Snohomish County Placemakers

Aw shucks! We care a heap about sustainable food here in the Pacific Northwest. Luckily, we have some of the freshest waters, as indicated by the health of the lowly (yet oh so delicious) oyster. This week we wade into a conversation with Lissa James Monberg, Vice President of Shellfish at Hama Hama Oysters. Lissa's family has been stewarding the waters of the Salish Sea for six generations, t...

Have you ever loved something a little too much? Maybe a pair of jeans that was worn threadbare and beyond repair. Or a pair of sneakers that finally fell apart from too many miles. Nature can be kind of like that. Too much love and human visitation can wear down that which centuries of natural processes have worked to build. Today we're talking to Jennie Thwing Flaming and Craig Romano from T...

Grant Harrington is the founder of the Snohomish Running Company . His organization puts on beloved races like the Milltown Marathon (also a half marathon and 10K), the Evergreen Half Marathon on the Centennial Trail, the Snohomish River Run, and more. These events are branded in a fun way, and they have swag, and they’re just a blast.  Today we’ll talk to Grant about why you (yes you!) should run...

The world is a pretty serious place these days, and there are few ways to better overcome it all than with a good laugh. And we don’t mean an LOL response to a kind of funny text message from a friend. We're talking about the gut-busting, fall-out-of-your-seat kind of laugh that cleanses your soul (and maybe even your sinuses).  As the producer of Everett Comedy Night, which has been bringing...

Travel is a great way to get out of your element and discover the world around you. It offers opportunities to learn about other cultures and to go on adventures that you never knew were possible. In other words, traveling can take you out of your comfort zone. However, this sentiment can be a huge point of contention for many travelers, including people of color. When traveling to new places, min...

Nick is the newest member of our tourism team. As a local, he knows all of the places you *should* be visiting when you come to Everett, WA . From food trucks and festivals to aviation and one-of-a-kind pop culture experiences, there is always something to discover in Everett, WA . The waterfront is a can’t-miss, boasting the largest public marina on the West Coast. Enjoy a great meal, hop the fer...

Farmers markets: we have so many questions. Like, why is "farmers" not possessive? Where did the apostrophe go? Who does the market belong to? But seriously, local, organic food is important. However, the conversation around it can sometimes feel overly moralizing or shaming, especially given the high stakes. Modern food production impacts local ecosystems, global environments, and invol...

Meet the APEX Art & Cultural Center. It’s a historic building on the corner of Everett and Wetmore Avenues. The massive brick edifice is filled with Masonic lodge/ghost vibes. For years it was abandoned, and I always wondered what was going on in there... A couple of years ago a guy named John Carswell bought this building. You’ll meet John in this podcast. He has spent years acquiring America...

Meet Andrew Gobin, who manages treaty rights for the Tulalip Tribes of Washington State. If you're unfamiliar with treaty rights, don't worry – I first learned about them through my work with county government and the tribes. Once you understand them, though, it changes the way you see the land, especially when you learn about the vital role natural resources played in the lives of indigenous comm...

More people are discovering Lynnwood, WA these days. That’s not only because it’s a great place to visit (and eat!) -- Lynnwood is also the most recent, northernmost stop on the Link Light Rail, a modern train system that connects the Greater Seattle Region. The light rail opens up opportunities for commuters, yes, but also makes it easier than ever for regional explorers to access the fine dining...

The famous urbanist Jane Jacobs (whose influential book The Life and Death of Great American Cities is the bible of urbanists everywhere) wrote with great fondness about the importance of old buildings. Old buildings, she reasoned, were important – especially in a changing cityscape that favors new development.   She says it best: "New ideas require old buildings." Old buildings offer a...

Here's a deceptively simple question: how do you create a grassroots art movement... from scratch? Today I’m talking with Laura Bettelheim, the founder and Director of the Lake Stevens Film Festival . This is a volunteer-run, female-led hyperlocal film festival that draws regional talent and even national talent to the city of Lake Stevens, WA.   As we’ll get into in the episode, Laura conceiv...

