Opening Bell
The Long Game
Barghausen Consulting Engineers sets itself up for a future once its founder retires
Tom Barghausen isn’t quite ready to retire. The 71-year old, however, knows that day is coming. A transition plan has been in place since 2017. Barghausen serves as president of the eponymous company he founded in 1982, Barghausen Consulting Engineers Inc. The professional services firm offers civil engineering, land surveying, land-use planning, and architecture. This…
Statshot: Hot LEED
Environmental efficiency in Seattle's sites
Columbia Tower. 999 Third. Puget Sound Plaza. 2 Union Square. Met Tower. Seattle boasts numerous LEED-certified buildings, or structures that meet rigorous certifications in five categories: energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality, materials, water savings and site selection. (LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). Seattle ranks No. 7 in the United States for…
Talent Scout
SkillShow shines the light on athletes, teams and events
As a high school catcher and infielder recruited by major universities, Tom Koerick had no idea how to market himself. With help from his father, the Philadelphia-area native ended up making a VHS videotape of his highlights to send to college coaches. On a recruiting trip to Duke University, Koerick noticed stacks of tapes in…
Statshot: Climate Change Charge
State takes the lead with ambitious goals
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s strategic climate agenda, released last December, positions the state as a national leader in reducing climate pollution and pursuing climate-mitigation policies. The state’s ambitious goals include reducing climate pollution by 45% below 1990 levels by 2030 and 95% by 2050. Here’s a snapshot of the state’s changing climate. NOTE: Here is…
He Does it His Way
Sean Northrop takes a practical approach to environmental stewardship
Sean Northrop knows there’s more than one way to create innovative, sustainable developments respectful of the environment. Northrop, who in 2011 founded Seattle-based custom-home builder Trailside Homes, prefers the term “placemaker” to developer. His firm’s latest project is Ederra, a master-planned community in Cle Elum that emphasizes preserving open spaces and trail systems while connecting…
‘The Speed of Thought’
Despite pleas from his staff, Pivotal Commware CEO Brian Deutsch says he’ll never do a TED Talk. That’s a shame because Deutsch has a fully-formed management and leadership philosophy based around intense vetting during the hiring process and delegating key tasks to his management team. It’s working. Pivotal, a Kirkland-based 5G high-speed wireless coverage business,…
Main Engines of Growth
Seattle and Walla Walla rank among top performing cities
Jobs are plentiful. Wages are increasing. The high-tech community is thriving. More households have access to broadband than ever before. For primarily those reasons, the Seattle region and the city of Walla Walla have earned top-10 rankings in the prestigious Milken Institute Best-Performing Cities of 2022. Seattle jumped seven spots from last year, now ranking…
Company Eats its Own Dog Food
If you wouldn't eat it, don't feed it to your dog
Johnni Rodgers doesn’t actually advise you to eat her company’s dog food. She does want you to know, however, that her Wet Noses Natural Dog Treat Co.’s food is 100% human grade, and is manufactured in a facility equipped to produce human food. The company’s motto? “If you wouldn’t eat it, don’t feed it to…
Banzai is a True Study in Steady
Founder and CEO Joe Davy guides consistent growth while keeping a close eye on the future
At age 7, Joe Davy thought he wanted to become a software engineer. In college, he worked as a programmer at IBM while pursuing a degree in economics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Then the entrepreneurial bug bit and he never got that degree. After founding two companies in his native…
Statshot: Virtual Vocations
Remote work is here to stay. It can pay well, too.
Employers are taking note: Many workers have no desire to ever return to an office full time. A survey by PwC finds that 41% of remote workers want to remain that way. A survey by data company PeopleSmart reveals nearly a quarter of almost 800 of the most common jobs across the country can be…
He’s Living in the Upzone
Israel-born Ofer Avnery has a background in computer science. So, naturally, he became a housing developer. Avnery, who came to the United States in 2011 after selling his business-intelligence company, is now the founder and chief executive officer of Real Wave Capital. The small, Redmond-based prop-tech firm uses technology and software to identify properties in…
Pack Mentality
New VC fund targets UW research
Ken Horenstein is out to unravel the mystery behind venture-capital investing. In doing so, he seeks to shine a national spotlight on the prolific technological innovations created by researchers at the University of Washington. Horenstein’s new pre-seed and venture fund, Pack Ventures, is focused almost exclusively on budding entrepreneurs who are part of the University…
Hire Purpose
Intense employee vetting and healthy conflict rocket StrataCore to the pinnacle of the 100 Best Companies list
On the surface, Aaron Loehr has a pretty straightforward management philosophy: Hire exceptional people and “let them do their thing.” In reality, it’s nowhere near that simple. Loehr, the founder and chief executive officer of Seattle tech company StrataCore Inc., relies on an in-depth battery of cognitive and behavioral testing to assess the strengths and…