Seattle City Makers

Summers in Seattle are sublime. For the Port of Seattle, the summer months are slammed with activity. One of the 10 busiest ports in the nation, the Port of Seattle has been led by Executive Director Steve Metruck since 2018. Jon and Steve discuss Seattle’s growing cruise industry; trends in domestic and business travel; the enormous scope of business for the Port of Seattle; his career path from...

As we put a cap on the NBA Finals, and look ahead to an NBA Board of Governors meeting with expansion on the agenda, we have a timely conversation Brian Robinson. For nearly 20 years now, Brian has led a number of groups dedicated to Sonics fandom and bringing the NBA back to Seattle. His latest effort is Seattle NBA Fans, which he founded with a mission of uniting the region and preparing for the...

You don’t make the Forbes 30 Under 30 list without serious talent and execution – both strong suits of Yifan Zhang. The Harvard grad and entrepreneur founded two companies, one in San Francisco and another in Seattle. She’s now the managing director of AI2 Incubator and the founder of AI House, a place for community, collaboration and creating the next era of AI in Seattle. Jon and Yifan talk abou...

Who doesn’t love a freshly baked cookie? Warm cookies are a mood changer, and in the case of Tiffany Lewis, a career changer. Lewis left a corporate job in banking and went headfirst into baking. But she did not follow a standard recipe. Graduation from Le Cordon Bleu, working with celebrity chefs like Curtis Stone and Giada De Laurentiis and eventually landing at Sur La Table. The pandemic led to...

Seattle’s Chief of Police Shon Barnes has an encyclopedic knowledge of public safety data – but he also knows data doesn’t tell the whole story. Chief Barnes arrived in Seattle after spending four years at the helm of the Madison, Wisconsin police department. Shon and Jon talk about his first few months on the job in Seattle; the power of perception in public safety; his perspective on crime in do...

Pacific Northwest Ballet is a powerhouse – and the same could be said for its Executive Director, Seattle native Ellen Walker. The fifth-largest ballet company in the nation, PNB has been thrilling audiences for more than 50 years. Ellen and Jon talk about her path to leadership at PNB; the health of Seattle’s arts & culture sector; the importance of diversity in talent and audience; how PNB t...

Seattle’s music scene is well known and overflowing with talent across a wide range of genres. But there’s one local record label with a worldwide reputation that produced the sound of the city – Sub Pop Records. CEO Megan Jasper sat down with Jon to talk about the evolution of Seattle’s music industry; how she came to lead this legendary label; Sub Pop’s “no a-holes” policy; her favorite venues;...

Author and Brown University fellow Marc Dunkelman believes America is stuck – unable to move the needle on big things that need fixing. In his latest book, “Why Nothing Works: Who Killed Progress – And How to Bring it Back,” Dunkelman examines what progressives must do to correct this and restore confidence in democratically elected government. Marc was in Seattle recently as DSA’s State of Downto...

Loneliness and disconnection reached epidemic levels the last few years, according to former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy. What if a potential cure was growing in our community? Enter the US Chamber of Connections, headquartered right here in Seattle. Jon and Chamber of Connection founder and CEO Aaron Hurst talk about what led to the launch of this organization; the Seattle Freeze; the foundation...

A low-rider show on the stately grounds of the Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa and a cat video festival in Minneapolis that went viral – two examples of the creative mind of Scott Stulen. And as the Seattle Art Museum’s new director and CEO, what innovative exhibits are up his sleeve for the Emerald City? Jon and Scott talk about his journey to leadership in the arts; the creative ways he’s stret...

The world’s largest shared electric vehicle company is high on Seattle. Lime Director of Government Relations Hayden Harvey joins us on the podcast to discuss mobility and cities. Hayden and Jon talk about how Seattle is a growth market for Lime; the new vehicles and technology hitting our streets; the strangest place Hayden’s seen a scooter parked; his passion for micromobility and more. Join us...

Some of Seattle’s most interesting commercial spaces – Melrose Market, Deep Dive and Chophouse Row to name a few – all have one thing in common: the design and aesthetic of Graham Baba Architects. Graham Baba Founder & Principal Jim Graham joins Jon to talk about his favorite projects; his path to architecture and design; the complicated nature of some signature developments; the importance of...