The Stanwood-Camano Arts Advocacy Commission promotes the arts in the city of Stanwood by doing... well, all the things! Public outreach, education, fundraising and more. It’s not uncommon for a town to take pride in its arts community, but Stanwood and Camano Island walk the talk. There is a high concentration of fine artists there and have been since as far back as the 1970s when Dale Chihuly an...

You know the educational acronym STEAM? Science, tech, engineering, arts, math... these are the skills and fields that provide kids with an advantage in the modern workforce. Snohomish County runs on these types of industries. If you think of aviation companies like Boeing, or the life science companies in Canyon Park, or the advanced manufacturing facilities at the Cascade Industrial Center in Ma...

“It’s okay to not know what you’re doing... it's okay to start without a plan. People will help!” 🎨 True enough! Creating culture in a city from the ground up takes a big act of faith. Not easy. Yet grassroots arts orgs develop the rich local economies and ecosystems that both residents and visitors are attracted to. It all starts with the arts! In this episode we chat with Jennifer Oak and N...

Can we engineer zero traffic violence into our cities? Can we create reliable transit options for everyone? Can we plan for dense infrastructure, create walkability, and revitalize downtown cores? Yes! We absolutely can. Brock Howell, Executive Director for Snotrac shows us a future with less pollution, cooler neighborhoods, and better connectivity for all. 🚊 🚞 🚲🚶 Like what you hear? Please ra...

What practical things can we do today to make a brighter future? What a great question. Optimism without action is a hollow daydream. Simreet Dhaliwal-Gill is coordinating the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Research and Development Center. This Snohomish County-led initiative is leading the aerospace and aviation industries into a future with fewer carbon emissions. The SAF R&D Center is a remark...

Arra Rael is the Director of DEI and B for the Center for Human Services – a local behavioral health nonprofit. She’s also part of the LGBTQ+ community of Snohomish County. Arra joins us today to share about her work and philosophy around creating a sense of belonging for all. This episode is produced in conjunction with the Snohomish County Office of Social Justice. Join us as we explore question...

Here’s everything you need to know for exploring our beautiful destination on two wheels. 🌲🚲 Follow along @seattlenorthcountry and visit seattlenorthcountry.com

Did you know that Snohomish County is comprised of 2,000 square miles, 70% of which is public land? That’s a lot of forest, lakes, and rivers. Executive Dave Somers has been a champion of well-managed growth since the 1970s with a long track record of championing the natural environment over rampant development. Today on the pod we have a candid convo with the boss about science-informed policy, d...

This beloved family restaurant in Everett, WA closed during the pandemic… then revived, better than ever. (You gotta try their veggie burgers. 😋) Today, Sisters offers the same quality concept that it has embodied since the 1980s, only with a whole new vibe. 🥧☕️🍔 In this episode we talk to Jackson Quall about how to make something you love even if it takes decades, how aesthetics are important...

Want to explore the mountains of the PNW but don’t know where to start? We got you. This week we talk about the Mountain Loop Highway, where you can access hundreds of camping spots and the hiking trails of your dreams. ✨ Hyperbole? No way. 🏕️ Listen while we cover the basics — leave no trace principles, trail etiquette and the 10 essentials. Then our host, Richard, will guide you through a virtu...

What if you could grow your own food… indoors… in perpetuity? What would that mean in the era of climate change, soil degradation, an inflationary economy, and disruption in the global supply chain? 🍄 Today we talk to Nathanael Engen of Black Forest Mushrooms. Engen is an entrepreneur who chose to set up shop in Everett. He talks about how local mushrooms cut down on waste and pollution, how the...

Is it vintage? Is it modern? Yes. Both! The darling riverside city of Snohomish, WA will charm the pants off you by virtue of its collaborative community of makers. Today we talk about how this historic city keeps evolving into better versions of itself. I believe there are some lessons here for other municipalities and civic organizations looking to elevate their city into a more desirable destin...

Long lines. Overpriced magazines. Parking lot hellscapes. We can all agree that airports are the worst, right? Paine Field in Everett, WA is changing the game. Today we talk to investor Brett Smith. His company, Propeller Airports, is piloting (no pun intended) a new model of airport: a public/private partnership that benefits everyone — *especially passengers.* ✨ Book your tickets, pack your bag...