Letters to the editor, December

We Got Game!

WE GOT GAME!

I thought you did a great job on the story about Washington's [video] game industry. The research you did made it stand out over other stories I've read about the region and I appreciated how many people you talked...

Letters to the editor, December

Cowles Disputes Details

COWLES DISPUTES DETAILS

Please let me set the record straight on two serious mischaracterizations in William Stimson's story on Cowles Company ("Spokane's First Family," November 2007).

Mr. Stimson's claim that the City of...

Letters to the editor, December

Discerning Discernments

DISCERNING DISCERNMENTS

Thank you for another discernment to rip out and forward to my son who is studying business on the East Coast. Today it was Rich Simmonds' thoughts on generational stewardship ("Family to Family,"...

Vital Signs, December

Economy Slowing

The "subprime" market has evaporated and the stress is showing in the economy in several places. The accompanying graph shows the impact on the natural resources sector - forestry and mining - as well as in wood products. The two...

Snapshots, December

Toy Stories

Holiday shoppers have alternatives to giant toy store chains

Cover, December

The new Gilded Age

The Northwest's new wealth is changing the landscape, but not its soul ... yet

Manufacturing, December

The Art of Salesmanship

At Purcell Systems, a CEO mixes business and fun

Technology, December

Barcodes for the New Millenium

The market for radio frequency identification tags may finally be coming into its own

Real Estate, December

Real Estates: Home or Castle?

The explosion of wealth in Washington has led to larger and more luxurious homes - some with expensive renovations - coming onto the market. Here's a selection of some of the most expensive real estate on the market in the state.

Q & A, December

Avista Corp. ScottMorris

Scott L. Morris is president and chief operating officer of Avista Corp., a Spokane-based utility. He has spent 25 years with the company, starting out in the utility's marketing division, and was promoted to president of Avista...

Life & Style, December

Time is Money

The Growing Trend in Corporate Jet Charters

Outspoken, December

What Doomsday?

A newspaper magnate flies in the face of convention and succeeds

OutFront, December

Briefcase

CHENEY - Local officials plan to establish a 38-acre research park after receiving a federal grant of nearly $1.5 million. The money will pay for land as well as roads, utilities and telecommunications lines. The city plans to...

OutFront, December

Seattle U Launches Strategic Communications Center

Barry Mitzman - the long-time host of KCTS-TV's show Serious Money - is leaving his post as Microsoft's director of strategic communications to direct Seattle University's new Center for Strategic Communications.

He'll work...

OutFront, December

Can't Give it Away Fast Enough

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has launched a $100 million fund to foster unconventional approaches to global health, inviting scientists to bid for small, quickly awarded grants. The Grand Challenges Explorations program...

OutFront, December

Washington is #3 in the Race to be Green

How green is the Evergreen State? When it comes to using green energy, Washington is among the fastest growing states in the U.S., ranking No. 3 this year and trailing only North Dakota and Montana, according to the latest...

OutFront, December

Teutonic Condos

A real estate developer is planning on turning the old Leavenworth Fruit Co. warehouse off State Route 2 into a $75 million condominium and shopping complex.

Make that a Bavarian condominium and shopping complex. Dubbed...

OutFront, December

Exective Appointments

James Aitken is president and general manager of KREM-TV and KYSNTV, Spokane.Workforce Development Council Snohomish County in Everett elects Sue Ambler as CEO.Meenu Chhabra is named president and CEO of Allozyne Inc.,...

OutFront, December

Picture this problem

Regional business and political leaders are planning to introduce a technology that would enable the public and private sectors to tackle problems such as urban growth and education through advanced computer visualization,...

OutFront, December

Spokane Restaurants Prosper

Spokane's restaurant industry is showing robust growth thanks to a healthy economy, a vibrant downtown and diners' newfound appetites for niche cuisines.

According to the Spokane Journal of Business, taxable retail sales for...

December, OutFront

High Grades For Local B-Schools

The Master of Business Administration programs at Washington State University and Western Washington University have earned kudos from the Aspen Institute. WSU and WWU finished 76th and 87th, respectively, out of about 600...