She’s essentially the mayor of a small city within the city, and Rachel Ligtenberg says it’s the role of a lifetime. The new Pike Place Market PDA Executive Director joins us to kickoff the fourth season of the Seattle City Makers Podcast. Jon and Rachel talk about her career path leading to Pike Place Market; the impact of the Overlook Walk; the Market as an incubator and the extremely popular to...

Our final episode of 2024 looks back on a year of entertaining, enlightening and insightful conversations. We spoke to so many fascinating guests who embody the premise of this podcast: there are amazing people doing incredible things in Seattle and they’re shaping how we experience the city. Thank you to all of our guests and of course the listeners who helped make 2024 an award-winning year for...

Seattle’s music scene is legendary and we have arguably one of its brightest current stars on this episode – singer, songwriter, drummer, guitarist and producer Sera Cahoone. Jon and Sera talk about how snowboarding drew her to Seattle; her journey from open mic nights to playing with Band of Horses, her favorite Seattle venues; Sera’s perfect Saturday in Seattle and more. Join us for Seattle City...

At Pasta Casalinga in Pike Place Market, the lunch rush extends well into the afternoon – and with good reason. Owner Michela Tartaglia is serving up some of the best pasta in the city. Recorded at the restaurant, Jon and Michela talk in this episode about her arrival in Seattle with professorial dreams; what led her to opening a restaurant; the secret to a great pasta sauce; her perfect Saturday...

As a healthcare professional and a leader, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone with the breadth of experience and expertise as Swedish Health Services President & CEO Dr. Elizabeth Wako. Recorded on location at Swedish First Hill campus, Jon and Dr. Wako talk in this episode about the enormous expansion project on First Hill; her journey to healthcare after immigrating with her family from E...

Seattle Aquarium President & CEO Bob Davidson’s career is dotted with big moves and impactful projects that have shaped how we experience Seattle. And now that Bob is retiring, it’s time to look back at a career that will have a lasting impression on this community. Recorded on location at the new Ocean Pavilion, Jon and Bob talk about the Aquarium’s incredible new facility tucked under the Ov...

We should all thank Joe Fugere for opening the first certified Neapolitan pizzeria in Seattle. The founder & CEO of Tutta Bella began his career at Starbucks. Twenty-one years ago he needed a change and that revelation eventually led to five pizzerias and a growing retail business. Jon and Joe talk about the Tutta Bella origin story; his new multifaceted concept in downtown Seattle; the amazin...

Jamila Conley wants to open up access and awareness to diverse winemakers and she’s planting that flag in downtown Seattle. After a career in tech, the WeRise Wines founder and CEO is setting up shop on Second Avenue in the heart of downtown. Jon and Jamila talk about the origin story and mission of WeRise; the role of small businesses in downtown’s continued revitalization; how the city helped ma...

Urban leaders from 10 countries and 46 U.S. states gathered in downtown Seattle earlier this month for the International Downtown Association annual conference, discussing a wide range of economic and place-based issues. With a number of experts in town, we invited MJB Consulting founder and President Michael Berne to talk shop on the podcast. Michael is one of the nation’s foremost retail authori...

Holy catfish! The 2024 football season has kicked off and what better guest to talk pigskin than the voice of the Seattle Seahawks, Steve Raible? He’s been with the organization since its inception in 1976 (drafted 59th overall), spent nearly 40 years at KIRO 7 following his playing days and has been the play-by-play voice of the Hawks since 2004. Jon and Steve talk about his path to the microphon...

We took the show on the road to record at one of the most iconic locations in the country — The Space Needle. CEO Ron Sevart took the reins of the Needle in 2008 and steered this attraction through the Great Recession, opening Chihuly Garden and Glass in 2012 and then leading both through a global pandemic. Jon and Ron talk about the Needle’s $100 million renovation; the origin story of The Space...

Seattle Met described Marcus Lalario as Seattle’s Kevin Bacon – you can connect him to a ton of ventures and a lot of people. Whether it’s the Seattle music scene, nightlife, fashion or restaurants, Marcus Lalario has had a major impact in how we experience this city. Jon and Marcus talk about his fairly unusual start in the nighttime economy; his HOMETEAM and Darkalino’s enterprise; the Pioneer S...

What began as a web hosting operation based in a one-bedroom apartment has become a cloud computing company with a global presence. Wowrack CEO Ed Osckar has a story of growth and perspective on what’s ahead for tech in Seattle. Jon and Ed talk about how Shawn Kemp played a role in Ed coming to Seattle; our city’s positioning in the AI and cloud ecosystem; future infrastructure considerations for...