful approach. The Royal Danish Ballet is also smitten: Wraphabillement makes the troupes official cold-weather garb. The sleek jackets employ a technology that lets fabric expand or contract with…
Rising Tide
They pour into Seattle by the hundreds of thousands: cruise ship passengers from all over the world, clamoring to board floating cities for slo-mo luxury tours of Puget Sound and points beyond. Seattle has become a major launching spot for cruise ships setting sail to southeast Alaska, home to cavorting whales, calving glaciers and staggeringly…
Washington Tribes Play Large Role in State Economy
The Washington Indian Gaming Association may be feeling some pressure from Republicans in the state legislature who would like to either allow non-tribal gambling operatings to install slot machines or increase taxes on tribal casinos. Either measure would help the state raise more revenues from gambling activities in this state. The association has released a…