OutFront, December

Washington's Minimum Wage Tops Nation

Washington's minimum wage will continue to rank highest in the nation on Jan. 1, when the base pay increases 14 cents to $8.07 an hour.

The annual pay jump comes by way of a 1998 voter-approved law that ties the wage rate to...

OutFront, December

Kick-Starting Innovation Statewide

State officials this fall doled out $4.7 million in grants aimed at jumpstarting research in five new "innovation partnership zones."

The grants went to help fund research park projects in Bellingham, Grays Harbor, Pullman,...

OutFront, December

SOLD! Spokane Hospitals go for-profit

Spokane's not-for-profit Empire Health Services has agreed to sell its two hospitals to the largest publicly traded hospital company in the United States.

If the deal is approved by regulators, Community Health Systems, a...

December

They're Not Buying the Gloom

Local online retailers, analysts predict a bright future despite a projected decline in sales growth

Wine, December

How Sweet it is

Many people are turned off by sweet wines, especially drinkers of dry red wines. Sweet wines are so intense and sugary, Australians refer to them as "stickies" - pertinent because they literally coat your mouth with sweetness and...

Real Estate, December

Are We Headed For Doom?

Despite a credit crunch and housing bubble, Washington remains better off than most

Life & Style, December

Embrace Those Holiday Blues

Exceptional gifts selected to bring plenty of cheer

December

From the Editor

Unemployment in Washington state remains low, but housing prices are softening. Boeing and Microsoft are making record profits, but Washington Mutual and Nordstrom are hitting rough waters. Are we about to experience a surge in...

Healthcare, December

From High Tech to Soft Touch

The Everett Clinic uses innovative ways to control health care costs.

Cover, December

Downtown: Everybody Wants One

To attract young workers and to create a sense of identity, communities across the state are turning to visionary developers to build them a lively town center

Bookend, December

Bookend

What book should every businessperson be reading right now?

A Whole New Mind: Why Right- Brainers Will Rule the Future, by Daniel H. Pink (Riverhead Books, $15). "According to Daniel Pink, 'the M.F.A. is the new M.B.A.' As the...

Technology, December

Microsoft in the Living Room

The software giant has taken the lead in online video gaming. Is this the big payoff?

Snapshots, December

Bioscience Inc.

Four companies mix business with research

Letters to the editor, December

Overseas Surgery

As a subscriber to Washington CEO and Executive Director of Seattle Surgery Center, I was very interested in your October article “Double Bypass.” On page 40 the “India” prices were similar to the prices...

Letters to the editor, December

Brain Deficit

Congratulations on the new CEO look. You are to be applauded for stories with a “harder edge” and for “accuracy, balance and fairness” as your mantra. But in reading the article titled...

Letters to the editor, December

World of Wine

I wanted you to know how much I enjoyed [Christina Kelly’s] recent article on Father Bruno Segatta. What a great story about two people joining forces to help each other out. She is such a talented writer. I am happy to see...

Letters to the editor, December

Marketing McGavick

You missed an opportunity here. The question that needs to be answered is: ‘Washington state needs to accomplish the following and which candidate is going to make it happen?’ You know what Maria’s record is...

Life & Style, December

Out on the Town

THEATER

Intiman TheatreNov 29-Dec 27 Black Nativity by Langston Hughes: An annual production directed by Jacqueline Moscou encompassing thrilling musical performances led by Seattle's own "gospel queen," Pastor Patrinell Wright....

Wine, December

Put Some Sparkle in Your Life

Champagne. The word connotes celebrations, weddings, New Year's Eve parties. But the bubbly most of us know is inexpensive sparkling wine (such as Cold Duck), often tasted at weddings after the "I do's" are said. It's often...

Cover, December

Boeing Surges Ahead of Airbus

A boom unlike anything Boeing has seen before

December

Airbus Woes

12/2000 Official launch of A380, with 50 initial orders. Delivery expected in 2006.1/18/2005 A380 unveiled with much fanfare. 4/27/2005 First flight of A380; it has 154 orders, but says first delivery will be about 3 months...

