SB Profiles
Jon Jones: The Mindful CEO
Jon Jones isn’t your ordinary boss, and Brighton Jones isn’t your ordinary company
Jon Jones is a business executive by trade and a guiding light by nature. The culture at the wealth management firm he co-founded with Charles Brighton 25 years ago, Brighton Jones, is a mix of spiritual, practical and, when appropriate, lighthearted. Acronyms such as “MESI” and “RLP” spill from his tongue like a free-flowing river….
Downtown’s ‘It’ Man
Jon Scholes is leading the effort to bring downtown Seattle back. It’s working
For Jon Scholes, the state of downtown Seattle is deeply personal. As a longtime resident, he’s keenly invested in downtown’s post-pandemic recovery. As president and CEO of the Downtown Seattle Association, he’s inarguably the neighborhood’s most fervent advocate. He keeps close tabs on store openings, crime rates, transportation issues, and public policy decisions. And he’s…
‘It’s Not About the Visitors’
Visit Seattle CEO Tammy Blount-Canavan reveals some secrets about tourism
Tammy Blount-Canavan calls herself a “travel evangelist.” Visit Seattle calls her its CEO. Blount-Canavan had big shoes to fill when she took over the regional destination marketing organization last year from Tom Norwalk, who served as CEO for almost 14 years. Blount-Canavan, who lives in downtown Seattle just blocks from her office, has a long…
How Four Letters and AI Can Create a Cure
François Vigneault’s Shape Therapeutics seeks to find answers for incurable disease
The impetus for François Vigneault’s decades-long love affair with biology was actor Dustin Hoffman. Vigneault watched the movie Outbreak in 1995, in which Hoffman plays an Army epidemiologist searching for a cure for a quickly spreading and deadly virus. “That’s what I want to do,” he thought. The movie motivated Vigneault, who was serving in…
Mariners’ President Catie Griggs is in a league of her own
Most 14-year olds are preparing to enter high school. Catie Griggs was a freshman in college. It was an auspicious sign. Griggs, 41, is in now in her third season as president of business operations for the Seattle Mariners. When she was hired in July 2021, she became the only woman president in a Major…
Inventing the Future
Inclusivity is the key theme for architect Michael Stueve
At Ankrom Moisan Architects in Portland’s Old Town, there are no private offices. Not one. “That’s just the way our culture is,” says Michael Stueve, a principal at the firm in charge of user experience strategy. “But you will never hear us say let’s do something just because it’s cool. We do it because it…
The Sporting Life
Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke embraces the power of all sports
Tod Leiweke’s résumé is the business equivalent of the three-sport athlete, and then some. For anyone who’s not been paying attention, Leiweke is president, CEO, and minority owner of the NHL’s Seattle Kraken. He previously worked in the NFL as its chief operating officer after serving as CEO of the Seattle Seahawks and soccer’s Seattle…
Life Inside The Law at Schlemlein Fick & Franklin
Dogs stroll the premises. People play ping-pong and work out in the free onsite gym. Pizza parties and happy hours are common. A Seahawks or Mariners game may be playing on the big-screen TV. This isn’t a social club, though longtime clients often refer to it as the “clubhouse.” It’s the headquarters of Schlemlein Fick…
Brighton Jones’ Tama Smith: Passion, Power, Purpose
Before Tyra Banks asked Tama Smith to serve as CEO of her eponymous company, Smith urged the television personality, model and producer to attend Harvard Business School’s Executive Education program. When Banks finished two years later, Smith was out of a job. It was all part of the plan. Empowering women has become Smith’s life…
The Fixer
Nancy Giunto is retiring after spending a career working to improve health care
Ever wonder why a medical procedure costs more at Virginia Mason than at Providence? Or why medical bills often arrive unanticipated months after care? So does Nancy Giunto. Even after spending decades in health care, she admits she doesn’t have all the answers. Giunto isn’t a doctor. She’s an administrator. But you’d be hard-pressed to…
Pioneer Spirit
London Plane owner Katherine Anderson remains committed to Pioneer Square despite a host of challenges
Seattle’s historic Pioneer Square neighborhood has been part of Katherine Anderson’s life for as long as she can remember. Anderson, owner of the popular London Plane restaurant, recalls visiting the neighborhood with her father when she was a small child. They always stopped at The Elliott Bay Book Co., the iconic bookstore, which for 37…
Taking Big STEM Steps
D. Sangeetas startup, Gotara, aims to fix the gender imbalance in STEM careers
D. Sangeeta wasn’t about to put her dream on hold, pandemic or not. Sangeeta launched her Seattle startup, Gotara, in June 2020, a month when Covid-19 claimed nearly 60,000 American lives. She had left her job as vice president of connections at Amazon and, relying on her 26 years of experience, set about creating a…
The Rating Game
Sung Rhee takes on U.S. News & World Reports college rankings, with a big difference
This story is featured in the October issue of Seattle Business magazine. Subscribe here to access the print edition. Sung Rhee found himself unemployed and unsure of his future after selling his venture-backed software infrastructure company, ViAir, back in 2003. The internet was in its early stages, and Rhee was trying to figure a way…