SB Profiles
Net Gains
In a professional sports world where attendance has declined across the board and player lockouts have become dinner-table discussion topics, the Seattle Storm has experienced an increase in attendance and season-ticketholder retention. According to the organization, gross revenues have risen 76 percent in three years. Corporate sponsorship of the team has similarly increased, and the…
Talking Points: Steven C. Cooper, President & CEO, TrueBlue Inc.
Under Steve Cooper, Tacoma-based TrueBlue has expanded beyond its Labor Ready franchise, which has long provided day labor to construction companies, into a family of enterprises that find employment for a range of blue-collar workersfrom carpenters to aviation mechanicsin a variety of industries. The new businesses helped TrueBlue weather the recession. It now has 2,500…
Growing Pains
Andrew Stout, owner of Full Circle Farm in Carnation, has enjoyed enormous success raising and selling organic produce, with annual sales of $11 million. Most small businesses would be satisfied to grow by 50percent to 90 percent a year. Not Andrew Stout, whose Full Circle Farm, basedin Carnation, has logged that rapid growth since he…
Weyerhaeuser Restructuring REIT Step?
Weyerhaeuser has declared a $5.6 billion dividend, the final step in the timber company’s long journey to become a real estate investment trust. We discussed the planned restructuring into a new financial entity in an April story. While the conversion makes a lot of sense to shareholders because it will reduce the tax hit on…
Washington Innovation Summit in Tacoma Revealed State’s Strengths, Weaknesses
The annual innovation summit organized by the Washington Technology Center was recently held in Tacoma. It covered a range of industries from aerospace and materials to renewable energy and education. If you missed this great meeting, you can still catch up by watching videos and presentations here: https://www.watechcenter.org/index.php?p=Program&s=1687 One of the key areas of focus…
Washington Innovation Summit in Tacoma Reveals State’s Strengths, Weaknesses
The annual innovation summit organized by the Washington Technology Center was recently held in Tacoma. It covered a range of industries from aerospace and materials to renewable energy and education. If you missed this great meeting, you can still catch up by watching videos and presentations here: https://www.watechcenter.org/index.php?p=Program&s=1687 One of the key areas of focus…
The Next Wave
Bill Gates and Nathan Myhrvold, two leaders in the local tech community, areputting millions of their money behind a technology that could solve our energyproblems while offering a solution to the nagging issue of how to handlenuclear waste. The technology is being developed by TerraPower, a spinoffof Myhrvolds Bellevue-based invention company Intellectual Ventures. Thecompany is…
Biography: Theodor P. Baseler
Wineries Washington: ChateauSte. Michelle, Col Solare, Spring Valley Vineyard, Northstar, Columbia Crest, Domaine Ste. Michelle, Snoqualmie Vineyards Oregon: Erath Winery Napa, Calif.: StagsLeap,Conn Creek, Villa Mt. Eden Personal Age: 55 Hometown: Bellevue Education: Mastersfrom Northwestern University, Bachelors from Washington State University Family: Wife JoAnne,daughter Andrea (now a senior at WSU) Board and corporate seats: Current…
Weathering Another Storm
For the Washington state wine industry, the continuingrecession means consumers are buying fewer pricy top-of-the-line bottles. That changeactually plays to Chateau Ste. Michelles core strategy of producing good butaffordable wines. Thats called price-to-quality ratio, and Ste. Michelleis known for it, says competitor Norm McKibben at Walla Wallas Pepper BridgeWinery. Even in a recession, people dont…
Power Surge
Avista Corp. is planning oninvesting $125 million in its first wind farm in eastern Washington. Two local power providers that have played a key role inpromoting the generation of clean energy as part of an earlier state-sponsoredinitiative now stand to benefit from stimulus spending by the federalgovernment. Both plan to continue their surge in investments…
A Jolt in the Arm
Washington state is on the cusp of another breakthrough.Only this time the change isnt in aerospace, software or the internet. Its inenergy. But theres a major caveat for those seeking to benefit fromthis new gold rush: It has never been done before. And new federal spending isgoing to change the landscape in ways we cant…
Eastern Sun
The sun shines brightly onInfinias CEO J.D. Sitton, who sees a worldwide market forefficiently-generated solar power. As the world looks for new viable alternatives to fossilfuels, Kennewick-based Infinia Corp. is becoming a major player thanks to itsapplication of a free-piston Stirling engine, a device that converts heat intomechanical energy. The engine is used in Infinias…
After Wine
Blue Mountain Station inDayton is intended to introduce tourists to local natural and organic foodproducers. Southeastern Washingtons reputation as a destination forwine lovers is spurring one local organization to try to expand the regionsappeal to travelers as an emerging center for processing organic food products. In Columbia County, the Port of Columbia recently purchased28 acres…