Cover, Environment, December

Green Curriculum

At this visionary school where sustainability and profitability dovetail, students learn a new business ethic for the 21st century

Life & Style, December

Tech Toys

Cool, handy playthings that shoot, play, record and rock

Life & Style, December

Exclusive Clubs

A new alternative to the summer villa you?ve been coveting

Real Estate, December

High-end Retail Sprouts Up in Bellevue

DANIEL IVANOFF strides into the room like Genghis Khan, scrappy, ready to take on all comers. He's riding high on several recent coups, including the sale in October of Civica, a mixed-use building on 106th Avenue near Northeast...

Real Estate, December

Seattle Retail Goes Upscale

Urban designers and power investors are transforming Seattle?s downtown

Cover, Environment, December

Race for the Wind

Wind power has caught on as the next wave for electricity generation.

But there are limits to what it can do

Education, December

Aviation High

A one-of-a-kind Seattle high school builds teen skills in aviation

December

Washington Dog Travel Guide

Places that welcome ALL well-behaved dogs, regardless of size

December

Seattle, Washington Dog-Friendly City Guide

Places that welcome ALL well-behaved dogs, regardless of size

December

Washington Dog-Friendly Employers

From Seattle to Vancouver, a list of dog-friendly employers

Environment, December

Hydroelectric Dam Locator Map

Map of hydroelectric dams.

Environment, December

Wind Energy Locator Map

Map of existing and proposed wind farms.

Cover, Finance, December

Top 25 Washington Banks

Ranked by tangible assests (in $ millions).

Finance, December

Banking on Credit Unions

In search of growth, credit unions take on big banks

Life & Style, December

Doggone Good

It?s a dog?s life. And in Seattle it?s getting better all the time.

Forum, December

Beyond Doing Good

A new kind of collective giving is pervading our culture

Marketing, Finance, December

Banking on Immigrants

Banks see high returns from the ?unbanked?

OutFront, December

Waterfront Project a Go

EVERETT - The Port Gardner Wharf project, a $400 million mixed-use development on the Everett waterfront, has been given the go-ahead by the Everett Port Commission. The port and the Maritime Trust Co., a private developer, will...

OutFront, December

Salaries Up

SEATTLE - It's getting more expensive to hire financial professionals, and in the Seattle area, starting salaries are higher than the national average, according to a new report from Robert Half International, a national staffing...

OutFront, December

Eddie Bauer EBHI on NASDAQ

REDMOND - Outdoor retailer Eddie Bauer has moved over to the NASDAQ stock market. Since the Redmond company emerged from bankruptcy as an independent firm in 2005, the company's stock had been traded on the Pink Sheets market. As...

OutFront, December

Got Enough Milk, Already? No! Have Some More!

LYNNWOOD -The Dairy Products Commissions of Washington and Oregon have entered a joint venture to boost their sales in the Northwest. The two commissions will work with retailers and food service providers to boost sales of milk,...

OutFront, December

Icos Bought Out by Eli Lilly

BOTHELL - Icos Corp., the biotechnology firm that makes the erectile dysfunction drug Cialis, was bought by Eli Lilly & Co. for $2.1 billion. Icos and Eli Lilly have been in a joint venture to market the drug, which while a...

OutFront, December

InfoSpace Cuts Back

BELLEVUE - InfoSpace Inc. laid off about 250 employees - 40 percent of its workforce - in October shortly after it announced it had lost a major customer for its mobile phone ring tone service. The customer, widely believed to...

OutFront, December

Eastbound Train

WALLULA - A new, closed-line weekly rail service leaving from Wallula in southeastern Washington has put the state's produce on the fast track to the East Coast, where consumers can now buy fresher, crisper Washington apples, as...

OutFront, December

Sierra Has A Secret

ISSAQUAH - Computer game publisher Sierra Online, owned by media giant Vivendi, has acquired Secret Lair Studios, a year-old Issaquah game developer. The purchase price was not disclosed, nor was anything else about Secret Lair....

