SB Profiles
Q&A: MOHAIs Howard Giske Tells Seattle’s Stories Through Photos
Howard Giske recently retired after nearly four decades at the Museum of History and Industry, having worked as the curator of photography since 1996.
This article appears in the May 2018 issue. Click here for a free subscription. Howard Giske began working at the Museum of History and Industry in 1980. He became curator of photography in 1996 and retired in March. What exactly did you do? I acquired, cared for and shared wonderful historic photographs from all over…
Executive Q&A: Marilyn Strickland Wants to Change the Seattle Narrative That Business is Bad
The Seattle Metro Chambers new CEO on leadership, consensus and kimchi.
CULTURAL APPRECIATION: As an African-American and Korean-American woman, Marilyn Strickland understands intersectionality in government and in the workplace. This article appears in the May 2018 issue. Click here for a free subscription. Marilyn Strickland has taken the reins as CEO of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce at a time when the owners of many…
ACT Managing Director Becky Witmer Keeps Theater In Business
Becky Witmer dishes on being a theater kid and handling the strangest patron complaints.
This article appears in print in the April 2018 issue. Click here for a free subscription. Becky Witmer is managing director of ACT a contemporary theatre. She joined ACT in 2011 as director of marketing and communications and served as general manager from 2014 to 2015. ACT recently renewed Witmers contract for three years. On…
Executive Q&A: Ariane Cornell Says Blue Origin Will Launch People into Space by the End of 2018
The head of astronaut strategy at Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin discusses her background, her love of "Star Trek," the New Glenn rocket and when consumers might be headed to infinity and beyond.
SPACE STATION: Ariane Cornell at Blue Origin’s 260,000-square-foot engineering and manufacturing facility in Kent. This article appears in print in the April 2018 issue. Click here for a free subscription. Ariane Cornell is head of astronaut strategy and sales and New Glenn commercial sales director for the Americas at Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos aerospace manufacturer…
Off the Clock with James Filsinger, President and CEO of Yapta
Filsinger is a Seahawks season ticket holder and has been commissioner of the same fantasy football league since 1996.
Tell us what your company does and what attracted you to this business.Yapta is the industry leader in corporate travel price assurance and data analytics. We monitor airfare prices and hotel rates on booked business travel itineraries for more than 6,100 companies including a majority of the top 100 corporate travel spenders in the United…
Q&A: KEXP’s Sharlese Metcalf on Discovering and Supporting Northwest Bands
DJ Sharlese Metcalf looks for the best in Northwest music for her Saturday night program, "Audioasis."
This article appears in print in the March 2018 issue. Click here for a free subscription. Sharlese Metcalf is host of the Northwest music program Audioasis on KEXP (Saturdays, 69 p.m.). She also is an original member of the TUF collective and cofounder of the DJ crew False Prophet (falseprophetdjs.com). Describe the mission of Audioasis….
Executive Q&A: Pamela Maynard of Avanade Is Advocating for Diversity in Tech
After heading up Avanades operations in Europe and Africa, Pamela Maynard is bringing her philosophy on tech diversity to the entire company.
This article appears in print in the March 2018 issue. Click here for a free subscription. Pamela Maynard was born in London but her parents, immigrants from Barbados, moved the family to a village outside the city in search of a better education for their two children. Maynard became the first in her family to…
Seattle Public Relations Legend Jay Rockey Dies at 90
Rockey was director of public relations for the Seattle World's Fair, and was a staple in the community for two generations.
Jay Rockey, the dean of public relations professionals in Seattle for two generations, died last week. He was 90. Rockey founded Jay Rockey Public Relations in 1962, immediately after the Seattle Worlds Fair ended. Rockey had been director of public relations for the fair and was largely responsible for the fairs being noticed across the…
Off the Clock with Ann Downs of The Skillet Group
This month's C-Suite Confidential with the leader of the Seattle-based restaurant group.
This article appears in print in the February 2018 issue. Click here for a free subscription. Tell us what your company does and what attracted you to this business. Skillet operates four restaurants, a catering business and two food trucks here in Seattle. A Skillet diner came into my neighborhood in 2011 and I was…
Executive Q&A: Steve Davis on Overseeing Healthy Innovation at PATH
CEO Steve Davis steers PATH along a restructured path.
This article appears in print in the February 2018 issue. Click here for a free subscription. An attorney, activist and China expert, Steve Davis built Bill Gates digital media venture, Corbis, into a multinational firm with 1,100 employees before serving as interim CEO at the Infectious Disease Research Institute and then running McKinsey & Companys…
Q&A: John Richards, Co-Owner of Downtown Seattle Boutique Jackstraw
John Richards worked at the Seattle luxury fashion stores Butch Blum and Marios for 25 years before opening Jackstraw in 2008.
This article appears in print in the February 2018 issue. Click here for a free subscription. John Richards is co-owner and buyer at Jackstraw, a specialty boutique selling mens and womens apparel. Situated at First Avenue near Virginia Street in downtown Seattle, it endeavors to sell clothing with stories and character, beautiful construction nothing too…
2018 Executive Excellence Awards, Lifetime Achievement: Howard Behar, Starbucks
The former Starbucks executive is being honored for his 50-year career, where he helped lead the coffee company from 28 stores to more than 15,000 stores on five continents.
This article appears in print in the February 2018 issue. Click here for a free subscription. A decade of retirement has only affirmed Howard Behars commitment to his business ideals. The former president of Starbucks now travels the world evangelizing the ways leaders need to lead. I need to fill my soul every day, Behar…
2018 Executive Excellence Awards: Simon Woods, Seattle Symphony
The president and CEO at one of Seattle's most treasured artistic institutions.
This article appears in print in the February 2018 issue. Click here for a free subscription. To thrive, a citys art needs to match the citys character. This belief guided Simon Woods when he took the executive leadership of the Seattle Symphony in 2011. The orchestra had great cultural assets notably the acoustic jewel that…