OutFront, December

Blaine Airport Gets Clearance

BLAINE - One of the longest political debates in Washington state has finally been settled by a narrow 4-3 vote by the city council of Blaine in Whatcom County. Since 1978, serious and sometimes loud debate plus four ballot...

OutFront, December

A Double-tall Mocha With the Black-Eyed Peas ...

SEATTLE - Starbucks Coffee Co. has done a brisk business selling CDs in their shops across the country. Under the Starbucks Hear Music name, the company has been broadcasting on XM Satellite Radio and compiling CDs for sale in...

OutFront, December

Alcoa To Restart Intalco Line

FERNDALE - Alcoa is restarting its second potline at its Intalco Works aluminum smelter in Ferndale. The potline, a row of electrolytic cells used to produce aluminum, has not been operated since 2003. The new line is likely to...

OutFront, December

Cashman Winner Named

Amy Haugerud, of Rosewater Engineering, was the winner of the 2006 Nellie Cashman Woman Business Owner of the Year award.

OutFront, December

Cascade Financial CEO Honored

Carol K. Nelson, president and CEO of Cascade Financial Corporation, was named to the tenth position in U.S. Banker Magazine's list of "25 Women to Watch in Banking."

OutFront, December, Agriculture

Crops Up

WASHINGTON - On October 10th, the Washington state field office of the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service released data on the value of the state's farm commodities, which reached record highs last year, up nine...

OutFront, December

The Key to Creativity

SEATTLE - Unstable, mixed emotions trigger creativity, according to a study at the University of Washington. Christina Ting Fong, an assistant professor at the UW Business School, says managers should recognize that emotional...

OutFront, December

Biggest Crane in North America

VANCOUVER /LONGVIEW - In August, a stout, 500 ton, $3.2 million lift crane, which can raise a Boeing 757's 140 metric tons, took up residence at the Port of Vancouver, where Vestas, a leading manufacturer of wind energy turbines,...

Life & Style, December

Dog Days

Pets at work can relieve stress in the office ? sometimes

OutFront, December

Follow the Leader

ASHFORD - Two new companies have entered into the guided expedition business at Mount Rainer, ending a 37-year franchise. After a bid in October, International Mountain Guides of Tacoma and Alpine Ascents International of Seattle...

OutFront, December

Wanted in Cowlitz County

LONGVIEW - The Daily News in Longview put a new twist on the idea of a community directory. It published a special section in October listing every outstanding warrant in Cowlitz County's district and municipal courts. That's...

OutFront, December

Sabey Buys Former Brewery

SEATTLE - Real estate development company Sabey Corp. has purchased one of the original Rainier Brewery properties and plans to turn it into a mix of residential, offices, stores and light industrial property. Sabey (which is the...

OutFront, December

Tri-Cities Real Estate Keeps on Moving

TRI-CITIES - While western Washington has seen double-digit drops in existing home sales, sales in the Tri-Cities area are keeping up with last year's record pace. Not bad for an area that has lost some 2,400 jobs over the last...

The Good Citizen, December

Taking a Stand for the Homeless

A former attorney spearheads an ambitious building program

The Good Citizen, December

High Rents Challenge Homeless

The average rent plus utilities for a two-bedroom apartment in King County is $996. A worker must earn $19.17 per hour to afford this housing. (Housing is considered affordable when it costs 30 percent of one's income). Fewer...

December

Boeing: The Next Generation

Alan Mulally. Phil Condit. Harry Stonecipher. Gone are the familiar names that have run Boeing for years. As the jet maker soars into a new era, a new team has taken the controls. The world is watching to see how well these...

Cover, Q & A, December

Q&A: REI - SallyJewell

Sally Jewell is CEO of Recreational Equipment Inc. Her career has included stints as a mechanical engineer (Mobil Oil) and a banker (WaMu, Rainier, West One). She climbs mountains and rocks. She also bikes, sails, kayaks and...

Flashbacks, December

Here we Go Again

1997 Economic Forecast by Dick Conway